It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it

It’s amazing what a 22 hour break from reality will do for your sanity. Although my hiatus was not a shopping success, it was a classic case of ‘not in my size’ or it ‘looked better on the hanger’, (my only purchase was a very cute Hollister t-shirt that I am wearing right now and it smells so good, if you have ever bought anything from Hollister you will know what I mean, and it was on sale too) it was fun to get away with my man and live large in the city for a bit.

Today was one of those double ab workout mornings, not just because of the double sets, but also because of the laughter. Although we were missing our friend Shannon, her presence was definitely in the room. I don’t think that there will be anyone from the class that hasn’t at some point today grit her teeth, pursed her lips and said something that starts with “ooooooo, you and your….”

Monday is not usually a run day for me, but after a day of living/eating large, I felt that I needed to get out and do bit of cardio, and it wasn’t raining. If I were to describe this morning’s run I would say it was clunky, not smooth, not quick, nothing hurt, it was just clunky, possibly the result of my weekend. No mean dogs today, which is always a bonus, a few squirrels some Canada Geese and a couple of walking walking buddies who I don’t think enjoyed each other’s company much (it was a bit unusual the one buddy was walking a good 10 steps ahead of the other buddy and both wearing earbuds, I can only surmise they were listening to their ipods and not talking to each other on their iphones, guess it doesn’t really matter either way but it gave me something to think about as I was coming back up the hill). Even though they didn’t seem to like each other, they both seemed to like me, they smiled and waved as I passed. I finished my run to “Don’t Stop Believing”, it’s so hard not to belt out a couple of lines when you hear that song, as I live in the middle of nowhere nobody could hear to I did.

I was super on task for the rest of the day, I guess that extra spring in my Monday step helped, I love days when everything seems to fall nicely into place.

Back on the trails

Ain’t no place I would have rather have been this morning, the weather was great, the company was fabulous and the trails rocked, thanks for the great pick Dawn.

Met the gang at Mike Lake in Golden Ears Park. Although it was a bit on the chilly side for shorts, there was a good showing of bare legs, mine included, why not it is officially spring.

We headed out up Incline, I love Incline, nothing like your calves burning and your heart coming out of your mouth 10 minutes into your run (or hike at this point) and you are only half way up. We hit the top, regrouped (because that’s how we roll) and instead of our usual run back down Switchbacks/Eric Dunning we headed down the old access road. Over the past few years there has been a large slide and some siesmic work (I wonder why) done on this section of the trail . The road starts out tame enough but within minutes it turns into a total goat path…don’t look down. We finished off the run with a loop around Mike Lake, lots of mud and goop, the kind that has to be scrubbed off in the shower, love, love love it!

Can’t wait for next week.

Trail Running 101

Tomorrow not only brings the first day of spring, it marks my return to the world of trail running until sometime in October when it is time to log some major road miles for the Vegas marathon (why do I commit myself, and others, sorry Conny and D, to these things?). Goodbye to pounding the pavement, calling “carrrrr” and wearing reflective gear (yes, I know I still should be wearing it blah, blah, blah). Hello to mud, rocks, roots and bear poop…bliss!

For those new to the world of trail running, here are a few tips:

• Shave your legs before you trail run.  Leg scrapes are common to trail running, you don’t even have to fall (trust me on that one).  Nothing is worse than shaving around a wound, and chances are you will miss everything around it anyway and will have stubble growing around your wound, not something that I would want to show off proudly.
• Wear dark coloured socks, this one is self explanatory.
• No tippy-toeing through or around mud puddles, you are a trail runner damn it, this goes for streams/rivers too.
• Slower traffic keep right.
• Duck when going under low hanging branches.
• Always run with a buddy (preferably taller) and let them lead, they will break the spiderwebs.
• Run what you can, walk what you need to.
• Bring your camera phone, you may need to call for help or take a picture for posterity.
• If it makes you feel better, carry a bear/dinner bell.
• Leave no trace, this includes toilet paper unless it is biodegradable.
• When carpooling, if someone was nice enough to drive you, bring a towel for on the way back to sit on, mud (and sweat) can stain car seats (trust me on that one too).
• Don’t put your runners in the washer when you get home, they are supposed to be dirty.  If they are wet, stuff them with newspaper to aid the drying process, never toss them in the dryer, even on the gentlest setting.
• Have fun!

