Ok, I know it's been some time since I blogged. That's because frankly, it's been a while since I've been doing the healthy thing. After the half marathon, other priorities took over. I chaired our AFP chapter's conference which took a good chunk of my free time in February.
Also that month, we went through the hiring process for a member of our team at work. I'm pleaded that I have help again on the Development team! But that meant I was still doing 2 jobs that month.
So I'm guilty of doing what we all do, letting diet and exercise go. I worked out 200 minutes for the MONTH. I ate and drank what I wanted. Well y'all, the scale shows it.
Now that some of my life transition is ending, it's time to cut the excuses. I made time for a 30 minute workout yesterday. Felt great after and enjoyed a very nice (and rich!) dinner out last night with no bloating!
I also cut out French Fries (and really any fried potatoes) for Lent. I think I'm eating less burgers due to it :)
I'm going to attempt a new workout streak. I'd like to be in good shape for the summer to enjoy the pool!
So I'm putting this out there because I know some of y'all find it helps keep you accountable too (thanks Keisha!). So who's with me to spring back to healthiness?
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Handling the Half
13.1 miles. It's not that far, right? It's just about double the longest distance I'd ever run before, the 10k. This is what I thought when I so boldly put "Finish a Half Marathon" at the top of my Before 35 Bucket List. Lots of people I know have done one...why couldn't I?
So last June, I signed up under the Houston half's Hero program. I went with the straight $350 to a favorite charity and I was in (I ran for Habitat for Humanity, a charity that I covered many times in my journalism career).
I began training in July. I unofficially followed a plan I downloaded off the Houston Fit message board several years back when I first started pondering distance racing. It was simple. 100 runs over 25 weeks.
Training went just about perfectly until work at the college got crazy in September. I had my busiest semester on record, with several major events. There were nights I worked until 11 p.m.! Needless to say, the training calendar was not always followed (and the cleaning people learned who used my office!). I placed my emphasis on increasing the distance of my weekend long run. It was exciting to get to 7 and 8 miles.
I only managed one 10-miler, on New Year's Eve. It was exciting to think that I would just have to replicate this, and tack a 5k on the end, to finish a half.
So ... how did I do it?
The weekend of the race, I admit I was nervous. I'd put this goal out there for everyone to know. Over and over, friends who'd done it before said my only goal should be to finish. But secretly, a 3 hour finish would be awesome. I felt I could at least finish in the 4 hour limit the race allows though.
Though I'm a perennial night owl, I was in bed before 11 p.m. the night before. As I've done with every race, I laid everything out because morning person, I am not!
I was up at 4:30 a.m. After fully prepping (it's weird putting on sunscreen when it's dark out!), I was out the door about 5:20 to head downtown. I parked in a nearby garage and headed to the convention center to meet up with friends.
On the walk over, I saw my co-worker Carlo, who ran in college and still races competitively. Today, he was just doing the 5k and gave me the first tip of the morning: the porta potties on the inside of the village are cleaner and have no lines. He was right!!
Walking through the GRB, I was glad I skipped gear check. Just seemed like a lot of trouble. I then headed to the corral to meet my friend Niki and her sister Annie. We were in the 13 minute mile pace spot by 6:30. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't have gone out so soon. We didn't start moving until well after 7, crossing the start line about 7:14.
Mile 1 started with a HUGE uphill climb on a bridge out of downtown. My feet were a bit frozen in my Vibrams and could feel that most of this mile. Fortunately Mile 2 started off downhill. This is where we started seeing spectators. Oh, the spectators were great! Funny signs, costumes and noisemakers abound. Between that and a loaded iPhone with tunes, I was never bored.
Mile 3 brought the 5k mark, just under 42 minutes and a 13:30 pace. I ran the first 28 minutes straight and was feeling good. This is where I saw my friend Lori with the American Cancer Society group cheering us on. Mile 4 was a bit more isolated, and brought in a cold breeze.
Mile 5 took us straight through the heart of the Heights. It was fun to run past Fitzgerald's where I'd seen my buddy Wendel's band play a few weeks before. Mile 6 took us under I-10 and more hills.
