At Home Workouts

For the past week I have been trying to get back into my workout routine after more than a month off. It hasn't been easy. My muscles are sore from things that normally wouldn't phase them. While I am really wanting to get back into the gym and lift heavy, I have managed to create a few challenging workouts that I can do at home. 

I don't have any weights heavier than #25 at home so I have upped the difficulty by performing many of the exercises on my stability ball, or at least in a position that is unstable and requires me to recruit more muscles to stabilize myself. The result is a great workout that leaves me feeling like I did some good hard work.

#1

This was a good workout for my first day. I could have probably done more - heavier weights or an extra set.

10 reps of each, 4 sets

Goblet Squat #15

Pushups with shins on the stability ball

Skullcrushers on ball #10

Overhead presses on ball #10

Pullups, 3 or so per set

30 second plank

Burpees

#2

Holy crap. A leg and back breaker! 

10 reps of each, 4 sets

Single leg Romanian Deadlift #15 (had to downgrade to 10's by the fourth set)

Bicep curl on ball #15 (in a low sit, with lower back resting against the ball)

Rows from Plank #15

Ball Crunch

Push Ups with shins on stability ball

Front and Lateral Raises #10

Burpees

#3

A great all over workout. I'm having fun practicing snatches!

10 reps of each, 4 sets

Ball Bench Press #15

Ball Arm to Leg Pass (for the abs)

Dumbbell Snatch (practicing these) #15

Bicep curl on ball #15 (in a low sit, with lower back resting against the ball)

Goblet Squat #20

Ball Skullcrushers #15

Burpees

I am about to head out to my first day at the new job! Excited, nervous, hoping it is a smooth first day... !

Wow, that was fast!

So I've been in my new house for a couple weeks now. All moved in, our services are set up and house repairs are complete for the most part. That means - time to start job hunting!

This week I spent some time recreating my resume to fit my new profession. I figured since I don't have a job/obligation at the moment, and this is a profession based on putting yourself out there and trying to forge new relationships... why not just go around to some gyms and introduce myself? That's essentially what trainers do all day long - approach strangers, introduce themselves and try to sell their services.

Yesterday I went on my mission around noon. The targets were -

Lifetime Fitness - Very nice gym in my area that has TONS of services. It's a wellness destination really - all the gym amenities, 2 pools, spa, cafe, hair salon, and probably more stuff that I'm forgetting. They are not hiring until January, said they would call me.

Gold's - My second choice because I'm familiar with Golds, worked out there in Augusta and liked the fact that it was "down to business" - it's not flashy or gimmicky, just a good place to go work out. This Gold's was not as nice as Augusta's - smaller, treadmill and elliptical dominated with not much of a free weight area that I could see. Hell, half of the entry way was taken up by tshirt stands and other stuff they were selling, kind of a waste of space in a gym if you ask me. The manager seemed like he was ready to hire me, he said they needed trainers especially a female. He said to go and apply on the website and then he'd get me in for an interview (he was in the middle of a training session otherwise he said he would have done it on the spot) I left feeling pretty good about it.

Anytime Fitness - Found one near me so decided to give it a shot. It was in the lower level of a townhouse complex which was weird to me. Again not hiring until early next year after they complete an expansion. Manager seemed interested but asked if I had a "niche", so maybe he was looking for someone who isn't newly certified like me. Still, very nice and said he'd keep me on file.

At this point I was feeling pretty confident about Gold's being the one for me so I almost didn't even go to my fourth place because it was in another city, but I decided to go anyway just to have more possibilities on the table. The last gym was Fitness 19, a smaller-chain gym I was not really familiar with but I found it during my internet research and it seemed like a good place. Walked in and met the manager, and we instantly hit it off. We sat down at his desk for an "interview" but really we were just talking about stuff. He told me about the packages available to the members and how training works. Asked me a few things about myself and my resume but not anything technical. He said some of the staff would assist me with learning how to sell training. The hours are very flexible too. He invited me to the staff meeting next Saturday and said I could start Monday! I was pretty stunned, only an hour and a half and 4 gyms and here I am with a job? I'm excited, I think I've found the right place for me because everyone there seems like a big family. This was definitely a personality hire, the manager is super friendly and laid back. He said I have the right kind of energy and that is what is important to him.

So on Monday at 3 I'm going in to get started. He penciled me in to work split shifts for now (morning, go hom for a few hours then come back) so I could get an idea of how the gym functions during its peak times. I told him I prefer mornings but wouldn't be opposed to the idea of working evenings since that's prime time.

I'm nervous as this is a whole new type of job in a whole new field. What if I'm bad at it? What if I don't know enough? I keep telling myself that the staff seems supportive and I don't think they'll just throw me into the fire on the first day. They'll probably spend some time showing me how they do things. I shouldn't worry this much!

A new chapter begins for me. This is such an awesome opportunity, for the first time in my life I'll be doing a job that actually helps other people. No more sitting behind a desk helping some corporation make a buck. Yes, I'll be helping a corporation make a buck but in doing so I will be enriching and even transforming the lives of others. I'm really excited to see where this takes me.

Maryland - The Beginning

Well, here I am. Posting from my new home in Columbia Maryland. It hasn't quite been a month since we left our home in Georgia but so much has happened since then. Living in a hotel for 2 weeks while we furiously tried to find a house. It's hard up here. Lost out on 3 houses before we got this one. I'm happy we were able to secure a place after so many failures... and just in time for Thanksgiving, sure as hell didn't want to spend that in a hotel.

