New To You Cross Training Challenge - March

Once again, I'm getting my entry for Kim's New (To me) Cross Training challenge posted just in the nick of time.  I actually did 2 new workouts this month - one was Bodypump at my gym, and I also did a Bob Harper workout DVD which completely kicked my boot-ay...

intense Bob

So, I think I'll talk about the workout DVD for two reasons:  1)  I like the DVD and I've already done it more than I've done Bodypump (which isn't really that impressive since I've only done it twice) and 2) I did Bodypump way at the beginning of March and my 42 year old brain can't remember many details (can you still claim you have "baby brain" when your youngest is 5?  Or do I just need to admit I'm getting old?)

OK so Bob Harper Body Rev Cardio Conditioning.

This is a 60 minute workout from warmup to cool down.  The warmup is pretty generic - nothing too strenuous.  Bob walks around talking about how important the heart is and how important cardio is...you know usual stuff.  Then he begins with squats with weights.  He has you use the weights kind of like you would a kettlebell both with raises and swinging them, but seriously,  it just.does.not.end.  Then when my legs are shaking and I'm about to die you get a break - yeah, with weighted jumping jacks, squat jumps, fast feet and more.   This is an extremely fast paced and strenuous workout.  If you are like me you will be sore for days afterwards. 

What I like about the workout:

• It's hard - in a good way - you definitely feel like you're working out
• It doesn't require much equipment - two sets of weights (he just says heavy and light - I used 8lb for heavy and 5lb for light.  I could have probably used 10lbs on the heavy, but I definitely felt it with 8).
• Good instruction from Bob.
• The people he has working out with him are normal looking and the banter isn't too annoying.
• There is a timer counting down the workout (like on P90x for those familiar) so you know where you are at in the workout.
• Good overall body workout with incorporating the weights into a cardio workout. 

What I didn't like about the workout:

• The squats seemed to go on for a really long time - I can see where this might get boring if you do the workout often and/or if your knees can't take the squats.

This is a really good workout DVD that I would highly recommend.  It comes in a trio with Warrior Yoga and also a strength training workout that are also challenging.

Whew - there's my March entry...just in the nick of time.  I think next month I might try to do this a little earlier!

Spring break!

The kids are off school and that makes life way too BIZZZAYYY.  Instead of stressing about fitting in blogging, I've decided to give myself a break...

Will be back with randomly written posts of unimportance next week!

Five for Friday

Yippee!  Friday again!  I just love the weekend...here's the Friday five...

1)  I'm a HUGE Sheryl Crow fan.  I have a total girl crush and I'm sure if we ever met that we would be BFF's.  We already sing lots of duets together in my car.  Anyway,  I was super excited to read that she's a runner too!  She's running the Country Music 1/2 Marathon with a fundraising team named "Run Baby Run" to benefit a local school in Nashville on April 28th. 




she heel strikes just like me too!

So I think if there was any doubt before, it is solidified now that we are virtually twins.  Sheryl, call me...we'll run...

2)  I ran my longest distance in the last few months on Tuesday!  4.5 miles and my foot felt great!   Then yesterday I ran 4 and it still felt good!  Yippee!  I'm so hopeful that I'm getting a handle on this injury.  The things I'm doing:  rolling my foot on a golf ball periodically throughout the day, taping my foot for support, rolling foot on an iced water bottle at night and sleeping with this lovely thing on:

I definitely wouldn't say it's 100% yet, but it's recovering well from the runs and feels fine the morning after.  I'm so relieved to finally feel like I'm getting somewhere - being signed up for two relays this summer has put the pressure on to get recovered.  If I can't run I'll feel like I'm letting the team down, so I'm really trying to be smart and hopefully will continue to see improvement.

3)  Next week the kids are off school for spring break.  We'll be spending a good deal of the time out at my parent's property doing some work out there, but the last weekend of the break we are going to a cabin up by Mt. Hood.  I'm so excited to get out of dodge with the family - it will be a good place to recharge and relax.  There will probably be a lot of snow, so maybe I'll try running in snow shoes? 

4)  Speaking of snow - this is what the Portland area woke up to yesterday morning:

source

Is this winter or spring?  Crazy weather here in the Pac NW.  I wasn't too upset about it though - the kids got a 2 hour school delay out of it, so everyone had a much more leisurely morning than usual.  Well, except me, because I had already gotten up to run in it.  A little slushy!

5)  The Biggest Loser.  The "excuse" this week is "I can't lose weight on vacation" and they send the clan off to Hawaii to tackle it.  In a nutshell:  Kim feels like an outsider because she's a threat, Jeremy gives Conda a win in the challenge so that she will have immunity (she's so lucky her brother is on this show), both Kimmy and Megan fall below the yellow line at the weigh-in, and, per her request,  Kimmy is sent home to keep her daughter on the ranch. 