Mile 7 was where I first started to struggle, right past the halfway mark. Fortunately, I saw my friends Sean and Jeff with the TNT group which brought a smile to my face. Sean was supposed to race but was rehabbing an injury. He ran alongside me to snap a pic. By Mile 8, I was starting to take much more frequent walk breaks...where before I was going anywhere from 10-13 minutes before I'd walk, now it was closer to 5 minute run bursts. Niki and Annie trotted past me around this point, and my friend Katie popped over from the side running back towards downtown to give me a big ol' hug.
Mile 9 is where I learned about the best on route goodie there is: Vaseline on a stick! Though I had used plenty of Body Glide, my thighs were rubbing. This saved me from a lot of pain later. Mile 10 brought a spectator with a sign I was looking for the whole race, "Chuck Norris never ran a half marathon"...there were several "never ran a marathon" signs earlier (as we shared the race route with the full until around mile 9). I thanked the spectator!
I walked most of Mile 11 & Mile 12. Somewhere in Mile 11 on Allen Parkway, a group was giving out small Dixie cups with beer. At that point I had been working out for nearly 3 hours so I said, why not?? I also made my one and only porta potty stop at the 1.5 mile to go mark.
Mile 13 went straight through downtown. This was exciting...realizing I was going to make it!! I made a rookie mistake at the 1/4 mile to go sign in Discovery Green ... I started running. Yeah, that quarter mile was WAY longer than I realized!! But I had a great Beatles song going and seeing the big crowds was a motivator.
The final turn in front of the convention center was exciting and intimidating. It was time for the "don't stop once you'd seen the finish line rule" ... but boy that was a long stretch of road! Props to the emcee for reading my name off my bib not once, but twice for a little extra motivation.
As for crossing the finish line, nothing beats it. The sense of accomplishment. Knowing I'd just done something a lot of people hadn't, or maybe even couldn't. I had pushed my body to its ultimate limit ... further than ever before. For the gal who was a benchwarmer on the 8th grade basketball team ... receiving a medal at the finish line was surreal.
But the best part of what got me through...I dedicated my thoughts along those miles to the people in my life who made a difference in my journey these past 7 months. Because while I may have been running solo, I was never truly alone ... so to my friends and family, I am ever grateful for your support and encouragement to achieve this milestone in my life.
And to all of you who shared such kind thoughts via text, email or Facebook in the days since, you are all very thoughtful and sweet. Here's wishing you can achieve your goals, no matter the size or challenge!
And yes, I'll do it again. Just not anytime soon. I'm still sore!!
Results:
Chip time: 3:17:09 (15:03 pace)
Splits (includes best 10k time to date):
So last June, I signed up under the Houston half's Hero program. I went with the straight $350 to a favorite charity and I was in (I ran for Habitat for Humanity, a charity that I covered many times in my journalism career).
I began training in July. I unofficially followed a plan I downloaded off the Houston Fit message board several years back when I first started pondering distance racing. It was simple. 100 runs over 25 weeks.
Training went just about perfectly until work at the college got crazy in September. I had my busiest semester on record, with several major events. There were nights I worked until 11 p.m.! Needless to say, the training calendar was not always followed (and the cleaning people learned who used my office!). I placed my emphasis on increasing the distance of my weekend long run. It was exciting to get to 7 and 8 miles.
I only managed one 10-miler, on New Year's Eve. It was exciting to think that I would just have to replicate this, and tack a 5k on the end, to finish a half.
So ... how did I do it?
The weekend of the race, I admit I was nervous. I'd put this goal out there for everyone to know. Over and over, friends who'd done it before said my only goal should be to finish. But secretly, a 3 hour finish would be awesome. I felt I could at least finish in the 4 hour limit the race allows though.
Though I'm a perennial night owl, I was in bed before 11 p.m. the night before. As I've done with every race, I laid everything out because morning person, I am not!
I was up at 4:30 a.m. After fully prepping (it's weird putting on sunscreen when it's dark out!), I was out the door about 5:20 to head downtown. I parked in a nearby garage and headed to the convention center to meet up with friends.
On the walk over, I saw my co-worker Carlo, who ran in college and still races competitively. Today, he was just doing the 5k and gave me the first tip of the morning: the porta potties on the inside of the village are cleaner and have no lines. He was right!!
