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February – Short Month – BIG Goals!

So…I’m about one and a half weeks away from finishing up Body Beast! I will definitely be repeating this program. I have REALLY loved it! My only regret is that I didn’t chart my progress very well throughoutbeast_flex the last 3 months. Boo for me! I’m always STRESSING this in my challenge groups, and then I don’t follow my own recommendations! Really dumb move on my part! BUT…I know I’ve made progress! I flexed in front of the mirror the other day and surprised myself! Where did those arms come from?

marathon_finishOver the summer, when I was training for the Chicago Marathon, strength training sort of took a back seat. Being a busy mom of 4 AND training for a marathon takes a LOT of time! But I really missed lifting weights and could ‘weight’ to get back to it! (See what I did there? As you can see…my arms aren’t looking particularly ‘ripped’ in my marathon picture! 🙂 And that’s one of the great things about weight-training, you can really see results FAST! And in a couple of weeks…I’ll be starting my NEXT program…21 Day Fix EXTREME! (More about that later!)

So, now that I am in the ‘off season’, I’ve had time to do Body Beast AND work in some runs each week, too! I truly love to do BOTH!

Back in December, I did a fun little challenge to see if I could run 50 miles during the month. It was such a silly little thing, but it turned out to be VERY motivating! It was fun to tick off the miles as I went! And doing it in such a busy month, while living in Michigan in the winter…well…I was feeling pretty good about it!

So I’m doing it again!!!

Who wants to do it with me?

feb_50

50 miles in 28 days is totally do-able! It’s only an average of 1.8 miles per day!

I’ll have a group on Facebook for the month to help us keep track, stay motivated and cheer each other on until we reach our goal!

Who’s in for this FUN, FREE, FEBRUARY 50 group? Sign up to join me!

 

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The Stuff NIGHTMARES are Made Of

So, I had my first (of MANY, I’m sure) marathon nightmares. This one was relatively tame compared to some that I’ve had in the past.

First of all, I’m training for the 2014 Chicago Marathon! Ah! What was Irun_girl_Collage thinking? Yes, I’ve completed 4 marathons, but it’s been 4 years, so I’m feeling pretty nervous about it. My OFFICIAL training hasn’t quite begun yet. I’m in the PRE-training stage of my training. Does that make sense? I’m just trying to get my legs, heart and lungs used to pounding the pavement again. I’m doing about 3-4 runs per week, with a maximum distance SO FAR of 6 miles. That mileage will begin to jump up very soon! It’s going to be a looonng summer!

So anyway…back to my nightmare.

Previous nightmares have been things like, suddenly I get lost in the middle of the race! Or that they’ve decided to throw in some obstacles, like running through buildings, along tight spaces, climbing things, etc… One of my nightmares actually came true! In 2010 (my last marathon), I showed up late and had to sprint across downtown Chicago BEFORE starting my marathon. I was also attempting to pin my bib on myself at the same time. This is not the way you really want to start your marathon. I had to run 26.2 miles after that nonsense!

So last night I had a similar dream. I showed up on time, but realized I hadn’t gone to the Expo the day before to pick up my bib and microchip. The race organizers directed me to a building where I had to stand in line to get my bag, quickly try to attach my microchip and bib, find a place to put my belongings and make my way back to the start. At that point I of course experienced the dreaded ‘running through quick sand’ feeling, where no matter how hard I tried… I couldn’t seem to run! UGH! Thankfully at that point, I woke up and all was well. Crisis averted…for now!

Now…only 138 more sleeps until the race.

I’ve decided to attempt a weekly blog entry to chronicle my training. I’m hoping for lots of nice weather, no injuries and a mild year of asthma symptoms! Is that too much to wish for?

running_momAlso, I started a super cool running group just for moms – or people who have moms – who like to run, or walk, or move briskly from one spot to another! We talk about things like chaffing and running bras and just encourage each other to be awesome! Sounds fun doesn’t it?!


If you’re interested, send a request to join to HERE!

 

PS – I don’t run that fast. It wouldn’t be that hard to “keep up”! 😉

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Find a Reason

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4 My Dad

In October, two years ago, I ran the Chicago Marathon for the 4th time.  It was my slowest time, but the best run of all.  I approached the whole training season a little differently than I ever had before.  I wasn’t planning to run at all, having recently sprained BOTH of my ankles.  Despite lots of physical therapy, I just didn’t think they’d hold up through all training and the marathon itself.  And then I got a phone call that changed all of that.  I found out that my dad had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.  I was shocked, sad and scared.  What can you do when you get news like that?  Well…you could freak out!  You could donate money.  For me, the first thing that popped into my head was to run the marathon (on 2 bad ankles), rally support from friends and family for my dad, and raise some money for Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s research foundation (a.k.a. TeamFox).  It made sense in my head.

So training was interesting with the ankles, and even more interesting given that it was a REALLY hot summer and my asthma decided to kick into high gear.  Yikes!  I approached every run totally differently than I ever had before.  I started leaving my Garmin (gps) at home, and just went out there to focus on WHY I was doing it.  My reason was bigger than my ankles, bigger than my asthma, and bigger than me.  I focused so much on that reason, that the rest didn’t matter.  I had four months of training to really think, and come to terms with my dad’s diagnosis.  I dealt with a lot of emotions and feelings.  Anyone who runs knows that it sort of becomes a form of therapy.  I needed that.  Don’t we all!?

So marathon day came.  I had no garmin, no watch, somewhat healthy ankles and TWO inhalers!  It was another hot marathon day.  Ugh.  Despite using my inhaler every 20-30 minutes, I made it!  It wasn’t a personal record, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a personal triumph.  Again, I thought of my dad and my reason for the entire race.  This was the culmination of all of my hard work and therapy!  I felt awesome!  People commented on the message I had Sharpied on my legs and cheered me on.  My reason carried me through, and reaching the finish line was sweeter than ever, despite it being my slowest time.  I felt good!

I have a new goal now, a new reason.  It’s bigger than me!  I feel good knowing that friends and family members are joining me on my new mission!  Health & fitness can be contagious.  I highly recommend getting this bug, it’ll make you feel good.  And feel free to infect other people, they’ll thank you for it later. 🙂