It's the fourth Tuesday of the month, and as Stacy said, for ANYONE who misses that day we have to do double push-ups the next! I try to be gentle as newcomers ask "What's the big deal about today's workout? Why is everyone chatting nervously?". Just as I type this, the butterflies return. Fourth Tuesday is Cochise. For anyone who doesn't mind running a few hills, it's no big deal. So I respond with something benign like "Oh, you know, we're donig a little running today, and that's just not some people's favorite thing to do! Some people would rather do sprints, or lunges, or Bleacher Creatures, that's all!". The link says it all:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4046421
As Stacy said, if you hit the Player button, it's 'very entertaining' to watch the line go up and down Cochise about four times. ENTERTAINING.
When I finished the run, all I could do was lay down on the ground. At one point, in the fetal position. I think I finally joined the rest of the group for the cool down right around the last 30 seconds. I immediately got in my car, headed to Starbucks for an extra hot coffee, stopped at a gas station for two bags of ice, then home. For those of you who have never explored the healing qualities of an ice bath for muscle soreness, ICE IS YOUR FRIEND. I showered, then filled the tub with cold water (and Unwind bath salts - yum!) as I sat in it so I would acclimate (of course, hot coffee within reach and with a long-sleeved top on), then dumped in the two bags. Not content with the temperature, I ran downstairs and grabbed the entire ice container from the automatic ice maker in my freezer, ran back upstairs and threw it in. All of it. Ice baths rock!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Month 3 "Lite" - and psyllium husks
We are nearing the end of month 3, and nary an entry to the blog, so I thought I would catch you up on our whereabouts!
First of all, Mitzi is taking a break and doing some focused triathlon training. Also, a few months ago (actually, July!), Mitzi talked me into doing the Emerald Coast Triathlon in Panama City Beach on October 13th. It's been about 20 years since I did any swimming, but I thought, working out in Atlanta in July is a bit like swimming, so why not? :) So for September, I have been paring back the TrainStrong workouts so I can fit in swimming - from five days a week to three. I've also been cycling on the weekends, and this past Saturday did my first non-TrainStrong run in quite a while! After the cycling, it felt more like a "shuffle" - and a very slow one at that!
So one might guess that being in month 3, the soreness is beginning to wear off. Hmmm...well, it's not! As Stacy said in an email today: "Keep in mind that we want you to push yourself to 100% effort 100% of the time. Now, we know that's not physically possible, but that's what you should strive to do. Don't let your body quit!!!". Today's workout was 'Bring a Friend Day' - and I had THREE friends with me! Thanks to Katy Self and her friend Lauren, and John Carr for joining me! To accommodate a crowd of 50 or 100, the BAF workout consists of breaking into groups and doing an exercise for 1 - 2 minutes at one of five stations on a big soccer field, then SPRINTING around the field until you pass the station you started at and on to the next one (so around the field once plus a fifth). This morning we started out a little sluggish, so we had to be encouraged by Stacy to 'kick it in'. With the sun coming up later, it's a little harder to run with certainty, and so inevitably my legs begin to get behind/in front of my body, and then I look like a space shuttle about to internally combust - limbs flying in all directions, losing my balance, etc. It's not pretty.
So, there's something I've learned about this month that I need to share with you. This would be Psyllium husk powder. Now I know, I know, it's not pleasant or girly to discuss fiber beyond mentioning the great tortilla wraps and bran cereal (which can be high in carbs!), but I wouldn't be a true friend if I didn't share this with you - all of you! I had several analogies in my mind that I thought I would use, but probably the best description is found on Wikipedia:
"The characteristics of psyllium seed husks make them useful for any treatment that requires improvement or maintenance of transit time in the gastrointestinal tract, because the inert bulk of the husks helps provide a constant volume......."
That phrase 'transit time' cracks me up - I can't help it! Anyway, with most of my readers probably in their early 30's to mid-60's, it's something we can all relate to and desire to improve on. If you check out the ingredients of most fiber supplements, psyllium husks are typically near the top, so why not just go for the gold?????
First of all, Mitzi is taking a break and doing some focused triathlon training. Also, a few months ago (actually, July!), Mitzi talked me into doing the Emerald Coast Triathlon in Panama City Beach on October 13th. It's been about 20 years since I did any swimming, but I thought, working out in Atlanta in July is a bit like swimming, so why not? :) So for September, I have been paring back the TrainStrong workouts so I can fit in swimming - from five days a week to three. I've also been cycling on the weekends, and this past Saturday did my first non-TrainStrong run in quite a while! After the cycling, it felt more like a "shuffle" - and a very slow one at that!
