30

Well here I am, 30 years old.

I have come a long way from where I once was. I was once alot more sheltered, introverted, and self conscious. Over the years I have worked in alot of different professions and environments, met all kinds of different people, traveled to and lived in new places. Each experience helped form who I am today. Running, lifting, and obstacle racing have been huge parts of that. 

I have been alot of things over the years. I never thought "athlete" would be one of them. It started with running, which led me to run road races, trail races, and eventually even obstacle course races. Then almost 2 years ago I went to the gym. I started walking into the weight room more. At first the goal was to supplement my obstacle racing and running goals. My training had no real rhyme or reason. Then over time I started picking up heavier weights. And I liked it - A LOT. Lifting made me feel like a badass, and that feeling translated to the outside of the gym as well as I became more confident in myself. My body changed - for the first time in my life I didn't have a pancake ass and my legs became tree trunks. This has taken some getting used to because I got bigger - but also stronger. After awhile my training became more focused around lifting heavy and challenging myself physically. Changing gyms happened about a year ago when I found a functional fitness gym that catered to my needs better and had the most amazing "family" who inspired me to push even harder. And here I am now, training 4 times a week and just doing whatever I can to improve myself.

Running has fallen by the wayside and so has racing. I am just not into it like I used to be. Sometimes I feel bad about abandoning running, the thing that first shaped me into an athlete. But I can't let myself feel guilty for pursuing a passion. Weightlifting gives me that feeling that running once did. As a taller, larger woman I have never been agile or fast. Team sports were never my thing, and there was that one time my mom signed me up for gymnastics... yeah. With running I got ok, but I knew I wasn't cut out for endurance running. As a child I was good at swimming and even then had alot of upper body strength. I have muscle power and endurance. I can crush weights in the gym for HOURS. It's like this sport was meant for me. 

I am a weightlifter. What direction I will go with it, I'm not really sure. I will probably attempt a powerlifting competition and when I move I will probably end up at a Crossfit box. As long as I can lift heavy shit and feel awesome.

Tired gym face

And to help celebrate my birthday yesterday - I got 30 started off right with some PR attempts! I slept in, ate some good fuel, and got into the gym to discover it empty aside from trainer Sean. He was benching heavy so I asked if he could spot me for this PR attempt. But first it was time to squat. 

My old PR from April was 205. Goal - anything over 205. I did my warm up sets, belted and braced up for my attempt at 215. I got a good explosive push out of the squat which meant it was TOO EASY! Loaded 225 and fought to get that bar up which means yep, that's my max! 

This could be 2 big plates on each side!

Ok, feeling pretty damn awesome! Time to bench. I needed to beat 125 which I did 3 months ago or something. Goal - 130. I called in my awesome spotter Sean and got to work on that 130. WAY too easy. I put 140 on the bar. I was kind of in disbelief, like can I really lift this thing? The first attempt I had my grip too wide and I didn't really get it, so I corrected it and went in for attempt 2. That was one ugly lift and I had a teensy bit of help from Sean, but I bench pressed 140 lbs. 

And this could be 1 big plate + on each side!

I had NO IDEA I would do that well. Sean was like "well you must be stronger than you think you are!" I guess, god damn. Having no one to compare myself to, I did some research and I am OVER the standard for a (not even) 2-year old weightlifter. I am really happy with how well I did. Now the pressure is on to get a 225+ lb deadlift because theoretically you're supposed to deadlift MORE than your squat, but it is my worst lift and I have had to build myself back up after injury. But tomorrow I'm gonna get it, even if I have to use straps to deal with grip strength. 

30 will be my strongest year yet. 

Feeling my age

Again it's been a little bit since I posted here. The main reason is my computer's motherboard went down so I was without a PC for several days.

In the last 2 weeks I have doubled my training. A heavy push day, heavy pull, then 2 more days of lighter lifting or whatever other stuff I want to do. I've also been trying to walk/run with my husband but this past week it only happened once cause life got in the way.

Already I'm noticing physical changes and strength gains! But man is it taking a toll. I woke up on Wednesday and every single historical injury site/nagging pain was flared up at the same time. Left heel, pulled my left hamstring Tuesday, lower back injury site from almost a year ago, and right shoulder. What is happening!!! Now I know it's probably my body adjusting to double the training. And now on Saturday I am feeling a little better. I tried not to let it slow me down, but I did listen to my body and skipped heavy deadlifts this week and just did lighter ones instead. I squatted heavy yesterday with knee braces on and today I actually feel better than I did before. In the last year I have learned to keep moving as long as it doesn't hurt, but don't be a hero and try to go heavy if my body is having an off day.

Oh, and on top of all these various pains I strained my neck last night just by getting off the couch wrong! It's like my body knows it'll be 30 in a couple weeks and it's laughing at me!

Well laugh all you want! I got #120 on my cable pulldowns and rows, moved up to the purple kettlebell for swings, and brought the #50's to the bench press party..

Sup 50's? It's good to see you above my head...