Walking through the GRB, I was glad I skipped gear check. Just seemed like a lot of trouble. I then headed to the corral to meet my friend Niki and her sister Annie. We were in the 13 minute mile pace spot by 6:30. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't have gone out so soon. We didn't start moving until well after 7, crossing the start line about 7:14.
Mile 1 started with a HUGE uphill climb on a bridge out of downtown. My feet were a bit frozen in my Vibrams and could feel that most of this mile. Fortunately Mile 2 started off downhill. This is where we started seeing spectators. Oh, the spectators were great! Funny signs, costumes and noisemakers abound. Between that and a loaded iPhone with tunes, I was never bored.
Mile 3 brought the 5k mark, just under 42 minutes and a 13:30 pace. I ran the first 28 minutes straight and was feeling good. This is where I saw my friend Lori with the American Cancer Society group cheering us on. Mile 4 was a bit more isolated, and brought in a cold breeze.
Mile 5 took us straight through the heart of the Heights. It was fun to run past Fitzgerald's where I'd seen my buddy Wendel's band play a few weeks before. Mile 6 took us under I-10 and more hills.
Mile 7 was where I first started to struggle, right past the halfway mark. Fortunately, I saw my friends Sean and Jeff with the TNT group which brought a smile to my face. Sean was supposed to race but was rehabbing an injury. He ran alongside me to snap a pic. By Mile 8, I was starting to take much more frequent walk breaks...where before I was going anywhere from 10-13 minutes before I'd walk, now it was closer to 5 minute run bursts. Niki and Annie trotted past me around this point, and my friend Katie popped over from the side running back towards downtown to give me a big ol' hug.
Mile 9 is where I learned about the best on route goodie there is: Vaseline on a stick! Though I had used plenty of Body Glide, my thighs were rubbing. This saved me from a lot of pain later. Mile 10 brought a spectator with a sign I was looking for the whole race, "Chuck Norris never ran a half marathon"...there were several "never ran a marathon" signs earlier (as we shared the race route with the full until around mile 9). I thanked the spectator!
I walked most of Mile 11 & Mile 12. Somewhere in Mile 11 on Allen Parkway, a group was giving out small Dixie cups with beer. At that point I had been working out for nearly 3 hours so I said, why not?? I also made my one and only porta potty stop at the 1.5 mile to go mark.
Mile 13 went straight through downtown. This was exciting...realizing I was going to make it!! I made a rookie mistake at the 1/4 mile to go sign in Discovery Green ... I started running. Yeah, that quarter mile was WAY longer than I realized!! But I had a great Beatles song going and seeing the big crowds was a motivator.
The final turn in front of the convention center was exciting and intimidating. It was time for the "don't stop once you'd seen the finish line rule" ... but boy that was a long stretch of road! Props to the emcee for reading my name off my bib not once, but twice for a little extra motivation.
As for crossing the finish line, nothing beats it. The sense of accomplishment. Knowing I'd just done something a lot of people hadn't, or maybe even couldn't. I had pushed my body to its ultimate limit ... further than ever before. For the gal who was a benchwarmer on the 8th grade basketball team ... receiving a medal at the finish line was surreal.
But the best part of what got me through...I dedicated my thoughts along those miles to the people in my life who made a difference in my journey these past 7 months. Because while I may have been running solo, I was never truly alone ... so to my friends and family, I am ever grateful for your support and encouragement to achieve this milestone in my life.
And to all of you who shared such kind thoughts via text, email or Facebook in the days since, you are all very thoughtful and sweet. Here's wishing you can achieve your goals, no matter the size or challenge!
And yes, I'll do it again. Just not anytime soon. I'm still sore!!
Results:
Chip time: 3:17:09 (15:03 pace)
Splits (includes best 10k time to date):
| Split | Time | Diff | min/mile | mile/h |
| 5K | 00:41:57 | 41:57 | 13:30 | 4.44 |
| 10K | 01:24:41 | 42:44 | 13:38 | 4.40 |
| 14.5K | 02:06:32 | 41:51 | 14:03 | 4.27 |
| 20K | 03:06:58 | 01:00:26 | 15:03 | 3.99 |
| Finish Net | 03:17:09 | 10:11 | 15:03 | 3.99 |
Monday, August 15, 2011
10 before 35 ...
