Girls' Weekend Part 3

Okay!  Now that we are on the other side of Thanksgiving and Black Friday it's the perfect time to pick up on the recap of our Girl's Weekend.  For those of you who, like me, went a little overboard with the yams last week and feel the need to burn a few extra calories, this is definitely the post for you!

My sister, Marci is very dedicated and knowledgeable when it comes to fitness.  For her class at our weekend together she walked us through this awesome (and intense) workout.  Try it out, I promise you won't be disappointed!  If your not wearing your workout clothes right now, (What?!  You weren't hangin' out in your yoga pants all day waiting for this post!) print it off and try it when your feeling motivated.

Marci's Class:

Before getting started here's what will be used for this workout:

- 2 sets hand weights 5-12 lbs
-1 yoga ball
-your "game face"

The first and most  important part of the workout (said in your best sport's announcer's voice).....

"ARE YOU READY?!?"

Now that you are starting to get excited, find some fun music to get you going.  (This is what we listened to.  Love it!  My favorites are "Long Way to Run", "You Wear Flowers," "Call my Name" and "Wandering.")

Okay, no more messing around.  Let's get to work!

Warm-up with light cardio for 3-5 mins

This is a circuit-type workout.  So, there are four different stations.  At each station/circuit the following pattern is repeated: 

Cardio, Strength, Abs.

Circuit 1
cardio: mountain climbers 2 mins.
strength: walking lunge holding 5-10 lb. weights 2mins.
abs: laying on your back, hold the exercise ball between legs, lift and lower legs as close to the ground as possible, keeping legs as straight as you can. 25 reps.

Circuit 2
cardio: squat down, roll onto your back, roll back up to squat and  jump to standing. (repeat for 2mins)
strength: squats with overhead press holding 5-10 lb weights. (repeat for 2mins)
abs: Jane Fonda leg lifts (lying on side lift and lower legs) 25 reps. each side (or to failure)

Circuit 3
cardio: jumping jacks 2mins
strength: push-ups 2 mins.
abs: with legs on exercise ball lie down holding a 5lb. weight above head with straight arms. In four counts sit up and then reach for toes. In 4 counts lie back down until arms are above head again. 25 reps (or to failure)

Circuit 4
cardio: start in low squat position with hands on the floor in front of your feet, jump feet back to plank position. Jump back to low squat position and then come up to standing. (repeat for 2mins)
strength: triceps dips on low chair for 1min.   Change to Traditional Bicep curls holding one 8-12 lb. weight in each hand (repeat for 1min)
abs: bicycle (lying on back raise head off floor, bring elbow across torso to opposite knee and quickly alternate elbow to opposite knee. 25 reps. (or to failure)

Finish with Buns bridge series
Throughout this bridge series keep your buns off the ground! Lower between sets.

lying on back raise and lower hips in two counts squeezing buns 8 reps
raise hips as high as you can, do small pulses to the ceiling 8 reps
keeping hips raised open and close legs 8 reps
continue with hips raised do three pulses to the ceiling 8 reps.

Repeat through 2-3 times.

Cool-down with stretching 3-5 mins.

This 30 min workout (approx) will work every major muscle group in your body. 

The day after Marci taught us this workout, walking down the stairs was like this for me: step, "ouch!", step, "ouch!", step, "ouch!", step, "ouch!"  (repeated for 2 mins or to failure).

Sympathetically, Kedar asked me, "Where do you hurt?"

"Well," I answered slowly as a assessed my sore body, "my fingers, toes and eyebrows feel just fine."

Here Goes. . .

I recently registered for the 2011 Ogden Marathon.  I am freaking out a little bit now.  Here are some questions that I have been asked recently about marathons, along with my responses:

Q: How long is a marathon?

A: 26.2 miles (stomach tightens into hundreds of tight, uncomfortable knots) 

Q: How long does it take to run that far?

A: I have no idea how long it will take me to run it but I have to be done in 6 hours, that's when they clear the course.  (fingers begin trembling)

Q: Have you ever run a marathon before?

A: No- the farthest I have ever run is 6 miles, and that was over a year ago. (beads of sweat gather on my forehead)

Q: Are you currently running?

A: No... I mean, yes...I mean, kind of.  I just started again.  (a small whimper escapes my throat) 

Q: How long until the marathon?

A: 214 days 18 hours 20 minutes 10 seconds (my breath comes in quick, shallow gasps)   

Q: Why would you want to do this?

