Six Degrees of Separation (or, why I'm the luckiest girl in the world)

I ran into a new running friend today in Zumba class. It was a funny coincidence, seeing her there rather than on the trails. I "met" this new running friend online through another running friend before I ever met her in person. The other running friend works at Big Peach Running Co and fitted me for shoes the first time I met him. Since then we've become good friends, and I see him every Tuesday night and Friday morning at the group runs he leads. A few of the people I've taken Zumba with before at the Y have joined these group runs. My favorite Zumba instructor is actually a runner and a friend now too, having completed 2 half marathons and about to run her third - a race I'll be at this week to cheer on another dear friend, and now I can cheer for her too.

Big Peach Marietta Tuesday night group run

Back to the store. While shopping at a different Big Peach about a year ago, I met another person who works there, but in a different capacity, and then became friends with her online. I run into her frequently at races and different events around town, and she always puts a smile on my face because she has the most infectious smile, ever. She introduced to me to Be Yoga and 2 instructors there who I absolutely love. Actually, in a roundabout way, she reintroduced me to Pilates (via one of those instructors) which I hadn't done in many years. This friend also introduced me to a clothing line (hello, Lululemon) and in turn, some new friends who work there.

I met another new friend at Big Peach when I, on a whim, went shopping there to buy a handheld hydration bottle. It's so funny, the random circumstances under which you can meet someone who may just turn into a very close friend and who you look forward to seeing every week. I adore my Big Peach friends and I hope I don't drive them batty by stopping by all the time just to chat. ;)

Bess and Kate

While training for my first half marathon last year, I met a group of super fun ladies who later invited me to join their running team this year, which I did. Through Team LUNA Chix, I had the opportunity to go to San Francisco, get a peek at the beautiful city and learn so much about running, strengthening and nutrition. I met some other LUNA Chix in different parts of the country who have become friends and we keep in touch online. I also became close friends with someone on the team who introduced me to The Bar Method, which I'm now doing regularly and starting to meet new friends in those classes, as well.

Team LUNA Chix

This friend and I, when we can, take yoga classes with an amazing instructor at Dance Stop Studios who has literally changed my life through her teachings - not only on the mat, but of the heart and soul. I discovered this teacher with another dear friend, who is also my neighbor, when we, on a whim, went to an open house where this instructor offered a trial class. This friend and I are also running buddies and have trained for and run races together. She is often the first person I'll call to share an accomplishment with or to commiserate with because we just GET each other.

Yoga instructor Lisa Flynn

Stacey & me

Back to my first half marathon.  That race was the catalyst for meeting some of the coolest chicks (and best friends) I could ever imagine.  My sister and I were ambassadors for this race along with 3 other women. One of them later joined Team LUNA Chix with me, and had a baby, so we're "mommy friends" now too and I adore her. I was actually quite intimidated by one of the other ambassadors and told myself we'd probably never be close because we had nothing in common. That person is now my very best friend. Through her, I've met another group of friends who are triathletes. I didn't even really know what a triathlon was before I met this friend...I knew it involved three sports but not in which order. Now, these friends are a big part of my life and we keep in touch almost daily even though we all live on opposite sides of town. I ran a race with some of them yesterday morning and turns out another one ran a race across town, and we all placed in our age groups and kicked butt. *fist pump*

Jennifer & me at the Peachtree Road Race

My BFF Mari

With Trisha after her first Ironman

Karen, Sarah & Kristi (us athletes like to chill, too!)

Back to the group runs. On Friday during my group trail run, I met two super fun women who are also moms and live close by. We had a great time chatting during the run and discovered we have some things in common, shared our contact info and promised to meet up for another run soon. I marveled, after that run, at how awesome it is to meet new friends.

If I were to do a "six degrees of separation" chart on all the active friends I know, it would likely take up an entire wall. How freakin' cool is that?! It amazes me how supportive and close Atlanta's (and little ol' East Cobb's) running and fitness communities are. I sometimes have to pinch myself when I start thinking about how lucky I am to have found them. I sometimes wish it hadn't taken me 30 something years to realize that I feel so much better when I'm being active...but then again, I have many years ahead of me to spend with my new friends.

