Endorphins

"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't."


Ah, the motivational words of Elle Woods.  I'm sure there were many important lessons to be gleaned from the film classic Legally Blonde, but this is the one that continues to stick with me.


It amazes me how a good workout never fails to clear my mind and turn my day around.  Today I was at a breaking point, ready and willing to use food to comfort me and solve my problems. Instead, I called a friend to talk me off my food-ledge and then put Bons on a leash and went for a long walk. Before I was even out of the neighborhood, I was feeling better.


This was not my first such experience. I may have even blogged about it before. Time after time I am amazed by the way a workout can change my attitude completely.  That's part of the reason I love my lunchtime workouts so much. It benefits both mental health and my work to get out of the office and clear my head.  It changes my perspective of whatever I'm thinking about or working on.  


It makes me think I should go back and watch Legally Blonde again to see what other life lessons I could ascertain. Maybe I should try the bend and snap?

Swimming

Man, I love swimming.  There's nothing else like it.  You're alone with only your own thoughts to entertain you. You can think through any problems or make mental to-do lists.  You feel good and tired when you're done, but not sore or in pain.

I'd swim every day, if it were easier to accommodate swimming workouts.  It's just difficult to accomplish during my lunch hour, and I can't commit to it regularly after work.

I was thinking last week about how I wish there was a race that was a biking/swimming race so I wouldn't have to run.  I've been a total slacker in my running lately and will have to completely re-learn how to be a runner when I'm ready.  But then I went on last week's cycling adventure, and I started doubting my biking confidence.

But swimming, swimming will never let me down.  Tonight I jumped in the pool planning to swim for 45 minutes and didn't stop to look at the time until I had been in there for 53 minutes.

Do you have one particular workout that you love?

Workout Playlist, Part 2

Here's another edition of some of my favorite workout songs. If you want to see the original list, you can view it here.

1.      According to You, Orianthi (I just stumbled across this on Itunes, but I love it.)

2.      The Power of Love, Huey Lewis and the News (classic 80's)

3.      Baby, Justin Beiber (I know, I know, the shame of it!)

4.      Male Prima Donna, Subtle Sexuality (Yes, this is the one single released by The Office's girl power duo Erin and Kelly. It is great fun and available on Itunes.)

5.      Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It), Beyonce (strong beat and fun to sing to!)

6.      Live Like We're Dying, Kris Allen (so inspirational for making your life count!)

7.      Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows (lots of fun!)

8.      I Think We’re Alone Now, Tiffany (My first jazz dance recital piece was choreographed to this song. Yes, it’s true I had formal dance training from the age of 3 until 7)

9.      Must Have Done Something Right, Relient K (first heard this when Amie and Daniel played it at their wedding in 2007. I think of that whenever it comes on.)

10.  Boys of Summer, The Ataris (Good for some light headbanging)

11.  Closer to Fine, Indigo Girl (Can’t explain it, it’s just good)

12.  Far Away, Ingrid Michaelson (beautiful)

13.  Gonna Make You Sweat, C & C Music Factory (kind of a no-brainer)

14.  Bust A Move, Glee Cast (I listened to this so much, I had to temporarily remove it from my playlist)

15.  Champion, Queen Latifah (Awesome, inspirational song)

16.  Burning Love, Elvis (If you move your pelvis like the King would to this song, you can burn serious calories)

17.  Walking on Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves (This song was playing in my headphones as Cindy, Stefanie and I neared the finish line at my first 5k…it powered us through!)

18.  Almost, Bowling for Soup (I have more boy rock songs than this on my playlist, but this is one of the best.)

19.  P.Y.T.-Pretty Young Thing, Michael Jackson (In all honesty, several King of Pop songs are on my full playlist)

20.  I’m Outta Love, Anastacia (Try and not dance when this comes on, just try)

My Cycling Adventure

The weather has been spectacular lately, so I've been taking as many workouts as possible outside.  Today when I got home from work, I was excited to take my bike out on the road.  I also needed to make a run to the library, so it was the perfect excuse to save some gas, complete my errand and be just a tad bit greener.

Now, it should be known that I don't own a bike, but my sister loaned me hers at the end of last summer to keep indefinitely.  I only got to ride it a handful of times before it got too cold.  It has some different gears, but I don't really know how they work or how many there are.  I mostly just ride and adjust the gears when going up and down hill until it feels right.  I'm also not the best at steering. I have a tendency to lose my balance and jerk the wheel erratically.

