Slooooowwwwww.....

Ever have one of those days where you feel SUPER slow?! Today was that day for me.

I got to the gym this morning at 4:45 am, and when I pulled up, I literally considered staying in my car and going back to sleep. I was barely even awake at this point. In fact, I don't know how I even made the drive to the gym. I must have been sleep driving or something. Man, I'm a good sleep driver! (Don't try that at home. I'm a trained professional.) I finally got my butt on the treadmill and this is pretty much how my workout routine went.

This Slow Cooker doesn't really have anything to do with my workout, it's just really cute!

If I would have been racing today, I definitely would have been the tortoise.

And I guess this doesn't really have anything to do with my workout either, other than today, I would have much rather watched a pot of water boil than run on the treadmill.

This picture was taken back in the day (2007) when I first started running and was a lot slower than I am now--on a good day, that is. Today, I was running at about this pace. Notice that both of my feet are touching the ground at the same time. That's not called running, that's called walking. Just sayin'. And what am I wearing? Coolots? I'm glad my workout gear has been updated since this picture, that's for sure!

The best part about my run this morning was that I pushed through and kept going, even though I didn't want to. I made it through my 3 miles and even though I was slow.
Moral of the story: endure to the end, make it through, and be proud of your accomplishments! Have a great day!

So Much To Do

Busy.

I'm not only teaching three classes a week right now, but I'm also marathon training which includes 5 days of running each week. I'm also working as the Aerobic/Cycle Coordinator at The Peak which is taking up time and energy too. I'm in the process of trying to get enough people signed up for our upcoming Turbo Kick Instructor Training that we're hosting in May. PLUS I've just signed up to be a Beachbody Coach. Lots to do! I'm not complaining though. I actually love everything I'm doing right now. I feel really good about it all. Lots of exciting opportunities are coming up soon and I can't wait.

We leave for Hawaii in a few days, so I'll be soakin' up some rays there...did I really just say that, "soakin' up some rays"? I'm a dork. I'm excited for our vacation and first-time plane ride for our son.

Ragnar

So I found out that I'm running the longest distance of anyone on our 12-person team. Looks like my total mileage is 19.3. Whew! I might as well be doing a marathon again, eh? Well, training is in full force. The hills that I ran today kicked my butt, big time! The legs of the race I'll be doing are 7.3 miles, 5.7 miles, and 6.3 miles. Wahoo! It's going to be freakin' awesome! I'm stoked.

Today was a good day, eating wise. I followed the 'Eating Clean' guidelines for the entire day. Let's see if I can make it two in a row. Good workouts today including a hill run this morning and Turbo Kick this afternoon. My body is tired right now. I need to go to bed. Nighty night.

Ragnar Relay, Las Vegas

I've been convinced to run a 12-person relay race in Las Vegas, of all places. I'll be on a team with my good friend, Ali from California, and I'll be making the trip to Vegas with my new running partner and good friend, Stephanie. I'm so excited for this awesome challenge. Each person on the team runs three legs of the 180 mile race. This should be interesting. The crazier part is that I volunteered to run some of the hardest legs of the race. I'm not sure which ones I'll be assigned yet, but I'm up for the challenge!

Running Again

Moving to Montana has been great, overall. One of my favorite parts about his place is finding a great new running partner. We're getting back into our early morning running routine, which I am in love with! It feels great to get a run out of the way early in the day. I've convinced her that we should train for and run a marathon together. WHAT?! HUH?! I convinced HER? Yes, the sentence actually sounds crazy to me too, but hey, it is what it is. Ever since I ran my other marathon, I've always wanted to do another one. Now that I have a running partner, it looks like it's 'game on'! I think we're shooting for the Ogden marathon next year. The thought of it actually makes me want to throw up a little bit, but I'm excited about it at the same time. Here goes!