Because I Got High (or, why I chose to run 10.2 miles 5 days after a half marathon)

I probably got a few looks during my run this morning.  Started off wearing neon pink arm warmers, so nobody on Roswell Road could possibly miss me as I climbed the hill from East Cobb Park to Robinson Road.  Then as I ran into Chick-fil-A for a quick pit stop, dripping with sweat and wearing a hydration belt, I stood out like a sore thumb in a sea of chicken biscuit munching patrons.  On a particularly fast and breezy downhill stretch towards the end, I waved my arms in the air and sang along to my iPod as cars whizzed by me.  Why did I choose to spend the better part of my morning running 10.2 miles around my ‘hood?  In the words of Afroman, “because I got high.”  *DISCLAIMER: We’re talking runner’s high here, people.  Just want to make that clear.

I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy non-training periods when you can just walk out your door, Garmin or no Garmin, and go for a run.  No distance, time or pace goals, even no particular route in mind.  That’s exactly what I did this morning.  Packed my Gatorade and nutrition JUST IN CASE, and went for it.  I wasn’t even keeping track of the miles, in fact I barely glanced at my Garmin until I got to an intersection where I though “Huh. I’m pretty freakin’ far from home right now. At least on foot.”  I went just a little bit further (apparently I like to push myself even when I don’t have to) and them promptly turned around and strided, shimmied and sang my heart out (er, legs out) all the way back home.

Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t the perfect run; I didn’t break any speed records or even PR for the distance; I made a water stop and I even stopped to stretch my calves a few times along the way.  But I ran at a pace that felt good to me and I caught that elusive runner’s high THREE TIMES.  Woot.  I watched the clouds give way to blue sky and sunshine, and I greeted a few other runners, walkers and bikers with a cheery “Good morning!”  After only a few miles my racing mind calmed down and gave way to a clear head and a sense of peace and calm that’s hard for me to find throughout the day.  I felt like I was flying on that last downhill, and my legs, though tired at the end, made me proud. 

Wait a minute – maybe this morning’s run WAS the perfect run.  Maybe the lack of self-induced pressure allowed my mind to quiet itself and my body to do its thing – impress me.  I am impressed with you, body, very much so.  And my mind has a new challenge in store for you very soon.

If you think you've done enough, do just a little bit more

Apparently that's what I like to do, after running a nice 5 miler yesterday with a dear friend, and then letting her talk me into running up a particularly steep hill, twice, just for kicks.  Kicks in the tookus.  And then, deciding I needed to lift, doing a powerful lower body set followed by 80 squats, and some abs for good measure.  Enough already, right?  Guess not.  When the husband got home later in the evening, he suggested the three of us go for a walk after dinner.  So we did.  Our walk turned into a trail run with the little guy who kept begging me to "run, Mama, run!"  How can I say no to that?  So, I probably tacked on another 2 miles running around with him, plus the walk back to our house.  Was I pooped last night?  A bit.  Was I sore this morning?  You betcha.  And it hurts sooooo good.

I've found that the times I see (er, feel) the most results shortly following a workout are when I've pushed myself beyond what I planned to do, or beyond what felt like enough.  How do we ever really know what IS enough?  In my opinion, you've gotta listen to your body.  If something hurts or feels off, it's probably a good idea to stop when you planned to stop.  But, if you're just feeling tired, 95% of the time your body can take more, so give it a little more and see what it does for you.  See you how feel the next morning.  See how you LOOK the next morning - you just might like what you see in the mirror.

Enough ISN'T always enough.  Push yourself and you'll be surprised at just how far you can go.

Scheduling time for exercise

My life is about to get a whole lot busier, at least for the next 9 weeks.  I've taken on a part time freelance gig that I honestly couldn't be more excited about...I'm over the moon with anticipation and glee and the thought of getting some precious office time and meaningful conversation with other adults, not to mention a chance to utilize my skills and talents outside of the child rearing realm.  Call me crazy, but I am SUPER excited at the prospect of going to work.

That being said, I just spent the last hour trying to put together a workout schedule for the next 9 weeks.  I'm on the verge of hitting "print", knowing that the schedule will likely change a gazillion times, but I'm the kind of person where if I don't have something scheduled on the calendar, it's not going to happen.  And not running or working out is just not an option.