Happy trails my friends.

Eat to live or live to eat?

Do you eat to live or do you live to eat? Does the sound of grilled marinated shrimp served over angel hair pasta with melted mozzarella, fresh basil and tomatoes in a garlic-butter sauce (Olive Garden, Grilled Shrimp Caprese) make your mouth water or do you think: grilled – good, marinated, but in what? Is that pasta whole wheat? Mozzarella…% of milk fat? Fresh basil – FRESH, tomatoes – are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable (it has seeds, so it is a fruit, I think)? Garlic-butter sauce – nothing good can come from garlic-butter sauce. Either you do or you don’t right, or is it possible to hover somewhere in the middle, or waiver back and forth depending on the day?

I have always considered myself a “live to eat’r”, I love food, have never questioned it until today. Today CA and I went for lunch, it had been a while since we had last sat down (alone) so we had a fair amount to cover, ok, so we sat with menus open for 30 minutes without even looking at them catching up on the happenings of the last few months. So now we ordered, if I had to put CA into one category or the other I would say that she is an “eat to live’r”, she is health conscious and busy, two boys into sports, always on the go, works and works out, we don’t talk food we talk fashion, family, fitness…CA orders a Cobb Salad, goat cheese instead of blue cheese, dressing on the side, no problem, it’s my turn..I order a spinach salad, no walnuts (don’t like them), no beets (sorry but eewww), dressing on the side (just easier than saying no dressing), with a side of grilled chicken and a side of Irish soda bread (it was St. Patrick’s Day)…the waitress huffs loudly, turns on her heel, snickers and says “you ladies, I am never going to remember all of this, I am going to have to write this down.” I thought that she was a little rude, CA concurred, we ate our lunch and left her a larger tip than was required.

If I was a really a “live to eat’r” would I have made all of those substitutions? Sure I don’t like walnuts or beets, but the dressing on the side was purely omitting empty calories, but in my mind, I have already counted 2 servings of leafy greens, 1/2 a serving of dairy (in the goat form) the addition of the grilled chicken added a serving of protein and as much as I said the bread was for St. Patrick’s Day, it was about grains and cereals (even though it was white, it was still a serving of carb). What has happened to me? What has my lifestyle log done to me?

Confused, I asked CA if she was an eat to live’r or an live to eat’r, she said that she thought she was both and that balance is the key, no arguments here. My salad was good for me, it gave me a nutritional bang for my buck, but would I have rather had the mashed potato spring rolls and pan fried gyoza (2 servings on carbs, 1 serving of protein), hell yeah!

In the words of Robert Redford “Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better.”

April fitness programs

Monday, Monday

I don’t know about you, but today felt like January 2nd.  The combination of daylight savings time, kids back to school after spring break and my body still not moving with as much grace and fluidity as it usually does made it hard to get going. Days like today make me work a little harder in my classes, in turn makes those in my class work a little harder too…that’s what we are here for right?

After kicking my own ass in class I got a second ass kicking from Donna, my Business Coach. She sure keeps me on task, to be totally honest, she scares me a bit. A day like today was a perfect day to connect with her, I needed some re-focusing. I spent the afternoon deciphering the analytics program that she introduced me to.

I took full advantage of the extra daylight and the evening off and went for a hike with my fam and the dogs up Iron Mountain. Other than a small shoe incident, the hike was drama free and just what my legs needed (don’t think that I will be running yet tomorrow). One more workout to go, watching the crazy messes that Jack Bauer gets himself into, 24 a total ab workout!

Green Thumb 1/2 Marathon

Got up shortly after 6:30am and started my 1/2 marathon pre-race routine. I don’t usually shower before a run but on race day it is a must, it’s a personal hygiene thing (ever notice how bad it smells at the start line? It ain’t me, I have cleaned my 2000 parts). Grabbed a coffee, got dressed, ate my breakfast of champions, took full advantage of the friendliest of toilets, repacked my change of clothes for after the race (just wasn’t happy with my choice from last night), gathered all my gadgets from their respective charging stations, put my runners on (chip attached last night) and met my fam in the car. At last check the weather network was calling for clouds, but it was raining in my driveway.

