Didn't turn out like I planned

I was really looking forward to this weekend. The weather was supposed to be great, after coming off of a 2 week cold snap. I had a 5k to run on saturday. Alas, it was not meant to be...

I woke up early on saturday for Battle of the Colors. It was a color run that was being held at the Army base here. Well, my husband woke up sick. He said everyone at his work was sick on friday and that he felt like he was coming down with it too. He really tried... he got dressed and we were about to go out the door when he said he would just sleep in the truck the entire time. I stopped right there. The last 2 races I've gone to were miserable for him. He had his foot surgery right before Spartan race and was miserable. Then during my race last weekend he got a stomach bug and slept in the car the whole time. I didn't want to drag him out there a third time and put him through all that again. I felt really bad. Ultimately I told him it was his decision, and he ended up going back to bed. I did not go to the race. I realized that this would not be a fun race for me, no matter what I did. If he had gone I would have felt bad for him and guilty for dragging him out while ill once again. I did not want to go by myself. That's just depressing... going to a race by yourself? Well I'm sure lots of people do it and are fine with it, but I'm not one of those people. Especially for a color run, which is more a "fun run" than it is a race. I would not have had fun if I was out there by myself and he was home sick. For a bit of backstory, we are not like most married couples. We literally do everything together, and have done so for the 10 years we've been together. We are best friends and do everything as a team. He has been very supportive of me and come out to all these races despite going through two surgeries, both of which made him unable to run for several months. It's been hard for him. I can only ask so much of him. And I know I should have gone out there and raced for myself, but I also knew in my heart I would have been sad. I wouldn't have put my heart into it. It would not have been fun for me. 

I was in a pretty bad mood yesterday because of all this. The situation just sucked all around. But eventually he started feeling better so we did go for a little walk around our neighborhood since it was such a nice day ouside. We ran a few errands and got some lunch. I stopped by a store called Uptown Cheapskate - you can sell them your clothes and get name brand stuff for cheap. Yep. Traded in my FAT CLOTHES!!! You don't get a ton of money for your clothes, and they only take "fashionable" or name brand items which are in good condition. But what else would I do with them, give them away? Better to get a small amount of money for them. I didn't shop a whole lot, to avoid putting my husband through the agony of shopping. But I did pick up a pair of shorts and a Under Armor tank top that I'm amazed was even in that store. I tried on a pair of shorts in a size 28 and they fit! Crazy! I'll have to go back and get more shorts since I obliterated my shorts wardrobe.

So for today... I decided to go do a 5.5 mile run since I missed out on my race yesterday. The weather was PER-FECT! 65, partly cloudy, breezy, beautiful day! I was enjoying my run when suddenly, about a mile in, I got hit with a horrible side cramp that went all up the left side of my torso. This never happens to me. I did get side cramps when I first started running, but none since then and none this intense. Still, I had to run on. I am a Spartan - I run through the pain! When I got to the hill I took a walk break hoping the cramp would go away if I walked for a bit. It did. And then my right side cramped up. This one was a thousand times worse than the left. I had to walk again. Every time a foot hit the ground I felt horrible pain in my right side. I was literally limping and clutching my stomach. This was too much. I had to call it because I literally could not run any more. I have no idea where the stupid cramp came from, and I'm mad at it for thwarting my run. But I guess these things happen...

I came back home and ended up doing yoga. I needed to do some sort of exercise today and I figured it would be good to stretch out my entire body - crampy abs included. The yoga session actually went very well and I felt great afterwards. My husband and I took another walk on this beautiful day, and I got my housework done. So at least I can say I got some stuff accomplished during this weekend of setbacks.

And of course, this happened.

Yoga cat! She is so silly. Every time I do any type of workout at home she always gets curious and rubs up against me.

Tomorrow I'm going to do something a little different. We have P90X (that is the yoga program I use) and I will be doing the plyometrics workout tomorrow. It's something I want to start doing every now and again in addition to my training. I figure it will help me for anything I do in fitness, especially obstacle races - and Warrior Dash is coming in 2 weeks! Gotta get ready.

Working hard for CANDY!!!

So that trail run I did last saturday left me viciously sore. I definitely used some muscles I'm not used to using, and I think I pulled something in my right leg - possibly from when I tripped over a root and had to stop myself from falling on my face? So yes, I took a few days off.

Yesterday I did my after work 3 miles around the neighborhood. My pace was in the 8:00's - but I busted my ass to maintain it! Some days I won't try to run for speed and take it at a more relaxed pace. But not yesterday. It was just one of those days where I wanted to push myself as hard as I could!