I am foam rolling, stretching, and epsom-salting the crap out of myself. I also learned to elevate the arms or legs and breathe deep right after a workout to help the lymphatic system drain and reduce soreness. I also got a new supplement from Legion called Recharge and it is legit! I am ALWAYS deathly sore after heavy squats and today I hardly feel a thing!

This week has been a challenge but I love it. I know in time I will adjust and as long as I keep working on rehabbing everything and listening to my body it'll be alright...

Together again!

So back in the day my husband and I used to lift together. Then I switched to an awesome gym and our lifting sessions kinda came to an end as a side effect.

I guess my husband has been itching to get a little more active lately so all weekend he kept begging me to find out if he could come lift at my gym. Today was my day off so I went to bootcamp, and that way I could ask if he could come lift with me even if he's not a member... and just in case he couldn't, I'd still get my workout in for the day.

Class - a Will class today. I had never been in one of his classes before, but now I know they are intense. He tends to have you do more full body work and running so it gets tiring pretty quick. Lots of burpees, box jumps/steps/running, bosu burpees and squats, kettlebell swings and thrusters, and suicides with the sled and running. Also a massive ab circuit in there too. After all that I shopped for groceries and tried to take a nap. Then at 2:30 it was back to the gym!

So we did most of the big lifts and just worked our way up in weight
Squats
OH Presses
Bench
Pull ups
and Rope climbs! He made it halfway up and worked really hard to get there.

2 PR's today. 125 bench - I haven't used a barbell in 6 months so I was happy with this
And... I finally got 105 over my head! I had a feeling I was pretty capable of this one, I had just never tested it because of my crappy shoulder. And honestly, this weight felt kinda scary in my hands. I really psyched myself out of this one, like I wasn't sure what I was gonna do if I failed because it was over my head. The first time I picked up the bar I seriously doubted I could get it over my head, and I dunno why because it was just an extra 20 lbs. After a little bit of time I just STFU'd and moved the weight. It felt just fine! My husband even got a video :)

And my husband is now a member at my gym! I've been hoping he would sign up so I am really happy. His rate is even cheaper than Gold's was. 

I am super tired. I never do 2 a day's, but I swear if I had time I would do it (nearly) every day! I love working out. It's been a great day and now I'm ready to rest.

Up to date Squat PR

Since my injury in December and return to general lifting in January, I've been lifting heavy for the past month. On a whim this morning I decided to test my 1 rep max on squats. For weeks I've been working from 135 up to 155 for sets of 5 reps. And I knew that last year I managed to pull off 175 twice. Since I'm pushing close to that weight for reps I figured it was time to see what I could get up to.

Warm up with 115 or something

135 x 5

185 x 1. Too easy.

Which brings us to...

205 x 1!

Getting the bar back up was hard. Amazing what difference an extra #20 makes. I probably could have hit this weight awhile ago but I hadn't really tried. Looking back at today I kinda wished I had tested my push press and bench too. I can probably get 100 on the push press which would be kinda awesome to have 100 lbs over my head... Bench I could probably get 130 ish. For the next 2 weeks I am going to deload, then up my weight on most of the lifts and test all my 1RM's again (except maybe deadlift) 

I also did sled pushes - soooo brutal, bench (#45 dumbbells) push press #85, push ups, overhead kettlebell carries, then some other jumping/burpee/snatches to utterly exhaust myself :)

Pulled a muscle for a PR

This morning I went to the gym early before my 9am massage appointment. The focus was to be on upper body - chest/shoulders, etc.

It was cool because I think soon I can up to 45's for my dumbbell bench. Then I went over to the rack to do some push presses. I have been working with 5 reps at #85. Today it seemed just a little easy so I threw some 25's on there which made the bar 95 lbs.

It was all going good but then as I was lowering the bar on the last rep I felt a twinge in my left shoulder. Wasn't terribly painful, just kind of like "Oh, something happened back there!" kind of a feeling. So this is a PR for me, I haven't tried to max out on these yet but I think next week I'll try to get 105 over my head

So went to my massage and it wasn't as crazy painful as last time. We worked on my back and legs - tight quads, IT bands, hips, calves, the works. I got Biofreeze put on too which was awesome. Later this afternoon my shoulder REALLY started to hurt. I lied down, took some Ibuprofen and we put the heated blanket under my shoulders to warm up the muscle. After describing it to my husband he concludes it's just a pull and says it's happened to him like 20 times. Never happened to me with my shoulder before. It freaking hurts! But the good news is he thinks it'll be gone in 2-3 days if I rest.

Also, this is pretty cool. Found this article called "Are you Strong?" and the answer appears to be yes in most cases! I fall into the good or between good and great for most things. I don't do all the exercises listed/or have not tried to do that many reps in one sitting. But for the big lifts and major things I focus on, I'm doing pretty damn good for coming up on my first full year of lifting.

29 and 205

My birthday was on Monday! We had a nice weekend - yummy Italian food on Friday night, then we headed out to the western part of the state for camping and hiking with some friends. It was really nice to get away and do something a little different.