So today I took off, towards the library, as soon as I got home from work.  I'd like to say that biking was a good way to explore my home town, but that would be a lie.  The area between my house and the library is not the nicest of areas, and the sidewalks are full of overgrown weeds, broken glass bottles and other trash. Oh, and today is garbage day, so I was also dodging trashcans.  I was racing against the sun setting, so I had to take the most direct route to and from the library.  Plus, because of my erratic steering and the heavy traffic next to me (I rode the whole way there and back on the sidewalk, because the streets I took are so busy.), I had to focus just on the bit of sidewalk directly in front of me and couldn't look around to enjoy the scenery.

So I suppose I could of found a prettier place to ride my bike, but it's amazing how freeing it feels to be able to get somewhere with just my feet on some pedals and no car.  It also was exciting, trying to get there and get back as fast as possible.  Plus, it just feels like I accomplished something with my workout, you know?

So I'm not sure I have a point for this particular blog, except to share my little adventure with you.  And to remind you that workouts don't have to involve a gym or a treadmill. If your workouts bore you, maybe you just need to get a little bit creative with what you call a workout?

Self Confidence Secret

Can I tell you what makes a big difference in my self confidence these days, but really doesn't take all that much time?

Lean in close. It's a secret.

Abdominal work.

I used to never do ab work. I just figured, "What's the point of having ripped abs, if you can't see them under a layer of flab?" I thought I should be spending all of my time on cardio, and even if I did strength training, I skipped the abs.  I hated doing them.

When I first started doing ab work consistently, I was surprised to discover how quickly I could tell a difference, and what a difference it made.  During the last couple of months I have not been super consistent in the weight room (which is where I do my ab work), only getting in there once or twice a week. It has left me feeling really flabby.

However, the past several weeks I've been more consistent.  What a confidence booster it is to be able to feel my strong muscles!  This is true for all muscles, but for the abs especially.  When my abs are tight, it makes me feel/look slimmer with a defined waist line, even if I haven't lost all of the weight yet.  My abdominal muscles may not be visible to the eye, but I can definitely feel them.

I've changed up my routine from when I last posted about abs (link included above) and now include exercises for the lower abs and obliques, in addition to crunches for the upper/middle abdominal muscles.  The whole set only takes about 10-12 minutes, and I only do it three times a week, but that seems to be enough.

If you're looking for a quick way to feel better about yourself, determine a routine (perhaps something as simple as two sets of 15-20 regular crunches and 2 sets of 15-20 side crunches) and stick to it consistently for a few weeks.  Do it at least three times a week, but you can do more if you want. You'll feel the difference in no time!

Spin

I've already had an exciting day and it's not even noon yet.  Let me tell you why. I went to my very first Spin class.

Spin, for those of you who do not know, is one hour of heart-rate-jumping cycling set to loud and awesome music.  I loved it.

Let me back up. I was very nervous about trying it.  In fact, I've thought about trying it before, but I've never had the guts. I've heard a lot of horror stories.  I've heard it is incredibly intense. I've heard that the regular spinners are really mean to newcomers and make fun of you if you can't keep up.  I've heard that the seats hurt your butt like nothing else could.  I've heard that you walk funny afterwards.

But a couple of weeks ago, when I was in my rut, I was thinking about taking some of the exercise classes at the local gym to change up my routine and get me out of my funk. I had a one week free pass that a neighbor had given me.

Last week I happened to mention to my friend Alyssa that I had this pass and was thinking about taking some classes. She is a member of the same gym, so she got excited about the prospect of a workout buddy and encouraged me to come. So today I picked her up bright and early, and we headed to the gym.

It was really intimidating to walk in the dark room they have set-up for spin.  I had planned to find a bike in the back, in case I couldn't hang and had to leave early, but a bunch of people had already claimed bikes and I wound up in the center, middle, right in front of the instructor.  My bike seat was too high, and I couldn't figure out how to lower it. Slightly embarrassed, I had to ask the girl next to me.

Then the instructor, a well-muscled, lean and good-looking man asked if there were any newcomers.  Let me tell you something I've learned. If you are a newcomer to an exercise class, you should definitely let the instructor know.  If you don't, they don't explain everything as thoroughly and you end up confused for half the class. So, as intimidating as it was, I raised my hand high and waved at him.  He seemed surprised to have a newcomer, "You've never done spin before, ever?" he said.  "Never, ever," I responded. "Okay, feel free to leave early, if you can't make it the whole hour," he said.

He was just trying to be nice, but I took it as a challenge.  I wanted to make it the full hour, so I took it easy on the hills the first few songs.  But the longer I was in there, the more I got caught up in it.  The moves (going up hill, going downhill, sprinting, standing up, sitting down) are all choreographed to the music.  All the song selections were great, too, and sometimes I caught myself bopping along to the beat as I pedaled.

