Sexy by Summer

For the last couple months leading up to racing # 50 and for sure  after I was done, I was constantly bombarded with the nagging question "what's next?" When the infamous question started pouring in I would get all giddy and say it was time to rest. After more time passed I started to get annoyed thinking 'why does there have to be a next, what is so wrong with just being normal afterward and not having anything to focus on?'

After I was officially done it was a mix of emotions, but the most  prominent feeling was loss. Let me rewind....

Last December I lost all motivation to work out so I just didn't. Then I decided to do the ultimate reset the first 3 weeks of January where you can't work out, so by the time it was over I had gone a whole 6 weeks of practically zero exercise. I went stir crazy and the first week I was able to get back on the horse I ran 39 miles in 5 days (thats a LOT of miles for me) I had a focus to get back into shape, became diligent in my workouts again, picked up yoga, and finally hit a big PR for state #40, Maryland in May. A few weeks later I got injured in my calf and from June - September it hurt to run. I did just enough during the week to get by, but my fitness (and physique) declined over that stretch. 

By the time I was healed I just didn't care that much anymore- I had less than 5 states left and I was just going through the motions to make sure I finished what I set out to do. The only thing that kept me "motivated" was to finish my goal. 

Now here I was, goal finished, still out of shape, and I have zero focus on what to do. I need a break from the half marathon, yet I'm not wanting to race the shorter distances either. If I'm being completely honest, the only time I've been excited about running in the last month is when we have a break in the weather and the sun is shining.  I started going to classes offered at work to occupy my time again, yoga, kettlebell, RIPPED- just looking for something different to see if any excited me. 

About 2 weeks ago I was getting ready for work  and was putting my hair up in a pony tail when I noticed I had some definition without flexing going on in my arms- how had I not noticed this before? Like a middle school boy I started flexing in the mirror staring at various parts of my body to see what was sculpted and what was not (legs and arms, check, everything else... needs some work). It's crazy how I've been 'active' for so long, yet was so marshmallow soft in lots of different areas. 

I started to think about how I've always had skinny arms, and if some kettlebells and workout classes can help me start to see results... what can I do if I actually put forth some real effort and have a focus again?

unflexed muscle!

I decided to come up with a plan, sexy by summer, or #sbs if you follow me on instagram to sculpt my body. I know there are tons of ways to go about this, but for me I need something that was convenient, had definitive check points, and was easy to follow. I was up late one night watching infomercials and one for Beach Body's T25 came on. I own p90x and I have a ton of beachbody coach friends that blow up my newsfeed, so I'm familiar with company and the program- I decided 25 min a day, 5x week for 10 weeks was doable because just like my 50 state quest, there is a definitive date to shoot for. 

I realize 10 weeks out is May, but here in the south, thats summer! I went ahead and purchased and due to travel this week (I'm en route to Phoenix today for Ragnar Del Sol) I started week 1 on Sat so I could go Sat - Wed and get my first 5 days in without interruption. Aside from not being coordinated with some of the moves.. pretty sure I nailed it for a beginner. 

I just stepped off the scale and proud to be 4lbs down- winning. 

The biggest thing for me isn't about the weight loss or watching my body change, its about having a focus again. What's great is my roommate is doing it with me since she is currently injured and can't run, so we're motivating eachother and planning our day around when we can do it together- finally some accountability. 

So my 'what's next' is getting my body back- following a workout routine diligently, and just seeing what can actually happen if I put some hard work in for the next few months. I'm not trying to bulk up or try to fatigue my body just being more aware of how my body responds to certain types of exercises. If I don't feel like running, I won't- with exception of 2 Ragnars already planned durring the time frame. 

My other focus is being more aware of how my body responds to food- cheese, too much oatmeal, brussel sprouts- all bad news for Lisa. I'm good about cooking my food, but I have a busy schedule so its so much easier at times to just go out. I'm allowing myself 1 night out a week of restaurant food and if it has to be more I will have to choose healthier options on menu. I'm also cutting out alcohol on weekdays. Contrary to popular belief, I don't drink that much- when I go out I may have 1 beer or two because I enjoy it, but I'm really good about knowing my limits. 

Lastly is I want to be more flexible. For the last month I've been doing a yoga class 2x week and I can already see a difference in my progress, plus it just makes me feel better and more aware of my pain points- hamstrings and it bands. 

Overall, my focus has shifted to just treating ME better and getting my body back. I'm tired of feeling like I should be lighter or skinnier based on all the miles I put in over the years. I finally realized that FOR ME, running just doesn't cut it. I'm not going to hang up my running shoes by any means, but it will no longer be my main priority for next several months. 

