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Do something you love this weekend, I will be!

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You may or may not remember this post…it’s old,  but there was a time when I ran only in running skirts.  atalanta athleticwear was by far my favorite.  The shorts underneath were long, they did not ride up the leg and I felt good wearing it.  It’s not the sexiest running skirt around, but it was the one that worked the best for me.

Anyways, Heather L, owner of atalanta athleticwear has decided to change directions with her business and has decided to liquidate all of her inventory in the next few months. I wrote to her and asked if I should post about this and she wasn’t sure if she’d have any products left to sell! These skirts are very popular!

So, she may have inventory and she may not, but I’d just like to say that I enjoyed meeting her at the St. George Marathon and I wish her well in her upcoming adventures!

These two products are currently on sale for 25% off!  Enter FOOL at checkout.  This sale starts April 1. Click here to shop.

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Yes, it’s true, I got to try the Gymboss for purposes of review.   It’s a simple little device really. Functions include a stopwatch, 1 or 2 time intervals to set up from 2 seconds to 99 minutes, and when set in auto mode, it will continue to beep.  That’s just a few of it’s functions, but the bottom line is INTERVALS.  Using this to start and stop yourself for an interval workout.

If you are an at-home exerciser or a gym goer, the gymboss is a must in my opinion.  I’ve used it to set and make up my own Tabata workouts and Core Killer workouts so far.  I simply set it for 20 or 30 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest.  A complete Tabata workout is 8 rounds of as many reps as possible in a twenty second work period.  Examples of work are unlimited!  Today, I used it to work my core- Plank, Hollow, Ab Roller, and Knees to Elbows on my pull-up bar.   Or, you could use it for kettlebell swings, squats, push-ups, sit-ups, dumb bell presses, etc….

I highly recommend the Gymboss.  It will challenge you and keep you honest all the while getting you seriously fit.

The Gymboss can be purchased online for $20.

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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!

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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?

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This story gave me goosebumps!  Joy didn’t start running until  her late 50’s and is now running 3 marathons a year including the New York City marathon and is winning her age group!

Inspirational!

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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!

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Click on over to Breathe Magazine today! I have a new post up over there about running in a beautiful town with one my brothers!

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In suspense of tomorrow’s girl, I’ll review the workouts I’ve done this week.

What is a “Girl” anyway?

Cross Fit has benchmark workouts that have names- Cindy, Angie, Linda, Chelsea… and our trainers have chosen this week to give us a healthy dose of those workouts. And, I’ve now been given the “you can’t be slackin’” lecture– so no more easy pull-up bands for me. So, my times slow down cause I can only do 4 or 5 pull-ups in a row without taking a rest. I’m okay with being pushed, in fact, I’ve come to expect it (and crave it a bit).

“Mary”

5 Handstand Push-ups, 10 1 legged Squats, 15 Pull-ups (lt. green band) do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.

“Elizabeth”

Squat Cleans and Ring Dips: 21, 15, 9. Had trouble with both! Squat cleans were only 55 pounds and the ring dips turned into jumping dips quite rapidly. Sheesh. Still learning the big olympic lifts and am not that confident yet in lifting heavy.

“Helen”

400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings with 35 pound bell, 12 Pull-ups x 3 rounds. This one was a bit more enjoyable for me, cause, I can do the running and the swinging! And, the run is almost a break for me.

“Jackie”

1000 meter row ALL OUT EFFORT

50 Thrusters with 30 pound bar

30 Pull-ups.

Short, sweet and only minor pain on the pull-up bar.

As for tomorrow…well, it’s a big surprise, till I get there- oh boy! The good news is that everyday I am sore, just in a different spot and Saturday is a rest day, WHOO HOOO… And, you may notice that there is a lot of running in cross fit. Just all short bursts of speed of distances 100, 400, 800 and sometimes a mile. This kind of sprinting helps me enjoy my 4 mile endurance runs just a little bit more.

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3 yoga poses that feel delicious after all this intensity. {all have been demonstrated here–check the archives if you don’t know the pose}

Legs up the Wall pose

Triangle Pose

Arda Chandrasana

Anybody want to guess on tomorrow’s W.O.D?! Check the list here.

Edited to add that we did both GRACE and LYNNE.  Neither one I had picked out for the day and they weren’t terrible!  Grace is 30 Clean and Jerks for time and Lynne is max rep pull-ups and max rep bench press with no time limit.

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Incredibly soft, workout top by thriv is featured below. Recently, I got to test out this shirt for purposes of review and the results are great! According to the website, organic cotton performs far better than synthetic cotton in situations of sweat, UV protection, and odor! I loved wearing this shirt as both a workout top and as an everyday shirt (you know I live in workout clothes!!). For my everyday wear, I’d usually wear it under a long sleeve shirt.

One drawback of this shirt, though, is that it is very thin.  Therefore, a sports bra will be required for most activities.

From Sports Authority’s website:

“Featuring a built-in shelf bra with flat seams, the thriv® Natural Performance women’s Cape Elizabeth racerback top provides comfortable support where you need it the most. The top features a unique bamco® fabric construction that feels like cashmere but offers breathability, UV protection, and moisture-wicking capabilities. Mesh inserts in the front and back allow for maximum ventilation.

Register here for Thriv1st to be eligible to win a free t-shirt. They are giving 50 away each month.

The cool thing about this brand is that it is available at Sports Authority and the prices are pretty reasonable.

Thriv Natural Performance Women’s Cape Elizabeth Racerback top is $29.99.

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