Spinn Class

Tomorrow morning I'm going to Spinn class.  I only have like 2 weeks of being able to go on Tuesdays so it's on! :)

Silence that means something.

So in the past when I'm not blogginb.. it's because I'm not doing anything.  LUCKILY this has NOT been the case.  I'm running like a mother.  My treadmill is my new best friend.  I love Nip/Tuck!  I bought a new pair of awesome shoes, a head lamp and a purple running hat! The one thing I'm sucking at is diet.. and that's when my new plan comes in:

I have made an executive decision: 

I'm starting a comp!  June 1-October 1.  $50 buy in.  ALL money is prizes.  Monthly and end of comp prizes and NO BOYS!!  Also I'm officially capping it!  NO MORE THAN 25 people.  And my sister Vicki is going to compete and help me keep everything running smoothly! 
ARE YOU INTERESTED????

Check

6 mile run on the treadmill last night while watching the season finale of Survivor.  Hey.. whatever it takes right? ;)

Cross Train

I LOVE cycling.  It's really my favorite exercise.  It's amazing how easy it is on your joints while still burning a zillion calories.  When I woke up at 6:45 this a.m. I figured now was as good a time as any to get my cross training workout out of the way and so I got all decked out in my best running clothes (cause I'm way too cheap to buy nice cycling clothes) and got my mountain bike down (also too cheap to buy a fancy [ridiculously expensive] street bike).
I was a little surprised when I realized that I still had the pedals on my bike from my Triathlon.  They are fancy, have cages, and have this mechanism that allows you to get your feet out of them by turning your foot sideways.  I KNEW the moment I looked at them that they were a disaster waiting to happen.  I haven't ridden my bike in way too long and couldn't even remember how to clip into them... but I couldn't resist.  Cages allow you to push AND pull when you are cycling which allows you to use your quads AND hamstrings as agonists... more muscle burn... more calorie burn.  So I left them. 
3 miles into my ride, my water bottle magically decided to turn sideways and hang upside down out of the bottle holder.  Which each revolution I would hit it with my calf and spray water everywhere.  I should have just left the damn thing... let it fall to the ground and spit on it as I rode away.  Instead... I reached down and strategically tried to adjust it... WHILE going uphill... completely lost momentum and thought.. "Oh SHIT!  THIS is why I should have changed the pedals!" I managed to get my foot "unlocked" just as I hit the ground and the result?  Just a little blood on my thigh from what I could see.  I refused to let is stop me.. manually locked the damn pedal back into place.. LEFT the water bottle on the side of the trail... and road another 10 miles.  IT wasn't until about mile 11 that I reached down to my knee and realized it was bleeding a little... and NOW for your viewing pleasure:

Awesome right?  My kid also pointed out my whole back side was covered in dirt!  My husband instantly reminded me of why he didn't want me to buy those pedals in the first place and me?  Well... I burned 500 calories on a 60 minute bike ride!  I'm AWESOME! ;)

Dear Quads

Dear Quads-

I know I have abandoned you the last few months and I am VERY VERY sorry!  Unfortunately this time around, I am more stubborn than you.  There is no rest day until Friday. And on Saturday we will be doing a nice long bike ride.. as for today I went gentle on you.. but I HAVE to run so whether you like it or not.. 40 minutes was absolutely necessary for my brain to take back control of me.  Tomorrow we have a shorter 3 mile run AND strength training again so... here's the deal... I PROMISE to run REALLY SLOW tomorrow and to ONLY do strength training on my arms, abs, back and chest.  In exchange, I would GREATLY APPRECIATE if you would chill the eff out.  Stop hurting non stop!  I would love to stop saying "ow" when my children climb on my lap.. and to be able to sit on the toilet without tears.  I would also LOVE to bend over and pick up the baseball when I'm playing catch with my sons without feeling like I'm 90. 

If you will do this small favor for me, I promise to NOT ignore you again!

Sincerely,

The Rest of Your Body

Day two!

Wow 2 whole days in a row!! :)   I woke up this morning sore.. but I've been that way since Saturdays race.  My quads have been punishing me for days now so yesterdays strength + run has not helped them let up.  I also may have overdone it on the glute extensions yesterday.. my ass HURTS.. so do my hamstrings... I figure tomorrow my triceps and biceps and abs and chest will change from the light ache I feel today to that overwhelming sense of "accomplishment".  Oh well.. PUNISHMENT IT IS!!  I deserve it. 

I had an "EASY" 4 mile run today.  The training plan I am following defines easy as between 65% and 75% of your max heart rate... or as a run where you should be able to talk the whole time.  This means that 4 miles is dragged out over a long period of time.... not my favorite type of run.  I'm more of a quicky kind of girl.. ;) I put in the harder effort in order to get finished faster.  I figured I would hit my lovely treadmill and watch Nip/Tuck while I ran.  I've never seen it before but had heard I might like it.  It definitely helped the time fly by.  Thank you Netflix! I couldn't help thinking about tomorrows run... a tempo run.. 40 minutes... where I actually have to push my achy body... and I had to stop and remind myself to:

 take it one day at a time. 

For anyone who has no idea what the Ragnar Relay is, it's a 188.2 mile team relay.  There are 12 people on my team and over the course of approximately 30 hours, we will each run three legs.  I am runner 3, which means I run two 5 mile runs and one 8 mile run.  I signed up for a zillion reasons.  My MILS pancreatic cancer, a goal to accomplish, and to be part of a team.  I love feeling accountable to others... so here goes.  Day 2 is DONE!  Wish me luck for day numero tres. :)

5 months! REALLY?

Life... it's been insane.  I have finished my first semster of nursing school with a big fat 4.0.  I've also struggled a ton in personal relationships and lost myself along the way.  I signed up a couple of months ago to run the Ragnar Relay on an American Cancer Society team, even raised a bunch of money for it... and I've sat around getting fatter.. not doing anything to train for it.. until now!! THANKFULLY... I think I am officially back!  I've gained about 15 lbs since I moved back to Utah in November... this means I am 15 lbs heavier than I was last year when I was running like a champ!  I realize that with my training for this event I've GOT to get back on track and get at least 10 lbs off.  I run faster when I'm lighter.. it's easier on my joints... and I threw all my fat clothes away so if I gain another lb I'm going to have to be naked except on school days when I am required to wear nice, roomy, scrubs! :)

I ran a half marathon relay on Saturday... which means I ran half of a half or 6.55 miles.  I did this without training and had my ass handed to me.  The entire time I was running I kept thinking... running may be like riding a bicycle but running fast means I HAVE TO TRAIN!!  I finished with a pace of 10:10... and was far from thrilled.  A year ago Saturday I had ran a 10k (6.1 miles) with a pace of 8:23.  I was in shape... now I'm a shape.. just more of an apple than a healthy fit gal (on a side note my husband is thrilled with the return of two big lumps of fat that cover my pectoral muscles). 

Today I started my training schedule for ragnar with a strength workout and a 40 minute run. I am going to start blogging daily and will be posting my workout logs.  You are welcome to them.  If you have questions about what a specific exercise is, email me and I will try to answer them.  You can also google most anything listed on the page. 

I start school again on Thursday... I still am trying to figure out exactly how to balance school, my marriage, being a mom, and making time for MYSELF with my husbands nutty schedule (he goes to work at 5am and gets home at 7pm 4 days a week).  I also have to figure out how to get over the fact that my husband firmly believes that taking time for me is just incredibly selfish.  It has always been this way... but I've let it become an excuse.. and I can't do that anymore! NO MORE EXCUSES!! 

 I have 6 weeks to train... I'm ready to bring it!  I think...