A Small Reveal

I alluded to a complete change of lifestyle in my last post. It drew a lot of interest and some questions so I contemplated doing a 'halfway' reveal. That would be next weekend but I still am not sure I'm ready to open myself up for input, criticism, or commentary from the general public yet. Sean and a couple of my closest friends have seen and supported me through the last 5 weeks. It's not always easy to be patient and trust the process. I want instant results just like everybody else. So instead of completely unveiling my new plan and body I thought I'd share the overview and a sneak peek instead.

The easiest way to explain what I've been doing is to say it's a balance between exercise, nutrition, and supplements. I'm hitting the gym 11 times per week. I run 5 days per week and lift 6 days. I combine easy runs and speed work and I hit every body part with weights at least once per week. I eat 'clean' 98% of the time. That's no joke! I eat 6 times per day, 7 days a week. One of those meals on Sunday gets to be a 'cheat' meal where I go out to eat with friends or family and splurge on a burger or a milkshake. And every day I follow a routine of supporting my nutrition and workouts with a careful selection of supplements.

Today's cheat meal at Rockhoppers

(Split with my mom!)

The results of this complete change have been astounding. I'm still waiting on an appointment to get my body fat percentage checked so I don't know where I started or where I am now (yet). But I have seen huge changes and my clothes fit differently than ever before.  My performances are improving on both runs and weights. And my energy is through the roof.

And here's the proof:

Completed 5k on the treadmill, the day after leg day and after going out dancing last night, in 24 minutes. My previous best was 24:27 and that was back in 2012. After only 5 weeks I have already met one of my 2015 goals (set a new 5k PR!).

AND

I'm stronger and happier with my body than ever before. Every week I go heavier, go harder, find another way to tweak my nutrition. And while I can't wait to share the full transformation with everyone, right now I am enjoying the journey and focusing on learning and growing on my own. 

Are you ready for 2015? Have you set your goals and outlined the steps to reach them yet?

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?

 

 

 

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!

 

 

Kicking off the New Year

I spent my first day of 2013 on the trails, in the snow. It was cold and it was slow going but it was awesome nonetheless! The crunch of fresh powder under my Altras and my warmest jacket over my new INKnBURN gear were just what I needed to feel like I was starting out on the right foot (pun intended).

I think I've made my goals for 2013 pretty obvious but for the sake of having them listed and quantifiable I want to put them here:

1. PR at every distance from 5k - 50 miles
2. This is a sub-part of #1: PR at the Shamrock Marathon
3. Run 80+ miles at the North Coast 24 Hour
4. Finish Burning River 100 Mile
5. Run my third leg of the Baker 50 Mile and complete my medal
6. Return to Oil Creek for a distance I haven't done there (either 50k or 100M)
7. Run at least 2013 kilometers in 2013 (1,250 miles)

These are my 'bare minimum' goals. These are things that I believe I can accomplish with my current training and history. I will refine these goals throughout the year and for most races I will have 'A', 'B', and 'C' goals. For example: Just finish, finish in X:XX time (time I will be happy with), and finish in Y:YY time (time I will be over the moon about). I try to make all of my goals attainable and reasonable but there's always outside forces. It may be snow or extreme heat or an injury, whatever.... It's important that I remember that just putting in the training and getting to the starting line is an accomplishment in itself. The rest is the icing on the proverbial cake.

So there's my 2013 goals in writing for all the world to see. So what's your goals? Have you made them quantifiable and attainable? Let's see them!

Silvester Nacht (New Year's Eve)

Yesterday Shane and I ran the Harmony Silvester 5k for the third year in a row. This year it was kalt! (Cold!) This race through historic (and hilly!) Harmony celebrates its German heritage by kicking off Silvester (New Years) on Germany's time. A 3PM race is followed by a 6PM countdown and ball drop with fireworks (midnight in Germany).

Shane and I knew parking would be a nightmare. The timing company (Miles Of Smiles) owner had warned us that over 300 people had pre-registered earlier this week so we made sure to arrive early and get a good parking spot. We picked up our race bags and dropped them in the car and then ran the course as a warm up. We arrived back at the starting line 10 minutes before the start and I did some form drills to stay warm and hopefully get ready to PR!

Race day weather was not ideal

 

At 3 o'clock on the dot.... we stood there.... There was a flatbed truck and a bunch of cars on the course (open course) so we had to wait for them to move out of the crowded starting area. We finally got the bullhorn about 5 minutes later. I took off with a woman I had lined up beside and quickly realized I was being pulled out too fast. My Garmin flashed 6:35 pace and I pulled back, maybe too much. The first mile is rolling and ends with one GIANT uphill but I was fresh. It should have been fast! 

 

Mile 1: 8:05

 

The second mile is more downhill than uphill. There's a few good ups but it's mostly runnable. However, I was fretting over my slow first mile and trying not to overcompensate on the downhills. I was worried about ice and the broken asphalt and the fact that I fell on ice yesterday and my knee was feeling a little tender. Once again, I erred too much on the side of caution.

 

Mile 2: 8:00

 

The last mile is almost entirely uphill with one good downhill stretch. I tried to let my legs fly on this downhill but I couldn't catch my breath. I think partly due to the fact I overdressed and partly due to the cold air temperatures and wind. I really struggled on the last hills and people were flying by me. I think I kind of mentally threw in the towel as groups of women passed me.

 

Mile 3: 8:32

 

As I came into sight of the finish line I checked my watch and realized a PR was out of reach. I was getting really angry at myself at this point and I heard footsteps approaching my left shoulder. I dug deep and out-sprinted a man to the timing mat. I beat him by 4 tenths of a second! At least I can be proud of that.

