Victory, Isn't Always Winning

Warning: This blog is gonna be long. Really long. I've been away for quite a while and it seems like there is sooo much to tell you all! So, grab some popcorn, get a drink & prepare yourself to read.

I haven't been blogging because life had it's pesky way of really punching me in the face the past month. I really debated talking about it, but if my story can help anybody else that may have been sucker punched by life, it's a story worth telling. Back in early September, my father and I were robbed at gunpoint while closing up our shop. Thankfully, neither one of us were hurt seriously, but the emotional wounds of that night were deep. I was traumatized. I had the experience of having a gun to my head and I do not wish that experience on anyone who lives their life in the light. To make matters worse, the three robbers have yet to be caught--and even worse than that, I know who 2 of my 3 assailants are. They took something from me that night. A part of me. My peace and my right to be silent in my own mind without fear. The days following were filled with decreased appetite, lots of sleepless nights marred by nightmares and the moments of that night replaying over in my head.

With the Tyler Rose Half Marathon only a month away at this point, I decided to take a short break (a week) from running, until I could rest properly and fuel my body the way I needed. That snowballed into a whole MONTH. Why? I was scared. I was terrified. I couldn't bring myself to lace up my shoes and go out on my training runs--especially the long ones, alone. I am now oversensitive. I am paranoid. Every car that passes by is potentially someone who wants to hurt me. Being away for hours at a time, on quiet roads, didn't sit well with me. I was now shackled by fear, from enjoying something that I love so much. I was still sporadically making my Cave workouts and one day part of our workout was having to run laps--time to face my fear. I know it's irrational to be afraid of running a tiny stretch of area around my gym, but fear is known to be irrational and unexplainable. Running laps alone and in the dark (the sun isn't up yet at 6:30am) wasn't my idea of a good time. Long story short, I almost ninja pushed a guy riding a bike on his way to work--but it helped me conquer my fear just a bit. Maybe, I could at least squeeze in a few short runs before my half.

Then, just when you think everything is looking up, we had the biggest of freak accidents happen.
A truck traveling on the highway loses control of his vehicle while he was texting and driving and goes completely airborne when he drives off the highway--with him completely destroying our business van and my parents personal vehicle that were parked in our parking lot. Yup, completely the worst month EVER. Not running now for sure. Most of my runs have me running for a bit on the side of the highway--after this, I'll never be running on a training run on the highway again. Before, I had always been careful while running on the highway. Constantly scanning traffic, watching for any slightest movement or if someone didn't see me--but anything can happen and it's just not worth the risk. I'll drive 20 minutes to find 5+ miles of safe running area now before risking my life along the highway again. Below is a picture of the wreckage. It's unbelievable.

At this point, I only had a week left until my half. I've had ZERO training in a month. I started thinking about dropping out of the race. Would I be able to run? What if I hurt myself? I know how hard I can be on myself with my expectations. I'm always searching for the next PR, or fastest mile, etc. A large part of me didn't wanna run this race if I couldn't do my best, or be my best. After a lot of meditation, praying and discussion with some amazing, supportive people in my life, I decided I was gonna do it! Put expectations aside for this one race. I will be able to train for another race. There will always be another opportunity to PR. This race was about more than getting a medal at the finish line. I was running for my sanity. I was running to kick my fears in the face. I was running to take back a piece of my myself that those individuals stole that night.

The night before the race I methodically went through my usual race routine. Gathered my jelly beans, SPI belt, checked my playlist--the things I can control, I wanted to make sure I was prepared. Race morning I was filled with nervousness, anxiety and a twinge of excitement. I savored every moment of the experience. Hugged all my friends tight & absorbed all the words of love and encouragement. I still had some nagging self doubt in my head. I didn't have the luxury of running with a friend this go round. I missed my run buddy :(

Start time came quickly, we were through the start line and that 13.1 miles started. I had been telling myself for days, that when my legs couldn't run anymore, I was going to have to run with my heart. Both of my calves cramped almost immediately in my compression sleeves. It wasn't unbearable--I just did my best to breathe deeply, push through it and a few minutes later they relaxed. It was only like half a mile in, when we got to a point where those in the front of the pack were already looping around and passing us. I started talking to myself (or anyone who would listen). I made an offhand comment about how "I'll be that fast one day." I was delighted when I got a reply from a lady running beside me.

Next thing you know, we are running stride for stride, practically the same pace and talking to each other like we've known each other for years. I am convinced that it was fate for us to meet. Kristi was my angel that day and I know, I now have a friend for life. What was supposed to be the hardest course I've ever run, became the easiest just because of her. It wasn't the fastest I've ever run--but the longer we talked, we kept passing more and more mile markers. I don't remember what mile marker it was, that we stopped and she made a bathroom break, while I waited outside. Even though just hours before, we were complete strangers, I felt bonded with this person--I wasn't gonna run ahead of her right now! Another runner caught up to us during the wait and exclaims "I caught up to you guys! You've been my motivation from back there!" My heart literally soared. Here I was, running on minimal training and I've got someone telling ME that I was a motivating factor in her run.

The miles flew by in a blur. This literally was the most enjoyable run that I have had in a very long time. Usually after the halfway point, I would be starting to feel the aches and pains, overthinking the run--dreading the upcoming mile. None of that happened that day. With each step I took, the shackles that had locked me in fear the past month, broke away. I felt refreshed, renewed, and most importantly, I was starting to feel like myself. Kristi and I traveled about 11.5 miles together. Towards the end, we kept telling each other, "Don't let me hold you back. If you wanna run ahead, you can." I was so grateful for this woman, part of me wanted to stay with her until the end--but another part of me wanted my heart to take flight. I had this amazing, unexpected surge of energy flow through me and I broke away. I would wait for her at the finish.

I was on my final stretch and that last mile was the fastest mile I ran the entire race--I emptied out my tank. I caught up to the girl who had passed us earlier on my way to the finish. I gave her a big hug (and found out her name is April) and kept trucking on--the finish line was near. It was an amazing feeling to catch up to people that had passed me up earlier in the race and pass them. The finish was pure jubilation. I threw my hands up in the air in celebration--I can't wait to see the race photos :) April finished just about 2 minutes behind me and Kristi 5 minutes after her. Lots of smiles, hugs and camaraderie between people who didn't even know each other before that day.

No matter what happens in your life, you have to find yourself. It's so important! Feel your emotions, let people in and most importantly, go easy on yourself. Obstacles are put in your way--you just find your way around them, or BUST right through them! After all the craziness of the past month, I felt this inner calm standing there at the finish. I felt more whole than I've felt in a while. As I smiled and chatted with other racers, basking in our accomplishments, a spark was relit in my soul--a flame that had been blown out, that I had been trying to figure out how to light again. My official time was 3:14, my slowest half marathon ever....but this race was so much more than my others combined. I won this day, in more ways than I ever could of imagined.