Then on Monday I did what I love to do... lift things! Proud to say I'm officially in the 200 club because I got 205 lbs on my deadlift, four times actually. I've been chasing this number for awhile, and a mere 3 weeks ago I couldn't even pick up the bar with this weight on it. So I'm quite happy with it. I got back to my car and snapped a post workout/I'm 29 selfie.

I gained alot of strength last year, and continue to surprise myself at every turn. I never guessed I'd be lifting 200+ pounds for fun. But I know for someone of my size and ability level I have so much more to achieve. 29 is gonna be my strongest year yet

I got some gift cards/money, and my husband got me some gamer stuff as well as lifting stuff! I now possess a belt and straps! Not sure at what point I will need them, but I reckon it's coming soon cause that 4th lift was testing my grip strength for sure.

Also I think it's safe to say my foot is better. I don't believe I even shared this on my blog, but I had some bad foot pain out of the blue last Sunday. I think it was the insoles in my running shoes hitting my metatarsal in the wrong place. I got those switched out, took a week off running, and tomorrow I'll be set to try the smaller insoles in my shoes and see how things go. I'm glad it wasn't something serious!

Not much other news to report, I've been slacking on this blog because my husband and I have been addicted to this game and can't stop playing it. But rest assured I'm still quite active and that aint changing anytime soon :)

PR's for days!

My gym game is strong this week! I walked up in there yesterday morning and busted out a new squat PR!

That's 175 lbs and I did it twice. MORE than my body weight :)

The rest of my workout was a killer too, I was sweating like crazy yesterday. I also did single leg RDL's which I have not done in a couple months. So today = sore hammies. No run for me this morning but I plan to run Friday and Sunday.

I'm always super hungry on leg day. Couple that with the fact that customers at work were being butts... and I didn't get to take a break until pretty late in the day... bad decisions were made. I was so cranky.. so HANGRY! I went and ate at Fatburger. But I didn't even finish all my food. And I felt like a fatburger for the rest of the night. Oh well. It was there for me in my time of need.

Things will be a little off schedule wise this week cause on Monday I had to drop off my car bright and early. It's getting repairs done after the accident (Funny story, my new co worker hit my car in the parking lot on his very first day of work!) and it'll be out until tomorrow. Dropped off my Jeep Patriot, and in return they gave me a Jeep Compass!

It's a good day for Oly Lifts!

It's Wednesday - my day off!

I had a nice morning at the gym. No rush, nowhere to be. Time to focus on lifting!

I am beginning to teach myself more of the Olympic lifts. I have always loved them and wanted to learn how to do them. Some of them I know, or have a rough idea of. Now that I have been lifting seriously for 8 months I feel I have a good basis of strength and technique so I can begin to teach myself. Maybe consult the husband on form when we're in the gym together. They're fun - hard work and quite tiring, but they make me feel awesome and powerful.

So I'm starting with Hang Cleans.

Since I'm just learning I did 65 lbs and just worked on getting the timing of the movement down. Did a few other exercises...
But then I was feeling feisty so I went back to the Oly platform for some shoulder pressing. After a couple sets I made the bar 85 lbs and did 3 reps (push press). By this time I was tired and cleaning the bar up was somewhat difficult. I rested and did another set of 3. Close to failure on that last rep. But hey, 85 lbs is a PR for me!

I think that on the days I do pushing movements I will work on some Olympic lifts. That leaves me a day to squat and a day to deadlift.

I feel I'm not too far away from seeing 100 lbs over my head !


Oh! Then after the gym I further enjoyed my day off with some retail therapy at the mall! I actually picked up a bunch of (gym)clothes for my husband, especially cause he's working out 6 days a week now and has lost 10 lbs already! I'm super proud of him. Stopped by Lush for healthy face stuff, new bras from Victorias and some Bath and Body Works stuff. I also devoured some Chipotle after all that lifting.

Yes, it's been a good day.

Hulk Out

(This week - I've been lazy. Haven't felt like running much. I am also back to taking my PCOS medicine nightly again, I had slacked off and was only taking it in the morning. This is seriously affecting my ability to work out because it messes up my stomach. I felt like I was about to throw up and pass out during/after Wednesday's workout. No fun.)

So today is Saturday and it was time to go to the gym with my husband. I dunno what was going on with me, but shortly after starting my walk on the treadmill I got the sudden urge to run. And sprint. So I did that for a mile then switched back to incline walking. Towards the end of my time on the treadmill I had a moment where I just wanted to go crazy and smash some weights. I seriously felt like the Hulk. I went over to my husband and said/roared "I wanna LIFFFTT THINNGGSSS!!!!"

I was feeling feisty today.
Deadlift. 115 lbs x10
165 lbs x3
185 lbs x1
185 lbs x1
165 lbs x6
115 lbs x10

I can deadlift more than my body weight. Not gonna lie, that was hard. But it was so good!

I also PR'ed my rows at 100 lbs, been working with 85-90 in the past.

200 club here I come ...

Gym Milestones

After 6 months of serious, regular heavy lifting, I finally decided to test my limits on heavy lifting. I did pyramids, so working very close to my 1 rep max here. And yesterday was leg day, so - squats.

