23

I had a great weekend of birthday celebrations: there was a lot of eating, watching other people work out, quality family time, and more eating :).

Turning 23 takes me back to my high school days of AP Government, where our class had a running joke about the number 23, based of the suspense thriller movie with Jim Carrey. The movie I guess revolves around this theory how all these bad events that have happened throughout history involve the number 23 in some way. I don't think any of us in the class had even seen the movie, but anytime the number popped up we'd all go "ooooh" and act scared and we thought we were hilarious but really we were a bunch of dorks.

Because of that, I had been having a little mental "oooh" about this birthday, but the day has passed and so far so good *knocks on wood*. With that being said, here's to a year of good memories and new beginnings!

What Do Runners Do When They Can't Run??

Ever since I completed the Chicago Marathon in October, I most likely have only run around ten times. While sheer laziness may seem to be the cause - okay, sometimes it is the reason - I've actually been struggling with a knee problem that is aggravated by running and cold. Grrr, Michigan winters. I have tried taking time off, anywhere from 1 week to 2.5 weeks at a time to see if rest would help it heal but every time I do an itty bitty run that nasty ache flares up again.

And so my question today is this: what do people who primarily run for exercise do for activity when something prevents them from getting their run on? As someone who has lived and breathed the sport of running - cross country, indoor and outdoor track, road races, obstacle races, you name it - for my entire young adult life, I am at quite a loss when it comes to physical activity ideas outside of my comfort zone.

While I am frustrated and discouraged about my inability to work out the way I always have, I realized this was the perfect opportunity for me to really explore what is available in the world of exercise. Whether it be the latest workout trends like Crossfit, Yoga, and Pilates or more classic and traditional exercise classes like aerobics or spinning, I'm very excited to challenge myself and try something I'm not entirely confident or comfortable with now and see how I like it! With that being said I'm going to start a segment on my blog called "The Different Sides of Fitness" where I will share my experiences and thoughts as I search for the second-best workout..running will always be #1 in my heart ;)

What kinds of exercise classes, sports, or workouts do you like to do to stay active??