New kicks!

Finally broke down and bought my new trail shoes today!

Inov8 Trailroc 226

I have heard great things about Inov8 shoes. Specifically from the world of OCR. Not only are they supposed to be great trail shoes, they say the tread on these shoes is excellent for obstacles - climbing walls, ropes, getting through mud, etc. I am a minimal shoe girl, but my last pair of trail shoes was way too barefoot for me. What I mean by that is I felt EVERY single rock I stepped on. My old shoes were also very "floppy" and not great for gripping on obstacles. So for my next shoe I wanted something minimal, yet less BAREfoot than my old shoes. This shoe is minimal yet it should offer me more protection from rocks. It's still zero drop but it has a bit more cushion to it. Should be right up my alley. Plus I'm very excited to see how the tread will perform in obstacle races.

I got them from Running Warehouse for 85 bucks! Not bad for the pricier than most Inov8 brand - they retail around $130. The colors are not my thing, but it's the only color they offer in the Trailroc 226. Oh well, I have seen worse colors for running shoes!

Sadly I don't think they will get here before my next trail run... but I only have to get through 1 more run in my old shoes - which literally have holes in the sides. Can't wait to see this box on my doorstep!

Sadler's Creek Camping Trip

Today is Memorial Day. I think about our veterans alot, because without them I would not be here today. I am incredibly thankful for their sacrifice. I do not take it for granted.

It's been a good Memorial Day weekend. A nice balance of doing stuff and not doing stuff.

On Friday night we drove up to Sadler's Creek Park in South Carolina. This is a campground that's on a huge lake on the SC/GA border. The place has a fishing pier for my husband and nature trails for me. We made it up to our tent campsite that evening. By the time we got settled in and went down to the lake it looked something like this..

We hang around at the lake for a few minutes while the dog played in the water. Then we had our camp dinner - mine was Frito pie and my husband's was hot dogs. And of course we had smores. Our style of camping is simple - tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and some basic supplies. No electricity - maybe just some battery powered lanterns/flashlights and a radio. Everything is cooked on the fire or with boiling water - we have a Jetboil from a previous backcountry camping trip where no fires were allowed. Other than taking pictures, I picked up my phone maybe 2 times during the whole trip. Life is nice and simple when I'm camping.

Unfortunately for us - this was a highly populated and tightly packed campground. I expected it to be crowded on a holiday weekend but the sites were closer together than any other campground I've been to. And there were many many families with young kids. Like... kids that are way too young to be camping. My husband was at his wit's end because our camping neighbor had a kid that cried ALL NIGHT LONG. It was also very hot that night. I was able to fall asleep in about an hour but he pretty much didn't get any sleep.

But at least I got to wake up to this. This is what I love about camping. Falling asleep under the stars. Opening my eyes and seeing trees. The chirping birds, cool breeze, and morning sunlight were nice touches too.

The morning was nice - we got up, had our coffee, and set to work on breakfast. Grits and bacon! And of course we had a conversation about fitness over breakfast. Afterwards we headed to the pier so my husband could fish. I suited up in my running gear to go check out the bike trail. There was a 6.5 mile trail and a .5 mile walking trail. I ended up on the .5 mile trail by accident, so I ran that and moved onward to where the 6.5 trail started. The trail was all forest. Some small hills, nothing too steep though. I caught some brief glimpses of the lake through the trees. The trail crossed over the main road several times. I made my way around the park, to the "primitive campsite" which looked to be a picnic shelter. Then I encountered a few more small hills and alot of pinestraw. Running on pinestraw kind of sucks, it's slippery and makes the trail hard to see. I meant for this to be a leisurely run,  but it's hard to turn off my "I wanna go fast!!!" switch. All of a sudden the trail abruptly ended in a ball field. I scanned the treeline to see if I could locate the rest of it, but I didn't see anything. I was really confused. So I started to run alongside the road. Saw an entrance to the trail again but it forked to the right, which was the direction I just came from. I wasn't sure if this would put me back on the same section of trail. So I just decided to run back towards the pier instead of risking getting lost - something I excel at! The run ended up being about 4 miles. I guess that's for the best because I didn't have a ton of energy anyway. But man did I feel great afterwards. Walked out onto the pier, popped open a beer (lime flavor!) and enjoyed my runner's high on the water. Easily among the best beers I've ever had.