I made it the whole hour. I could see that the instructor kept checking on me (I was RIGHT in front of him, after all), but I kept up the pace pretty well. The last song, he encouraged us to go all out, and I did, man. I was dripping sweat by the time I was through.

It was a great workout. I torched some serious calories, and it was a lot more fun than I expected.  And I spent so much time standing and pedaling during the class, that my butt doesn't hurt too bad after all.   How's that for a happy ending to my Spin story?

Tri Training

So I've decided on my next big race: a triathlon in Jekyll Island, Georgia on May 21, 2011.  The Turtle Crawl Triathlon is a great choice for a number of reasons:


1) It's on Jekyll Island, which is completely flat and beautiful.
2) It's where my great friends Abi and Bryan England (and their children, Anna and the B) live and work, so I've got a built-in fan base and a place to stay.
3) I love swimming much more than running. 


Triathlons, for those of you that do not know, come in a wide variety of distances, but always involve three things: Swimming, biking and running, in that order.  The longest is the Ironman, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles of biking, and a marathon - 26.2 miles.  There is also the half Ironman (literally, the distances are roughly half of the Ironman), the Olympic distance and the sprint distance, which is what I'll be doing.  Sprint distances vary, but mine will be a .25 miles swim, a 14.5 mile bike and a 5k, which is 3.1 miles of running.  


I did a lot of looking into training plans this past weekend, but that didn't do me a lot of good. I can already handle all of those distances individually right now. The training plans were all trying to build you up to where you could do those distances.  So I kind of made up my own schedule of swimming, biking and running each twice a week.   I'm going to try and do some speed work during my running sessions to improve my 5k time.  I'm also going to research swim workouts to see if I can improve my time with that. Right now, I just jump in the pool and swim for 40 minutes, which is about a mile distance.  Biking is CLEARLY my weakest discipline. Today I tackled my first ride in a long time and, man, am I going to be sore tomorrow.


The Turtle Crawl also has an Olympic distance triathlon the same day, which is a 1.5 mile swim, a 29 mile bike ride and a 10k or 6.2 miles running.  I strongly considered doing it instead of the sprint distance.  The swim is not much farther than I am currently used to doing in the pool, and I've already done the 10k distance for running several times.  I'm not sure how difficult 29 miles would be on the bike. That would take some work.  Right now, I'm pretty sure I'll stick with the sprint, even though I would like to challenge myself more. A triathlon is such a different type of race because of all of the transitions involved from swimming to biking to running. I could probably take advantage of the easier distance just to get used to the format for my first time.


Care to weigh in?  Think I should play it safe for my first Tri or challenge myself with the Olympic distance?

Exhausted (in the Best of Ways)

Right now, I am exhausted. Bone tired. Weary. Worn out. You get the picture.  It means, though, that I've been living life this week, and I love that.

My sister had her third baby on Tuesday. I believe I've mentioned that earlier, but what I did not mention was that Natalie immediately had to go  into the NICU because of an intestinal problem and had to have surgery on Friday.  Also, on Thursday blood tests came back that confirmed Natalie has Down Syndrome.  I've been spending some time each day at the hospital with my sister and Natalie. It's been an emotional and exhausting and emotionally exhausting time.  It's hard to see such a small baby hooked up to so many monitors and ivs, but we are thankful she is a healthy weight and had no other major health problems beside the stomach issue. Once that gets resolved in the next couple of weeks she won't have any further problems with it.

Friday I drove to Greenville and back for work. After work I met Amie and Cindy for our drive to Asheville for the Hot Chocolate 10k.   I've never really spent much time in Asheville, but it is a really cool city. We stayed at an awesome hotel within walking distance to downtown and the race start.  We ate two of the best meals at two different restaurants (Tupelo Honey and Innucci's). 

The race was both wonderful and horrible, but I think most races usually are (thus my love/hate relationship with running).  We ran along the French Broad River most of the time, and it was beautiful. It was also freezing cold. Literally.  The water they were handing out at water stations was turning to ice in their hands before they could give it to us. We had a plan to walk one minute every mile, and it was a good one. It made us focus on only one mile at a time.  I was really feeling good for most of the race, but hit a wall somewhere in the fifth mile.  That's when I turned to Cindy and said, "I don't want to do this anymore."  We walked a bit extra there. Plus, when we got to the last uphill we definitely had to walk that.  It was brutal. But as you looked up the hill, you could see that most people were walking it. When we rounded the final bend, we ran again, because I didn't want Amie to see us walking.  

