Bet you thought I wasn’t running?!?!? Ha ha ha. Surprise is sweet, even for me. I am running. However, I am only running when the Workout of the Day (W.O.D.) calls for it. That means that in a 2 week period, I might run 1 time. In fact, it might be more like once every three weeks. The last time we did any running in the box was on February 10th when we ran (2) 800 meter runs and (2) 400 meter runs, backwards! And I thought that workout was a blast!

Anyways, here I am writing about my new 5km running PR. My first documented 5km on this site is dated November, 2007 and I ran it in 23:01. Ryan was 1.5 years and it’s likely that I was still nursing and was very heavy at the time- click here and see for yourself.

In 2008, I ran only 2 other 5kms and both run times were in the 23+ minute range.

Witness below the Marathon Skirt:  St. George Marathon completed with a time of 3:59.

‘

One month post marathon, Bobbi and I ran the Skirt Sports 5km and my time is not even listed on my site- except that it was around 24 minutes!

In 2009, I spent the year completing my 200 hour Yoga Works training, trail running, bike racing and kettlebell swinging!

November 2009 was the start of my Cross Fit training.  Since November, I’ve averaged 4-5 days a week in the box.  ( I have dropped at least 6 pounds and 2 dress sizes since then).

This weeks’ workouts have been ridiculously hard- Monday 29 weighted lunges plus 10 burpees times 9 ROUNDS .   Tuesday included 50 repetitions of 12 exercises called the “Filthy Fifty”, Wednesday a 20 minute heavy lifting day- and THEN on Thursday we had to run the 5km.  Crazy.  My legs were still feeling Monday’s lunges and the warm-up for our run included 100 ring dips, 75 sit-ups, 50 Man Makers, 25 Handstand Push-ups!!  Holy smokes, that’s a workout in and of itself!

Long story, but, YES,  I RAN A 5KM IN 21:43!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  First time since my early years of college that I’ve run sub-22!  And, the crazy thing is that I am HARDLY running.

Guess the next thing will be to test out my fitness in a local 5km!

[Read more →]

I loved this article in Runner’s World this month!  Just a few months ago, I was lamenting about my poor attitude and mental negative crap that goes through my head before a bike race.   (Here is the post, “I feel your pain, Kara Goucher.”) And, to be honest, this type of behavior when it comes to sports performance or just life in general does not just evaporate.  It transforms.  If you have a tendency towards negative spirals, it will reappear in other parts of your life.

The article is quite lengthy and discusses her current method of training that includes a sports psychologist, Darren Treasure.  I think his tips are very valuable and could be easily accessible to all of us wanna-be athletes!

Here they are:

• 1. Worry early, not late.  Focus on your strengths and the body of your training work.
• 2.  Employ a key word.  Must have a stimulus and response.
• 3. Embrace your competitors.  “It means I’m going to run together with the best, and they’ll help bring out the best in me.  That neutralizes my anxiety about my own confidence.”  Just think that working out/running with faster people will make YOU FAST.
• 4. Enjoy the motion.  Enjoy the moment. Relax!!
• 5. Define success by your progress.  “I want them to measure their success in terms of their personal progress.  If I can do a couple more reps that I could yesterday,  that’s success.”

Now for tomorrow’s workout, I will be employing all of these tricks! Holy moly, check out the workout…

“Dirty Dozen”

25-Walking Lunge
20-Pull ups
50-Box Jumps 20”
20-Double Under’s with a rope
25-Ring Dips
20-K-2-E (Knees to Elbows)
30-KBS 70/53
30-Sit-ups
20-Hang cleans 35/20 DB
25-Back Ext
30-WallBall
4-Rope climbs
*For Time!

Strengths for me for tomorrow will be the Box Jumps and Wall Balls.  It’s going to be fun and fast! Key word, FOCUS.

Now a playlist for this would be awesome! Anybody have any favorite songs that you can recommend?

[Read more →]

In yet another way to get fit, you can now find local communities offering Old School PE!  Games played include Ultimate Frisbee, Dodgeball, Relay Races, Tug of War and many other games that we played as kids.

