Late Bloomer.....

Update!!

2011-10-09T06:51:00.001-07:00

This is kind of a big deal for me. I wanted to do this 5 years ago, but my very intelligent and patient husband made me wait and do it right. Smart man because now I get to enjoy it and not be stressed out about it. I opened my own gym. Yes, FitNeighbor, LLC, now known as Tangletown CrossFit has a home.

I found a space approximately 3-5 minutes from my house, and it is in the beautiful Southwest Minneapolis neighborhood called Tangletown (hence the name).

One of the draws of FitNeighbor was that classes were held outdoors. This was awesome because we really took advantage of the Minnesota weather when it cooperated. It wasn't so nice when I had to find other options when the weather did not cooperate. Now that I have an indoor space, there is none of that stress. AND, we will take class outdoors when the weather gets nice, promise!

The website is www.tangletowncrossfit.com and we are located at 4632 Nicollet Avenue South, just 2 blocks west of 35W in Southwest Minneapolis. Come on by for a free class (if you have never been) and check it out!

Who is that Person in the Picture? I Don't Recognize Me.

2011-08-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's me. I feel like I was a totally different human being then. I was fast, disciplined and had the eye of the tiger. Where did that go??? Sometimes I miss training and racing. Especially for triathlons because I loved the variety(well, except the biking part). When I see large groups of runners on Saturday mornings I am so glad that is not me. The drudgery and the achey joints later. No good.

I do miss the bonding though. When you run with someone for 3 hours, that is quality time! I bet when I trained for marathons with my buddies, I spent more quality time with them than their spouses did. You get to know these people and they become lifelong friends.

I have evolved to doing other things and I think that is good. I hope to continue to evolve and find new things to do and new skills to learn. Five years ago I never thought I would be doing Olympic Lifting! I just imagined those dudes in the olympics lifting 700 pounds in those crazy wrestling suits - yikes! It's been a blast. Who knew?

As the Lululemon Manifesto goes: "Do something once a day that scares you"...what are you going to do today?

Do you want to be doing the same things five years down the road?

Strong is Beautiful!

2011-07-24T06:10:00.001-07:00

Hey, I got a secret. Don't tell anyone. I lift really heavy weight and I don't look like a man. Agh, relief. I have been holding in that secret for so long it feels good to get it out. Not only that but dead lifts don't hurt my back, squats don't make my ass huge and I don't do bicep curls.

Over the course of the last 3 years, my strength work has gone from 0% of my workouts to about 70%. The time I spend working out has been cut in half. I have never felt more confident in my body and I am almost the big 4-0!

I have been taught by the best on form, rep scheme, % weights to use. I have seen my dead lift 1 Rep Max go from 195 to 250. My hips are my powerhouse and can clean, jerk and snatch pretty well. I am certainly not built to do olympic style lifting but man, is it fun!

What is my point? Are you going to the free weight area with an idea of what you should do? You get through 2 sets of the 3 0r 4 you should do and call it a day? Yeah, that's not gonna do it for you. I realized that strength work can be fun. My current passion is to get people (mostly women) to build strong, beautiful bodies that they are proud of! If you are not quite sure how to make it fun, then come see me! darcy@crossfitmn.com

Now for a little kid promo - look Willie doing overhead squats. He's loving it! His form needs a little work but guess what, he did this on his own - we were cleaning out the garage and I looked over and he was doing this!

Extremists! Ugh!

2011-06-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was originally looking for a picture of me when I was crazy obsessed with triathlon, but couldn't find any I liked, so who doesn't like a chubby toddler running through the sprinkler with a 5 pound diaper? However, this picture does prove a point - take time to enjoy the simple things in life.

Finding the balance between life, hobby & work. Isn't it something we are all striving for? It is a constant process that I am not sure I will ever achieve, but I do know that I am happy and that is important. I am lucky, I have an awesome husband who I still find super hot who has a good job, two healthy kids that I enjoy 90% of the time and a great dog. I have a roof over my head (with a brand new basement I might add), clothes to wear and food to eat. Those are the basics or might I say, simple things in life.

Going back to my first sentence, there was a point in time when I was an extreme triathlete. Yeah, one of those (they are not all like that, but most are). You know, the ones you don't want to get stuck talking to at a party? I got sucked in hard. I loved it while I was there. I didn't realize I was missing so much around me because "I had" to get that bike ride in. So my post today is on extreme behavior and how I struggle now with people who exhibit it. I also hope that anyone reading this isn't offended by anything - I've been there.

There is the argument that if you aren't really into anything 100%, then what are you passionate about? Does your passion have to consume you day after day, year after year? Once I realized my behavior, I took a step back and learned that I wasn't that happy in that place. I was driving my husband crazy making him feel low on the totem pole compared to my sport - not a good thing. It was very toxic for me. However, I do like to move (exercise) but not in the extreme (everyday for hours - AND, I like my weekends off!). So I had to find another outlet.

Another example is all of these crazy foodies that are so knowledgeable about nutrition, which is great, but then they come off as elitist snobs. Example, Whole 9 and their followers. This is a food cult, seriously. I swear they would rather die than consume a french fry. When the new food plate came out replacing the food pyramid, they were in an uproar! I know and agree that it's not much different than the food pyramid, just more user friendly maybe with the same content? However, if we could get 80% of Americans to follow "the plate" then we would see major health improvements. Can't we celebrate an effort towards improvement? Whole 9 can't and really, they are missing the point. You might recall that I followed Whole 9's Whole 30 Nutrition Plan. I had to add booze back on day 17 so I am certain they would classify me as an alcoholic.

Have you gone off your rocker? If so, take a step back and reevaluate. Then take more time to enjoy the simple things in life - run through the damn sprinkler!

Find Something you Suck at and Change It....

2011-06-07T05:03:00.000-07:00

It's okay, I am fine with folks watching me stumble through something. I can think of two specific instances in the last two years where people said, "Wow, you really suck at that."

The most recent is the sledgehammer. The photo above was taken this past weekend at a Women's WOD (WOWOD) where we had to wheelbarrow, swing kettlebells, jump tires, hit tires and push our buddies on the prowler. Badass stuff. Last summer when I first took hold of the sledgehammer it was ugly. A few people were outright laughing at me because, well, it was really funny. Especially when I went to my "dumb side". Now, I have to say that I workout in a very supportive environment so the laughing was all in good fun.

I decided to take this challenge by the horn and practice. I practiced last summer and was able to put those skills to functional use when we did demo on our basement. I spent a lot of time breaking up our concrete floor and boy, did it feel good! AND, they aren't laughing at me anymore (for the sledgehammer anyways).

The other instance where I sucked was cross country skiing. There were many witnesses but one dear friend (Kara Thom from MamaSweat) stayed behind with me to help me get through the course. I haven't been back at it yet but I guarantee you I will.

What do you suck at?

Track Season Has Begun!

2011-05-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Morning Crew (minus a few)

This year marks the 6th year that I have held track workouts at Washburn High School. This year, we have practices every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 6 p.m. Doing a track workout is a little like giving birth - you kind of forget how painful it was so you do it again anyways.

This year is the first time I am collecting money. It's not much. Kind of embarrassing to request such a small amount ($5 for the whole season) but it is a start. See, I don't hold these to make money. I do it for completely selfish reasons (so I am motivated by others to run hard at the track) and if others get the same benefit, then fantastic. So the money is going to be donated to Washburn High Athletic Department. Yes, a chance to give back!

These run workouts kinda scare the crap out of me. Every week. I know it is going to hurt and OMG, can I hold these paces? If you don't have that kind of workout in your routine please join us. You need it!

Houston, We Have a Triathlon Problem! Okay, Not Really.

2011-04-13T18:52:00.001-07:00

I don't have any REAL problems at the moment (unless you count the drug dealer in my neighborhood a problem). But, in my quest to set goals, I have a triathlon problem. I did my first triathlon back in like, hmmm, 2000? Jeeez, can't even recall. I won my age group on a used bike that I hadn't ridden (because I didn't have a bike and hadn't trained for that part yet) and left my goggles around my neck for the duration of the race. I was hooked.

I was decent at something that I didn't train that hard for. I bought a bike. Did more races, got more age group wins, decided to go elite and fared well. During that time, I sold my first bike and upgraded(splurged) to a fairly nice triathlon bike.

Here is my triathlon problem: I. don't. enjoy. biking. I dread it and practically barf thinking about getting on a spin bike. So, since my New Year's resolution from 2009 (and continues to be forever) is: if it is not fun and I have control over not doing it, then don't. Okay, so the exact wording was more like, if there are certain things that annoy me on a regular basis and I have control over changing it, then change it! Same concept.

I enjoy getting into the zone. Running, swimming, crossfit - you can zone out. I can't do that on a bike. You always have to be on. Dude, when I get a break from my kids, I want to be off!!

This doesn't mean I won't do anymore triathlons. I might participate in some sprints but I can guarantee you I will not have gotten on my bike prior.

Now here is the opposite of a problem: I love to run. I zone out. I feel good doing it and I can be fast. So in looking at my goals, I think I need to do some different things. A 50K possibly? I know I can do that. How bout a 50 miler? Hmmmm, that is questionable, so I guess that is what I need to do. We will see what 2011 brings!

My New Running Buddy!

2011-04-03T08:42:00.001-07:00

Freyja is her name. She has been the perfect addition to our family. AND, has ignited the fire I needed to get my butt out the door to log some serious miles. Let's back up.

I have been a runner all of my life. However, I didn't get really fast until I got Loki, then Gunnar way back when. They were the reason for my running and the result a faster me. They came to us before children so they were our world. They did everything with us and they would run miles upon miles to please us. Believe me, they loved it.

As time went on, they got old, we had kids, they couldn't run as far or fast. My body did kind of the same thing! Of course I am getting older, but I was losing the desire to get out there. We lost Gunnar first to cancer, then Loki this past June to a disease in his esophagus. I have lots of fond memories with those boys, especially our runs and road trips.

It's kind of corny but I loved the Red Hot Chili Peppers songs lyrics to "Road Trippin" which summed up me and my boys on our constant get-a-ways:

"Road Trippin' " by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It's time to leave this town
It's time to steal away
Let's go get lost
Anywhere in the U.S.A.

Chorus:
Let's go get lost
Let's go get lost
Blue you sit so pretty
West of the one
Sparkle light with yellow icing
Just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun

These Smiling eyes are just a mirror for

So much has come before those battles lost and won
This life is shining more forever in the sun
Now let us check our heads
And let us check the surf
Staying high and dry's
More trouble than it's worth
In the sun

Just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun

These Smiling eyes are just a mirror for

In Big Sur we take some time to linger on
We three hunky dories got our snakefinger on
Now let us drink the stars
It's time to steal away
Let's go get lost
Right here in the U.S.A

Chorus
Let's go get lost
Let's go get lost
Blue you sit so pretty
West of the one
Sparkle light with yellow icing
Just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for
Your smiling eyes are just a mirror for

So now my boys are gone. Time for a fresh start with a girl. Freyja is her name and she was born to run and be part of our family. Now I remember the joy of running. I'm back!

Life After Whole 30

2010-11-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

So I have been officially done with the Whole 30 Challenge and I have to say, I haven't changed that much. If you have been following my challenge, you know I brought wine back into my life and I now have cheese on my salads. Exciting!

I just included some random pictures of some meals I have had over the past week or so and I just love the veggies. I went to a cooking class (thanks to Danielle & Sarah) and made some Spicy Brussel Sprouts with Mint that blew me away. See picture of them with the sweet potatoes and turkey.

We purchase raw, naked almonds in bulk. For some reason this past week I decided to buy them salted. Big Mistake. These are like crack for me. I. Can't. Stop. Fortunately I finished them off today and WILL NOT be purchasing those again. Salted almonds are heaven to me but I know no limits!

Tonight I am a single mommy and had Willie at Jujitsu at 5 p.m. and Charlie at Boy Scouts at 6:30. For Boy Scouts each parent signs up to lead a den meeting. One of the Den Meeting's topics is the Food Pyramid. Should I lead this one and tell all of the kiddos that the food pyramid is made by large companies that pay the government a lot of money so they can sell their foods that fit under grains but are really low nutrient/calorie dense foods? Thoughts??? The food pyramid is a conspiracy! It is not until April so I have some time to plan this one out.

Keep making healthy choices but remember balance. You only live once and while you want to make it a long, healthy life, you want to enjoy it too!

Night!

What I learned....

2010-11-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

Here is what I learned from my Whole 30 Experience.

1. You will lose weight if you follow this very strict plan.

2. I cannot live without my occasional glass of wine (you should all know that by now). I have had beer twice in the las 35 days and felt sick the next day both times.

3. Dairy does not make me sick. With the one mess up - remember the squash soup? AND the two bowls (in a row) of ice cream I had this weekend, I was just fine.

4. Going without something you enjoy makes you eat more of it - two bowls of ice cream anyone? Hmmmm.

5. I can live without my diet coke but not my coffee with now coconut milk creamer (instead of the processed, never expired creamer I was using before).

6. Stop Reading Here if You don't want TMI: This plan messed up my very regular, if not like clock work, bowel movement schedule. I thought the coffee would take care of it, but evidently there is something else I was missing on this plan. Not sure if it is the lack of dairy or grains, but I didn't overdose on either of those before so not sure.