Today I wanted to focus on arm work, but I also decided to throw a 1 mile interval run in there. I'm not at the point yet where I can run every day. At this point I absolutely have to run every other day, and if I do run 2 days in a row I can't go more than 2 miles the following day without my legs hurting. Today's interval run made me realize how much I dislike intervals. I do them every now and again because they are awesome for increasing your speed, strength, and burning calories! I feel good after I do them too. But I hate that pukey feeling I get when I sprint! 

Then I came back inside for the arms. Here's what I did

30 burpees (not arms, but I gotta do my burpees!)

Hammer curls x10

Tricep Dips x10

Shoulder Press x15

Pushups x10

Pull ups (2 grips) x3

Tricep Press in a Lunge x20

Prone Extension x10

Bicep Curls x15

Lateral Raises x10

All of that, x 2  !

Lately I've been regretting the fact that I am not getting tons of mileage in. I see all these people on Dailymile that run 1000 billion miles a week, then I look at mine and feel slightly put to shame. But here's the thing. I am away from the house for 11 hours out of the day. I also have to cook and do chores which takes another 1-2 hours. And relax for an hour or so before I go to bed. So a 30-40 minute workout is about all I can manage during the weekdays. My long runs are on saturdays - assuming I'm not racing. I've been telling myself I don't NEED to be a distance runner. The reason I am doing this is for my health. To lose and then maintain weight, improve my cardiovascular health, and just generally to keep my body fit. I am doing what I can with the time I have. Making the most of that time by pushing myself until my heart is pounding and I am covered in sweat. At the end of the day, that is all I need.

This saturday I am running the Battle of the Colors 5k on Fort Gordon. I don't know if color runs are my thing (I'm more of a mud girl) but I am curious about it and want to cross it off my list. Since the Augusta Color Run conflicts with an obstacle race I want to do in october, I figure this is a good way to take a shot at color running... and be all "hooah" like a good Army wife. I always love an opportunity to participate in races on post. Since I don't live on post I try to go to events taking place there so I still feel connected. Speaking of events happening on post, they are putting on the Marine Mud Challenge in may. I WANT TO GO. But - you have to have a team. Our circle of friends here is not huge, and the ones we do have are not exactly fitness junkies. Plus my husband is still not able to run due to surgery, and I couldn't do a team event without him. Just wouldn't be right. We will definitely plan for it next year!

I should be passing the 160 mark soon! My weight loss has wavered around a bit ever since Spartan Race due to lapses in my eating and exercise habits, but I think now I will be losing steadily again. I just have to resist the call of.. THE CANDY. Yes. It's easter, and my husband's family is big into the holiday. His mom always sends us a big ol' easter basket chock full of candy. And of course, just like with christmas, there's all the "easter only" candy that's out right now. I'm definitely eating some candy - in moderation of course. I've learned that I can enjoy some candy every now and then and still lose weight over time. I don't have to completely cut myself off from the foods I enjoy!

One last thing - my husband bought a Ped Egg! This makes me happy. He got it because his feet are callousy from being in the post surgery cast. But I have Runner's Feet. They aren't bad, but I do have those rough spots that are caused by running. So, time to take a bath, spend some time with the ped egg while I watch Game of Thrones, then sleep!

XTerra Hickory Knob 7.2 mile Trail Race

I completed my first trail race today!

This morning we headed out dark and early, up to South Carolina for the XTerra Hickory Knob Races. The drive was about an hour, and unfortunately my husband had stomach issues this morning and we had to stop at a semi-creepy gas station at 6 in the morning for restrooms and Pepto. Lucky for us my race didn't start until later on, and since the weather was ugly they were pushing it back some anyways.

I don't really have any pictures from this race. And here is why.

Yep.

Weather Channel said LIGHT RAIN starting at about 9:30-10 am. Nope. It was pouring when we arrived at 7:30.

I stressed about how to dress for this race. I knew there was a big storm system moving through the south and that the temps would be in the 40's. But here is my dilemma. This winter I held off on buying any serious cold weather running gear because I knew I was going to be losing 30-40 lbs. I had a few pairs of old gym pants (just the standard loose fitting kind, not leggings designed for running) and I figured I could just get through the winter in those, then buy the serious gear next year when I know what my final size will be like. I did manage to get one pair of running tights on sale for $17, but they ride down so badly it's ridiculous. I can't wear those at all anymore. So, shorts it was. Running shorts, short sleeve top, running jacket. Based on previously mentioned weather report, I figured that a little light rain in 45-50 degree weather would be ok, and that I would be done racing by the time the serious rain hit the area. I was way wrong, and so was that damn forecast!