My time was not as good as it was for my first 10k, so that is a little disappointing.  I can't figure it out. It looks like it will be almost five minutes longer whenever they post the official results, but I just don't think  I walked as much as I did during the Fall Harvest 10k.  However, Cindy made a good point. It shouldn't be about the number, but about how it makes you feel. After the race, we drove Amie down the course so she could see how pretty it was, and it really blew my mind how far we ran.

Also disappointing was the actual hot chocolate served at the Hot Chocolate 10k.  It was un-drinkable. In the end it was okay, because we got real hot chocolate at a shop downtown later to make up for it.

So clearly the week had some ups and downs, but it was a life fully lived. Here are some pictures from my week. Race photography by Amie.

*No post race oranges were available, so I had to take my traditional picture with a banana!

Run for Your Life

So just when I was on the verge of a serious pre-race panic, today I had the best run (physically, mentally and emotionally) of the last few months.

Hold on to your seats, folks, this is where it gets exciting. Cindy and I did 6 miles today in one hour and 8 minutes, which included only 4 minutes of walking! I still can't believe it myself. That means we logged over an hour of solid running time!  AND, wait for it, much of it was on snow and/or mud!  I can not tell you how hard it is to run on either of these surfaces.  When running through mud, your feet get suctioned in and you have to pull a little with each step to keep moving. Plus, the whole time you're thinking "gross, gross, ick, ick." (There was a lot of squealing out of both of us.) Snow, while not as slick as ice, can still be slippery; you have to constantly brace yourself so you won't fall on your bum (neither of us did).

Basically, the above paragraph could be summarized by saying: we are hardcore.

Prior to today, the longest I've run since October was when I did 3.5 miles the day after Christmas (and blogged about it.) The day after that I started getting sick, I ended up taking a week off and then when I got back into it, I had lost a lot of stamina.  Since then I've only been doing  a few miles at a time and even then I've been walking a lot instead of running.

But it helps to have a partner. We both agreed today that we would not have gotten far without the other to keep us company ( in the beginning) or push us when we wanted to quit (nearer the end).

Cindy is also my partner for the Hot Chocolate 10k (6.1 miles) in Asheville next Saturday. Asheville, as most of you should know, is considered mountainous, but this race is billed as "Asheville's flatest 10k!" This is exceptionally good, since I kind of refuse to train on hills.  I've looked at the course online and it appears to be mostly flat with one sweet downhill at the beginning and one horrific uphill right at the end.

Today's run was a big confidence booster, and I feel ready to take on the 10k!

PS It is beautiful to run in a snowy setting. See below.

Workout Playlist: A Key to Success

One of the biggest hurdles I've had to overcome over the last 18 months is maintaining a kick-butt playlist that gets me up and moving.  Okay, so maybe "big hurdle" is a relative term, but it can be tricky to have an amazingly awesome playlist, because once something achieves amazingly awesomeness, you start to get tired of it.  A playlist needs constant tending to maintain amazingly awesome.

Anyway, as a result, I keep my ears open for good upbeat songs, and regularly scour the internet for new stuff.  Fitness Magazine's website and Running.com have all kinds of suggested playlists, but you kind of have to sift through all of that to get what works for you.

So I thought I'd share with you the fruits of my labors.  Just a selection. You may not agree with all my choices. You may laugh at some.  But if you're like me, always searching for the perfect workout song, maybe this will be helpful.

It would be superawesome if I linked all these songs to Itunes or YouTube or something, but that would take a long time and I don't want to spend my whole Saturday afternoon on the computer.  Sorry.  But feel free to head over there and take a listen yourself.

This is specifically from my running list, but it could work for any cardio. I just pulled twenty from the top today.  Maybe I'll share more in a future post.