So yeah, all that happened.  One cool thing did go down though - the group got a surfing lesson from Bethanny Hamilton of "Soul Surfer" fame. 

Considering how extra whiny this group is (I'm looking at you Chris/Conda), I think hearing Bethanny's story, and seeing her determination to get back on her surf board despite losing her arm to a shark attack, maybe gave them a little perspective.  Bethanny seems super cute and positive, which is a welcome change of pace on this show.

that's just a bunch of pretty people right there...

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Head over to Fitness, Health and Happiness for Fitness Friday!

Week in review - Shamrockin'

As you may recall, last week I said that I was going to post my workout plans here in the hopes that it would motivate me to be more accountable to my workout plan.  Let's see how I did...

Workouts Planned/Actual:
Monday:  Bob Harper's cardio workout, then Ab-Ripper X./Bob Harper's Cardio - no Ab Ripper
Tuesday:  2 or 3 mile run (depends on foot) - Jillian Michaels Killer Buns and Thighs/3 mi run/JM DVD
Wednesday:  1 hour pool running/nothing
Thursday:  Jillian Michaels Banish Fat/Boost Metabalism/Kenpo X
Friday: 2 or 3 mile run - Zuzuka light you tube workout/3.25 mile run
Saturday:  Firm Power Yoga/nothing
Sunday: 4 mile run (hopefully if foot is holding up well)/Shamrock run - 5k and 1k

So this week was ok.  My running was pretty good, I increased my mileage a little bit from last week, and my foot held up well, so that's encouraging.  My daughter was sick all week, so my routine was thrown completely off and accounts for Wednesday's unplanned rest day.  Thursday I felt like punching and kicking (working out some aggression I guess?) so I did Kenpo X instead of the Jillian Michael's workout.  I have no excuse for Saturday.

Going forward - plan for this week:

Monday:  Bob Harper Cardio
Tuesday:  3 mile run/JM Killer buns and thighs
Wednesday:  Jillian Michaels Banish Fat/Boost Metabolism
Thursday:  1 hour pool running
Friday:  3 mile run/20 min Pilates workout
Saturday:  Firm Power Yoga and Zuzka Light workout
Sunday:  4 mile run

We'll see how that goes! 

This weekend we did the Shamrock run as a family.  My husband ran the 8k and I ran the 5k with my son and the 1k "Leprachaun Lap" with my daughter.  It was a fun morning, although brrrr freezing!  I love the Shamrock run because it's such a big Portland event.  The weather is usually guaranteed to be crappy - yesterday it was cold/wet and a few snow flakes thrown in - yet the event draws 30 thousand people.  I just love that.

We were running late to get to the race, so I had to drop my husband off to make his start time while I found parking - which means no pix of all of us at the race.  My sweet sister met me to help out with the kids while I ran each race.  Here's a few pix of the morning...

My daughter's run was first - she had a 1k run, and she was NOT into it.

Don't let the smile fool you - she didn't want to run...

I don't know if she's still not 100% from being sick all week, or if she just didn't feel like running - but she was not into this at all.  I ended up carrying her for most of it.  I did make her run across the finish though! 

Next was my son's race - the 5k.  We lined up with about a bajillion other people and waited....and waited....and waited....

Finally we were off and he did so great!  We only stopped to walk twice (and only for a few minutes each time) and once to get water.  It was so fun to run with him.  I think he loved it too- although he was pretty tired afterwards!

After everyone was done (my hubby finished his 8k while my son and I were starting the 5k) - we drove to a restaurant for a nice big breakfast.  We met my running buddy Michelle there with her family -  Michelle ran the 15k, which is one of my favorite races, and her kids and husband did the 5k. 



Shamrock kids, in front of the beer sign...nice...

And here's the whole gang...

All in all it was a great morning based on running and family, which will always make me happy.  I wish I could have run the 15k, but next year I will be back to rock it for sure! 

Happy Monday!

Friday Five

It's Friday - so happy!  This week has been LOOONG with one sick kiddo, one sick hubby and one kiddo celebrating a birthday -super busy trying to keep everyone happy!  Here's the Friday five...

1)  This weekend is the Shamrock run.  I'm doing the 5k with my son, and the Leprechaun lap with my daughter (.5 mi).  It will be fun, and I'm thinking it will be more of a run/walk.  My running buddy is doing the 15k and I'm super jealous - it's one of my favorite races - but with my current long run being 3.5 miles, I'm a little short in training for the 9+ mile course...

