I don’t have my 2017 race calendar fill out. In fact, I don’t know what I’ll do in regards to races this year.

I used the hashtag #trainingforsomething a lot in 2016. I exercised, but not really with a purpose. Sure I needed to lose weight and get healthy, but in my mind, that was secondary to relieving stress, using it as a way to hang out with other people, etc.

So what I am I training for? I’ve decided to go back to the beginning, when I first started this blog. 2017 will be the year I train for myself. I’ll train how I want to, conventions be damned. It is also the year I train to survive the zombie apocalypse. I started to train for that before, but I really didn’t put much effort into it.

Zombies aren’t just brain-eating members of the living dead. They exist but don’t live. They go mindlessly through life without a purpose, without being present. Maybe you’ve seen them at a park sucked into their cellphone instead of enjoying nature. Maybe it is the coworker who doesn’t seem to have any drive or get any enjoyment from his or her work.

I’ve lived like this. And … well, it sucks. But it’s so easy, safe and cozy in the comfort zone. I stayed in that zone and became numb, zombie-like, in my daily activities. I didn’t remember how or what I did; just that something was done. If you’ve ever driven for a while but can’t remember how you arrived at your destination, it’s what being a zombie is like.

So I’m well into week three of my anti-zombie training. My goal is to push myself daily  but not to the point of being injured or getting so sore that I have to take a few days off. I will alternate between cardio and strength, legs and upper body, etc.

My goal is to outrun and overcome obstacles better than any zombie in 2017. I’m going to declutter my house so I have less stuff to haul if zombies invade my house. And I’m going to do this in a way that is cost-efficient and helpful to others.

Yes, I’m training for something. I’m training for survival. The zombies are coming!