A:  Ummm. . .  (decide that the best coping mechanism is denial & try to think about May 21, 2011 as little as possible) 

Little Red Riding Hood

Saturday was Little Red Riding Hood. 

100 miles.

If I thought that I was nervous before riding 60 miles at Goldilocks, it was nothing to what I was feeling the night before this ride.  So much so, that if I said I got 2 hours of sleep Friday night, I would be exaggerating.  This was not the way that I wanted the night before my longest ride to go.  I had hoped to sleep like a baby and wake up feeling refreshed and confident.  Instead, I waited impatiently for my alarm to go off at 5:35 and got out of bed feeling exhausted and doubtful.

The drive into Lewiston where the ride was starting only took about 25 minutes, but felt a lot longer.  Marci and my mom were dealing with their pre-ride jitters in incompatible ways.  Marci plugged her MP3 player into the car's radio and cranked the volume, while my mom seemed to be needing quiet; perhaps going over a mental checklist.  In my state of sleep deprivation and near-consuming nervousness, I found this really funny and sat quietly trying not to giggle. 

Here's the only picture that I was able to get.  It was taken right before we started.        

The first 30 miles I rode with a group of women from a riding club that my mom is a part of.  We rode in a double pace line and kept up a pretty quick pace.  I kept doing mental checks of how I was feeling.  As  I completed each of these inspections I was happy that my legs seemed to be holding up pretty well, but soon I realized that something wasn't quite right.  My stomach started hurting a lot and I felt like I was having a hard time breathing.  It didn't take me too long to figure out that I couldn't keep up the pace that these women were riding at.  I heard someone say that they weren't planning on taking a break until mile 50, that's when I knew I had to let them go.

So, I peeled off the back of the pace line.  As I watched them go on ahead of me I had a very distinct thought.  I said to myself, "I am going to finish this, but I'm not going to finish with them," and somehow, that thought gave me a lot of confidence.

I stopped at the next rest stop (about 39 miles, I think).  I knew that I had to eat something, but I was worried about the messages that I was getting from my stomach.  If I threw up I was afraid that my body wouldn't be able to continue.  So, very carefully; very slowly I ate a quarter of a PB&J sandwich.  I hopped on my bike and was grateful that my stomach started settling down.

The next several miles were blur of beautiful vistas and interesting people.  I rode off and on with small groups, drafting as much as possible.  I was so glad to have people to talk with when the road felt long but  having time alone to admire God's handiwork was incredible too.

When I reached about 85 miles I hit a stretch of road that had some great downhill.  I was enjoying being up off my seat and giving my legs a bit of a break.  Then I started thinking about what the end of this respite would hold...uphill, of course.  I saw it then, the biggest hill so far on the course.  I gave myself a little pep talk and then dug in.  I passed a woman who had stopped about a quarter of the way up the hill, I asked if she was ok, her response was, "I don't want to do this part!"  I really couldn't blame her.

The top of the hill eventually came. I felt a surge of energy thinking that the hardest part was behind me.  That feeling turned out to be short lived; that's when I noticed my first flat tire.  (Now, when I say first I mean two things.  I mean this was the first flat that I had ever had, so I didn't know how to change a flat.  I also mean that this was not the only flat that I ended up having on this ride.)  Remember the lady stopped on the hill?  As I was fumbling with my spare tube and other tools she stopped to help me.  It meant the world to have somebody else there to walk me through getting the tire changed, and after I botched using my own CO2 cartridge, she lent me one of hers.  Changing the tire took awhile, and watching so many riders pass by was frustrating, but we got the tire changed and we were off.

I rode three miles, only about thirteen to go; that's when I noticed my second flat.  I got off of my bike feeling more than a little annoyed.  I was off of my bike for less than a minute when the same lady stopped to help me again!  Since she had helped me before, she knew that I didn't have a second spare tube, so she gave me one of hers.  This woman is now one of my best friends.  Have you ever had a best friend whose name you didn't even know?  She didn't have to stop at all, let alone twice, and she certainly didn't have to give me any of her gear.  I asked her if I could get her information and replace what she had given me, she refused saying others had helped her in the past and she was just paying it forward.

After we worked on the tire for a little bit a car pulled over and a guy got out and ran over to us.  He told us to stretch our legs while he took care of the tire.  He's my new best friend too.

Pretty soon, I was off again and the end was in sight.  As I crossed the finish line I saw Marci and my mom cheering their guts out for me.  I couldn't help myself as tears welled up in my eyes.  I had ridden 100 miles on my bike and I had survived!  I was elated!                      