I froze my ass off out there. This was a very small race that was organized by a handful of people, so it took them a little while to set up. Then there was the 3.4 mile race, and we had to wait for that to finish since some of the people were running the 7.2 as well. Everyone was shivering, even the people dressed warmly! People backed out of the race. One lady I was standing next to just said "I'm not doing this", got in her car and left. For a moment I seriously wanted to. I didn't want to be cold and soaked for 7 miles. Both my husband and I were having a bad morning. But that was PRECISELY the reason I had to do it! I had to get out there, run this race, and try my damnedest, because otherwise we would have had a crappy morning, lost $50, lost 2 hours of driving and gas money, and our time - all for nothing. I would have felt ashamed of myself for giving up, and the thought of what could have been would have haunted me. So I lined up with the other shivering racers, and off we went.

I thought to myself - this isn't a big race. Maybe I could place in my age group if I push hard enough. That became my new goal. Go home with a medal.

I started off pretty strong. In the middle of the pack. I passed some people and some people passed me. Eventually after about 2 miles I was sandwiched between a few people off in the distance. Then the ones ahead of me eventually faded from sight. But there were still racers close behind me. The rain poured the whole time. My hands and feet were frozen, I could barely feel them. It took about 4 miles for me to truly warm up, but that didn't change the fact that I was soaking wet and my clothes were cold. So it was my body constantly fighting my soaking wet clothes, trying to keep itself warm. I realized that the gym pants I had wouldn't have helped one bit, they would have just been soggy flappy pieces of fabric around my legs, weighing me down. (Running tights #1 on my list for next winter!!!)

The course would have been beautiful on a good day. It was called Lakeview, which is exactly what it was. The trail was on a hillside bordering the Strom Thurmond reservoir. I couldn't really appreciate how pretty it was, since rain was falling in my face and eyes and I could barely see. Maybe I should also get a hat with a brim. Around mile 3.5 I slowed to a jog to eat some energy chews just to prevent my hypoglycemia from ruining my day. The racers that were on my heels passed me. Black jacket guy and Purple/lilac jacket girl. I had to pass them. I absolutely could not let them beat me. And once I finished eating it became apparent I was faster, so I took the first opportunity to pass them when the trail widened up enough. Mile 5.5 is where things got hard for me. This part of the course was alot of uphill, and I was tired. My legs wanted to give up - they were still sore from thursday's workout. Purple jacket girl passed me again during this time (there was no sign of Black jacket guy, he appeared to have fallen back quite a ways) I chatted with her a bit, then saw that we had just hit mile 6. I had to push out this last mile and finish strong. This chick could have been in my age group - I couldn't let her beat me! I just wanted to be done - out of the cold, warm and dry! And there was the finish line, with Purple jacket girl well behind me. 1:08 (forgot how many seconds) 9:26 per mile. I finished 13th overall. Not bad for my first trail race, and the longest distance I have run to date.

I scrambled to get out of my soaking wet clothes (in the driver's seat of my car) thankfully I had dry sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt with me. No help for my muddy, soaked shoes however. Chatted with what ended up being the first place female in 25-29 age group, a girl from my area who is in the Air Force. Then, after waiting around in the cold for the awards...

I won second place for the 25-29 females!
I know it wasn't a big race, but a little ego boost is always good. There are so many runners in the Augusta area that I would never win a medal at any races around there!

Despite the sucky weather, I had alot of fun and I'm glad I did this race. I do love trail running. This was a chance to challenge myself at a type of race I hadn't tried before, and we discovered a possible future camping and hiking destination. I pushed myself hard at this race. I refused to let the rain and cold deter me. I could have backed down, but I got out there and did my absolute best. And I am stronger for it.


After returning home to soak in a warm bath and get into dry clothes, we headed out for some much deserved lunch. My husband was feeling better and in a cheery mood. Of course, THE SUN CAME OUT RIGHT WHEN WE GOT HOME. Figures. Lol


We also got these!

I have been wanting to go to this place, and I figured a day when I run a 7.2 mile trail run would be best. Calories don't count on race day! I like to tell myself that.

And finally, I now fit into my size 6 jeans!

I bought these last November. They wouldn't even close back then. I didn't think they could possibly ever fit me, and now they do! Comfortably!

Spartan Chick and Trail Running

So I found a couple pictures of me from the official Spartan Race photos. They are having problems with their new photography system, and for some reason they have not given us an option to search through the pictures and find ourselves. My number also got washed off of my forehead. So I don't think I'm going to get any official pictures aside from these two

The one I actually posed for!

And then I'm also in the background of this guy's picture!

Alot of those guys who grabbed two sandbags looked like they were regretting it by the time they reached the top of that hill! As for me, I wish I had grabbed one of the men's sand bags! Carrying weights is a strong point of mine. 

Yesterday I ran 3 miles around my neighborhood. Paced at about 9:00/mile. Wasn't trying for speed, just needed to get some miles in!

Today I did my strength work and it went something like this...