7. I enjoyed about 90% of my meals. I also enjoyed the planning, shopping and creativity.

8. I will not continue to be as picky. I had a chopped salad at a restaurant today and I had to have them take off the blue cheese and the tortillas. I had them leave on the corn. I don't eat that much corn but if I had to take one more thing off my salad, then it would have been a lame salad so I ate corn.

9. I plan to eat gluten free bread. But I must have bread for sandwiches once in a while.

10. I highly recommend anyone doing this challenge. You might think at first that it is impossible to go without. BUT, you will learn so much! Think of it as an adventure. I will never eat like I did prior to this challenge, just like doing the Zone for 30 days changed me. You have to experience it. Remember, food is fuel. Not a reward. Not a treat. Fuel.

Sandwiches and a Sucky Week

2010-11-04T16:55:00.001-07:00

I am officially past my 30 days of the challenge. I woke up on day 31 and sort of forgot that the challenge was over. There was nothing I had a hankering for.

The sandwich posted here is on a large portabella mushroom. I saw this on everyday paleo and thought since I like mushrooms, that this would be a good substitute for bread. It was not. Maybe if I had cut it thinner but it just didn't taste that good either.

I am not going to follow the Whole 30 exactly from now on. As I have mentioned before, I like balance. There is nothing balanced about this way of eating. Have you seen the pictures of Melissa & Dallas's cupboards on facebook? Not balanced!

I have been home sick for the past two days and along with that, I sprained my ankle Tuesday morning on my run. So, I decided to bake up some gluten free bread. I am not a crazy bread eater, but I do enjoy it from time to time on a good sandwich. I do also know that gluten is not all that great for you! So, if I like gluten free bread, I am okay with adding that back into my diet. AND? I really like it! Now if I can get my kids to eat it!

Pictured here is the sandwich I had for dinner tonight on my bread. Tasty stuff. Much better than mushroom bread.

On another note, when you have the stomach flu and you are trying to follow the Whole30 plan, it is very difficult. All I wanted all day was some Chicken Noodle Soup and if I had some in my house, it would've been mine. I did opt for a bowl of cereal (my first in well over 32 days) and while I am not sure that is what the doctor ordered, it made me happy for a time.

It is 7:10 p.m., my boys are watching Star Wars and I am going to bed.

Nighty Night!

Crock Pot Pot Roast - BIG HIT!!!

2010-10-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

This is our front step. I totally expect these pumpkins to be smashed in the morning from the five 14 year olds that showed up at my door with no costumes expecting candy. I turned them away! Was that mean?

We had an extremely successful Whole30 approved meal tonight. I found a Crock Pot Pot Roast recipe from Paleo Girls blog. I used a grass fed pot roast and added 3 sprigs of thyme, 1-2 tomatoes, 4 carrots, 1 green pepper and 2 zucchinis. It. Was. Awesome. See pics below. The final product photo does not do it justice.

Again, for this photo I had eaten a large portion before I remembered to take a photo. I was so dang hungry! This was so tasty I wanted to keep eating. I stopped and have leftovers for tomorrow, but I will not go hungry tomorrow!

Halloween. I thought this day would be hard. I stay at home and hand out candy. Matt bought the candy. He bought everything I love, of course. Was that sweet of him or do you think he is trying to sabotage my efforts? Well, out of the hundreds of candy bars that have touched my fingers tonight, I let myself have one. One, mini, little, dinky, tiny Butterfinger. AND, it didn't cause me to run for more. I was satisfied and boy, did it taste good!

That's all for now! Try this recipe! Easy and good. Doesn't get much better than that!

Over-n-out!

Champps Americana and More Thoughts & Ramblings

2010-10-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Last night we got stuck in traffic and as I was inching at less than 5 mph, my blood sugar sunk. We had a crazy busy day and it was one of those where 6 hours had passed and I hadn't eaten anything and then realized my hunger in the car, stuck. Argh. So, I decided that I wasn't about to cook and I needed food ASAP. That is when I pulled off and took the boys to Champps. Did you know that Thursdays are $2.50 draft beers? I did not but was good anyways and had my water. But, I did order a Cobb Salad with NO cheese, NO olives (I really wish I liked olives) and extra egg/avocado with balsamic dressing. This was a huge mound of food. I ate every last morsel.

If you happen to be in a funk with your workouts, I just read a great article in the November issue of Men's Journal titled "The One True Path to Real Fitness" written by Daniel Duane. I love that this author doesn't say that any one fitness regimen (training for triathlons, crossfit or Billy Blanks, for instance) is the one and gives people who workout at "globo gyms" ideas for obtaining true fitness there as well. My favorite quote from this article is: "Most gyms do include a few token free weights, but think about where you find them: around the edges of the room, like fresh fruits and vegetables in a supermarket that gives all the prime middle of the store shelf space to Frosted Flakes and frozen cheese cake." So true, just like the grocery, stick with the perimeter of the gym!

We also get Men's Health and I have to say, they usually have great recipes! However, this month's issue (actually November) included and article titled "I Hate Fat People" written by Richard Conniff. By the way, I hate the word hate! As someone that is about to dive into a study to find out the affects of exercise on borderline Type II diabetes kiddos, it was interesting for me to read this article to get an idea of what obese people experience. I know these kids are lacking self confidence and most likely get teased at school. For some people teasing might motivate them to change their habits. For others, it might drive them to eat more.

So here I am. I want to help people. I get super excited when I see someone at the gym shrinking! These are the peeps that inspire me the most and when they see awesome progress, their smiles get bigger, they want to become more involved in the community and the result is, they inspire others. It is something I get to witness frequently and is one of the things I love most about my job.

Let's keep the following mindset:

Food is fuel. Food is fuel. Food is fuel. Food is fuel. Food is fuel. People, FOOD IS FUEL!!!

Colorful!

2010-10-27T18:03:00.001-07:00

Colorful! And simple. Every weekend we go to the store to stock up on meat and other stuff that isn't convenient during the week. We usually purchase a huge pack of chicken from Whole Foods and at some point in the following days will grill up all of the chicken and store it in the fridge. As someone that once got food poisoning from chicken, I am a little overcautious when handling chicken but at least I am able to eat it again. Having it cooked in the fridge is the way to go.

I also swung by the store today and stocked up on sweet potatoes and some other random veggies. I don't think I have been eating enough carbs. I feel really lethargic when starting workouts lately but about half way through I swing into high gear. For instance, today's WOD was 50 double unders, then 20-15-10-5 reps of each of the following: 95 lb power clean, TTB (Toes to Bar), Box jumps and finish up with 50 double unders. My first set of power cleans took eons. I was trying to beat a certain person's time but I couldn't remember what her time was so I just decided to keep moving. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. Once I got to the round of 10 reps I was able to pick it up a notch. I finished in 14:40 and was sure I was like 2 minutes slower than my goal. I looked at the board to find out I was almost 3 minutes faster. Can't figure it out. So I feel more lethargic but my workouts are bangin'. Hmmmm.

So, my point is I baked a bunch of sweet potatoes. This is my candy people. I just pretend it is a giant candy corn and eat it whole. I kind of felt like putting one on a stick and calling it a sweet potato popsicle. I included more of them in my dinner.

For the sauteed veggies, I started with onion, green pepper and zucchini with a little bit of coconut oil. Once those were nice and flimsy I added broccoli, tomatos and mushrooms. When it was done I added a huge handful of spinach (of course) and wilted that in with some sea salt. I have extra to include in my eggs tomorrow!

Today is day 24 of this challenge. I actually have to look at the calendar to figure out what day I am on. I guess that is a good sign that I am not chomping at the bit for it to be over. Plus I think we are going to continue for a few extra days. Matt has his annual physical in early November and with a history of high blood pressure, he is hoping this challenge has brought his numbers down. I am crossing my fingers!

I Heart Spinach

2010-10-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Dinner tonight: A large mound of spinach topped with a tomato, an avocado, an egg and a breast of chicken. Dressing was my EVOO, red wine vinegar and dijon concoction.

Have I told you that I love spinach? I once read in some celebrity tabloid that Demi Moore's secret to staying fit/lean was that she loves spinach and doesn't like chocolate. Hmmmm, should I use that one the next time someone asks how they can get arms that look like mine? I do love spinach. I don't like chocolate that much (unless it is overpowered by lots of vanilla or caramel or peanut butter - but oh well, can't have that stuff either).

I am very happy to report that although I am not experiencing anything miraculous from this challenge, many people at the gym (Crossfit Minnesota) are. In one instance there is a girl that has been on asthma meds all of her life. Taking out the dairy and possibly the gluten has allowed her to be med free for the first time ever. In another instance this guy has been on prednisone for some muscular problems most likely due to inflammation. By following this strict diet he has gone off the prednisone and has lost 18 pounds to date. Apparently he is kind of pissed that his doctor didn't mention changing his diet prior to being put on meds, but unfortunately meds are easy. Most people wouldn't change their diet this drastically. It works people.

I came across some research that said for people with MS, following this diet they can see up to a 98% decrease in their symptoms. Also, while my kids aren't following the diet as strictly as we are, once we took them off milk Charlie's behavior has made a dramatic change for the positive. He is more focused and because of that, his maturity has come along and he is getting more positive feedback and is thriving on that.

If you are experiencing aches, pains, are overweight, inactive, on meds for something, change your diet. Diet is 90% of what you look like. You can work out like a crazy person for hours a day but if your diet sucks, you will have a plateau at some point and your efforts in the gym won't show. It is not that hard to stick to for 30 days....it might save your life!

Oh, and did I mention that I love spinach?

Paleo Spaghetti!!!!

2010-10-24T19:43:00.001-07:00

Heads up! I am tired and don't feel like effin around with the pics, so this ones kind of a mess. You can deal.

Pictured to the left is the Paleo Spaghetti that I have been wanting to try and finally got around to tonight. The picture shows a partially eaten portion as sometimes I forget to take the picture right away... I guess I was hungry?

This recipe can be found at: http://everydaypaleo.com/

I highly recommend perusing this site as she has amazing recipes that are easy. Plus it has forced me to become one with my food processor. I have never used that function prior to this challenge, so another reason why challenges are postive...they force you to try new things!

Pictured here are the zucchini that I shredded and the scrumptious meat sauce that I could have eaten alone (2 lbs of grass fed beef baby!). Wow, delicious. My boys even ate the meat sauce. They

didn't buy into the whole green zucchini thing as pasta but I will just mark that up as them being smart and not being fooled! They want their slurpy noodles dammit!

I also served the baked green beans that were super easy and Matt, who usually doesn't care for beans, liked these. Plus, foil on the pan, no clean up. What more can a girl ask for.

Went to a Vikings/Packers Tailgate party tonight and enjoyed a beer or two - again, not feeling guilty about this just to give you clarification. The food there was devilish as far as the Whole30 goes. However, I chose a brat with kraut and some mustard. Tasty. There was some candy corn, peanuts, m&m candy mixture that I would normally gobble up and believe me, I wanted to but didn't. I am really sticking to the food rules here and while I am learning a ton, I just am not seeing any magical thing happening. Yeah, blame it on the alcohol....whatev'.

Sleepy?

2010-10-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Matt was the chef tonight and decided we needed to use our last acorn squash. While the squash baked, he sauteed up the spicy chicken sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes with some spices. The original plan was to stuff all of this into the acorn squash but the squash didn't leave much room for this, so we ended up doing some additional lettuce wraps with the rest of the filling and some steamed zucchini. The lettuce wraps were to die for. Must. Have. Again.

So, a question for you....are you extra sleepy eating this way? I have been so sleepy despite getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Last night I slept over 9 hours. It is now 8:30, my neighbors have invited us over to play cards and I just want to crawl into my warm, cozy bed and go nighty night. Thoughts?

Surf & Turf and Red Wine

2010-10-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

It's Friday night and I'm feelin' all right! Okay, to follow up my previous post, as you can see in the picture I have succumbed to my wine. But don't I look happy? Yes, I will admit that my wine makes me a better mom, wife and friend. I am a heck of a lot more fun too!

I had an interesting conversation with one of my clients today. He mentioned that as we become more restrictive in certain areas of our life that we also become more judgemental of other people's choices. I have to agree. I am more aware of my food choices, I feel more educated and therefor it pains me to see really unhealthy people at the grocery store filling up their carts with food in boxes. Why should that matter to me? I always tell my kids to worry about their behavior and not what some other kid is doing, so why do I find myself in the same predicament? Hmmmm, food for thought. This might be connected to that Orthorexia Nervosa that I mentioned before.

Dinner tonight was scrumptious and the most filling meal I have had since this challenge started. A surf and turf of sort. Shrimp is okay in my book. Someone once told me that shrimp eats it's own poop so unfortunately that ruined my relationship with shrimp, but I was able to eat it tonight. I broiled top sirloin steaks, baked asparagus, cut up some sweat potatoes that I baked up yesterday and steamed up some brussel sprouts that I finished off in a coconut oil and almond saute. We bought extra steak so that we have some for some yummy steak salads again that we will most likely have tomorrow.