Happy running :)

Runner Update

Sorry for the lack of clever blog title. I really don't have one today. This is pretty much gonna be a short and sweet update for the handful of you that actually care and read this :)

Half training as been coming along. I've got 7 weeks left until race day and the weeks just keep flying by so quickly it'll be here before I know it. The Texas heat hasn't really decided to give us a break yet, so I've seen been completely drenched and wore out with the sun beating down on me. Will have to get up EVEN earlier to tackle 7 miles tomorrow. Hopefully the heat will break in a few weeks. Been running solo--which has been a challenge. It's reminded me what a mental challenge running is--when I have to rely on myself to push, but it's been a good thing for me. I will need it to tackle those hills in October. I can't expect someone else to do it for me. Motivation, determination and the sheer grit comes from within. That desire, that burning in your soul--you get that from yourself. I can't expect to get it from outside sources and I realized that no matter how supportive you can be, you can't be that for someone else either. You run your own race.

This week has been somewhat of a "recovery" week for me. Due to work circumstances, I haven't been at the Cave as much as usual and it kind of gave my body a moment to recharge. Nutrition has been on point. I meal prepped last Sunday and for those meals that I didn't have prepared, instead of fast food, I got amazing, nutritious food from The Diner (in Tyler) which is branching out into a business called Fit City Foods. You can either preorder ahead or stop in and get premade meals (by hand, not frozen) that meet all your protein, carb and fat needs AT a reasonable price! WAY better than hitting the fast food window. I really recommend this to anyone in the area. In larger metro areas, a place called My Fit Foods, also does the same thing.

That's it for today. Eat well and just keep running everybody.

Off The Beaten Path

I've been taking a completely different approach to my half marathon training this go around. I have basically ditched the typical training schedule and now I'm officially "winging" it. What does that mean exactly?? I'm not running a designated amount of miles on a designated day and hating myself every other day. I still have scheduled long runs once a week, but my runs during the week aren't necessarily the typical steady state cardio type runs. I've been alternating between hill sprints, tempo runs and my "long run" yesterday turned more into a interval type run (due to run buddy circumstance). They say, the only bad run is one you didn't do...but I beg to differ. I want to enjoy what I'm doing, or else I may NOT want to keep doing it!

But it's been more enjoyable! It's been cool pushing and challenging myself to do different types of training. Some may worry about endurance, but I am confident that between my new training, cave work and strength training I will be more than ready for this half marathon in October. Where am I finding the time for all this?? I must admit. It isn't easy. It takes sacrifice. Life has basically become sleep, eat, work, and workout. Last weekend, I had to forgo a fun evening hanging out with friends because I had to wake up early and run the next day. Did I regret it? No, I didn't. Although, I wish I could of been there, keeping training up is essential to meeting my goals. Just two more months and I'll have more free time again. Thankfully, I have a wonderful group of friends that understand :)

I get asked, "How do you stay motivated?" and frankly, this one is simple. I just am. I love this life. I love working out. It makes me feeling amazing, healthy and strong. I enjoy it. It's fun. I love the people in my fitness circle. My rest days usually end up with me wishing I had clocked a workout in, but know it's essential for my body to get that recovery time. And I think this is why so many people that start out on their fitness journey cut it short, or just drop it all together. They are miserable. They haven't found exactly what they like. They don't have a good support circle & expectations are too high. Just like anything else in  your life, you have to devote time to it. You have to do research. You have to commit to the process, no matter how slow the progress is. Slow progress is better than NO progress.  My own motivation has essentially transformed into habit over time & now working out is just another part of my day, like breathing. I could still use a little work in the eating department, but that's ok, we all have things we need to work on.

The point of this blog is, don't give up. No matter what is going on in your life. Life is going to happen to you. It will lift you up and it will beat you down. But YOU control how you handle it and only YOU have control over your own happiness. Don't give up. Keep pushing. You've got to do it for yourself, because nobody else is going to care for you. Make it a habit. That one skipped workout, will become a week, will evolve into a month...and next thing you know it's been 6 months. It goes that quickly. Change that, today.

Why Does It Have To Be A Diet?

Ok, quick update before I get into today's post:
Happy August!!! This week marks another start to "officially" training for my next half marathon! waaahoooo! This past Sunday, I dragged my run buddy out to go on our first training run. She obliged. Just a little. We ran the course to a previous 5k that we had completed a few months ago, which is relatively flat and a fast course -- an easy first run out. It was actually a beautiful morning & I was super proud of myself for dragging myself out of bed after being out late the night before with friends. Felt like my body was asleep when we started out, but it woke up very quickly.

My run buddy has been going through a lot of life issues recently and she was a little burnt out from running (say a prayer for her!) so the run was a little tough on her. It wasn't pretty, but we got it done. I have no doubt that it won't take her very long to get back to speed. It was awesome to be out there together again-- there is certainly something to be said that suffering with someone is better than suffering alone. bahaha. She also signed up at the cave, so I'm hoping she'll make a few classes in conjunction with lifting sessions with me & make her an official cave girl. Trying my best to walk that fine line between encouraging/motivational and annoying.

So.....today's blog is about something that's been bothering me for a while. The word: diet. How can one little word be so frustrating?
Diet:  1) The food and beverage a person or animal consumes 2)  A controlled regimen of food and drink, as to gain or lose weight or otherwise influence health.
Everywhere you look there's a new diet to loose weight: low-carb, paleo, caveman, Mediterranean, vegetarian....I'm exhausted just trying to name them all. I've been receiving quite a few comments on how I've been eating (which is the reason for this rant today - sorry, not sorry). I haven't been the most consistent on my eating habits the past few months with quite a few splurges (that's being generous) here and there, but when I am eating clean, I hear: "Are you on a diet? You are already skinny!" or "You're so skinny, you need to eat something!"

First of all, I am NOT skinny. I am fit. If I were just "skinny" I couldn't lift half the weight I do right now. Second, NO I am not on a diet. Unless there's a diet called, "don't eat crap all the time." I find it appalling that there seems to a stigma for those that care about what types of foods they put in their bodies and want to nourish it appropriately. If someone enjoys going to the gym everyday, they are called obsessed. If someone is training for their first marathon, they are called crazy. Obesity rates around the world are rising -- our fast food nation has truly taken over & is on cruise control - to the detriment of society. People are needing medical care and medication for issues that could disappear if only they took better care of themselves - but yet remain slaves to the medical system. Why?

I choose to invest in my health and well being. I am stronger, healthier and want to have a full long life and will do all the things I need to do in order to make that happen. No, I am not perfect. But everyday is a day that can use to invest in myself. I just had a biometric screening done for our health insurance and had my blood drawn for the first time. I was actually nervous about my results! Everything came back great, but it saddens me to know, that is not the case for most people. It saddens me even more that people accept it like it's their fate -- ok, I'll take this pill everyday for the rest of my life. Eat foods that are good for you, exercise, get rest and you will reap all those health benefits. I will take that formula any day, over a cocktail of medications produced in a lab. End rant.

Eat well. Move your body. Rest. Repeat. Carry on.

Chips, Salsa & Cake, Oh My!

