I fell off the band wagon both in April and May with a new to me cross training challenge. It's not that I didn't care, but I've been getting good results with bootcamp, so replacing it with something else wasn't an option, and finding the time to add something else to my schedule wasn't happening.
Luckily work announced that they will be offering a Kettlebell class tuesdays at 7am, or Wednesdays @ 5:15pm. Considering I work at 7:30, my ONLY option is to go to the Wednesday class--- some times having too many options can be paralyzing for me, so this motivates me to actually go.
They had kettlebells ranging from 2# up to 20#
The 2# were so adorable.... and funny. I wasn't quite sure what to do with my face in this pic- so you get this awkward mess. I settled for the 15# to do my workout.
This Wednesday was the first class, so everyone was pretty new and we went over some basic moves. Now it's not that I've never used a kettle bell-- its just that I know 2 moves and that's it.
Standard swing
and the 2 arm pull
For the actual class, most moves we did with one hand.
1 hand kettle bell swing
1 hand clean press
(apparently I think its important to look at the kettle bell when doing moves)
as well as a bunch of combo moves involving squats, figure 8s, jerks. tricep ext, bicep curls etc. (i'm bad with exact names)
It was surprisingly a total body workout. My hips, shoulders, and arms were the most sore. I learned that when doing a clean press you have to 'slow' the kettle bell so it doesn't smack into your forearm--- I'm really surprised I don't have a bruise. I also learned that 15# is pretty heavy after awhile for certain moves (hence why there is another kettle bell, 10# in front of me)
This particular week I did bootcamp first, kettlebell class 2nd, then went for a run--- I really liked having just one "triple threat day" mid week, so I will continue on with this pattern until I learn / get better at enough moves, then I'll probably stop the class and just incorporate them at bootcamp! (2 birds, 1 stone)
I got double tagged last week by Bean @ Just Plodding Along & Amy @ Recipe for Disaster for the Lovely Blog Award (thanks ladies) I meant to get this out sooner, but to say I've been busy would be a huge understatement.
I've seen a lot of these types floating around, all of which require you to post 7 random things about yourself--- to which I ask, why is it always 7??
So doing what I do best, I'm breaking the rules and I'm going to post 11 random things about myself, but to keep it with the theme of this blog, it will be my random running story. The bulk of this is from middle school and high school- aka before digital photos. I don't have a scanner so you'll have to go sans photos for this one
I know there are people, lots of them, that just run for fun and don't have a lot of goals in mind. I am not one of those people-- a peak into my competitive nature...
1. When I was in 7th grade I played softball. I've always been tall and decently fast (depending on what we're comparing it to), so the track coach pushed me hard to come out for 8th grade season. Considering track was co-ed instead of a bunch of lesbians (no offense) I thought it would be a good change and it was.
2. At the end of my first season I got MVP--- BOOM in all my 13 year old glory.
3. Also at the end of my first season the cross country coach (we had separate track & cc coaches) wrote me a letter and handed it to me at the last meet discussing how much potential he thought I could bring to the cross country team. I thought it was weird because I could run a 400m fast and perform in the high jump, but how would that translate to a 5k? The clincher that made me join?? Good ol Scott was on the team and that is when I was head over heels for him. Yes, same Scott that was on animal print pants outta control ultra team from a few weeks back. (he knows all this now, so I can say it openly)
4. Scott quit his sophomore year, and without him as a distraction, I got a little bit more serious about running. I became our #1 runner and was named MVP-- BOOM for me being my rad 15 year old awkward self.
5. The reason I was awkward was because I was 5'11 and about 130--- gangly for sure. My nickname was lanky (which I didn't mind) and Clydesdale (which I did) Since I would do 400s and 800s, I was able to use my full stride since its a sprint, hence why I 'looked like a horse'.
6. During some down time in the hotel room at one of our travel meets. one of the guys was coming on to me and jokingly pinned me to the bed. I told him to get off me and when he wouldn't I kicked him in the face--- leaving a lovely bruise and scrape. He was pissed and replaced the nickname 'Clydesdale' with 'hooves' --- ugh I hated that name. After that though, his face served as a reminder to not mess with me.
7. I had a big problem pumping my arms when I ran. Generally my arms would just be in a permanent fixed 90 degree angle by my side and never move. My track coach would get frustrated with me so I used to have to run in practice holding a baton in each hand, forcing me to pump. "ARMS Lisa, ARMS!" was a common sentence shouting out daily at practice. To this day I have to remind myself to move my arms.
