Fall Fitness Challenge Week 8 : ZooRun

This past Saturday, I did something that 5 months ago I would never have believed: I ran my first 5km race! I picked the Oasis ZooRun because it seems like not only a challenging race (lots of hills!) but you get to see animals as you go along!

My good friend Ashley joined me for the run. We did the whole 5 km in 33 minutes and placed 178 + 179 out of the 778 women at the run/walk! Not too bad for my first time! Its incredible that we even made it to the race due to some last minute road closures. We had given ourselves an extra 30 minutes to warm up, stretch, etc but we ended up getting to the parking lot with only 5 minutes to spare. We actually had to run to the starting line just to get there in time for the guns to go off. But we made it and thats what matters!

I also ran into one of my old roommates from university. She and her boyfriend had planned to walk it, but when they got there, they got the itch to run it too.

After the run, we all decided to walk around the zoo for a little while.

These polar bears looked like they could use a little bit of shampoo.

This one was happy to put on a good show, swimming around for people.

One of us decided to go in the children’s tunnel thing.

But he got a little cramped and had to use the door to get out. Poor guy, haha.

While we were on the run, we ran past these beautiful arctic wolves.

They are absolutely gorgeous. If only they were as friendly as Whiskey.

There were so many fascinating animals there, like these marsupials.

Emerald Green Snakes all curled up.

Little baby Crocodiles with big sharp teeth.

A big gorilla spooning with a little baby gorilla. So cute!

Gorgeous tropical fish!

And last but not least, we saw a wonderfully majestic tiger.

I think these beautiful creatures have to be one of my favorites at the zoo.

It was so great to do this with two of my dearest friends and its already given me the itch to do another race in the Spring! I have the whole Winter to train for it this time and hopefully I’ll be able to take on a greater challenge.

This week, I’d love to hear about a fitness challenge that you have taken on. Was it a run/walk event like I just did? A triathlon? Getting back into shape after a hiatus? Post a comment and let me know!

Exercise Log:

This week was a little busy, but I was still able to fit in a few cardio sessions, some strength training and increase the number of girlie pushups I can do. Hopefully I’ll be able to do full ones by the end of the Challenge!

Wed, Oct 13: After talking about how much I love to swim, I fully intended to go this day, but when I got there, the pool was closed for repairs. So instead I did the Office Workout at my office for 15 minutes, followed by some Bedtime Yoga later that night and 7 girlie pushups. Not as great as going for a swim, but I was definitely feeling it the next day!
Thurs, Oct 14: Indoor Bike
Fri, Oct 15: Late Night Dancing. Bedtime Yoga + 7 girlie pushups
Sat, Oct 16: ZooRun, 5km, Late Night Dancing
Sun, Oct 17: Day Off! After an action-packed weekend, I needed a day off! But I still managed to do some Bedtime Yoga (+ 8 girlie pushups) before I hit the hay to help calm all my nerves for the upcoming work week.
Mon, Oct 18: 30 minute Swim (68 lengths or 1.24 km); Pilates
Tues, Oct 19: Day Off! Feeling kind of sore. Bedtime yoga + 8 girlie pushups.

I love seeing my body fat percentage go down and my lean body mass go up every week. It helps confirm that this feeling that I’m getting stronger is not just in my own imagination. To me, this means so much more than any number on a scale. Its motivation to keep going!

Stats
Body Mass Index: 24.1
Waist-to-Height ratio: 0.44
Percent Body Fat: 26.6%
Lean Body Mass: 114.5

To do your own stats, click on the stats link to plug in your own values.