Back to the wine and my closing. Matt was with me 100% in having wine tonight. His quote: "this whole lifestyle change isn't for 30 days, it is forever and I am not giving up my alcohol forever, so we might as well learn how to make it work within this lifestyle." I agree 100%. I can give up sugar (okay, I know wine has sugar), processed food, grains, dairy, and legumes. My wine(winter)/beer(summer) is not going anywhere. We all need something to consume that feels like a special treat and when I am winding down in the evening from a healthy, active day, there is nothing better.

Alcohol My Permanent Accessory, Alcohol a Party Time Necessity!

2010-10-20T06:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, if you have ever been a fan of The Bare Naked Ladies, you will recognize the title above as lyrics to one of their hit tunes. This song has been in my head all morning.

Why you ask? Well, as I stated in my previous post, we went to the Wild hockey game last night. We did not drink. It was definitely a cheaper evening because of that but it certainly was not as fun. This whole challenge is putting a huge damper on my social life. Not really diggin' it. Do I need alcohol? Heck no. Can I go 30 days without? Sure I can. Do I want to? No.

I asked my husband last night if he thought I was an alcoholic because I wanted my booze back. His response: "if you were an alcoholic you would've gotten your booze back already." Point taken.

I am by no means a heavy drinker. Matt and I brew our own beer. We have 2 kegs of beer on tap in our basement. We have really good wine in our wine rack. I haven't had a drop in 17 days. So, what do I do? I have made it 17 days without, do I stick it out? Or do I let myself have a beer or glass of wine here and there in moderation? I think it is really lame to avoid social situations because of this challenge.

Would love all of your awesome thoughts on this....

Ooh La La...Yummy

2010-10-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday evening's dinner. After a hectic Monday and a crazy birthday party Sunday, it was nice to sit down to a well put together meal with my family. We had promised the boys they could make their own pizzas tonight, but I think they might have liked this meal.

I found this meal on the Whole9 website under Steal This Meal (STM). Roasted Apples with Pork and Mint Pesto was mighty tasty. The recipe isn't written out very user friendly, but now that I have followed this once, it will be a piece of cake. We used pork but you could use chicken or turkey as well.

The only bad thing about this meal is the apples. I wanted to grab the vanilla ice cream out of our freezer and top it with all of the leftover apples/walnuts and cinammon......but I didn't.

I had to include a picture of Charlie's pizza. Sooooo unWHole30! But so cute and the boys love making their own dinner.

Tonight we are heading to the Wild game. Boy, we are going to be the wildest people there - I will definitely miss my beer here not to mention the pulled BBQ Pork that I get every single game. Oh well. Good thing our seats rock because we get a lot of smooshed faces right on the glass!

Wish me luck!

Monday Blahs and a Big Whoopsie!

2010-10-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Ahh, Monday. The end of this day marks my half way point through this challenge...but who's counting? Mondays are my tough day. I am up early for work, kids to school, run errands, back to work, workout, pick up kids, homework, back to work, home and go to bed. My time for meal planning on this particular day of the week is non-existent. On Mondays I tend to not eat enough. I stay within the parameters of the challenge food wise, but I am not sure Melissa or Dallas would recommend eating this way!

After the noon workout today I met a friend for lunch at Turtle Bread Company. I ordered tomato squash soup and a salad with a breast of chicken with balsamic dressing. The soup was yummy and the salad was fine. I cleaned both the soup bowl and the salad plate no problem. Once I finished the soup, I realized that it was probably a milk based soup. Sure enough it was. I didn't even think about this when ordering. I have been eating perfectly for the first half of the challenge and to mess up kind of stinks, but I am going to look at the bright side. I didn't die. I didn't have any reaction to the milk so I must be lactose tolerant. And, it was damn tasty. It was an honest mistake and I will learn to ask more questions when ordering food at restaurants.

For some quick lunch options while out and about, I have had the unwich at Jimmy Johns with double meat and extra veggies and Noodles & Co has a chinese chopped salad minus the wontons add a breast of chicken. Great options! If you have any others you have come across, please share in comments!

My Menu for Today AND a Resource for Y'all

2010-10-17T17:32:00.001-07:00

Our dinner tonight consisted of 100% grass fed bison burgers grilled up topped with mustard, tomato and avocado. I baked up some green beans in the oven and had mashed butternut squash that was left over from last night. Nothing too exciting but not every night can be an adventure! It's tiring!

I had a great breakfast this morning. I had my usual 4 scrambled eggs with spinach but threw some leftover veggies - zucchini, carrots, broccoli and tomatoes in. Obviously topped with avocado because I LOVE avocado! I bought 8 of them at the store today and boy do I hate it when I open one up and it is rotten! Frustrating! $1.49/avocado and rising!

We had Willie's 5th Birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese today. Talk about a Whole30 Challenge nightmare! We stuck to it and probably went too long without eating. The minute we got home all of our leftovers were on the counter and being devoured cold. I finally finished off the not so good carnitas (which I never blogged about my "steak" caranitas) but I couldn't let them go to waste - that grass fed meat is damn expensive! We did a great job of cleaning out our fridge so this afternoon I had to make a trip to the store. Once again.

I wanted to share a resource that gives me more hope that I won't get bored eating this way. I made the baked green beans from this site and they were pretty good. I am really interested in this spaghetti.

Check out: http://www.everydaypaleo.com/

I watched the video where she makes the spaghetti and it looks tasty and I love that her kids help her cook! While I think I have a good base of meals so far, I am excited to see what else I can add to the mix.

Nighty Night!

What's For Dinner?

2010-10-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

My two boys. Tonight I made turkey, sweet potatoes and sauteed veggies. Simple but tasty. As you can see from the pics above, my picky 5 year old was not happy. My adventurous 6 year old was eating it up. In fact, see the pic below? He ate both plates. Hmmm, wonder which boy is going to grow up to be big and strong? Granted, it was difficult to get either of them to eat all of the veggies, but they had to try each veggie.

Matt and I ate the same thing. Of course we had no problem cleaning our plates! For those of you looking for a simple meal, this is the real deal. I put several same sized sweet potatoes on a baking pan (actually over foil so I wouldn't have to clean the pan). Baked at 350 for 80 minutes and had set the timer for the oven to go off. Potatoes cooled off in the oven and were ready to be mashed when I got home. Cut up veggies, sauteed in coconut oil and tossed in a little EVOO and kosher salt. Turkey was a pre-cooked breast that we just had to warm up. Easy breezy.

11 Days....

2010-10-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

I started this journey 11 days ago. I was resistant. However, I discovered something. Challenges like this force you to be creative. Our meals have been delicious for the most part and I tend to have leftovers, which is why I didn't post yesterday (and the fact that I was crazy busy).

I am 11 days in and wanted to do a little self evaluation. First of all, regarding the food itself, here are some surprising things: 1) I don't miss dairy - okay, maybe tonight as my kids were eating Willie's cake and ice cream I missed it a little, but that was the first time. 2) I don't miss cookies, cake, candy or anything super sweet. 3) I don't miss grains. 4) I miss alcohol - okay, not that surprising.

Regarding my weight, I weighed myself on Day 2 and I was 143.6. I weighed myself today and I was 138.8. That is a loss of 4.8 pounds in 10 days. I was concerned at first but then got to thinkin'....we retain a lot more water when we are eating more sugar and salt, so it must be mostly water weight. I hope. I came home after my weigh in and downed a whole avacodo and as much coconut milk as I could muster! I will keep tabs on it, but this goes to show that I haven't been hungry at all and I have still lost weight, so that is good for those of you out there with that goal in mind.

I feel like I have great energy and I might be hallucinating but I think my skin looks better. Remember that goal of hoping to be really hot like Dallas (in a girly way for me)? - not sure I am there yet! I pee a lot due to all of the water I drink and my body not retaining it, which is a pain in the arse. But, my pee is clear so that is AWESOME :-) My workouts have felt great. However, I did "Angie" yesterday (100 pull-ups, 100 pushups, 100 squats & 100 situps) and my time was almost 4 minutes slower than it was 14 months ago. I felt like I was working hard so I don't know what is up with that - the diet??? Hmmmm. Need more data....

Last summer I went strict zone for 30 days. It was a great experience and like this, I had to get creative. The biggest change I made in my diet from experiencing the zone was starting my day with more protein and eating less grains throughout the day. I did not enjoy measuring my food. I think there will be more that I will take from this challenge in the end but I won't want to maintain it at this level for the long term.

Peace out!

Watch Out Top Chef!

2010-10-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

Just a cute pic from the hay maze on a gorgeous, fall day!

See these cupcakes? October is the month of Willie's birthday AND Halloween. Normally around 3 o'clock or so, this is what I would have a hankerin' for. Not today. Last night my wonderful babysitter made halloween colored cupcakes with my boys. As much as I want them to eat healthy, they are kids. I have seen those kids whose parents restrict them from things and it is not good. I ate like crap when I was a kid. I saved up my coins to ride my bike up to PDQ to buy as much candy as I could with my money. I remember drinking 12 cans of pop at a slumber party. I ate donuts before track races. Look at me now...I survived. My hope is that eventually with constant education, our kids will make good choices about what they put in their bodies. For now, they will eat cupcakes, pancakes and waffles - oh my! I will also force them to eat their veggies. Okay, more like bargain with them but I can usually get some past their lips. Just introducing them to different foods and hoping they will like something that actually resembles food is a victory in itself!

WATCH OUT TOP CHEF!! Actually, I am no chef. My confidence in the kitchen is lacking, but tonight I took control and whipped up something with no recipe - totally winged it. I figured we'd either love this or be going out to dinner in short order.

We bought several acorn squashes from a farm this past weekend. I had remembered someone cooking up some stuffed acorn squash but I knew it had bread and other taboo stuff in it but I liked the idea. So, I cut 2 acorn squashes in half and cooked them open side down for 40 minutes at 350. While the squash was baking, I sauted up some sliced apples(3 honeycrisp) in coconut oil, and added some cinnamon and nutmeg because I just thought that sounded yummy. After the apples were ready, I put them aside and browned 1 lb ground spicy turkey sausage that we purchased from Whole Foods this past weekend with some onion. Once that was ready I mixed in the apple. When the squashes were done I turned them upright and stuffed as much of the meat/apple stuff in as I could, covered with tinfoil and baked for another 15-20 (til squash was ready).

Can I say yummy? YUMMY! I would cook this again in a heartbeat. Maybe add some diced red pepper to add a crunch or possibly some spinach sauteed into the mix to give it more color and nutrients. Thoughts on what else could be added?

This is the finished product pictured to the left. I scraped every last bit of squash off that skin. AND, guess what? I get to eat the other half tomorrow!

Something Ironic, Funny, Yummy & Serious

2010-10-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Irony. Here it is. Saturday marked the annual Hale School Carnival Fundraiser. I volunteer every year. Last year I got to play games with the kids for 2 hours. THAT was fun. This year I got assigned to serve up chili. It was 80 degrees out. Nobody wanted chili. That's okay, I was sweating standing by the cookers so I was happy to move to another station. Little did I know it was a demotion. Cotton Candy. Have you ever been up close and personal with a cotton candy machine? I got down and dirty(or down and sugary). Fortunately I do not like cotton candy otherwise this would have been an impossible temptation. First of all, that shit is hard to make and wrap around a stick in a nice, fluffy ball. AND, if flies EVERYWHERE! After an hour and a half of making cotton candy for eager kiddos, I had it in my hair, on my shirt, in my eyes, all over my arms, on my shoes. I wore my watch this morning and could have licked it and gotten a sugar high. The thought went through my mind and wondered if is was possible for the sugar to seep into my pores, horror! And finally, when we got home, I immediately headed towards the shower, even though I think Matt was slightly regretting being on the Whole30 at this point because I would've tasted damn good! TMI??? Too bad.

Funny. See that kid to the left? That is my 6 year old enjoying a kale, spinach, banana, and vanilla almond milk smoothie. See that green stache? He loves them. Now, I made a batch for Matt and I first and used just plain ole' coconut milk. These are surprisingly tasty with the almond milk and bearable with the coconut milk. If you are looking for a ton of nutrients, or are having difficulty getting your greens, this would be a quick and dirty way to do it. You could do it in a shot glass and pretend you are drinking alcohol. OOOH, maybe we could have a party at our house - kale shots everyone!

Yummy. Cobb Salad. Lots of greens, grilled chicken, onion, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, avacado, bacon, and a dressing to die for. Prior to Whole 30 I added Feta and that was about the only difference. Still tasty. Filled me up.

Recipe for Dressing (enough for 2 salads):

2 TBSP EVOO

1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar

1/4-1/2 dijon mustard

Paprika to taste

Wisk. Boom. Done.

I believe this is the dressing Matt whipped up for our steak salads the other night.

Serious. I receive many fitness magazines, some for leisure and some for more serious education. As I was reading through one of my more serious magazines, I came across and article titled "Orthorexia Nervosa: A Primer - Is it possible for healthful eating to become unhealthy?" written by Amanda Mellowspring. I didn't realize this had been diagnosed and named, but I guess Orthorexia Nervosa is what I was concerned about after attending the Whole9 presentation. Many people have food issues so please be aware of your relationship with food through this journey. If you have/had issues, please click on the link which will provide a little more info on this and be in tune with your brain!

Please comment with feedback, thoughts, recipes, or whatever!

Have a great day everyone!