I didn’t want to jinx anything, but my body felt great, with the exception of the knuckle of my left bird finger, but I was reminded that I didn’t need the knuckle of my left my bird finger to run. Even with a quick stop at Starbucks en route (I knew that this would be the difference between Bill having a good morning and a great morning, I was going with great) we were still on schedule. I knew roughly where the race was starting from, but printed directions from the race website anyway, you never know. The directions said go east on Bateman, but Bateman was closed due to an event (maybe it’s just me, but if I was giving directions to a group of people and I was closing off a certain road, I would probably amend my directions, like I said, maybe it’s just me). Since we were part of the event, we went around barricade, we found out later that we weren’t the only one’s to to take that approach.

Parking karma was on our side, even in the truck (we don’t usually have it in the truck) and we parked right next to the start line. It was still raining, so we sat where it was dry, I programmed my Garmin and found my song that I would start to (Primal Scream, Motley Crue…not too fast and I am always comforted by Tommy). I know that I advise 30 minutes before the race starts to find the friendliest toilet, I waited until 15 minutes before (when will I learn).   Not a big fan of port-o-potties I found a fairy toilet, but not before being attacked by some blackberry brambles, which drew blood! We made our way over to the race compound, Soraiya was already there, Christine arrived a few minutes later as well as my parents and later found David. Instead of traditional pre-race music there was a bagpiper, and when the pre-race warm-up started the bagpiper played along with a techno beat…a bit unusual, but we went with it, I tried to talk Rylee into doing her rendition of Scottish dancing but she wouldn’t give it up, not even for $20.

It was time to run, I made a last minute decision to go without my long sleeve, making Soraiya and I the most under-dressed of the entire group of runners, but it was a decision that would pay off, because the rain stopped.

I was a bit nervous about the course, it was a 10.55km double loop, I have only ever ran point to point or an out and back, so the thought of passing by the finish line when I was only half way was a bit of a concern (finish line = done). And we were off, I placed myself a bit far back in the pack so I spent the first few minutes passing, but after that I found a nice pace and had a great first km. The course description said that we would be running on some groomed trails, and being a trail runner at heart I felt completely at home when we kicked off the road. We spent about 3km on the trails and then kicked back onto the road and headed back up towards the start line, I wasn’t going to see the finish line twice, I was going to see it four times…ugh. By this time the 5km and 10km race had started and the racers were approaching us, saw some familiar faces (Anna and Nicole). Our first passing of the start line went fairly unnoticed, we hit the 5km mark and into the second half of the first loop…the hilly part. I tackled both of the hills without much of problem, by the time I hit the top my heart rate was up, but still felt great.

At about the 7km mark we started to go back down and I suffered a MAJOR technical malfunction with my watch…I had set it for 12 sets of run 10 minutes/walk 30 seconds, but it was now flashing with several screens saying my workout was over and that I had only been out for 30 minutes. I knew that there was nothing that I could do about it, and I certainly wasn’t going to pull off to the side and reset my watch, I was feeling way too good…I was now running solo.

I passed the finish line (and the half way point) for the second time, Bill and my Dad were there to give me a wave, nothing like seeing your peeps to give you a boost, chin up, chest out shirt down I passed by, threw up the horns and started my second loop of the course. I passed the 11km marker and the tweak behind my knee that I had not felt for the last 2 runs reappeared. I knew that I had two big hills to run again to I decided to make the most of the flat and cover as much ground as I could. Into the trails again and then back out on the road, passing the finish line for the third and final time. I had a basic idea of what time the race had started and according to my calculations I was still on track for my sub two hour goal but I still had the last two hills and my knee was really talking to me now.