Goldilocks

Saturday was my first "official" bike ride.  Goldilocks. 

If you are interested in hearing more about my experience- if you want to learn about the power of peer pressure, my two personal rescuers, and sore hineys; please, read on.

The ride started at 8:30 and I was nervous; nervous but mostly excited.  I was excited because I was doing something that I had never done, and I was excited to be pushing my body to ride further than I had ever ridden before. 

I was nervous for the same reasons.  By the power of peer pressure and a bit of my own stubbornness, I had been convinced to ride the 63 mile course instead of the 30 miles that I was originally registered to ride.  So, in reality, I was asking my legs to propel me twice as far as my longest ride this season.  I was nervous that maybe I was asking too much of my body.  But I was determined to do my best.

My number: lucky # 238.

After we got all of our gear put together and our bikes ready to go, my Mom, Penny (my sister's mother-in-law) and I met Marci (my lil' sister) at where the ride was starting.  There 600 women were gathered together excitedly chatting.  The rides' director had a microphone and started giving instructions.  The chattering didn't quiet down, instead the din seemed to rise so that individual conversations could continue over the noise of the instructions.

     

Soon, people were getting on their bikes and heading out on the course. There was confusion everywhere around me. People were looking at each other asking "Where is everyone going?" "Are we starting?" "Which arrows do I follow?"  I would later learn that a bell had been rung, but nobody heard it for all of the other noise.

I rode with Marci, Penny and my Mom for the first mile and then they pulled ahead of me, as I knew they would.  I thought about the long road ahead of me.  I tried to envision the course in my mind, and anticipate what was coming next.  Soon, I looked up and saw my Mom riding back toward me.  "What are you doing?" I asked.  But she wouldn't ride ahead.  She stayed with me for the entire ride.

Around mile 20, Penny was stopped at one of the Rest Stops, waiting for us.  For the rest of the ride the three of us rode together, forming a paceline when we could.  These two women, who are much stronger riders than I am, took me under their collective wing and pulled me along.  Honestly, it's very possible that I wouldn't have been able to finish without them.  

I'd gotten past the two parts of the ride that I was the most worried about.  Two hills between miles 17 and 30.  They were hard, yes, but not as bad as I had thought.  My legs were feeling good and I had ridden the majority of the last half of the course on training rides.  Knowing what to expect gave me some confidence. 

42 miles into the ride I starting feeling tired.  I wondered, for the first time since the start, if I had gotten in over my head.  And then, miracle of miracles, lunch!  It was an awesome spread with great sandwiches, chips and delicious cookies.  Not only did the food hit the spot, but even the presentation was incredible.  There were decorations on the tables; cruisers with ribbons and flowers adorning them, pink, blue and green balloons and music playing.  It was just what I needed to get going again. 

Lunch made a big difference for me.  Resting my legs for a little bit and getting some substantial food refreshed me and gave me a morale boost as well.  Just 21 miles to go.

The last 10 miles started getting difficult; my legs and my back were asking me to "Please, stop!", but that was nothing compared to what my hiney was yelling at me.  Luckily, I recently changed out my seat.  The one that I had before would have made things much more uncomfortable for me.  So, I said to my sore hiney, "Quit complaining!  It could be a lot worse!"

We finally got back into Herriman, where we had started.  The finish seemed to follow along the same lines as the start, in that, it was a little confusing for me.  There was a general feeling of "Is this the end?"  "Are we really done?"  We found Marci (she'd done awesome, by the way) and we relaxed on the grass for awhile, enjoying the warm afternoon.

This is Marci, my Mom and me, just after finishing. 

              (Is that a smile or a grimace on my face?  Hard to say.)                   

 

This is Marci and I.

There's a smile!

Penny, Marci, Mom and I

All in all in was a great experience!  The course was great, with lots of variety, it was well marked so we didn't get lost (always a plus) and the lunch stop was awesome!

I'm getting excited for Little Red in June.

Wish Me Luck

Awhile back I wrote a post entitled My First Retraction. The purpose of that post was to take back a post that I had written previously. Here's the recap; I was going to run in a relay-type race with my sister and my mom but we couldn't get a team put together in time for the registration deadline. In My First Retraction I committed to doing another "similar event."

I'm here now to make good on that commitment. Without further ado, I would like to announce that I am registered for two bike rides with my mom and my sister. (You may have noticed their logos on the side bar to the right.) Goldilocks is May 8th and Little Red Riding Hood is in the beginning of June. Both are women's only rides.