We ended up in a pretty nice house and it's in Columbia... So many running trails here! It's definitely not Georgia. But it's not bad, I expected it to be very metropolitan but it's really not. There are alot more large office buildings and huge townhome complexes than I'm used to. I am also not used to having so many amenities around me. Just 2 minutes from my house are 2 shopping centers with pretty much everything I could want (DICKS SPORTING GOODS.) and there's also a huge mall in a nearby city that just blew my mind. One of the biggest malls I've seen, Casino, Medieval Times, Dave and Buster's, a super tasty brewery/restaurant, plus an Egyptian themed movie theater that looks like something you'd see in Vegas. I'm not used to stuff like this, haha. One day I took a trip to Annapolis because my bank was located there - it's very much like my hometown (that's Williamsburg, VA) in the sense that everything is very colonial and historic, except it's on the water and it's way harder to drive there. Yet despite all the "stuff" there are enough areas "without stuff" to appeal to this nature loving girl's heart. My neighborhood is quiet with plenty of mature trees, plus the network of trails throughout Columbia! This is a huge reason why I wanted to live here. I have also heard tell of Patapsco Valley State Park - supposedly it has 170+ miles of hiking trails. Yeah buddy. Only problem is it doesn't open till 9am. Unacceptable, I am out there by at least 7am in the summer. Then again, that was in South Carolina. Praying it doesn't get that hot here.

I already went out to explore the neighborhood trails a couple days ago, for my first run in over a month! The time off has been noticeable. It was not fast or long - somewhere in the 2 mile ballpark, really the purpose of it was just to make a comeback and to explore the trails. There are alot of turn offs that lead into various neighborhoods. I think I found the long segment that will allow me to go for longer runs, so when I go back out tomorrow I will take that path and see where it leads. Running and obstacle racing have made me quite adventurous. These days I don't worry about which path to take, I just kind of say "hey, let's go this way and see what's over here!" and use my memory and sense of direction to find my way back. I do always have my phone just in case of the highly likely event I do end up getting lost. My pepper spray is coming with me at all times. I don't know this area, all I know is it ain't Grovetown Georgia because there are definitely some shady looking characters around these parts.

Today I used my new gym room for my first strength session in over a month.

My beloved weights on the right side... desk is for water/phone/towel/etc, laptop for videos, red chair is mainly for dips, pull up bar, box full of jump ropes, ab wheel, resistance bands, etc. and a balance board! There's also a stability ball not pictured.

I finally have a closet where I can put all my fitness crap! In my old house it was split between several rooms, but now I have all my foam rollers, scale, BMI/BF meter, gym bag, the Camelbacks, pillow, yoga mat/block!

Today was largely a stability strength workout. Best to challenge my neuromuscular system after all the time off instead of trying to lift hard

10 Goblet squats
10 Push ups with feet on the ball
10 Overhead presses on ball
10 Skullcrushers on ball
3 Pullups
30s Plank
10 Burpees

Repeat x4

I also have a sweet space to display all my medals!

There's a big curtain rod that spans the length of our game room, so I used part of it for medal display! The medal rack has some of my more "challenging" pieces

Then on the shelf I have all my foam toys from Spartan Race, Warrior Dash fuzzy helmet, plus all the headbands and other non-medal trinkets I've collected! I have been wanting to display all this for awhile so I'm really happy I was finally able to get this set up.


So that's about where things stand right now. Getting settled in and ready to begin the next crazy adventure..

Priority Shift

I'm afraid I won't be around for awhile because I have alot of stuff going on over the next several weeks

We're moving on Friday... yikes...

I have still not warmed up to the idea of this surprise move. I love Georgia. We made our home here under the idea that we'd be living here for quite a few years. So I guess mentally I had really begun to settle in. Also I'm not thrilled about the idea of Maryland. I've never lived in the north, and while it's only one state above my home state, I am just not keen on the idea. Traffic. Townhomes. People everywhere. Quite possibly rude people at that. No thanks, I need the country. Although, our realtor has managed to find us quite a few homes with nice outdoor spaces and shady trees, so the odds of us feeling "at home" are pretty good. Besides, my time as a military spouse taught me to find the positives in every new location. There will be positives in this one too.

New state AND a new career. It's gonna be crazy..

So as you can imagine I've been quite busy with preparing for the move. We have several home projects going on and need to get rid of the junk we don't want to bring with us. All while maintaining a semi clean home for showings to prospective tenants.

My bum left leg is also angry with me after the Spartan races. I have resolved to get it checked out by a doctor ASAP once I get my new insurance. My healthcare and job situations here made it kind of impossible to get it looked at so I was putting it off. But now it's gotten to the point where I need to figure out what's going on. Between this and the fact that we are moving next weekend and my husband wants to make a quick stop in our hometown to see family - I had to cancel my registration for Rock N' Roll Savannah. Grrrrr. I really wanted to run this. But thank god for purchasing the cancellation insurance so I can get a refund.

I guess I'm kind of taking a hiatus on running and the gym until we get to our new place. Once I get there I'm gonna get back to it ASAP because I don't want to lose too much fitness. But for the next couple weeks I have other things I need to focus on.

Oh, I do have a few official pics from Spartan..

Spartan Super - fire jump!

Spartan Super - Bucket carry

Super - Sandbag carry

Spartan Beast - Sandbag carry

I didn't have a bucket pic from the Beast and my fire jump picture was stupid looking. 

Anyway... guess that's all for right now. My next post will probably come from my new home....

I'm a Certified Personal Trainer!

As if I didn't already have enough going on in my life... today I took my NASM Certified Personal Trainer exam...

I passed!


Holy hell. The 2 minutes it took for the test administrator to go in the other room and get my results were excruciating. Then he came out and when he said "Congratulations" I almost collapsed in relief.