Set 1 - 85 to warm up

Set 2 - 135 x6

Set 3 - 165. And that, folks, is my own body weight (give or take a few pounds)

I did 3 at this weight! 4 would have been pushing it. So my absolute 1 rep max might be approaching 180? And now I know I am able to squat my body weight which is a milestone in weightlifting I think.

Set 4 - 155 for 5 reps

Set 5 - 135 for 6 reps

Set 6 - 95 for 10 reps

Set 7 - 75 for 15 reps

Set 8 - just the bar, quick tempo for 15 reps

(Now, after doing all that.... why was I unloading a barbell after a different exercise... and taking a 10lb plate off tweaked my back??? WTH!) It hurts but I don't think I did anything to the spine, it's on the right side only so I probably just aggravated the tissues. All this from a damn 10lb plate! 

So yes. I feel pretty awesome, it's not a massive amount of weight but I doubt many chicks in my gym can say they can load up their body weight, put it across their shoulders, and squat.

It's nice to see all these gains and see noticeable strength, and even physical changes as well. I'm not perfect. I will never have a low body fat %, abs, or any of that mess. I love food too much. But for me it's all about performance. What I am able to do in the gym, in everyday life, and on the course is what matters to me.

** Another big milestone - for the first time ever I am able to fit into REGULAR sports bras! Like the Spartan bra pictured above. I have this in a medium, then I have the blue and yellow one in a large. And the large is actually kinda big! Last week I got this sports bra on sale at Dick's in the black and grey color. A large fits me perfect! This is huge for me because I have never even been able to get these bras over my chest in the past. I have always used the Under Armor Protegee which is a zip up. I still use it, just ordered another one in fact, because I do love them for running. But it's nice to know I can go with a "regular" sports bra for lifting - and have more color options for once.

I got my run in already this morning. Been slacking off in the running department, so I'm very glad I got my ass back out there. Just a 3 miler, my GPS wouldn't cooperate this morning so I said to hell with it and ran blind. I guesstimate it took about 28 minutes. No bathroom issues this time but I didn't eat anything beforehand. I'd say not bad for running at 6:40 am with no food or coffee. Good thing I got out so early because they are calling for a heat advisory today. Ouch.

Saturday Adventures

It's Saturday. The first weekend in a long time where I haven't been out of town doing stuff. It's kinda nice.

Today's adventures included -

Gym with my husband!

This included -
40 min on the bike. I hate the bike, I zone out and get lazy most likely because I'm sitting down and it does not feel like a workout to me. I couldn't get my heart rate up high enough to get much benefit from it but he got a nice sweat session in
Deadlifts
Bench press pyramids. Started at 15lb dumbbells and did sets all the way up to 45 which is where I failed. Learned that 40's are a good weight for me now, up from a previous weight of 35 lbs. So - new PR for me on the DB bench press! Then some tricep stuff. I did a "Guess how much weight I can lift?" thing with him, and he was surprised to find that I am working with 65 lbs on overhead presses and 90 on lat pulldowns. I tried to make him do some HIIT as a finisher but he sat on the stability ball for alot of it .. lol. We had some fun with the boxing gloves, hit the sauna and then we were done. We were there for over 2 hours! But it was tons of fun to relax and work out with him, and I feel like we taught each other new things too.
He ended up joining the gym because he wants to make this a Saturday thing for us. I'll simply do my long runs on Thurs/Fri/whatever other day I have off. I'm excited to have some quality gym time with him!

He was wiped out after this workout, we chowed down on some Chipotle afterwards!

We also went to Lowes to pick up some plants. I love having plants around me, both in and outside of my home. It makes me feel like I am truly at home. My cat is a plant eater and will love the indoor palm tree

And I'll love seeing these on my back porch

This has been a good day.

PR City

Hello!

I am back from a family wedding weekend. It was nice, we even had a minute to drop by the spot where we got married and chill for a bit.

I like this pic other than my weird arm fat crease

I'm off to a pretty good start this week!

Hit a new squat PR yesterday morning, 2 sets of 5 reps at 155 lbs
The rest of my sets were 135. The 155 was very difficult but just wanted to see if I could do it.
This means I could probably max out at my body weight (which varies between 160-170 lbs) and that's pretty cool!

This in addition to my deadlift PR last week makes me rather happy :)

Sadly this morning's run was kind of a failure. I say kind of because I got up early and got out there to do it, but only did 1.5 miles because I had the same bathroom troubles from 2 weeks ago. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that I was out the door within 30 minutes of waking up, and I just disrupted my routine. And I am very very routine about the bathroom. So my body was probably just like WTF are you doing. In the future I need to at least allow my stomach a little bit of time to "wake up" if you will. Yep. Learning!

1 more lifting day and 1 more running day and then it's off to Tough Mudder

Lifting and Life

Man have I been busy.

I worked 8 days in a row, most of which required getting up earlier than normal. Thursday my husband got Lasik surgery - this was kind of a last minute thing but a coworker did me a solid and came in early so I could go to the appointment. Went to the gym, forgot my work clothes, went back home, went to work, left to get my husband and take him to the appointment, did that, came home, went back to work and closed the store. Whew. But he's doing good and can see much better now.