So, my HS 10 year reunion was last week. What significance is that? Um. Hello. It means I'm getting old! *sobs* Not only that, all the yummy Mexican food that we had spiraled into a whole week of wanting to eat that same way and some binge eating moments late at night with a bag of Tostitos and salsa. tortillas and butter. and guacamole. and cake. *face palm*

Thankfully, I realized what I was doing a few days ago and I nipped it in the bud. It's not necessarily that the food I was eating is "unhealthy"...but my actions were. The maniacal way I would get home and tear open that bag, sit and mindlessly munch on the salty goodness and zesty salsa flavor explosion in my mouth. Hmmm...I made that sound too good I think. The salt is a heart attack waiting to happen! Ok, that's better. ha.ha. I've been back on track now for a few days and I'm less bloated and I see a glimmer of my abs trying to peek out again.

For a few days, I was in denial, telling myself "I'll work it all off in the gym," when I KNOW that you absolutely CANNOT outwork a bad diet. It's just not possible. Thankfully, my devotion to the Cave has not waivered a bit -- and I attribute that to the amazing people there. I had a rough few days a few weeks ago, where everything just seemed hard. Weights were too heavy, I was breathing too hard, and basically felt horrible. But, I've got an awesome group of people there that continue to encourage you regardless -- everybody has bad days. You have to have them in order to push through to the good days. Not just in working out, but in life as well. It's all a part of the journey. I came out of that mini slump stronger and that is a great feeling.

Today, I put my run buddy through my Operation: Build a booty workout. I think she liked it. Or maybe she hated it. We'll see tomorrow if she's so sore, she's cursing my name under her breath. haha! Speaking of tomorrow, I'll be going on my first run in a while--my preliminary run to kind of gauge where I'm at as a precursor for my half marathon training. I'm confident that my endurance is still somewhat decent and my legs are stronger than ever, so we'll see how it goes! It's just going to be an easy 5k, but I'm looking forward to it. Official training will begin next week! Back on the grind we go. Keep on running everybody!

It's the halfway mark

I CANNOT believe that it's already July!!! Where is this year going??? I'll be back on my half marathon training regimen in a couple of weeks and I DO NOT look forward to running in the Texas summer heat (usually I do not run in the summer), but I gotta do it in order to prepare for an October half. In BIG news about the half...my run buddy decided she was gonna run with me! YAY! *party party over heaaaa!* I've missed our runs together & it'll be awesome to get started again.

But of late, my focus has been on strength training. Primarily glutes and legs. Yes, I've been building my booty ;) As an Asian, a nice perky booty is practically non-existant (for most of us). I've been working on my cakes for 3 months now and there is such a HUGE difference! I have progress pictures, but I don't think my husband would appreciate pictures of my derriere out in the blogger sphere for the world to see. hehe. What have I been doin to build my booty up? Squats of all kinds, front, back, sumo etc, deadlifts, lunges...all basic workout movements! Don't be afraid of the weights ladies, it really does do the body good! ;)

My nutrition hasn't been on point like it should be. We went to a baseball game yesterday and the whole day was just indulgence. Hot dogs & garlic fries <3 Be still my heart. Usually, events like that don't bother me, because they aren't an everyday occurrence, BUT even on my daily eating habits, I've been straying a little more than I should. I have avoided any binging episodes and I'm stretching my 5 jars of PB a little longer. (yes, you read that right, I have 5 JARS! all of them different flavors. I LOVE peanutbutterco). It's the small victories guys!

Will be posting more once training gets going again. In the meantime, just keep running!

Running behind blogger silence

I have been on absolute silence from the blogger sphere for over a month! eeeeeeeek!!! For the small handful of you that actually read this, I apologize!

So much to touch on! My last post, I was tired. Those close to me (cough, cough) would probably say I was moody too.  I needed a VACATION. BAD. soooooo....BOOM! I got one!!! **see picture proof below**

 

Five beautiful days in paradise on the US Virgin Island of St. John (picture taken above world famous Trunk Bay). Pure relaxation, adventure and a reset that I desperately needed. We all get so caught up in the everyday rat race: work, workout, family, friends, kids....blah blah blaaaaaaaaaaaaah. We run ourselves down so much, it's VERY IMPORTANT to recharge. Physically, I've been taking care of my body, but this vacation was as much for my mental health as it was spiritual.

 

Enough blabber about my vacation. You would be proud to know that I still have been running! Although, I do have my moments were it seems as if my love affair with running is sizzling out, it comes back, roaring and burning in my soul. Since my last post, I did complete ALL the runs that I mentioned and I had a blast! 2 out of 3 of the runs were mostly for fun than for competition and it brought more joy back to me. The pressure that I was always putting on myself to PR on every new race, to run a faster mile, GAAAAH...why do I do that to myself??? Running for fun again was a great feeling! I am now eyeing a local half marathon in the fall. I just don't look forward to training runs in the late Texas summer heat.

 

I won't make this blog long. It's basically to let ya'll know I'm still alive! haha! Below are a few pics from the races I've run since my last blog (Susan G Komen, Wounded Warrior, Color Up Run). Keep those legs moving everybody. Happy Running!

 

 

Reset, Ready and Go!

It's been a while since my last blog--and for those that look forward to reading my posts, I apologize for being away. To be honest, I've been taking a break. A break from a lot of things, to be frank.

I haven't really run in a month. It was pretty reminiscent of the time period after my very first half marathon. Don't get me wrong. I love running. I adore running. But you don't realize what a toll the training  takes on your body, physically and mentally and I still haven't perfected realizing what kind of recovery I need to do after. I needed this break. I needed to reset. I ran a couple times after the Boston Marathon bombings. Those events gave me a small spark and set that small flame back in my soul and  I ran my little heart out. BUT then my sinus infection came back and hit me again, full force. I was miserable. After a 5 day cycle of Zpack, lots of sleep (no working out at the Cave OR running), fluids and attempts to eat right (attempts because when I'm sick, I'm not hungry) I finally seemed to shake it.

I re-evaluated myself. I wasn't eating enough this last round of training. Yes, you heard me right--I wasn't eating enough!!! Even with meals, 4-5 times a day--I wasn't eating enough for my body to recover from those long hard runs, plus 3-4 days of Caveman work. While I gained endurance and distance, my metabolism took a hit and I lost a bit of muscle mass. Those long training runs made it hard for me to eat. I would eat what I could, because I knew my body needed the fuel, but I know it still wasn't enough--so it turned to breaking down my muscle a bit. It would take a few days after a long run for my body to crave (well for my brain to crave--body always wants it) food again. And even though on any given day, I was burning 500-1000 calories (through exercise) and eating 1,500-1,800 my weight stayed relatively the same.

So as a result of things I've learned lately about metabolism and cardio, I'm making a shift in focus in my fitness direction. I still plan on doing a little bit of running. In fact, I still have 3 races lined up to do: 5/11: Susan G Komen 5K, 6/9: Wounded Warrior 10K, and 6/15: Color Run 5K. Enough to keep me accountable and motivated, but not too much to where I burn out. But right now, my main focus will be to put back on the muscle that I chiseled away after 6 months in total in training for 2 half marathons. For this girl, it's gonna be weights, weights, weights and lots of good, nourishing food.