Relocating, break from Zumba

Brandon has recently gotten a really good job offer working in Great Falls, Montana. We'll be moving in three days. The whole thing has come up really fast, but it's really exciting. Today was my last Zumba class here in California. It was so sad to leave so many great people. So many people have told me such great things about how I've affected them in a positive way. It feels really good to know I've inspired and helped others. I can't wait to get to Montana and start teaching again. I'm hoping that the gym there needs Zumba instructors. Worst case scenario, I could teach church aerobics again for a little while. Time will tell.

I ran 5 miles with Heidi this morning and it was awesome! Another thing on my list of 'to-do's' is to find a running partner once we get to Montana. We're going to be entering into the drawing to see if we will be chosen to run the St. George marathon. I say "we" and I mean me and a few of my friends. I really think I need a race to get me motivated to run again.

Don't Give Up

I love teaching my classes. It's nice to get paid to workout, I burn lots of calories, and most importantly I have a great time doing it. Unfortunately teaching the same thing over and over again causes my body to get used to doing such things. Because of this, I tend to not see results that I want to see.
This means that I need to step it up.
Ever since last February when I ran my marathon, I've been telling myself I need to get back into running. After training so hard for running 26.2 miles, my body needed a break. Immediately after the race, I despised running. The thought of it made me want to puke. It's now December and I can probably count on both hands how many times I've stepped on a treadmill since then.
BUT...
I ran today. I got on the treadmill and put two miles in. Not monumental distance, but it's a start. I would love to run another half-marathon in May with some friends, so I need to start building my foundation now. I didn't hate my run today. It was nice actually. If I can just hold on to that and get on the treadmill at least one more time this week, I'll count my little headstart a success. Wish me luck.

Yes Ladies and Gents, I'm Running Again

I finally did it. I have committed to start running again. After training for and running my marathon last February, I have been totally turned off of running. This week I've decided that if I want to lose those 15 pounds that seemed to have crept back on this year, I need to get back into running. Nothing major yet. Definitely no more marathons in my future, but I just need to do more than I'm doing. My body is conditioned and becoming too used to TK. Running is my solution. Good luck to me, eh?

Another HHH class

So in addition to the three classes that I already had on the schedule at the gym, I've just got one more! One of the other instructors who was teaching a Latin Impact class decided to quit on the spot so my manager offered me the slot for HHH or TK. I decided to do HHH, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping there is enough interest at the gym to keep that class alive two nights a week. It's such a conservative place that new people are so intimidated by things like HHH. I'm excited to now be teaching 5 classes a week with my class I teach at church.

I love teaching and that it's been taking up my fitness time but I need to jump back on the running bandwagon. I think that's my best way to lose the junk in the trunk! It's just hard to want to run when I'm having so much fun teaching and taking other classes like Spin and Zumba.

Exciting Workout Weekend

Well, well! We've been a busy bunch!

Saturday, we took a family outing for a 10 mile run. It was pretty chilly that day, so we all bundled up and were good to go! Sebastian was nice and toasty in his pants, long socks, shoes, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, gloves, hat, and hoodie. To top that off, we mummied him up in a blanket in the running stroller. He was asleep within 10 minutes of the run, so it was all good. It was an okay run, but it's definitely a difference when you're pushing a stroller. I think for the rest of our long runs over 12, we'll try to get a baby sitter. During our 12 miler when we didn't bring Sebastian, my body just got into it's running groove where it didn't even feel like I was doing anything. My body just took over and was on running auto pilot. I didn't feel that way at all during our run with the stroller. This week is a 15 mile run. That will be the first time I've ever run that far at once. It'll be quite the accomplishment!

Yesterday I went to Long Beach for a Hip Hop Hustle workshop. It was awesome. I can't wait to start teaching it. I'm hoping that they'll put me on the schedule soon into the new year. More to come on that.

I'll be getting on the TM for an easy run today. 4 miles. It's funny that sometimes even that can be challenging. I just have to get into my running mindset. That's how I am able to do my long runs. I just prepare mentally days ahead and I'm okay. Interesting....