8. Before every 4x400 race, my girlfriend Megan and I had this little dance we had to do with eachother--- every.single.trackmeet. Although its def not as sweet as my mc hammer dance moves or lmfao dance moves, it may be time to whip it out for Ragnar Ultra Relay in a month! (ladies... I need a partner for it)
9. The summer of my junior and senior year of high school I started to do heptathalons (7 track events over 2 days)
highjump
shot put
javelin
100m hurdles
200 m
long jump
800m
Junior year I placed 2nd , and senior year I placed 1st.
10. I was recruited by the asst track coach at Miami University for high jump, however there was a transition of coaches and a lot of miscommunication / lack of communication, so they found someone to replace me. When I get to school and tried to contact the coach he explained what all happened and decided to put me in the heptathlon. I didn't last long--- I was frustrated that I had to go to practice every day, yet there were only about 3 meets the whole year that offered the heptathlon as an option, so I quit. (stupid stupid mistake)
11. That was the last time I ran consistently, age 19, until I moved to Nashville when I was 25. It's taken me a long time for me to find my competitiveness again, but slowly I'm finding my groove :0)
So I'm breaking the rules again. I'm not going to tag anyone in particular to repeat this post, BUT i'd love to hear if anyone has anything random / funny about running that you'd like to share!
Aside from complaining about the fact I'm experiencing dull aches in my LEFT IT band (last year it was my right)- not a lot to report on the running front. So instead you get the adventures (or non-adventures) of my weekend.
1. Saturday called for a 12 miler. I was meeting up with a running group at 6:30am, and even though they were only planning on doing 10 miles, I told myself I'd just suck it up and do 2 after I ran with them. The running gods were looking down on me that morning because not only did the heat and humidity stay away, BUT one of the guys dropped a cooler at the "1/2 way mark" which turned out to be MUCH longer than 1/2 way, so we ended up running a little over 11.2 miles. That's close enough to 12 for me- all done before 8:30am :)
2. I found out that when I finish a run, Nuun + ice water cures my craving for coca cola that normally nags at me when I've ran anything over 9 miles (i think its the fizz).
3. After the run I laid out by the pool with my standard 3 pool rats. Bittersweet that this was the last weekend I'd be a resident at this apartment complex (although I still plan to visit the pool often since T will still live there)
4. Left the pool late afternoon to shower up and finally meet up with my brother Andy at his brother-in-law's house mansion
For those that are from the area, they bought a house RIGHT on the Natchez Trace Golf Course (which co-incidently is where part of my run was earlier in the day) Their house sits in between hole 10 & 11- you literally have to walk on the sidwalk that separates their house from the neighbors to get from 10 to 11.
view from their balcony
5. Spent all day Sunday making back and forth trips from apartment to apartment with boxes and such. It is quite a timely task to move when you just have a 4 door Camry. Luckily Andy agreed to borrow his father in law's SUV and helped me with my desk and pompason chair since they wouldn't fit in the car.
6. Sunday night met up with a friend for dinner and as well as cashing in on my free Sweet Cece's froyo-- took advantage and piled it high I purposely didn't have him zoom in on what I got because it was sinfully bad. Note to self- cheesecake flavored froyo is much too tart. I also consistently forget that I never finish what I order.... LESS is More
7. Monday was my comp day at work, so decided to still wake up early and fit in an easy 5 miles to start the day. HOLY HUMIDITY. The last few days have been rainy which leads to SWAMPY. Luckily I remembered my bandana so I could wipe the sweat every 2.3 seconds. Also at mile 2 my Garmin went bezerk and beeped every 5 seconds saying lap error--- anyone else get this? My only solution was to turn it off.
8. Rest of day was spent similar to Sunday- back and forth drives between the apartments with some grocery shopping and eating mixed in. I finally had IHOP-- it was insanely glorious. Tough call on if its better than Wafflehouse or not.
9. Rounded out the day with dinner at sister-in-law's brother's house again (there's got to be a term for that) I picked up some dessert and local beer, while the boys grilled burgers and sweet corn on cob. I slacked on the photo taking, so only managed to take 2...
Codyn right before bed time (he finally gave me kisses)
and one of Andy and myself. I'm either growing or he's shrinking.... I'd like to think it was the latter of the two.