It's a hard exam. Especially for someone like me who has zero education in fitness and human movement science. I passed the practice exam a few weeks ago but not by much, so I was not totally confident in my ability to pass the real one. Today I was sitting there feeling confident on the first few questions, but the deeper I got into the exam the more I wasn't sure about. I took my time and went back through it once before submitting to double check and to readdress the tougher questions. By the end I was really sweating bullets, not sure if I had enough of the questions right to get a passing score. They don't tell you what your score was or what questions you get wrong, which irks me a bit because I am the type who wants to know what I got wrong so I can study it more. But hey, the important thing is I passed!

My only gripe is this - I purchased E Teach which is the 8 week online course where the instructors give you study guides, instructional videos on the chapter contents as well as demonstrations of all the exercises and stretches in an actual gym. There are discussion questions and quizzes too. All of this is based around the information that will be on the exam. Certain things that are in the book are omitted from E Teach, and as you go through it they say things like "You only need to know *blank* for the exam" Well, there were definitely some questions on there that were not covered in E Teach. I glanced over the material a bit during my reading but didn't devote much time to it because it wasn't covered in E Teach, and E Teach kept saying "This is all you need to know for the exam"  So - Study everything!!!
That being said - I would totally recommend E Teach for someone who is brand new to personal training. As I said I had zero experience in this field, or anything remotely related to it, so I can tell you right now there is no way I would have passed if I were just left to study the book on my own. The book is very dry and science-y. I appreciated the real instructors who explained everything in easy to understand terms. The book has pictures of all the exercises but seeing videos of them done in real time along with explanation of proper technique was so much more helpful for me. The discussion questions and quizzes kept me on point - I consistently got good grades so I knew I was headed in the right direction, versus studying all by myself and having no clue how well I am learning it all. The one thing I wish they would have added was maybe some practice on creating programs for clients.
I would say that someone who has a stronger background in this field may not need E Teach, but I sure as hell did.

Even with E Teach you still have to study your ass off. I devoted 1-2 hours every weeknight, sometimes an hour on Saturdays, and finished my assignments on Sunday.
Here are some study techniques that helped me

• They love their tables! For each area I struggled with I made copies of the tables in the book so I could have portable, easily accessible study material
• Memory techniques. Associate a key term with something that sounds like/reminds you of the words in the key term. For example..
• Abduction - To Abduct means you're taking something AWAY - Abduction is moving AWAY from the body
• Dorsiflexion - My husband is brilliant. He said "When you point your toes in the air, what does it look like? A Dorsal fin!"
• Plantarflexion - "Plant" your feet on the ground!
• Endomysium - it's the deepest layer of muscles - therefore it is the "End" of all the layers!
• Having someone quiz you. Practice assessments on them!
• When you're in the gym or even just going about your day, think about what is happening in your body during each movement.
• Flash cards
• Acting out various movements in front of a mirror (adduction, abduction, internal/external rotation, flexion, extension, etc) Quiz yourself - what muscles are shortening/lengthening when you perform each movement?
• Print out a chart of the muscles in the human body for easy reference
• For the acute variables I recognized similarities so I had to memorize less. They don't always change even when the type of training changes. 
• When in doubt, just think about which answer makes the most common sense.

I took the exam in Thomson, GA at the county airport. It's a small place but apparently they offer exam services ranging from personal training to post office. The test administrator said this is one of the hardest exams they offer and he doesn't see too many people pass. So I feel pretty damn awesome to have passed it!

I'm officially a Certified Personal Trainer. Wow. Now the challenge really begins - finding a job and diving headfirst into a brand new career!

SC Spartan Super/Beast

Well, I just returned from the craziest frickin weekend of my life...

This will be a long post. Where do I even begin to sum up such an epic weekend?

I guess I should start here - A 12+ mile trail run with 25 obstacles seems intimidating to most people, right? Now add on top of that a 8+ mile trail run with 20 obstacles on the very next day. Yep. That's what I just did.

Ok. So the Spartan Beast was set for 10/25, and a few months back they decided to add a Super on 10/26. This meant I could get both races (and my trifecta) on the same weekend and not have to travel to Virginia for the Super. But... this also meant I had to do them back to back, and for someone who had never done either race before, the thought of it was pretty intimidating.

I ran with Team RWB - Lil' Sarge's Soldiers. Saturday I got up to Carolina Adventure World in Winnsboro, SC. Our mission - Complete the Beast and/or Super while carrying the flag through every obstacle. Our strategy was to take it slow and not run for time. The goal was survival. We were set to run at 12:15 which is later than we wanted but that couldn't be helped. Of course we stopped for a group pic...

The Beast - 12 Spartan miles (14 actual miles) and 25 obstacles

Eagles at the Beast! I'm in the middle wearing all black

I didn't wear my RWB shirt - it's too short on me. Went tactical for this race. 

So at 12:15 our journey begins. We set off through a wide and very dusty trail, ran for quite awhile before reaching some over/under walls and our first 6 foot wall. After this wall we ran into the woods and encountered hill after hill after hill. These trails are gnarly - steep, rocky, roots, hard packed dirt and clay, and just unrelenting hills. We were reduced to walking up most of these. Flat sections of the course were so rare but much appreciated. 

Just one of the many hills

Within mile 1 or 2 we hit the low lying woodsy area of the park. Here they had our barb wire crawl, which wasn't too rocky and the wires were not very low so you could be on your knees for alot of it. However we had alot of thick, nasty, stinky grey mud. The guy in front of me was super slow so I ended up laying in the mud for a long time. My ponytail got soaked and became a hard chunk of muddy hair for the remainder of the day.