Week in Review

This week has been a productive one so far with my workouts. Sunday was a well deserved day off. After that 10 miler, I needed a rest. Monday I was back on the TM doing a short run. 3 miles at 6.0 pace. The last lap (1/4 mile) I picked up the pace to 7.5. I find that I always like ending a run with a sprint.

Today is Tuesday. I went to church aerobics this morning and taught Round 29. It is such a fun round, but it's such a challenge to teach without mirrors since that's what I'm so used to. Maybe I need to try and face my class during TK on the easy parts. That way I'll get used to not always facing the mirror to teach.

Tonight I'm off to MVAC to teach Round 29 again. This morning was a good practice for teaching that round, since it is new for my class. I just hope the microphone is working again. It's so hard to teach a new round while I'm trying to yell over the music. I'll make it work, whatever I have to do.

Wednesday will be 5 miles, Thursday will be a 3 miler with speedwork, as well as teaching TK at MVAC. Friday is a rest day (hallelujah!), and Saturday will be a long run with 7. Challenging, but achievable!

Man, oh man, we did it!

Brandon and I decided that for our long runs, we can do them together. Although he's faster than me, doing long training runs together will be good for both of us. We went out yesterday and bought our 5th stroller. Our other running stroller had gone kaput a few months back, so we were kind of screwed when it came to running with the babe. We found this new jogger at Target for $100. Already, we love it more than the first one. Anyway, we bought the stroller and off we were (all three of us) for our ten miler! We finished it in about 95 minutes. I felt like we had a good pace and we just switched off on pushing the stroller. I miled the route today and I think we were actually a little shy of the full ten miles, but no one needs to know that. Unless you're reading this blog, of course. I feel good about running, and now that we have a solution for our long runs, we're good to go. Surf City USA Marathon, here we come!

Still truckin' along

Running hasn't been going great lately. I haven't been following my training schedule like I need to. I need to recommit myself. Today is supposed to be a ten miler. I still haven't decided if I'm going to go outside or do it on the TM. If we had a working running stroller, Brandon and I could run it together outside, but ours is definitely out of order!

TK is going okay. I introduced a new round on Thursday, but I only had two people in my class. I was very discouraged, but I have some new ideas to stay motivated and pumped up. I just worry that they'll take my class away from me if I'm not having good attendance. Next week should be better...Tuesdays always are a busier!

A great day for speed

Today I did my speedwork for my 4 mile run. It wasn't too bad, but the last lap where I was supposed to maintain 7.5 the whole time, I copped out and only did it for half of the time that I was supposed to. I then bumped it down to 7.0, so at least I was still going faster than normal. I'm curious to see how long it will take for me to increase my comfortable speed to above the 5.5-6.0 range. Hopefully this speedwork will help me. As I was struggling with my fast pace, all I could think was, "If running was easy, everyone would be doing it." I just have to stay strong and remember that.

Fitness week in a nutshell

I ran 3 miles yesterday, and it was a really good run. I usually set the treadmill to an easy 5.5, but I decided I need to start challenging myself more. So I started out on 6.0, and ran my three that way. It was easier than I thought it would be. I've also committed to doing speedwork once a week. Today will be that day. I'm going to start out one lap at 6.0, then bump it to 7.5 for one lap, then down to 5.0 for a lap., then start over at 6.0. We'll see how that goes. It should actually make the time go by faster. I have to do 4 today, 3 tomorrow, then my long run on Saturday is only 5. Fairly easy week. I'm gearing up for 9 next Saturday. Yikes!

This week at my Tuesday TK class, my microphone went kaput right at the beginning of class. Bummer! Class actually turned out to be okay, I just shouted my way through cues. I had a few new students, one guy (who survived the entire class!!), and some really good comments and feedback. I think the members are really starting to dig my class and my teaching. That's a good sign! I'm going to start teaching a new round in November. I've been practicing and I love it so far.

7 miles done!

