2013: Year In Review

This year has been a wild ride to say the least. Ups, downs, and unexpected twists were rampant. Nothing I've ever experienced can compare to 2013 for the trials, tribulations, and triumphs. Before I look back on my best year of running yet I want to thank the people who made this all possible.

First off is obviously my friends and family. I could never have accomplished my first 100 miler without my crew and coach. I couldn't dream big if it weren't for my family backing me up. And I wouldn't laugh until I cry or get squeezed in bear hugs until I squirm if I didn't have friends like Jenn (both of them), Dan, Kelly, or Paul. I love you all!

FitFluential - I have taken my blogging to a new level and been introduced to opportunities I never would have had otherwise without FF's mentoring. I've also met a ton of wonderful bloggers and been inspired to improve my own. Look for lots of upgrades in 2014!

Representin' FF at the Pretty Muddy

INKnBURN - How could I have run 100 miles and had NO chafing or blisters or other issues without them? I made new friends because I always stand out in their gear. I get to be comfortable and stylish which is something that rarely happens in my 'normal' life. INB4Life! <3 p="">

INKnBURN went everywhere with me this year, even my first Strongman clinic

Altra Zero Drop - The base of all my running! No black toenails. No blisters. Total comfort. After just over 1,300 miles run this year my feet are still happy. I can never think the Altra crew enough for all they've done for me and always having my back!

Altra carried me for over 1,300 miles in 365 days

Okay, now onto the shameless bragging!

As of today I am at 1,322+ miles run for 2013. I ran 27 races totaling approximately 500 miles. These included 7 5k's, 2 5 milers, 1 10k, 1 10 miler, 3 30k's, 1 20 miler, 2 marathons, and 3 ultras (one 24 hour, my first 100M, and one 50 miler). There were also some odd distances like 4.3 miler, a 7 miler, and 24.5 miles during a relay. Overall I would say it was a very successful year!

Third woman, first in age group at the North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run

 

 

My crew and I after my first 100 mile finish

On the personal side there were also lots of changes. My family dealt with stalkers and sabotage. My marriage ended. I found a job I loved and then was laid off almost immediately. But despite all the drama there was lots of good as well. I made a lot of new friends. I reconnected with old ones. I went to my 10 year high school reunion (what?!). I turned 29 and began to accept that I really am going grey (I blame the kids).

At my 10 year reunion

 

So here's to 2014 and even more adventures. Whatever the new year may bring I know it will be worth it because I have the best family and friends. We always work hard and play harder. We give blood, sweat, and tears. And we never, ever give up. Cheers!

The Age Game

Another year has gone by and I am another year older. I celebrated my 29th birthday shortly after Christmas. Along with the holidays and another notch in my belt came the typical indulgences. Food, desserts, alcohol, and a lack of time for the gym.

Ugly sweaters and alcohol

This year I chose to stop kicking myself for every excess and lazy day. Instead I focused on enjoying my time with family and friends. There were dinners and parties and baking marathons. I spent days driving from one home to another for feast after buffet after brunch/lunch/dinner. And I took part in every last one of them.

These moments are worth so much!

 

Now the holidays are winding down and I'm less than a year from the big 3-0. I'm also almost 10 pounds heavier. And I don't care one bit. Everything in moderation, including moderation.

 

I have a plan and I have my support team. Paul and I have agreed to be 'those people', aka resolutioners. On January 1st we start fresh. We won't beat ourselves up over the seconds and thirds or desserts we enjoyed so thoroughly. We'll do the work and make the right choices and soon enough we'll see the results.

 

So I'll see you (and your hangover) in the gym on Wednesday!

 

 

 

Did you overindulge this holiday season? Do you have a plan in place to get back on track?

 

 

 

FitBit

First things first, I guess I need to introduce someone. Friends meet Paul, the new guy in my life. He's a runner and he lifts. Yeah, he's awesome!

Ready for a run

 

Anyway, Paul bought us awesome little gadgets, called FitBit Flex, for Christmas. We're still playing around with them and figuring out what they can do but so far it's been neat comparing our goals with our actual daily activity and calorie burn. We are connected through the app on our iPhone and we can cheer each other on or taunt each other (which may be even more motivating right?).

 

The Fitbit Flex is a wearable tracker that monitors your activity, diet, and sleep patterns. It's surprisingly simple, easy to use, and comfortable. The device includes a large and small wristband which hold the tracker, a wireless sync dongle for your laptop or other device, a charging cable, and the free app for iPhone or Android.

 

 

Fitbit wristband with Flex tracker

 

After three days of wear I've found that the wristband is as comfortable as the rest of my bracelets. It was a little hard to snap into place the first few times but it's either loosened up or I've gotten the hang of it. The Fitbit can be worn in the shower or rain so it doesn't have to be removed often. And with an estimated battery life of 5 days there's no reason to take it off most days.