Overall had a crammed filled 3 day weekend- best is yet to come as I finally get to borrow a truck and have my brother help me move my bed today after work--- yipee for finally getting settled in!!!
1. My brother Andy, sister-in-law Courtney, and adorable nephew Codyn are coming this weekend for their first ever visit to Nashville. Courtney's brother moved 10 miles away from me here in Franklin (was originally in Columbus, Oh), so since he bought an 8 bedroom house and has room to spare, they decided to come down and see what all the Honkey Tonk is about.
2. As to not leave out my other brother Eric- right after I completed my RTB Ultra, he wrote the most heart-warming post on facebook that I just had to share. Growing up as the 'baby sister' I never got many compliments, so it always catches me off guard with comments like this one...
3. The thoughtful Kelsey had reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in doing the Nashville Muddy Buddy June 23 on a team sponsored by Nuun. My parents will be in town that weekend so I felt like a little kid all over again asking their permission since it would take away some of their time with me. Got their blessing (and they are coming to watch) so I asked Ashley if she wanted to be my buddy and "How I met your Runner" was born-- woo woo
When I was registering us I had the option to choose beginner, intermediate, or advanced...... I was going to go conservative and say intermediate but after getting this text from Ashley, I changed it to advanced:
Ashley R: Let's just win that shit!! Haha I would to think that I'm kick ass and awesome, but I'm not even sure what the obstacles are :)
4. After the raving about my bootcamp being offered for free at work, a few of you have asked what else they offer we can take advantage of. Below is our schedule (I'm pretty stoked to try out the kettle bell class for first time next week)
5. Last, but definitely not least- I got word Wednesday night that I made it to the final round of my interviews. The contract wants me to come out to Charlotte, NC for an in person interview June 18th. To say that right now I'm going through a whirl of mixed emotions is a HUGE understatement. In terms of career move, its a HUGE win with the only con being there will be a great disconnect from corporate since I'll be the only person from my company onsite. Emotionally--- gah its hard to explain. Let's just say I talked / cried both my Dad and friend Stephen's ear off wednesday night trying to get unbiased advice. It's silly because I don't even have the offer- who knows if they'll even like me best- I just like to be fully prepared for either outcome. Running has definitely helped release some pent up emotions this week.
you know what else will help release pent up emotions.... POOL TIME after a LR on Sat waiting for the Jameson's to invade Nashville! Then hopefully having the opportunity to show them around a bit.
Monday was my kickoff to day 1 of marathon training. Technically I should have started last week, but I had my math wrong so I skipped a week. Even though it only called for 4 easy miles, I was still excited...
FOR NOW I am keeping Mondays and Wednesdays as bootcamp days followed by an easy run afterward. This Monday just happened to be our Fleet Feet Monday night run group's 3rd anniversary. Knowing there would be prizes and the like, I sent out an email and fellow past TN Ragnar teammates Jason and Mike said they'd join, as well as Ashley and her husband. (however it didn't deter me from doing bootcamp before)
I got there a little early since a New Balance rep was going to be there and I wanted to test out their stability shoes- New Balance 860 v2 ---- spoiler alert... they suck.
Even just pulling the shoe out of the box and feeling how heavy they are I could tell I wouldn't like them... sadly I like free stuff and I was eyeing a HOT PINK new balance tech tee I could get for testing them out, so I thought it wouldn't be so bad running a few miles in them.
The rest of the gang showed up, Ashley and Jason tested out shoes as well, and Mike & Jason also tested out ipod arm bands for free.
Originally I thought Ashley and I were going to run together, so I left my music at home-- turns out she's a great wife and decided to stick with Stu.
Run breakdown: Left with the fast group- went out at a comfortable pace but neglected to factor in humidity, about 1.5 mile in I was DONE. My feet were on fire and felt like lead, I was having a hard time steadying my breathing, and I got "oh shit am I about to start my period????" cramps---- which in my life are worse than when you're actually 'riding the crimson tide'.
So instead of turning right at a stop light to add in an extra loop, I decided to cut my run short and just turn around resulting in 4 miles vs. 4.5 miles. I walked, rubbed my sides and belly, cursed, and ran through all the sprinkles that were turned on. If I was going to be in pain, at least I was going to throw in some fun when I could.
As Tin Roof was nearing in sight I see Jason trying to cross the street to get to my side, I shouted to him "I'm not a fan of these shoes" to which AFTER the run was complete, he shared my sentiments.