Adapting one of our Favorites = Success!

2010-10-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

Shown to the left is one of our favorite past staples for dinner. It is out of the Real Simple Magazine from 2005. As you can see, we have used it a few times. We haven't made this for a long time as I haven't been eating pasta for over a year now, so I was excited to adapt this one and give it a go.

Adaptations: We used spaghetti squash in place of the pasta which was a little different in taste and texture, but still tasty. Instead of hot italian sausages, we used 100% grass fed bison and spiced it up prior to cooking. We also didn't use any of the oil. For some reason Matt didn't think we needed to use it and he was right, it turned out perfect.

Our after picture looks very meaty because it is not stirred up like it is in the magazine picture. There is a ton of spaghetti squash under there. We were both more than satisfied after this meal. I highly recommend giving this a try! Your kids might even eat this (Click on image to the left to view recipe). DELICIOUS!!

On another note, we went to the CD release party for a local band the Maeflies last night. Let me tell you something: it was stumbling distance from our house at the Parkway Theater. We had at least 3 people tell us we had no excuse not to drink as much as we possibly wanted! Well, we stuck to our guns and had water on the rocks with lime. I know, crazy. There were two opening bands including Geezer and Wide Open. Great music to sit and chill to. So fortunately I didn't need the liquid courage to get up and dance!

Yesterday I did all of our shopping we could do at Target. Today we need to make our other stops to get our chicken, short ribs (carnitas here I come) and a fish of some sort. Yes, lots of shopping these days. I figure where I am not spending on alcohol, diet coke and my more frequent outings to eat, I am probably saving money over all and eating more quality food. That is what I keep telling myself anyways. OH, and can I hire someone to do my constant stream of dishes????

Damn Good Food and Other Stuff

2010-10-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

4 Things:

1. Steak Salad. For a long time I thought that was kind of an oxymoron, but that was before I knew better. Our dinner tonight was this delicious spinach salad topped with one hard boiled egg, 1/2 an avacado, cut up baby tomatoes and leftover steak from last night. The steak was FINE last night but absolutely delish tonight. Matt made the dressing so it was some EVOO, balsamic, dijon concoction. Highly recommend!

2. Today I had my first mishap. I didn't not go astray from the type of food I should eat, I just forgot to pack food and went a bit too long without. I ate my breakfast at 8:30, went to work, went for a 60 minute easy run, back at the gym for squats and could tell I was fading. My goal was to get the squats in and bolt so I could get some food immediately, which I did. I was getting a little light headed on the squats which I will remind myself of next time I rush out the door without any of my food!

3. I think I have decided that next year will be my year to have an aggressive athletic goal. I am currently considering the Chicago Marathon. My goal would be sub 3 hours. My plan is to crossfit and follow the crossfit endurance site for training. It scares the shit out of me but it is not going to get any easier as the years go by so I might as well go for it!

4. Finally, at Girls Night Out last night I was asked several times what my due date was. Thank god it wasn't because I looked like the photo to the left. My awesome neighbors threw me a surprise party to celebrate FitNeighbor, my business I have had in my hood for the last 3+ years. Apparently people are used to me drinking. Yes, we have had some good times in my neighborhood for sure! So I was drinking water out of a glass that was not meant for alcohol. Then people start asking questions. Rumors are flying in my neighborhood! Ugh.

So, what did I learn from this? In a social setting, like at the concert we are going to tomorrow night, I will order tonic with lime or something of that nature so nobody asks. Fake it. Maybe I will even pretend that I am drunk and do something really stupid. If you have any other ideas for what I can drink that doesn't look like a non-alcoholic drink it would be greatly appreciated!

5. I lied, it is really 5 things. Why don't you also pick something that scares the shit out of you and do it next year as well???? HUH???

Thoughts and Ramblings.....

2010-10-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

Remember when I claimed I was going for the win? I have given this some thought and now I think that is just silly. I have reinvented my goals for this challenge. Typically when someone tells me I can't do something or I suck at something, I try to prove them wrong. Could it be that I am the youngest of three with two older brothers that were always doing fantastic things? I always tried to keep up but never could. Oh well.

I am still on track for eating clean despite going to a girls night (a surprise party for yours truly in fact!!!) and drinking water, eating lettuce shrimp wraps and yellow peppers. There was a lot of good looking food there but it actually didn't appeal to me.

So, even though I did the whole picture thing (we had to take before pictures from all angles), I am pretty certain I will look exactly the same after 30 days. Totally fine. In fact, I plan to weigh myself (I never weigh myself) once per week to make sure I am at least staying within a certain range. My new goals/hopes for this challenge are to come out with shinier hair and better looking skin. Is that weird?

One thing I noticed about Melissa and Dallas (the Whole9 peeps and the people that follow this nutrition plan religiously) is that their skin was glowing. Oh, and they are incredibly good looking so is that a possible outcome too? In fact, Dallas is just freakin' HOT! Okay, sorry about that outburst but hot damn!

What this all boils down to is that I need a nutritional plan that I can present to my clients. This is a shocking plan to most and seems undoable. However, if I can give them more motivation than weight loss it might actually be realistic. I am excited to find lots of reasons to follow this. If you can think of any in your experience, please share!

Day 4

2010-10-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Not sure why this is underlined...but oh well!

I know what you are thinking about my snack above. If you have really done your research you will tell me that that is not the no sugar added/organic sunbutter. Or you will tell me that there are no vegetables in sight. You are right. I paid like a million dollars for the sunbutter and when I found out I got the wrong kind after opening it, the right kind will just have to wait. I don't put that much on my banana anyways...just enough. And the vegetables? While I have been enjoying eating more of them, every few days I feel like I can have a snack without them. I don't eat this everyday people. This is more of my desperate and I need something quick that will keep me full for awhile - kinda like the LaraBars which I have not had.

Didn't get a photo of our final product for dinner tonight, but I sauted zucchini, broccoli and tomatoes in coconut oil and added a little bit of kosher salt. Our meat was grass fed steak from Whole Foods. Matt's response was, "Well that certainly tastes different than corn fed." I agree with him and that it does NOT taste better. It wasn't that it was bad, it was FINE.

I am finally feeling better so was able to do a workout today. I swim on Tu/Th so I went to the pool and was put in the fast lane dammit! I chose to do all of the fast sets at moderate and take less rest which was a good call. I still got 2,750 yards in, so I am happy with that.

I have been sleeping amazing! I don't know if many of you know how great of a sleeper I really am. In fact, I am so good at it that Matt pretty much had to get up with or babies/kids when they were younger - maybe that is why he doesn't sleep anymore.....hmmm. No, really, they should do sleep tests on me.

Okay, girls night out tonight. I think I will hold up a solid performance. I am not willing to let these 4 days go to waste, plus, I feel fantastic!!

2010-10-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Good thing I am a spinach lover! I think I had some with every meal today! Here is my salad. My salads have been a staple in my diet for sometime now. However, they usually include a little feta cheese which I have obviously omitted here. This salad includes as much spinach as I can stuff into the bowl, 1 chicken breast, handful of cut strawberries, small handful of pecans and dressing of EVOO & Balsamic vinegar. I have to say this was much tastier with my feta, but I will take it. I am satisfied for the evening.

Speaking of salads, we also have a Cobb Salad that we enjoy. I usually also put feta on this, but I think it might be almost as good without it, so I am sure you will be seeing that in the near future.

Today I went to the store to pick up some items and on my list I had dried cherries. I sometimes put these in my salads as well but I was very observant at the grocery. All of the packages of cherries were "juice infused". WTF? Those are out I guess!

Check out the following YouTube Video. This is what I felt like at the Whole9 Seminar when they were telling us all the foods we shouldn't eat and then that guy asked, "How am I still alive?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfbkUT0Qx2Q

Oh - I have girls night tomorrow night and a concert on Saturday night. Pretty certain I can handle it, I mean, I wouldn't want to waste 4 whole days worth of clean eating! I am out to prove that I can still be fun without booze. We'll see!

Day 2: Good Day!

2010-10-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

Yummy Dinner!

Cooking fish intimidates me. I did it anyways. Tonight our dinner consisted of baked Wild King Salmon, sweet potatoes with EVOO and cinnamon, and asparagus with lemon juice. Felt extremely satisfied after this scrumptious meal and the salmon turned out perfect. Easier than expected! Used a little bit of EVOO, garlic, pepper and lemon juice and baked at 325 for approximately 18-20 minutes.

After dinner, I chose to grill up some fine breasts so Matt could eat them for lunch (haha, if that didn't make you giggle the first time, read it again). Matt has dove into this challenge head on and with a dinner meeting out last night and box lunches brought in yesterday and today he chose not to eat rather than participate. If you haven't noticed he is a bit of a mental case when it comes to competition. He WILL choose to starve himself rather than eat anything on the "Do Not Eat List". Grilling up this chicken will insure that he gets what he needs throughout his day!

While I was slaving over the grill, Matt was preparing some yummy quacamole. We figure we can serve this right on my, I mean his chicken breasts. I have been using lettuce (see previous post) to wrap my sandwich up and will surely do the same tomorrow with the chicken and quac.

So far eating has been easy. However, I am a bit under the weather so my workouts have been nil. I hope to feel better tomorrow because I have some serious angst not being able to run in this weather!

Finally, I was told last night that I would NOT be winning this challenge. Okay, I wasn't planning on trying to win, but now I am. So watch out.

Day 1: Already a Breakthrough!

2010-10-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

The devil

See the above? I thought I couldn't drink coffee without this crap. Everyday I covered the bottom of my coffee cup knowing it was most likely the single worst thing I put in my body. When one of the bottles is gone, it takes about 30 rinses to get the remaining "stuff" off the sides of the bottle. Can't imagine what it does inside my body. Today I switched to coconut milk nondairy creamer. I was pleasantly surprised at how awesome it was!!! Now, I feel a bit guilty that it is hazelnut flavored and that probably is considered cheating, but I figure it is better to be smoker than a crack addict....am I right???

My day has been otherwise fantastic. Paired with this awesome fall weather, life couldn't be better!

My breakfast and lunch looked like this:

4 scrambled eggs with a ton of spinach, baby tomatoes and about a 1/4 avacado. Yum. I had an orange too.

For lunch: Lean roast beef wrapped up in lettuce, tomatos (you can't see these) and more avacado. Baby snap peas and carrots, which I had a second helping of.

So far so good! It is the little things, like learning about the Coffee Mate alternative that will make this challenge worthwhile. I won't document all my meals because you likely could care a less, but this is just a glimpse!

Wish me luck!

The Whole 30 Challenge

2010-10-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's me. I know, it's been a whole year since my last entry. I have been a bit of a slacker this past year and well, it felt good! Now it is time to get back into the action!

Why blog now?

Crossfit Minnesota is starting the Whole 30 Challenge at our gym starting tomorrow. I am IN 100%. I was resistant at first but have warmed up to the idea. I don't like to be told that I am not allowed to do things and at first this was how this came off. I seek balance in my life in all facets and this just seems extreme. But, I am open and willing to give it a shot.

Why do this? Well, I think we all need to change our relationship with food. It is our FUEL people....not a treat and definitely not a problem solver. Do you want your body to run like a pinto or a ferrari? I think I know the answer.

I am not doing this to lose weight. I am doing it to see how I feel. Granted, I make pretty good nutritional choices already, but I am willing to commit to 30 days....how about you?

My biggest challenge? Giving up dairy. I love the cream in my coffee, the cheese in my eggs and my greek yogurt mid-afternoon. And, well, the alcohol. But as I heard someone say, if you can't give up alcohol for 30 days, you might have some greater issues to deal with. I am down with that.

I will start my day tomorrow with my usual, minus the cheese and tortillas, adding some tomato, onion and avacado. Yum. Maybe minus the penguin plate add a real adult plate. Pictured above is the usual!

Wish me luck and check in often!

Marathon Hangover.....

2009-10-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

So I ran an experiment. I learned a lot. What now?

First of all, at the end of my last post I was wondering how I would feel the next day. The only results I hadn't yet posted were of my marathon recovery. Once again, I learned even more. Of course I was slightly sore, but the marathon was on Sunday and Monday night I was doing demos of body weight squats at the gym. The first one felt a little creaky, but after that, they felt great. I was in the pool on Tuesday and cycling on Wednesday. Legs felt a little tired in the pool but other than that, the soreness went away much faster than it has in the past.

What now you ask?

Well, it seems that some peeps over at Crossfit liked my experiment. I have been invited to be their guest at a Running/Endurance Cert in LA the first weekend in December! Yeah! What does this mean? Well, I am not sure, but I know I wanted to attend one of these and didn't think it would happen for a long time. This will be a great opportunity to meet more people in the community and just be the crossfit dork that I am with good company!

In the meantime, I am going to enjoy the off-season. I really enjoyed my "marathon training" this year because: a) it gave me the exact variety I need to not get bored; and b) it is time efficient. I would actually like to run more this winter (maybe 20 miles/week); just haven't figured out when I will fit it in.

I've had many follow-up questions regarding my experiment. The most common asks something along these lines: Do you think you could PR training like this? Hmmmm. Great questions. I think the answer might be yes. I think it will take a few more tries and tweaks to my method. This gives me new enthusiasm for the marathon. I was getting bored with the classic training methods. Fortunately, I have a few months to enjoy other things before I put any structured training into practice.

