I’ve been traveling the last week (not new news), enjoying some down time with great friends and of course, TRAINING. Just because I’ve been on the down low, doesn’t mean I’ve been slacking. I ran 55 miles last week. Not a lot – my training plan goal is to run up to 90 miles per week. The key? Staying injury free. My approach to this 100 mile training is to do quality training vs quantity. We’ll see how that goes with Ms. Overachiever :).

On Black Friday I ran a slow 20 miler. While everybody else was fighting crowds, pepper spray and other obnoxious things, I was moving my body! It felt amazing to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and RUN. 

Ran a trail 10K with my friend Rachel on Saturday, which was SO much fun! Which meant I ran 26.2 miles in a day . Sunday was a recovery and Soul Food day – went to Genesis Church – will write about that later, Rachel and I made a healthy lunch, Kale Chips, which the kids devoured, watched a movie by the crackling fireplace, took a nap, made a healthy Apple Crisp, cleaned the kitchen, listened to Christmas music, then went to their bowling league. Where I might have to take up bowling a little more frequently as I managed to get quite a few strikes! It was a total blast and nice to have some down time.

Monday, Nov. 28 I ran six miles, did stair intervals, full body weights and core work to make a total of three hours of training for the day. The weather wasn’t the best (rainy), but training goes on! That evening, I was invited over to Steve Wallen’s (pastor at Genesis Church) home for dinner with his family. And yes, I brought a salad with my special, secret salad dressing . It was another great evening spending time with like-minded friends!

And if I thought the weather wasn’t nice yesterday, today was even WORSE! It poured all day and by the time I went out for my run it was snowing. Now I love to run in the snow, but this was bipolar snow. Snow, ice, sleet, rain, and the wind. By the time I returned, my face was ever so slightly cut up, my eyes red and stinging … but hey I got in 11 miles and that’s what counts! All in a day’s work .

A human icicle! It was just a tad chilly out

I have another busy week ahead. Flights, a marathon Sunday and endless other life stuff (like a move), but you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am very grateful for the gift of running that God has given me and I intend to put it to good use.

Oh and parting thoughts. As I was running, I was thinking how the world would be a much happier place if they just put their health second (God first). Not going shopping for crap that you can’t take with you. Sadly, Americans thrive on their instant gratification.  

Oh and in case you are new here, WELCOME! I am training to run my second 100 mile ultra marathon (Rocky Raccoon) on Feb. 4, 2012 and attempting to get 100 kids sponsored for Team World Vision. Why not make a difference this Christmas and give the gift of life? You can sponsor a child by going here. Make sure you put my name in the athlete box so we can keep track!

Peace, sweat and love life!!

Whoa. Back-to-back posts on soda. I promise I’ll talk about cupcakes and flowers tomorrow .

We all have our vices. Take me for example: I really enjoy a cupcake, or dark chocolate or a slice of warm cherry pie with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top. I have always admitted my sweet tooth. Here is the thing, though. I very rarely eat any of those things. I believe in moderation. I also know that because I am in the health, fitness, wellness field I am held to a higher standard then other people. I try really hard (with God’s help) to walk the talk. Not just saying one thing and doing the complete opposite.

I try to keep it real by posting, every now and then, a particular craving I might be having (the other night it was hot chocolate). But keeping it real versus living in contradiction with what you say are two very different things.

Recently, I have been seeing a certain health/fitness professional ”check in” at McDonald’s for their daily diet coke fix. Which surprised me, because we all know that diet soda/soda is one of the worst things you can put into your body.

Then the kicker came when I was on my Facebook page and it said that this person “likes” Mountain Dew and suggested that I “like” the page as well. Are you kidding me? I will go to my grave before I like ANY soda page. Or any page that is related to the current health (obesity) crisis for that matter.

And this isn’t the only example. There are some others out there who recently went on a “clean” food plan, cut out alcohol and partying. When they had been preaching that message all along. Am I missing something? Are we just supposed to talk about living a healthy, fit life, but not really live it?

But I guess if you have a ton of followers on Twitter, likes on Facebook and say key words like “w00t,” “woo hoo” and “yay – great workout,” “you’re a rock star!” and tons of other flowering words, then I guess it voids out what you do in REAL life.

Call me old-fashioned, but I try really hard to only say what I do (it’s called living by example). And that means saying no to things I might enjoy on a regular basis.

If you are in the health/wellness/fitness field, please make sure your actions and lifestyle back up what you tweet, Facebook, video, etc., about. It is not an easy job, so back out now if you can’t handle it.

Am I perfect? Hell no. I said that in the every beginning of this article. There is a fine line between a healthy balance (a cupcake or a soda every now and then won’t kill you) and repeating unhealthy actions on a daily basis.