Our day was filled with pier time - my husband was fishing but they weren't biting. I just loved being in the sun and around the water - with some music and beer. 

Me and the dog went swimming in the lake that evening. 

We got back to camp around 5 and prepared for dinner - and to head home. My husband couldn't possibly bear another night of sleeping around all those noisy people. He has trouble sleeping as it is so I don't blame him. So we packed our stuff while our fire got hot, ate dinner, then hit the road and got home around 8:30. But not before my husband snapped a picture of me !

I think the trip worked out nicely. Despite all the annoying people it was quite relaxing. I think our next camping trip might be Black Rock Mountain or something along those lines. This one wasn't really "for us" - the search continues!

Aside from that we've been doing nothing, running errands, had tasty food at Genghis Grill, and I did shoulders/triceps/back this morning. Oh and we watched Pain and Gain - the bodybuilder murderer movie! Good stuff.

Viking code

I'm getting used to this morning thing!! I'm 2 out of 3 for morning workouts this week. Planning on being up early for some strength training tomorrow morning.

It's definitely putting me in a much better mood. I'm much cheerier and there's more of a "spring in my step"

Spartan Race posted in their blog about the Virginia Super. The title made me laugh - "Virginia - Home of THAT Course" Yes. It's like 3 months away. I'm scared. I'm just going to go climb a bunch of hills and pray. Next weekend I'll probably go do some hill training.

This weekend I won't be doing anything crazy. We're going camping up in South Carolina. I wanted to go to the mountains but the stars didn't align on that one. So instead we're going to go chill on a lake in SC. My husband can fish and I think there's even a running trail I can go bounce around on. I love camping so I'm really looking forward to it - sunshine, on the lake, trees everywhere, campfires, smores, and sleeping underneath the stars. These are the things I love!

So I found this little Viking themed message...

This is truly how I try to live my life. I feel it applies to fitness in a big way - because fitness is a way of life. So, this applies to both my fitness mentality and my everyday life.

"Strength is life - for the strong have the right to rule"
Fitness - You train to be stronger. Once you have become stronger, you are able to conquer your goals and reap the rewards of your work.
Life - I try my best to be strong in all situations. Things like fear, stress, sadness, criticism, and opposition can weaken our spirits. Be strong of heart and rise above it all. One day these things that used to hurt you will be like arrows bouncing off of a reinforced shield.

"Honor is life - for with no honor one may as well be dead"
Fitness - Cheating. Whether it's in a race or your own training - cheating harms others and yourself. A faster time is not worth sacrificing your integrity. At the end of the day you are truly cheating yourself. You will know deep down that you did not give it 100%.
Life - Being honorable in daily situations will pay off. Maybe not every single time, but each time you act with honor, you set a pathway for all future actions. Tell your spouse the truth about where you're going tonight. Return the wallet to the little old lady who dropped it. If someone did a better job than you at something, don't be a sore loser and congratulate them on a job well done. You will find that over time your good luck increases and you will gain more friends. A person without honor will find themselves all alone in life.

"Loyalty is life - For without one's clan one has no purpose"
Fitness - Embrace a healthy lifestyle. Don't think about it - just go out there and do it. Show up for your workouts, give them 100%, and feel awesome for the rest of your day. Think about what food you put in your mouth. Be LOYAL to your new lifestyle. But don't do all of this at the expense of alienating your friends and family. Go out and do stuff with them even if it takes away from training. Enjoy some good food with them. After all that hard work, these moments are well earned and will be even better.
Life - My advice - choose a small circle of solid family and friends. Don't invest in a relationship if you can't be loyal to that person. Be there for them in their time of need and depend on them during yours. Live out your life to the fullest with the ones you love.

"Death is life - One should die as they have lived"
Fitness - Live on the couch, die on the couch. But a body in motion stays in motion. So you're less likely to die early. Get out there and move. Go outside, run through the woods, feel the wind on your face and smell the flowers. And do epic shit. Go on adventures, see the sights and have a blast. You have been given a body and a life. Use them to have unforgettable experiences.
Life - In addition to physical activity, get the most out of life by taking any opportunity for happiness you can find. Be spontaneous sometimes. See and do as much as you can. Live each day intentionally, and never let yourself become a mindless zombie. Do the things that make you happy - that's what life is all about!