Today we're heading south to go to a wedding and will come back Sunday night.

I feel a little burnt out. But maybe the weekend spent hanging out with family will help.

I haven't run all week, it's been hard to get up early especially when your legs are sore - and it's been rainy every single day. But I did get 2 gym sessions in. Managed to PR my deadlift the other day, now working with 135 for all sets. If I had to guess, my max is probably close to my body weight at this point - 165, 170?

I am feeling the DOMS this week. I guess it comes from switching back to heavy lifting.

Yes, that's kinda how my week has been.

Next week I plan on 2 runs and 2 gym's. Tough Mudder awaits :)

Maryland Half Marathon

Half Marathon #3 is now in the books!

Pretty much given up on making normal faces

So first, a bit of background. HM's #1 and 2 were slow. I was injured for both. During the Augusta Half I was dealing with some metatarsal tendonitis. It popped up out of nowhere 2 weeks before the race. In mile 3 of the race it started to seize up so I had to take my pace way down to prevent it from locking up. It kept doing it every few minutes but as long as I went slow I could keep running. Then I did the Wildwood Games half which was a trail run, and at the time my hamstring issues were really bad. Once again running slowly seemed to be maintainable, but anything too fast would have been painful. Both races were done in about 2:45. I knew I was capable of better.

This time - no injuries. Dealing with some knee pain lately but it's nothing I can't run through. It was time to redeem myself and actually try to get a decent time. My goal for today was 2:20 or better. 

Got up early this morning to make it to Fulton, still in HoCo (Howard County) about 15 minutes from my house. The race was in this planned type of community called Maple Lawn. Somehow I didn't have myself together this morning and rolled up to the parking lot at 7:50. Yikes. Porta potties conveniently located near my car so I could hit the bathroom, then ran to the start line. The weather called for 70's and cloudy, didn't say anything about any rain - yet we had some. It was a light rain at the start, and I was starting to wonder if leaving my hat at home was a good idea. But the rain eventually gave way to a light "misting" which was on and off during the race, kind of nice actually. It was a bit humid but every now and then you'd get a cool breeze. Between the mist, humidity, and sweating I was drenched to say the least. So anyway, the gun went off and I was ready to roll. Through the streets and traffic circles of this manicured little community of offices and townhomes, then turned onto a smaller road that took us away from all that. I have mixed feelings about living in this state, and although I do miss Georgia and await returning to *our* house, I do have to give it to Maryland because their countryside is beautiful. Everything is so lush and green. Fields with rolling hills, huge leafy green trees, and colorful flowers and bushes everywhere. Georgia is beautiful too but not quite as "green", must be all the pine trees and clay soil. Most of this race was in rural areas with some really beautiful scenery. Some nice houses out there too.

Ok, so my regret for this race - trying to stuff my phone, car key, and 3 gels into my belt. I guess I hadn't done a test run with quite this many items before. But it wasn't working at all, my poor little belt was flipping and sliding around all over the place. I had to keep fiddling with it and it messed up my music 3 times. Had to keep taking off my belt, turn my music back on, put the gels back in, and put the belt back on - while running. I'm sure this messed up my pace. But the problem was gone by mile 4 when I was back down to 2 gels. I guess 2 is fine but 3 is too damn much, lol.

This race was hilly. I wasn't expecting so many hills. No really steep climbs or anything, but very little of the course was completely flat. We were either uphill or downhill almost the entire time.

Thoughts -
Mile 2-3 - There were a few long hill climbs in here. I actually feel like this is where I was slowest, between all the hills and fiddling with my belt. The humidity was really bad and I could actually see a foggy haze in the distance. I was feeling ok at this point, but it seemed like I was tiring out faster than I should have been.
Mile 4-5 - Took my first gel, a Caramel Macchiato GU. I have preferred Honey Stingers over GU's but holy shit this flavor is so good. Plenty of water stations so far. We ended up near a school and turned a corner, beautiful fields beside us, and wound up on a neighborhood street with more hills.
Mile 6-7 - Feeling really good here. Picked up the pace and dipped down into the 9:00's when I could, there were some flat areas here. The volunteers were super encouraging, one even high fived me. Passed a house where a whole family was out there playing bongos! The spectators were few, but they were throughout the course and had lots of enthusiasm for us.
Mile 8-9 - Took my second gel at mile 8, should have been 7 but wanted to wait for an aid station so I could have water with it. Turned onto another neighborhood street, this one was kind of a long, gradual uphill that seemed to never end. I kept trucking along, was actually passing people at this point. A headache was setting in, but not surprising because I'm very prone to headaches on any run where I really push myself.
Mile 10 - Turned back towards the Maple Lawn area. Still feeling pretty good energy wise, going fast when possible. The headache is annoying but bearable. Took my last gel to stay on top of my blood sugar levels. Passed Grey Camo Shirt Man, who has been hovering in front of me for the entire race. Left him behind in the dust. Turned a corner and saw a sign that said "Mile 2" Ok I know it's from the 5k course but really? Not something you wanna see at mile 10 of a half marathon :)
Mile 11 - Entered the main area of Maple Lawn. Fuck, it's up hill. One long street of townhomes that's all uphill. Chugged along, maintained my speed despite my body screaming at me to slow down. Passed a bunch more people.
Mile 12 - Shit, more hills. Really? By this point I was ready to see the finish line and be done. I knew we had to turn back around in the other direction, kept on waiting to hit the turn around point but the course just kept on taking us in the wrong direction. After what felt like forever, finally turned around and headed back towards the finish line. Up a long hill. Fuuhhhk. But I'm still running strong, I know I don't have much distance left so it's time to burn the rest of the fuel in the tank. Approached the finish line, saw my husband who also gave me a high five.
Mile 13.1 - Done!