It feels good to be able to press the reset button. Not just in the fitness aspect, but in all aspects of my life. It's amazing how when one thing in your life slightly goes off kilter, it skews everything else. I realized I spent too much time on social media. I realized how I worried so much about other people more than myself. I realized that I was valuing people, that didn't value me. I was letting too many little things get to me, when in reality, I really shouldn't give a $h!t. Life is too short and too beautiful to let irritation and negativity consume you.

My husband and I will be leaving soon on our first real vacation in 2 years to the beautiful island of St John! I absolutely cannot wait. With my new reset in attitude and a break in paradise will be just what I needed. What I am reiterating in this blog, like I have in previous ones--is that you can make a choice to start over, or make a change at any time. You don't have to wait for a specific date, time or be given a reason. Just do it because YOU want to. Because YOU want to be a better, healthier person. You owe that much to yourself. Make that choice today.

Happy running!

Another 13.1 and done!

I had been putting off my blogging on my half marathon, out of respect for Boston. Exactly a week later, we have over 100+ people recovering from injuries in the hospital, a terrorist in custody and a city can finally breathe again. Now, a city, a nation and a community of runners can begin the healing process. With that being said.....


I won't go into as much detail on this half marathon as I did my first. Sorry to disappoint. It's not because I don't want to, but for some reason this race just wasn't as vivid to me. Maybe that's just how it is--your first half just stays with you that same way that your first time on a bike does, your first kiss, your first love, your first....well, you get what I mean. If you want an awesome recap of this run from another perspective, look in the right corner of my blog and read my run buddy's take! :)

It was an awesome day for a half. The weather couldn't of been more perfect. A nice cool morning that would warm up quickly as noon approached, but we would be done way before then. The morning of the race, I arrive and promptly bump into my chiropractor, which was great--I got to stretched out before the run. My run buddy comes to find me and so does my cave buddy who had decided to run with us at the last minute. I was completely honored that she would choose to run with me, especially since I didn't think her little competitive heart would be able to hang in the back with the slow folks for too long.

The feeling of this race was so much different than my first half. It was so much more low-key. The electricity that I recall from before was a mere sizzle. It undoubtedly was a smaller race with under 1,000 participants and it was only the 2nd year that this half was held, but combined with the familiarity of home and having my run buddy with me, you could say I was pretty chill. I had been training for this race for about 3 months. Although, I took it more seriously this time than the first, (I had to, my run buddy was following one of those half marathon run schedules) I still probably could of trained more appropriately, but regardless--I still put in a lot of hard work in the months leading up to this race.

The lineup to the start line was held without any fan fare. No huge corrals with hundreds of people crammed in. It was pretty much, line up, wait for the countdown and go! The first 6 miles were my strongest. I've come to really love running a 10k distance.My cave buddy had left us after mile 4 (I wasn't surprised). My run buddy and I pretty much held our 10k pace from our previous race 3 weeks prior (a bit slower, but still close) and were going pretty strong. We had been running at a nice conversational pace and I really enjoyed the first half of the run. After this point, the race had thinned out quite a bit, we weren't running in a big group anymore. We somehow managed to run off course about a quarter mile. Just lovely. Thankfully we found our way back to the course pretty quickly and went about our way. I'll try not to cry about those lost minutes too much. (waaaaaaahhh)

This course was way more challenging than the course I ran in December. While that course was relatively flat, this course was hilly. HILLS. HILLS. HILLS. It was never ending! For over 50% of this course, if we weren't going up, we were going down. Thankfully, we had trained on some hills on our long runs, so it wasn't as bad as it could of been. We hit mile 9 and I remember my run buddy saying, "the challenge really begins now." Until this point, we were holding pretty steady, but we both wondered quietly how the rest of the race was going to go. Neither one of us managed to peak over 9 miles during training, so we weren't exactly sure how we were going to hold up.  

My leg turnover was really starting to slow down past mile 10. Up until now, I had "kept up" so to speak with my run buddy and her long strides pretty well but now I was following behind her a good 20 feet. She would realize it every so often and slow down so I could catch up. We weren't talking to much at this point, except for the occasional complaint, grunt or explicit language outburst. I was thankful I had her to focus on, even as a focal point ahead of me. I had begun to have those fun mental thoughts again about 'why the hell did I want to do one of these runs again?'...and I would see her and that pretty much answers my question. It was her first half, we had promised each other that we would stick together. We had trained all this time and we were going to see this run through. There were moments that I could tell she wanted to break away and I was tempted to tell her to go--I really was, because she was riding a totally different runners high than I was at this point, but I was thankful that she stayed with me.  

We finished the race strong, passing quite a few people on the way up (another HILL) to the finish--a late burst of energy coursing through my veins. I had done it again. It's quite the accomplishment, that my love for running (although I didn't love it that much at that moment) could push me through those "I wanna quit" moments. I finished with a time of 2:53 a whole 17 minutes faster than my last half of 3:10 and on a much more challenging course! Another 13.1 completed. Another finishers medal around my neck. I had accomplished a lot. But what I think I appreciate the most out of the past 3 months, everything leading up to this run and hopefully more races to come--is the newfound bond of friendship I have now with my run buddy, forged in sweat, hard-work and determination. You just can't get that everyday.

Running as brought a lot of wonderful things and people into my life. I can't wait to see where else these feet will take me. Happy running!

 

A World of Runners United

My heart is heavy as I write to you guys tonight. I originally had planned to blog about my half marathon that I completed this past Saturday, but in the wake of the events of the horrible attacks at the Boston Marathon today--I'll save that story for another day.

This afternoon, someone decided to shake the world of running (and the nation) to the core by setting off explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Now, I know I haven't been involved in the running world that long, but I still know that this race is one of the most prestigious and coveted marathons in the country! There are confirmed deaths and many, many more injured. Not only runners, but fans & spectators of the great sport of running.

Since I first caught wind of what happened today, I have literally been sick to my stomach. I am heart-broken. Just crossing a finish line myself, it hits closer to home for me. I don't personally know anyone that was participating in the race, or any of the people that were there, but in a way--I feel as if I did. That the love of running itself, has bonded me to those strangers--they are my brothers and sisters. Bonded in our love for the sport, the grit it takes to finish a course, the determination and focus it takes to train, the exhilaration of the finish. I feel violated. And now I am angry.

I hope as the investigation continues and in the days to come, more information is revealed about who did this and they can be brought to justice. I pray that those injured or affected, heal quickly and that the God's love wrap them up and comfort them. I will be lacing up my shoes tomorrow morning and running a few miles in honor of those in Boston. I hope some of you will join me and do the same.

Below is a long quote that I stole from a friend of mine on Facebook. It's haunting, beautiful and gives me hope all at the same time.  We will move on from this, united.