 

The Flex can be synced to your smart phone via Bluetooth so you can check your stats and progress as often as you want without a cord. And tapping twice on the wristband gives a readout of your progress via five lights. Each light represents 20% of the goal you set (steps, distance, calories burned, etc) and when you reach 100% of goal the lights flash and the band vibrates. It's never been easier to check your progress in seconds.

 

60% of the way to my goal

 

Other features include sleep monitoring and nutrition/calorie tracking. Tap the device rapidly and it begins sleep mode. In the morning tap it rapidly again and it will send the information on how often you were restless through the night to your app. The Fitbit can even be set for silent alarms so it will vibrate at a predetermined time. It can also sync with other apps like Run Keeper and My Fitness Pal. Along with the ability to join groups and connect with other Fitbit wearers, the app will award you badges for new milestones to keep your motivation high. Fitness trends are displayed via graphs and charts and additional band colors are available on the Fitbit site to blend in with your fashion choices.

 

Overall, I would say this is a great device for motivating yourself and friends for a small price tag. It's addictive for checking progress and motivating yourself to get all five lights. And the app is easy to use and update. It's light, flat, and comfortable plus it doesn't stand out on your wrist. There's not much more that I could ask for in such a small tracker!

 

Oh, and yes, I do have the best boyfriend on earth!

 

 

Have you tried any of the trackers on the market? Do you use one? What are your thoughts on the usefulness of these devices?

 

 

 

 

She Get It From Her Mama!

It's been a week from you-know-where. Nothing has gone right and I've felt like a total failure. I still ran a good bit more than I had in the last few weeks but nowhere near what I was hoping. Thankfully my mother had the cure for my melancholy!

I bought us a family membership to the YMCA so we could all enjoy a year of health and wellness. My mom had yet to use her membership so she asked me to go with her today. I was more than happy to have a reason to head to the gym and not be accompanied only by my iPod.

My mom's always been there. And I've always looked just like her!

 

We decided to do some cardio first and took side by side treadmills. She walked, I ran, and we chatted about anything and everything while we got our endorphin rush going. Thirty minutes later we headed over to the weight machines. I'm just going to admit that I had never used the machines at the YMCA prior to today.

 

Intimidation is a horrible feeling. There's always a couple high school or college athletes lifting the whole stack. And then there's me... I know I'm not that strong. And I know I won't get stronger without lifting. But it still didn't overcome my fear of being laughed at (just like what happened at the globogym I used to go to).

 

My mom was always active (and pretty hot too!)

 

But today, with my mother by my side, we walked over there and explored the equipment. Then we made a plan for our workout and went to it. And the best part is we could still pass for twins, at least when it came to strength. We went set for set and rep for rep at the exact same weight, neither of us able to outdo the other.

 

I think I've found my new workout partner (who's been there all along).

 

 

Is fitness a family affair in your home too?

Hey You!

Hey you! Yes, you. I'm judging you.

The 'fat' chick on the treadmill. The big guy on the elliptical. The skinny kid lifting an empty bar. The old guy running with the funny gait. The clumsy girl on the secondhand bike.

 Who lifts two pound dumbbells?

 

You wear baggy clothes covered in sweat. Your footsteps are loud and uneven. And your breathing... oh my god, your breathing. Everyone around you is worried that a coronary is just around the corner. You stare straight ahead. I know you're not really oblivious to the looks from the regulars. You know they think you're just another resolutioner. They feel smug knowing that you'll disappear from their realm in a month, maybe less. You keep your head down and plod on. Why? Why do you bother?

Eat another slice of cake why dontcha?

 

I know why. I understand. If you would just look up, you would see that I'm not looking at you with disgust. I'm looking at you with hope and awe. I have been fat. I have been skinny. What I had never been, before those first steps, was strong. I look at you and see potential. Unlimited, bottomless potential. You can become a runner. Or a cyclist. Or a body builder. You can be healthy, fit, or strong. Or maybe even all three. Whatever you want to attain is just a few months of hard work away.

 

If you would just look in my eyes you would see that I want to help you. I want to offer you hope and encouragement and maybe even some advice. I want you to stand tall because you won't give up in a month no matter what those stuck up meat heads think. You will soon be a regular and no one will look twice when you walk into the gym or step onto the road. And then it will be your turn to open your arms to the new guy or girl.

 

You're not even wearing 'real' running clothes!

 

So whether you're old or new or haven't even started yet.... Welcome. Welcome to my gym. Welcome to my roads. Welcome to the world of fitness. Don't give up. And for goodness sake don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't worthy. We all started somewhere and not very many of us have reached our goals. So lift your head, look around. I bet you'll find those looks are a lot friendlier than you imagined!

