NIFS Mini Marathon Training

This year, my Mini-Marathon training is going to take a different twist. Instead of just training alone, I'm going to be one of the pace group leaders for the NIFS Mini-Marathon Training Program. They host these trainings on Wednesday nights starting Jan. 23, at two locations: downtown at NIFS and in Carmel at Cherry Tree Elementary. I will be at the Carmel location leading the 9 min/mile pace group.

There are still spots available, so if you think you might want some added help in improving your finish time, or just want the company for the long runs, sign up!! Not only does the registration fee cover your training runs, but it also includes a post-race celebration dinner at Maggiano's!

I have to admit--I'm  a little nervous about running in the snow, if it should come to that. I generally don't start my Mini training until March, and by that time, all the snow has cleared out. I'm a wimp about running in snow, so my biggest fear is slipping and falling on a patch of ice and making a fool of myself in front of my entire pace group! :/

Digging Deep in 2013

When I logged onto my blog today, I realized that my last post has been almost a month ago! My apologies! I'm sure you've all been as busy (or sick with the flu) as I have this holiday season.

So, now that the holidays are over, and sadly, so is the Colts' season, what's next? Well, I think I might be officially insane. It's full-swing back to work for January with all the New Year's resolutioners demanding high-intensity classes, then Mini Marathon training begins on Jan. 30th (more about that in a later post), and to top it off, I have decided to support my husband in his weight loss/health goals by completing the next 60 days of Insanity with him. Yep, insane.

So, my weekly workout schedule is now looking like this (and this is eliminating ALL of my normal workouts aside from the classes I have to teach for my job):

Monday: Morning Insanity workout; 1-hour spin class at lunch; 45-min yoga class at evening
Tuesday: Morning Insanity workout; 1-hour core/BOSU/stability ball class at lunch
Wednesday: Morning Insanity workout; 30-min yoga class at lunch; mini training long run at evening
Thursday: Morning Insanity workout; evening Boot Camp
Friday: Morning Insanity workout (finally...only 1 workout per day!!)
Saturday: Rest or short run or yoga
Sunday: Rest

(We elected not to do the Saturday workouts like the Insanity schedule dictates, in order to avoid burnout. So, although we are completing all 60 days of workouts, it will take us longer than the 9 weeks to finish.)

And, honestly, I should be squeezing in a couple more short runs. Because although I'm doing a crazy amount of exercise, when you don't train specifically for something like an endurance race, you don't have as much success. So, why did I do it at all, you're asking? First and foremost, I'm resolved to do anything and everything to support Chad in his 35-pound weight loss goal. Insanity was his idea (he completed 3/4 of the series a couple summers ago), and he made it clear that I didn't have to do them with him. But, I know how I would feel if I had to get up for an early morning workout while my spouse was still cuddled up in bed. I realize that even though Chad knows how healthy I am, I can't talk the talk at work and not walk the walk at home.

Secondly, I'm doing it out of pure curiosity. I've always made fun of people who get on bandwagons like P90X and Insanity, like they think it's going to be some miracle worker, when just regular exercise and diet could have helped them all along. And, I'll still feel that way. But at least now I'll know exactly what the workouts entail, have more educated answers when people ask about the program, and I'll see how the intensity stacks up to my own boot camps--new ideas! :)

Last night we took our "before" pictures (apparently if you send in B&A pics, you get a free Insanity t-shirt...wooo), we have the training schedule posted in our kitchen like some sort of tacky decor, and we knocked out the first workout this morning. I'll definitely keep posting about how the 60 days are going!

I have a feeling my coffee intake will be on the rise....

Unveiling Our New Home Gym!

When we moved into our house last summer, we had several ideas for this small, extra room off of our basement: possibly an office, possibly a music room for Chad's drums and guitars, or perhaps a small gym? A year later, we had still done nothing with the room, but we had a strong inkling that there was mold behind the wall, so at the bare minimum, we had to rip out the drywall and insulation and scrape/clean any mold we found. And boy, did we find mold:

 

After cleaning up the insulation and ridding the room of all mold, this is what it looked like. We left it with all the ceiling tiles and drywall still in the floor, unmotivated to do anything else with the room once we at least knew that it was mold-free.