Boston. Fucking horrible. I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, "Well, I've had it with humanity." But I was wrong. I don't know what's going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.

But here's what I DO know. If it's one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, they damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, "The good outnumber you, and we always will." - Patton Oswalt

I Run Slow, Time Goes Fast

I've got exactly 4 more days until my next half marathon!!! It is insane how fast the time has gone. It's been almost exactly 4 months since I ran my last one. I have made awesome gains in running the past few months and I look forward to seeing what I can push my body to do! I am stronger, faster(ish), my breathing as improved and I have a considerably stronger mental focus. I also have an amazing run buddy that will be with me, step by step, along this 13.1 and if I do have another mental breakdown like my last--I know I will have her there to lift me up.

My last long run before the race was yesterday. We tackled 5 miles -- which really compared to all the other long runs we have done, seemed like nothing. I made a visit to a local podiatrist earlier in the week and got some new inserts for my shoes and they made their debut on this run. My arches didn't really seem to like the new support very much, but I kept waiting for that tingling feeling--for that numbness to kick in around mile 2.5-3. but THANKFULLY, it never really showed up! Hallelujah! I had a little bit of toe tingling, but nothing like I had experienced before and I was relived. I got to enjoy the rest of the run so much more and I look forward to Saturday a little bit more--knowing that my issue for the most part should be a minimal nuisance. The little cloud that's been hanging over me has lifted away! YAY! but unfortunately I had another move into it's place. The dreaded cough. damn you cough. It started 5 days ago, but hasn't gotten any better. It's a dry, unproductive cough (I think from allergies) but last nights wheezing and coughing fit kept me up and to make sure and rule out possible bronchitis, I'll be at the doctors office tomorrow morning. Cross your fingers for me!

I have also been struggling with my eating choices the past few weeks. I was doing so amazing, packing my own meals and cravings were gone. THEN...my birthday happens and we spend two different weekends celebrating it and it's all been downhill. I got to "splurge" a bit and it's opened a door that I had closed for a while. eeeek. My taste buds had been reawakened to salty goodness! and sugary treats and I'm back to craving those things. It's insane how hard it is for your body to wean off those products, but one taste of it again--and your body craves it all the time! At least I'm not totally all out back to just eating junk all the time, but I need to cut back on my "treats" BIG TIME...and get back to where I was a few weeks ago. *I think I can. I think I can.*

It seems as if lately I've been taking one step forward and then two steps back. I keep telling myself it's just a phase and I will get back on track soon. I just need all the right things to fall back together and click for me. Hopefully, all that will happen before Saturday. The countdown is on.

Good Run, Bad Run

Flying high off my awesome 10K performance last week, all the pressure was off today, as my run buddy and I participated in a local 5K in our hometown. I awoke early this morning at 5am, to the sound of thunder and then my house literally shook. Some strong thunderstorms were in the middle of blowing through--which is PRIME sleep time for me and I prayed that it would be clear by the time the race was to start. Running in the rain isn't particularly my idea of a good time, but if I had to do it, well....at least a 5k is not too far--I would slug through it.

I woke up at 7:45am, not feeling really rested, which was odd considering I fell crashed on the couch the night before at like 10:30PM. Got dressed and had some baked blueberry oatmeal for breakfast and got myself ready. I wasn't really feeling it, but I had been looking forward to this run so I told myself no excuses! My run buddy knocked on the door at 8:30am and got our bibs on and tied our chips to our shoes before making our way to the race. It was literally like a mile from my house. It was nice to see our little town have a decent turn out for this event. It goes to show that people were supporting the cause (a church going to Africa to build churches) and that there were people taking a step in taking their health and fitness seriously.

The sun was peaking out behind the clouds a little and it was quite muggy after those storms. Quite different from the crisp 50-degree weather we ran in last week (to which I very much prefer). We started the race quite quick. It was very familiar territory for me, as I run this route quite often on my training runs. Mostly flat with a few inclines and declines, nothing extreme. I knew it was gonna make for a fast run, but only a few minutes into the run my heart-rate was substantially higher than usual. Maybe it was the adrenaline or the heat, or excitement--I have no idea, but I never quite got it to go down to where I was comfortable.

My run buddy, was MOVING. Like really MOVING. Which is amusing, because all before the race, she had the jitters! She was nervous about this race. Gotta love the mental game of running. I chalked it up to her KILLING her 10K last week and now she had expectations of this race. We stayed together up until a little over 1.5mi and I just had to take a 15 sec walk break. My heart was pounding outta control. I told her to run ahead and she kept trucking forward. Then, it was just me and my thoughts.

For a 5K, I was miserable. I was mad at myself. Thoughts flooding my brain. I shouldn't of had that last piece of birthday cake at dinner last night. I really need to throw away all these leftover birthday treats, because they really aren't doing anything for me -_- I shouldn't of had those Wingstop fries (that I LOVE! Ahhhh) that my husband brought home last night--AFTER I had already had a huge dinner. You would think I would know better by now. Only eat the things that I am accustomed to eating before a race! *facepalm*

I get to mile marker 2 and my left foot starts to tingle. Now, I don't think I've mentioned this problem before in my blog--I've been vague and mentioned it was "runner problems". Well, for some reason the past couple months, my left foot (only) has the tendency to go numb on my runs. Usually around mile 2 or 3. Usually it comes and goes. If I stop to walk a bit it'll go away and I may have to do that a few more times before it completely goes away. Sometimes on my long training runs, I've literally had to stop, take off my shoe and massage my foot. I recently talked to my chiropractor about it this week and he recommended a podiatrist and inserts for my shoes. EVERYBODY has told me I need to change my shoes. I've got about 300 miles on these shoes and I didn't think they were ready (except for the fact that I'm about the poke a hole through the top with my big toe....) but I guess that can be the first thing I try to help figure out what the problem is.

OKAY--off my tangent, back to the race! Mile 2 to mile 3, I felt like I was running with a brick for a foot. The numbness didn't go away this time like it usually does. I pushed through anyway. I ended up with a official PR for a 5k with this race at a time of 33:33. First thing I did after coming through the finish line was sit down, throw off my shoe and massage some feeling back into my foot. My run buddy ended up finishing at 31:48, a PR for her AND she nabbed the final spot for an AWARD for our age group (I poked in at 5th). Super proud of her! She ran hard and she totally deserved it, she's been training and running her butt off...but I couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment in myself. That could of been me. Even though I had my PR, I still felt like it wasn't good enough. My time shows I had a good run, but my mind is telling me it was a bad one.

That's when I gotta remind myself why I run. Because I love it. I don't do it to win awards or be first to finish--I do it because I love being drenched in sweat and the feel of the pavement under my feet. I really hope that my foot issue isn't serious and that I can get it remedied quickly. I don't have anymore races until my half on April 13th. Until then, I will be slowly crossing items off my list hoping I get it all figured out before then. Wish me luck! Happy running!

