BY:   Peg Calvario   

       WOW!  What a year of fitness achievement!  This morning’s ING Philadelphia Distance Run proved to be my personal best (1:51:51).   It also logs my race miles to 63.3 and enters me into a new age group for “Women over 50.”  The next goal?   The Akron Half Marathon on Saturday morning.  Runner’s World listed this race as one you should do in  ‘08.    Congratulations to our PHC half marathoners:  Ginger Angelo, Gary DeRenzo, Rob Muse, and Greg Yanos.   What about you?   What do you want to achieve?  

   BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

        Nike says “Just Do It” but today “I Did It!”  Since the last blog post, I was nine miles short of achieving my personal fitness goal -  50 miles by 50.  To achieve my final race miles:  three very different suburban runs in two days and within 13 hours. 

The Final Nine Miles

Media 5 Mile Race is a challenging run of two loops through the beautiful downtown streets of Media.   The cheering race enthusiasts with ringing cow bells, music, many neighborhood block parties and 1100 runners makes this a fun festive race not to be missed next year!   My personal time of 43:34 placed me fourth in my age group (45-49).  

And today’s Skippack Lions Club 5K starts and finishes in the village of Skippack and loops through rolling hills of quiet countryside roads with a pack of 200 runners.  However, running only the 5K would place me one mile short of 50.   So I had to enter the Skippack Fun Run.   And in all the years of running races, I’ve  never ran the mile -  a perfectfit for children and fitness beginners.   Putting my running snobery aside, I ran the one mile race pushing my three year old neice in her jogger stroller.  Together, Lauren and I crossed the finish line!   50.3 miles equals eight races in eleven weeks all within three weeks prior to turning 50! 

Life is an Adventure

As Helen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure or it’s nothing.”  If we can learn to let go of the exercise excuses and start today - imagine what you will achieve!

BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC  Owner

             What makes us happy?    It’s about becoming more engaged in what you do and finding ways of making your life feel more meaningful.    In my quest of  50 miles by 50 . . . my personal story is about how I found a way to make running more meaningful than just another workout.  

Three Components of Happiness

In Martin Seligman’s  book Authentic Happiness, he finds three components of happiness:  pleasure, engagement (the depth of involvement with one’s family, work, romance and hobbies) and meaning (using personal strengths to serve some larger end.)  It turns out that engagement and meaning are much more important to a happy and satisfied life.   

Connections With Others

Perhaps my running is a means to connect and inspire others.  Or is it others who are truly inspiring me to pursue my goal?  Last week, an old high school friend ”showed up” at our EWomen Network’s event.   Was it the networking that led her to PHC?  Or the reconnection with a friend - a generous act of kindness?   Workout and connect with others - join a group exercise class, play racquetball or give a friend a PHC mini membership.  How are you making your life feel more meaningful?

        BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

    King of Prussia’s 10 miler placed me 61st overall, 4th in my age group and within nine miles of my goal 50!   Since the start of my 50 mile run two months ago, every race has been a perfectfit of training challenges.  This premier suburban run was a physical challenge due to its hilly terrain and hot weather conditions.  This race is for conditioned runners who want to ”challenge yourself.”   Are you up for the challenge?

BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

Imagine what you can achieve.   Pottsgrove Chartwell’s 5K (3.1 miles) is a fast and hilly neighborhood run that’s the  perfectfit for both runners and walkers.   Chartwell’s 5K was the fourth race in the journey of “50 miles by 50.”  With encouragement from PHC members and runners Gary De Renzo and Ginger Angelo, we all met Saturday morning at the track.   It had been almost 30 years since my last 5K and speed is not my greatest talent.  But running with Ginger pushed me to achieve a personal best of 22:49.

Get Encouragement to Achieve Your Personal Best

Imagine applying my 5K experience to whatever you want to achieve.  Start with your goal, get a plan, take action and seek encouragement from others.  If you are discouraged with your exercise results, then meet with a PHC certified fitness professional.   Your personal trainer will encourage you to achieve your greatest potential.   Or opt to find a workout partner for fitness success.

Really Achieving Your Dreams

In the national bestseller The Last Lecture author Randy Pausch shares his life story about “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.”  It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”).   In September 2006, Randy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  I loved this book because it is not about dying but rather about the joy of living.   As I plan for the next 19 miles, I discover a new appreciation of living.  What’s stopping you?

BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

The 29th Annual Blue Cross Broad Street Run was the third race in my quest of 50 miles by 50.   Whether you are a runner or walker - this is one of the best races in the country.  The ten mile course starts in North Philly straight through Temple’s campus, onward to City Hall, pass the Sports Complex and then to the finish line at the Navy Yard.   Are you wishing to run a 5K?   Stop wishing and start doing.  This simple sentence separates those who achieve their dreams from those who just wish.   Checkout the running times of PHC finishers at  www.broadstreetrun.com

And join me Saturday, May 10th for Chartwell’s 5K fun run and walk  which will place me closer to 30 miles.   

BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

“50 miles by my 50th”    A  race through scenic Valley Forge National Historical Park gets me closer towards reaching my goal.   And with a personal best of 41:45 on this challenging five mile course, I am fueled with new energy. 

Stop Wishing and Start Doing

No matter what your personal fitness preference is - you can run and or walk this 5 Mile race.   Trust me you can do it!  It starts with a dream.  Write it down or share it with others, just like I did.  And join a group that will encourage you to race even farther than you thought possible.