 

Disclaimer: I wrote this post because I am sick of the jokes and snide remarks about the New Year resolutioners. And once upon a time I was one. The pictures included here are of ME! I can say these things about myself because I thought them at one time!

 

 

Finding Motivation

I'm slowly rebuilding myself from my three months of apathy. I used some frustration today to push myself to a new 'long' run, a whopping 6.32 miles. While it would have been a short run just a few months ago, it is now the longest I've gone in 3 months. The good news is I feel fine and I even averaged a good (for me) pace.

I also found a new 'game' for passing time on the treadmill:

After every third song I increased the speed by 0.1MPH. I started at 6.1MPH and continued until I was at 6.8MPH. Then I was less than 5 minutes away from an hour so I just started mashing the up button. If I remember correctly I finished at 7.2MPH. I ended up with an average pace of 9:29 so I was pretty happy with that and I was never really bored because I was counting songs instead of miles or minutes. I think I'll keep this as a progression run game!

I took that moment of motivation and ran with it. I registered for the Lt. J.C. Stone 50k on March 22, 2014. I have 99 days to get myself back from 6 miles to 31. I feel like it's a very achievable goal and it has a sentimental value because this race was my first 'real' ultra (since the Rachel Carson is not billed as a race).

J.C. Stone 50k 2011

 

I haven't chosen a plan yet. I don't even know if I'll follow one. It will be hard to run long on the weekends that I have both girls. I'm guessing I will have to alternate long runs with tempos and hills on the weekends in between. Then there's the problem of the midweek longer run. My gym imposes a 30 minute time limit on equipment when they are busy. I usually feel like I'm getting weird looks after an hour even when there's fewer people. And with New Year Resolutioners just around the corner, I just don't see 10 milers happening during the week. It's going to be a challenge but it's one I'm looking forward to.

 

Hopefully this is what I needed to find the willpower I built over the 9 months of Burning River training! See you on the roads!

Stronger

Thanksgiving was not at all how I planned it but it may have been even better. Sharing an evening of non-traditional food, board games, and silly shows with my daughter and a great friend made the holiday memorable. I missed my family but I'm hopeful the weather will cooperate for Christmas.

Friday morning Gem and I packed our bags and headed south. The trip to Virginia Beach was fairly uneventful and I was thrilled to see two of my closest friends, Jenn and Dan. Gem hit it off with their children immediately. We spent Friday evening catching up before bed. We had to be rested Saturday for the main event.

After a hardy breakfast of ham and cheese omelets Jenn and Dan took me over to the Brute Strength Gym. My friends have been training for Strongman competitions and this was my first chance to see them in action. The hour long clinic was focused on tire flips and fingal fingers, neither of which I had attempted before.

Dan warming up with some Sara tosses

 

I stayed in the back and watched as women with muscles I dream of having heaved the 300 lb tire over. When it was my turn I put on a brave face and approached the tire. I've never deadlifted more than 145 lbs and I was afraid that I wouldn't even get it off the floor. But it came up surprisingly easily and before I knew it I was lining up at the 380 lb tire. That also went up and over without a hitch. Next up was the 500 lb tire. That was a little more of a struggle as you can see below:

 

 

 

After that I attempted 625 lbs but I couldn't even budge it. Oh well. Almost four times my body weight is a good start!

 

We moved on to fingal fingers after the tire flips. I had never seen a finger and it was intimidating. A hollow metal tube is filled with rebar to meet the weight required. If I remember correctly my weight was 207 lbs. The tube is attached to a pivot on the floor and the point is to deadlift the tube, clean it, and then quickly push it to vertical and over the pivot.

 

Fingal Finger picture (strongman.org)

 

I had very little trouble lifting and cleaning the finger but, once it was shoulder height, I couldn't press it to overhead.  It took everything I had to just work my shoulder under it towards the pivot one small bite at a time until I could heave it over. Upper body strength is clearly my biggest weakness.

 

Noodle arms!

 

The experience was amazing and gave me a new appreciation for lifting. I usually dread strength workouts where I feel trapped into 3 x 12 reps of standard exercises. Strongman workouts were more like really heavy playground excursions. I think I could really get into training like that. Tires, logs, rocks, and pretty much anything heavy and awkward can be used to create an amazing workout.

 

The aftermath of it is almost as entertaining. I am black and blue from shoulder to fingertips with a few scattered bruises on my stomach, hips, and thighs from resting the weight of the implements at different points on my body. I went for a haircut today and when I removed my coat I'm pretty sure the hairdressers jaw hit the floor. I almost wanted to explain but thought I might just come off as crazy if I tried!

 

My wrist is disgusting!

Left bicep

Right bicep

 

This experience was so worth the temporary pain and stares. And now I can proudly rock my Brute Strength Gym tank top!

 

 

 

 

Did your holiday involve any unexpected or exciting workouts? How did you counter all those tempting calories?