Ahh, victory is sweet!

So how did I do?

My time was 2:16. Average pace 10:22 or something. Not bad considering how freaking hilly it was. I beat goal so I'm happy with it! Oh yeah, and of course it's a PR!

Oh, and the shoe choice worked out great. Even saw a couple other women rockin some Kismets out there. All I do now is look at people's shoes.

Found my husband - so happy he came out! Basically I told him to show up at 10 because I figured I would finish somewhere in the 2:10-2:20 mark. Worked out perfect. And there was a pub right next to the finish line so that's where we headed next

Got me a big ass plate of nachos (nachos are one of my favorite things on the planet)
After leaving the race I promptly went to the store to get snacks. I have Lemon Milano cookies!
Already took my post half marathon nap which was amazing. Was gonna see Avengers tonight but it seems my husband got caught up in car/yard work and he's just now cleaning up. Oh well. It has been a glorious yet tiring day, so I guess I'll just relax tonight.

Run the D.O.G Street 5k

Hello!

This past weekend I made a trip down to VA to see my parents for a bit, and do something new - run a race in my home town!

I grew up in Williamsburg, VA. Left the area when my husband joined the Army, and it wasn't until 2012 when we were living in GA that I started running. I hadn't run a 5k race since December 2013 so I was kind of itching to do another and see if I could PR. At the same time I also wanted to visit my parents now that it's springtime. My mom and I love to take walks together and it's a beautiful time of year to do it. That settles it... run a 5k in Williamsburg for the first time ever and spend a couple days with the family.

The weather ended up being a little chilly on Saturday morning, they were calling for rain later in the afternoon and it managed to hold out until after the race was over. My mom and dad were there with me, I answered their many questions about all things running and racing because this experience was pretty new to them. There actually ended up being quite a few people there - all ages ran the race, lots and lots of kids, middle aged, and plenty of seniors too.

Williamsburg always does things a little differently. We are known for history because the downtown area is a living museum - a reconstructed Colonial town with live actors in period dress, along with taverns, blacksmiths, tailors, brick makers, leather makers, general stores, churches, etc. We started the race at 7:30 with a song by the fife and drum (pictured above) and ran down Prince George street. There were so many people to dodge. I know for a fact people wave jumped, I did the honor system and hopped into the 25-27 minute wave. And I know this definitely affected my time (more on that later) there were so many little kids running and I literally almost ran into some of them. Anyway, we ran towards the college, passed William and Mary's stadium, ended up on Scotland street which has many of the iconic college deli's and pubs, kept going that way for awhile until we ended up at the Governor's palace. We were now in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg (CW) dodging horse crap and everything. Headed down to the old jail, turned a corner to find some sheep in a pen who must have been cheering us on because they were baahing like crazy. Ended up at the Capital building, then turned onto Duke of Gloucester (DOG) street for the final .5 miles and I could see the finish line. Dodged more horse crap, also had to dodge a kid who got in my way right before the finish.

In the grey short sleeve, trying to get around the crowd

I paced myself pretty well for this race, maintained a 8:36 pace (26:49)  but it wasn't quite fast enough because I did not PR that day. Like I said, lots of people around. Oh well. This was my second fastest 5k and that's ok. I loved the race though - it hit all the major historical spots in CW. The colonial buildings, lush green trees and colorful gardens, farm animals, and having to dodge horse shit on the streets. It all felt like home. Having my parents there was nice, and they both understand my crazy lifestyle a little better now. My mom came and found me around mile 1 and cheered me on.

The medal and shirt are awesome! Especially because they have my mom's church on them which she went nuts over. She's adamant about getting her own shirt.

After the race we had breakfast at a favorite local coffee shop which was amazing as always. My dad had to go so me and my mom did some shopping around town (it began raining at this point so we didn't take our long walk) my mom even got me a couple things from the Under Armor outlet. That night we had dinner with both my brothers at a tavern down town. The whole experience was awesome - the rain and cold was unwelcome but we made the best of it anyway.

Sleeping on my mom's couch for 5 hours a night took it's toll on me, so this week I only have 1 afternoon gym workout in. Prefer going in the mornings by far. On the list for this week are a couple runs, then a workout with my husband!

Leg Tuesday

I am working alot of hours this week and still adjusting to being on my feet all day, kneeling/squatting down repeatedly. Maybe that's why yesterday I overslept and missed my alarm to wake up and go to the gym? That means one of these days is gonna be a double- lifting and running.