As you may know, I am a phys ed teacher.  These games I still teach to the kids (with the exception of a few) and kids LOVE them.  And, in Cross Fit, we are “playing” tug-of-war, climbing ropes and just yesterday, we were hauling a 30,000 pound truck- all in the name of fitness and fun.  And, it is.  We laughed our asses off in tug-of-war and although I was scared of getting run over by the truck, it was also fun to pull it (photos coming soon)…

And, in Portland, Oregon, there is a group of women who get together weekly to play recess games. It’s called Urban Recess and it just cracks me up.  People are getting together to laugh, run and sweat.

Thinking we should all organize a weekly recess game in our own little hood- have a cook-out afterwards and laugh!

[Read more →]

I am the master of “sqeezing it in”! Always trying to fit my workout in around all my commitments- such as teaching  phys ed or yoga at my kids’ school.  And, lately, it’s been harder to find enough time for a “real” run – you know like a good six miler! Knowing that I’ll have an hour between classes, I can sometimes sneak away for a quickie run in the dirt- which I love.

A high intensity workout can potentially burn more calories during the workout and beyond.  (But, you can read the research at your leisure–there is JUST too much of it, LOL).

So, if I have an hour or less and can get to the trail, I run.  Fast and Uphill.  Today, was one of those days.  The hills I run on are STEEP.  So, I usually do a one mile warm-up, then run up this one really steep mother-of-a-hill.    My favorite hill takes me about 2 minutes to get to the top.  My steps are short and I really have to pump my arms to keep from walking!  Today, was a five hill repeat day.  So fun!  And, the best part was that I was able to squeeze it in after work but before going home to the kiddos.  What a difference that makes!

Above is a picture of me that my buddy took (not from today), but, it’s the same hill.  I’m attempting to look PE teacherish- but, still get outside and hammer!

[Read more →]

Runner’s get ready!

This moisture-wicking, long sleeve shirt will be perfect for all your outdoor activities.  Designed to be mult-functional, light weight and super soft, you’ll want to wear this one again and again.  What’s even better is that it has a UPF 50!! According to the press release, this shirt can block 98% of the sun’s damaging rays.

After doing a little research via Google, I found NOT a lot of clothing designed for women athletes that will protect you from the sun!  And what I found (only first 2 pages of google) was ugly, frumpy and for the beach only!  So, I was thrilled to receive this shirt for review!

What’s so great about this shirt? It IS so SOFT.  Soft like the cheeks of your little ones.  There are little thumb holes for extra hand protection or for warmth and a little pocket on the upper left shoulder that fits an Ipod perfectly!  You might think it’d pop out, but, I ran lots of hills and it did not budge.  The fit is great, as it’s fitted slightly but not boxy.  On my run today, the temperature was in the high 80’s and I did not feel hot at all- in fact the fabric may be cooling- or it seemed that way to me.

Anyway, would I recommend this to you, my readers??

YES.  Without hesitation.  Be the first in your group to be both protected and stylish!

You can find them online at BloqUV.com.

[Read more →]

How many of you are tired of hearing about how you can lose 2 dress sizes in 2 weeks? Believe the crap about eating cereal twice a day will help you lose weight? Eating this or that will bring the changes you want to see in your body? Or how about lifting weights? Interval work, blah blah blah…You’ve heard it all before and so have I. I’ve also tried many of the current fitness rages and blogged about them here. I’m here to tell you that I’ve thrown all those damn rules out the door!

Kettlebell swing, kettlebell squats, one arm leg lunges, abdominal work with a kettlebell; all been done here.

Marathoning. Check.

Bike Racing. Check.

Basic Weight Training on the Shawn Phillips philosophy. Check.

David Kirsh’s methods of training via his book (2 weeks to Ultimate Body). Ok, book read, exercises tried, but did not follow plan.

Interval work on bike or feet. Check.