1. Raise Your Glass, Pink (my newest acquisition)
2. Girls Lie Too, Terri Clark (I've loved this for years, but just recently discovered its greatness for running)
3. Forget You, Glee (still my go-to dance party song)
4. King of Anything, Sara Bareilles (fun to sing along to, as well...thanks to Jenna for pointing me towards this)
5. Best Song Ever, Katie Armiger (The beat/music is awesome...thanks to Toby for recommending)
6. Let My Love Open the Door, Pete Townsend (an older one, but still good)
7. Misery, Maroon 5 (a little slower, but makes me want to groove)
8. Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns N' Roses (The guitar solo at the beginning really gets you moving, but then the whole thing gets really repetitive, so I skip it once I get about halfway through)
9. Just Fine, Mary J. Blige (Slower beat for running, but great for dance partying)
10. No One Like You or Foreverandever Etc, David Crowder Band (great song!)
11. If You're Wondering If I Want You To, Weezer (um, one of my current fav songs)
12. Party in the USA, Miley Cyrus (this was really popular with the teen-aged friends last summer. Now it makes me smile and think of them when it comes on)
13. I Do Not Hook Up and My Life Would Suck Without You, Kelly Clarkson (I don't think there's anyone better to run to than Ms. Clarkson)
14. Walk Like an Egyptian, The Bangles (seriously, this is a great workout song)
15. Grandmother Song, Vienna Teng (great beat, great girl power message by my favorite artist to see live)
16. Be OK, Ingrid Michaelson (It becomes kind of chant as I run, "I just want to be okay, be okay, be okay, be okay today")
17. One Week, Barenaked Ladies (Takes me straight back to 1998 and my first roommate, Nancy)
18. Just Friends, Jonas Brothers (Laugh if you must, but those Jo Bros have some good beats. This was one of the first songs I discovered that would keep me running when I wanted to quit back when I could only run for one minute at a time)
19. Holding Out for a Hero, Bonnie Tyler (Workout songs don't get better than this, just ask Kevin Bacon)
20. Pump It, Black Eyed Peas (You could list any number of BEPs songs, but none makes me move the elliptical faster than this one.)

If you've got any great workout songs to share with me, I would love to have them. Post them in the comments section below!

Today's Challenge

So after turning a small corner yesterday and actually feeling some positivity, today I got smacked with a challenge first thing.  I walked out the door this morning without my lunch.  The weird thing is I also forgot my snacks. I remembered them while I was putting my gym bag in the car and went back in the house for them, but completely forget the lunch until I got to work and went to put it in the fridge.  Crazy!

Anyway, I had four options:

1. Go out to lunch (boo! I would not be able to eat my lunch from home like I had promised myself I would.)
2. Go home for my whole lunch hour and skip the gym altogether (boo! I had also promised myself five workouts this week and skipping today's would set me back)
3. Skip lunch and try to exist only on snacks for the day. 
4. Make a mad dash to the house to get the lunch and then go to the gym for 35-40 minutes.

I ruled out #1 and #2 pretty quickly. I think writing yesterday's post helped with that.  It just made me better prepared mentally when the challenge came up. I was seriously considering #3; there are days when that would be a valid option. (Although, please note that I do not advocate skipping meals, nor do I hardly ever skip a meal.) Today, however, I was starving by 11 a.m., and I had already had one of my precious snacks, which means I would've never made it without lunch. That left me only with option #4.

So, I did it!  I raced home and back in 15 minutes. Bonnie (my beautiful Golden Retreiver) was highly confused to see me home in the middle of the day, but she didn't seem to mind. I went over to the gym with Monica, my regular lunch time work out partner, and got to walk for 10 minutes before hitting up the weight room. 

Hooray for mental preparation and will power! 

Ironman

Saturday night and Sunday morning I watched this documentary on the Ironman Triathlon Championship in Hawaii.  It was the most inspiring thing I've seen in a long time.  These competitors swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run a marathon - 26.2 miles.

The documentary was really dramatic, with copious amounts of slow motion and dramatic music.  The beginning was all about the professionals who were competing to win this race.  That's right, they not only make their living by getting sponsorships for racing, they actually are expected to run a race like this and win it.  This blew my mind.  

But there are also roughly 1700 normal people in the race as well. People who are teachers or nurses or full-time moms in their regular life, but spend a significant amount of time training for this race that is held once a year on Hawaii's big island.  

You have to qualify at another Ironman triathlon to even get into this race.  Then you have to compete each leg of the journey within a certain time limit in order to keep going.  The total time limit for the whole race is 17 hours. Starting at 7 a.m., you have until midnight to cross the finish line. Many of the "normal" people used every minute of those 17 hours and still others were still running at midnight when they found out they wouldn't be allowed to finish.  The winner? He finished in eight hours and ten minutes!

Of course the documentary was really good at picking out the most compelling stories. There was a father/daughter team where the father was in his late 70s.  Another gentleman was 80 and finishing his 21st Ironman triathlon championship.  A mother of four was competing after being in a bad car accident a year or so ago.  A man in his 40s was back after battling cancer. Let me tell you, I cried a bunch.

I hope to compete in a triathlon next year.  Nothing like an Ironman, but what is called a sprint-distance triathlon.  The distances vary, but it usually consists of something like a half mile swim, 11 or 12 miles biking and a 5k (3.1 miles) running.  I just think it would be a fun new way to challenge myself. I've always been a pretty decent swimmer, so I figure why not? I'll keep you posted.  

Ode to the West Center

This is my ode to the Center of West

When it comes to gyms, it's simply the best.

