It begins with a challenge

I've recently been challenged to get fit with a friend of mine from fitocracy. Sounds great right? Finally get that body I've always wanted, feel better about myself, have more energy all around, who wouldn't want that right? But it's those pre-planning stages where I get trapped. I like to go big, and I know I do it. I want to do more push-ups, pull-ups, and planks. I want to lift more weight. I want better cardio. I want those rock hard abs. I want to do yoga and martial arts. I need to hike more and no surprise through all of this I won't give up rock climbing. So how do you fit this all into a week without your entire life being dedicated to fitness? I *want* to do it all, and since I'm not interested in doing much of a diet going big is a good way to help counter act that.

Ooops I said the forbidden word...diet. Everyone needs to stop jumping up and down for a second and let me explain. Yes I understand that to lose weight you need less calories (but not starve yourself). Yes I understand that to gain muscle you need protein. Yes I understand that you need the right kinds of foods and lots of "American" foods will give you name-your-favorite-disease. But let me spell this out once: I won't do it. I have tried the counting calories and discovered that if you ask 3 different people how much you should eat you'll get 7 different answers. I have tried cutting out things from my diet and what ends up happening is I have a bad day and eat an entire pizza (or whatever). What I need to do it something I can live with. Hence the statement I made a while ago, and that's all the diet you're ever going to get out of me. I may cut out pop though. I should probably do that much.

The next step everyone seems to ask is "what do you want to look like?" this I feel is equally hard for me. I can point you to pictures easily, I want to look like that! But wait! How many of those people are real? To say it another way is it an accurate goal? Sure I'd love to look like but is that because she's a buxom tall dark exotic beauty? Because no matter how hard I workout, diet, wear different cloths, there is no way I'm becoming a tall dark exotic beauty. I know people who freak out that strong women will get big and bulky...have no fear I am not in that camp. I know better. What's more important to me is how I feel (how very zen of me) and that's not something you can really put down in a goal or track progress with. I know people who put smilies next to days to track their mood, but that's not really what I mean.

At some point I'll figure out some goals, take some measurements and share to the darkness of the internets. Who knows maybe someday I'll be able to turn heads in a dress (not just because omg she's actually wearing a dress) and have that self-confidence thing people keep talking about. Until then, it's quite possible that I'll be living at the gym or the office for the foreseeable future.

14,270 ft

I finally made it, I've now hiked a 14'er does this mean I'm a Coloradan now? Probably not until I participate in winter sports. But hey I'm getting closer! I am not going to pretend that this was easy for me, it was a brutal hike especially when I tried to keep up with those fast long legged friends of mine. I got up a 2am, managed to pull on my hiking boots and eat some oatmeal and headed out to meet everyone at the parking lot at work. We drove up, got out of the car into a much colder environment, strapped on a headlamp and started up the mountain. Round trip it's only 7-8 miles (depending on if you go up Grey's Peak *and* Torrey Peak)

I was the slow one. Legs were fine but it took about half the hike before my lungs stopped feeling like they were dying. Ironically I felt much better at around 13,000ft than I did at 11,000ft, though I could have just been delusional at that point :) The hike cleared 3000ft elevation gain, took about 5 hours, and got us back to the office before noon.

After I came down I was in awe of another friend of mine who has been up Mt. Rainier several times and runs around all the time. This is what she said to me:

Suffering is part of the bargain you make with the mountain - Anna Askren

I feel this is very apt. I got to the top of a beautiful mountain, with fresh air, friends, and just a thrill running through my entire body and soul. But I did have to suffer to get there. I think it was a good bargain. I'm already itching to do it again. Maybe I'll do more than one this year, before the cold weather sets in. Maybe Colorado will make a hiker outta me yet.