 PHC Members Run Valley Forge 5-Miler

Cheer on these PHC members who finished the race:  Carolyn Mann, Chuck Entrekin, Linda Thompson, Nate Wanner, my husband Tom and the Hyde family of Vicki, Brandon and Ryan.    Join us in two weeks for the 29th Annual Broad Street Run - 10 miler.

BY:  Peg Calvario,  PHC Owner 

On July 16th, I’ll turn 50 and have learned how to weigh what really matters in life.  This has nothing to do with a scale.  It is about imagining what you can achieve and doing it.  My dream is to run 50 miles by my 50th inspired by the vibrant spirit of my daughter Jodi.  

My Story

Want to be inspired by a fitness event that celebrates women 40+?   Last Sunday, I ran the More  Half-Marathon just two laps of Central Park and the inaugural race of my 50 mile journey.   The park scenery was budding with a sisterhood of 6,000 race numbers colored in bright greens and blues.   For me this race symbolizes the rebuilding of my life since my daughter’s passing.   The goal is to take one step at a time and to finish 13.1 miles.  And my intention is to live fully amidst my deepest loss.  For some of you the challenge is running the road race and for others it’s the greater race of life.  What race are you running?  Are you seeking encouragement and inspiration to be your best?  I am grateful for my husband and son who encourage and support me to be gutzy about turning 50.  Do you know what you want?   I want to inspire you to be your best!

The Next 18 miles

Lace up your running or walking shoes on Sunday, April 20th for the Valley Forge Revolutionary 5 Miler.  Or join me on May 4th for the Best of Philly’s Broad Street 10 Miler and then May 11th for The Race for the Cure 5K.  Find the race that’s your perfectfit!

Tips to Get You Going

1.  Got a Goal?   Focus on a short term goal that will excite you.
2.  Get a Plan.   Work with a certified fitness professional to accelerate your training experience.  My personal trainer provides me with a functional training plan that’s my perfectfit.
3.  Start Doing.  Consistent workouts do make all the difference.
4.  Get GutZy.   Travel to a destination for your fitness event.  
5.  Have support.  A PHC membership will connect you with fitness-minded people. 
6.  Celebrate.  Enjoy your achievement and inspire others!

 

Chances are, no matter what kind of running shape you’re in - you can run the Coventry Challenge 5K on March 29th.  It’s only 3.1 miles - your perfectfit race!  The Coventry Challenge is about having fun, meeting new people and staying in shape.   Get your 5K training plan from a PHC certified fitness professional.

 By:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

      Since December, 2006 I made a New Year’s goal to run a “big city” marathon within the year. By May 9, 2007 I registered online for the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon! No one keeps accurate stats on these yearly self-promises but surveys indicate that at least half of us resolve to lose weight or get into shape. But the question is - how many of us work on accomplishing our personal fitness goals?

It has been 14 days since I crossed the Semper Fi Finish line of the 26.2 mile race! I have followed the marathon stories (Chicago, Marine Corps, New York City and the upcoming Philadelphia) of personal victories, humble heroes, celebrity fanfare, death’s sadness and critical commentaries about endurance sports.  Every runner shares a spirit that leads them to the marathon start line and a story that is embodied on the race bib number.   

Why Run A Marathon                                                                       

Is running a marathon about goal setting?  Is it about physically pushing your body to the limit?  Is it about mental toughness and inner strength?  Is it about a “ya gotta believe” attitude?  Is it about boldness and commitment? 

My personal running story is not about the physical workouts - the hours at the gym, the daily runs, the long weekend runs or the weekly personal training sessions for core conditioning.  It is about living your life with a purpose, commitment and a vision that radiate possibilities - it had been six years since my previous marathon.

Long distance running is a metaphor of my life’s journey - an opportunity of self discovery no matter what my level of physical conditioning may be.   It is simply about taking one step in front of another despite the challenge or adversity that might be in the face of one’s future.   Are your fitness dreams ready to become your reality of possibility?  In this season of gratitude, begin to appreciate your small steps towards achieving your fitness goals and yet start now to plan for the new year.

The Running Boom

According to Running USA, a nonprofit organization, there were two running booms in this country.  The first was in the late 1970s, when the number of U.S. marathon finishers grew nearly fivefold between 1976 and 1980 (from 25,000 to 120,000.)  The current upswing began in 1995 (312,000 finishers) and continues to this day.  In 2005, some 432,00 people completed marathons. 

Adam Bean, the editorial director for Rodale International Sports Group commented, ”The marathon used to be seen as this thing only achieved by other people, those crazy runner types.  It’s much more accessible these days and anyone who runs a marathon, even if they walk a huge part of it, will be assured that they will be welcomed, they will be cheered lustily by the spectators along the course, and they will not finish last.”       

PHC Can Help You Achieve

This fall many PHC members have realized their fitness possibilities via biking the MS150, running the Philadelphia Distance Run and Baltimore Marathon.  And a few more are still training to pursue their dreams such as climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and running the Mardi Gras Marathon.   It’s not too late to take your first step to achieve your fitness greatness.  However, it may be late if you find excuses not to take your step.  PHC Mini Membership can help you  - realize your possibilities.  I encourage you to contemplate which fitness goal you will tackle next.