On to the fun stuff (which totally makes up for the sucky run)
They had a drawing for everyone that was there- you got extra entries if you tested out a shoe, brought in a pair of shoes to donate, brought a friend etc.
Out of our group, the only one who walked away with anything was Stu (of course the first timer) who got a free dinner for 2 + appetizer for the restaurant.
I myself was holding out for the grand prize--- getting to drive the Tin Roof decked out smart car for a WHOLE week. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of it, so trust me when I say its awesome.
What I did get:
My sweet brighter than necessary new balance tech tee + brooks pint glass
Side note: digging the fact that my chica band is versatile enough that it matched both my green shirt I was wearing which got drenched in sprinklers, just as nicely as it matches my new shirt.
Brooks did it right with this glass- so much so that I took 2!!
Sharing 2 of our joys- running and beer-- yum!
After 1.5 hours of drinking, stuffing my face, chatting, and making new friends- it was time to pack up and head home. I'd say going to run, catch up with friends, and come back with free loot makes Monday a HUGE success. (despite hating the run itself)
Another bonus was being able to fit in a size medium (largest they had) and not feel like I'm wearing a little boys tee-- woot
Ideally I'd like to go to Fleet Feet Monday Night crew every Monday, but I just got word from a different group that they do track tuesdays at 5am... much needed sleep will be in store if I ever plan on making one of those. (which I do)
May was HANDS down my favorite month thus far! (which ironically was my favorite running month of 2011 as well) I ran another double header weekend, got a shiny new PR, and ran my first ULTRA relay with an amazing group of people. This month was a reminder that although I continually beat myself up about having low mileage or inconsistency with runs, I am still following what my 2012 overall goal was - "to be a STRONGER runner." Ashley (redonk runner) had a great post about constantly comparing yourself to other runners and what they're doing- not realizing to take a step back and look at just you and you alone. This has been my month to realize that what works for others doesn't really work for me, that I'm doing just fine for Lisa :)
Onto the breakdown
Total Mileage: Per usual I didn't hit my planned mileage- 120. Instead I did 95 miles. (so close to 100, I really need to look at mileage before the last day of month) I ended up taking off longer than I anticipated due to high heat temps in Nashville over last 2 weeks. June- No idea at this point- I'm in the process of narrowing down my training plans for the full marathon. Once I get that nailed down, I'll have a better idea.
Highest Mileage week: Imagine that, I actually hit a goal. I had said 40ish, and I came in at 37. I ran 1 4.2 mile run the week of my ultra relay, then took rest the next few days off before the actual relay June- I now realize I don't have a strong desire to hit a certain number per week, but I figure as a whole I need to be more consistent b/n the weeks. For June I don't want 1 week to be 5 miles, the next to be 30.
Races Planned/ Completed: 3/3: Double header planned with Kim R over Cinco de Mayo weekend, followed by an ultra relay later in month.
Me, Cynthia, Kim pre race. Kim and I in our matching outfits. Leading pack for first time EVER. Gift card I received for finishing 2nd overall female. Medal
Getting to see the Heathman IRL. Kim and I pre race. After race celebration, complete with 2 free beers. Race medal.
Reach the Beach Ultra Relay (MA)
Upcoming races for June: zilch. I was registered for RnR Seattle, followed by a half in Vancouver, BC the next day, however timing was bad since I will be moving the weekend before, it was one of the only free weekends my folks could come down, AND financially it just didn't make sense since I will be in Seattle again in July.
Accomplishments for May:
Placed 2nd overall female in Idaho
New PR, 1:42:54, in Oregon
Ran, and survived, my first relay doing it ultra style!
The only teammate I didn't know on my relay was Katy and she turned out to be awesome. She agreed last minute to join my other ultra relay coming up in July, so I'm very excited to get to see her again so quickly. (she lives in Chicago).
Kim's husband, S. They say its not official till you're "facebook official" and he accepted my frienship request haha.
was introduced to a few fellow co-workers I had never met before at work. I'm trying to see if its realistic to put together an all work ultra team for TN Ragnar. Details are still being smoothed out.
Current Book: May was a busy reading month. I started and read all 3 50 shades books. Read the followup to "Something Borrowed"- "something blue" (which I adored). I decided I would try another one of Emily Giffin's book "love the one you're with" to see how I like that.