Kicked It Into Gear

It's rainy outside. And cold. The perfect time for a nap. But alas, I am stuck at work...and it's slow--as in, no customers. So perfect time to blog right?!

I'm thankful that the rain decided to hold off until later this afternoon, as I ran in the Tyler Azalea 10K this morning. This is probably one of the runs I look forward to the most every year, as it's kind of now a pre-birthday tradition for me. (hint hint - my birthday is Monday.) The day was cloudy and temps in the mid-fifties, but still perfect for a scenic 6.2 mile run.

I was so excited when my alarm went off this morning because it was the first time, EVER that I had managed to sleep through the whole night before a race. I've done more than a dozen races now and before every. single. one. I was never able to get a restful sleep. I would always toss and turn, wake up every few hours -- afraid that I was going to wake up late or miss the race. Maybe because this run was closer to home, or maybe I'm finally becoming seasoned enough to not have those race jitters -- who knows!? All I know is....I got to catch some serious ZZzzZzs that really did "do my body good."

Quite a few of my friends ran this race today & it's awesome to have a group of running buddies. Speaking of, my running buddy that I've been training with the past few months, ran her first RACE EVER today -- and let me just say, she ran #likeaboss. Hashtag is non-negotiable on that :) [**side note** check out her blog--link there in the upper right corner!]While most of my other friends took off ahead in the pack, we stuck together for most of the run. We PR'd and broke all kinds of personal records that we held for ourselves in this one run alone. ONE. RUN. We ran our fastest mile, our fastest 5k and fastest 10k! BOOMshakalaka! I ended up finishing a whole 10 minutes over my time from last year, thanks to continued dedication in training, my #cave work and a stronger mental focus. Official time today was 1:09:17! I'm super proud of myself and of my running partner. We continue to push ourselves continuously and the hard work is paying off in results. It's amazing, when you kick yourself into gear -- what you can accomplish. If any of you are struggling out there, that's ok. We all have setbacks, just take yourself outta park, put yourself back into gear and keep cruising. Your best is yet to be seen. Happy running!

Running Is My Therapy

I'm slacking off in the blog department! Between workouts, runs, work, food prep and that pesky thing called sleep -- I haven't been able to hop on and talk to you guys!

Last Sunday's training run turned out to be medicore. My run buddy is currently on VACATION (I'm so JELLY) and so I ended up going at it alone. I forgot how hard those long runs are by yourself. Not really in a physical aspect, but mentally. It was hard for me to get focused, on anything really. My mind was just bouncing around all kinds of different things as I pounded the pavement, step by step. Thoughts of what to cook, what to eat, what I did the past few days, my problems, my friends problems -- WHEW! Exhausting! But it turned out to be good in a way -- by the end of the run, I had no thoughts what so ever! It's funny how that works out that way. How when I first lace up my shoes, it feels like I have a monkey riding along on my back, but as I push through, mile by mile -- the moneky gets lighter and eventually by the end of it, it's gone.

The theraputic aspect of running is what drew me into it in the first place. Of course, I can't lie -- I wanted to "loose weight" or whatever, but I found that feeling of leaving my emotional load out on the road to be amazing -- mixed in with the runner's high and it's almost euphoric! I will admit, by sheer laziness, I haven't gotten in any training runs at all since Sunday. I still clocked in 4 days at The Cave and we did happen to run some laps, so I sorta got some running in! ;)

My run buddy should be back from vacation I think sometime today and we're supposed to clock another 9 miles tomorrow. Not sure if we're gonna hit that mileage. Shes been on vacation, sick, and hasn't really run in almost TWO weeks! *facepalm* We'll make due and put in as much as we can without hurting ourselves. It's gonna be a gorgeous Texas day for it tomorrow. Until next time peeps! Happy running!

Just. Keep. Running.

It's been a while since my last post. That stinker called Life, just got in the way. Life has a way of doing that sometimes....

Quick recap:
My blog had a small feature on the front page of the Fitness section in the Sunday paper about 4 weeks ago. Booya! I'm legit now! Kidding!!!.. I'm far from being a fitness guru or running expert but it's nice to get some recognition for what I'm doing, PLUS get a little extra traffic to the blog. Hopefully, I could inspire someone. anyone. to get off the couch.

I've also started this eating clean challenge. It's nothing that I've joined or am doing with a group, but it's just something that I've challenged myself to do. Basically, cutting out all processed foods, salts, artifical sugars -- essentially I have to make every meal I make from scratch. Sunday, is now my food prep day, along with my long run training day. I'll spend a few hours in the kitchen preparing foods to eat for the next 3 days & then my next prep day is Wednesday. It seems like it's time consuming, but it really is a time saver because I don't have to figure out what to eat, what to cook, or God forbird, stop by a drive thru! *gasp* I just pull out my carefully prepared meal outta the fridge and I am good to go :) It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be and I do have my weak moments where cave and have a handful of chocolate chips or half a bag of chips. But I'm only human and I just enjoy my little "cheat" and then get right back on track!

 

I've still managed to continue my training runs and my workouts at the Cave. I had a week where in dealing with some family sickness, the stress caught up to me and I managed to get myself sick as well. I missed about a week total of sweat sessions, but thankfully I kicked my cold to the curb pretty quickly and I was back at it! 

Yesterday, my training buddy and I had to log 9 miles. She just became under the weather too and I was dreading the run. For some reason, once I start having to get in 7+ miles in, I just don't look forward to the runs anymore. BUT, to my surprise we kicked some major @$$ on the run! We're still slow; about a 12:30 min mile but we ran 85% of the course and a few of the times we stopped were due to #runnerproblems but an 1:48 later -- we had our 9 miles in. Which is MINDBLOWING to me! I think back to my last half in December, ONLY 3 months ago and I am such a stronger runner now than I was then. At the pace we went yesterday, we would kill our next half at a little over 2:40. That is practically, 30 minutes faster than I ran in December! **happy dance**

Just a little under 3 weeks until the Tyler Azelea 10k! I plan on PR'ing over my previous time of 1:19. Keepin' my eye on the prize! Happy running!

 

 

Pain Is Weakness Leaving The Body

My race season is totally now in full swing! I ran my first race of 2013 this past Sunday at the beautiful White Rock Lake, in Dallas and I couldn't of picked a better race to run. It was the Too Cold To Hold 5K/5M/10M run and thankfully, the name didn't live up to it's reputation. It was a nice warm February day (it was only 50F in the morning) and I welcomed it greatly! I ran the 5-mile run. Originally, I had planned to run with a friend, but she got injured, so I had to go at it solo.

 

I didn't do too much pre-race prep for this run. For the most part, January had been a pretty laid back running month for me. No carbo loading, no crazy training runs. On Sunday morning, I was comfortable and laid back. I actually even forgot my usual pre-race breakfast of a banana and peanut butter at home, so a few bites of Clif Bar samples at the race was going to have to suffice.

