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!

Xterra Hickory Knob 2014

I had myself an adventure this morning. At the Xterra Hickory Knob trail runs

This is a race I discovered last year (recap HERE) I am trying to get into trail running more, and since this one is 45 minutes from my house it's perfect for me.

My "through the pollen covered car window" picture, complete with reflection of running shorts!

I wish I had more pictures, but I just don't. There isn't alot to take pictures of other than the trail, and I'm sorry, if I am racing I am not about to stop and take pictures. There's this big red barn at the parking lot where we congregate and start/finish the races. But this really is a beautiful park. It's quiet (aside from the 40 bikers that passed through at 10am).. The forest was so peaceful and beautiful at sunrise, everything is in bloom and the birds were chirping. Just amazing. I need to get the husband up here for a camping trip!

Anyhoo. Last year I ran the 7.2 mile Lakeview trail. This year I upped the ante and added the 3.4 mile Turkey Ridge trail to my day. They also had a half, full, and 50k, plus triathlons and stuff. 

This race is TINY. Like.. 30 people tiny. Even less people than last year, but they think that was due to some big marathon down in Charleston. 

So our day started at 7:30 with the 5k. 4 people. Lololol. A guy, myself, and 2 other girls. I tried to go pretty fast on this one since it was just a 5k. The guy was ahead of me and I eventually lost sight of him because he was pretty damn fast. The 2 girls were behind me, but they eventually faded from sight and sound and I was clear in second. I did NOT want to be last place, even if it was only 4 people! So the trail was very leaf covered, mostly flat with a few minor hills here and there. It wasn't terribly exciting. And not a single turkey in sight. About 1.4 miles in, I see the guy running back TOWARDS me. This makes no sense, the trail is a loop. He then informed me that I was going the wrong way.

What.

I was confused, but I turned around and followed him anyway. At first I thought he was full of shit. There's no way I could have gone the wrong way. Is this guy screwing with me and trying to sabotage my race? Why would he do that to me? He was ahead of me anyway! All these thoughts went through my mind. Until I slowly began to realize I was passing things I had passed before. Shit. Then I realized where I went wrong.

There was a part where the trail went down to a small creek. The trail was covered in leaves and really hard to see. There was a crossing there. I looked around for a second to try and figure out if it was the right way to go. I saw a yellow blaze just on the other side of the crossing, so there I went. Turns out the trail doubled back at that exact point, and I should have made a right turn and followed the yellow blazes to my right. So basically I hopped back onto an earlier portion of the trail, and proceeded to run in the wrong direction. I met up with the guy because he was on his second lap. 

Yep, I got lost. So typically ME!

When I reached the halfway point aid station, I ran back to the trailhead and explained what happened. My watch said 2.8 miles so I asked the race director if I should just go knock out the last .6 miles, or what? He said not to worry about it, and marked me down for 33 minutes. Um, ok I guess! Lol. I don't really feel right about that, but I would have come in second place anyway. I was way ahead of the other 2 girls. And I guess I'm not TOO stupid, because one of the other girls experienced the same thing. She just happened to look right and choose the correct path. 

SO, after getting LOST, we had a small break before continuing on to the 7.2 Lakeview trail.

Lakeview trail is BEAUTIFUL. It borders a lake - duh - and it's high up on a cliff/hill but it's mostly flat. The sun was shining on the water and there was a cool morning breeze. I started this run with 3 people in front of me and a bunch behind me. Unlike last year, no one really passed me in the beginning. I felt pretty good about that. One couple eventually passed me, then 2 other guys passed me over the course of the race. I rolled my ankle a few times but always managed to save it. Somewhere between miles 4 and 5 I tripped over something and started to fall, so I whipped out my hands and landed on my palms. Scuffed up my knee minorly. My legs and feet were so tired. My stupid tight hip was making it really difficult to pick my legs up high enough, so I kind of scuffled along at times. I was hurting, but not dying. It felt much shorter than last year's, a possible sign of my growing endurance? Before I knew it I was back at the red barn, and taking the second place spot. The couple that passed me - the girl took first. The guy must have been running the half because he was not counted. My time was 1:20, slower than last year but I am not trained for speed like I was last year. And last year I think I was running faster to try and get out of the freezing icy rain! 

So - 2nd place 5k, 2nd place 12k, and 1st place age group (medal!)

As the other racers finished, things got interesting. Nearly everyone was injured!!!

