Sometimes It Sucks

I know my last post was all positive, "A mile is still a mile", but BLEH!  That's how I feel about that today.  I struggled on that dang treadmill the second I stepped on it.  Even my warm up walk felt difficult.  I told myself I should just stop because I can tell what it's going to be like, but NOOOOO, I embraced the suck and kept going.  OY!  Not good...not good.  I managed a solid 1/2 mile run only stopping to tie my shoe (cuz Lord knows I don't want that to get caught in the beast!), then pretty much walked the rest of the way.  I was DYING!  My legs were barely holding me up, I felt dizzy, I was sweating yet chilled to the touch....I wanted to quit and cry in my bed.  BUT, again I didn't. I finished my mile in an embarrassingly pitiful 15:18.  ::hangs head in shame::   After that failed attempt at athleticism, I decided I deserved some punishment and picked up my running partner - a 2 gallon pail of primer, which is only about half full :/   I added two 4lb dumbbells on top of it, inclined my beast to a 9.0 grade, and went for it.  Yeah, well that didn't last long either.  At 1/10 of a mile I nearly tossed my cookies, so I put down my jug and continued walking without it and finished 1/2 mile.  I can't even begin to tell you how mad I was/am at myself.   >: [    <----very close

Anyway, eventhough my time spent on the beast was a bust, I still rocked my push ups (total 132, max 35), did a killer ab workout, and squeezed in some arm and leg exercises.  Then I finished it off with yoga :) 

So, I guess overall it sucked, but I didn't quit.  I kept going, and I can continue to TRY every single day.

Happy Trails :)

A Mile is a Mile

I'm ALWAYS getting down on myself for speed (or lack of, in my case) and constantly trying to improve my "mile time".  If I go faster, I can't go as long, if I go slow and steady it takes MUCH longer.  It's a vicious cycle.  What to do, what to do??? 

Last week, one of my Spartan sisters posted a picture and I found the quote speaking to me directly...

I KNOW, right???  Even if it's taking me 15 minutes to run a mile, I'm STILL running a mile!!!!  Why am I beating myself up over time?  Instead I need to learn to be proud of TRYING, and accomplishing THAT MILE, regardless of time.

BUT, yeah, I still want to manage a mile in less time :)  Today, after being ill for a few days, I managed that mile in 14:35, in addition to my push up challenge (total 115, max 30), 100 squats, yoga, and some ab work.  Not exactly a Spartan WOD, but it sure beats soap operas and potato chips :D 

Until tomorrow.....

Happy Trails :)

A case of the BLAHS

There's an illness of some sort making its way through our house - a chest congestion, queasy stomach combo.  It hasn't completely taken me out yet, but it's lingering in my body long enough to make me feel unwell, and I hate it.  I'd rather it knock me out for a day or two instead of making me feel weak and BLAH.  I let it win yesterday, and didn't even do my push up challenge, but today it's going DOWN!

I completed my push ups, which were tough - I'm blaming it on the weakness due to not feeling well ;)  My max was 20 for a total of 92 and I did not attempt the beast, but some yoga felt good.  Hopefully Wednesday will be more productive in the training department.  I'm praying for a good night's sleep and a healthy mid-week!

Happy Trails :)

Today has got to be better...

Yesterday was one of those days.  You know the ones, the dog pees in the house, mud* is found on my bed sheets after the dog was on it, a kid drops an egg on the floor which the dog then grabs and runs through the house leaving a trail of egg slime.....  ::sigh::  I managed to get in a small jaunt on the beast, and 30 minutes of yoga between the chaos of my day, so I guess it wasn't ALL bad, haha.  But then my sweet babies gave me "mail", although according to the "mail" it was NOT from my kids, but from a 25 year old friend of my kids, lol.  Anyway, the note apologized for the crazy day, and promised breakfast in bed and a clean house today!  YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!

They told me I HAD to stay in bed this morning (eventhough I resisted, haha), they took my order,  and said they would serve me breakfast.  Well, at 7am, I was served hot coffee, orange juice, 1 egg with cheese, and an apple with some peanut butter!  I must say, it was pretty great :)  And just the fuel I need for a good workout!