Current Excitements / Obessions:
- figuring out my marathon training plan
- getting all my moving squared away
- brother and sister in law are visiting next weekend, and my parents 2 weeks after that. Eric-- when are YOU coming down?
Current Song(s): I have 3
1. Ever since Kim shared the Harvard Baseball team doing a dance to "Call me, Maybe" I can't get it out of my head. It didn't help that we listened to it a bunch in the van during our relay
2. You can blame dressing like LMFAO for getting their song with Lil Wayne "Shots" being stuck in my head. Random runners kept singing it to us and I think it was on one of the cds Katy made. I may or may not have blared (as loud as my phone will go) at the pool and sang while dancing with my friends. I also MIGHT have bought everyone a round of shots Thursday night and then put the song "shots" on the juke box. True Stories.
after watching the video, I'm convinced I need some sunglasses that say 'party rock' on them
3. Unfortunately too much fun Thursday night led to feeling like crap the next day at work. I heard this song by "Of Monsters & Men" and it cheered me right up. I proceeded to listen to it throughout the day until my hangover went away. Its catchy and the song constantly is changing with tons of different instruments, which I love. (video is WEIRD, but song is great)
Current Goal: utilizing the no racing in june to finally get in some long practice runs. I NEED to stick to my marathon training plan.
Current Treat: I've been eating Sweet CeCe's froyo like crazy. There is something to be said about cookie dough + cheesecake + brownies + pound cake + peanut butter cups + peanut butter sauce all on top of cake batter frozen yogurt. Wow thank goodness I work out.
Current Dislikes: (s): humid weather. The other day I waited until 8:30pm to go for a run and I still needed to take my shirt off. I forsee a lot of early mornings in my future.
June is going to be tricky to get motivated. I have zero races, the weather is much hotter, and I'm in the very early stages of marathon training so I feel that these weeks are as 'necessary' since I have a solid base. I need to buckle down. I'm making myself go to running groups on Monday and Saturday as well as bootcamp 2x week. I know enough to know that I do better in large groups than by myself. Here's to hoping June isn't a wash!
was how I spent sat, sun, mon, & tuesday. Relaxation at its finest :) The below pouches are a combo of Smirnoff OR Parrot Bay premade slushies with the alcohol included. Just freeze, remove, tear off top, pour into cup, enjoy. PERFECT poolside drink
2. Going out of Comfort Zone
Last week I applied for a different job within my company. I had my first interview this week, and it went really well and have my 2nd round next week. If I make it past the account director then I have to actually go to the HQ of the client and meet them...
its in Charlotte, NC ... and if getting the job, I'd have to move and be there by August 1. Regardless of outcome, its a catch 22. Get the job, huge pay raise, great career path BUT I have to move and leave all my friends and networks behind. If I don't get the job there is the rejection, BUT I get to stay here and not uproot my life.
3. Started my "marathon training"
Sometime during this week I decided it would be a good idea to calculate how many weeks out my first marathon in September is- turns out its 16 weeks, crap. So I randomly decided midweek that this was going to be week 1 of my training- oops. In the meantime I'm trying to find a good plan as a guideline. All of Hal Higdon's are 18 weeks, so if you know of any shorter plans (12-16 weeks) Send away!
4. Amazing concert last night
Last night I finally got to see a concert in the infamous Ryman Auditorium. Myself, Jack, Ashley, & Kristi decided to make a grand time of it and meet downtown for drinks at the Beer Sellar. J & I got there around 4:30 and we all drank till a little after 7 before walking over to the concert hall. 7 beers + 1 shot on an empty stomach + one of my favorite bands = AMAZING time (and hangover this morning)
Kristi, Ashley, me, Jack
The Band: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Doesn't ring a bell? I'm sure you've heard their famous hit, "Home"--- you can't listen to this song and not feel happy afterward.
Photos from my seat
5. Might have found a solution to my solo long runs while training for marathon problem.
Today at work one of my mentor's Jeff had me go with him to a little get together for networking purposes. Although the networking was for work, I made huge strides with running connections. First I received a verbal commitment from one of the guys to join our potential ultra relay for Ragnar TN, so already it was a success. More importantly one of the guys I just met from bootcamp had mentioned that he is part of a running group that meets in my area every saturday at 6am. He emailed me the info and looks like I'll be joining them tomorrow for my first of hopefully man long runs. Added bonus is 3 of the guys are actually doing the Air force marathon as well, so I may be picking their brain for training schedules.