Not judging, just observing. If you are in the health/wellness/field, be careful what you post and like and most importantly how you live your daily life. People are watching and look up to us. Be a positive role model!

The fire is hot. Are you brave enough to walk through it?

Photo by: respres

If you have travel, don’t have a gym or spend a lot of time at the soccer field, then you know how challenging it is to get in a weight workout! So….I have a hookup for you.

Harbinger Fitness Balls

Let's Have a Ball!

I used the balls in the gym before and ALWAYS wanted some, so I was thrilled when Harbinger sent me them! My very own! The colorful balls come in a variety of weights (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 pounds). The colors alone make you excited to start sweating! The other cool feature is the handle or strap attached. It makes it very easy to do exercises and not lose the ball!

I am on the go a lot and lets face it, its hard to carry a set of dumbbells! I keep 2 balls in my car at all times. I never know where I might be next and my motto is “always be prepared”. What workouts do I do with them? Here is a sampling:

• Bridge
• Crunches
• Bicep curls
• Lunges with twist
• Tricep extension
• Woodchops

Here is a great cheat sheet for you to check out and USE!

Go forth and sweat!

Get your sweat fest on!

I promised updates. And I have them. PLUS video’s AND photos. Enjoy!

My run yesterday turned into just enjoying the snow falling. The peace. The quiet. Yes, it was a diversion from my triple A personality. Shocker I know. I took some photos. And shot a video:

Live from DC Snow Pocalypse update 2

It didn’t stop snowing till LATE evening. Like 10pm. Midnight perhaps?

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Woke to a white blanket. Nope, more like a white duvet cover. A very thick one at that. 23 inches. Felt like 50.

There is a pool under there!

It was 26 degrees and about 16 degrees with the wind chill. Downright cold. HOWEVER. The sun was out. And you know what that means? A perfect morning for a run. A few layers, and MicroSpikes.

Pardon the interruption, but let me just state that this run was ONLY made possible by MicroSpikes. No, they didn’t pay me to wear them. I bought them at REI. Worth EVERY penny. All 6000 of them. Check them out here: http://www.kahtoola.com/microspikes.html

Okay, back to the 2009 Blizzard update.

Front yard, wrap around driveway

Then it was down the trail. A self made trail.

Snowy trail

I was so happy to be running & enjoying the beautiful Winter Wonderland, all I wanted to do was take pictures and shoot video. This is where we need live or reality TV. Just sayin’.

Second diversion. The past 2 months I have been on recovery. Still training. But no set running miles. It had been a while since a “long” run, but I really wanted to “do 10″ miles. I know my body pretty well and the poor thing has learned to just be quiet and suck it up. LOL.

Back to business.

Congressional Country Club

It was FUN to run on the road. When else do you get a chance to do that? Okay, yes I will admit that I have been know to run on the road on sunny days. Remember my 36 mile long that started in Long Beach, CA in July? Yeah. I MADE cars get over. Today was a little different. Just me. The snow. Some ice. A few cars. Snowplow. And drivers who thought I was crazy. I think they wanted my autograph. Just kidding.

Snow filled wall.

I ran down to the end of the road. The road I usually ride (bike) on. It was a nice change. Did I mention how peaceful it was? And my MicroSpikes. Totally the bomb. A couple was at the end of the road. They needed a ride to the Metro. The bus service was closed again today. The sad part? NOT one person had offered them a ride. Makes me mad. I was only at 3 miles. I told them I would run back, get my truck and come back to get them. I started running back home. On the way, a H3 passed me. Thank god another person had compassion and gave that couple a ride.

So, I stopped to chat with a gentleman (Jim) shoveling. Nice to meet new people. Yeah, hard to believe. Me talking.

Avenel Country Club. Golf anyone?

Ran on. Almost got killed by a Honda Civic going to fast down hill, slammed on breaks. I dove into the snow bank (no joke) and almost got stuck myself.

Running up snow & ice filled roads was tough. But I did manage to run some 7:45 pace miles. THAT was cool.

Talked to another gentleman (Pete). He actually knew what an ultra runner was!! SCORE! We talked for a while. He said I DID NOT look my age and to keep up the good work. Aw, how sweet.

As I was running down a hill, a snow thunder “storm” came up. In my haste I left my ski mask at home, so my checks/face felt the FULL affects of it.

Snow Thunder!

Ran on. Snow plow almost plowed me over. The sun was shinning and it was just breath taking out.

Why people let a little snow, ice, cold temps stop them I don’t know. Their loss. Running outdoors in the winter is the best.

