Tag Archives: Fitness Trail

October 9, 2013 · 3:34 PM

The Tale of a Running Slacker

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Nikki. She began running in the fall and fell in love with it. She set a goal for herself to run 500 miles in 2013 and while some people thought she was crazy, she was excited.

She ran all winter long, braving the snow, ice and frigid temperatures. She pushed herself to improve her form, avoid side stitches and set new PR’s. She participated in a Further Faster Forever contest and found that she was capable of amazing things… until an evil upper respiratory infection hit and sidelined her for a few weeks.

The evil upper respiratory infection left her with the need for an inhaler and a fear of going out to run. She tried a few times and a combination of anxiety and asthma always got the best of her. Leaving her only halfway to her goal of 500.

Then, the evil heat of summer came along and Nikki was not a fan of it, so she put her running on hold. She ran a few fun runs and logged a few miles on the days it wasn’t sweltering, but she was basically at a stand still.

She attempted to run on the hamster wheel of death, in an air conditioned gym, but it just wasn’t the same.

Part of what Nikki loved about running was the fresh air, changing scenery and the mind clearing effect the two had together. The hamster wheel of death just didn’t offer that, so the frustrated Nikki sulked off and just watched as runners tweeted and instagrammed about their runs.

Finally, one October morning, the air was crisp and the humidity was gone.

Nikki grabbed her running shoes, turned on RunKeeper and hit the trail for the first time in a while. Her head instantly cleared, her legs felt strong and her breathing wasn’t an issue.

She finally made it to 300 miles and while she knows there isn’t much time left in 2013, she’s going to do her best to reach the goal she set.

After all, the cooler temps, snow and ice never stopped her before.

The End.

Time to Fall in love with running again

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February 16, 2013 · 6:10 PM

Expecto Patronum! You Can Be Fit & Nerdy!

In keeping with the theme of my Wordless Wednesday post this week, I offer you the Harry Potter Workout!

What better way to get yourself and your kids moving?!

Expelliarmus!!

Drop the popcorn and quit sitting on the couch, like a spud, watching these movies the 100th time, make it interesting and fun!

How it works: Each time one the items listed on the left is seen in the film, you and your kids perform the task listed on the right that goes with it. You can pause the movie or keep watching, that’s totally up to you and Potterhead level of fandom. Pretty simple, right?

Harry Potter Workout

I think “games” like this are a great way to get your kids moving, and make a movie a hands-on experience. Not a Harry Potter fan? Well…you’re probably not human. No really….. just make up your own cues and moves for your favorite movie and share them with me here or over on my Facebook page!

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January 28, 2013 · 4:22 PM

Slow Going, But Still Moving

icy roadsWell, after cranking out 27+ miles in one week, I managed only 6 miles last week. Sigh…

I know, 6 miles isn’t awful and it’s only 4 miles off from the minimum of 10 miles per week that I set for myself. Little setbacks just tend to aggravate me, and so does having my routine thrown off!

Mother Nature has not been cooperating with my goals as far as running goes. Last week it was brutally cold out and it brought my routine to a screeching halt. I don’t mind running in the cold at all, however when you team -16 wind chills up with icy roads, it raises the risk of falling and breaking something. That doesn’t sound like fun to me and would end up halting my goals even further!

As a result of moody Mother Nature, I’ve been lifting weights, doing yoga and tossing in some of the Quick Workouts I have post here in the past.

I really wish I liked the treadmill, I’ve just never felt comfortable on one and as a result, gave ours away a few years back. I was supposed to head out and hit the pavement today, but the snow started sooner than I hoped and the roads became slick very quickly. Hopefully tomorrow I can squeak a few miles in since I’m at a total of zero miles for this week. Sigh…

What do you do when Mother Nature rears her bitchy head? Do you push through anyway or hit the treadmill instead? Any tips on learning to love the treadmill?

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January 19, 2013 · 4:57 PM

{Update} 26 Miles For 26 Victims

Last week I blogged about signing up for the 26 Miles For 26 Victims event that #FurtherFasterForever was running over on their site. When I decided to do this, I knew it was a lofty goal, but I knew I was capable of doing it.

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This was not an easy to do, especially for a newbie to running like me. My legs were sore, my knees started to hate me and I ended up doing quite a bit of speed walking during some of these miles, but I did it and that’s what counts!

I am over the moon happy with this accomplishment, but the cause I did it for is such a somber one. Each one of those miles I ran represented a child or teacher that was taken from their loved ones too soon. A person who set out about their day like we all do, everyday. A child who was excitedly waiting for Santa to arrive and teachers who were planning their shopping and holiday festivities with loved ones, but never got to see those anticipated moments.

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Each mile made me appreciate all that I have, especially the two miles that we did as a family. It might not be much, but it is mine and I will treasure it for as long as I am blessed enough to have it.

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January 9, 2013 · 9:13 AM

500 Miles or Bust!

500 milesThat’s the goal for 2013!

I have until December 31, 2013, to complete my goal of logging 500 miles of running. I’m both excited and nervous about this new chapter in my fitness journey.

