Jul 20

Training to Build Resilience

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise, Goals 0 comments tags: adaptability, execution, make a plan, outdoor training, resilience, running, stay on track, taking action
Do you ever have a day that doesn’t go quite as planned? Of course, right? (It’s a silly question, isn’t it?) Yet, despite knowing that things come up and life doesn’t always go according to plan, we sometimes have trouble accepting these unscheduled adjustments. Other times, we easily make the best of the situation and roll with the changes.
Jul 13

Avocados and Exercise

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise, Goals 0 comments tags: being human, getting started, goal setting, guacamole, making mistakes, recipes, taking action
Avocados are one of my favorite fruits. For the past few months, I have been making a lot of guacamole. Lately, I’ve been getting better and better at telling when my avocados are ripe. Despite making more guacamole in the past few months than I ever thought I would in such a short time, I still make mistakes and cut into one every so often when it’s not yet ripe. I’ve also missed the prime moment of ripeness and cut into many (many!) avocados that are starting to go bad or are not salvageable. At. All. (Yuck.)
Jul 06

Applied Knowledge Is Power

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise, Self-Care 0 comments tags: applied knowledge, consistency, identity, strength training, stress management
In a normal year, July 4th always seems to arrive too quickly, and then the rest of the summer is suddenly over. I’m not sure I’ll feel that way about this summer in a few months…but who knows? 2020 feels a bit (okay, more than a bit) surreal, and, as we move forward, we are still adapting to the many changes occurring around us. Regardless of our ability to impact these changes, we each have the opportunity to engage in activities that improve our health and reduce our stress.
Jun 22

Exercise to Manage Stress

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise, Self-Care 0 comments tags: energy management, stress management
Exercising can serve as a way to center yourself and take a break from the ongoing stressors of the world. Whether you are experiencing stress from personal factors (such as your job or family situation) or you are experiencing stress from things outside of your immediate radius of control (e.g., the pandemic, politics, human rights injustices, environmental concerns, animal abuse, etc.), exercise can serve as a healthy and effective tool to care for yourself and manage your stress level.
Sep 10

Pacing the River Run Half Marathon (Unofficially)

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise 0 comments tags: adaptability, challenge, movement, observable data points, opportunities, pacing, running, support network
Last Sunday, I ran the River Run Half Marathon for the eighth time. Seven years ago when I ran this for the first time, I never would have guessed that I would be (unofficially) pacing the same race for my fellow Fleet Feet Cleveland runners. Then, it was about finishing and not being too sore or too hungry afterwards. Now, it’s about hitting a target pace (and associated finish time) in a doable fashion and, when given the opportunity, being the pacer that I wish I had in some of the many races I’ve run.
Sep 01

Do You Go Through Fitness Phases?

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise, Goals 0 comments tags: fitness approach, fitness phases, movement, ownership, taking action
I go through phases where I’m very much into one activity or another. With a few exceptions, most things capture my interest for at least a little while. From a summer of Zumba classes to five months of boxing lessons to two years of swimming lessons, usually my interest in an activity also wanes when the schedule becomes inconvenient or the friend that I was going to classes with isn’t able to attend consistently.
Aug 25

Tapping into Pure Joy

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise 0 comments tags: being present, happy running place, joy, meditation in motion, movement, running, running downhill, well-being
Gravity-assisted sprints (e.g., running down hills as fast as possible) are the best. There was a time when I used to fly down hills on Rollerblades, semi-protected by the helmet, wrist guards, and knee/elbow pads. My sister and I would blade through the Metroparks, taking the flat curves easily and being careful to stay upright when navigating down hills.
Aug 18

Life and Fitness. Fitness and Life. Good Luck Separating the Two.

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise, Self-Care 0 comments tags: gratitude, mind-body connection, ownership, patience, stress management, well-being
One’s life and physical fitness are intertwined. Though I believe everything is connected and touch on the theme of the mind-body connection regularly, I keep trying to separate my own fitness from the rest of my life, and two of my trusted coaches have reminded me in the past week that each ties into the other. They aren’t truly separate. Separating the variables isn’t possible.
Oct 16

2016 Marathon Training – Long Run Log

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise 0 comments tags: 2016, running
10/16/16 – The journey that I began with friends in June has come to its conclusion with the 26.2 miles that I ran this morning. Marathon #2 is now in the books. Wow! The morning was dark and cool, and we began shortly after the sunrise. I was told a long while ago that I’d cry at the end of my first marathon, but I get teary-eyed at the beginning of marathons – today, more than last year.
Aug 08

Ownership of the Outcome

by Erica McClurkin in Exercise, Goals, Self-Care 0 comments tags: change, execution, habits, ownership, taking action
Though there are similarities between keeping your body fit and keeping your teeth healthy, there are differences during your regularly scheduled appointments.  Whether it’s a few times a week or once every six months, it may seem like all you have to do is show up…but the truth is you have to work a lot harder when you show up to see your personal trainer than you do at the dentist.   Sounds kind of ominous, doesn’t it?  It makes you wonder why anyone would want to work with a trainer, right?
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