So one might guess that being in month 3, the soreness is beginning to wear off. Hmmm...well, it's not! As Stacy said in an email today: "Keep in mind that we want you to push yourself to 100% effort 100% of the time. Now, we know that's not physically possible, but that's what you should strive to do. Don't let your body quit!!!". Today's workout was 'Bring a Friend Day' - and I had THREE friends with me! Thanks to Katy Self and her friend Lauren, and John Carr for joining me! To accommodate a crowd of 50 or 100, the BAF workout consists of breaking into groups and doing an exercise for 1 - 2 minutes at one of five stations on a big soccer field, then SPRINTING around the field until you pass the station you started at and on to the next one (so around the field once plus a fifth). This morning we started out a little sluggish, so we had to be encouraged by Stacy to 'kick it in'. With the sun coming up later, it's a little harder to run with certainty, and so inevitably my legs begin to get behind/in front of my body, and then I look like a space shuttle about to internally combust - limbs flying in all directions, losing my balance, etc. It's not pretty.
So, there's something I've learned about this month that I need to share with you. This would be Psyllium husk powder. Now I know, I know, it's not pleasant or girly to discuss fiber beyond mentioning the great tortilla wraps and bran cereal (which can be high in carbs!), but I wouldn't be a true friend if I didn't share this with you - all of you! I had several analogies in my mind that I thought I would use, but probably the best description is found on Wikipedia:
"The characteristics of psyllium seed husks make them useful for any treatment that requires improvement or maintenance of transit time in the gastrointestinal tract, because the inert bulk of the husks helps provide a constant volume......."
That phrase 'transit time' cracks me up - I can't help it! Anyway, with most of my readers probably in their early 30's to mid-60's, it's something we can all relate to and desire to improve on. If you check out the ingredients of most fiber supplements, psyllium husks are typically near the top, so why not just go for the gold?????
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Cochise - reloaded! (Jane)
Since today was a 'big run day', it seems like a good time to mention my dear friend Heather. She and I trained together for two marathons. We practiced the finer skills of British accents while pounding out long runs through the hills of Buckhead (Ridgewood ring a bell?) - you know, sometimes you just run out of things to talk about on a 4-hour run, so it helps to be able to repeat entire conversations in a proper Cockney accent (Nick, it was awful)! Okay, so we thought it was funny. And we amused ourselves with hand-puppets (that sometimes turned into dog-fights) whenever the sun hit our backs, and sometimes, just sometimes, we'd be running along, and all of the sudden realize we were 'in the zone', and get these silly grins on our faces. Sigh. Heather and her family moved to Dallas! I mean, there's NO COCHISE in DALLAS, not to mention Nuevo Laredo! But I digress, or regress...but I miss my friend. See us below at the start of the Marine Corps Marathon in 2003!
(Here is where I segue back into TrainStrong...Cochise!) Today was BIG RUN day. This is where being a first-timer really is good because you don't know what is coming, so you don't anticipate it. Whew. What a doosey! Nick, our volunteer instructor from the UK (picture is somewhere on the blog), who also happens to have at least two geek gadgets in motion when he is not, wore a handy little GPS on the run so we could share it with our friends! If you cut/paste this link, you can see how we blazed our trail (okay, so really Scott since he was the only one running with Nick the entire time! Everyone else ran somewhere between 2.8 - 5 miles) - check it out at http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3791559. You get a sense of the elevation change - and where the red line seems to scribble back and forth - well, we did! Since everyone has varying speeds, Stacy does a great job of basically keeping us all together by 'looping' us along the course. And just like last time, it was all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of t'other, gasping for breath as though I had never run before. (I was secretly hoping that by raising my core body temp that it would kill off whatever germ is persistently tickling my throat!) And like last time, the trainers encouraged everyone, every step of the way :). We did it!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Home Stretch - Week 4! - Jane
Let's hear it for the friends who were brave enough to come on Bring a Friend day!!!! Cheri said she is still my friend (whew!) and Ben said it's woken up a few muscles :). Thanks for coming you guys - Stacy was beginning to wonder if Jen Overly was our only friend!!!!
One of the hazards of eating five times a day (besides the boost in your metabolism and...uhh...well, other things), I've bitten my tongue twice in the last week. It's not pleasant when you are eating something that has a wee bit of salt in it! I have to chalk it up to eater fatigue. But I persevere, eat a sugar-free fruit pop, and be done with it.