A girl finished 10-15 minutes after me with a twisted ankle. And she said her friend also twisted her ankle, and was walking the rest of the way! Then a guy comes up and says his wife pulled a muscle in her thigh, so he was pulling out of the 50k. Kind of wondered why he didn't stay with her and help her to the finish, but there you go. 3 injured people, damn!! I guess I got pretty lucky, because as I mentioned before I saved myself from about 4 different close calls! 

I had fun hanging out and chatting with everybody after the race. Last year I felt SO out of place at this event, I felt like all the runners there were "elite" and I was just this inexperienced wanna be. But today, I was kicking ass and girls were saying I "probably do this kind of stuff all the time" I felt credible as a runner and could contribute to the conversations we had about running. 

I had a good day - a tiring yet relaxing and fun adventure. Relaxing in the sense that being out on the trails kind of ... soothes my soul?

And finally for your viewing pleasure...

Race swag - Billions of gels and chews, my medal, and my ladies t shirt! Love the colors :)

Navy Classic

It was a cold, dark, December morning as Karen laced up her faithful Saucony Hattori 2's and drove to Enterprise Mill to compete with valor in the Navy Classic.....


Just kidding. I'm not really going to write like that. And it wasn't really that cold - about 50 which really is perfect running weather for me since I'm one of those runners that's literally a hot mess at the end of the race. The forecasted rain held off until the late morning so I didn't have to worry about that. This race was a 10 miler and 5k. I'm not quite at the point where I could attempt the 10 miler - give it another month and I probably could, but not today. When I got there this morning I was feeling pretty good and pumped up. I decided to just push as hard as I can and try to get a good time. Under 30 minutes, maybe 28 minutes if possible. Well, strangely enough this was a pretty small race. Usually anything "military" in a military town draws tons of people, but I did find out that this was the first annual Navy Classic so I guess it may have been the newness factor. Oh well, I like smaller races because they make me more competitive. Most of the people here were doing the 10 miler so my race was even smaller. The race was downtown which is pretty much flat. Flat course, not alot of people, good weather... oh yeah. It's on. I'm going for an age group win.

We started shortly after the 10 mile racers and I immediately turned on beast mode. Not many people were in front of me and it pretty much stayed that way. There was 1 girl in front of me in a salmon colored tank top. I tried really hard to catch her but she just kept getting farther away and I just couldn't do it. I figured she was in her 20's like me but there wasn't really anything I could do about that. All I could do is just keep pushing. We ran through downtown and along the riverwalk. A good flat course, as I suspected. I was really starting to tire out at the end, but I had the willpower to tell "the voice" in my head to shut it and just keep going for a little longer. No one was in front of me except for 2 guys. I was nearing the finish line and saw this number-

25:42. TWENTY FIVE. Whaaat... How the hell is this possible? I was in complete disbelief. On top of that, as I crossed the finish line somebody said "First female!" I literally threw my hands up in the air and said "Oh my god!" I was a hot mess - exhausted, huffing and puffing, and for a moment there I could almost cry. I've never won a race and have never considered myself "that elite" to be able to do so. So after I calmed down a bit I got my free refreshments which were very good, then waited for the awards to start. I wasn't mentioned in the age group awards, which really threw me until they announced that there would be an overall winner proclaimed. But here's what threw me even further. I actually won second place. That girl with the salmon colored tank top got me. Which is why I was kind of confused when they said I was the first female.. but at the time I figured maybe she was running the 10 miler. So yes, a little disappointing that they screwed that up - but still, second female overall is WAY beyond anything I was expecting from myself.

It says 10 mile, which is kind of deceptive since that's not the race I ran. I don't want credit for something I didn't do. And that's really my only complaint about this race, is that they should have had separate medals for the 5k people. Other than that I liked the race and will definitely be back for the 10 mile next year.

Plus the shirts are awesome!

I love it!!!

Today was awesome. I have a new PR, one which I didn't think I was even capable of at this point. I placed 2nd overall which I wasn't expecting at all. Plus I met some great people today. Met a woman who just moved here from California and chatted with her about what it's like to run in Augusta before the race. After the race I was talking with an older man who has pretty much the same running timeline I have - started running in late 2012, dealt with an injury and had to quit over the summer, then started running again in September. Plus he does obstacle races too. Then there was this kid and his mom - if you saw this mom you probably would have thought it was a joke. She was stick thin, zero muscle, and wearing an all grey sweatsuit. Runners don't run in sweatsuits! But I am now eating those words because she kept pace with me the entire time, AND her 7 year old son ran the entire thing with her! They finished shortly after I did which must have been around 26-27 minutes. That's impressive as hell for a little kid! I congratulated them afterwards because that was just so awesome to watch. Running these races really allows you to meet some great people

It's been a great day.

