First Run of the Year January 2, 2012

just went for my first run of 2012, and it was actually the first run i’ve done in about two months. i haven’t really been feeling like running lately as much as i work, but i started a challenge on dailymile.com with my friends to help motivate us to run 400 miles this year. it was my goal mileage for 2011, but i really didn’t put out much effort last year. i’m hoping i can do it this year, though. 400 miles is only about 8 miles per week. this year, though, i am going to count all my mileage, so that includes any walking i do, too. see, i do this weird argument with myself. i usually convince myself that walking isn’t worthy of counting as mileage (because really we walk every day and everyone can do it, so it’s not that special right? so wrong!), so on days when i don’t feel like running but could easily get a few miles of walking in, i don’t because it’s a waste of time if it doesn’t “count.” so then i burn zero calories all because i think i’m too good to count walking as exercise. i mean, i am a tough half marathoner. i can run 14 miles without stopping. i can train in 95 degree mississippi heat. it’s okay for others to walk but not for me. i can run and run and run. i can’t belittle myself to get on the treadmill and walk for two miles. oh so silly reasoning. egos. our pride stops us from doing so many good things for ourselves. walking is a great form of cardio. you burn almost as many calories as running without the impact of running. i admit that i have listened to running elitists and let their distaste for walking or run/walk influence me far too long. so long as i am moving my butt off the couch, who cares what i’m doing??? with three jobs, i know that i will probably not be able to do 400 miles worth of just running, but i am determined to do 400 miles regardless. i’ll run when i can and walk when i feel like it.

so back to my first run of the year. i was really nervous (as i always am before a run, which is odd after 5 years of running…), so i procrastinated for a few hours. i needed to eat. then, the food needed to digest. then, my dog needed to go out. then, i needed to hydrate. then, my garmin needed to charge. then, i needed a nap. then, i…had no more excuses. i bundled up because this southern girl does NOT like the cold. and boy was it cold! i wore my thin nike livestrong wind breaker, which i love love love. it makes me feel like such a runner (why, i don’t know). anyway, i started my garmin and was off. i was surprised to find that i wasn’t dying like i thought i would after having not run for two months. i figured it was just the cold wind numbing my pain, and i kept going. coming up near the first mile mark, i started to feel a little fatigue, and it was so COLD. the wind was gusting at about 20 miles per hour, and the shady spots in the road were so chilly. i glanced down at my windbreaker, which is a gorgeous blue and along the zipper on my chest in bright yellow is “LiveStrong,” the trademark for the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research. when i look down, all i can see is the “strong” part of the logo, and it made me think about all those people out there battling cancer, living their lives day to day struggling much worse than i was out on the road today, and i picked up my pace. i resolved to finish the run with no walking, not because i was feeling snobbish toward walking but because i knew that i was strong enough to do two miles without a walk break. not only was i going to finish the last mile without walking, i was going to do it stronger and faster than the first, and i did. i am healthy, i am fit, and i am alive (in more ways than merely breathing). that’s what i have to celebrate this new year.

 

to join my 400 miles  in 2012 challenge, join dailymile.com for free and join the FIT IN 400 challenge or click here: FIT IN 400 Challenge

Shakeology Experiment September 4, 2011

For about a year now, I have been hearing about Shakeology. I first heard about it from some of my sparkpeople.com friends. But I already drank protein shakes, so why did I need to pay more money for another type of protein shake? Well, after becoming a Beachbody Coach, I kept reading my Beachbody friends reviewing it as an awesome and nutritious meal replacement. Now, I am all about eating as much food as possible. I do NOT like to drink my calories, so I was still turned off about it. As a Beachbody Coach, I have the option of selling Shakeology if I want to. So I read up on what Shakeology is made of on my Shakeology website that Beachbody provides its coaches. It seems to be legitimately natural and very nutritious. Before long, I went on YouTube and just checked out some of the videos of people touting its effectiveness and making them feel better, lose weight, gain energy, lower cholestrol, fix stomach/digestive issues, etc. Well, I came to the conclusion that since it is a big part of the Beachbody brand, I should try it out myself if I want to sell it. After all, I am not one to push something that I’m not sure even works. I got into Beachbody because I believe in the products and want to help people. It’s not much of a gamble since Beachbody offers a refund if you aren’t satisfied with it. And I get free shipping to have it sent by Home Direct (automatically each month). So I thought I’d blog about my own experience with Shakeology as I try it for myself.