People, I could send you links to evidence to all of the above posts. In the last two years, I’ve tried MANY MANY methods in which to stay fit and healthy and lose body fat. At this point, finally, my youngest is 3 and 1/2 and my weight is lighter than I’ve ever been in my life. My food is fairly intuitive in that I eat a green smoothie, a salad, mostly fish diet, that includes dark chocolate, lots of NUMI tea, occasional beers and sometimes, crap. But, for the most part, I am leaner and lighter than I’ve ever been in my life.

Guess what?!

I AM NOT LIFTING WEIGHTS. AT ALL. That 35 pound kettlebell is sitting in my garage collecting dust. My stability ball is my desk chair. The elastic bands are used as jump ropes for my kids. The weight bench is used for all kinds of imaginary adventures for the boys but I’ve not lifted, pulled or flexed on that thing in almost a year.

Honestly, I still do something physical daily. But, the fact of the matter is that I am not specifically training with any particular plan. I simply run or do yoga. Once a week, I will do Graeme’s CORE AB-Blaster DVD that takes 14 minutes. That sounds simple enough right? The thing with the yoga is that it has made me stronger and leaner than I ever got lifting weights. When I was lifting weights 3 times a week, I was QUADZILLA!! Biggest legs of a girl you’ve ever seen, really. Take one yoga pose like Warrior 2. Hold it for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Feel the burn. Where do you feel it first? If it’s done correctly, you will feel it everywhere!! Take any yoga pose and hold it for even 5 breathes and you get tired. Because it is working your entire body at once!

Learning yoga has been the best gift I ever could have gotten for my body, for my mental health and for my sports. When people ask me about their various running related injuries, I send them to yoga.

It can only benefit you.

[Read more →]

Thanks to all of you for commenting on the Just Be Kind post!  Glad we all agree that there needs to be more Random Acts of Kindness in the world.  Not saying that the moron driving 50 mph on a residential street and trying to pass me is going to get the Kind Fit Mommy, though.  He might get the aggressive one who steps on the gas and will tell him just exactly how rude is he for trying to pass on the right on a two lane road…Maybe I’m the one who needs the intervention for MORE YOGA??!

The following are some ways to get yourself BACK ON SCHEDULE for your fitness goals.  I’m sure they are things you’ve heard before but they are worth repeating!

*Reset or change your goals to accommodate the daylight savings time.  When are you going to work out?    Will it involve 5AM wake-up calls?

*Get a buddy.  Find a running buddy who will meet you at least once a week to workout with.  This is a BIGGIE.  If someone is waiting for you, you are much more likely not to hit the alarm.

*Decide what you are training for.  Want to lose a few pounds, maintain, or train for a 5km or longer? Maybe a century ride or a mountain bike ride or race?

*Find a yoga class.  This is important.  Sorry, it’s a must.  If you are an athlete of any sort {remember, I think you are all athletes}, you NEED yoga.  This is a tricky subject because there is a LOT of strange things happening in yoga now- but, keep searching until you find one teacher that speaks to you.  Make it a goal to go once a week, if not more.  The flexibility, balance, strength that you build in a yoga class will transfer to benefits in your sport and life.

*Look at your schedule and decide when you can carve out time for yourself and then do it.

*Have some kind of plan in place for your decided goal.  When you’ve spent the time to carve out YOUR TIME, you should have an idea of what you’re going to do with it!!

*Eat copious vegetables.  Make a protein/green smoothie daily.  Drink your water, blah, blah blah…You know what to do.

*Avoid AVOID avoid the crap food offered in the workplace.

*Use your lunchhour productively.  Thankfully, there is lunchtime yoga in the big cities now, it’s a great way to get your workout DONE before kids and dinner become the priority.

*Buy a PowerWheel. Cheap. Fantastic way to work your core in 1 minute.

Ok, your turn, what can you add to this post?  It’s time to crack down and get on a schedule!  It’d prolly be a great time to train for a winter marathon, btw.  Who’s racing this season?