Zombie 5k

I have run another race!

Yesterday I did the Zombie 5k on Fort Gordon! I did this race last year, and it was my first "official" 5k ever - but I don't really count it as my first real race (I'll explain why in a minute) Last year I ran this race at the beginning of my weight loss quest. I weighed somewhere around 190 lbs. Here's me from last year's race... not really sure why I'm in front of the bathrooms, but there ya go

This is me before running yesterday's race, almost exactly one year later

It's amazing what a difference 35 lbs will make


This is a different kind of race. It's on some pretty sandy and hilly trails through the woods. Obviously there are zombies who chase you. You're given 3 flags on a belt (like flag football) and if you lose all 3 you die. One zombie can only take one flag, so it's not like you can lose all 3 at the same time. But it's pretty hard. Last year hardly anyone survived. I was signed up for the 4th wave of this year's race, and at the starting line they had told us that only 1 person had survived so far. And my wave was only 10 people. Yeah, we're gonna die...lol.

So I started the race at the front with a couple that looked pretty fit and fast. I never saw the people who were behind me. It was pretty much just me and this couple, and eventually we met up with another guy who was waiting for people to team up with. Basically if you're by yourself you die. This race is not about time - it's about survival. Because even if you're fast and finish first it doesn't count unless you have at least 1 flag left. The whole race was pretty much sprinting when there were zombies and then walking or maybe light jogging the rest of the way. Some of the zombies didn't really try to get you, but others were fast and relentless. Mainly the 20-something's Army guys. I lost 1 flag early to a really fast one. About midway through the course we saw some zombies ahead, and a guy off to the far far right just standing there. He was really far away and didn't look like he was going to make an attempt to get us. He waved at me. I waved back. Then the zombies ahead of us came and we were running. All of a sudden, *fwoop!* The waving zombie had snuck up on my left side and grabbed my flag. That was one hell of a sneaky zombie, I didn't even hear him coming! And I realized I really made myself a target by waving at him. Oh well. Flag #2 was lost. Not long after we entered this area

(This photo was taken by Fort Gordon Boss)

This was the start of what would be a never ending huge field of zombies. Somehow I made it through here with my last flag but I had to go way off the course into the grass. I felt like I was sprinting full speed for 1-2 minutes, which I'm not really used to doing these days. Not long after the huge zombie field I lost my third flag. The zombie was on my left side and the flag was on my right, but somehow even after dodging out of the way he was able to grab it. He had a super arm or something. So from this point on I acted as bait for the rest of my group so they could survive. It was semi effective but after hordes of really fast and relentless zombies the others ended up losing their flags too. Then towards the end of the race some volunteers rode by us on an ATV and tosses us some flags. I guess they felt bad because nobody was surviving! But we made it past the last few zombies and approached the finish line

I sort-of survived! I got a medal!

 2nd place for females 20-29 :)

I think I finished around 40 minutes, not a good time by any means but I was going at the pace of my survival group

Once again I had a great time doing this race. I hope they keep doing it, because I think it's turning into a tradition for me

After the race we met up with one of my husband's Army friends and we went to Jersey Mike's subs. Chipotle Cheesesteak... mmmhhmm. Then we made an impromptu decision to run by Walmart and grab some halloween decorations. We went back on base and decorated our trucks and ourselves for the battalion Trunk or Treat. I gave myself some face wound tattoos. Not bad for about 30 minutes of planning inside a Walmart

Even though we don't have kids we both had a really good time at the trunk or treat. Plus it was good to see some of my husband's friends and help support his battalion. He made an improvised costume too and actually ended up winning a prize - candy plus a sweet parking pass - which he can make great use of once he gets back to work (he had foot surgery recently) 

Today I'm going to do some yoga to stretch everything out after yesterday. I'm quite sore as my body is not really used to sprinting for long periods of time. But no hip or back pain to report :)

XTerra Hickory Knob 7.2 mile Trail Race

I completed my first trail race today!

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

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

Yep.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


We also got these!

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

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

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