50 jumping jacks

30 burpees

15 pushups

30 squats

Kick downs

10 pushups with resistance band

15 shoulder presses

10 sumo pulls

15 tricep dips

30 sit ups

20 rotating lunges/rows with resistance band

10 overhead lunges

Butterfly sit ups

10 overhead dumbbell swings

Spinal balance

2 pullups from standing position, 3 not-quite pullups

I did today's workout in my cute Spartan Chicked shorts that I ordered! I got the tank top too, but I didn't wear it today

I mentioned previously that I gained some weight back last week. I had just done Spartan, was recovering from that and therefore not exercising, got sick, and just got waaaay off track from my diet. This week has been back to weight loss, and I am at 163 right now. I have no regrets - I have done well with losing weight and feel no shame in taking a little break. As long as I work hard to make up for it I'll be fine. And as we all know, the scale is a filthy liar. This week I've noticed more muscle definition and just generally "feel" like I'm slimmer, even if the scale doesn't say so. My last 10 lbs will be alot of muscle toning, mainly in my arms since I've neglected them pretty badly. Last night I noticed my thighs are almost all muscle now, the only fat is on the inner thighs. This is awesome, and it's something I never dreamed I would see! When I gained weight alot of it happened on my thighs, and at the beginning of this journey I wondered how in the world I would lose all that fat. Well now it's finally happening! Now just to do the same for my huge wiggly arms! 

This weekend I am going up to South Carolina's Hickory Knob State Park for the XTERRA trail running series. I have never done one of these before, but I am SO excited about it! I learned at Spartan Race that I really like trail running. Probably due to my hiking background and just my general love for the woods. This is a 7.2 miler. I'm trying not to get too freaked out about that mileage since I've already done a 10k. The options for this race were 3 and 7 miles with nothing in between. This place is an hour away and I don't think the drive would be worth a measly 3 mile race. This park is a campground/resort with hiking trails along the water, which makes me think it might be a great future camping destination for us! Part of the reason I want to check it out. So we'll be heading out at a butt-early hour on Saturday morning for some trail running!

Spring!

Spring is finally here! I've been waiting what seems like forever for the weather to finally warm up! Things are starting to turn green around here, birds are chirping, and we are experiencing one of many thunderstorms that are soon to come. I plan to relish this spring weather before it gets ridiculously hot.

Yesterday I got up really early and went for a 1 mile time trial run. I've wanted to do this for awhile to see how fast I could push out a 1 mile run. I did it in 7:45 with a tiny walk break - since it was an out and back, I walked for a few seconds when I turned around. I was pretty out of breath afterwards, so this is probably about as fast as I can go at this point. I'm definitely getting better! 

After my run I went back inside for my WOD. 

30 burpees

10 wide push ups

10 regular push ups (REAL push ups, all the way down to the floor!)

4 pull ups/as best I could do, various grips

10 tricep dips

30 squats

10 overhead lunges

10 overhead dumbell swings

Bear crawls

Spinal balance

Then I went outside to pull some weeds and seed some grass. YAY! Heh. Our builders were lazy and didn't sod our backyard so I have to start it from scratch. In hindsight I really should have asked them to sod it for us, but they had seedlings back there and stupid me just figured it'd just magically turn into a full lawn. And now they wanna charge us  $1600 for sod. Yeah, no. So the work falls to me. And I am sore today! Hopefully I get some grass out of it.

And now...

Crazy Unexpected Side Effects of Weight Loss #37 - Your fingers will shrink!

Ok, so if anyone is out there reading this and is - in the process of losing weight and about to get engaged/married/purchase jewelry for some other reason, READ THIS!

Your fingers WILL shrink! 

This is something I was expecting at all... but in the 33-ish lbs I have lost so far, part of that has come from my fingers! Lately I've been noticing my wedding ring sliding around on my finger, so much so that I feel like it's about to slide right off! So I went in to have it resized and it turned out to be a whole size different! And since life has to throw in it's curveballs, my ring is also damaged and can't be resized without replacing the "head" - where the diamond sits. My ring is old, it was given to me by my mother in law. So now we have to spend $400 to get it repaired. Sucks! Ah well. It needs to be done. 

Finally getting back to my good diet! Gotta lose these last 10-15 lbs. My pcos is throwing a wrench into things this week. My body doesn't seem to be with the rhythm here. I'm tired of the persistent cramps!

Back at it again!

I've strayed from my course a bit this week, between being sick with the stomach flu, still being sore from Spartan Race, and having a crap ton of errands to run. My diet has suffered as well, I haven't been eating at the intervals I normally do and have instead done alot of impulse eating this week. That's ok though... I've worked hard and come a long way so I can celebrate a bit. But now it's time to get my diet and exercise routine right again.