Day 1

My Shakeology came in yesterday. I picked it up at the mailbox as I was taking my pooch to the pooch hospital for another kidney infection. Needless to say, I wasn’t thinking about meal replacement shakes when I made it home. Furthermore, I had a cookout planned and knew I was probably going to eat more calories than I should for the day, so I didn’t want to add to it. So today was the first day of Shakeology. I bought the combo box that has both Greenberry and Chocolate flavors in it, because I wanted to try out both to see which one I like best. I poured 8 ounces of almond milk into my shaker cup and added a packet of Greenberry. I have been really curious about what it tastes like. I shook it really well and to my surprise, really liked the taste of it! It is quite different from anything I have tasted. There is a faint fruitiness to it, but it mostly tastes like sweetened green tea and a flavor similar to the taste of bran flakes. That’s the only way I can describe it. I think blended with a few strawberries, a banana, or some fruity yogurt, it’d be outta this world good. Anyway, I didn’t feel particularly full after having drank it. I was starving after I came in from church, so I ate some carrots and a few deviled eggs from yesterday’s cookout after I drank it. Although I didn’t feel full from it, I haven’t been very hungry this evening, so we’ll see. This evening when I stepped out of church, a cool breeze from Tropical Storm Lee hit my face, and I instantly felt energetic and craved a good run. So I threw off my church clothes when I got home, quickly dressed, grabbed my Garmin, my red flashing caution light (as it was beginning to get dark), and my rain pullover and hit the door. I had some really good mile splits. I don’t know if it was energy from the drink or just from the excitement of some cooler weather for a change. A true test of its ability to increase energy will come during my busy work weeks. With three jobs, if anyone needs some extra energy, I do!

If you are interested in giving Shakeology a try, please click on the tab above that says ‘Team Beachbody’ and message me your contact info. WordPress won’t allow me to post a link to my Beachbody website, but I will be happy to email you my Shakeology link or answer any questions you may have. Thanks!

Easter April 25, 2011

when i was little, the whole family would go over to my grandmaw’s house for Easter. if i didn’t get to see my cousins all year, i knew they’d be there on easter. she’d have her entire table covered in dishes of homemade food. it was all so good, and then we’d sit around stuffed or go outside to play some of our meal off. she died several years ago, and since my immediate family doesn’t have any children, we don’t do anything for Easter. this year, i had planned to do a big meal like my grandmaw used to, but with jamie gone, i just wasn’t in the mood. luckily, my cousins from germany came to visit, and i invited them and their little 2 year old son to stay over the weekend. i didn’t do a big meal, but we did have a yummy chicken taco soup and cheese cake pie with pineapple. we hid plastic eggs with candy and money inside for Lenny, because he’s never done an Easter egg hunt before. he had a ball finding the eggs as we tried to tell him in English where they were and his parents translated. we came inside and he wanted to open each egg (there were over 30 of them!), and he would exclaim, “Auf!” which means open, when his little hands couldn’t hope them. he learned when he saw quarters or dollars to say, “Money!” it was really cute. i think i learned more German words this weekend than he learned English words. it was nice to have them and my parents over.

the next day, we headed over to the Cotton District Arts Festival, and I ran the Old Cotton Mill 5K. it was awesome weather for a race, and i came in at a decent time considering that i have barely run any this month because work has been so busy. after looking around for a while, we ate lunch at Grumpy’s and headed to Tupelo to do some shopping. my cousins love going to the mall while they’re here. my favorite part of the day was playing with Lenny in Barnes and Noble. we played hide and seek with my mom and his papa. and if i got tired and stopped hiding, Lenny would run away from me for about 15 feet, turn around as though i’d just found him, and come squealing to me to tickle and hug him. he is a definite heart-stealer! i will miss him until next year.

i concluded my Easter weekend by going to sunrise service at Tomnolen Baptist. i missed Jamie not being beside me, but i still enjoyed the service. we had a big, delicious breakfast in the activity building afterward, and i went home and slept for several more hours. the weekend had worn me out but in a very good way :o)

Music for Your Pace March 25, 2011

Finding upbeat music for your workouts can be difficult sometimes. I’ve recently started teaching a  fitness class which I call Body Blast, and I spent a while coming up with a decent playlist for it to keep the participants motivated. As a runner, I know the benefit of having upbeat music while training or even during a hard race. Jog.fm is a site devoted to letting you know how many beats per minute a song is and gives you lists of songs according to pace. So for instance, say your goal is to run a 10 min mile in training. You plug that in and it gives you songs you can listen to that should help keep your running cadence that fast. If you don’t think you’ll run to the music’s beat, I challenge you to put a good song with a particular beat on and hop on a treadmill. For me, I run right with the beat. Jamie used to sit out in our workshop while I ran when our treadmill was out there, and it was so evident that I was running with the beat that he noticed and even commented on it one night. So this website could be really useful for someone trying to increase their pace or even for the fitness instructor or exerciser who just wants some playlists with a certain beat speed.