There are so many activities to do within its walls

I might jump on the elliptical or play racquetball.

Kicking through Turbo or swimming in the pool,

Running on the track when the weather's too cool

And a few times a week, I visit the weight room --

 When big guys drop weights they make a big boom.

I can get my sweat on, all on my own

or work out with friends, in a whole other zone.

Without your help, I'd never have dropped pounds

Or know what to do with the energy I've found.

As I've lost inches, you've helped make me strong,

A transformation that really is just never wrong.

So thanks, West Center, you've helped change my life,

and made exercise way more fun, and not strife.

If the Harness Fits...

Another edition of Memory Mondays...

A lot of times people who have lost a lot of weight have this moment where it all began. This is often some supremely embarrassing story where they were overweight, and they broke a chair when they sat in it or didn't fit in an airplane seat or had a child say something bluntly honest about their weight in front of strangers.  In stories of great weight loss, this is the origin, the turning point, where they decide to change their lives.

My supremely embarrassing incident actually came about three weeks into my weight loss journey, back in August 2009. Our annual back to school staff party was at the campus gym.  It had a  "fun and games" theme, so they had set up a lot of different games: air hockey, board games, Wii, etc.  They also had the two-story rock climbing wall open.

I had attempted the rock climbing wall once when I was in college, but that was way back when and in a different gym. At the party, I really wanted to give it a try. After all, I had already lost some weight and I was working out, so I couldn't be too horrible. 

Except that I didn't even fit in the harness. The student who was monitoring/working the wall showed me how to step into the harness and then stood there awkwardly as I tried to pull it up over my hips. I let the straps all the way out. I struggled. I tugged. But no matter how I tried, I could not get it on. I turned to her and hopefully said, "Do you have any larger harnesses?" She said no, and I said, "I guess I'm not climbing the wall today," and walked away. 

It made me feel absolutely horrible. There is no adequate way to describe the embarrassment I felt. The only good thing about it is that none of my coworkers had seen me approach the wall and none of them knew what had happened.   I had been talking about trying to climb all night and several people asked me later when I was going to try. I just told them I had changed my mind. They thought I was just scared, and I was okay with that. 

Ever since then, as I've shed the pounds, I have wanted to try again. But even as I lost 60, 70, 80+ pounds and became stronger, I was too scared to try again. I was scared that even with the significant weight loss I wouldn't fit in the harness again and I would be subject to further embarrassment.

Last Wednesday, I was walking out of our Red, Green and Bling Zumba/Hip Hop Dance Off when I saw the rock climbing wall was open. I knew that now was the the time to try again, so I asked my friend Kimberly to tackle it with me. 

I was extremely nervous as we talked to the workers, got our shoes and our harnesses.  I was nervous right up until that harness slid up over my hips with ease.  I really have changed!

We had to first learn how to belay each other as we climbed. (Belaying is the person who stands on the ground and holds the other end of the rope that the rock climber is attached to. That way if the rock climber falls off the wall, the belayer and the attached rope keeps the rock climber from falling.)

Kimberly volunteered to climb first, which meant I had the pressure of making sure I was belaying correctly. Luckily, Kimberly is an excellent climber who even once took a PE class in rock climbing. She went straight up to the top and then it was my turn.  

While I had spent a lot of time over the past few months thinking about the rock wall and its harness, I hadn't actually given much thought to whether I would be able to climb. On Wednesday I did better than I thought I would, really. I only made it, maybe a quarter of the way up the wall, but that was enough to make me happy with my first try.  I was really just ecstatic to fit in the harness.

Some pictures:

Excited to be in the harness!

Anchored in and ready to belay

Just getting started.

Conquering my personal mountains.

10,000 Strong

Friends, today I witnessed something inspiring, exciting and touching all at the same time. Today, I rose before the sun to watch 10,000 runners attempt either a marathon, half marathon or a 5k on the streets of Charlotte.  For lack of better words, it was amazing.

Particularly, I went because my good friend and running buddy, Jess, was running in the half marathon.  Because I know how good it feels to see people cheering you along the sides of the course, I wanted to be there for her when she accomplished this goal yet again. (I believe this was her third half marathon, correct me if I'm wrong, Jess.)

When Jess went to line up, I walked down the street a bit to so that I could have a good view of all the runners when they came past.  When they lowered the flag to start the race, I could not believe just how many people there were. They just kept coming and coming and coming. I stayed there until the very last runner had run past and I cheered for her just like I cheered for the thousands of others before her.