So it's Tuesday, and due to yesterday's missed leg day...

Alright alright alllriiiight!!!

Yes I did. I can't squat alot of weight yet, only 135 for 5 sets of 5. But it was still more than the boys (and 1 other girl) in my gym today! Yeaaah. Sorry, I get a little competitive sometimes. I also upped my weight in hip thrusts and barbell lunges.

It was a pretty sick workout so I dropped by Starbucks for a sandwich to tide me over while I grocery shopped. Also treated myself to the Tiramisu latte - don't bother, it tastes like chemicals. What a waste.

This week I am helping out with some stuff at work and will have late nights for the next 3 days. I will most likely be very tired but I'm gonna make it happen in the gym this week, no matter how ugly I might feel. Lately the weather has been beautiful so I have been enjoying my time outside, and can't wait to run in it!

Snow Day in March

It's another snow day here, just kind of hanging out and being extra lazy. My stomach was off yesterday and last night I had a nasty bout with some indigestion. Yay for shot glasses full of vinegar? This morning I am very tired.. and sore from this week's workouts!

Monday began with leg day. And a sight for sore eyes...

45 lb plates. On that bar. Finally! 135 lb squats 5 sets of 5. No, it's not really alot of weight to most people, but I have only been squatting heavy for about a month now. Less than that really, I alternate with deadlifts so I squat every other week. My next goal is to get 135 deadlifts - these have been trickier for me but I think I can get it in the next 1-2 tries.

I also did single leg Romanian deadlifts on Monday. It's been a little bit since I did these and my hamstrings are still pissed beyond belief.

I got my 3 mile run in at the gym on Tuesday, tried to go outside but it was still too icy.

Yesterday was back day. Lately I have not been feeling challeneged enough on back day, so I've resolved myself to work harder on pull ups. Did 10 sets of 3 with the band, plus 3 negatives. Also added various rows and back extensions to the mix. Some "bro" who appeared to be muscular/in good shape, clad in a backwards cap and a tshirt that had the word "swag" on it was on the cable curl acting ridiculous, grunting like he was lifting a thousand pounds but he was only lifting 15. Seriously dude? That instantly became my bicep exercise for the day. I can curl 25 lbs quietly. What the hell man?
Also got my wide grip lat pulldown on at 70 lbs. I'm feeling it in my back today!

Maybe it's good I am snowed in today. Between soreness and yesterday's upset stomach my body could really use a rest day. Hopefully I can get out of my driveway tomorrow to double it up with my chest workout and a run.

The Big Lifts - Goals and PR's

I have been lifting for a little while now. I am more experienced now and I'm at the point where I know what I want from it. Up until now I've been essentially following a hypertrophy/bodybuilder scheme, meaning 2-3 exercises per muscle and 3 sets of 10-12 reps. It's good for building muscle size, burning fat, and increasing strength. However I have decided I want to get really strong. See how much I'm capable of lifting. Hit some big PR's. So here's what I am doing now. 

Big lift of the day - one of the following

Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Barbell Row (maybe also Overhead press)

5 sets of 5

This is all out as much weight as I can lift.

The rest of that day's workout will be accessory work... maybe 2 more exercises for each muscle group following that bodybuilder format of 3x10, core work, etc. Or just whatever the hell else I wanna do.

I haven't trained like this before, and I'm still relatively new to the big compound lifts because I didn't work on them much before now. The squats and deadlifts are leaving my back and traps pretty sore but I think that is just cause I'm still new to them. 

Here are my starting stats for each lift, all 5x5

Squat - 115 

Deadlift - 115 (tried 135 but could only get 2 reps)

Bench - 85

BB Row - 65

My goals for now are to Squat and Deadlift over 200 and Bench 135. 

Monday is my leg day so I'm alternating squats and deadlifts each week. Today was a deadlift day and I found this right here to be 100% truth....

I think the girl next to me was a little disturbed. Sorry I'm not sorry. 

The Fit Test

This week I joined the Gold's Gym near my house. I went to Gold's in Augusta when I still lived in Georgia and enjoyed it. Their facilities are nice and usually pretty solid

Pros

• Seems to have a good free weight section that is laid out slightly better than Augusta was.
• Has an actual free ROOM for body weight exercises, throwing medicine balls around, kettlebells, bands, boxes, etc. There wasn't as much room or variety of resistance equipment in Augusta
• Monkey bars with alternating heights!
• Sauna and steam room!

Cons

• No climbing ropes
• Uses a huge amount of space as a t shirt display
• No open concept, eveything is sectioned off while Augusta was one huge open space with high ceilings
• No assisted pull up machine
• More expensive. I had the deluxe membership in GA so I could bring a friend ($19), however their membership here is $18 biweekly so $36 a month. Not killer but I was expecting to pay $9 a month for their basic membership

So on Friday I went to the gym to do my HIIT strength training session. I had been seeing signs all over the gym about the Fit Test. Basically you take the test to see how fit you are and where you stack up vs others. And I gotta admit, I was really curious to see how I would do. So I did my 5 minute warm up run and instead of doing my workout I spontaneously decided to ask if I could do the fit test. I walked on the treadmill for 10 minutes while I waited for their trainer to finish with his client. He came over and got me so we could get to work.

