LiveFit Trainer: Week 4

It's official! I survived Phase 1 of the LiveFit Trainer! So far I have been extremely impressed with the results. It's not easy trying to eat clean and fit in 5 workouts a week but I've been doing it. I've even gone in blizzards and the polar vortex mess or whatever they're calling it this week.

I wasn't the only crazy at the gym!

 

The results for 4 weeks of training have been outstanding. I never expected to see progress this fast and it's not just noticeable to me. Paul is seeing the changes and I just keep lifting more every time I go to the gym. It's almost unbelievable!

 

I've gone up 50 pounds on leg press alone

 

And physically, the changes are visible and show in my measurements too. So here's where I'm at as of the end of Phase 1!

 

Body Part          Start          Phase 1

Neck                 13.5            13.75

Chest                 33               33

Waist                 28               28

Hips                   38               37.5

Biceps               11               10.5

Thigh                 20               22

Calf                   13.5            14.25

Weight             137             134.5

 

 

And that's all for now! As I move into week 5 I will be adding back more cardio with my weight training. Things are about to get more intense as I move into phase two and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens as I continue to get stronger!

 

 

 

Apres Moi Le Deluge

This isn't really running related besides the fact that it's interfering with my running. But I think we all understand how the weather can affect us and our communities and bring unexpected disaster. The last few weeks my tiny town has been drenched by heavy rains and thunder storms. Despite living near the river we rarely have flooding but this summer it's not the river that's the problem.

It's the sheer volume of water that's been dropped on such a small area.

Driving out to the main road.

 

The road to our house.

 

Water shooting out from the underground lines

 

End of the road

 

The creek under our running trail

 

The drainage ditches can't handle it

 

Playground or pool?

 

Even the trees can't handle any more

 

Storm damage on our trail

 

 

I'm not really sure what the point of this post is besides wanting to share my sorrow. I've lived in this town for about as long as I've ever lived anywhere now. Our family is here, our friends are here, our running trail is here. Everything safe and familiar has been turned upside down. Every time I hear a clap of thunder in the distance I shudder and wait for the next downpour that will bring more devastation. I honestly don't understand how the surrounding towns are escaping with little more than wet basements while we are bearing the worst of every storm but the rain can't last forever. And so we wait for the sun.

 

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