I've mentioned a few of my favorite new foods in various places on the blog, but thought I'd do the round up again:
1. Whole Foods Soy Chips (ranch and sea salt are favs) - high in protein, great crunch factor!
2. Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt (plain) - mix in berries and honey or Stevia, and you're golden. This packs 13g of protein in 80 calories, so for those of you looking to stay out of the pit on protein, take note!
3. Lo-carb Tortillas or Wraps - there are a couple of different brands (La Tortilla Factory is Sheila's favorite!) - you can make breakfast burritos, pizza (use two, put a little part skim mozzarella cheese on one, toast, put the other on top and put chopped tomato, chopped fresh basil, and a little more cheese - YUM!), a host of other yummy treats. 80 - 90 calories each depending on the brand, lots of protein and FIBER.
4. Pure Protein bars - Stacy recommends these, although the quantity that I eat them is not recommended. I have cut back. I happen to love the Blueberry Crumble and Strawberry Shortcake - Sheila was not a big fan of the blueberry, and she can eat blueberries all day long! Maybe get several different kinds and have a 'protein hour' with your friends to find out which ones you like! You can often find these on sale for $1 at Kroger.
5. Grilled Tilapia - wow, am I a believer! This stuff is great! Costco sells it in a jumbo pack, I separate into freezer ziplocs and pull a few out when I need them. I fire up the grill, put a little olive oil (a LITTLE), some seafood seasoning (I bought some from Costco that's good) , throw it on heavy foil and cook on the grill! It cooks QUICK - 4 - 5 minutes - so watch it!
6. My protein shakes - I use Arbonne's chocolate protein (1 serving), 1/2 serving of the Arbonne fiber (it's orange, tastes great!), 1/2 cup frozen berries, 1 T flaxseed, 1 scoop greens powder (I use Purity Products Triple Greens - only sold online, make sure you get a deal!). I have a shake every morning before I work out (yawn).
7. Costco's frozen asian vegetable mix - this is awesome! I found a low calorie ginger/soy marinade at Whole Foods (there are lots to choose from), so I just use 2 - 3 tablespoons of that, throw in a nonstick pan, heat it up, and eat with tilapia or grilled chicken.
8. Chicken with Dale's or Moore's sauce/marinade - Marinate just about anything in this stuff. I'll grill a bunch of chicken at once, slice and put in single serving ziploc bags to bring to work for my salads. This seasoning is awesome! I hear it's great on steak, too!
This is our final week of round 2! How will we finish? Will we do it again? Who else will join us in this regimen which is quickly becoming a 'team mole' experience (start in the dark, end in the dark) as the days grow shorter, and our workouts begin with flashlight cones????? Mitzi and I are also training for the Emerald Coast Triathlon on October 13th! Stay tuned!
One of the hazards of eating five times a day (besides the boost in your metabolism and...uhh...well, other things), I've bitten my tongue twice in the last week. It's not pleasant when you are eating something that has a wee bit of salt in it! I have to chalk it up to eater fatigue. But I persevere, eat a sugar-free fruit pop, and be done with it.
I've mentioned a few of my favorite new foods in various places on the blog, but thought I'd do the round up again:
1. Whole Foods Soy Chips (ranch and sea salt are favs) - high in protein, great crunch factor!
2. Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt (plain) - mix in berries and honey or Stevia, and you're golden. This packs 13g of protein in 80 calories, so for those of you looking to stay out of the pit on protein, take note!
3. Lo-carb Tortillas or Wraps - there are a couple of different brands (La Tortilla Factory is Sheila's favorite!) - you can make breakfast burritos, pizza (use two, put a little part skim mozzarella cheese on one, toast, put the other on top and put chopped tomato, chopped fresh basil, and a little more cheese - YUM!), a host of other yummy treats. 80 - 90 calories each depending on the brand, lots of protein and FIBER.
4. Pure Protein bars - Stacy recommends these, although the quantity that I eat them is not recommended. I have cut back. I happen to love the Blueberry Crumble and Strawberry Shortcake - Sheila was not a big fan of the blueberry, and she can eat blueberries all day long! Maybe get several different kinds and have a 'protein hour' with your friends to find out which ones you like! You can often find these on sale for $1 at Kroger.
5. Grilled Tilapia - wow, am I a believer! This stuff is great! Costco sells it in a jumbo pack, I separate into freezer ziplocs and pull a few out when I need them. I fire up the grill, put a little olive oil (a LITTLE), some seafood seasoning (I bought some from Costco that's good) , throw it on heavy foil and cook on the grill! It cooks QUICK - 4 - 5 minutes - so watch it!