Here’s the website: Jog.fm

Running Collage March 5, 2011

Last semester I taught Creative Writing to a small class of high school students. One assignment that we did was the “headline poem,” which is where you cut out interesting headlines from newspapers, magazine articles, ads, etc., and manipulate the words to make a poem about whatever topic you choose. This is a really easy way to create poetry, but for some reason, my Creative Writing classes in the past have had a hard time with this, especially getting started on it. So this past fall, I made my own headline poem and created a collage out of it to have as a nice, complete example for them. Now it sits in my spare bedroom beside my treadmill as a bit of motivation if I need it. It reads:

“Why I Love to Run”

Running,

This is my happy hour,

Place of peace.

Breathe in, exhale.

Feel the burn?

Got cramps?

Feel free to sing, wild thing.

Ponytails, crossroads, sunshine,

Sights and sounds of summer.

Bring on the cold.

Grab life on every corner,

Never fade.

It’s all inside,

Eyes on the prize,

Beating my own expectations.

My secret, I sweat like a pig.

I’m a runner.

Ta-da! Wonder found.

What are you hungry for?

A truly natural progression.

If you think there’s a problem,

Turning point, running.

Be ready for anything.

Lose weight,

Chew on this S-L-O-W-L-Y.

Chip away the pounds,

Change a life,

Your life.

Love your heart. (Use it daily.)

Extraordinary love.

Bring home something truly priceless.

Celebrate smart choices!

The best new you has never looked better,

A sexy glow the old-fashioned way.

Recharged mind and body.

Live the life.

author: Cyrena Shows

Trying Out Bodyrock March 4, 2011

So after a little nudge from a friend, I tried out my first Bodyrock workout last night. I did the On the Floor Abs Challenge. The goal was to do as many sets of 20 mountain climbers and 20 toe touch crunches as possible in 10 minutes. It was intense, but it wasn’t so hard that I couldn’t do it. I ended up doing 160 mountain climbers and 160 toe touches (8 sets of each exercise) in the 10 minutes, not bad for my first try. I was already a little sore from Chalean Extreme this week, so I’m a good bit more sore today. It was actually really fun. I love trying new things, so I think I’ll like doing these Bodyrock workouts.

Someone on sparkpeople.com asked me what Bodyrock really was – cardio, bodyweight ST, what??? I really didn’t know what to tell them other than that it is some ridiculously intense HIIT (high intensity interval training) with ST moves, from what I could tell, so I roamed the site, and this is Freddy and Zuzana’s explanation of what Bodyrock is: How to Start Working Out with us at Home

Whatever you want to call it, if it can make me half as fit as that gal, I’m in! :o) I ordered a Gymboss Interval Timer, and as soon as it comes in, I’ll be all set to do some of the HIIT workouts that involve numerous intervals. No way I can keep up with it by my watch. I figure I can also use the interval timer in some of my running workouts that focus on intervals of intense and moderate to easy effort. And I feel like the intensity of the Bodyrock workouts will surely make me a stronger runner.

SparkPeople – Running Center February 23, 2011

Thought I’d post a great beginners’ running source from one of my favorite websites, sparkpeople.com. At the running center, you can find beginners’ running plans, informational articles that beginners would find useful, a ‘map your run’ tool, running ‘spark teams’ for motivation and support, success stories, racing info, and even virtual races.

SparkPeople – Running Center.

If you are thinking about giving running a try, check out this link to find some very helpful info on getting started and staying motivated.

New Year, New Laws… for Runners | RW Daily January 5, 2011

I had a workshop today involving the Promethean Board, and I think I knew more about it than the teacher. She is kinda awful at what she does. Anyway, while we waited on her to get things going/fixed/more messed up, I played on Runner’s World and Facebook. I found this cute tongue-in-cheek blog about new “Runners’ Laws” that have just gone into effect. If you are a runner, how much money would you owe in fines right now? I think I’d only owe a few bucks. I do have a 13.1 sticker, and I do love my bullet points!

