Football is for....GIRLS! WTF!!

Those who know me, know what a huge fan I am of the CFL, and more specifically, the Calgary Stampeders. This spring I decided to push myself to a new level of football love. I joined a women's tackle football (WTF!) team.

The Calgary Rage of the Western Women's Canadian Football League (WWCFL) took me into their fold in February of this year. I started out going to classroom sessions to learn the basics of offense and defense, and more of the detailed intricacies of offensive plays and defensive formations.

By March, we'd moved on to indoor training. Tackling drills, proper stances, and oh my lord the running. Forward, backward, side shuffling... you name it, we ran it.

April arrived and we hit the outdoor field. Drills, running plays, and of course, running. And more running.

At the beginning of May, the team went on a weekend road trip to Saskatoon for a "football jamboree" - 4 mini games against other budding female footballers. I was unable to play due to a muscle tear I sustained at a practice, but I did my best from the sidelines to encourage my teammates and learn as much as I could.

Finally, on May 14, I played my first game as a member of the Calgary Rage. It was a win over the Lethbridge Steel (28-14) and although I didn't perform as well as I could have, it was the most exciting thing I'd done for a long time. Until yesterday.

May 21 found us in Edmonton for a match against the Edmonton Storm. The scoreboard said it was a loss, but I made my first real tackle as a football player and will never forget the feeling. It scares me a little to think that I am capable of running full speed toward another woman with the sole intention of knocking her on her ass. And knock her on her ass I did! She didn't see me coming, and I'm sure she had no idea what hit her. I have never felt such a rush. I understand now what my coaches were saying all this time about getting that rush of adrenaline. It's a day later, and thinking about it still gets my heart pumping harder.

When I started with the team, I was nervous about the hitting part of the game. I had no idea what to expect, physically or mentally. Now that I've had my first taste of real contact, I can honestly say I LOVE THIS GAME.

Apart from being in the best shape ever in my life, I've already benefitted so much from joining this team. Win or lose, the bonds I've made with my teammates and coaches are some of the deepest of my adult life. When you stand on that field with 11 other women who rely on each other to get a job done and protect each other, you become a family. That's a part of the game I could never have imagined.

I love my Rage family.

When did I start to like this???

It's been an interesting, entertaining summer. I turned forty in June. Some interesting, entertaining people have come into my life from the strangest of places. What is most surprising to me though, is that something that started out as a way to get out of the house and have some time to myself has turned into a new hobby.

I've always hated exercise. Especially running. Something about it just rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe that rubbing was my thighs... but whatever the reason, I just didn't "get" why people would go out and just run - not to anything, or from anything... just ... running.

Since July, I've been racking up a few kilometres on my overpriced sneakers. It started as a stroll around my neighbourhood, without a real goal in mind. It used to take me about 30 minutes to do the three kilometre loop. When I began tracking my time, I found myself pushing to go faster and faster. It's become a game. I've cracked the 26 minute mark, and can actually run for 10 minutes without hacking up a lung.

It's now November, and I'm still interested. My father jokes that I've finally snapped my lazy bone - maybe he's right. Maybe it's the incentive of wanting to justify the newly purchased treadmill in my basement. Frankly, I don't care what it is. All I know is that this is the most I've done to take care of myself in a long time. And it feels really, really good.

The 3k game

Last night I cracked the 30 minute mark on my 3 kilometre loop around the neighbourhood. I ran again. Twice, in fact.

Tonight was a little slower, but I met up with a friend on the way and we chatted as we walked. She's a runner who occasionally walks, so it's still a fairly brisk pace. I tend to walk slower when I'm with someone else, though, so I have to keep reminding myself why I'm out there.

It's going to be a good summer.

Dread the Shred.

Well... I could blame it on the broken DVD player, but frankly that would be an excuse. To be honest, I hate exercising. So, when the DVD player really did die, I took it as a sign from someone that I needed to find another way to get my 40 year old ass in gear.

I've found it. There's a road that encircles my neighbourhood, and it is just over three kilometres round trip from my house. It's a lovely, well-lit road and very little traffic during my late-evening preferred walking time. It's beautiful.

I even (dare I say it) RAN for about 2 and a half minutes tonight, and I'm not barfing up a lung. Those of you who know me should realize what a monumental achievement that is.

I hope this is the start of a long relationship between my feet and the road, 'cause frankly, my ass and the couch have been far too snuggly for far too long.

Here's to a fabulous 40th year!!

Level 2

Ok, so enough of level one. Time to really get serious. Day one of level two today, and it was HARD. But I still did it. And I will again tomorrow, and the next day... until the end of 10 days! Stay tuned...

Today is day 6

I'm almost a week into the 30 Day Shred, and I can now do 12 pushups in a row. On my knees, granted... but it's a start.

It's getting easier each day, but I still don't like exercise. I envy those people who find joy and fulfillment in being active, 'cause I'm not one of you! It's a grunt each and every frikken time I have to drag my sorry ass off the couch and into some sort of physical activity.

I don't know if that will ever change, and frankly, I really don't care! I don't need to "like" exercising; I just need to DO IT.

Day 3....

It's Shred, day 3, again... and tomorrow is day 4 :) Thanks Angela, and Bo and everyone else, including my kids - "Moooom! Did you do your shred yet???" - for helping drag me along.

I'm GOING to get to day 30. Thirty days. Consecutively.