6. My protein shakes - I use Arbonne's chocolate protein (1 serving), 1/2 serving of the Arbonne fiber (it's orange, tastes great!), 1/2 cup frozen berries, 1 T flaxseed, 1 scoop greens powder (I use Purity Products Triple Greens - only sold online, make sure you get a deal!). I have a shake every morning before I work out (yawn).
7. Costco's frozen asian vegetable mix - this is awesome! I found a low calorie ginger/soy marinade at Whole Foods (there are lots to choose from), so I just use 2 - 3 tablespoons of that, throw in a nonstick pan, heat it up, and eat with tilapia or grilled chicken.
8. Chicken with Dale's or Moore's sauce/marinade - Marinate just about anything in this stuff. I'll grill a bunch of chicken at once, slice and put in single serving ziploc bags to bring to work for my salads. This seasoning is awesome! I hear it's great on steak, too!
This is our final week of round 2! How will we finish? Will we do it again? Who else will join us in this regimen which is quickly becoming a 'team mole' experience (start in the dark, end in the dark) as the days grow shorter, and our workouts begin with flashlight cones????? Mitzi and I are also training for the Emerald Coast Triathlon on October 13th! Stay tuned!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Bring a Friend Day - Mitzi
First of CONGRATULATIONS TO STACY AND WENDELL!!! Wendell asked Stacy to marry him at the end of the session. It was so sweet! So fun to see! We're all so happy for you!!
Secondly - apologies to Judd....apparently his name has TWO d's!!
Secondly - apologies to Judd....apparently his name has TWO d's!!
So, this Thursday was bring a friend day. Before I give props to Jane and I's friends that came on Thursday I must give some attention to my friend that came last month as I didn't do it then.
Jen was the sucker....cough cough...I mean willing participant that came last month. She's heard about it for years as a mutual friend, Barbara, has done this and her husband is on staff at Lovett. I didn't have a camera around to catch the after pose but here we are at a Triathlon we did a few weeks ago. So, she came, she did it and did it well! Jen, you rock girl!!
So, this past Thursday Jane and I had 3 friends that came along for the festivities. Cheri, Ben & Becky came along for the ride!! We were split up into teams so I really didn't get to see how Cheri and Ben did. Becky was in my group and I was thoroughly impressed!! Becky you rocked! Cheri and Ben were still breathing and soaked so know they must have worked HARD!There were 4 stations and at each we did a certain excercise for a minute or so. Then after the station we sprinted over to the next one. We did this about 3 times so we got in a good 12 different excercises and lots of running. I must admit that I would have LOVED to have seen Ben tackle the Mary Katherines with his fingers up in the air! hee hee!! Thanks for coming out dear friends!
Here they are! Becky, Ben & Cheri
And here we ALL are - plus our buddy Sheila (in the pink). These pictures show the reality of our morning....sweat, mud and grass!! Proof we work our tails off!! Ok, why do I have WAAAAY more mud on me then the rest of you?????? Interesting grin on your face Ben....are you holding your breath from the stink of all of us or just excited to be amidst such buff women?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Jen, Becks and Steve! - Mitzi
Jane mentioned earlier that we said goodbye to our Trainstrong buddy Jen Groff. She took the summer off and spent it down here in the durty durty......such a fun person!! Jen's moved up to Boston - where it's not so much death heat! We miss you sweet girl!! This is Jen, Jane and myself last Friday at Starbucks after our morning torchure....cough cough...workout!
Who knew that Football (or Soccer if you're American) icon David Beckham is Trainstrong Strong! Well...he at least stretches like we do. Look at Mr. LA Galaxy doing the toy soldier with a skip!
Oh yeah....Steve's in the blue. Along with him is Annie (one of our awesome instructors) and Judd (the dude Jane assumed was not a cheerleader in high school from a previous blog - I think you totally could have pulled that off Judd...ok, so maybe not...maybe the mascot!)
Who knew that Football (or Soccer if you're American) icon David Beckham is Trainstrong Strong! Well...he at least stretches like we do. Look at Mr. LA Galaxy doing the toy soldier with a skip!
Jane put it so eloquently as she said everything but her earlobes hurt. I too am in pain. I actually don't think that I hurt this much the first month. What's up with that? Man, Tuesday was a beast! Sprint is officially a four letter word!!!