This is probably one of the few times you'll see me get into this much thought on my blog. But this is my philosophy and how I intend on living my life.

Parcour course - That time I got lost a whole bunch

It's Saturday. And what's a Saturday without a little adventure?

I investigated the Parcour trail on the base today. Above is the completely useless map. My run did not go like this at all!

I wasn't really sure what to expect. I just knew there might be "obstacles"

So there are these signs periodically around the trail. You're supposed to stop and do the exercise pictured on the sign. I ran past a wall from a Marine Mud Challenge from days past, but did not climb it - didn't think I should attempt that without someone else around just in case. As I entered the woods I ran high knees through some tires. Stopped at a few of the signs and did the exercises. Easy stuff. 

Came up to this thing. Lift the logs as pictured on the sign. I thought this was pretty cool. Not difficult though.

After this point things got interesting. The trail kept branching off and I took a few wrong turns. Once I was sure I was in the right place, the trail pretty much became nonexistent. Bushes, fallen logs, and trees were all over the place! It was obvious no one had taken care of the trail in many years. I felt like I was going bushwhacking instead of trail running. I prayed none of this stuff was poison ivy. At least 5 times I had to stop running to push aside a branch, climb over a tree, or simply just figure out which way to go.

This was literally the trail. I knew I was in the right place because I could barely see a white sign underneath all that mess. Also, wooden thing that used to be something.

  

I tried to go through this by going towards the left. But it eventually got to the point where there was no way to get through it and even be sure I was still on the trail. Since getting hopelessly lost in the woods wasn't on my agenda for today, I turned back and made my way back to the fork in the trail. At this point I was back on the main trail which was a wide dirt/sandy road. Came across some balance logs, but half of them were really old and rotten. So I hopped across the safe looking ones before running onward.

Back into the woods for more signs with exercises, a log that you had to hop over side to side, then I emerged onto the great sandy road. Running in sand is hard! But it's good for me.

And... Logs! The military loves their logs, apparently. These were the things I fell off of at Marine Mud Challenge, only they were covered in mud. However these logs were dry, so I had no problems today. The first 2 you could climb over, but the middle 2 were higher so I had to push myself up and roll over. Then there were 2 more small ones. I completed this twice.

Now for more sandy roads! And some hills! The road branched off SO many times. I would take one path, find a dead end, turn around, pick another - rinse and repeat 4 times. Eventually I found this

I've conquered alot of fears since I began my adventures over a year ago. Heights being one of them. But for some reason I still have a fear of balance beams. I've never been talented in this field. So I figured it was high time to Spartan up and make these logs my bitch. I chose the 2nd from the left log to be my buddy. The first time I got midway up and just froze. Ended up coming back down. I told myself I can't let some stupid logs get the better of me. So, attempt #2. Turned off my thoughts. My body knows what to do. So it did. I got to the top, but then hopped off. 3rd attempt - climbed up, got to the top, used my arm as a support, and climbed down. Then I climbed up and down 3 more times. It may seem a silly thing to fear, but I just do not like balance beams. But I faced it, and am now just a little bit stronger.

After the logs I got lost at least 3 more times. I kept hitting dead ends with every path I took, and all the right leading paths would have taken me back towards the woods with all the bushwhacking nonsense. So at this point I started trying to make my way back to my car. But not before - getting lost some more!

Made a wrong turn and found this. It was a really pretty view.

After crossing this path I went downhill and ended up in a clearing that looked like this.

Where the hell was I??? Was I still on the base? Really confused! Since there was no way out I went back the way I came...

I took the lefthand path that I should have taken before. And eventually it did lead me back, past both sets of logs, and to the main trail once again!

Done! 3+ miles (I stopped my watch a few times while I was bushwhacking/trying to figure out where the hell I was going)

This was a pretty cool experience. Still undecided on whether or not I'll be coming back here again. I was kind of hoping to find some climbing walls or ropes. But if I ever want practice at balancing or climbing over logs, or even running through sand, I can come back here! I now have a general idea of where to go (avoid the right half of the trail and stick to the sandy road) but I still would need to anticipate getting lost alot. 