Would love to hear from any of you who have tried or are trying something similar. You know what they say in science: The more data you have, the more valid. This is coming from a former middle school science teacher you know! Please share!!!

THE Experiment.

2009-10-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hugging my kiddos at mile 21 or so. No actions shots!

Purpose: Could I run a sub 4-hour marathon with no long run training and added strength training (crossfit)?

Hypothesis: My first goal was really just to finish. I was doubtful that I could do it in under 4 hours, considering every other marathon I have run was accomplished with a full training plan of running at least 3 days per week, including one long run each week up to 23 miles.

Method:

1. My longest run would be at the track and would be kept to single digits. These runs consisted of extended warm-up, 3-5 miles of hard running and then a cool down to finish out mileage. My mileage these days ranged from 6-9 miles.

2. No other required running. Once in a while I would meet Julie & Courtney for hills on Fridays, but other than that, any running that was done was within a crossfit workout, which is minimal.

3. No running on weekends!!! I had a life on the weekend!

4. Crossfitting 4-5 times/week.

5. Swimming 1-2 times/week.

6. Cycling once/week.....and that is only if I was teaching my cycle class that week.

7. No taper.

Result: 3:31:01 (my PR is a 3:06:xx)

I started out ultra conservative. First mile was 8:40, 2nd 8:20, 3rd 8:40 and kept it in the mid 8's for quite some time. I passed the 9 mile mark expecting at any moment to explode since that is the longest distance I had run. Didn't happen. I kept up a decently conservative pace, enjoyed the crowd AND the absolutely perfect running conditions.

I passed the 1/2 marathon mark at about 1:49 feeling awesome. I sped up just slightly until the 20 mile mark. I didn't hit the wall. I sped up more. My last 5.2 were all done at sub 7 minute pace. I felt like a million bucks.

Conclusion:

I am completely shocked with this result. I was very doubtful I could break 4 hours, let alone feel good doing it. I was convinced at some mile in the teens I would hit the wall and the rest of it would be extremely painful. I was packing ibuprofen just in case! I thought I would be out of commission for the rest of the day. Not only is that not the case, I have been going non-stop since I got home! I can walk down the stairs like I normally do AND sit down and get up from the toilet without pain!

What did I learn from this experience? Much more than I ever thought I would....I learned that I am NEVER going to do long runs for a marathon again. If I ever go for a PR, my runs may go up to 15, but that 's it. I truly believe it's NOT necessary! How you start your marathon is SO important! I have always known this but had to learn the hard way. Being conservative at the beginning and not freaking out about going too slow is key. Increased strength training kept me strong throughout and less sore at the end. Crossfit helped me mentally because even though those workouts are shorter than a marathon, they are the hardest ones you will ever do!

One other conclusion I made was that my body was fresh from not doing long runs and/or high mileage. I wasn't borderline injured like many are that do a lot of miles. My body was fresh and my mind was ready to go!

I don't want to minimize the importance of training here. I trained very hard, it just wasn't specific to marathon. I wouldn't recommend doing your first marathon this way. This worked for me because I have several marathons under my belt and know how to start. I don't know anyone that hasn't had to learn this the hard way. In that case, those long runs will definitely come in handy!

Now, we will see how I feel tomorrow morning!!

Marathon Schmarathon!

2009-09-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

At one of my marathons that I actually trained for.......

I have had the best training season EVER! Why is that? Well, it must be because I never felt like I had to train, I just did it because I wanted to. Let me back up. My last tri was July 4th so since then, my workouts have been completely random. There is a marathon on October 4th that I am doing and two weeks ago, my husband asked me, "Are you really running the marathon?" My response was, "Yes." He replied, "Well then, shouldn't you be running?" Probably. Oh well.

I have seven marathons under my belt. Each one was its own unique experience. So, to continue that tradition, I wanted to conduct a little experiment. Could I run a decent marathon without any long runs and added strength training?

My goal was to keep my so called "long runs" in the single digits. So I have run a handful of 9 milers here and there, but certainly nothing consistent. I have had weeks where I have run 12 miles and some as high as 24 miles. Not nearly as much mileage as I am used to. However, I am crossfitting 5-6 times per week, swimming twice and running on Mondays and then sometimes in my crossfit workouts. That's it. Nothing on the weekends. No long runs. My husband can't believe it.

It will be very interesting since right now I am running faster than I ever have. My last mile split was 5:27. My intervals at the track are faster than ever. People that I run with at track are certain I will PR. I always laugh inside when someone says this. I know this will be my most painful marathon (well, probably comparable to my first Boston which was a death march). My first goal is to just finish and secondly, I would love to finish in under 4 hours.

Do I have a plan? At first I thought I would walk the first minute of each mile. I then thought it would drive me crazy to hear the spectators yelling at me to "keep going girl, you can run!" or at mile 3 say, "It's too early to walk!" Then I thought it would be great to run backwards for the first minute of each mile since that always feels so good. Then I thought the other runners around me might not appreciate that so much.

So, any suggestions for survival during this marathon? Would LOVE to hear them!

Mid-Life Crisis!

2009-08-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

Why am I not wanting to buy a hot red sports car? Or trade my husband in for a younger model? Or get boobs that don't move or botox that lets me express myself? Why am I not normal? What is wrong with me?

What do I want? Well, I want too much too quick. That is the first sign that I am experiencing a mid-life crisis. I want to open my own gym when I know I am not quite ready. Everything I do points to me doing this. I have my following, I have established my classes but I can't REALLY grow my business without a facility. Wow, that is a big step. Until now, having no overhead has been sweet. No pressure to make the numbers, I only pay rent when I use a space so why would I want to take that next step? Maybe it is because I am confident I can do it. My clients are awesome but I need to offer more. My schedule is opening up in the fall so I want to pursue some clients with this time. Or maybe it is because my husband can't believe how much my fitness equipment is taking over our garage! Maybe a gym in my garage......hmmmm.

What else do I want? Well, I want to see what I am capable of. In sport and profession. This whole crossfit games idea has got me a bit re-energized to the point of me thinking I should just sell my tri bike and buy some other equipment. While triathlon was fun while it lasted, I am realizing now that it didn't make me as fit as I would like, which was the original goal. I was decently fit moving forward, but put me on a soccer field, ask me to play softball or volleyball and there was a very good chance I would get injured. That is not the athlete I want to be. I always thought the three disciplines made me well rounded. It definitely gave me the variety I needed at the time, but it didn't get me where I really wanted to go. Don't get me wrong, the sport of triathlon will always hold a special place in my heart, I love coaching athletes and being part of that community. I hope I can bring another piece to triathletes I coach in the form of strength.

Your thoughts on these things I WANT RIGHT NOW? And have to wait for?

So sports cars have never really impressed me. I have a hot hubby and I am SO very lucky that he puts up with me. And the boobies and smile lines are just what they are.....part of me (plus, the idea of having sugery when it is not really necessary just seems like a bad idea to me). Upon reflection, I think I. Am. Normal. I just place value on different things. For instance, when Matt and I were in Chicago we walked by the Burberry store. He said I could go in and buy whatever I wanted. I had no interest. I walked on by. However, I made damn sure we visited CrossfitChicago and went to the Goose Island Brewery that weekend! Priorities!!!!

Zoning Out.....Or In.

2009-08-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

I am finally admitting that I am one of the lucky ones. Call me a bitch, whore, whatever. I can eat whatever I want. I can and have done just that up until July 6, 2009. I said it. Whatever I want, when I want and as much as I want. So there. Granted, I have always had a love for moving, and doing so at high intensity at times. So it is quite possibly you might hate me for that too. Yes, I love to be active.

What happened on July 6th you might ask? Well, with my short triathlon season over, I started to wonder what was next. Damian, the head trainer over at CrossfitMN happened to mention the idea of getting me to the crossfit games next year. I totally laughed at him when he said this. Hilarious. Then I started to think, "Why the hell not? I know what my weaknesses are and if I worked on them, why would I not have a chance at going?" Once these thoughts went through my brain, I started to think about what I needed to fine tune in order to get me there. Well, when it comes down to it, my diet is something I have never given much thought to. So maybe it was time to do that.

The Zone Diet is endorsed by Crossfit. To sum it up, the goal of the zone is to keep the insulin/glycogen levels happy so you don't have your highs/lows throughout the day. It involves weighing/measuring food, getting 40% of my calories from carbs/30%prot/30%fat and getting it throughout the day and not just in three meals. My life was consumed by this process for about 3 weeks. I wanted to commit to this process for 30 days and re-evaluate after this time period.

In three weeks I lost 4 pounds which was not the goal. The goal was to feel better throughout the whole day (which I was experiencing for the most part) and not have those late afternoon sugar cravings (which I have not had since day 1). But, I wanted to maintain my weight. So, I had to re-evaluate prior to my 30 day period was over.

It is August 2nd and for a couple of days I have not been following The Zone exactly as prescribed. HOWEVER, I have learned so much from this process and will NEVER, EVER eat like I did before. It was a great learning experience for me, especially for when that time comes that I will NOT be able to eat whatever I want.

The Zone is a great model and I will follow a modified version for a very long time (likely the rest of my life). My performances at Crossfit have been stellar and I attribute this in part to the change in my diet. Now, for my most immediate goal.......Twin Cities Marathon with NO LONG TRAINING RUNS. Do you think this new diet will make up for my lack of training? Probably not, but this marathon is an experiment of sorts. More on that to come.

I CAN swim.

2009-06-14T19:03:00.001-07:00

I did a triathlon today. YEAH! Have to say, I had fun. My transitions were a bit rusty to say the least and well, I think biking a little bit more than one hour a week would have helped out my bike leg but I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the swim and run!!!

Can I say that I am a swimmer now? I think I can! AND, I had fun doing it which I could not say in past years. Even with all the weeds. Bring it on! AND, after getting completely hosed on the bike I had the task of trying to run down a few competitors.

Now I just need to figure out when to bike. Hmmmm.

What did you say?

2009-05-19T18:51:00.001-07:00

Apparently, my three year old boy loves big titties. At least, that's what he said. After being told recently by his preschool teacher at school and a neighbor that they can't understand what Willie is saying, I thought they were CRAZY. I can understand everything perfectly. Sure, he has a bit of a lisp and if you don't know anything about Transformers, autobots and decepticons, you won't have a clue as to what he is referring to. And yeah, sometimes he gets a bit overzealous talking about his passions(spiderman, ironman, batman, transformers......), but hey, enthusiasm is a good thing.

The other day we were driving in the car from Burnsville to Minneapolis on 35W. It was a clear day and we could see the Minneapolis skyline perfectly. My son Charlie (5) exclaims, "There's the big city, that's where we live and that's where we are going!" Willie's reply, "I love big titties, I love big titties." My husband was very proud and now I understand what the preschool teacher and neighbor were referring to.

I will leave you with that for now (whoever might be reading this).......

Twas fun while it lasted.....

2009-01-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

2009. A year to simplify my life. Eliminate annoyances. So far I have dropped a cycle class that I loved to teach but was such a hassle to get to and took away one evening per week from family time. Every Monday night I appreciate the decision to get that time back. My next elimination is blogging.

While I was away this weekend in sunny AZ, I had no access to internet, my phone didn't work and I tell you what.....I just don't need to be that connected!

So here goes, I am signing off! Love ya!

Women's Adventure Night (WAN) - CROSSFIT!!!

2009-01-07T19:42:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

For the past 3 years, my track group has ventured out during the cold winter months on something we refer to as Women's Adventure Night (WAN). We have done lots of cool things such as cross country skiing (total adventure for me!), speed skating at the Roseville oval, bra-fitting, and cardio tennis just to name a few. Anybody can plan it and everybody has great ideas. For this month, Jen and I scheduled Crossfit. Now this isn't really an adventure for Jen and I at this point, but we wanted to share our new hobby with anyone that wanted to participate!

The willing crew....hanging: Jen, me, Cathy, Merilee. Seated/standing: Shawn, Julie H., Valerie, Andrea, Sara, Julie K. and Courtney.

The first thing we went through was the warm-up. Crossfit is very strict about form and range of motion, so if this is of interest to you, going to the gym with a trainer is very beneficial. The big hit for some was learning the kipping pull-up. I may or may have not shared this with you but my resolution for 2008 was to be able to do 1 pull-up. I succeeded in doing 3 in a row on New Year's Eve of 2008! Yippee!

The workout itself was a team effort. We were paired up (we had an odd number so we had one team of 3) and had to do as many reps as a team as we could for 4 different exercises. We had 6 minutes at each station with 1 minute rest in between.

The sets:

Wallballs (14 lb Med ball)

Medball sit-ups (14 lb Med ball)

Med ball cleans (12 lb Med ball)

Med ball toss (10 lb Med ball)

During the wallballs and med ball cleans, only one partner could be doing the work at a time while the other partner was given a certain number of burpees to complete. See pics below!

The 4 women seated are two pairs doing med ball sit-ups. I am in the purple shirt doing the med ball cleans while Jen is recovering from her burpees. Way in back Julie with the green tee is doing wallballs while her partner Cathy is doing burpees.