The shirts are cute:


excuse my crappy photography....

 Adults get long sleeved tech shirts, and the kids get cotton t's.  My son loves having shirts to wear advertising his races, so he's happy to have a new one!

2)  My foot has been feeling good - last week I did my longest run in a while of 3.5 miles, and it held up well.  On Tuesday I ran on snowy/slushy roads, and I don't think that run did my foot any favors.  It was difficult to get traction, and I was sliding all over.  My foot was a little sore on Wednesday, but icing a lot and rolling on my trusty golf ball seems to have calmed it down.  I ran 3 this morning and it feels good.  Fingers crossed that things keep progressing!

3) I did another new workout DVD on Monday, and I think I was sore until Thursday because of it!

This "inside out method" is a set of 3 DVD's - weights, cardio and yoga - each 1 hour long.  To this point I had only done the weights and yoga - both of which are challenging.  When I think cardio, I think running/jumping/aerobic movement but no weights.  Well this DVD does running/jumping and so many squats WITH weights!  It was a great workout -my heart rate was definitely elevated - and I felt it for the entire week afterwards.  I would highly recommend these DVD's for a butt kicking workout!

4)  No new recipes this week - everything seems to come to a grinding halt when you have a sick kid, including grocery shopping and cooking.  Lots of cuddling on the couch and lounging around.  I'm very grateful to have such an understanding boss (aka Mom) who lets me work from home when I need to.

5)  The Biggest Loser.  Emily got sent home and I was sad - she was one of my favorites.  She really has some severe self esteem issues that I think she's going to have to work hard to overcome.  I'm bummed because they are picking off all the people I actually like, and I'm not enjoying the people who are left.

oh, and Emily can sing  - who knew?!  

Here's an interesting article from someone who spent a week at one of the Biggest Loser Resorts - it's interesting.  Sounds very hard core to me - but if weight loss is the goal it sounds like it is pretty effective. Although I think it's kind of scary they don't have a doctor on campus.  I love the idea of a "fitness" vacation - but I'd like to do one where you exercise during the day, get healthy meals, but also get to relax with a glass of wine or beer at night - who's with me?

Hope you all have a great weekend!  Head on over to Fitness, Health and Happiness for Friday Fitness!

Thankful Thursday

Who has two thumbs and is totally awesome?

...this guy!  Or, I should say this EIGHT year old guy.  Big Birthday yesterday. 

Can't believe how fast these 8 years have gone!  So quickly he went from this...



happy baby!

 to this...

So this Thursday I'm so thankful for my amazing son.  I'm thankful he loves to laugh, run, read and learn.  He's probably one of the funniest people I know, and he makes me laugh every day.  I'm grateful for all he is and I can't wait to see all that he'll become.  HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY OWEN!

Week in Review - looking for a little motivation!

GAH!  I'm still feeling so unmotivated!  What is my problem?  Usually these things pass quickly, but the longer and longer I'm dealing with my foot, the less I seem to want to do anything!  But - I'm not wearing this injury well - my jeans are tight (I don't own a scale, so this is my super scientific way of knowing if I've gained weight or not) - when I see myself in spandex I notice a few little lumps and rolls that didn't used to be there.  I'm so disappointed in myself that I'm in this spot.  But...only thing to do is to get moving, right?

So, to enforce a little accountability, I'm going to start listing my previous week's workouts and then also list my goals for going forward.  The shame of having to write down that I did nothing will hopefully get my booty in gear!

So here's my last week in review (Monday through Sunday):

Monday:  Spin class followed by Bodypump class
Tuesday: 2 mile slushy run in the rain/snow
Wednesday: Nothing (boo!)
Thursday:  Jillian Michaels "Banish Fat, Boost your Metabalism" DVD
Friday:  3 mile run
Saturday:  Nothing (boo!)
Sunday:  3.5 mile run

So - nothing spectacular.  The best day of the week was Monday with 2 solid hours of working out.  The runs are short, but I'm hopeful that going forward I can keep adding some mileage on.  I need to incorporate more weights and would also like to do yoga once a week.  On the days when I do short runs I should come home and do another short workout to increase the benefits on those days.  So that's my goal for this week.

Plan for this week:

Monday:  Normally I would do Spin/Bodypump again - but my daughter is sick with a fever/cough, so I couldn't take her to the gym daycare.  I'm going to do Bob Harper's cardio workout and then Ab-Ripper X.
Tuesday:  2 or 3 mile run (depends on foot) - Jillian Michaels Killer Buns and Thighs
Wednesday:  1 hour pool running
Thursday:  Jillian Michaels Banish Fat/Boost Metabalism
Friday: 2 or 3 mile run - Zuzuka light you tube workout
Saturday:  Firm Power Yoga
Sunday: 4 mile run (hopefully if foot is holding up well).