Tennis anyone?

Just look at that SNOW!!!

Hole in one! Snow in one! CCC

As I ran back home, I was thankful for legs to run. The freedom to run. The opportunity to be alive. To enjoy the moment. The feeling of working hard and being proud of it. Someone asked me why I run in the cold. My reply (in 140) was this: You realize that nothing can stop you. Makes you strong. The satisfaction of a run well done (when you peel off the sweaty layers). And that’s that. 11 miles in about 1.5 hours. Yup, slow. But you know. I had the BEST. RUN. EVER.

And here is a sweaty take! Enjoy!

2009 Post Blizzard Run

Want to run faster? I have 10 tips for you. They will really help you.

#1) Leave your change, random keys, pens, and any other jingling thing at home.

#2) 40 degrees is not cold. 20 below is. Remember your body will get warm. Really, it will. Dress lightly. You probably don’t need ear muffs, 2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts, 1 jacket AND the parka. See you just lost 5 pounds.

#3) Race number goes on the front of your body, NOT your back (unless in some rare race they give you 2 race bibs and instructions to do so). By wearing your race number on the front it lets the race officials know that you are in the race and not crashing the party. We don’t need any more party crashers if you know what I mean:)

#4) If you must stop at the water stations, and don’t want to get pushed down by human plows please for the sake of all us, grab your cup and run till AFTER the stop. You’ll be able to run faster because you won’t have to pick yourself up off the ground.

#5) Start in the right corral. If you run a 6 minute pace, you know where you need to be. If you run a 12 minute pace, yes, you are in the corral that is further back. There is a reason. You don’t want to get run over by the speedy people. And second, it is not kind to the other runners who have to leap over you.  Call it “race niceness”.

#6) Arrive early. Not on time. You’ll save yourself stress of finding a parking spot, lines to the potty’s, and of course the starting line.

#7) You don’t need to eat every carb & protein in sight. Have a banana. Or a bagel. Skip the Egg McMuffin, donut,

#8) Water. Depending on the race distance, you generally don’t need to chug down a gallon of water before hand. All that will happen is you’ll be searching for a tree rather than the finish line. NOT a good idea. Hydrate during the week. You can’t cram hydration!

#9) For women only: it’s called running,  not a beauty pageant. Leave the makeup, perfume at home. Your fellow runners will thank you. Trust me.

#10) For men only: Wear deodorant, but not the whole stick. And please wear shorts that cover everything. I am sure you are proud of what’s underneath (as your sig other is as well) but for the love of god, we don’t want to see it. Trust me. Seriously. We don’t.

Now go run. You should be at least 10 pounds lighter. How’s that for a quick weight lost plan?!

Photo by a tai

I don’t watch much TV. In fact, I pretty much detest TV. Just not my thing. Okay, I do watch the Today Show. And yes I watch some shows on the TLC channel.

And somehow, I have been known to watch the Biggest Loser. I actually don’t care for the show. Before you right me off and send me hate mail, let me quickly state why.

A) Losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time is dangerous

B) A person should lose weight/get healthy for the sake of their health, NOT money

C) Weight loss should not be based on a game/winning money

D) Sends the wrong message to the general public

E) Get the facts correct (a marathon is 26.2 miles, a half marathon is 13.1 miles)

If you are still with me (and I hope you are) and for the sake of your nipples, read on.

Your skin is soft.  Running produces sweat. Combine the 2 and it looks like you have been shot. Twice.

You see, as much as I love snuggling up in a soft cotton tee shirt, they aren’t made for running. That’s why god made company’s like Nike, Lucy Activewear, Lulelemon, Brooks, Asics, and others to make “technical” clothing.

Why you should NEVER wear cotton to run in:

Reason #1) Cotton doesn’t wick your sweat away. Technical material does. It lets your skin breathe.  Cotton will get wet, and start to chaff your skin. I should note that yes, even “technical” shirts will cause men’s nipples to gasp, bleed. Tip, make Body Glide, Band Aids, Bag Balm or Vaseline your friend.

Reason #2) Once cotton is wet, it stays wet. It will cling to your skin. So if you are running in heat/sun you can’t cool down. Remember it won’t let your skin breathe. If you are running in the cold, you will work up a sweat and the shirt will become soaked causing you soon to get cold. It all goes back to that whole breathing thing. See,  you thought that only applies to life. Nope. Clothes have a life too:)

Reason #3) All the cool kids do it. See, peer pressure will get you every time!

So, go buy a few technical shirts, shorts, socks, sports bras (women only, but men if you want to, go knock yourself out!) and your running body will be transformed. You may even run faster:)

Here is your happy running body. Your nipples will thank me. Trust me.