Once out of the muddy barb wire crawl we went straight up a hill which was covered in the slippery mud that everyone else's shoes left behind. We climbed up and down more hills for quite awhile before reaching a balance beam that went over a small pit. I am no great balancer but took this slow and made it across. Back into the low lying swampy woods - down a giant hill where you had to slide on your butt and grab any tree limbs you could. A teammate almost stepped on a snake that was hidden among the leaves but someone alerted him to it's presence at the last second. We were back in the thick mud again. Our teammate Delaney took a step and was suddenly in waist deep mud! By some miracle my shoes stayed on and after what felt like an eternity of mud we started to make our way uphill and back out to another clearing. Tractor pull. Take a concrete block tied to a chain and take it up and down a huge hill. This was brutal. Downhill was difficult, uphill was a nightmare. I was doing ok until halfway up hill, I began to slow down as the block got stuck on every single bit of uneven ground. But I made it up and hit the well placed water station for some water and food. I took my Camelback with Skratch powder in my water, and ate Honey Stingers every few miles. 

Back into the hills - walking at this point because we were wiped out from that tractor pull. It wasn't long before we hit another upper body killer - the Atlas Carry. Pick up a giant stone ball, carry it to the flag, do 5 burpees, pick it up and come back. I believe the women's version weighed 72 lbs.

Some lady eagles doing the Atlas Carry

This was much easier for me than the first time I did this. Guess my training in the gym has paid off. 

Next was a tire drag. I guess they're getting better about the placement of these, because at the Georgia Sprint this was nearly impossible for me due to my tire being stuck in mud. This time our tires were all on dry ground so this wasn't too bad.

Tire drag, I'm in the black just getting up after finishing it

Not too long after this we hit the log hop obstacle. I suck at this thing so I had a helping hand to get me across. James stumbled during his, so as he was about to fall he nimbly saved himself by hopping onto the log in the next lane, then hopped back over to his own lane for an epic finish.

James at the log hop

After the logs we were maybe at about mile 5 and this was where the course started to circle back towards the festival area. This meant tons of obstacles bunched up together so the spectators could see. We rounded back towards the start line where some mud hills and water awaited us, followed by over-under-through walls. At the following water station the volunteers told us to dry our hands in the dirt because monkey bars were up next. Sure enough there they were, black paint coated bars of varying heights. I have some unholy gift for the monkey bars. I have never failed them and Saturday's Beast was no exception - made it! Unfortunately the traverse wall was right after it and I failed that. I don't have the hip flexibility and strength to cross it just yet. I also learned that I am not cut out for any type of medic job. At the Traverse Wall as I was waiting to cross it, all of a sudden I heard the most horrible blood curling scream. A guy dislocated his shoulder and was just screaming bloody murder. A medic was near and tended to him quickly but it kind of turned my stomach to watch him screaming in pain like that. Poor guy.

Monkey Bars and Traverse Wall, James gets creative with the flag

Next up in the onslaught of obstacles - the inverted wall. A wall that is at an angle pointing towards you, so getting over the top is the challenge. This thing was covered in mud and I started to slip off but some Eagles had my back and gave me a boost so I didn't fall. THEN we had the spear throw. So apparently now they have started attaching the spears to a rope and setting up a fence so you can't pass a certain point. This backfired on me horribly as the rope got caught under my foot when I threw the spear. Fail, burpees. But our gauntlet of back to back obstacles was over as we went back into the woods at mile 6. 

Inverted wall

Spears!

It wasn't long before we reached the sandbag carry down and up yet another massive hill. Alot of people cramped up at the top of this. In fact, past this point I saw dozens of people sidelined along the trail with calf cramps. I was fortunate this weekend and experienced zero cramps. This portion of the course was mostly trails, the hills weren't quite as steep as they were in the first half of the course but they were DUSTY. I was coughing and sniffling alot because of all the dust I was inhaling. We hit an A frame cargo wall, pretty easy but it shook around alot which made me wonder if the thing would suddenly collapse on us

Mile 9 or 10!

Jasmine took a bathroom break and almost stepped into a fire ant hill. Really gotta be careful on these trails. We set off for more trail running/walking for at least 2 more miles before we encountered the next obstacle - 7 and 8 foot walls. After the walls we were back out in the hot sun and dusty trails. Up next came an obstacle I had never done until now. The Bucket Carry. Fill your bucket with rocks and then carry it straight up a huge rocky hill then all the way back down and empty the bucket. In the hot sun. This. Freaking. Sucked. I have no pictures of it right now but just know that it was painful. I had to stop a few times for a break. Eventually I got it done and we plunged straight into some 50 degree water for a short swim. Screams were heard all around as racers entered the water. I just swam quickly and breathed deeply to avoid getting my body into a panicked state. It worked well and I actually felt nice and refreshed once my body got over the shock of the cold water. It was straight up a huge steep hill which was muddy from the water we just crossed. My energy was almost spent. My left leg and right ankle were hurting, and don't even ask me about how my feet were feeling. But this was mile 11 so the end was not far away. After crossing the final stretch of trail we approached the Hercules Hoist. A bag attached to a pully system and rope. Pull the rope until the bag reaches the top, then lower the bag back down slowly and you're done. They made this obstacle way easier! The bags used to be like 70+ lbs for women and now they are 45. Made an obstalce I'm already great at even easier.