 

I hadn't been that long since my half marathon, but I had almost forgot how much I enjoyed the race atmosphere! The anticipation and excitement, the friendly people, the awesome race organizers and sponsors were all remarkable. I was looking really looking forward to this race. I had previously run a 5K here a few years ago and if the course was anything like that one, I wouldn't have a shortage of beautiful scenery to look at as I ran.

 

I did my some dynamic warm-up drills on my way to the start line. I was trying to make sure I was loose. I had hurt my knee the day before at the Cave doing some box jumps and my range of motion wasn't 100% and I was a little stiff. Some muscle tissue on the inside of my right knee was inflamed and I already knew I would be icing it after the race. As I await the start gun to go off, the adrenaline starts to surge through my body as the start time nears. I get my playlist going on my iPhone and next thing you know, we're off!

 

Now, for someone with a hurt knee, that first mile sure did fly by! I don't know if it was the excitement, lack of nervousness, or just something that comes with being a more experienced runner, but I ran that first mile the fastest ever - in only 10 minutes. Unfortunately, there was no way I could keep that pace up, so I made myself slow down. However, I was quite determined to almost completely run this race -- no walking allowed!

I stopped a total of only 4 times. Once was to take off my jacket at mile 2, which sucked up about a minute because it was hard to wiggle out of it and tie it securely around my waist. The other times I gave myself 3 15-second walk breaks. My knee started to bother me after mile 3, but when I stopped to walk, it actually hurt more -- so back to running it was! I mentally focused on the scenery around me and the path ahead, which helped me not notice my knee too much. For the moment, I pushed the pain out of my body -- and in return, I churned out my best running performance ever.

 

As I reached the last .10 mile of the run, jubilation coursed through my body as I see the clock at the finish line. Unlike my half marathon, where I was happy to see I was finished -- this time, it was because I managed to get through those 5 miles, in under an hour. I crossed at 57:14 at a pace of 11:27 - which for a tortoise like me, was my fastest race pace ever! I grab my post-race banana at the finish line area for racers and I immediately feel the stiffness in my knee. Breakfast and an ice bag was now in order! I am now taking a week off from any high impact running or plyometrics to let my knee heal and we'll go from there.

 

It's amazing what you can do, when you are mentally determined to do something. I have learned alot within the past year, just how much body conditioning you can do, but if your mind isn't mentally strong, you will always have limitations to what you can do. I'm building my mental strength everyday, along with my physical strength -- and I'm loving every minute of it. Happy running all!   

 

 

Cavemen? Oh, you mean THOSE guys?

So, for the most part I've talked about my running escapades and mentioned the Cave here and there through my blogs and thought I'd finally give you readers a clue as to what "the Cave" is. I started at API (short for Athletic Performance Inc) aka "the Cave" back at the end of April 2012. My friend Lacey had talked about getting her ass handed to her for a few weeks and I had grown slightly curious. She explained it as this bootcamp/military/MMA/weightlifting nightmare that hurts so good! haha! She had been attending the 6:30am class and invited me to join, the first few classes to check the place out where free -- so why not? Well, except for the fact that at the time, I completely loathed the thought of waking up before 10am.

I somehow managed to drag myself out of bed at 5:45am and arrive at API bleary eyed and a little intimidated. Rock music blaring, a huge skull and crossbones at the entrance of the building and all kinds of barbells and weights that I have NEVER even thought to pick up before. Needless to say, I was starting to wonder what I had gotten myself into. Brian, the morning trainer, is probably one of the friendliest people you could meet and so welcoming! My first workout consisted of these crazy pushup/row/squat/press things with dumbells (which I now know as manhaters), tireflips and a few other things that I can't remember. Let's just say, I thought it was insane! I could barely flip over the smallest tire that they had! I thought I was in shape, but this was something else! It was challenging, it was new...and I was hooked. It was awesome because everything was scaled for me as a beginner and was pushed to the limits of my ability at the moment, but not to where I was going to hurt myself. The next day, I was so sore, it hurt to try to sit down on the toilet!

Now -- it's always hard for me to explain Caveman workouts, because there is no real definition for it, no cookie cutter cutout. Alot of people would compare it to Crossfit, because we do alot of OLY lifting, plyometrics and the gym is setup similiar to a Crossfit box. We have a different workout everyday, but we don't call it a WOD. Most of our workouts aren't time based, but our workouts usually end up lasting up to 45 mins or an hour. Alot of what we do are basic, functional movements that can aid us in movements that we use normally in life. I can guarantee that sometime during your workout you will be bent over desperately trying to catch your breath and some workouts even literally on your knees, begging for mercy (which I've practically done, haha!). The atmosphere is supportive, all the members in most of the time slots are regulars so you get to know everyone pretty quickly if you are consistent and quite frankly, we've all become kind of a small family.

Almost a year later and I'm still getting in a solid 3 days a week at the Cave, some weeks maybe 4 days. That feeling is almost addictive! Some mornings I always second guess myself. I'll wake up and say, maybe I'll sleep in this morning -- but I'll drag myself out of bed anyways and I never regret that feeling of accomplishment and power after I'm done. I've come a long way in my short time there -- from barely being able to lift just the barebell alone to now lifting weights that I never even imagined before. I wish I had taken some before and after pictures to show how much muscle I've gained. I've lost 8 pounds -- which to alot of people isn't alot. I really didn't have that much to loose really in the first place, but I've gained so much more strength in the process. It's made me confident, more independent and basically I have days where I just feel like a boss! ;) If I miss a workout now, I'm kind of mad at myself for not going. My body is automatically waking me up at 6am anyways now, might as well go!

I highly suggest to every one out there to come join me at the Cave if you live in Tyler. There are also API's in Longview and in Austin. If you can't find something similiar to it, I suggest to check out a Crossfit box in your area. Going to the gym with the same workout routines can become so boring. The same dreadmill cardio, the same weight machines, over and over. How can you expect change in your body when you keep submitting yourself to the same thing repeatedly? I do a different workout that kicks my rear every time I step into that gym and I surprise myself EVERY TIME. Challenge yourself. Push yourself. You would be shocked at what you can be capable of. Don't be afraid of change and new things. Face them and crush them!

 

Recharged & Renewed

There is nothing more rewarding to me than hearing, "I just wanted to let you know, I read your blog and it helped motivate me to get off the couch!" Totally love it! That's the whole purpose of this blog, to help motivate others and give ya'll insight into my fitness journey. I'm just a normal person, not some fitness guru or expert and I hope what I do is relatable to you.

I had to take some lessons myself from my last blog about dropping the excuses. It had been almost 2 weeks since I went on my last run (but I was still logging time at the Cave!) and I had every excuse under the sun. I was tired. I didn't have time. I just didn't want to. I'm currently working 11 hour days and that left me little time for anything else -- with some time to update my blog every so often ;) BUT I really needed to get my legs moving before I lost more of all the running endurance that I had left, so at the coaxing of my run buddy, we went for a run this past Sunday.