I hiked the hills instead of running them, but was convinced that I had lost time so when I hit the downhill and let go. I have been working on my downhill for the last few months and it really paid off today, I felt fantastic, could have definitely shot for the cover of Runner’s World here! I tried not to over think the last 2km, other than my tweak I still felt strong, my music had been fabulous (just the right combination of 80′s hair band, top 40 and Nickelback, not top 40 Nickelback). As I was heading into the finish line I could see my Dad (I can always pick him out of the crowd), I got a little closer I could see the rest of my gang cheering me in. I rounded the corner and saw the finish line for the fourth time, I was not passing this time I was going through…mission accomplished.

I love a race that finishes with a medal, I don’t care that it is a participation medal, I have said it before, bling is bling, and I wear it proudly! Finish time 1:55:something (at the time of publication, the official finish times for that matter even the unofficial finish times had STILL not been posted) a personal best I think, woohoo! So yeah, I am pretty happy with myself, I don’t think that I could have ran it much faster, but yes, I could have kept going…I marathon is definitely on the horizon.

Congratulations to everyone who ran today and a big thank you to all of the volunteers. Big woohoo’s to Soraiya, she was 2nd overall woman, her training certainly paid off!

PS – Money eventually ruled and Rylee gave in and gave her full five second version of “Scottish”.

Lower Body Exercises

Article post: myfitnesstunes.com

Last week, we began our countdown to bathing suit season with simple upper body exercises that can be done at home without any special exercise equipment.  This week we will continue with lower body exercises.  Again these exercises can be done at home, and you don’t need to purchase weights, benches, mats, etc.  All you need is some appropriate workout attire (i.e. sweats and sneakers), and you’re ready to begin.   Just remember to check with your physician before beginning a new exercise regimen.

I.Squats from Keri at Iron Mountain Movement

1.Start with feet hip-width apart, toes forward.

2. Move by sitting back as if you were sitting in a chair. Weight should be in heels. (If your heels come up from the floor,  your weight is too far forward, putting excess strain on your knees.)

3. Keep a strong core. (Think about “bracing” your abdominals, as if you were about to be punched in the stomach. This motion will not only engage your abdominals, it also will engage your erector spinae, which will support your back.) Your chest should not fall forward and shoulders should not round.

4. As you rise up from squat position, maintain proper posture and press into your heels, squeezing your gluteus muscles (butt) and return to standing position.

5. Inhale to lower, exhale to lift.

*To increase intensity apply this technique to moving squats and/or add free weights. read entire article

By: Michele

How Readers Manage Arthritis Pain

And there it is

On June 19th, 2009 I was officially diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  It didn’t come as a surprise, but the fact of the matter was that I have an autoimmune disease, which I will  have to deal with for the rest of my life, it was hard to take.  I was advised to give up running and basically change my life to deal with my new disease, how did I take that?  That very evening I attended my daughter’s dance recital in a pair of four inch heels (oooh, how I love those shoes) and did the Grouse Grind and set a personal best the next day.  And I paid dearly for looking RA in the eyes and saying FU.

I have been relatively private about my struggle, I take my meds, take care of my body as best as I can and try not complain too much.  The reality is that this disease won’t kill me, and watching the other brave battles that are going on around me, I realize that RA is just another bump in my road. So when I was asked to speak publicly about my daily struggle, I was a bit hesitant.  I remembered back to when I was going through my diagnosis, and speaking to other ladies who had been living with RA for some time.   They were so strong and inspiring and gave me such encouragement (hence the four inch heels and what they mean to me), I knew that I was going to be ok.

So here is my contribution to the AOL article…

Keri Cawthorne first noticed joint pain and stiffness about a year ago while training for a half marathon. After a month of constant soreness in the morning in both her hands and feet, she consulted a doctor. Her rheumatologist prescribed medicine and cautioned her against running, lifting weights or doing push-ups.

“I continued to run until the pain was so bad that my toes wouldn’t bend,” Cawthorne said. “That’s when I realized I needed to modify my workout schedule so that I could run at night when my body felt better and started listening to my body. I do gentle hatha yoga once a week and go to couples yoga with my husband once a month. “

Although she doesn’t practice formal meditation, Cawthorne does a lot of breathing exercises.

“My mantra is ‘because I can,’” Cawthorne said. “Don’t get me wrong I have had my fair share of pity parties and meltdowns, but I choose to be a survivor not a victim.” — Keri Cawthorne.  Read entire article

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