I like to set goals. And I like to work hard to accomplish them. So with my next milestone birthday about a year and two weeks away...it should not be a surprise that I've been thinking about things I'd like to accomplish before then.
While I've been working hard on living in the moment and enjoying what is happening WHEN it is happening, turns out that anticipation is not such a bad thing for my spirit. This article I read in the New York Times discusses just one of many studies that show the anticipation of an event, such as a vacation, leads to an increase in happiness. No wonder I'm Polly Positive...I'm ALWAYS looking forward to SOMETHING!
So what do I want to get done before 35? It's a mix of things I've never done, always wanted to do, and some regrets that I didn't do them sooner. There's so much to say, I'm going to unveil new ones about once a day during the weeks between now and my birthday. So pull up a chair, friend, and enjoy my Top 10:
1. Finish a half marathon. I have been running on and off since 1999, but seriously since summer 2007. I finished my first 5k in spring 2008 (thank you Power in Motion!), my first 10k in 2009 ... and wanted to do this sooner (as well as a full by 35) but injuries forced my plans to change. I have registered for the Houston Half in January 2012 and am on week 4 of training.
3. Finish "the Buddy book." In 2003, when I was working for the Lake Charles American Press (my brief fundraising hiatus), I covered a visit from the Sweet Potato Queen (her ownself), Jill Connor Browne. Her speech inspired me to start writing a book that very night on the lessons I was learning as a dog owner (Buddy, after all, is my first). I wrote four lessons and stopped. I wanted an even dozen, and had ideas for 11 total ... when a few months back, now 11-year-old Buddy inspired idea #12. I'd like to finish this before he turns 12, even if no one else reads it. I love to write, and just reading the chapters I've done will be such a great memento to have when he's gone.
4. Compile photo albums & scrapbooks. I have meticulously collected most newspaper articles I wrote for The Daily Cougar, the Houston Chronicle, and the Press...as well as photos dating back pretty much my whole almost-34 years. These have lived in boxes, or bags. It's time to get them into books to enjoy. Sooner rather than later, thanks to possible move.
5. Write our wills and include planned gifts. Yes, it may be morbid, but I've learned in my line of business, every adult should have a will. Don't you want a say in what happens to your possessions (and for those of you with kids, your people), if the unthinkable happened? Just because we are still fairly young, you just never know. It's the best way to make sure your wishes are met. This is a lengthy process and may not finish by that birthday, but we'll start making plans and of course, I want to be sure to include some favorite charities. As well as my desire for an Irish Wake and a Jazz Funeral ... now you all know I want to go out with a bang!
6. Zip line over land. I regret not doing this when in Kauai for my parents' 30th anniversary in 2007. I zip lined over water at Xel-Ha this summer and it was awesome. I want to get over my fear and do this.
7. Import all my CDs into iTunes. Not exciting, but I want to finally digitize all my music. It's 2011. I need to get with the program, especially now that I own an iPhone.
8. Climb an indoor rock wall ... or go skydiving. I am still undecided here. I've never climbed a wall, and this would be pretty easy to do at the UH Rec Center. But I passed up the chance to skydive in 1998 and now am regretting it. I was features editor at the Cougar ... and was offered to do it for an article. The week of, I chickened out ... Adam went in my place and I shot photos. At the time, I wasn't sorry, but now I am. So I'm leaning towards that. It would be fun to do as a group!
2. Watch a Saints game in person. I'm getting this done Saturday! The Saints take on the Texans in preseason play here in Houston. I ultimately want to see them play in the Superdome ... but this will have to go on the before 40 list. Just too much going on with a possible move, and I'm hoping the Cougars will go bowling around the holidays! I am going to see the Cougars play in the 'Dome ... so I'm doing the two parts separate, I suppose. Have to leave something for the next list, right?
3. Finish "the Buddy book." In 2003, when I was working for the Lake Charles American Press (my brief fundraising hiatus), I covered a visit from the Sweet Potato Queen (her ownself), Jill Connor Browne. Her speech inspired me to start writing a book that very night on the lessons I was learning as a dog owner (Buddy, after all, is my first). I wrote four lessons and stopped. I wanted an even dozen, and had ideas for 11 total ... when a few months back, now 11-year-old Buddy inspired idea #12. I'd like to finish this before he turns 12, even if no one else reads it. I love to write, and just reading the chapters I've done will be such a great memento to have when he's gone.
