A month and a half ago many of us sat down and thought about what we wanted out of this year. Some may have thought about a change in jobs. Others might have thought about how to improve a relationship. At the top of many lists would be a variation of “I am going to put more effort into getting fit.”
Over that month and a half, many people have joined gyms, started walking programs or dusted off that stationary bike. Hopefully the habit of fitness has taken. But maintaining a fitness routine takes work. It is easy to let a workout or two slide one week, but it is harder to actually come back.
I first heard about the Annapolis Strider's Championship Series from the current Director of Membership, Pasadena resident Melissa Currence. She convinced me that it was the perfect set of races to get me through the entire year. They start off with short distances and build throughout the year. They are inexpensive, low key, well run and best of all local.
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The series began this past weekend with a Valentine's Day 5K in Kinder Farm Park but there are still eight more in the series and several races outside of the series as well. Five of the eight Championship Series races are centrally located in Severna Park, Broadneck or Annapolis while two races, the Cherry Pit 10-miler on April 3rd and the Metric Marathon on October 2nd , are further afoot in South County. The penultimate race in the series is the Down's Park 5 Miler that takes place at the Pasadena park on November 5th.
While the series is set up to be a competition over the year, I use the series as a way to keep my fitness routine online. Knowing there is a race upcoming, I am less likely to let my routine slide.
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A new edition to the series is the Kid's Championship Series. The kid series offers families a way to make fitness a family affair. I learned early on in my running career that it is a lot easier to maintain my fitness if I can include my family in the routine as well.
Twenty years ago when I first made the decision to get fit, I was almost forty pounds over weight. I yo-yoed for a while trying different diets and different exercise routines but there was always an excuse for why I couldn’t fit it in. When I found running, those excuses fell away. With a pair of running shoes and a goal to meet, there is no reason I should fall back off the fitness wagon.
Staying motivated throughout the year can be hard. Life gets in the way. But, the Annapolis Striders and the Championship Series give you something to aim for throughout the year. It's something to train for and it's one more reason to stay on the fit and healthy path you laid out for yourself before the year began.