Our threesome is doing med ball sit-ups while Cathy & Julie in the back are launching the med ball back and forth as many times as they can in 6 minutes!

Courtney & Jen doing wall balls. The med ball under their bottom is there so they know how far to go down!

Michael, our trainer was fabulous and took all of these pictures! When we finished Michael added up each teams reps for all 4 exercises to determine a winner. Let's just say that while we have quite the competitive bunch, I am not sure anyone really looked at that. We were happy to be done, everyone did their best and that was all that mattered. Checkout the Crossfit Minnesota's website at http://revdefenseandfitness.com/wordpress. Crossfit is a super fun way to get your strength training in and I think all participants would agree that it was a fun, challenging way to get it done!

Just thought you might want to see my sweaty pits one more time.....actually, what a bunch of fit bitches!!!

The Gift of the Magi.......Kinda

2008-12-26T14:49:00.000-08:00

This year I approached Christmas with a much different view. When my mother-in-law asked me to come up with my Christmas wish list, I sat down and tried really, really hard. I couldn't think of anything. I came to the conclusion that I don't need anything. Then I thought about how lucky that is.....to not need anything. Then I went to think about things that I want. I drew a blank there as well. Hmmmmm, I don't need OR want anything?

Matt and I have never been big gift givers to one another. We do lots of nice things for one another, but we have always kept things small. See, we don't like stuff. Things(as in objects) are stressful. The more you have, the more space you need and really, nobody needs that much stuff. My mom is a pack rat. They have a large two car garage and they can't park either car inside because of all of their stuff. That is insane to me!

Okay, back to Christmas. This year I wanted to really put some thought into Matt's gift. I thought long and hard about the past year and came up with one thing. Every time he has to clean out the gutters, he walks over to the neighbors house with is tail between his legs to ask them if he can borrow their extension ladder. So, I figured I would put an end to this craziness and get him his very own ladder. I know, romantic.

It turns out that Matt also put much more thought into my gift this year and spent a bit more than usual. I opened my gift to find a really nice digital camera with all the fixin's. Mind you, we have a digital camera already that works okay.....no complaints from me but my husband gets annoyed when he knows the quality can be so much better. I still remember the days of point, click, wind.....so anything is better than that.

It turns out that I bought him a ladder so he could clean the gutters and he bought US a camera so we could take pictures. Hmmm, not quite like The Gift of the Magi, but it might be about as close as we get! However, to not need or want anything is a gift in of itself, so a brand new camera is an extra bonus!

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday. Gunnar is still with us(see last post), his steroids are a miracle so we are enjoying him for now! Thanks for all of your kind comments!

Happy New Year!

For the Love of Dog......

2008-12-04T05:51:00.000-08:00

Before children (B.C.) my dogs were my children. They went everywhere with me. They ran with me and took road trips with me. It was even cheesy to the point I had a song that so appropriately conveyed my love for them. Yes, cheesy but at least it was a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers so I am not a complete dork.

Then the boys came along. Running with a double jogger AND two dogs just wasn't manageable. Believe me, I tried it and just about everyone I passed made a comment like "boy, you got a lot to handle there young lady." Did I just say young lady? Anyways, taking the boys to the dog park was a bad idea and just the thought of getting the children strapped into their car seats and the dogs in the car was too much for me (we don't have an attached garage which would make this all so much easier).

For the past 5 years the dogs have been on the back burner. That doesn't mean that they didn't get love, it was just different. My children give them attention (not always the kind they want) and they certainly continued to receive love from Matt and me. About 6 weeks ago, I decided to get them back in shape and start including them in more of our family activites because our boys can actually play an active role.

About 4 weeks ago Gunnar's appetite was changing(he is the one with the pointy ears). He was losing weight and vision among other signs. At the vet this past Tuesday when the doc said, "I am extremely concerned for your pet's prognosis", I knew it wasn't good. The vet showed me how his eyes were bleeding internally and put my hands on all the sites of his lymphoma. He has maybe a week left with us. Of course this is hard on me. It sucks really and I am not sure I have ever seen Matt so sad. However, now we have a three and a five year old to face this. The three year old won't really get it, but my 5 year old is already sad. Not to mention our other dog Loki(floppy ears) who will be losing his life long friend.

I realize losing a pet is just a part of life and is inevitable when you fall in love with your pet. I think this time around I have realized that Gunnar has ultimately been MY responsibility. No, I don't feel guilty but I have raised this dog and when you feel that responsibility and something goes wrong, there is ultimately some self doubt. I can only hope I don't outlive my children. For those that have, my heart wrenches for you.

Uh-oh, Be Careful of What you Wish For!

2008-11-18T11:42:00.000-08:00

So last week was hell. Hell in the fact that if my head wasn't attached, I probably would've left it somewhere. It was good in that I might possibly have some new career opportunities on the horizon. For quite some time now I have been eager to be more productive in my professional life. I am extremely grateful to have been able to stay at home with the boys, but I tell you what, going to work is MUCH, MUCH easier.

When you go to work you can call it your own. You get a lunch break(all by yourself if you choose), private bathroom breaks, weekends, holidays and vacations. Why don't stay at home moms get that? This all sounds so glorious but on my two days last week that I spent 8-5 at 'the office', I missed my boys. Not only that, when I got home I didn't go for a run. How could I leave when I haven't seen my babies ALL day? I would miss them even more and the guilt would be too much.

So now I have to reevaluate. What do I really want to do with my life professionally? Well, everything! I want to teach cycle classes, continue my Fitneighbor business, increase my knowledge in triathlon coaching and become a certified Crossfit Coach. Is that too much? What triathlon has taught me is that the variety in cross training is what keeps it interesting for me. I want to carry that over into my career. In one day of work, I want to take people through gut wrenching workouts and meet with clients to discuss their triathlon goals. I want to teach a cycle class and then design workouts to challenge my boot campers. I also want to have time to educate myself in all of these areas. Finally, I want the time to challenge my own body, whether it is to become stronger or to be able to run farther, I need to walk the walk.

So last week I had an Endurance Coach training through Lifetime Fitness. I was the triathlon coach last year at Eagan and enjoyed every minute of it. My clients had great seasons and that was very rewarding. While I definitely helped all my participants, I feel that I could definitely benefit from some additional training. Lifetime has given me this great opportunity to work with Troy Jacobson (the Spinervals dude) to do just that. Here is where my professional life my take on a more productive turn.

Part of me is ready to put the boys in full day childcare a couple of days per week so that I can pursue my endeavors. Then the guilt begins to build. Everyone is always telling me that they are only small just once and I shouldn't miss a beat. And here lies the other issue....I don't have to work. Believe me, some days I wish I had to, that would make this decision a no brainer! SO, not sure how to close this post.....your thoughts? Parents of older children.....do you wish you would've had more time? Happy you worked? Readers without children feel free to respond!

Crossfit-o-liscous

2008-11-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

For over a year, I have been in tune with Crossfit, the workouts that bring out the blood, sweat and tears. Their website has a workout of the day (WOD), and for religious followers, their athleticism and strength is amazing. I am far from religious. I watch more of the WOD's than I actually perform, watching with my jaw dropped in disbelief that these folks are doing what they are doing. I have done some of the workouts here and there, but only a few times per month.

My New Year's Resolutions this year were to: A) Try new things and to B) Perform one unassisted pull-up from a dead hang. The latter all motivated by the Crossfit workouts. Last night I went the only Crossfit gym in the state which fulfills both resolutions. I tried something new and I did pull-ups (assisted as we did like 50 of them).

I went with the amazing Jen L., a woman I highly respect and a fabulous athlete. She was a good sport trying Crossfit for the very first time. She was a champ and her kipping pull-ups looked beautiful by the end of the night. Having a buddy there made it ten times more fun and 20 times less intimidating.

The workout was named "hamberguesa", which made me think of what my muscles might look like after the session. Workout: 10 pull-ups, 15 push-ups, 20 squats, 200 meter sprint, 15 pull-ups, 21 kettle bell swings, 400 m sprint, 50 wall ball squats, 400 meter sprint, 21 Kettle bell swings, 15 pull-ups, 200 m sprint, 20 squat, 15 push-ups AND 10 pull-ups. Did I say we did this AS FAST AS WE COULD????? I finished in 17 minutes flat. You then post your times on a board to compare.....I was happy with that. AND, better yet, I feel great today.

I might be addicted. Might be my new thing. Jen liked it too. There are opening a new facility in a couple of weeks. Super exciting. The link to the Eden Prairie facility is here! They offer a free one hour introductory session which is what Jen and I did. There were people of all shapes and sizes working their butts off. If you are looking to try something new, this is definitely worth checking out. Good Luck! Oh yeah, tell em' I sent ya!

One for the Mental Bank.......

2008-10-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

When my children aren't going to get their way, I often find myself singing a verse of a Rolling Stone's song that goes: "You can't always get what you want, you can try sometimes but you might find, you get what you need". I have now applied this to my life. I wanted to PR this last weekend at the Monster Dash half. I got sick on Wednesday. Still ran. Didn't get my PR. BUT, so glad I ran.

My last post was about getting past any mental blocks I might have concerning this race. Having DNF'd my last half, the mental part was more than half the battle. I had the physical part down, but when I became ill, my hopes for a PR were just whittling away. Thanks to many of you for your comments; they made me more relaxed about my decision of whether to do it or not. I made it a game day decision. Also, one comment that stuck out was Jennifer's "Even if you don't PR, you will deposit one in the mental bank." It made me realize that just finishing this half will leave me more mentally prepared for my next half. So, I went for it!

I was second guessing this decision all morning and even part way into the race. I did a slow jog over to the start and thought I was going to pass out. All the snot went to my head and boy, was I worried. I started out the first mile fairly slow and started in the middle of the pack. After the first mile, I decided to speed up a bit and found my groove. I ran about 30 seconds per mile slower than my PR, but still ran a 1:33 and felt so great about finishing.

Thanks again for all of your comments and no, I didn't get what I wanted, but definitely got exactly what I needed!

Excuses, Excuses....

2008-10-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

For anyone out there that has dug deep into something physical, whatever it may be, you know it becomes mostly mental at some point. We all have those voices we hear and sometimes they tell us to push on and other times they fail us. The summer of 07' I started running a half marathon and ended up with a big DNF(did not finish) behind my name. To this day I wonder if I just would have pushed a little harder, ignored what was going on with me that I could've finished. Granted, there were a couple of things working against me that day. I had been dealing with a nagging case of plantar fasciitis and at mile 7, my plantar was on fire and I REALLY needed a toilet. There was no toilet to be found. Those are my excuses. I had to walk(slowly with butt cheeks squeezed together) back to the start/finish to use the porta potty because at mile 7 we were only about 5 blocks from the start. Mentally at that point I was done. I was at the finish! There I was, a big DNF.

I am registered to do the Monster Dash half marathon this Saturday. I have been using it as my one goal this season with the hopes to PR. Many of my workouts were for mental reasons to give me more confidence (those 6 x 1 mile repeat at faster than race pace were not for physical benefit!). I haven't struggled with plantar this year and the toilet issue can never be predictable, but this morning I woke up with a sore throat and a severely plugged up nose. UGH! This has already forced me to reconsider any PR goals and I can accept that, but if this yuckiness moves to my chest then I am pretty sure running a half marathon is not the ideal activity for getting better. So now I struggle with another DNF. Is it possible to DNF is I didn't start in the first place? If I don't start will that haunt me as well?

I am happy with my current level of fitness, but I feel my mental ability is lacking. How do you train mentally and keep a positive outlook when you have setbacks? Are excuses acceptable?

My Baby is 3! Yikes!

2008-10-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Growing up my family never made a big deal out of birthdays. I am totally on board with that. Until now, my 4 year old has only had celebrations with grandparents and I am hoping I can sneak one more of those for his 5th. My youngest turns 3 today and once again, just a small gathering with the grandparents.

I did go the extra mile for his cake. I refuse to buy cakes from the store so I have to get creative and do it myself. Moist chocolate double layer, cream cheese frosting. Check out the cake:

Sweet Cake! Batolicious! I am pretty proud of this considering I am not too creative!

Birthday boy Willie in his usual attire.

Big Bro Charlie Sportin' Spidey.

That's all folks! I have a fairly hard track workout on the docket for tomorrow night. If I survive it with the splits I am looking for, I am hopeful I can PR at the Monster Dash. Until then, we will eat cake.

Diet Coke is the Devil!

2008-10-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

I have regressed. For those of you just tuning in, I gave up diet coke a few months ago and while off the devilish liquid, noticed some positive things happening.

We hosted two get togethers at our house this week. My husband bought a 12 pack of diet coke for our guests. I gave him 'the look' when I saw it in the form of "thanks for you support honey". Here is the deal with diet coke and me. If I am at the store, I have no problem not buying it. However, if it is sitting in my fridge, nice and cold, I can't resist. Just can't. Turns out one of our guests also brought a 12 pack of diet coke. Ugh.

So here I am, my weakness in the fridge. What is a girl to do? My conclusion is just to enjoy the devil til' it is gone and for future parties, just by a 2-liter (for some reason pop in plastic bottles doesn't have the same appeal to me).

What is your weakness? What do you do to keep it in moderation?