TA-DA! Here he is folks! STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVE!!!
Oh yeah....Steve's in the blue. Along with him is Annie (one of our awesome instructors) and Judd (the dude Jane assumed was not a cheerleader in high school from a previous blog - I think you totally could have pulled that off Judd...ok, so maybe not...maybe the mascot!)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
My ear lobes - Jane
(This blog entry brought to you by Steve! If he is up at 3am again, he needs something new and riveting to read!)
So it's true - right now, the only thing that doesn't hurt are my ear lobes (did you know you can spell that word 'ear lobes' or 'earlobes' - and they both pass spellcheck??? I digress.). This past Friday afternoon I drove to Augusta, GA, and surprised my mom at a party she attended with some friends! It was great - she really had no clue :). Also, I had one of her friends snap a few photos of us - those will go up here as soon as I get them, so I can once and for all give credit where it is due for any comment about where my arms come from. She's 69, and you won't believe her arms!
I spent the rest of the weekend in sunny (hot) Isle of Palms, South Carolina, with family! I decided to take Saturday off (from working out), so Sunday I found a pool at the Medical College of South Carolina, and spent almost an hour swimming laps. Sunday evening I felt as though I had run on my arms, and tonight - I hurt from my bellybutton to my toes. I mean, like, I could take an ice bath I'm so sore! (For those of you reading this and are training for a marathon, or regularly run over 12 miles in a single stretch, you should really consider ice baths! No, really! They ROCK! A few sites to read the details: http://cotuitrunner.com/2006/07/10/so-long-lactic-acid-i-am-now-an-ice-bath-junkie/ and I read on one site that this will reduce intra-muscular fluids and swelling and close down capillaries. It also reduces post-exercise soreness and eliminates delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS! We've heard about that before! If you want the low-down on how to do an ice bath RIGHT, let me know!). But it's 9:25pm - too late for an icebath tonight!
I missed 'Bleacher Creatures' yesterday - boo! This was the burn-your-calves-and-hamstrings-til-you-can't-go-anymore workout, and I know it is the one that finally cured my lower back problems - yep, it lined everything up! Instead, I spent my workout at 10am in the blazing sun, in running gear while everyone else was soaking up rays :). For those of you who are diehard Hootie fans, we cruised past the infamous Windjammer, where they played in the early days!
Today's workout was one big long sprint - I really think Stacy enjoyed this one :). As she always says, 'Don't leave anything out on the field!'. But I almost left something in the woods...
So it's true - right now, the only thing that doesn't hurt are my ear lobes (did you know you can spell that word 'ear lobes' or 'earlobes' - and they both pass spellcheck??? I digress.). This past Friday afternoon I drove to Augusta, GA, and surprised my mom at a party she attended with some friends! It was great - she really had no clue :). Also, I had one of her friends snap a few photos of us - those will go up here as soon as I get them, so I can once and for all give credit where it is due for any comment about where my arms come from. She's 69, and you won't believe her arms!
I spent the rest of the weekend in sunny (hot) Isle of Palms, South Carolina, with family! I decided to take Saturday off (from working out), so Sunday I found a pool at the Medical College of South Carolina, and spent almost an hour swimming laps. Sunday evening I felt as though I had run on my arms, and tonight - I hurt from my bellybutton to my toes. I mean, like, I could take an ice bath I'm so sore! (For those of you reading this and are training for a marathon, or regularly run over 12 miles in a single stretch, you should really consider ice baths! No, really! They ROCK! A few sites to read the details: http://cotuitrunner.com/2006/07/10/so-long-lactic-acid-i-am-now-an-ice-bath-junkie/ and I read on one site that this will reduce intra-muscular fluids and swelling and close down capillaries. It also reduces post-exercise soreness and eliminates delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS! We've heard about that before! If you want the low-down on how to do an ice bath RIGHT, let me know!). But it's 9:25pm - too late for an icebath tonight!
I missed 'Bleacher Creatures' yesterday - boo! This was the burn-your-calves-and-hamstrings-til-you-can't-go-anymore workout, and I know it is the one that finally cured my lower back problems - yep, it lined everything up! Instead, I spent my workout at 10am in the blazing sun, in running gear while everyone else was soaking up rays :). For those of you who are diehard Hootie fans, we cruised past the infamous Windjammer, where they played in the early days!
Today's workout was one big long sprint - I really think Stacy enjoyed this one :). As she always says, 'Don't leave anything out on the field!'. But I almost left something in the woods...
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