4. Compile photo albums & scrapbooks. I have meticulously collected most newspaper articles I wrote for The Daily Cougar, the Houston Chronicle, and the Press...as well as photos dating back pretty much my whole almost-34 years. These have lived in boxes, or bags. It's time to get them into books to enjoy. Sooner rather than later, thanks to possible move.
5. Write our wills and include planned gifts. Yes, it may be morbid, but I've learned in my line of business, every adult should have a will. Don't you want a say in what happens to your possessions (and for those of you with kids, your people), if the unthinkable happened? Just because we are still fairly young, you just never know. It's the best way to make sure your wishes are met. This is a lengthy process and may not finish by that birthday, but we'll start making plans and of course, I want to be sure to include some favorite charities. As well as my desire for an Irish Wake and a Jazz Funeral ... now you all know I want to go out with a bang!
6. Zip line over land. I regret not doing this when in Kauai for my parents' 30th anniversary in 2007. I zip lined over water at Xel-Ha this summer and it was awesome. I want to get over my fear and do this.
7. Import all my CDs into iTunes. Not exciting, but I want to finally digitize all my music. It's 2011. I need to get with the program, especially now that I own an iPhone.
8. Climb an indoor rock wall ... or go skydiving. I am still undecided here. I've never climbed a wall, and this would be pretty easy to do at the UH Rec Center. But I passed up the chance to skydive in 1998 and now am regretting it. I was features editor at the Cougar ... and was offered to do it for an article. The week of, I chickened out ... Adam went in my place and I shot photos. At the time, I wasn't sorry, but now I am. So I'm leaning towards that. It would be fun to do as a group!
9. Fit back into the "Heart Gala dresses." I have two dresses I only wore once and haven't worn in 5-6 years. I definitely want to get into the black strapless one with red and white flowers I wore to the 2005 Lafayette Heart Gala ... would be a perfect outfit for the UH Alumni Awards Gala in April. Bonus would be to fit in the strapless teal one I wore to the 2006 Northwest Houston Heart Ball.
10. Help build a Habitat house. I have been a fan of Habitat for Humanity since I covered the Houston Superbuild as an intern for the Chron in summer 1998 (I even was called on by President Carter at the press conference to ask him a question!). I have always wanted to work on a house build. Therefore, I plan to organize a group to do so in spring 2012. Leadership Houston Class XXIX, I'm looking at you for help!
Stay tuned to see how much I actually achieve ... just the thought of all the possibilities has me super happy!! :)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Want to help our parks stay healthy? There's an app for that! Check out Htown Bingo!
I know I typically focus on personal health and fitness, but today I'd like to share some information about a way Houstonians can help our parks stay in great shape. It's a fun, game-like app and website called Htown Bingo!
Maybe you are fitness inclined like me, and spend a decent amount of time in your neighborhood park. Maybe you've noticed a light has burned out, there's a dangerous crack in the sidewalk, or maybe the jungle gym is broken. Or maybe nothing is out of repair...but you think "This park would rock if there was a bike rack, so that I could ride over here with my kiddos to play."
So all you have to do is play a little bingo to get the ball moving on any of these suggestions. Htown Bingo is part of a larger effort by SeeClickFix to encourage active citzenship in communities. It's been employed across the country, from bike riders in Tucson reporting unsafe road conditions, to residents in Richmond providing feedback for economic development and planning in their community (you can read about these and more stories here).
How to play? It's as easy as using Facebook or Twitter. You can download the bingo board here, and then Tweet a picture of one of the featured squares with #htownbingo. You can also download the SeeClickFix apps for iPhone, Blackberry or Android to play.
When you have five squares marked off in a row, Tweet "Bingo!" with #htownbingo or post to Htown Bingo's Facebook wall. New squares are revealed about every two weeks by a blogger or organization in Houston (psst...hints here!). The first 10 to get bingo get a prize!
So let's help our community get healthy and have fun playing at the same time! See you at the park.