I got my 7 miler in this morning. It was a long, boring run on the treadmill. During my run, I kept thinking, "Don't look down at the time, don't look down." Well I can only take so much of that mental battle, so finally I looked down just to see that I had only done 3.3 miles. That sucked, I wasn't even half way done yet. I tried to get carried away in the movie I was watching, and finally after 76 minutes, I was done. Next week the long run is 5, but then it goes up to 9 the next week. This is going to be one of my greatest challenges, but also one of my greatest victories!

Holy Crap!

Dang...I haven't posted any blogs for a long time. We've had a busy month with lots of visitors. Anyway, my marathon training is in full swing. I'm just finishing up week 2 of my 18 week training schedule. My long run tomorrow will be 7. I'm really getting excited for all of the running that's coming up. I just wish my running stroller wasn't busted, then I could do more runs outside. Oh well. Luckily we have a treadmill. That will work just fine for now.

I'm also now teaching 2 TK classes a week at the athletic club. It's so much fun and I'm really glad that I am doing something that I love doing. I got some new Nike Shox this week that are just for my TK class. Hot stuff! I'm hoping that through my TK classes and my running, I will be a size 6 by the time the marathon comes around. I just got some new jeans. I got a 10, but after bringing them home and wearing them around, they're way too baggy. I'm going to take them back and get an 8. I'm just one step closer to that 6! Wish me luck with training!

More Miles

So I finally got my butt in gear today and got on my treadmill. I completely slacked yesterday, so to make up for it today, I did a long run. I had really good intentions to do 8. I was prepared physically and mentally for the challenge, but at mile 6.5, I got off the ol' TM to see if I could hear Sebastian crying yet. Sure enough, he was stirring in his bed, but not full-on crying yet. So, I quickly got back on the TM and finished out that mile that I was on. So the good things about today's run were that I did 7 miles, and I sprinted the last half of a mile. Good mileage and good speedwork! I feel great now too. I really do enjoy running, especially once I get past the first 3 miles. That's always the worst part for me. Now I need to start hittin' the road for some runs. There's no way that I could run this marathon by training just on a TM. It's cooling down here enough to make outdoor runs completely enjoyable. That will be my priority this week!

Tuesday Turbo Kick Day

This weeks Turbo class was so much fun! Last week I was lacking a little bit of energy, so this week I decided to step it up! I figure the crazier, happier, more energetic that I am, the more fun the class is for me and my students. This week's class FLEW by because we were having so much fun. I'm actually considering having a Halloween class and dressing up a little bit. The only problem is that I don't actually teach on Halloween, but I will have a class the day before. I'm still toying with that idea. Everyone else might think I'm crazy, but crazy is fun, right?

I'm going to be putting Sebastian down for a nap in about 45 minutes, and then I'm going to get on the treadmill. I have to work off the cookies that I ate for my morning snack. Yuck! I REALLY need to pick up my running since my training schedule starts on October 1st. Yikes! I figure that even if I have to stay up later at night to run, so be it. Either that or get up extra early...I don't like that idea.

I'm not a self-proclaimed personal trainer, but...

Heidi has 'hired' me to come over to her house twice a week and work out with her. She's calling me a personal trainer. Obviously she knows I'm not, but she just needs me to help her get motivated. Apparently I'm good at that? Anyhoo, yesterday was our first day. We did some modified TK and some leg work with lunges, lifts, and squats. We're going to increase strength by doing push-ups and planks each time. Yesterday we did 10 push-ups and we held a plank for 20 seconds. I always like having specific things that I can look back on and see improvement. Hopefully she won't get bored with my workouts and she'll notice results.

Today I was able to get on the treadmill during Sebastian's first nap. 6 miles! That's the most I've done on the treadmill during this training. I could have done 1 more, but I made excuses. It's too hot, Sebastian will be waking up soon...you know. I was still proud about 6 though!

Also, Heidi and I are going to start doing a weekly weigh-in again. Yesterday I was 140.5. The lowest that I had gotten down to when I was half-marathon training was 142! I was stoked! 10-15 pounds seems so close! Once I'm in the 130's again, that will be so awesome. I think I weighed about 125 when I got my first drivers license, or something like that. I would love to even be close to that!