Then, almost out of the blue, Chad decided to jump on my dream of having a home gym. While I had always wanted some workout equipemnt for the house, I knew the chances of me using it often would be slim--I exercise at work Mon-Fri and I like the save the weekends for runs/walks with Charlie. But, Chad realized that if the equipment was available at home, he would be more likely to use it and workout hard, plus we could cancel his membership at LA Fitness, saving that money. Once he had the idea, we moved quickly. In 2 hours, the room went from the above picture to this one, all cleaned and swept:

Then, thanks to a whole day of devoted work and equipment-purchasing by Chad and our friend Drew, this is what the room became less than 24 hours later!

All I had to do was add my finishing touches to the "ambience" of the room, and it was set! It turned into my perfect idea of creating a small, industrial-looking space into a gym with everything you need for a great workout!

The only con of a home gym is that my husband now thinks it's acceptable to workout in an undershirt, paint-stained shorts, and tall black socks..... :)

I'm Thankful I Work Out Because....

Here's another top 10 list for the holiday season: Reasons why I'm thankful I work out regularly. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and imagine what your life would be like without your exercise. What aches and pains would you have? What weaknesses? Would you feel more sluggish? Would you have problems sleeping well? Would you start to become more depressed and negative emotionally? Once you have the full picture of the "you" that doens't exercise, be thankful that you're NOT that person and that you've successfully made exercise a given part of your day and life!

I'm thankful I work out because...

10. There's no question about whether or not I can do push-ups on my toes.

9. I don't have to think twice about picking up a 45 pound box (I use that as an example, because I just did that today).

8. Even at my most "out of shape" moment, I know I could run a 5K at the drop of a hat....perhaps even a half-marathon (although my time certainly wouldn't be great).

7. Fast metabolism! Let's pray that sticks around beyond my 20's!

6. Things that once made me self-conscious about my body are now non-issues.

5. I've been able to make a great career out of it!

4. I rarely get sick. (In fact, I have to really stretch to find reasons to use my "sick days!")

3. The renewal and stress relief that tells me everything is going to be ok.

2. Accidents aside, I'm set to live a long, happy life with my husband and future children.

1. The positive, accomplished and empowered feelings I get after every single workout. It never gets old.

Happy Thanksgiving! I challenge you to make your own Top 10 list of why you're grateful for exercise!

My Top 5 Healthy Fall Recipes

As we're approaching Thanksgiving, and the fall season will soon be winding down, I wanted to post my list of my favorite healthy fall foods! I did this for summer as well, so I figured it was worth putting a fall list together too.Some of these are tried and true over the past few years; others are new for me this season (thanks Pinterest!).

1. Pumkin Pancakes. A lot of people assume that pancakes aren't healthy, but it really depends on what kind of toppings you use (i.e. a lot of butter and syrup will start tipping the scale to "unhealthy.") Pancakes themselves normally only have a little bit of brown sugar, and I try to sub in ingredients like skim milk, egg beaters and whole wheat flour when I have them available. Since I love both pumpkin and pancakes, it's no surprise these are on the list.

2. Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal. Again, surprised? This was a good change of pace for fall from my typical banana or blueberry oatmeal. I used pumpkin pie spice instead of dealing with all of the separate ingredients it calls for (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.). It definitely made me excited to get out of bed and make breakfast!

3. Rachael Ray's Chili for Veg Heads. I've been making this recipe since college.The chili is so rich and tasty that half the people I make it for don't realize it has no meat! Aside from the broth/beer, everything that goes into it is either a vegetable or a bean. I mix in a little bit of light sour cream to complement the southwest flavor.

4. White Chicken Chili. This is what I've been eating for lunch this past week. It wins the award for the easiest recipe on this list--dump it all in a crockpot and come back 8 hours later. This doesn't include any cream-based soups in the ingredients, just cream cheese--and I use the light version.