1 week down, 9 more to go! 

Ab Ripper take 2

So I'm way behind on my p90x plan :( I told myself LAST week that I would start it up, however my excuse reason for waiting is that this weekend is my last 1/2 marathon for quite some time, (haven't decided when the next one is) so I will have a much more open training schedule without worrying about being too sore to run.

So starting next week I need all of you to hold me accountable for posting my day 1 of my experience!!

In the meantime, I decided to give ab ripper x another try, determined to finish the whole thing.  This time I brought it to work and talked B and Melinda into doing it on our lunch break.

Yoga mats- check
portable dvd player - check
ridiculous amount of laughing at how some of the moves were hard to do- check.

Proud to report we did the whole video- had to modify one of the combo moves, and I looked like I was having a seizure while trying to do the side oblique crunches, but other than that, it went well.

As an added bonus- I'm not as sore the next day like I was last week. Haven't decided if that is a good thing or bad thing yet. I'm excited because both ladies said they would be willing to do this again since it doesn't take too long.

Summer abs here I come......

Week in review

Its the weekend- yay! I'm at work on a saturday- argh! Although I'd like to think I'm a pretty optimistic, happy person, lets be honest, every week can't be a great week. This however was- seemed like every day something new or exciting happened!

Monday- Had my first ever yoga class, flow yoga in the morning. Afterward went to fleet feet and their amazing store owner finally was able to pin point the root of all my knee pain- over pronator running in a neutral shoe w/o inserts mixed with weak gluteus medius causing my hip flexors to do all the work, pulled on my sartorius and my it band, thus causing knee pain- whew thats a lot. Did get some exercises to strengthen my gluteus medius. It amazes me how even the slightest thing off can have such a domino effect!

Tuesday- It's official! Put the down payment on our new home and get the keys next week! Had to leave work early and road trip it to Murray, Ky for health fair following day.

Wednesday- 1st part of day was spent working the Murray State University health fair, met a lot of genuine people wanting to make a difference in their health (always warms my heart) Headed back to Nashville met with my new chiropractor (so much better than the old) and then had my first ever sculpt class at the Y. According to the girls I went with, it was more of a body pump class, but regardless, it kicked my butt.

Thursday- decided to try yoga again, but this time basic yoga. It.was.hard. How is it that basic yoga was way more complicated than flow yoga??? Had a really advanced teacher who could wrap his legs around his head and lift himself up- I laughed and just sat there during those hard poses. I do think its slowly helping with flexibility, but decided I just need to give it some time.

Friday-found out from my new chiro that I have 'short leg syndrome' with my left leg. On wed he said my left leg was 7mm too short, today it was 12 mm!! Apparently a lot of the moves we did in sculpt on wednesday (standing squats, chest presses, dead lifts) are not good for my body while I'm trying to fix everything. Told me that I should only stretch my hamstrings on the left leg, and quads on the right to even everything out. If I can be patient, he said no running till my South Carolina race April 2 so it doesn't throw off all the torque in my body. I am not a patient by nature person, so this will take some practice.

Saturday- After work, meeting up with a bunch of folk to attend Franklin Brew Fest!! This will be my 2nd year in attendance- last year was a bit cold and rainy and had some drama ensued at the end of evening. This year should be great, meeting up with a variety of people, high of 66, clear skies!!

last year with my friend RJ and two random leprachaun people! 

3 things Thursday

1. Moved into a new house last week, drama ensued with one of the old tenants, and he reported us to the reality agency that there was not a single family living in the home (apparently within this neighborhood organization that is the rule) The couple we were leasing from freaked because they didn't realize that was a rule and gave us 1 month to find a new place.Literally when I finished moving my stuff in, that same day I realized I'll be moving it right back out. Lucky for us we found one and finalized all the paperwork yesterday! Front and back of house below.

New place is much nicer than current residence, so it just goes to show, everything happens for a reason- very excited for move in date. 

2. The is the first week since injuring my knee that it hasn't hurt with day to day activities!!! In the spirit of feeling better I have done yoga twice this week (one flow yoga and one basic) and a sculpt class. This is HUGE for me because the last time I went to a class at the gym was back in May! I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but if all goes well, I may start to do training runs next week! (haven't done one since JANUARY!!) 

3. I have 3 weekends off from races in a row, oh my!!! What will I do with my time?!?! This weekend I will be attending Franklin's Brew fest sampling different beers around downtown franklin. I went last year, and despite the rain it was a good time. I'm so excited for the warmer weather because there are quite a few brew fests / beer tastings in the next upcoming months. Bring on the good beer! 