6 miles. SIX MILES!!! I wasn't feeling it at all. I was slow. Sluggish. AND it was abnormally hot for January! I wondered, Why am I out here? I whined. I complained. I sounded like a child. But as I kept pushing through it, with the encouragement of my partner, my legs responded and I got into the groove and found my stride late into the run. I was so glad to be done. But I didn't regret it one bit. In fact, I was really thankful. I was thankful that even though I didn't want to, I had someone to encourage me to go for it despite my complaints. I was thankful that this particular run recharged my batteries and really reignited some excitement that I needed for my new race season.

Everybody can get complacent. Even those that are seemingly dedicated, because we are all only human. We have our struggles. But the beauty of this life is that we have the opportunity to turn things around everyday and to start anew. The past is the past and we all have nothing but wonderful futures to look forward to.   

My first race of the season is this coming up Sunday. Thank goodness it's just an easy 5-miler or else I totally would not be ready for it, but I'm looking forward to it alot! I'm also running another half marathon in April, so now I certainly have to be accountable for my mileage each week. Now that I have my first one under my belt, I've got benchmarks and new goals for this second half! It can only get better. Happy running all!

Drop The Excuses, Nobody Has Time For That!

Everyone has an excuse for how something is in their life. For me the most common excuse was, "I rather sleep." AND I was saying this when I was clocking in like a full 9+ hours a night! Boy, do things change alot in the span of over a year. Now I'm getting up 3 days a week at 6am to workout and I have yet to regret losing that sleep for my workout.

What excuse are you willing to quit? Are you willing to become a beginner at something, to try to make yourself better?

It doesn't matter where you've been or who you were. You have the ability to recreate who you are when you wake up every morning. And each time you go off track, you begin again. Drop the excuses. Handle yo' business. Do what you need to do. Today.

Common excuses: I can't. I'll try. I don't have money. I'm scared. I don't have time.

Many of those excuses come from a psychological place. Maybe you lack self-confidence or have a fear of failure. Everybody has to start somewhere. It's all about baby steps. Sure, some people may be genetically blessed, but for the most part, people with those beautiful bodies we so envy, they all take hard work -- and everyone was a beginner at one point.

For those that say they don't have the money -- consider how much money you spend on going out to eat, on clothes, techie gadgets, or that daily starbucks habit you've had the past 5 years. How much of the money you spend truly is spent fulfilling your life or taking you to a place that you need to go? Start saving and investing in your health. You wanna buy clothes? Go get a new pair of running shoes. You want a gadget? Go get a heart rate monitor and find some plyometric videos on YouTube and break a sweat! Taking the small steps to invest in your health now will save you money regarding your health in the longrun.

"We spend money that we do not have, on things we do not need, to impress people who do not care." - Will Smith

If your afraid, channel that fear into excitement or anticipation. Give yourself some credit! You got up early or you dragged yourself unwillingly to the gym. You got over the hardest part. Everything else is just downhill from here. Fuel your fear into a different type of emotion and use it to your advantage. You will surprise yourself.

And my favorite excuse: I don't have time - Let's face it. Everybody is busy. We all have hectic lives involving school, full time work, kids, pets, spouses, friends, going here and there...whew! I'm exhausted already.  If you don't make time now, then when? What in your life will change 6 months from now, a year from now, to give you more time?? Answer= nothing. The only thing that will change is that you'll be older -- and maybe even a few pounds heavier = a bigger hole to dig out of! Surely you can find a 30 minute block out of your day, to take care of your needs. You may have to sacrifice something else you enjoy doing in your free time. Maybe you'll have to cut out TV time or online browsing time. That sacrifice will be worth it. I mean really, would it physically hurt you to miss Grey's Anatomy tonight? No, it won't. But each day you go without taking your health seriously is a day you can't get back.

Are YOU ready to drop your excuses?




If you think you are ready to start, but don't know where or what to do, feel free to message me! I'm here to help!

Also, a good friend of mine has become a Beachbody coach. Check out her website. www.beachbodycoach.com/stephtaylor12 to find all kinds of challenges, get access of workout materials and information on a meal replacement shake called Shakeology.

Motivation gets you started, habit keeps you going.

"I don't believe that you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be." - Ken Venturi

I've gotten so much feedback from people this past week as people are trying to set their own personal fitness goals and evaluate what they want from themselves this year. There are some that fell off the workout wagon over the holidays and just can't seem to get back into the groove for the new year. Those extra 10 pounds aren't just going to come off by itself, so what do you do? I've been asked:  How do you even get started? How do you find the time? How do you have the willpower?

There is no cookie cutter answer to those questions. Because everyone's motivations have to be personal and unique to that person. Vanity, wanting to loose weight and look better are usually everyone's initial motivation to hit the gym. But why is it that over 50% of new gym members at the beginnng of the year, stop going after Valentine's Day? It's not only motivation, but it's also expectations. We have become a society of people that want things to happen instantly. We want instant gratification. If we didn't, we wouldn't of devoured that whole package of Oreos while watching Grey's Anatomy last night ;) riiiiiight?

When expectations of what shows up on the scale don't match up with what is in our brains, people easily get discouraged, give up and the cycle never changes. If you truly want to make weight loss and fitness a goal, you have to be realistic and make attainable short term goals. You want to get serious about what your plans are, then you have to treat it seriously -- almost like a part-time job or like you are a student, studying for a test. Sit down. Write out your schedule. Find blocks of time where you could sqeeze in at least 30 minutes of some sort of activity, whether it be a home workout or go to the gym. Once you find that time and trust me, there is always time - then you start setting your goals.

It could look something like this:
Monday - 30 minute treadmill session; make lunch at home from scratch
Tuesday - 20 minute yoga workout - all snacks today are fruit or veggies
Weds - 20 minute walk after dinner
Thurs - 30 minute weights - make lunch at home from scratch
Fri - 20 minute walk after dinner

The completion of each goal should be celebrated! You did what you set out to do! Just don't reward yourself with more food! That is a no-no! -_-  Some of you may look at that and say, "Well, how am I supposed to see results fast this way?" and I say, you might not. You might not see results on a scale for weeks. The point of this is to get yourself motivated to behave a certain way. To get your body into a particular routine. You'll notice new changes that don't require a scale. Your energy levels may be up. You might be sleeping better at night. You may notice that maybe you aren't craving certain foods anymore. And all those changes are valid changes in your life. They are change into the right direction. The scale will eventually follow, I promise! Use these changes to inspire you to keep going, one small goal at a time. Once you start attaining those goals, then start making new ones, BIGGER ones -- especially when those become too easy for you.

If for some reason, you had a bad day and didn't meet your goal -- don't beat yourself up about it. Accept it as a slipup and pick right back up where you were. Many will be like, "I messed up already, I might as well keep going and I'll start over next week." No, no noooooo!!!!  I beg of you not to think that way. The glorious thing about every new day, is that each day is a new opportunity for you to make yourself better than yesterday.  This is a mantra that I have begun to live by and it's so amazingly freeing to my soul. All the things I may not have done today or messed up on today, I can improve upon tomorrow. And that's the whole point of all this in the bigger picture -- to strive to make yourself happier and healthier today than you were yesterday.