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.

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!

The family that runs together...

Running is my thing.  Among other things.  It's also my husband's thing.  We don't discuss it often...just sometimes...and we never do it together.  I can say "never" because the last time we ran together was too many years ago to remember, back when I was just dabbling in it and before I felt worthy of labeling myself a runner.  Until today.  Today, when our boy was at a friend's house and the weather was nothing short of perfect, we were both itching to hit the trails and he had a novel thought: "Why don't we run together?"  Now, I have to admit I hesitated a bit at this suggestion because 1. my husband is fast.  A heckuva lot faster than me.  And 2. I was jonesing hard for a good long run, alone, the kind where you forget you're running and zone out, then feel completely spent and used up at the end.  Alas, I decided it best to take advantage of our  rare kid-free time and spend some quality time together, even though I still like to think of running as something that's just MINE.  Is that weird?  Probably.

So we headed over to Sope Creek - a beautiful trail system barely 10 minutes away - and hit the dirt.  I know he slowed his pace to accommodate mine, while he could've smoked me, but he also pushed me when I grew tired and started to slow down.  We ran 5.76 miles in 1:04, which I think is actually not bad for 2 novice trail runners.  It's amazing how I can pound out 6 miles no problem on the pavement, but I struggled with the ascents and descents and rocks and roots and twists and turns.  Trail running is a whole different ballgame.  It's intense and it takes intense concentration and focus, and it keeps you on your toes - literally - plus it's unforgiving.  Which is precisely why I love it.

I was being especially careful during our run to avoid injury (I'm registered for the Vision Trek 10K Trail Run and Publix Georgia Half Marathon in March!) and my beloved but sometimes clumsy husband fell twice.  Nothing major - he actually looked impressively graceful each time he fell - and he got right back up and took off again.  I think he was mildly annoyed at my gasps and cries of "ARE YOU OKAY?!  Do you need to stop?  Should you wear pants instead of shorts next time??"  Sorry dude, just lookin' out for you and your skinny, pale, bare legs.

The most interesting and curious thing about our run today was that while my dear husband is not exactly Mr. Social (read: he can go an entire day speaking less than 5 sentences), I discovered that he turns into Chatty Cathy on the trails.  Seriously!  From the minute we started 'til the minute we stopped, he talked.  I struggled to carry on a conversation period, but he chatted away.  SO BIZARRE!  Perhaps he was truly in his element and felt inspired?  Comfortable?  Happy to be amongst nature and beauty and the fresh, crisp air?  Or perhaps he was happy to be alone with his wife?  I'd wager that it's the former but secretly hope that it's the latter.  Either way, I'll take Mr. Chatty Speedy Skinny Legs Trail Guy on any day.