So, over the course of the next 8 weeks (I decided the last week in May would be a good, solid time to end my schedule, rather then venturing into June), I will be running 3 times a week: on Mondays, I will alternate between a tempo run and a "fun run", where I intersperse things like pushups, mountain climbers, planks, lunges, etc. along the way.  On Wednesdays I will be running trails (woo-hoo!) and Saturdays will be my long run days.  I am also going to attempt a Pilates workout at home on Wednesday evenings.  Tuesdays and Thursdays will be Zumba and strength training, alternating between upper/arms and lower/abs.  On Fridays I will work on my yoga home practice and do the 20/20 workout or another HIIT type workout, and on Sundays I will do Pilates.  Sounds ambitious while working 20 hours a week and taking care of a 3 year old full time, no?  Well, ambitious I am.  And somehow, I will make it work.  It's just that important to me.

I would love to get advice and thoughts from those of you who juggle employment/parenthood/exercise on what has and hasn't worked for you.  I know I will have to be flexible, but I also know that exercise is a top priority.  So, how have YOU made it work?

Running trails in a skirt

There's something I like about running trails in a skirt.  Maybe it's the juxtaposition between rough and rugged and flirty and feminine.  Maybe it's feeling light on my toes as I leap over roots and branches, my skirt flapping in the breeze.  Maybe it's the surge of power that I get, knowing that beneath my girly purple skirt is a pair of strong legs capable of climbing the hills at a fast clip.  I didn't intend to run trails when I put on my running skirt the other day, but I traded the pavement for the path about 3/4 into my run and never looked back.

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a girly girl, though I did go through the Laura Ashley phase many years back (c'mon, who didn't?)  Growing up I was more of a tomboy.  I played in the woods, had lizards for pets and chose softball over cheerleading.  I was never really into Barbies or princesses.  Instead, my heroes were Dale Murphy and Mary Lou Retton.  I could shoot a gun, hit a target and catch a fish.  I played a mean game of badminton and caught frogs in the back yard.

Don't get me wrong, I adore the color pink.  I could dance all night long.  I devour love stories like chocolate, and designer makeup is my guilty pleasure.  But sit me in a kayak or take me to a trail and I will feel right at home.  The sky will always be my roof and the dirt will always be my carpet.  I would happily give up TV forever in exchange for a cottage on the water.  I may wear a skirt when I run, but peek under my manicured toenails and you'll likely find some dirt.  That's just the way I like it.

Trimming the fat, and my journey (gulp) in photos

Last night I got some fabulous news: I've lost 1.4% body fat since January.  I have a big green Post-It on my bulletin board that shows my weight and body fat percentage for every 3 months, beginning with January 3, 2011, which is when I got really, really serious about making a lifestyle change.  In one year and almost 3 months, I've lost a total of 5.1% body fat, which may not sound like a lot but is actually quite significant.

And, if you look at this chart from the American Council on Exercise (ACE), it shows that I've jumped from the "Average" category to the "Athletes" category. ARE YOU EVEN KIDDING ME?!"  It is SO unbelievably surreal to type that.  Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd ever be associated with the word "athlete" in ANY capacity whatsoever.  It's just SO bizarre and nutso, but in a very, very good way.

I was so astonished after seeing this chart that I Googled "body fat percentage women" and "body fat percentage women athletes" and came across this little ditty on www.livestrong.com: "If you are interested in fine-tuning your body composition for fitness or athletic purposes, your perfect range is different from the normal range. For a female that is looking toward fitness, 21 to 24 percent body fat is ideal. If a female is looking to be as athletic as possible, 14 to 20 percent body fat is perfect."  Did I just read the word "perfect"?  I MUST be dreaming.

This amazing, awe-inspiring discovery aside, I still have a long way to go on my journey.  My journey isn't all about looking good in a bikini, it's about becoming strong, having lots of energy and setting myself up to avoid health issues in my later years.  Let's face it...those later years will be here before we know it.  I want to become a better, faster, more efficient runner.  I want to have the energy to keep up with my son who never stops moving unless he's asleep.  I want to walk into a store and buy clothes based on what I like, not based on what might cover my problem areas.  I want to feel confident in my own skin.  Is that too much to ask??  I think not - it just takes a lot of work.  For me, it takes 6 days a week of intense exercise, and I usually take a walk or do some type of active recovery on my rest day.  Are the results worth the effort?  Abso-freakin-lutely.