I am going to start doing my own Crossfit-esque workouts here at home. Mainly things that don't require machines, just my own body or some hand held equipment. My plan is to make flashcards that are color coded for the muscles they work (upper body, lower body, total body, abs, etc.) and just pick them out of the deck to comprise my WOD's. That way I don't have to stand there and think about what I want to do, nor do I have to religiously perform the exact same exercises every time.

Today I went out for what was supposed to be a 5.5 mile run. Anything longer than 4 miles I run at a slower pace, but I must have subconsciously wanted to run fast today. The last few races I've run have not been for speed, so I guess it's been awhile since I've run for speed. I completed a 5k distance in 26:42 which IS a new PR! Still, I did not feel so hot for this run. I ate alot of salty foods yesterday, and while I tried my best to hydrate last night and this morning, it just didn't catch up in time. I definitely felt dehydrated and "dry", and I usually just keep my water in the car for afterwards. The other factor for me today was the weather. It was about 68 and breezy - sounds perfect, right? I thought so too. But. The Sun. It's strong here in Georgia, and I tell you there was not one single cloud in the sky today. It was so hot and bright out there. All that squinting my eyes plus being dehydrated = MASSIVE HEADACHE. So I ended up stopping after the 3.1 miles. I didn't want to put myself through a miserable 2.5 miles so I just called it a day. I did get a PR out of it, and I'm happy with that.

So - may need to start bringing along sunglasses for my runs. I'm also considering getting a small camelbak for days where I feel like I might need a little extra water. We have one but it's big and a bit overkill for short runs. My plan for when the weather gets hot is to eventually do my long saturday runs really early in the morning. Right now I'm having to schedule my runs depending on what the weather does. I started running in september of last year and it was on treadmills at that time, so warm weather running is going to take some adjusting to!

I'm glad spring is finally here. This 60-70 degree weather has been great. Things are starting to bloom again. All it does is make me want to get outside! It does also mean - YARD WORK. And since I'm now a home owner, that glorious burden is mine! I need to pull weeds and put some grass seed down tomorrow. And do a ton of other things. But before I do any of that I will get my strength training in! And maybe a 1-2 mile run. No excuses!

Next weekend we head to South Carolina for my 7.2 mile trail run. I'm really looking forward to that - nature trails are probably my favorite place to run! Also, I was on post today and they had a registration booth for the Battle of the Colors 5k. I walked up to the guy and said "Oh man... I've reeeeallly thought about signing up for this. And now you're right here in front of my face. So I guess now I have to!" With all these races I'm going to be doing over the next 2 months I thought about taking a weekend off, but I do really want to do this race. I want to participate in fitness events on base because it's good to be involved with the military community, plus it's a color run which is something I have not done before. So yes, I'll be doing that the following weekend. Then Warrior Dash. And god knows what else. There are SO many races all happening at the same time, I want to do them all!

Still waiting on my official photos from Spartan Race... so impatient!!!!

Georgia Spartan Race

I am a Spartan.

A glorious mud filled day!

I have got to say - this was SO MUCH FUN!

I raced in the 3pm heat, since it was the earliest time they had open when I registered (way back in december! note the importance of registering early!!!) so we headed out to Conyers, GA around 11am. It took us about 1.75 hours to get there. This is what we walked into

When we walked through this to get into the festival area, we thought it was just one of the challenge games they had for the spectators. Nope! This was an actual obstacle that was part of the course! And it's way harder than it looks!

We got in, I got my packet, and I got markered up with my number. 1943 seems to be my number, this is the second race where I have had that number - and I've only done 6 races so far. That's the year my mom was born. Makes it significant to me, and easy to remember

 <<< Me, pre-mud!

The weather was good - 55-60, partly cloudy with the sun shining pretty bright at times.

I had plenty of time to check out the festival and prepare before my race started. My husband ended up going back to the car for awhile - he wasn't feeling well due to just having had foot surgery 2 weeks ago, and the cocktail of various meds he's on right now was making him really groggy and miserable. I felt so bad for dragging him out there, but the timing of his surgery and my race just wasn't the best. I signed up way back in December and didn't know it would be a conflict. Still, I am incredibly thankful and appreciative of the fact that he came out there to be with me for my first ever obstacle race. 

I rallied up at the starting line and listened to the announcer while we were waiting to start. I got to see some of the "famous" Spartan racers up close. Chris Davis (formerly 600+ lbs) spoke and introduced us to another man who weighed 400+ lbs and had just completed his first race.   I love the fact that people of all different sizes and fitness levels are out there doing this stuff!  After the beginning speeches and AROO!'s , we were off! We ran off into the woods, hopped over and crawled under a few walls, ran back into the woods, and  ran/walked through a narrow stream. The first mile was mostly running - they trick you into thinking it's easy!  

Below - Me doing some burpees! 