As a bonus, Amie was running in the Jingle Jog 5k this morning.  It started 30 minutes after the marathon and the half started, so I went back down the street to watch her. Amie is a very fit person, but she is not a runner.  She volunteered to run today, even though she has never run three miles in her life, because of a program called Girls on the Run.  Girls on the Run is a non profit group that helps pre-teen girls develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. Amie is a teacher and the GOTR group from her school needed more adults to run with the girls in the big race.

Let me tell you the many, many people lined up for the 5k were no less inspiring than those for the marathon or the half.  After seeing them off, I went and put my stuff down in my car and ran two miles myself because I had to get a work out in today, and I had some time to kill while I waited for them to come back around.  When I was done, I walked down to the near the end of the 5k finish line and stood there clapping and cheering for hundreds of young girls as they neared the finish line.  I was there at least thirty minutes, and it was the best part of my whole week.

I saw tiny, tiny girls running alongside grown women. I saw girls running with their dads, holding hands as they crossed the finish line. I saw a couple of girls crying, but I saw so many more light up when they realized they had made it, they were within sight of the finish line.  I yelled, "Way to go girls, way to run!"

By the time Amie and her girls finished, we didn't have time to go out on the half marathon course to see Jess, so we decided to just wait for her at the finish. She finished strong after running 13 miles that took her all over Charlotte. Amie has some great pictures of Jess crossing the finish line, but I'm not quite as good of a photographer, so here's what I got:

The very first runners of the marathon.

Jolly Jill waiting for the races to start!

The Art of the Dance Party

Today I got up semi-early, loaded up my car with my stuff and my dog and drove for approximately six hours and fifteen minutes to get home, stopping only twice.

I don't know about you, but when I return from a trip, I tend to get a little overwhelmed with all that needs to be done.  Today when I got home I turned on my computer first thing and started up my music while I unpacked. The first song on my music library is still "Forget You" by the Glee Cast (I embedded the video in last week's Report Card, but here's the link, if you need it.) 

Before I knew it I forgot about the unpacking and the Christmas decorating that needs to be done and had a dance party instead.  It felt good after the long car ride and made me feel better about not getting to work out today (I actually  missed a couple of days this weekend). Coincidentally, Wednesday when I got to my parents' house, my mom, dad, sister and I dance partied to the same song.  

Even if you don't have time or aren't physically able to exercise, everybody can have a dance party. Seriously, if your legs aren't so good, have one sitting down and just move your upper half about wildly.  Anything that gets your heart pumping a little faster.  Plus, all you need is a great song to get you moving.  You can even have a dance party by yourself if you're not as, shall we say, confident in your dancing as I am.  Besides the benefits of heart-pumping exertion if you're doing it right, it's just plain fun.  

What's your favorite dance party song? What gets your toes a-tapping? What makes you break out the finger guns or wave your arms like you just don't care?

*I think I may be a little delirious after the trip.

Do You Weight Train?

I will admit, I was completely against doing any kind of weight lifting when I first started on this journey.   I was thinking I needed to burn as many calories as possible in order to lose weight quickly.  Lifting weights does not get my heart rate up the way cardio exercise does - things like running, walking, swimming, playing raquetball, etc. - and I needed to get my heart rate up in order to burn calories.  If I only had limited time to work out, I thought I needed to spend all of it on cardio activity.  I thought weight lifting was something I could do after I lost the weight, in order to tone up.  I thought like this for at least six months, even when I had several people try to extol the virtues of weight lifting. 

At Christmas my gym at school closed for a week and I got a free pass to go to a local Rock Hill gym in the mean time.  At this gym they offered a class called BodyPump. BodyPump is a weightlifting class that uses barbells and the latest music to get you hyped.  You do lots of reps and it lasts for 60 minutes.  One of my good friends has been teaching BodyPump for awhile in Florida and she makes it sound like a great progam, so I decided to check it out at this local gym. 

Even though I only made it to one or two BodyPump classes that week, it got me thinking about weight lifting again.  I read that weight lifting (also known as resistence training) has all kinds of benefits, including building muscle, which burns calories when you are at rest.  So while it doesn't burn as many calories as cardio activity when you are performing the exercises, it burns more calories for you in the long run. 

I stuck with the weight training.  After just a few weeks, I could feel a difference in my "guns" (read: biceps).  In about a month, I could tell a huge difference in my shoulders (they're pretty sculpted). Now I can tell a huge difference all over. I'm not big and bulky like some professional weightlifter or body builder (turns out its really hard for women to "bulk up" that way), but sleek and toned. In hindsight, I think it really helped that I was lifting weights as I was losing, helping my body and skin adjust to the new size.