Maybe you are fitness inclined like me, and spend a decent amount of time in your neighborhood park. Maybe you've noticed a light has burned out, there's a dangerous crack in the sidewalk, or maybe the jungle gym is broken. Or maybe nothing is out of repair...but you think "This park would rock if there was a bike rack, so that I could ride over here with my kiddos to play."
So all you have to do is play a little bingo to get the ball moving on any of these suggestions. Htown Bingo is part of a larger effort by SeeClickFix to encourage active citzenship in communities. It's been employed across the country, from bike riders in Tucson reporting unsafe road conditions, to residents in Richmond providing feedback for economic development and planning in their community (you can read about these and more stories here).
How to play? It's as easy as using Facebook or Twitter. You can download the bingo board here, and then Tweet a picture of one of the featured squares with #htownbingo. You can also download the SeeClickFix apps for iPhone, Blackberry or Android to play.
When you have five squares marked off in a row, Tweet "Bingo!" with #htownbingo or post to Htown Bingo's Facebook wall. New squares are revealed about every two weeks by a blogger or organization in Houston (psst...hints here!). The first 10 to get bingo get a prize!
So let's help our community get healthy and have fun playing at the same time! See you at the park.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Half down, half to go ...
I know it sounds cheesy, but it really does seem like only yesterday that I was setting goals for 2011...and we're already halfway through the year. As I did at the end of the first quarter, I thought it would be a good time to take stock of where I am, where I need to go, and what may need adjusting due to changing circumstances:
- Running: I have run 3 of 8 races for the year. As you may recall, the goal of running 8 races was to ramp up for a spring 2012 half marathon. I'm happy to report that I registered for the Houston half in January. I am running as a "Hero" for Habitat for Humanity. Since I start training on July 23, and my long runs will be on Saturdays, I am not sure how many more races I will complete this year. But since I achieved the greater goal of committing to a half, I'm OK with that.
- Staying active: As of June 30, I have exercised 5528 minutes this year. Of 26 weeks, I hit the 300 target 8 times (about 30%), and topped 200 minutes (last year's measure) 14 times (about 54%). So my suspicion about raising the bar higher to a 300 minute/week goal was correct in that I would hit more minutes overall. January and June were my best months with more than 1000 minutes...so I need to work to do a better job during the semesters to keep that up.
- Eating: I have lost and kept off about 3 pounds since Thanksgiving. It's not a lot, and this is probably the area I could continue to improve most. There are still times I struggle to log everything in my Weight Watchers app. There are definitely times I don't make the best choices. And frankly, I enjoy a good social hour with friends. So I need to eat better more of the times to accommodate for these realities of life.
- Professionally: I have preliminarily passed the CFRE. I should be getting the official certificate and confirmation of my Certified Fundraising Executive sometime this month. It will feel great to put the initials behind my name. This was a lot of studying (which impacts the next goal), and a very challenging exam. What a great way to celebrate a decade in my profession!
- Personally: I have read 13 books this year (goal was 12). Three of these were for the CFRE exam, so my new goal should be at least 15 by December. I am reading #14 and actually may pick back up a running book started in 2009 and put aside as #15. I have worked to have a good blend of business, leadership, fitness and fun books in the mix. I have found a fantastic site, Goodreads, to track progress, share with friends and it even links to FB and has a phone app.
So what next? In addition to keeping on my 2011 path, I have my eye on a "bucket list" of items I'd like to complete before my milestone birthday next summer. More to come in another post.
So how's your year shaping up? What did you set out to do in January and where are you in the progress?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Crossing over to Fitness
This morning, I took my first CrossFit class. Had I done some serious research into what it involved before buying a Groupon for it, I might have talked myself out of it. Even though I run and have done several races, I've never considered myself very athletic (see recent guest spot blog on this).
But I can't pass up a good deal as a way to try something new ... I figured, it worked well for hot yoga so why not?
Our class is 3 mornings a week, but I had to miss Monday due to Buddy having a dental appointment. I wasn't the only person in the class of 5 that had to miss Monday, which made me feel less nervous. Our instructor, Krista, was super patient and encouraging. It's 3 gals and 2 guys in our class, and we are all at different fitness levels.