Nasty Ass Molasses Mud Pit

Barb wire crawl

One of the final obstacles - a thick, soupy, nasty mud pit. This thing was like molasses. But it was hilariously fun to cross. After exiting this we were back in the festival and facing the rope climb. Ah, the rope climb. I have practiced this faithfully in the gym and can climb it pretty easily. At a Spartan Race? Not so much. This thing was so wet and muddy I could barely climb it. I made it up the first knot and that was it. But at least I have made progress because I couldn't climb it at all before now. This point of the race took awhile because we waited for everyone to cross these final obstacles so we could finish together. Next was the ladder climb, followed by a short barb wire crawl that was slightly uphill and filled with razor sharp rocks. Then it was just a matter of crossing the underwater wall, the slippery wall, and a very wide fire jump and we were across the finish line!

For a moment I could have cried. I just finished the Spartan Beast. Shawn wore a GPS and said this course came in at over 14 miles and 9,000 feet of uphill AND 9,000 feet of downhill. 

That night I met my husband in Blythewood where we were staying - he was supposed to come meet me at the finish line but his GPS messed up and he got lost. So instead we ate at some Carolina Wing place and then headed to the hotel to rest up and prepare for tomorrow. I was so glad he was there with me for emotional support.

The Super - 9 Spartan Miles (10.5 actual miles), 20 obstacles

I'm not going to go into a exact play by play of the Super because it's the same course, only some mileage and 3 obstacles were cut out. I woke up feeling sore but not as bad as I had anticipated. However it was clear by the first wall that this was gonna be way harder than the previous day. Here's basically what happened. Our teammate Giselle had a knee injury that was bothering her even at mile 1 of the Super. Most of the group went on ahead but me, Jasmine, and Mike stuck with Giselle. She said it hurt most going downhill, so at a point where 2 points of the course intersected she decided to skip ahead and wait for us. We said ok but then as we went forward we realized we were heading away from where we left her, and that the course wasn't going to double back that way and that she must have gone backwards instead of forward. So at the first water station we told the volunteers to go look for her. Jasmine and Mike told me to go on ahead so they could wait for her and then catch up to me. After awhile I realized I was going to be alone for this whole race. But then at mile 3 Giselle was sitting there, apparently she found a way to skip ahead and said now she was going to wait for the other 2 because they had to come back that way. So after being sure she wanted me to leave her behind to wait I moved onward.

I tackled the same obstacles and knew exactly what was in store for me this time around. The fatigue really set in after the Tractor Pull which was just brutal on my already tired and sore body. After that point I pretty much walked the whole race. I figured since I had the 3 teammates behind me there was no rush for me to finish. I felt much weaker on the second day. This time I needed 2 people to help me cross the log hop! I also experienced a first time failure yesterday. The Monkey Bars. An obstacle I have been so proudly able to complete finally claimed me yesterday, and my failure came at a price because it left me with 2 open blisters on my right hand. I got halfway across when I went to reach for a high bar and just barely missed it. However this time I had no trouble with the inverted wall. Missed Traverse Wall and Spear Throw again. I became very chatty with strangers on the course to try and keep my mind from going to a dark place. My right hip and bicep were hurting badly. I was alone and starting to question why the hell I was doing this, so I found that socializing was my way of keeping myself going. At least I had help when I needed it, although one guy who seemed really eager to help me grabbed my butt when he helped boost me over the 8 foot wall. It wasn't a grope but it was still a little weird. The Bucket Carry reared its ugly head again at mile 8. This damn thing sucked the life out of me but I got it done. I got in the 60 degree water, trudged painfully up the hill following it, and as I approached the home stretch I distantly heard the song my husband and I danced to at the Army Ball playing back at the festival. I sang along to keep me going. The big nasty mud pit was hilarous once again as everyone slopped their way through. It actually hurt my muscles to try and move through this ridiculously thick mud. Once out of it I passed through the final obstacles, sprinted over the fire jump and crossed that finish line to earn my final Blue medal...

Trifecta Complete

It was brutally awesome. There were many times when I laughed and a few when I almost cried. I gave it my best and won!

I was surprised to find my entire team waiting for me at the finish line. Apparently the 3 that were behind me cut the course and finished earlier than anticipated. Which was for the best really because Giselle was hurting with that injured knee. But it was all good - we all made it, some of us earned Trifectas, and we celebrated at Red Robin before I made the trek home.

This weekend was amazing. This experience has taught me that anything is possible if you have the willpower. I learned that as long as you're putting one foot in front of the other, as long as you KEEP GOING, even when you think you can't, just keep going and you WILL finish. These races teach us much about our own strength and about life in general. That we can accomplish great things if we realize that most of it is a mental game and that we just have to ignore the voice in our head that tells us to quit.

I finished 2 tough courses with the ever so awesome Team RWB of SC/GA. Would I do a Beast and Super back to back again? If you asked me yesterday the answer would have been NO. But today I am saying "Probably!"

It's SuperBeast Time

It's the night before Spartan Beast. I'm feeling super nervous 'yall...

Heading up to SC tomorrow morning. The husband shall join me that night at the finish line. 24 hours from now I (pray) I will have finished the Beast. I am estimating my finish time around 5pm but god only knows how long this might take me. I'll have my Eagles out there with me and I know there will be a group of us that's gonna take it pretty slow and not go for time. I think we're even gonna run with the American flag.

I'm starting to have doubts about my ability to do this.
I guess my biggest fear is that my upper body strength will just absolutely fail me after so many miles and I'll be falling off of obstacles left and right and have to suffer in burpee hell.
My other biggest fear is the Super. Getting through the beast is one thing, because if it was just the beast then I could just not care about how exhausted I am because at the end of the day I'm done. But no, I was insane enough to sign up for the Super on the following day and will be trudging my battered and bruised body through an 8 mile 20 obstacle course on Sunday. I have no idea how I'm gonna be able to do all those obstacles with the pain and soreness from the Beast. All I can do is bring all my compression gear, epsom salts, foam rollers, ice bags, and ibuprofen and just do my best to recover.