Now I look forward to the weight lifting sessions almost more than cardio (don't worry, I still do a lot of cardio). I love being in the weight room, doing my thang, right alongside all of those big bulky men. The routine I do only takes me about 30 minutes. I aim to do it three times a week, but often bump it down to two.  And it doesn't take that long for it to make a big, noticable difference in your body.
 
If you're not doing any weight lifting or resistence training, why not?  Don't think it's important? (It so is!) No time? Not sure what to do? Don't have a membership to a gym? Intimitated by the whole thing?  Let me know, I'd love to see if I can help. 

Ab-ulous

Another edition of Memory Mondays...

I remember the day I discovered my abs.  See, I stand with my hands on my hips a lot, and one day, in this typical pose, I noticed that my stomach was hard.  I immediately became concerned. 

I thought it was a tumor.  I poked around trying to see how big it was. I wondered what I should do. Did I make an appointment with my family doctor first?  In typical Jill fashion, I put it out of mind and decided to think about it later. I thought about it a lot over the next several days, but always fleetingly.

Later that week it came to me while I was in the shower.  This hardness was my ab muscles, finally worked into shape after doing 100 sit ups three days a week for countless weeks. While still hidden under a layer of flab, they were there and they were in shape!  When I realized this I was happy, and ridiculous for thinking they were a tumor.  

Why I Love Racing

I am determined that if I keep racing, one day I'm going to make a good friend out of one of the strangers that run near me.  It's one of my favorite things about racing. We all take off in a big pack, but in the first half mile everyone starts to space out and you quickly can spot who you're going to be running with for the next hour.

Today, I started next to an older-than-me gentleman who celebrated with me when we reached the 1 mile marker before we even had a chance to think about it.  He kept running, even when I stopped for a walk break, but I caught up again once I started running. 

I finished up near a mom in her 30s.  She had started out behind me, but caught up with me on one of my walk breaks. She said something encouraging as she passed me, which got me running again.  Then, somewhere between mile three and four, we were running next to each other when we appeared at the top of a big hill.  I said, "Whoo hoo, look at that awesome downhill!"  It really was a thing of beauty, so long and not steep, it was going to be a joy to run down.  You couldn't even see the end where it would inevitably rise.  Then eventually we could see the rise, and she looked at me and said, "Yeah, but what goes down..." and I finished her sentence with "Must come up!"  We kept each other going through that uphill and stayed close the rest of the race.  In mile 5, I ended up having to walk more than I would've liked.  My friend passed me and  kept going.  I saw her after I finished, and we congratulated each other.    

Besides the random runners near me, the other thing I love about races is the determination of each runner and the spirit of the volunteers.  We stayed around after and watched those who finished after me cross the finish line.  Each one finished at a run with a big smile on his or her face. It just makes you proud to watch, knowing what that person is feeling as they finish.  Plus, out on the course, there are a lot of volunteers at key intersections or water stops.  They are all so supportive and encouraging of us runners, it just makes you feel good.

So, you're probably wondering how I did.  I finished in one hour, eight minutes and 44 seconds.  I walked more than I would've liked, but I finished and not far off my goal of 1:06.  My pace was just over 11 minutes per mile, so I'm pretty happy. It gives me room for improvement when I run the Hot Chocolate 10k in Asheville in January, too!  Here's some pics!

Me and Jess, one of my running inspirations, just before the race, which was just after sunrise. The 10k was Halloween-themed, and lots of people were in costume for the race, so we felt the need to pose with something Halloween-y.

Go 352!

Post-race orange slice pictures are a must for me.

The Courage to Start

After I finished my last race six weeks ago, I went to hang out at my sister's house.  My niece eagerly greeted  me with, "So, did you win your race, Jill?"

It made me laugh, and I answered, "No, but I did really well."

See, she only understands winning and losing when it comes to races, but then again, she is only four.  She doesn't understand that just finishing the race is a major victory. She doesn't understand that coming in 197th in that 5k actually means I won.  As running expert and author John Bingham said, "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle was that I had the courage to start."

Tomorrow I'm running in my first 10k, which is 6.2 miles.  I won't be running the whole thing, I can guarantee you.  I'm actually pretty nervous about it, because I've had some not-so-great runs this week. (See yesterday's post on Wasted Worry for more info)

Still, a year ago I was just starting to run, and I could not run more than two minutes at a time. Keeping that in mind, everything I do now is a victory.  There is no way to lose.

I always run with my iphone, so if you want to send me some encouragement, I would love to get texts or even facebook messages (Those will be a little harder to check, but I might do it on a walk break) while I'm running.  The race starts at 7:45 a.m. eastern time and will last until about 9 a.m. with the way I run.