Soggy Marathon Report

2008-10-06T08:22:00.001-07:00

   Above: Julie K, Andrea & Me. Love these girls!
   Teri Lynn, Sara M. & Courtney S. Great job girls!
   Me & Teri Lynn pre-soaken wet.

We got a bit soaked to say the least! It was very reminiscent of my Boston Marathon 2007 experience. During this marathon I paced Teri Lynn to a Boston qualifying time. An uneventful marathon is a good thing and I have to say it was just that, pretty uneventful! Our friend Jen joined us at mile 20 not as a bandit (she was a registered participant!) but to support Teri Lynn through the most difficult part of the marathon, the last 6 miles!

Congratulations to all the runners in the 10-miler and marathon. Great job on a soggy day. Thanks also to all the spectators. You were awesome!

I have a half marathon on October 25th that I will be attempting to PR at. Can't wait. With a marathon as my last long run, that should help!

Marathon Calmness....OH, and Naked Guy Strikes Again!

2008-09-25T07:14:00.001-07:00

Plans have changed! Just another lesson in not freaking out about decisions because things can change at any moment! And remember the naked guy???

Two posts ago I had a dilemma....what to do, what to do? Well, turns out going to San Francisco is NOT in the cards. I realized the pleasure I would get out of it did not outweigh the hassle, so it is a no go! But then I had another problem. My running has felt fantastic. In fact, my long runs have never felt sooo good. Do I shoot for a PR at TCM or not? I had promised some friends to pace them. When it comes down to it, I just had to remind myself that this IS my year off! So, with that, I am looking forward to pacing a 3:35 marathon and trying my darndest to PR at a half-marathon at the end of October. I know, it is my year off but this is a compromise!

I must not forget naked guy. I live with all men. A husband. Two boys. Two boy dogs. I grew up with two older brothers(no sisters for me). There are a lot of penises and balls in this house. I really don't want to see them out on a run. Fortunately I wasn't alone this time and it wasn't nearly as freaky. However, my running partner Julie was a naked guy virgin(okay, she has seen a naked guy just not this one in particular). I saw him coming and gave her a "heads-up" :-). I made sure she didn't give him the reaction he was looking for. We passed him, I looked back and he crouched down behind a bush to wait for his next victim! FREAK! Sorry I don't have any pics to post but just take my word for it, it looks painful....

That's all for now!

Do I look like bird food?

2008-09-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Fall is here and it is the perfect time to set new goals. One of the things I am working on is becoming more 'green'. My husband has always called me a little crazy when it comes to recycling but for me it is a no-brainer. Why would I put something into a landfill when it can be recycled or passed onto someone else?

One of my ideas for being more green is to run my children to school every Monday. Something that has really worked for me is running them to school, running with the empty double chariot to Target, get all the groceries for the week then run them home. I even bring bags from home. Super green right? So far so good. I just have to be careful with the eggs and where they are placed in the stroller. Oh, and the ice cream, well, let's just say my run home today probably qualified for a faster than usual tempo run.

We live in the city. I remember reading a blog post by my great friend Kara about how she was scared to run in the wilderness due to, well, the wild. I am the same way. I have had a bear encounter (that is a whole 'nother post) and really don't want to repeat that. However, in the city you don't have to worry about that, right?

As I was running home from Target today at full tempo pace, I spy out of my eye something large falling out of a tree. Taking a closer look, it was a bald eagle soaring right towards me. Yep. With a scream and a duck behind my stroller, the eagle soared back up into another tree. Did I resemble something to eat? Not sure, but I AM sure I'd rather take on a bear. A bear seems like a quicker way to go.....

I will keep trying to be green in hopes that the eagle doesn't get any ideas about me. I never thought a creature so majestic and one that I have been in awe of my whole life would ever gun it for me. In reality, the eagle probably didn't come as close to me as I thought and if it really did want me for bird food, I am sure he could've caught me. Regardless, it was a little too close for comfort!

I saw something else interesting on my run today. There was a jeep driving slowly along a park and his dog was running along in the grass. That dude was too lazy to walk his dog! Unbelievable, I think he also needs to work on his 'greenness'. My kids were still with me when I witnessed this and as the "What the F*#k, what a lazy ass" came out of my mouth I realized my children were listening. I guess another goal might be to not only clean up our earth but my mouth as well. Workin' on it!

Marathon Madness!!

2008-09-04T14:55:00.001-07:00

I finally know. Six weeks out. I got into the elite wave for the Nike Women's San Francisco Marathon. IF I run this, this will be two marathons in two weeks. This is all fine and good since my first marathon will be treated as my last long run. However......I don't consider myself an elite runner!

Let me explain how this all happened. This is my year off. Seriously. I did one 10K as a tempo run only because I had a free registration and the race took place a mile from my house. But, I still wanted to run a marathon. And I wanted to run one I hadn't, one that was scenic and a course that would be impossible to PR(I didn't want the pressure). San Francisco is perfect! Plus, you get jewelry at the finish. Nice schwag!

The only registration info I could find as of last January was that it would open mid-April. I went to the site mid-April and was too late. They had opened it mid-March and it had been a lottery, so registration was closed. Major bummer.

I do know the finish times for this event are slow (very hilly course) and the elite wave in the past has not been too big. So, I pulled the elite card. Sent in my "running resume" and found out today that am IN. Okay, did I say I didn't want the pressure? Here it is. AND, the elite wave starts 20 minutes in front of the rest of the field! I REALLY hope I am not the only one!

So now my thoughts are how to finish off training. I had sort of given up the thought of this marathon. My thought was that I would pace Twin Cities for my friends then try to PR at a half marathon at the end of October. Fortunately, I have been running a lot of hills and have been putting in my long runs every week. But my current overall weekly mileage is lacking. Should I crank it up for 4 more weeks and see what I can do? Or do I go with the original plan, just go and enjoy the marathon?

Comments are encouraged! Your thoughts?????

Me Time

2008-08-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

It is Labor Day Weekend. My husband is in Germany. I have been dreading this weekend(actually 6 days) for weeks and here I am on Saturday night blogging. Boy, I am a wild child! For those of you that know me, you know that Matt has been traveling A LOT lately but this is his last trip for awhile.....

As it turns out, I have had a fantastic couple of days. I planned well with lots of activities and a handy babysitter; I just might come out of this sane! So far so good. I just have to tell you about my day. If you are a parent, you will understand my triumph!

My wonderful babysitter showed up at 6:00 a.m. I don't feel guilty about scheduling her early because really, what is she going to say, "I'm busy?". She used to swim on a team that practiced even earlier so she is used to it. AND, she is very eager to earn money so she is game. I had a 20 mile run scheduled today. I did it with my good friend Cathy and then her hubby joined us on bike about half way through. We finished the run and went for coffee and baked goods. I actually got to sit outside at a cafe and enjoy coffee and treats with good people and not feel rushed.

I got home to find my kids cuddled up with the sitter on the couch. She is awesome.

I then decided that we would go to some garage sales. My boys love these things (that is of course why we go). I had a yoga class at 11:30 so we could hit a few prior to yoga. Found some good stuff, dropped the boys off at the child center and enjoyed my solitude with 40 other people for an hour. I took my time in the shower, styled my hair and put on some make-up.

Did I mention that my sitter was to return that afternoon at 4? I scheduled girls' night out! Off to 50th & France with some high school buddies. We engaged in some shopping and a long, relaxing yummy dinner.

Now some would say, "Well, you didn't spend much time with your kids." You are correct. Believe me, in the 6 days that Matt is gone, there will be plenty of that quality time. I make sure hugs and kisses are abundant, play time is utilized and cuddle/story time is o'plenty at bed time. My boys love me so much more when I can have a day like today. And who are we kidding, I love me more too!

Dreaded Long Run turned Fast Long Run....

2008-08-17T15:19:00.001-07:00

I did a long run today. Not a long slow run like you are supposed to, but a long fast run. Why? Not sure. Wasn't my goal. I ran the first 7 miles with my great friend Julie. We were cruising. I felt great, didn't want to slow her down but knew this might bite me in the ass later. After that run I was meeting my husband and he was to be my sag-wagon. He rode the bike along with me with water and good company.

I was sort of dreading this as I wasn't sure how Matt felt about being my sag-wagon. It ended up being great. He pushed me to go faster than I normally would've as I didn't want to go so slow that he would fall over. He handed me water, encouraged me to keep going, told me I looked good from behind and pushed me to keep my speed up at the end when I was clearly tired. I love my usual long run group, but this taught me the importance of mixing it up. I think my weekend group has gotten very comfortable with one another, we chat a lot and don't pay much attention to our intensity (I am speaking for myself). Yes, we are always tired at the end, but I think we could do better! Okay gals, if you are reading this don't be scared to run with me now!

I ended up doing a little over 19 miles today. I might possibly be doing 2 marathons in October, Twin Cities Marathon as a pacer to help two friends qualify for the Boston Marathon and there is a chance I will be starting in the elite wave at the Nike Women's San Francisco Marathon. I won't find out about the elite marathon until the end of August to mid-September so I am training for a marathon I am not even sure I am running! This long run I completed today re-inspired me to keep training hard for San Francisco in hopes I will be at the start line.

Thanks to my wonderful hubby for supporting me today on the run, I will run with you on the bike ANY day! And girls, get ready to mix it up! I think we all have a little untapped potential!

We Made It! AND...I am still sane.

2008-08-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

Back from the road trip I mean.

We had fun. My kiddos did great thanks to the 1,144 minutes of Spiderman DVDs we had! Seriously, the 1960's Spiderman episodes were a huge hit!

We left last Thursday and arrived in Denver Friday afternoon. I lived in Denver for approximately 7 years so we have some really great friends there that we shack up with(they have 7 full bathrooms in their house, so there is room). They have two kids as well, so the kids had a ball and we just got to hang out.

It is hard to have fitness goals when you are doing a road trip with very young kids. The two days on the road meant a lot of sitting. I don't do so well with that. At rest stops I was running around with the kids and doing pull-ups on the trees. I would stretch and do downward dog in the field and my kids would jump on me. Have you ever held a plank with two kiddos on your back? That's tough stuff! Back in the car....

Saturday morning I HAD to run. I went. I forgot about the altitude and the lack of moisture in the air! I accomplished my goal for the day though....probably about 7 miles. Sunday we woke up and went up to the Red Rocks Amplitheatre. I spent an hour running up and down those bleachers. At an even higher altitude than my first run, I can't remember feeling that wiped in a long time. It felt great and I had a reason to take the day off on Monday (which would be spent back in the car).

On Monday we drove to Omaha. We made reservations at a cheesy water park resort. It ended up being awesome! Charlie became the little fish I knew he could be. Willie was acting like a 2 year old for most of it, but we managed. We played for a few hours Monday night, got there at the opening Tuesday morning, played til lunch, had a questionable lunch there and took off for home. Matt and I took this time to talk about our next year as far as our home, his job, my goals and what not. It was great to reconnect with him on a trip that was mostly about the kids.

AND, because I am still a kid at heart, I think I had as much fun as the kids. However, I am happy to be home (where the exterior paint job is in full swing) to a clean house and to get my family back into our usual routine. I am looking forward to school starting so I can start working on some of my goals(more on that later). FINALLY!

Road Trip!

2008-08-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

I love my husband. Very much. But when was the last time YOU spent 8 days uninterrupted with your spouse/significant other? We went to Italy in May and while it was a wonderful trip, 5 days would've been perfect. Eight? Too much. Our trip started out like we were on our honeymoon again. By the last day, I was ready for another vacation that didn't include him.

I guess we have forgotten our 8 days of bliss because we have now made plans for a road trip. With kids ages 2 & 4. Denver is our destination, not divorce so I am coming up with creative ways to make this trip go smoothly. Normally I would direct my Type A personality to my training, but with that put aside, I have to avert it elsewhere (I cleaned and organized our garage last week). Planning this trip is my focus. We will leave at 7 a.m., kids will eat in the car and we ONLY stop for potty breaks and activities geared at getting kids tired(which I have strategically mapped out playgrounds, waterparks and other kid friendly gigs along the route). Realistic???

My kids have been great for my Type A personality. I am a list maker. I like to check things off the list. I even add stuff I have already completed so I can check it off. My list these days is much shorter than it used to be and now if I don't get everything done, I am okay with that. I need to approach this trip in the very same way. The addition of children in my life has made me accept that I can't do much at 100% effort. There are a lot of road blocks. And even if I do get the living room immaculate, chances are my 4 year old will wipe his boogers on the wall and my dog will shed half his coat 5 minutes later. It's a losing battle.

Back to the road trip.....low expectations are key. Maybe the kiddos will be just the distraction my husband and I need to make it through this trip. I am sure my 2 year old will need to go potty 5 minutes into the trip. I am certain McDonalds will be too convenient at some point rather than eating in the car (with healthy food I prepared at home). However, on this trip I fully expect a good mix of melt downs, laughter, tired kids, fun, my husband and I debating on having another because we are having fun, melt downs, time outs, my husband and I scheduling his vasectomy, great times with friends, watching the kids having the time of their lives and second guessing that vasectomy appointment.

I have a great plan, right? Wish us luck! And maybe next time Matt and I travel alone, we will start small. Four days. That sounds good.