After the run I walked around the PX enjoying my awesome post workout feeling. My husband showed up, we got breakfast, then went shopping for plants and some more marble rocks for landscaping. I actually had fun lifting the heavy bags of rocks. What have I become ... lol!

Soon I think we're gonna head to Mellow Mushroom, where I shall chow down on their awesome Jamaican chicken sandwich!

Too much

Well I've only been able to get in 2 workouts this week.

I ran on Monday
Strength trained Tuesday. That's where it went kinda bad.

I did way too much. I was shaking for like 30 minutes after I was done. Because it was a total body workout I have been sore all over since then, but my legs are just obliterated. It's been difficult to walk!

With this I have learned a very important lesson.

I shouldn't be trying to exhaust myself. Shouldn't be working so hard that I have no energy left at the end. That is not efficient. And now it's left me so I can't really do anything for 3 days. Also not efficient. I can't continue to train that way, I won't ever accomplish anything.


I have learned that I should feel "pumped", not exhausted at the end of my workout. Instead of trying to do too much too soon, I need to focus on a few movements and repeat them for a few weeks. Focus on good form and not rushing through them. Master those movements.THEN change it up. That's the only way I will learn and get good at this.


I swear one day I will be good at strength training ... lol!

Tomorrow I should be better and will do 1 of 2 things - either hill running or the obstacle course on the base.

It's too early...

Today marks my return to early morning training! Game of Thrones got it wrong - SUMMER is coming.

I really struggled to motivate myself this morning. Last week I had intended to start morning training and slept in TWICE. So this morning I fought with that little voice in my head telling me to go back to dream land. I told myself "What excuse do I have to NOT get up and run? Seriously - what legitimate excuse do I have?" None. So up I got.

I ran so slow. And I felt like I was running fast. Normally I start out at an 8:45 pace, look down at my watch and make myself slow down to about a 9:00 so I don't tire out. Well today when I looked at my watch it said 9:45. Ugh. My legs felt like noodles. There was just no energy in my muscles. I did get a little faster at the end, getting down to a 9:15 minute mile. Still - much slower than running the same route during the daytime. I might need to eat something first. Think I'll try half a banana before my workout and see if that helps. This also might just be one of those things I need to get used to. And I will get used to it in time - morning training is my new reality. Even strength training will be done in the morning, because it's much simpler to wake up at the same time every day.

But I'm glad I got my workout in already - I'll feel good all day, I have some extra time to sit here and type this before I go to work, and I'll have more free time in the afternoon. There are advantages to morning training - all I have to do is get past the mental barriers and make myself do it on a regular basis!

Yoga sunday

This morning I did a yoga session. I used to do yoga every Sunday (or nearly every Sunday) but lately I've fallen out of the habit. It's probably been a good 3 months since I've done yoga. And I know how badly my rigid, inflexible self needs yoga.

Well I'm happy to report that I did really well for being so out of practice. I have not lost what little flexibility I had before, and it would seem my strength and endurance has actually improved. My body was pretty stiff from not having done much yoga or flexibility work, so this really helped to loosen everything up. To be clear - this yoga workout is NO joke. It's the original P90X "Yoga X" - 1.5 hours of Ashtanga yoga. Very fast moving and intense stuff. I felt really strong the whole time, aside from Twisting Triangle and Right Angle poses - those 2 are hard for me, and Right Angle is just not fun for my right hip. I gave it my all during this workout and it felt wonderful. The amount of sweat coming off of me was ridiculous. Partly because I haven't installed a ceiling fan in my gym room yet. I was able to make it through the winter without a fan and just opening the window, but a ceiling fan is gonna have to happen within the next month or so.

Oh, and I'm getting closer to being able to do Crane pose - one of my 14 in 14 goals!

My stupid tight hip feels much better after all that. Hopefully a once a week yoga session will fix whatever's wrong with it.

After yoga I talked to my dad and some of my relatives - he's up in Cincinnati visiting his brother and sister - then went out for a walk and enjoyed the beautiful day. I feel very accomplished, and fully content to be lazy for the rest of the day!