We came out of the woods and met the log balance. Since I'm no good at balancing I was dreading this one. I tried my best, but didn't even make it to the third log. Yep. Those were my first 30 burpees of the day (the penalty for failing an obstacle is 30 full burpees). The big rope climb tower thing at the front of the festival was hard too. You had to roll across the ropes at the top which is not easy, since the ropes dip down in the center and you have to use your arms to pull yourself forward - if you don't you won't go anywhere. The next thing was this wall with pegs that you had to move across (Here is a picture of it - I don't have my official race pictures yet so I just snagged this off SR's facebook page) This was hard!!! I tried so hard not to fall!! I did not want to do more burpees! Alas, I got to the third to last peg before I lost my grip and fell. 30 more burpees, 60 total. Next was the water station and fuel up time for me. I had to bring my Spi Belt along for Honey Stingers. Being hypoglycemic, I need to make sure I have sugar to avoid blood sugar crashes. After a quick break it was time for tire flipping. This was really easy for me. After that it was back into the woods for these "mud mound" things - slide down into a mud pool, wade through it, then climb back up a mud mound - repeat about 4 times. That mud was cold too! Then we lifted weights attached to a pully system. I kicked ass at this! More running, and more MUD! Waded into the river, more like a giant mud pool really! There were alot of holes underwater that people kept stepping in, just to keep it interesting.

Climbed some muddy hills with only a few spare branches and logs to grab onto, then moved on to the sandbag carry. I smoked this too, even stopped at the top to pose for the camera man! Can't wait to see that picture. I also did well with the weight and chain pull. My most unexpected moment of the day was probably the monkey bars. Listen, I have NEVER been good with monkey bars! Not even as a kid! But I did it somehow! I think if there had been one more bar I would probably have fallen - but I just kept telling myself DON'T FALL!!!! I took my much needed water and snack break - very important for hypoglycemic athletes like myself. Got back to it for some uphill running and the 7 foot walls. The first wall I was a little unsure of myself, because when I got to the top the whole wall was wobbling from everyone else who was on it, and I was certain I'd fall if I put my other leg over the other side. A gentleman helped me out and I got over the wall. I was feeling more confident at the second wall and made it over with no problem. Then the 8 foot wall - bam, done! 

Next was the spear toss. I threw it with all the power I could muster but it landed nowhere near the target. 30 more burpees (90 total). Rounded the corner and there it was. The dreaded rope climb. This one wasn't gonna happen. I slid into the mud pit, grabbed my rope, tried to wrap it around my legs, and pulled up with all my might. I wasn't going anywhere. Tried again, still wasn't moving. I just don't have that upper body strength yet. So, 30 more burpees (120 total) Those burpees are brutal - you better believe I took breaks! But I didn't skimp out on the burpees, every time I had to do them I stayed until I got all 30 done.  

Next was sliding down into the muddy barb wire crawl. I'm right there on the right in the above photo, crawlin' on my belly. Note the girl in the pink shirt - she stood up and walked out the side of the barbed wire and skipped the mud. Ma'am, you are obviously lost. This is a MUD run! I'm sorry, but crap like that makes me mad. If you sign up for it, don't half ass it. 

  My husband had come down to the finish line area and was able to get some really good action shots of me at the last 3 obstacles. Here's one of me trying to get up the inclined wall. From this angle you can't tell, but that thing is covered in mud. Very slippery. In fact, here's a nice picture of me falling! I got back up though, and hoisted myself over to the other side. Yay!

Next was the barb wire crawl. Holy gods. Again, WAY harder than it looks. You'd think that because you're crawling through mud, it would be slippery and slick, and that you'd move through it quickly and easily. Nope. The mud slows you down, it's got sticks and rocks in it so crawling through it is actually quite painful, and it requires a good mix of upper and lower body strength to move through it.   I had acquired a pretty painful bruise on my knee bone from the first obstacle, so any pressure on my knee was kind of unpleasant. 

Tried the "roll" strategy for a little while, but ended up getting really dizzy. So, back to crawling

Oh hey, sup. Just chillin in the mud.

Hah! Love this picture

The barbed wire crawl was really long. It felt like it took me forever to get through. But I finally did, and all that was between me and the finish line were two gladiators with pugil sticks. Since there was no one else around me when I ran through, both of them were able to focus on me! Once they were done wailing on me, the finish line was mine. 

Spartan status - unlocked!

Words can't express the feeling of accomplishment I experienced after this race. You go into this challenge about to face the unknown. There is fear - fear of failure, not finishing, having no idea what to expect, and not knowing what you are truly capable of. But once you get out there and get into it, the fear is gone. It becomes an adventure. All that walking/crawling/wading through the mud is fun as hell. I discovered that I love mud. I love figuring out how to navigate the crazy off road terrain. Don't get me wrong, this was HARD - but the payoff was unbelievable for me. I had no idea what I was truly physically capable of until this day. And on the contrary, it allowed me to see what aspects of my fitness I need to work on. It's true what they say - I am not the same person I was before I crossed the finish line. I had an opportunity to be pushed outside my comfort zone, and as a result I am stronger, more capable, braver, and more confident than ever before. I am a Spartan!