[Read more →]

Wow. Amazing to have so many motivated women in one place! We gathered at Redlands Cyclery for registration, pre-ride meetings, introductions and then we were off. For the 75 women, we had 3 main groups each with a dedicated Cat 2 Woman as the director. And, then each of those groups had an additional mentor who could help out when the groups needed to be split again. There was a “beginner” group, a strong recreational rider group and a racer group. I went with the racer group- even though I haven’t been on my bike in literally 4 months. We also had 25-30 Team PossAbilities men on hand to help with the set up and take down of equipment and provide sag support in vehicles.

This event has a cost of $30 per person. And, they will be provided with three solid meals in addition to all fueling needs for on and off the bike.

As for the actual riding time, I had a blast! I got to work on pacelines, attacking, counter attacking and bumping. Very cool. Dorothy Wong was also here in attendance working as a mentor and she was complimenting us on how strong we are. I am just in awe of the strength and motivation of all the riders.

I also wanted to let you about about She Pedals a new magazine just for women’s cyclists! She’s here riding and writing about our event.

Here are some photos of the event:

Promise to have more photos of on the bike coverage tomorrow. Must carry small digital in jersey pocket! Have a great, active weekend everybody!

[Read more →]

105 degrees was the temperature today. Crack an egg on the black top and I swear it’d fry! I remember the old days of teaching phys ed in the summer and I’d have to check the temperature every hour until it hit 100 before I could bring my class in for indoor PE!

In Paul’s case, training in this kind of heat doesn’t actually benefit his fitness, AT ALL. In fact, he can see a noticeable difference in his power output based on the temperature alone like as much as 10%! Training in the heat really (in my humble opinion) offers more risks than benefits. You run the risk of heat exhaustion, you can’t train as hard or as long in the heat, you must increase your water intake before, during and after the workout, and it’s just not fun!

And it’s a good rule of thumb is to decide what benefit could come of training in the heat unless you are going to be racing in the heat.

If you are going to train in the heat:

Consider that you’d need twice as much water as you’d usually drink on a ride or run

It will take longer to recover

Plan on lower intensity runs or rides

Plan on shorter rides or runs

You run the risk of heat exhaustion

Plan on utilizing electrolyte replacement drinks during the workout

Alternatives to Working out in the Heat

Change your focus: work on the things you neglect like your CORE

Be willing to do different forms of exercise to still get your cardio – such as swimming

Workout at the crack of dawn

Do less, but, workout harder on alternating days

Swing a kettlebell!

Go to Yoga

Set goals for the winter of 2010 and make plans to be fit and ready

How do you train in inclement weather? What challenges are you facing to get in your daily workout?

[Read more →]

This weekend,  Team PossAbilities will be hosting it’s first ever women’s bicycle clinic.  This clinic is the brainchild of one of my teammates, Wendy, who is passionate about helping women get started in cycling.  It’s always a curious question about how women get started in cycling, I started riding in high school, but I didn’t get serious about it till some friends invited me to join the collegiate bike team.  Anyway… we have 75 women confirmed for the clinic this weekend!! 75. Mostly local women! Holy Cow!! That’s a lot of women.   And, about 2/3 of the women are brand new to cycling and riding in groups!  That’s really encouraging for cycling and for women’s racing.

On schedule for these women will include on the bike instruction taught by professional women bike racers, off the bike lectures on nutrition, training, massage, core work, and bike maintenance.

Our community has really come together to support us in this event.   We have had food donated from all over town!  We will be eating like queens for those two days and I can’t wait!  The sponsors have also been amazingly generous as we’ve had donations from Redlands Cylcery who has provided us with one of my all time favorites : Recoverite from Hammer Nutrition, Action Wipes, Sage Rountree, Reps for Life, Sambazon, Owater, Mission Skincare, CVS Pharmacy, Voler, Sheila Moon and I don’t know what else!! Image being handed a bag full of useful items!

My teammates and I met at my house today to stuff the bags and here is just a glimpse of what the participants will be getting!

Teammate Joy and someone hiding among the bags…

Looking forward to participating in this great event and writing about it here.

[Read more →]