PS:  I am probably leaving out a few key facts as I try to warn the world before they go out to run.

PSS: Biggest Loser, here is an open invitation to you to have a certified running coach be a part of your program. I am just saying….

Photo by Broma

I am totally excited to feature something that I love! Pushups! Yes, you read that right! Steve Speirs has started a craze called 100 pushup challenge.

Pushups are a fantastic way to build upper body strength, plus core strength. They are also a great way to see how strong you can become in just weeks!
So, please join me in “100 pushup challenge”.   Head on over to www.hundredpushups.com

Take the initial test (make sure you receive clearance from your doctor first). The plan Steve has laid out is easy to follow. So don’t let the number 100 scare you!

The cool thing is that you can do pushups ANYWHERE! You don’t need a gym. Just a floor and YOU! If you want to have some killer arms, then you have to get on the pushup band wagon! Oh and let me or Steve know you are joining in the craze! You will be glad you did!

Photo by MikeBaird

Thursday! Off day from running. Double ride day. Legs get ready!

Went out for a quick spin. Well, let me rephrase that. I thought it would be a quick spin. It was not. Legs wanted to spend more time sleeping I think. They missed the memo that they had to ride. It was quite warm out and it only got hotter as the ride wore on. The cars had very grouchy drivers this morning. I became so close to being road kill, I almost re-thought the whole riding thing. Even the deer were afraid. Didn’t see one! The hills seemed hiller then usual. Is that possible? So much for another PR.

I rode 25 miles in 1:38. Must. Do. Better. Next. Time.

Now on to some iron love (aka weight lifting). That always lifts my spirits. Not that my upper football body needs it, but it feels oh so good to lift!

The day was indeed HOT. The last thing I wanted to do was to go on another ride. But that was the plan! So, back on the saddle I went. I did pick a semi flat route. Didn’t want to totally melt on hills at the start ya know! So, I did hills at the start and end. Still melted.

Rode 32 miles in 2:03 (15.6mph)

Goodbye bike. I will miss you. I leave tomorrow for CA. You will be in my thoughts!

Photo by Eleaf

Today was a mixed day. Started off by jumping in the pool. If I swore, I would swear that I get slower each time I swim. Water was pretty warm this morning. It is fun to swim and see the sky though. I always pray that the birds don’t bless me, if you know what I mean! In the end, swam 1100 meters in 42 minutes. I’ll take it. Ironman here I come. Dead or alive!

Then it was on to a run #1. I needed to run 10 miles, but work projects in the morning kept pushing my run later & later. So I only had time for an hour run before dashing off to a meeting. To say my run was from hell, would be an understatement. I could not get going to save my life. Perhaps I did drown in the pool this morning and just didn’t know it! Being hot+humid only made matters worse. In the end, I ran 6.5 miles in an hour. Slow. Hell. Let’s move on.

Run # 2) So, after my meeting, I was by one of my favorite trails. Although this is a fairly tough trail, I still needed more miles. And, let’s face, it couldn’t get much worse then run #1! I arrived at the trail and when I stepped out of my SUV, I was hit by the 88 degree sun and heat. I was really hoping that the trails would be cooler. And, you know what, they were! Score! I was running happily along and then I noticed something. Luscious red raspberries. Score! I stopped, stuffed my mouth and slowly ran down the trail. Then I spied some more. Double score!  I had all the berries to myself. I was in heaven. Sorry bears, but thank you for sharing. It made my day. I really wanted to make jam as well, but that will have to wait. In the end I ran 3.5 miles in 36 minutes. VERY SLOW. BUT. Heaven on earth due the yummy red things. So I am happy.

Hey, are you getting my e-letters or RSS feed? If not, you should:)

Photo by mwri

The last few days have been, um, a little tough. And I don’t mean the training. I am talking about life. Sometimes things happen that make you go “whoa, where did that come from?”. So, yes, I had just a few things make me, shall we say frustrated?

Ramon met me at 6am for a long ride. Already the sun was out and it was hot. Talk about a sweat fest. OMG. It was a hot ride.

We had planned to only ride 70 miles. BUT we were feeling so good, that we decided to keep on riding. We basically did a century of Maryland and DC. We rode from Potomac to Bethesda to the DC National Zoo to Georgetown then past the Pentagon to Alexandria to Mt. Vernon. And then back again. In the end we rode 91 miles in 6 hours. Maybe Lance will have some more competition in the near future!

I think it helped release some frustration. But not all. I took a 5 mile walk later in the day. That was enjoyable. Almost 200 miles (run+cycle) for the week. Now, that is something to celebrate!

Photo by SC Fiasco