My official time was 1:41:03. I was not going for time by any means, and I definitely played it safe on this course. I gave it my best effort and laid it all out on the field, but at the same time I played it cautious and did not try to rush through the obstacles. I ran/jogged at any point where I felt like I could. My time was about average, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

Here are some pictures of the sheer amount of muddiness on me. There was all kinds of mud - Red mud from that wonderful Georgia clay, Bright orange Jersey Shore fake tan-esque mud, black lumpy mud with thousands of tiny sticks in it, light brown oatmeal mud, really thick grey mud that you could lose a shoe in, and soupy light brown mud. Beneath the mud are many scrapes and bruises. My left knee was bleeding (probably from the barb wire crawl)

After the race I proceeded to rinse off (very cold, painful shower), change into my dry clothes, claim my free  (tall!) Bud Light, grab some much deserved dinner at Chili's, drive home, and take a nice hot epsom salt bath!

In summation - this race was an amazing experience. I had a blast! I can't wait until my next race, and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who has the ability to try it. 

Next up - Warrior Dash!

Coming soon - my official race pictures, and a first timer's advice on how to prepare for this type of obstacle race.

Getting ready...

It's Wednesday. My first ever Spartan Race is Saturday!

I've been getting some last minute training in this week. The main emphasis has been on my muscles, especially my upper body. Strength training is my weak point. It's not that I am bad at it, I just have a "deer in the headlights" kind of reaction to it. I never know what I should be doing and find myself asking my husband to give me some ideas for good muscle workouts. Maybe what I need to do going forward is develop a plan, maybe complete with some basic instructions. I tend to forget HOW to do the moves - stupid, I know. And of course I don't want to just do the same exercises over and over, so maybe I will have 3-4 different rotations, or set up some flash cards and pick different ones each time, and add new stuff to it as I go. Keep my body guessing. All I know is, I need a better plan for muscle work going forward. I'm getting into the final stages of my weight loss and will need to ramp up my lean muscle mass to burn off those last bits of fat and tone up.

Here's what I did this week -

Sunday - 4 miles in 34:42. After not running at all last week (since my 10k!), I felt this one! It was like my body needed a 3 mile warm up before it realized "Oh hey, we're running now!"
First run in my new shoes. I love having some more support and cushion for concrete running, and some more tread on the shoes for trail running. My old shoes were really really minimalist compared to these. The toe box is narrower. But these shoes are much more "breathable". Right away I can tell that my muscles need to adjust to the new style of shoe, and I currently have a hot spot on my left foot that might be caused by some rubbing. I hope that goes away in time because I really like the feel of these shoes!

Monday - Muscle work. Arm work. Core. Pushups. Weights. Pullups. ALOT of burpees (as many as I could do, anyway)

Tuesday - Was supposed to run, but legs were still sore. Tuesday is also my run errands day, so I just decided to take the day off. Except I did more burpees.

Wednesday - Today was a combo day. 2 mile run, not timed but I'd guess it probably took me about 15-16 minutes? More muscle work! Similar to Monday but with a few extra things thrown in. Tried to keep up the intensity, didn't take breaks, just kept working. My heart was pounding the entire time, having just come off of that run. This is the type of thing I will be doing on Saturday so it is how I have to train.

This is my cat, Eve. She is super curious and affectionate. Every time I am in our extra bedroom working out, she comes in and starts rolling around and rubbing up against me because she thinks it's playtime. I try to do planks and pushups and she gets right underneath me and rubs up against my face. It's freaking adorable... but it kind of interferes with my progress so I usually have to kick her out :(

Yep. This is what she does!

Tomorrow will be an easy 1 mile run and some yoga to get all stretched out. Friday is break time! Lots of clean eating and hydration will take place during the next 2 days.

Also, today was an official weigh in day. My goal for this week was 163 and I came in at 161.8! My BMI is also very very close to being within the normal range! I've been eating well this week and have been feeling the need for a cheat meal, especially since I am ahead of the game a little bit. So I went to Bojangles for lunch today. It's a fried chicken and biscuit place we have here in the south. I had eaten there once before and didn't think it was that great, but we have one right by my work and I was really craving a chicken biscuit sandwich. It wasn't very good at all. The chicken was really tough, and for "Cajun" chicken it was pretty bland tasting. I did get a sweet biscuit which was pretty tasty. All in all it kind of felt like a waste of a cheat meal, but I can't allow myself to regret it too much. The craving is out of my system now. And I learned once and for all that I'm a Popeyes girl - their spicy chicken is always delicious. For dinner I had a nice healthy smoothie with veggies, fruit, and protein powder in an effort to "clean up" a little. And now, no more bad foods until Saturday night! I will have earned it!