I've just got to keep telling myself that thousands before me have done it. Those who are in worse shape than I am have done it. Overweight, missing limbs, on crutches, wheelchairs, etc. I am able bodied. I'll have Eagles at my back. And I'll have FUN! Somewhere in the midst of all the suffering I will delight in the fact that I'm getting through it all with my friends. I can do this. It just ain't gonna be pretty...

This weekend, this medal is going to make some new friends. 2 shiny, green and blue friends.

It's coming with me on the course so once it's all over I can whip this sucker out, and BLAM! Trifecta.

So. Time to suck it up and get ready for one hell of a crazy adventure!

Time's winding down

Well... I am one week out from the SuperBeast. My feelings right now can best be described as equal parts panic and excitement.

Panic? Hell yes. 13+ miles, 25 obstacles. Longer than any event I have ever done. Battlefrog was 9 miles and probably about the same number of obstacles, but this is Spartan we're talking about. THEN the very next day I am going after the Super - 8+ miles and 20 obstacles. I don't know how the hell I am gonna do this. My goal is simply to finish both races... and earn my first ever Trifecta! I am excited to tackle a beast though - and see if it really does live up to all the hype. Plus I'll be running with some Eagles! I'm on the RWB team for both days. It's been several months since my last OCR (which was Battlefrog) so I'm really itching to get out there again. I didn't strength train much at all until now. This will be my first test to see how my performance on obstacles improves.

Speaking of strength training..

Fail.

I did waaayyy too much on Tuesday and have been suffering from some pretty severe DOMS since then. I think tomorrow it will be 100% gone so I can go out for a trail run, but it's pretty much been all rest since Tuesday because I thoroughly whupped my own ass.

I did however go and get my CPR/AED card in Atlanta yesterday

I need this to take my CPT exam - which is on the 30th. Trying to cram in some studying here and there. We have alot going on with the upcoming move - set for approximately November 7th (the day before RNR Savannah). We have alot going on in the next couple weeks - potential renters coming to look at our house, party at our house, yard work, cleaning/purging, house work, moving.. A whirlwind of stuff is about to happen over the next 3 weeks!

Ambitious

At long last I have returned to my special place...

It's been way too long. I missed you.

Ever been away from the gym for a few weeks, get super excited about going back and make a crazy ass workout routine because you were all like "I wanna learn how to do this" or "Oh, I wanna try that!!" So you end up trying to do way too much on your first day back to the gym?

Yeah.

Here's what I planned for myself.

Rope climbing (I always start with this)

Step up single leg curl to overhead press 10 reps, 3 sets

Push ups to failure - 3 sets

Assisted pull ups on the machine - Wanted to work on full range of motion

Kettlebell Renegade Row - 12 reps, 3 sets

Front Squats - 10 reps, 3 sets

Strict Push - 10 reps

Push Press - 10 reps

Push Jerk - 10 reps

Deadlift - 10 reps, 3 sets

25 burpees

Leg raises on the pull up bar - 12 reps

Back extensions

Here's what it actually looked like ...

Rope climbing (I always start with this) - 2 rope climbs, 1 of each type

Step up single leg curl to overhead press 10 reps, 3 sets - I underestimated these. 15 lbs dumbbells Only did 2 sets, 1 for each leg

Push ups to failure - 3 sets - Did these with my chest as close to the ground as possible. Looked something like 15 reps, then 10, then 7

Assisted pull ups on the machine - Wanted to work on full range of motion - Found that 60 lbs was a good weight

Kettlebell Renegade Row - 12 reps, 3 sets  The KB's at my gym are made of rubber and don't have a very flat bottom so they kind of wobble around. Makes it very hard to do these. Did 60 lb on the cable row instead, 3 sets of 10

Front Squats - 10 reps, 3 sets - Did these with just the bar because I had never done front squats before.

Strict Push - 10 reps - Just the bar, still learning

Push Press - 10 reps - Just the bar, still learning

Push Jerk - 10 reps- Just the bar, still learning

Deadlift - 10 reps, 3 sets - 60 lbs. My legs were hurting bad by this point, contemplated skipping these all together

25 burpees  I was way too tired for anything else at this point

Leg raises on the pull up bar - 12 reps

Back extensions

Not going to the gym in 3 weeks made me lose more fitness than I thought it would. Even when I was making up that workout I knew it was too ambitious. But when you haven't been to the gym in awhile, and you sit around reading about workouts on the internet, it's really easy to get way too eager to get back into everything you've been missing out on. And you end up going beyond your capabilities.

It's ok though, no one got hurt. I'm just tired. I'm already sore. But it's awesome. 

Back to normal?

My motivation is finally returning. I had a bum couple of weeks due to being sick and then finding out we're moving to another state (again). Never in my 2 years of being active have I struggled so much to keep my motivation. But in the end I just made myself do it, and now it seems I am falling back into my routine of consistent exercise.

First on Thursday I got to attend another Cross fit WOD plus a mobility class. The mobility class focused on the shoulders. My favorite part was using a resistance band wrapped around a pole and moving at a 90 degree angle to activate the posterior deltoids. This felt absolutely amazing. My upper back and shoulders have been bothering me lately - a combination of my stupid desk job and not working out for 2 weeks. After the mobility class my shoulders felt different. Almost like they were back in the right place. 