Okay, I guess I am using the term "similar event" pretty loosely. There are some pretty obvious differences between what said I was going to do back in Jan. and what I am currently signed up for:

-The biggest difference you may notice is that the relay was a running event- I am now registered for two biking events.

-A second difference; I was slated to run 5-7 miles- I am going to be biking 30 and 80 miles. (Come on now, no laughing. It could happen.)

-Another difference worth mentioning is the attire used in such events; I have swapped out my running shorts and shoes for biking gear. I think you know what I am talking about- the, ahem, spandex shorts with the padding built right into them, the biking jerseys (shirts) with bright colors and crazy patterns that scream to passing cars, "PLEASE, DON'T RUN ME OVER!" And, of course, the shoes that are designed like a death trap. These shoes clip right onto the pedals. No matter what happens, I'm stuck to my bike.

Speaking of my bike, here she is. Ain't she purdy?

Despite the glaring differences, these bike rides are filling the "similar event" quota. The fundamental purpose in doing them is the same: to spend time doing something fun/challenging with my mom and my sis.

Wish me luck!

My First Retraction

About three hours after posting my "Motivation" post the whole "Relay Plan" completely fell apart. Now, I am forced to post a retraction. I've never done a retraction before so, I am not sure about all of the details or the correct way to do it, but I'll do my best. Here we go:

"Due to circumstances beyond my control, I will no longer be participating in the Ogden Marathon Relay. I will however, in the near future, find and commit to participating in a similar event."

How did I do?

I am actually a little disappointed that we won't be able to do the relay, but I am excited to find another race to participate in with my Mom and my see-ster.

Motivation

Well, I have put it off long enough and now I have some proper motivation to get out of bed and do some running. The Ogden Marathon Relay is coming up in May and I have committed to be on a team. There are 5 legs of the 26.2 mile course, each section ranges in distance from 3.5 miles to 7 miles. We are still working out the details, so I'm not sure which distance I will be doing, but we have to register by the end of the month.

This is actually my favorite way of tricking myself into running. See, I register with a team, then there are 4 other people who are counting on me to do my part, so, I'm pretty much stuck. No backin' out. By the time the race comes, I am enjoying running again and I want to keep it up.

I once heard a woman say that she won't let herself get ready in the morning until she has read her scriptures. It makes me feel better to know that I am not the only one out there who has to trick myself into doing something that I know I should be doing anyway.

Why I Run

That is such a deceptive title since, right now, I am not running at all. But that is exactly why I wanted to do this post: to remind myself of all of the reasons that I enjoy running while I am being consistent with it. A little motivation, because even though I really enjoy it while I am immersed in it, I really hate getting started again after I have let it slip. So, I guess you could call this my pep talk.

My parents are both extremely athletic. Don't misunderstand me, I mean it: EXTREMELY athletic. While growing up, both of my parents were avid runners, both would regularly train for marathons (that's 26.2 miles) and other races. As the years have passed, their activity level has increased. My dad has participated in the Wasatch 100 a few times. This is an endurance run through the mountains, and as the name suggests, it is 100 miles long. He and my mom have both participated in Lotoja, a bike race that starts in Logan, Utah and ends in Jackson, Wyoming- 205 miles. Yeah, extremely athletic.

Now, back to my running past. Actually, it's pretty non-existent. I have had people use the phrase "it's in your blood." That may be, but I don't think that my blood realizes it. In high school, after both of my older brothers did very well on the cross country team, expectations for me were high too. I participated in choir instead. In fact, I actively avoided becoming involved in running. I wanted to be my own person with my own talents. When asked if I ran, my reply was always "if someone is chasing me."

So, imagine my surprise when, a few years ago, I started running and I liked it. Yes, it was hard, but after I did it for awhile, I really liked it. I looked forward to going in the mornings. I liked the way that my body felt as I got better at it. I felt healthy and fit. I felt confident and independent. Now, I wasn't running very fast (at all) and I wasn't going very far (my longest run, to date, is 5 miles), but I was enjoying it. Weird.

I've let things in the running department slide, but I've got the itch again. Last night, I couldn't fall asleep and my mind turned to the familiar, rhythmic pace that my body would fall into as I ran. I recounted every detail: the feel of my foot hitting the pavement, then pushing off again, the smooth pumping of my arms and the perfect song playing on my MP3 player. It was strange, but that thing that I avoided for so long, that thing I thought would steal my identity, was the thing that I was missing.