Life got in the way!

This week sucked. Life got in the way of my training - every single day!

Last sunday was my 10k, so I planned on taking a day off after that, maybe 2 if I felt like I needed it. But life had other plans.

Every single creature in my house was sick this week. That's me, my husband, my dog, and my 2 cats.
On monday night I woke up at about 1am with horrible nausea. I drank some pepto and tried my best to fall back asleep and not throw up. I was pretty sure I'd be calling in to work, but then I woke up at 6am and felt perfectly ok. Not sure what the hell that was all about - but I am pretty sure I picked it up at work on monday. I smelled puke in one of our common areas and the cleaning lady was mopping the floors. AND around this same time I developed an infection in my body which caused a lymph node to swell up to the size of a peanut. Naturally a firm, sore lump under my skin scared me quite a bit. So I went to the doctor and she said I must have come in contact with something that weakened my immune system which allowed the infection to spread. She said my body fought it off pretty good and that it was mostly healed, but I still asked for some medication - I don't want "maybe", I want it GONE! And the meds are helping so far. I should be back to normal in a few days.

My dog had diarrhea for 4 days (never want to deal with that again), and on friday morning my cats puked for god knows what reason.

And wednesday was spent at the hospital for my husband's second foot surgery. He had his left foot done in november, and now the right one is done and after about 2 months he'll be back to normal. He has bunions and crooked bones and lived with it his whole life, but when he joined the Army and had to run on a regular basis he started getting stress fractures in his legs. We are pretty sure this is the cause, because he's literally having to run crooked to compensate for the shape of his feet. A few weeks ago he was running with me, and he said the difference between his "old" foot and his "new" foot is astounding. So, the hope is that by the summer and fall he will be out there with me - running, hiking, racing, doing obstacles and all kinds of crazy jazz. Anyway. His surgery went well, and since he's been through this whole process before it was easier on both of us this time I think. He is on leave for a month and pretty much can't move for a few weeks. Unlike his last surgery in november I do have a job now, so I can't really be home to take care of him. I gotta do what I can for him when I am home, as well as all the housework and the cleaning up after the sick critters.

In addition to all that I still had to run errands which took up most of my free time. Today I thoroughly cleaned the dog's crate, the guest bathroom, our game room (we moved the crate from the game room to the bathroom) cleaned the backyard which was a mess since we left our dog out there while he was sick, fixed our cat's food dish which they knocked over and broke, and finally made homemade baked tortilla chips and salsa which was really good! Now I think things are finally back to normal, the house is back in order, and I can relax a bit!

ONE WEEK until Spartan Race! I am excited and nervous, but more excited than nervous! I am normally really bad with anxiety before a big event that is completely new to me. But for this one I'm not too nervous. Sure it will be challenging and I have no idea what I will be facing, but above all it is about having fun! I can't take it TOO seriously! I am really excited to climb, crawl, and play in the mud...lol. And I've heard and seen so much about the race, and have wanted to be a part of it and experience it all for myself. This time next week I will have officially "lost my sparkle", as they say.

And because Spartan Race is in a week, I've got to train hard up until next thursday or friday and keep my diet clean. Now that I'm getting over this infection I can make up for last week's lack of exercise. My plan is

Sunday - 3 mile run, plus some burpees thrown in there
Monday - Strength training
Tuesday - 2-3 miles and burpees
Wednesday - Strength training
Thursday - Maybe some light yoga to make sure I'm all stretched out

Also, I finally got my new shoes!

I got the Merrell Mix Master Move Glide. It's a barefoot shoe that is good for running on all types of terrain, which is perfect for me. My last pair of shoes didn't have enough tread on them - there's no way I could do a mud run in those. When I bought the old shoes, this whole fitness lifestyle overhaul idea was not even on my radar! I won't be doing Spartan Race in these beauties - I'll be using an old pair of Teva's which are trail/water shoes. They are plenty worn in - I hiked 43 miles in them

I haven't gone out for a run with these yet - that's tomorrow. Today I walked the dog in them and they were comfortable. They fit like a glove when I put them on. My only concern might be blisters since I am prone to them. Somehow my last shoes didn't give me any. But I guess we'll see

Weight update - 163-164, hovering around that range. Meaning I have anywhere from 8-13 lbs left to lose. I am taking it easy after a stressful week and enjoyed some pizza for dinner, but tomorrow it's right back to healthy diet and exercise. I can't wait to get back out there and sweat a little, it's been too long!