We worked on strict press, push press, and push jerk. The hardest part is mastering the coordination really. But we made some big improvements and I will probably work on them in the gym this week. The WOD was 1 minute of each - rowing, crunches on an ab mat, push ups, pull ups. Short and simple.

Saturday morning was the following workout done at my house

.5 mile run, 10 burpees, 5 pull ups, 15 crunches, 30 seconds plank. Repeat 6 times. Yeah, it's a good one.

Yesterday I didn't feel like going for long run. So I didn't. Instead I did 1.5 hours of yoga. 

I also took my NASM practice exam yesterday. I passed - but not by much. This is one of the more difficult certifications out there with maybe a 60% pass rate, so I guess I should be happy I passed the practice test on the first try. But I wish I had gotten a better score. At least now I know what I need to work on. I am still struggling with memorizing everything about assessments and learning all the muscles. I also didn't really review the chapter on communication because it's common sense stuff, but the questions ended up being really specific. I should be ok - I'm going to study more and take more practice tests to be better prepared for the real thing. I will only get better from here so theoretically I should pass it.

That's all for now. Hoping this week will be a bit kinder to me..

And the journey continues

This week has shown me that life is always full of crazy. Just when you think things are getting back to normal something comes way out of left field and shakes you up.

My husband got out of the military about a month ago and got a job offer for a great position here in Georgia. Well, that all fell through on Monday. They won't have anything available for 4-6 months. However they have plenty of vacant and guaranteed positions in Maryland.

............

Yeah we're moving again. Not much of a choice really, this is a lead position in his dream field. Pays very well too. Needless to say I didn't think we'd have to pick up and move again. The possibility was always there, but we figured he would be able to find something here. Alas, it is not to be.

I don't want to move. It's always stressful, plus this time we have to find a renter for the house we bought. Plus I like Georgia. I don't wanna leave the south, I have never lived anywhere north of VA before. But the good news is we will be closer to family in VA. I hear that some areas are nice and I have heard there are a lot of running trails... So maybe it won't be too horrible up there.

Checklist - put in 2 weeks at work (YESSSS), go to Atlanta this weekend to take my CPR AED course, take my practice exam, sign up for my real exam which will take place at the same time all this moving crap is going on. There's tons to do by mid November.

My motivation to work out is dead right now. I just have so much going on and it's draining my energy. I really need to get my crap together and just DO IT. I have Spartan super and beast in two weeks, then Rock and Roll Savannah. Shockingly, I am not signed up for any other races so there's no transfers or lost money to worry about.

I'm gonna miss Georgia. I really thought we were gonna live here long term. But this is our crazy (post) military life and it's taking us to new places once again. It's a whole new adventure.

The Color Run (and FATS 50k???)

So I finally did one of those silly color runs...

Color Run is one of those things you do only if your friends are going. When I saw that Team RWB was going I figured why the hell not, gives me another chance to hang out with these guys. They had special shirts made for us!

The shirts are clean and pretty... for now...

We picked up our race bags (This run has some awesome swag! Nice shirt, headband, bracelet, temporary tattoo, and even a neat little shoulder bag!)

They had a UNICORN.

Not a whole lot to say really - the race starts, you run, and every so often they have these color stations where people take what is basically a mustard squeeze bottle full of colored powder and squirt it at you. We hit green, then orange, blue, and pink. The last 2 gave me the most color. We ran most of it at an easy pace, but we were stopping for pictures and just goofing off really. This thing isn't a race - it's not even timed. 

At the end they had a bubble machine (!!!) and confetti, then they give you a color packet and if you go up to the stage there's a countdown where everyone in the crowd throws their colors into the air at once. This experience was a little nuts. All I saw was just green everywhere. Dense green smoke which eventually turned greyish as all the colors blended together. It took like 30 seconds for it all to settle and was hard to breathe in. We stayed in for another round and then left. 

It's a fun little race where you can be silly and goof off. Lots of music, color, confetti and sparkly things! Alot of people are dressed up in rainbow-y things and silly costumes. 

Definitely wear white, wear sunglasses to keep the dust out of your eyes, and come prepared with baby wipes and towels. You won't be able to clean off completely without a shower, so do the best you can with your hands and face and then just put a towel over your car seat and head home. I came out looking like Kermit the Frog, but I was able to get the majority of it off after a good shower. It came out of my shirt too. 

So because the Color Run consumed my Saturday morning, I went out for my trail run this morning. Trouble was, I was sick all last week and didn't get any gym time or running in. I wanted to do 7 or 8 miles but I was actually pretty miserable since I'm still congested. It was hard to breathe, constantly sniffling and snot running down my face. Oh, and I also kind of wandered into the middle of a race. When I showed up at FATS the parking lot was FULL. This never happens! There was a tent, tables, water jugs, and a timer at the trailhead. But no one was there which was weird. I realized this must be the FATS 50k I read about a few weeks ago. They had no smaller distance option so I did not sign up. I hate it when a race is happening while I'm just trying to run (second time this has happened to me) because the volunteers keep trying to direct you and cheer you on - thanks, but I'm only running like 6 miles dude. Still, a pretty decent 6.5 mile run out there today.

I can't wait to get back to the gym tomorrow, seems like it's been an eternity. One reason or another has kept me out, but no more!!! Those weights better be ready!

28

Today's my birthday!

I celebrated turning 28 on the 28th by running 2.8 miles this morning.

You win, OCD.

It was kind of a hard run for such a slow pace. Last night's celebrations were still on my stomach, plus I ran these miles within 30 minutes of waking up on no food or coffee!

But it was very pretty this morning. I was born during the best time of year - everything is still green and in bloom but the temps are perfect

Euchee Creek!