Darcy

P.S. Fortunately while we are gone, I have made plans for productivity around our house. My dad is staying at our house and painting the exterior of our house! When we get home I will be able to check off our last big outdoor project of the year! A list that will be completely checked! Maybe I need to frame that baby.....

Heart of Summer 10K

2008-07-28T05:23:00.001-07:00

I ran a 10K this weekend. I am not racing this year. However, my husband got me a free entry, so I figured what the heck. All last week I was thinking about this run(race). How should I approach it? My PR is on this course but I am not quite there!

I ran to the start which was a great warm-up. I decided I was going to use it as a tempo run. At track a week and a half ago we did a tempo and I struggled to hold 7 minute miles. It was really hot and humid, but no less frustrating. So, hold 7 minute pace. Should be doable.

The gun went off and I was being really conservative. I couldn't believe how many women were sprinting out in front of me. Dang! I had to keep reminding myself of my goal. At mile one my pace was 6:30. What? Conservative? Whoops. I felt good. I kept going. Later in the race I passed a couple of the women who shot out of the gates. I felt strong the whole time. It was truly a tempo pace for me as I was able to cheer on other participants and help them make it to the finish.

I haven't seen official results yet, but I think I was the second woman (not including the elite wave) in the open wave and I ran about a 40:59. That is a couple of minutes slower than my PR but I am starting to enjoy the more relaxed approach to running (racing).

I am currently not registered for anything else this year with the exception of Twin Cities Marathon in which I am pacing a couple runners to a 3:35 and get them to Boston. Should be fun!

By the way, still no diet coke(or any soda for that matter). It is the devil. I crave it everyday....

Cold Turkey

2008-07-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

No, not the turkey you eat. But I did it. I quit cold turkey. I am sure you are wondering what I am referring to. Yes, I was addicted. I admit it. I still crave it. I went through withdrawals. I am sure I will regress. Are you still wondering? Well, I am a coke addict. Diet coke that is. I am(was) a two canner a day.

It all happened by accident. When I opened the last can from my fridge on Sunday I knew I wasn't going to be able to get to the store in time for my next fix. So I figured what better time to quit?

Monday I suffered. I had a headache all afternoon and had to tune that out and teach my beloved cycle class that night. I made it through but I bet someone in class sensed I was off. I was crashing and I was crashing hard!

It is now Thursday afternoon. Still no diet coke has crossed my salivating palate. Do I crave it? Heck yeah! But I do feel better and I also figured I am saving about $15/month!

While I know diet coke isn't the worst vice to have, it certainly isn't good for me. What vice do you have? Maybe start small. Possibly avoiding the person's desk at work that always has treats might be a great place to start. Or not ordering the oversized cookies (Jimmy John's are ginormous) to accompany your lunch. Who really needs a cookie that big? Start small. Make changes a little at a time.

Wish me luck on my lack of diet coke. However, I am not willing to give up my morning coffee!

Mother of the Year!

2008-07-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Do you really think I told my children to stick up their middle fingers like this? If I had, there is no way I could qualify for the "Mother of the Year" award. However, the fact that I had the camera on these two separate occasions might put me in the running. In both cases, my boys merely had something on their fingers that they were trying to show me. No lie.

Sometimes as a parent I am just trying to not scar my children for life. Wednesday mornings are super hectic for us. I have to drop Charlie off at camp at 9 a.m., drive to a club approximately 12 minutes away(on a really good day) with an astounding amount of road construction, put Willie in the child center and be 10 minutes early to a 9:30 a.m. cycle class I teach. This week I pull up to drop Charlie off and forgot that I needed to bring his suit, towel and a t-shirt to tie dye. I had none of the above with no extra time to run home to get these items. Fortunately I had an extra pair of shorts in his back pack he could get wet, and extra t-shirt (red, so not as good as white for tie dye, but at least a t-shirt!) but still no towel. He survived and so did I. Or, maybe that is why he is giving me the finger.....

I have been enjoying other people's blogs and they post so many pictures, which is great. I haven't posted any pictures in a post yet, so here ya go! Love you all!

Life is Good....

2008-07-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Perspective. I just read my dear friend Lauren's latest entry and it reminded me how lucky we are to live where we do. As I have said before, she just recently returned from a year in Zimbabwe. Whenever I feel like my life has taken a wrong turn, I know things could always be much, much worse.

It was a beautiful holiday weekend. My husband took a substantial time off of work and we were able to check off a major house project - the fence in our backyard. Our goal this year is to give our house SOME curb appeal. When we bought the place it had nothing, not to mention the heinous color. What a sense of accomplishment to have a new deck and a new fence. All we have left is to paint the exterior. Then we will have a big party.......

These projects have only taken 4 years to accomplish. Part of the reason it took so long is due to my love of the sport of triathlon. Matt has always been supportive but when you have two small children and pending projects around the house, the sport of triathlon doesn't always fit in so well. Not to mention Matt has a love for golf which he has pretty much given up on as well. Both sports can take up the majority of a weekend, so to save our marriage, we have both taken the year off.

I am, however, still very much involved in the sport. I was able to coach a group of triathletes this spring and have supported a few friends trying the sport for the first time. I keep in contact with fellow athletes and live through them vicariously. This past weekend I went to my first triathlon of the year as a spectator. As a mother, wife and athlete, I have to multitask, so my goal while at the tri was to also get in my long run. I knew it was going to be a challenge. I had to force myself to leave the transition area and not socialize to get part of my run in before the race even started. I had an hour in when the elites came in on the bike. I continued to estimate when certain people would be coming in on the bike, going out on the run and then coming back in. It was so much fun. Before I knew it, I had run for 2 hours and 10 minutes. I had a blast cheering everybody in and watching my friends and clients reach their personal goals and come in with smiles on their faces.

I left the triathlon not wishing I would have participated, but happy I accomplished MY goal. When I got home (which was much earlier than I would have if I had competed), my husband was happy and had a great morning with the kids. We had a sitter coming in the afternoon so we could work on the fence together. Now that we are both taking a break from our 2nd loves (the first being our family), we get to accomplish some things together which has indeed brought us closer.

Once in a great while I have that desire to train and race. Then I think to last year when I was constantly dropping the kids at the child center, our house was constantly messy, refrigerator always empty, husband was coming home to said house and refrigerator and asking me what I do all day, laundry piling up, projects remained unaccomplished, husband never got to golf, husband unhappy and mom unhappy(from feeling guilty for not having clean house, full fridge, laundry caught up, children not constantly being enriched....). And you know what that means: If momma ain't happy, nobody happy. That is my perspective. Momma's Happy Now.

I will let you know when we have our party.....

RUN!

2008-06-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

My husband claims the only time he needs to run is if someone is chasing him. He is a team sports player. I am a clutz and uncoordinated, so I choose individual sports where I only have to move in a straight line. However, I think he might be onto something with his idea of being chased.

If you are reading this you have most likely been in a position in a race where someone is chasing you. But really, if they catch you and pass you, the only consequence is finishing one place less. BUT, have you ever REALLY been chased?

Last year I was. Wow, it is unlike any race. I was on my long run and went out alone super early due to the heat. I was meeting friends 6 miles into it. Approximately 4 miles into my run, I was nearing a forest and saw a guy up ahead running in the same direction. I didn't think anything of him. I enter the woods and all of a sudden this same guy is running right towards completely naked. My exact response was, "What the fuck are you doing?" His response was, "It's hot out here."

My reaction was to get outta that woods as fast as I could. I ran the next mile faster than any mile I have ever run. Was he chasing me? I have no idea but I didn't want to turn around and find out. I felt like he was and I ran like he was.

It took me sometime to recover from this. The remainder of my 16 mile run that day was miserable. Many thoughts went through my head. Fortunately I wasn't injured in any way (physically that is) and learned to be more aware of my surroundings and pick different routes when out alone. However, can I get a creepy naked guy to chase me during my track workouts? Or the last mile of a race? This training tool might help us all tap into some hidden speed. What do you say?

Friend, I'm Frinsty

2008-06-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Friends. I am so lucky to have the BEST!

I met my first friend at age 3-1/2. We had just moved to the burbs and I believe I walked over to her house, rang the doorbell and asked an adult there if there were any kids that lived there that I could play with. If you know me, this probably doesn't surprise you. Yes, I have always been a bit of an aggressive friend getter. Fortunately, there wasn't a pedophile that lived there but a girl my age. Lauren. My lifelong friend. The first day we played together we went down to her unfinished basement and I have a clear memory of sitting on the steps saying, "Friend, I'm frinsty(thirsty)". We have been friends ever since.

I have been making more of an effort to let people around me know how I feel about them. This is not limited to family! It is easy for me to be affectionate with my family but for some reason I am awkward when telling a good friend how much they are appreciated or the fact that I love them. Why is that?

What I appreciate most about my female friends is to be totally at ease talking about anything - no judgement allowed. To be able to belly laugh over someone's story of silly experiences in college that they share (and not judge of course!). For someone to tell me I have something in my teeth at the beginning of the night (not as we are leaving). To know that I can count on them in good times and bad. For someone to inquire about my interests, especially if they have not interest in it! The list goes on......And I try to reciprocate all of this.

Girlfriends - I love you. You keep me sane, you help me feel normal when life feels anything but and you make me laugh. You know who you are!

As for Lauren, she has just returned from a tumultuous year in Zimbabwe - what do you say girl - I am frinsty, let's get a beer! (Check out her blog at www.teather.blogspot.com)

Darcy

OMG! Get me out of this house!!!!

2008-06-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

This week is what I have needed to confirm my decision NOT to race in triathlons this year. For the past two years, I have been racing in the elite division in local triathlons. My performances were better than I ever expected and it was fun to see what I could do. However, there was a price to pay with that: trying to balance being a stay at home mom with training. Last year it became all too clear that I couldn't do it all and do it well. My kids are in the prime ages of sickness. If one isn't sick, the other one is and on the tail end of that, I end up sick.

In October I raced in the U.S. Open Triathlon Championships in Dallas, TX. It was very exciting to be a part of this. I really worked on my swim for this race and was hoping for a great end to my fabulous season. About a week and a half prior to the race, my youngest came down with croup. This has been by far my least favorite illness as it sounds like your child is going to suffocate. All was well and good as my husband and I took off for Dallas. I woke up race day feeling all right. My swim time was really slow and around mile 11 on the bike, I felt like all the energy had been sucked out of my body. Something wasn't right. I finished the race. I went to talk to someone after and had no voice. The Croup had struck!

So what's up with this week? This past Sunday was the Manitou Sprint Tri which is a race I really enjoy. I was missing racing Sunday morning. Then my 2 year old woke up and couldn't walk. As the day went on, big, sore blisters appeared on his feet. He couldn't put shoes on. Couldn't figure it out.....did he step in poison ivy? did he step on some bugs that bit him? Does he have foot, hand & mouth virus? Besides painful feet he has no other symptoms. Needless to say, it is Wednesday and we have only left the house once, to go to the doctor. My husband is on a business trip so I have no relief - can't hire a sitter when my kid can't walk! So, that means no Darcy time. How would I spend it if I had it? A run of course! Did I mention that this past Monday & Tuesday were GORGEOUS outside? Ahh, this is why I am not training - because I never get to train consistently!

So while it is great to not feel like I have to swim, bike or run, I am naturally an active person. I enjoy the endorphins that come along with a hard core workout. Even though I am not competing against myself in a race, I still like to see how far I can push my body on the same running route, or if I can to a strength training interval faster than the last time. I guess that'll have to do for now!

I can only hope that Willie wakes up tomorrow morning and can walk! Then I can at least take him to the gym and get in a great crossfit workout! My favorite: Row 800 meters(high resistance), 50 full range of motion squats. Repeat 5 times as fast as you can! Wish me luck in beating my last time!

1.8 GPA

2008-06-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

It is really funny to look back at my life. In middle and high school I was a social butterfly(actually, that hasn't changed). I did my homework but I don't remember handing it in. I finished my freshmen year with a 1.8 GPA. Yes, a 1.8. That is out of a 4.0 my friends! I was way into boys, my friends and I hated science class. I don't think I ever failed a class, but somehow ended up with a 1.8.

My defining moment was the first day of my sophomore year in high school. That night my dad didn't come home. He didn't come home the next night either, or the next. Hmmmm. Not an easy thing to deal with when you are the baby in the family and the last one left at home. Fortunately, I didn't turn to drugs or some boy that found me vulnerable. I put my focus into school. I finished my first trimester with a 3.7. However, I continued to loathe science class.

I continued to excel in school. It was refreshing to know that I was smart! I could hang with the geeks and the cool kids! I loved them all! My junior year I started Chemistry. I was so intimidated entering this class, as I still HATED science! Mr. Gilgie changed all of this for me. I loved Chemistry! He made it fun and he showed me success. I ended up taking A.P. Physics along with Anatomy and Physiology my senior year and continued to stay on the honor roll.

What a change in 4 years. Unfortunately due to my horrid GPA freshmen year, I could only bring my overall GPA up to about 3.2 so I didn't get into some of the schools I would've wanted to, but no regrets! I ended up majoring in Biology, going back to get my Master's in Curriculum & Instruction and became a science teacher. Thanks Mr. Gilgie! I only hope that in my years of teaching I touched some students in the same way you did me (okay, that sounded illegal, but not like that!).