 

Final .13 miles: 1:05 (8:24 average)

 

Overall time: 25:41

 

I was kind of sulking in the church where the food and water was set out until I talked to a few other runners. It seems like a lot of our friends had a pretty rough day, probably due to the weather. Finishing only 36 seconds slower than last year and placing better was a big morale boost.

 

Elevation Profile

 

Last year I placed 5th in my age group. This year I was.... wait for it.... Second! There were 19 women in my age group. I think it's pretty awesome that I was able to take an award when there was that much competition! I finished 2/19 age group, 56/255 women, and 163/518 overall.

 

Happy with my award

 

Shane and I

 

Shane and I had to haul our butts home pretty fast though as the weather began to deteriorate even further. We ended up driving home in a white out!

 

Right in the middle of a snow storm!

 

Overall, I think this was a good way to end the year. It may not have been the PR I was hoping for but it wasn't PR conditions. I still outperformed my competition and took an award for the first time at this race. I'll just have to look forward to a very big PR in 2013!

 

Shirt, bib, and medal

Training Week 4

Well my highest mileage week in probably EVER is over! And I survived! I can't believe I can say I ran 50 miles this week with no ultras or marathons to pad my total. And I ran all of those miles in 9:23:32. Wish I could do that when I run a 50 mile race! We also had our first snow of the season this week so it made for some interesting runs!

Gem in the snow

So what does a 50 mile week look like?

Monday: Walk 3 miles at 15:08 average pace on a 1% incline plus weights.

Tuesday: 1 mile warm up, 6 miles at steady state pace, 1 mile cooldown. Total: 8 miles @ 9:50 average.

Wednesday: 8 miles of 9/1 run/walks on the trail. Total: 8 miles @10:59 average.

Altras in the snow

Thursday: 1.5 mile warm up, run 5/4/3/2/1/2/3/4/5 minutes hard with 2 minutes recovery between, cool down. Total: 7.5 miles @ 9:45 average.

Friday: Walk 6.5 miles on 1-7% incline increasing .5% every .5 miles. Total: 6.5 @ 14:58 average.

Saturday: Hang out with family and exchange gifts. Stuff face, drink too much wine, and laugh a lot while the kids play in the snow.

Ash in the snow

Sunday: 17 miles @ 10:40 average pace. Really nice day on some easy trail and road plus one giant hill!

Elevation profile of Sunday's long run

Totals: 50 miles/9:23:32 or 11:15 per mile average.

Now I get to reward myself with my first cutback week just in time for Christmas! And hopefully just in time to PR at a NYE 5k!

How's your training? Got any fun holiday plans?

Goodbyes

I'm almost to the end of my 26th year of life. It's been a great year for the most part. I celebrated my one year wedding anniversary, I have run 32 races, I have seen my babies grow to 6 and 1 years old, and I have made a ton of new friends both at my new job and outside of it. I've also been given an extraordinary amount of opportunities. I ran half of 2011 for Team reGen and enjoyed every moment of it! Now I have been offered FitFluential ambassadorship and a Nike wear testing position. A girl could not ask for more!

However, there is always the downside. 'Friends' who don't understand my running, blogging, and busy lifestyle have drifted away. I don't mind the gradual distancing so much. Sometimes it's easier that way. What I do mind is the people who have become downright ignorant, even rude, in the way they approach me. I'm realizing that even though I post exactly what I'm doing, thinking, feeling, that people don't react equally.



Some people seem to regard me as some kind of super-athlete. This is confusing to me because I post about my training and how slow I am. My mileage is extremely low compared to most ultra runners and that explains why I'm a mid-pack finisher at best. I don't mind these friends because I hope that I encourage them to push their boundaries the way my idols have encouraged me.

A few people have been less pleasant in their reactions. They have become snarky or begun to give me the cold shoulder as if I am somehow beneath them. People who used to text me just to say hello stopped responding to any form of communication. Friends who used to join me for a 20 mile run in the woods stopped inviting me at all. I don't get a 'Happy Holidays' post on FaceBook or an invite to events. And at first, it bothered me.

Then I realized something. My time is valuable. I am valuable. I don't have to be treated that way and I don't have to keep going back for more. There's a reason FaceBook and Twitter have the means to unfriend or unfollow. There's a reason you can block phone numbers and emails. I don't have to read their pages and comments.



This epiphany set me free. I stopped wasting my time waiting for these people to realize I'm still the same person. If they feel I've changed for the worse they had a responsibility as a friend to say so in a kind way. Their choice not to communicate their feelings belies their claims of friendship and proves them unworthy of my consideration.

I am lucky. Total strangers have helped me in times of need. Friends that I've barely seen since highschool have wished me health and happiness for holidays, birthdays, and no reason other than to say hello. Thanks to the generosity of family and friends and teammates I've never met I have been able to raise $410 for the IAFF Burn Fund in only 5 days.

For 2012, my 27th year, I am grateful for the true friendships I've formed. I'm thankful for the faith and generosity of total strangers. I am truly blessed to have family that will let me run for 2-5 hours every weekend to get ready for a race that will take me away from home for an entire weekend. I'm thankful for total strangers who have offered me training advice and offered to come to the race and pace me without ever having met me. Lastly, I am thankful for the friends that I have yet to meet. I know they will be some of the best yet if the past year has been any kind of taste of what's to come!

What will you do with your 2012? Will you continue to let people tell you what your limits are? Or will you go out and find them yourself? I wish you health, happiness, and true friendship in the year ahead!