Setting a running goal is something I decided I wanted to do before the holidays, but I never thought about setting a mileage goal until I read this blog post. I had just downloaded the Run to 5k app and set a goal of being able to run a full 5k by the spring and once I could, I’d start working on my time. After reading that blog, I realized that setting a mileage goal was a fabulous idea and would help to keep me motivated.

It breaks down to roughly 10 miles a week, which isn’t too crazy. Granted, there will be weeks when I may not be able to hit the 10 miles. I’m sure there will be weather, soreness and other outside influences and set backs, but I’m pretty confident that I can make it up when the weather warms up or by adding an extra shorter run to the plan.

As for right now, I’ve been running at least 3.1 miles (a 5k) three times a week. It’s a walk/run combo that is moving more towards a full run. That distance includes a 5 min walking warm-up and cool-down, which I hope to tack on in the beginning and end of the full 5k (to increase my distance) as I become more confident in my running. Today my legs are really not happy with my running three consecutive days, so I plan on doing some lifting, a nice yoga session and then seeing how I feel as the day progresses.

(It’s going to be almost 55 degrees in January! I don’t know if I can resist going out for one today.) I am however, smart enough to listen to my body. If my legs protest, I’ll do an easy run with lots of walking. (Mileage is mileage and an injury will just be a major set back that I do NOT want!)

Part of my goal is to also get used to running on different terrains, since I do an annual 5k that is mainly on a wooded trail. For the most part I have been training on pavement, but last week I added my local fitness trail back into the mix. I am much slower on the rocky terrain and my legs fatigue much faster, but that’s okay! I feel a much different burn when I’m doing it and I go into it knowing that it’s going to take time to adjust.

Sooooo…wish me luck as I run towards my new goal! I haven’t felt this inspired since I did P90X for the very first time 3years ago!

Want to join me in a 2013 goal? If so, let’s hear it and cheer each other on!

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July 2, 2010 · 11:45 PM

Mish Mosh of Thoughts…

I have been neglecting this blog lately and I am disappointed in myself for doing that. There has been a lot going on here and my head has been swirling so I haven’t been able to pin point WHAT I wanted to write about. As a result, I decided to just sit back and write about whatever comes to mind which is why I have titled this “Mish Mosh of thoughts”.

I apologize in advance if I am all over the place…

First off I am in Round 2 – Phase 3 of P90X. I have slacked off a little bit and missed a few workouts over the past 2 weeks but I will make them up before the 90 days are over. The same thing happened to me in Round 1 and I just doubled up and plugged along like a trooper.

One of the reasons I have been slacking off is that I haven’t been feeling up to par lately. I have been sluggish, light headed and prone to headaches. I have tried playing around with my calorie intake and things improve for a day or two but then go back to this off feeling. I decided it was time to go to the doctor to see what was going on. EKG was fine and I am waiting for  blood results to see if maybe it is a thyroid issue.

I am still hopelessly in love with the fitness trail. My longest distance so far was an 8 mile walk/run last month. It was such a great feeling to know that I pushed that hard and stayed within the time constraints I put on myself.

Most of my walks/runs after that have been in the 3-4 mile range and I am now hoping to do them daily since my daughter goes to camp where the fitness trail is so I am there anyway…might as well get a workout in right?!

Since falling in love with walking I have started to run a bit more. Mind you I only run when I do the trail by myself because I feel like a complete and total moron when I run. I have pacing issues that I am working on and can only go about a 1/2 mile before burning out and needing to walk for a bit and then resuming a run again.

I would love to be able to do the whole 3 mile lap in a run by fall without needing those breaks.  For now my goal is the keep all walks at a pace of 16 min per mile or lower because I would love to do one of the half marathon walks in Disney next year and that is part of the rules.

Hmmmm…

I had my first Power 90 graduate last month and my husband is  finishing in 3 days! I am so excited, proud and happy for both of them! My friend is going on to do the Power 90 Masters Series and my husband is going to move up to P90X!

This past week I have also been approached by numerous people at my daughters camp who haven’t seen me in almost an year. They all want to know how I have kept myself going, what my secret is and I have been told by a few that I am their inspiration. It is a truly amazing and touching to have someone look you in the eye and tell you that. It is something I NEVER thought I would be.

Pull-ups….I have become obsessed with wanting to do them on the bar. I don’t have one in my house and have screwy doorways so the bars that just hook over the door don’t work here. I keep looking at the one on the fitness trail and I want to try it but I can’t get up the nerve. I am thinking about going to my friends house and trying her husbands out. At least if I can’t do it I will fail in private and not on an open to the public fitness trail. I know…way to be positive.

Other than that I just have lots of random thoughts swirling around in my mind which makes me feel like I have ADD. I am thankful for the fitness trail which allows me to have some time to talk about things with my friends or clear my head alone as I zone out to The Prodigy.

Lastly I would like to give a  HUGE thank you to my buddy for listening to me and helping to guide me the past few weeks. You mean more to me than you may ever know. XOXO

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