What do you do on the weekends when you're not racing?!?

Any spring / summer activities that you're getting ready for??

3 weeks of pampering!

I wish I could say that pampering meant being on a beach, sipping on frozen drinks and great beer, while having Hans give me a deep tissue full body massage... but alas no. Pampering in this text refers to me being good to my body, really working on the next 3 weeks (that is how long I have until my next race) to rest, stretch, cross train, and get stronger.

First up-keeping true to my 2011 workout goals, I FINALLY tried yoga for the first time today. Both B and I had the day off, so we met at the Y for a flow yoga class- I'm told this a great version of yoga to try for beginners like myself.
Thankfully the teacher recognized that we were new faces and I told her this was my first time with yoga EVER, so that was kind of a heads up to what i was sure was going to be a great embarassment to myself.

I think I did better than I expected, however I am way more inflexible than I previously thought, so this is going to take some time for me to get near everyone else's flexibility. It amazes me how someone can go from the downward dog position, and then from there completely move one leg to the front of the mat in one single swoop- I had to readjust every time and take 3 steps or so (I'll eventually get there). I know the class is supposed to be relaxing, but I was so busy looking around or up at the teacher to figure out what the proper technique was supposed to look like, that my mind couldn't just 'let go.' I guess I should have done a bit of preparation and looked up what basic poses were so I would have some knowledge prior to this morning.

After the class was over I went into the cardio part of the Y and foam rolled my IT Band, quads (major ouch there) and my calves. I was surprised at how much easier it is to roll (another first for me this morning) than to really dig in deep with the stick, I was also surprised at how in addition to flexibility, I need to work on coordination- kept getting off balance with my body weight on the roller.

Lastly finished up the gym by some good quality stretching in the hot tub; I do have a slight  dependency to the hot tub- when looking for hotels for races, a hot tub is one of the first features we check!

After showering I head over to our Fleet Feet to get some advice on if my shoes are truly the best for my form. Although I did buy them there earlier in the fall, I just feel that they aren't the best that I need for the way I strike, especially with all these injuries popping up. Since October I have been running in Saucony Ride 3s- they aren't bad, at first my feet would go numb after 10 miles or so, but now they are adjusted. I go over what I'm looking for, whats going on with my running, etc. After he watches me run, he admits that he doesn't know how to best help me, and gets the store owner.

He comes over to me, has me put shorts on and then whips out his flip camera and videos me bending down in a squat position both with my feet together, and shoulder width apart. Just from doing that he saw how greatly I overpronate- my knees completely buckle inward (thus all my knee pain). He explained that because I have strong hip flexors and quads, they take a blunt of the force, but due to increase in mileage, knees are finally starting to be affected. He tells me that many runners have really weak glutes, more specifically the glute medius, because it isn't really used while running, unless you cross train (which i don't) then you have to make a large effort to work this muscle.
He shows me how to do a clam:

which by the way looks easy enough, but 20 of those, and I was SORE- if you don't feel it after 5, then you're using too much of your hip, really have to focus on just using the glutes.
Anyway, once my glute medius becomes stronger, it will take all that pressure off my hip flexors, which will then stop the pulling on both my IT Band and sartorius- i.e. KNEE PAIN BE GONE!!!
I think its great that in one visit, which was free, I found the exact root of my problem. Everything that was told to me previously was all accurate, but its nice to finally pin point what started the chain effect.

Afterward I pick out my new shoe Saucony Progrid Guide 4, a stability shoe vs. the neutral one I had, decide to get a trigger point roller, and PROMISED them that I would actually use my shoe inserts that I bought back in May (I know I know, I'm a horrible runner)

So despite my excitement to use my new shoes and barely worn inserts, I'm not going to be bulking up the miles anytime soon. This week I'm traveling for work, so during travel I'll just rest and then maybe on thursday or friday go to the gym for some weightlifting and perhaps cycling / elliptical, of course followed by the hot tub!

What do you do for cross training that isn't boring?!!?

How do you keep things engaging while you're not able to run as much as you'd like?

Yoga or Pilates?

As part of my 2011 1/2 goals (till June) I told myself I would start up yoga or pilates to switch it up and help with my strength and flexibility. To adhere to my goals, and hopefully to prevent any more injuries, I think its time to start something up.
I'm going to be honest- I have NEVER done EITHER- so I have no idea what I will be getting myself into. I would like to start something up when I return from Disney and get all moved in ( around 3/7)  To any of my blogger friends:

What do you recommend for someone just starting out?

What do you prefer and why??

Any helpful tips / suggestions for a beginner?