28 will be a better and stronger me! I am undetaking my big career change this year which I am nervous about, but I'll be really happy to get out of what I am doing now and into something I love. 28 will also be many more races. More miles, faster miles, more lifting, and more trying new things!

What else to say? I haven't really been on my blog for awhile. In a bit of a fitness slump right now but I'm gonna hit it full steam this week.

I did manage to get my butt outside for the first long-ish? run in about a month. 6 miles on the Skinny trail. It was a perfect run. Felt great, weather was nice, and I paced myself very well. I took it easy because my leg is still messed up.

The beauty of FATS.

Last night we had my birthday dinner at Whiskey Bar Kitchen in Augusta. Had me a very potent drink plus many bad/delicious foods!  Maple chili waffle fries, I tried a Chili Pimento Cheese burger - pimento cheese is big around here. Then of course I had to go get some Boll Weevil cheesecake because it is the richest, most amazing cheesecake ever.

Part of the reason I haven't been active or on my blog lately is because last weekend I was in the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a little family visit! A much needed beach getaway. We saw our in laws and my parents even stopped by for a day.

New bar at our favorite fishing pier

Tomorrow it's back to reality and more training! The SuperBeast is less than a month away, I need to step it up and prepare myself as best as possible for this insane task. But for now... I'ma enjoy my birthday...

2 Year Anniversary

Well, it's about that time. My 2 year anniversary is here! 2 years ago I began my weight loss journey and started running.

In September of 2012 I was almost 200 lbs. I had just moved here to Georgia after spending a year without my husband due to the military. The weight had really crept on over the past year and I was feeling miserable. I hated the way I looked and felt. None of my clothes fit and I had a really hard time finding good fitting clothes from the brands I liked. Shortly after we moved here I saw my new doctor, who diagnosed me with PCOS after 6 years of unexplained problems that no other doctor was able to diagnose. It was time to begin a new life. Lose the weight once and for all, to help me look and feel better and also to control my PCOS.

I didn't put too much thought or anticipation into it. I just kind of started doing it. However, I did know that I needed to come up with a way to hold myself accountable for my results or else I would never lose weight and keep it off. My method was to weigh in every other Wednesday and set goal weights. This was before I knew how inaccurate the number on the scale can be, and that it's really better to take measurements and pictures. Still, I managed to make every goal or at least come close.

How did I do it? I started running. At the time I thought it was the best way to burn the most calories and get skinny. And it is to a degree, but now I know that you should supplement your running with weight training. But back then, pretty much all I did was run. I didn't think I needed to strength train to lose weight. So I started in the treadmills at the gym, running for as long and fast as I could, then taking a walk break. The walk breaks got shorter, then completely vanished, and after about 2 months I stepped off the treadmill and never returned. I ran outside no matter the weather. Then I started registering for 5k's. I worked on my 5k speed, then set my sights for the GRU 10k. Then I found Spartan Race. I began to delve into the world of strength training, simply using body weight and dumbbell exercises in my spare bedroom. Started working on our pullup bar. I added a Ashtanga yoga class about once a week.

Diet wise, my approach was to make gradual changes. I was eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I figured the reason so many people don't stick to healthy eating habits is because they do too much too soon. You can't just go from eating crap 24/7 to eating nothing but salads and expect to succeed. So instead of setting myself up for failure I changed 1 or 2 things here and there. I tried to use healthier swaps in cooking ingredients. I became mindful of how much sugar I was consuming (sugarholic to the core!!!) I still have alot of work to do in this area. My diet is far from perfect, I still succumb to some pretty terrible cravings (especially sugar!) but I am more mindful of what and how much I eat, and it IS easier to say no.

As part of celebrating my "2 year anniversary" I have decided to finally share my fatty pics along with pics of what I look like today. I'm in the same room, wearing the exact same clothing.

9/19/12. 196 lbs. Size 12.

9/16/14. 160-163 lbs. I haven't weighed myself in awhile. Size 6.

 My thoughts...
- I was so puffy!
- Runner's Tan.
- Face. Nuff said.
- Arms/shoulders. Getting there, noticing definition but I still have the bat wings. (Also, boobs are smaller, sadface.)
- Back, a little definition showing
- Stomach. The pouch is still ever present, but it's getting smaller. I have much more definition and much of the fat on the sides of my stomach is gone
- Butt/legs. I have a tiny butt and stork legs. There's so much more definition in my legs, knees, and calves.

It's crazy to look back on where I was and how far I have come. Most of my life I was inactive and didn't care a thing for fitness. Sure, I always did love the outdoors, but going running was NOT my idea of fun. I got addicted. To the way I feel after a great workout, how much better I feel throughout the day, the way I look and feel in my clothes, and just more confidence and overall happiness. I think what I love most is DOING stuff. Using my body to do some good old hard work. Testing my limits. Seeing what I'm capable of. I found obstacle racing - I can explore the outdoors, play like a kid, face my fears, crawl around in the mud, climb, carry, swim, push, pull, you name it. There's something so primal and satisfying about it. Plus, obstacle racing gave me the push to strength train harder, and now I have a new addiction - the gym. These past few months I've gone in there.. climbed ropes, lifted, pulled, pushed, burpee'd, plus thrown in some great stability and core work. I sweat alot and feel great.

And now, I'm in the process of changing careers. This journey has helped me discover a passion for fitness and I want to share it with others. I'm about halfway through my personal trainer certification class. By next year I hope to start a new career doing something I have grown to love. Next year I will accomplish so much more - in the gym, on the roads and trails, and on the race courses. And this time next year I will post more pics. Who knows what I might look like then?