“Well, I did a bit of detective work and unearthed the following brand-new laws, which are now in effect. You’ve been warned.

* For runners who live in the western United States, it is now illegal to complain about how “cold” it is if the temperature is above 50 degrees F.

* For runners who live in the northern United States, it is illegal to complain about how “hot” it is if the temperature is below 75 degrees F.

* Unless you are a sponsored athlete, wearing a single brand of running gear from head to toe is now punishable by a $50 fine on the first offense. Second offense is $100. On the third offense, your gear is confiscated and a judge may order you to wear athletic apparel from Wal-Mart exclusively for six months.

* In Texas, it is now legal for runners to urinate on any stopped or parked car whose occupant(s) had earlier heckled or menaced them while driving by. (A defecation amendment died in committee.)

* In what is mostly a symbolic federal law, runners wearing headphones or earbuds now have no official right to feel upset when they startle as another runner passes them from behind.

* Any runner with an oval “26.2″ or “13.1″ sticker on his car is now subject to an annual $1 fee per sticker. Just because.

* Runners who do pushups within 6 feet of any race finish line now face 30 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.

* Running bloggers are now subject to a bullet-point tax of $5 per bullet point.

Uh oh.”

via New Year, New Laws… for Runners | RW Daily.

take a look at the Garmin Connect site January 4, 2011

Here is a link to a 3 mile run I did a few days ago. I thought I’d share this for anyone who might be considering buying a Garmin device. These things are awesome. My hubby got me the Garmin Forerunner 110 with the heart rate monitor, and I love using this gadget! Check out how you can look at your mile splits, different types of maps, how your heart rate changes with the change in elevation and speed, etc. *** Garmin Connect also lets me upload my calorie data from other indoor workouts, such as an elliptical workout or a strength training session since I have the heart rate monitor, which is useful if you’re keeping up with your calorie burn to lose weight.

My Run on Garmin Connect

The data after the run is cool, but I love having it on my wrist during the run to see my distance and to check my average pace for the mile and my heart rate. Having access to this info is going to make training so much easier now. For instance, I now know that my second mile is usually my slowest, so I need to dig deeper during that mile to have a better overall pace.

 

***Just a little disclaimer about the map data: please do not stalk me on my runs; I take a weapon with me on runs, I have several guns at home, and I’m a Southern girl, so I actually know how to use them. :o) Don’t be a weirdo.

bodymedia fit November 29, 2010

I am thinking about getting a BodyMedia Fit (formerly GoWear Fit). This is a calorie management device much like the BodyBugg from The Biggest Loser. BodyBugg is actually made by BodyMedia, but the BodyMedia Fit uses different but similar software and also monitors sleep quality. The software that you use with it graphs all sorts of stuff, like how many calories you’ve burned , if you’ve created a calorie deficit, if you met a steps goal for the day, etc. Here’s more info on how it works:

http://www.bodymedia.com/Shop/Learn-More/How-it-works

The basic model, which does not include the display or Bluetooth capability, is nearly $200 (currently $179 on Amazon), and you must pay a monthly fee to use it. 3 months free is usually included in the bundle; at least, it is from Amazon. After that, the monthly fee ranges from $7 to $13 per month depending on how many months you subscribe to at a time. The monthly fee is the biggest drawback, in my opinion. You’ve already paid a high price for the gadget before any monthly fees are added in. Yet, every single person I’ve talked to or read about who uses the BodyBugg or GoWear Fit has seen great success with it. How much money is it worth to finally be able to reach your goals? I guess you have to answer that for yourself to determine if it’s worth it to you.

I have been sitting at the same weight for about 2 years now, give or take slight fluctuations from time to time. It’s kinda ridiculous. I didn’t even lose weight while training for my half marathon! I have 10-15 lbs to go before I’ll be back to my ideal weight and feel like I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. I’ve tracked food daily for months at a time, I’ve run myself to death (remember the 14 miler?!), I’ve strength trained until I’m just about sick of lifting dumbbells, yet I see no progress. I guess that maintaining my weight is a success in itself, but I know that I can lose this last little bit. I’ve just got to break through this plateau.

I wanted this device before my birthday in September, but I was convinced I could do it without the gadget. Well, I haven’t. So at this point, I’m thinking it might be a good idea. I asked Jamie to get me one for Christmas. So we’ll see. If he drags on it, I might buy it with the check I’ll get back from the military for paying for the hotel room when we went to the yellow ribbon event earlier this month. Either way, I’vm pretty much decided that I’ll get one of these by the end of December! :o)