I modified today's WOD (as usual) and this is how it went:  20 minutes of yoga (I needed some good stretching since I was sore from Wednesday's w/o), a total of 2miles on the beast, broken up with walks, 100 lunges, 94 push ups (today's p/u challenge), 2 sets of 50 squats and 10 burpees, and finished it off with abs.  Not bad.  And to top it off, a dog did NOT pee in the house, I did NOT find mud* on my bed, and NO eggs were dropped.  It's a pretty good start to the weekend!

Today's WOD quote made an impression on me, so I thought I'd share.... "There is no secret to success.What exists is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."  ~Colin Powell  How true is that???

Oh, and if you're wondering why I put  '*'  after 'mud', well, it's because one cannot be 100% sure it is mud since one did not smell it.  I'm guessing it was not actually mud, but I told myself it was.

Happy Trails :)

The Beast

You might be thinking, "Wow, she hasn't even attempted the Sprint and she's talking about the Beast" but oh, I can assure you, this beast is much more intimidating.

Let me introduce you to MY BEAST.  I know for certain that my beast has been around longer than a Spartan Beast.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if my beast was used during ACTUAL Spartan training.  I kid you not.  It's a fine specimen and I'm sure you all will be equally horrified and impressed  to know that someone not only owns such equipment, but uses it DAILY!  I give you....the BEAST...

I think my photos speak for themselves.  I hope after seeing these, you appreciate my efforts and realize I really DO want this!!!!  lol

But in all seriousness, this IS what I run on everyday.  It's not pretty, but it works, keeps me dry, allows me to monitor my laundry, and make sure my kids are doing their assignments.  AND, surprisingly enough, it didn't cost me a dime!  haha, shocker, I know, but I didn't garbage pick it - really, I didn't!  It was given to us by someone "in the business"....um, what business?, I'm really not sure, lol, but a business nonetheless :)  And I will work it till it DIES.

So, if I refer to the Beast, the Dinosaur, or Old Uncle Earl.....you will now know (and lucky you, visualize, haha) what I'm referring to.

Happy Trails :)

The Beginning

There have been many things in life I have failed to follow through with and I found myself blaming others for lack of encouragement. This then led me to fear failure – I refused to try anything new for the simple reason that I didn't want to fail and have others say “it figures”. Finally, I realized that I only have myself to blame, and if I want something bad enough it is MY responsibility to achieve it. This is my journey to discovering that strength and desire within me and building the courage to show it.


First step – training for a Spartan Sprint!!!


Have you heard of it? Well, you can take a look at it here and see for yourself. The sprint is the “beginner” of the Spartan races, however I am a beginner at any sort of athletic activity. Sooooo, I will document my training, as humorous and embarrassing it may be, and share it all. My first race is scheduled for July 14, 2012 at Blue Ridge Ski resort in PA. Yep, that's right....I will be RUNNING UP a SKI SLOPE!!!!! Ugh....what have I gotten myself into???

I've been on and off with workout routines for many, many years. Odd, because at one point in my life I used to LOVE to workout. Honestly, I did. Then life came along – moved away, married my BFF, had babies...you know the drill. That's how long this took place, up until about 3 weeks ago. Someone I know shared her story with me. She was recovering from some pretty traumatic events in her life, yet STILL managed to find time to do what she loved – RUN, TRAIN, and RACE. 'No excuses' for this mama! She's completely inspirational and reading what she had to say sparked something in me; a fire I haven't felt in a long time – she talked about a Spartan race she recently completed and shared pictures of her covered in mud, jumping over fire, and I decided I WANT THAT! So, we talked about this race next year, and the two of us will be doing it together. ARROOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Now, I'm about 2 weeks into training, which consists of me dying on the treadmill every morning, doing a whopping 3 miles in 50 minutes, almost killing myself one of those mornings when I lost my footing and did a split on the belt (thank GOD I was home and not at a public gym!), working through a push up challenge (which has me pretty proud of myself because my weak old body still has some upper body strength in it), and various workouts for strength and endurance. Spartan WOD's (workouts of the day) are posted daily, however they are pretty hard core and I find myself modifying most of them at this stage (which again, is BEGINNER!!!).

So, with the help of my kick-ass husband, my incredible kids, and some awesome new friends, I'm embarking on this journey and stepping WAY out of my comfort zone. Should be an interesting ride ;)