The first move we did after warming up was a "sumo dead kettlebell" or something like that...basically, I had to lift a kettlebell from the ground up to my shoulders in a clean jerk, while not rounding my back. I'm pretty sure that's the cause of sore quads about 14 hours later.
Then it was time for the WOD (Workout of the Day): a 250m run around the building, then shoulder presses for the remaining minutes, with 3 minutes rest in between. I did 13 the first time, 14 each of the next 2 sets, for 41 total. I was about in the middle of the pack on reps, but the lightest on weight (25 lbs). I'm sure that will change as the classes progress.
It was over before I knew it...a quick and dirty 45 minute workout. But it made me feel so strong! I was proud of myself for not punking out when it got tough, and can't wait to see what the next class brings, and how my muscles will look when the class is done in 3.5 weeks.
It never hurts to try something new...though my muscles will probably argue that one tomorrow.
But I can't pass up a good deal as a way to try something new ... I figured, it worked well for hot yoga so why not?
Our class is 3 mornings a week, but I had to miss Monday due to Buddy having a dental appointment. I wasn't the only person in the class of 5 that had to miss Monday, which made me feel less nervous. Our instructor, Krista, was super patient and encouraging. It's 3 gals and 2 guys in our class, and we are all at different fitness levels.
The first move we did after warming up was a "sumo dead kettlebell" or something like that...basically, I had to lift a kettlebell from the ground up to my shoulders in a clean jerk, while not rounding my back. I'm pretty sure that's the cause of sore quads about 14 hours later.
Then it was time for the WOD (Workout of the Day): a 250m run around the building, then shoulder presses for the remaining minutes, with 3 minutes rest in between. I did 13 the first time, 14 each of the next 2 sets, for 41 total. I was about in the middle of the pack on reps, but the lightest on weight (25 lbs). I'm sure that will change as the classes progress.
It was over before I knew it...a quick and dirty 45 minute workout. But it made me feel so strong! I was proud of myself for not punking out when it got tough, and can't wait to see what the next class brings, and how my muscles will look when the class is done in 3.5 weeks.
It never hurts to try something new...though my muscles will probably argue that one tomorrow.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Take it easy...
This weekend was my first weekend without plans nearly all month. Since returning from vacation, my days have been more action packed than I thought ... but then, June always is a little busier than one thinks and the real "lazy days" come to light in July, at least in my world.
Sitting at the end of the weekend, I am singing the praises of 48 unplanned hours. It was GLORIOUS. We slept in, worked out...I even read a book for fun. It was a much deserved and needed rest after a month of accomplishments, which culminated in my CFRE exam on Friday. I thought about going into to work to get organized for the week, but a quick peek at my calendar showed I'd have plenty of hours in the week to log paperwork...so I resisted.
Turns out, taking vacations, and even short breaks from our daily routine, is healthy too. Research proves this could be just as important as exercise and a healthy diet.
So since I did promise more Me/We time this summer, you can bet I'm pretty excited that of the 5 weekends in July, we only have one commitment, our nephew's 5th birthday party. We have no other plans, and I'm going to work really hard to keep it that way. I have a busy fall ahead, and if I don't cool it on Saturdays and Sundays now, I'll konk out in the middle. And that would totally ruin my half marathon training (which starts July 23).
So, when's the last time you took it easy?
Sitting at the end of the weekend, I am singing the praises of 48 unplanned hours. It was GLORIOUS. We slept in, worked out...I even read a book for fun. It was a much deserved and needed rest after a month of accomplishments, which culminated in my CFRE exam on Friday. I thought about going into to work to get organized for the week, but a quick peek at my calendar showed I'd have plenty of hours in the week to log paperwork...so I resisted.
Turns out, taking vacations, and even short breaks from our daily routine, is healthy too. Research proves this could be just as important as exercise and a healthy diet.
So since I did promise more Me/We time this summer, you can bet I'm pretty excited that of the 5 weekends in July, we only have one commitment, our nephew's 5th birthday party. We have no other plans, and I'm going to work really hard to keep it that way. I have a busy fall ahead, and if I don't cool it on Saturdays and Sundays now, I'll konk out in the middle. And that would totally ruin my half marathon training (which starts July 23).
So, when's the last time you took it easy?
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