So that's the plan.  I will report next Monday to see how I follow through.  Please please keep your fingers crossed that no one else in this family gets sick - my son is turning 8 this week and I hope he/we are all healthy!

And just to get myself (and maybe you) motivated - here's some quotes from my favorite lady, Jillian...

Happy Monday!

Five for Friday

Once again, only one post this week - someday I will get better at posting more often!  Here's my Friday five...

1)  I love my dad.  We were talking about why people run, and I said something along the lines of "obviously I don't run because I'm going to become an elite runner or anything..." and my dad says "well, I think you're an elite runner...".  Hee!  Gotta love parents!   Then I came home and saw this article, saying that Ryan Hall is suffering from Plantar Fasciitis...JUST LIKE ME!  

Clearly my dad was right...I'm totally the same as the elites...

2)  Speaking of PF - my foot is feeling good!  Well, not 100% by any means, but I'm feeling ok about things.  I've run twice this week, and I also did this workout:

This is a cardio workout with LOTS of jumping and plyometrics, and I did the entire thing without feeling my foot!  So, once again, I'm cautiously optimistic that things are coming along.

3)  I have never made homemade pizza dough before, but I made some the other night and it was SOOO good.  My husband even said that this was the way we should eat pizza all the time because it wasn't greasy.  Kids loved it, we loved it - big win all around.  It was so easy AND it was whole wheat crust, so even kinda healthy! 

This is not the pizza I made, but my crust DID look like this!

I got the recipe from the website 100 days of Real Food (here) which is an awesome site and has some great recipes on it.  I don't think we'll ever be truly 100% off processed food, but I'm making small changes every week to get us closer.

4) Love Joan Benoit - saw this on the Runner's World FB page and had to repost:

5) Biggest Loser. Does Chris remind anyone else of that Debbie Downer character from Saturday Night Live?

Seriously, girl needs to smile more...

So they switched trainers, alliances formed, everyone had bad weight loss, Cassandra sent home...blah blah blah...here's the real reason to watch the show....

yes, Dolvett in tights.....drool....

Happy Friday - have a great weekend!

Head on over to Fitness, Health and Happiness for Fitness Friday!

Five for Friday

Yippee - it's Friday!

1)  I got asked to join another relay team!   

I've run Hood to Coast several times, but I've only done a handful of other relays.  I'm so excited to do this - my friends ran it last year and said it was awesome. 

2)  I went to the Podiatrist on Tuesday.   We looked at my orthotics and think maybe they are giving me too much support.  When I first went and he gave me temporary supports my foot felt great, but my foot started hurting again with these custom made orthotics.  He popped off the heel support on them, and they feel much better.  Hopefully this will get me back on track.  Since I've signed up for two relays now I better actually start being able to run!  I ran this morning and my foot felt good. 

3)  My mom's 70th birthday party that we threw last weekend was a big hit.  We wanted to give her a personal gift, so my sister painted this awesome picture of my parent's house that we had framed.  I don't have a photo of it framed, but here is the print -

Isn't that awesome?  It looked really nice framed and my mom loved it.  My little sis is so ridiculously talented and amazing.

4)  I've been doing some strength work lately to try to get back into fighting shape...and also because my jeans are starting to get tight (hate that!)  It's really crazy how much weaker my left leg (the one with the injured foot) is than my right is.  I am CLEARLY compensating for my injury on my other side....which is probably why my hammy/glute on that side is consistantly sore.  Sigh...it just never ends.  So, upping the attention on my weak side to get things evened out.

5)  The Biggest Loser...

It was nice that the contestants were off the ranch and away from each other because we didn't have to deal with Conda and her bitchiness with the other contestants.  In the end, I did feel bad for Chism for two reasons: 1) he has to live with the name Chism (seriously - is that even a name?), and 2) he was clearly heartbroken about going home (missed his goal by just 1 pound!).  But I do think he acted pretty mature about the whole thing.  I wish Conda wouldn't have made her goal and she had been shipped out, but hopefully that day is coming soon. 

Next week it looks like the teams switch trainers again and everyone is freaking out - so I'm sure more drama is in store.  Bob will probably be thrilled because he's losing Conda after only having to deal with her for two weeks, and Dolvett is probably cursing the powers that be. I really can't stand Conda...I'm just reiterating that in case I hadn't made that abundantly clear already...

Have a great weekend!  Head on over to Fitness, Health and Happiness for Fitness Friday!