I was looking through some old pictures the other day, and came upon a few that made me cringe.  Much as I hesitate to post unflattering pics of myself, these are a testament to how far I've come in my journey to be fit, and a good personal motivator to continue on that journey towards my goals.  The first picture I'm sharing with you was taken just days before I became pregnant with my son, because in my mind, everything prior to that is a different chapter in my life.  Hell, it's a whole different book.  I hope that you'll continue on my journey with me, and be my cheerleader along the way, because sometimes it takes a village to build a strong mama.  Say the word and I'll do the same for you.  So come with me!  We got this.

7/26/08 - Just before I became pregnant with my son

5/15/09 - He was just 1 month and 12 days old

8/31/09 - Almost 5 months after giving birth to this lil' cutie.  I made good use of that jogging stroller the summer & fall after he was born!

4/13/10 - Was pretty psyched to fit into those shorts again

7/25/10 - This pic looks like a Cosmo magazine "don't"!  My weight used to fluctuate so much.

11/9/10 - Lost a bit of weight & bought these new jeans

4/24/11 - Had trained for a half marathon Jan-Mar, and drastically changed my eating habits in March.  Donated the new jeans I bought in the fall to Goodwill & was able to buy a size smaller in these shorts!

8/9/11- Hadn't fit into this dress since 2006.  It used to be form fitting but it's baggy on me now.

9/3/11 - Zooma half marathon training kickoff!

11/2/11 - 9 or 10 weeks into training

2/15/12 - 1 month out from the Publix Georgia Half Marathon

3/28/12 - 10 days after the half marathon & feeling confident enough to actually take a pic like this! 

My goal.  Slowly but surely, I'm getting there!

Shaking it up!

With my latest half marathon behind me, and my next one (ahem) 5 months away, I am ready to shake up my workout routine a bit - okay, a lot - and see what kinds of results I can get.  I've learned that the best way to move past a plateau or see a change in myself is to change what I do.  So, I plan to do a little experimenting and hopefully have lots of fun, sweat and laughs (not necessarily at my expense) along the way.

Right now, my weekly routine looks something like this:
Monday - yoga / run
Tuesday - Zumba
Wednesday - strength / run
Thursday - Zumba
Friday - strength
Saturday - long run
Sunday - rest (usually involves a walk; sometimes I do my long run on Sunday & rest/walk on Saturday.)

My strength workouts consist of Cybex machines, free weights, squats, lunges (sometimes), and a core routine that varies but usually includes some combination of planks, crunches, situps and the medicine ball.

I don't want to give up yoga and I don't want to give up Zumba.  I can give up some of the miles in my running, but I don't want to lose too much momentum and have to start at square one for half marathon training.  I'm thinking about perhaps incorporating an interval type workout into one of my weekly runs, where at various "stations" I'd stop to do pushups, mountain climbers, burpees, planks, etc.  That fun routine always incites lots of comments and looks of sheer horror from joggers and walkers along the route.  I could also turn one of my weekly runs into a trail run; in fact, one of my fitness goals for the year is to spend more time in the woods, and honestly, trail running uses some different muscles (not to mention mental agility!) that road running doesn't, so I'd likely see some results from it.

What I REALLY want to explore is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), like the Tabata method, CrossFit, Blast 900, etc.  I keep hearing and reading that interval training involving fast, powerful bursts of energy with very brief recovery periods is the golden ticket to burning fat.  I am also dying to try TRX at the Y and Barre Sculpt at Dance Stop to see if I can gain more definition in my muscles. Oh, and Piloxing...I almost forgot how much I loved the trial class I did late last year!  A pilates/kickboxing combo?  Does it get any better than that??

If time and money were no object, I'd join all the local studios and take classes every day.  Fortunately, there are free trial classes available for most everything, and even more fortunately, I have the Hot Mama's Definitive Guide to High Powered, Fat Burning, Muscle Sculpting Workouts from my friend Stacey.  (The title is my brainchild - you can thank me later, Stace.) Time to print those pages out, maybe invest in a Gymboss & hit the gym! 

Seriously, though, it's high time for me to get creative and put together a new weekly routine that will have me ready for pool season in approximately 2 months.  Any suggestions or advice you may have, bring it - I love to learn from the best.  Happy HIIT-ing!