As many reps as possible in 1 minute

• Squats - The trainer seemed pleasantly surprised at my ability to squat. Not sure what he's used to seeing but he seemed impressed and said my form was good. 45 in 1 minute.
• Push Ups- This is where I think I blew him away. A goal of mine is to get good at push ups so I've been working really hard on them. Last time I did them I maxed out at 20 (but then did 2 more sets). Today I did 30. 
• Sit Ups - I never do these, in fact I can't remember the last time I did them. I do other things to work my abs and core. A bit out of practice but I managed to get 43 reps.
• Bent Arm Hang - This was hanging from the pull up bar with a wide grip and arms bent at the elbow. Wide grip is something I rarely work on and it's the hardest grip. I got 31 seconds, looking back I think I could have held on just a little bit longer. If it was regular pull up grip I probably could have gotten close to a minute.
• Step Up Test - Step up onto a 12 inch box and step back down with both feet. This is a test of your cardiovascular health and it really sucks. I got 60 steps per foot so 120 total per minute.

I think I really surprised the trainer. He said I've done better than most of the other women who have taken the test so he put me on the leader board. Wasn't expecting that at all. Evidently I'm one of the fittest chicks at this gym. Of course this is out of those who have taken the test but apparently alot of people have taken it. I would think if you really care about being in good shape you'd be curious to see where you're at, right?

I'm at the bottom... Second place in a few areas and even beat some of the boys at a few things. I guess I could work on sit ups and squatting faster. The gym manager who signed me up came over and said "...You did 30 push ups?" Heck yeah. 

This made me feel pretty awesome. Not long after the test ended I proceeded on to my workout, followed by a 20 minute incline walk on the treadmill. It made for a great gym session.

Yesterday's long run proved to be slightly faster than my previous runs - including the fact that I had to slow down for half of it because there was slush and ice on the trail. And today I'm resting up after a week of hard effort in the gym and on the trails. 

Desert Warrior 10k

I have officially completed my second ever 10k race!

Yes, a Freedom Run! The Desert Warrior 10k - a small race at the Augusta Canal, put on by Airmen who were raising money for the upcoming Air Force ball.

It's been a year and a half since I ran my first and only 10k, so I've kind of been itching to do another one for awhile now. My goal for today? New PR, plus an award if I could pull it off. My other 10k time was 56:52 or something like that. I needed a pace under 9:12. The Canal is flaaaaat, so I didn't think this would be too difficult to pull off.

I was really nervous this morning. The past several days have been a struggle as my body adjusts to Metformin. I'm tired, dizzy, and my stomach is a wreck. I haven't run or been to the gym at all since I started taking the meds. This was gonna make for a pretty interesting race!

I got out there a bit late so I didn't really have time to warm up. I was just anxious to start running. And I did. A couple guys and a girl were way out in front, then a group of 3 (2 girls and 1 guy) were just ahead of me for the first 2 miles. I played it pretty conservatively in the beginning. There was a guy in a white shirt who was behind me THE WHOLE TIME. I was so paranoid about him passing me! Also his hand kept hitting his bib and it was kinda driving me nuts, lol. A girl in a dark purple shirt was with us for awhile and passed me once, but I overtook her again and that was the last I saw of her.

Miles 3-4 were rough. I wanted to die. My stomach was really pissed. I maintained my pace around 8:45-9:00 but really had to dig deep and mentally will myself to keep going at that speed. The white shirt guy was still hot on my heels. The group of 3 in front of me was starting to break up - 1 guy and girl were getting far ahead, but the girl in the light purple shirt was dropping behind. At this point I kind of started to get a second wind. I passed the girl and the guy in the white shirt, and that was the last I saw of them!

Mile 5 I was still going pretty strong but I could feel myself tiring. I kind of shut my brain off at this point. The last mile was broken up into increments. Only .5 left... .3 left... and there was the finish line!

54:28! A pace of 8:45 min/mile. Take that, old PR!

Within 30 seconds of me crossing the finish line, the really fast girl who was way out ahead decided to strike up a conversation with me. Her name is Aubrey - turns out she knows some of my Team RWB buddies! We chatted about past and upcoming races, seems like we're looking to run alot of the same events so I should be seeing her again soon. I felt bad for her though... Aubrey was clearly the first female finisher, but they gave the award to the girl who actually came in second! Aubrey said she finished at least 3 minutes ahead of that girl, which I know to be true because I watched both of them in front of me. I told her she should say something to the staff but she didn't really care. She was really chill about it - I would have said something if it was me!

No awards for me, but I'm happy I did so well today! It was definitely a "I'm going to die" pace, but I'm glad I gave it my best and didn't hold back. I think they said there were only like 18 people who did the 10k, and I figure I finished 6th overall, 3rd female. Not bad.

And I got some cupcakes - one of which was free!

Cherry Cheesecake, Red Velvet

Time to lie down on the couch and rest up a bit!