5. Warm Black Bean and Corn Salsa. I make this often for parties or football games--definitely a favorite among my friends. Here's the recipe:

-2 cans black beans

-2 cans white corn

-1 medium jar of salsa

-1/2 packet of taco seasoning or just a hefty sprinkling of cumin

-1 to1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (optional--I used to always include cheese in the mix, but to be honest, it tastes the same to me either way, so lately, I leave the cheese out to save calories.)

Put everything in a crock-pot and heat on low for 3-4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I'm thankful for the people who take the time to read the little thoughts I have during the day!

Stop pinning and start DOING!

I admit: I'm a Pinterest addict like the rest of us. But seriously people....stop pinning and start DOING! Do your Pinterest boards look a little like this?

 

Well, don't be ashamed, because these were taken directly off of my own boards. A lot of people say it's ironic that we all pin workout ideas follwed immediately by a recipe for "oreo cookie dough stuffed brownies." I don't....because life is all about moderation. I workout 5-6 days per week, so on occassion, I will make a fantastic dessert and not feel shy about getting seconds.

HOWEVER:

If you are just pinning great workout ideas (or any ideas for that matter....food, crafts, fashion, etc.) and not doing them, it doesn't count! I think Pinterest gives us this reality world where if we've got it on our board, it basically counts as doing it. You can take pride in how many great things you've pinned...but until you've tried at least 25% of what you pin, you're fooling yourself. I can proudly say that out of my boards, I've tried 6 recipes, copied 5 fashion ideas and made 10 crafts--if you don't believe me, come to my house.

Pinterest should be more than just satisfying our visual fixation. I know...it takes time to do any of it. But if everyone spent as much time exercising as they do pinning workout ideas, motivational phrases and pictures of ripped bodies, we would be one healthy group of people. Food for thought.

A Fall of 5K's

I know....it's been awhile. October 13-14 marked the first weekend since July that I wasn't out of town or insanely busy. So, I'm finally finding time to do more enjoyable things...like blogging.

Not many new things have happened in my world of fitness; I ran two 5K's, which I'll talk about more below, but otherwise have been maintaining my normal workout routine. I was asked to be a pace group leader for NIFS' Mini-Marathon training this winter/spring, so at some point I will need to step up my runs before training kicks off. But for now, I'm just enjoying a season off from any kind of long-distance race. On several occassions, I almost signed up for one of the fall half-marathons, but I just had to be "ok" with sitting this one out. I need the mental break more than the physical one-- having free weekends now that aren't taken up with training feels so good. Fall is by FAR my favorite season anyway, so to be able to slow down, enjoy fall walks with Charlie, and try every pumpkin recipe out there has been so refreshing.

Most of you know that Corporate Challenge is my biggest work event of the year. As the team captain for Dow AgroSciences, I spend the entire months of August and September gearing up for it. This year we had a lot of fun, perfect weather and plenty of new people participating. Our team ranked 14 out of 22 in our division, so we definitely have room for improvement, but it's always a fun day nonetheless. This year, I ran the 5K along with one of my personal training clients. Here's a picture of the sun rising over IUPUI's Carroll Stadium that morning and then a shot of me, my co-worker and our intern after a day that went off without a hitch.

And now...my favorite 5K ever: Wine at the Line. This year for my birthday, I told my husband that the only thing I wanted was for him to train for this 5K and run it with me (it fell on October 6th, just two days after my birthday). If you know Chad, you know running is not his thing. Even if he was being chased, I think he would take his chance and stay and fight rather than run. While he did procrastinate a bit (he started an 8-week training program precisely 8 weeks prior to the race), he successfully completed the Couch to 5K program. This meant that even during our Florida vacation over Labor Day weekend, he was running. I couldn't believe it! He finished the race without stopping to walk at all (I captured his finish on video!), but what I was more excited about was seeing how proud he was of himself. Until his traning, he had never run further than the required mile in gym class--so with each run that he completed, 1.5 miles, 2 miles, 2.5 miles, he was so ecstatic and couldn't stop talking to me about all the details of his run after he got home each time. The fact that we could share a hobby for 8 weeks and that he would do something he hated only because it was important to me was more special than anything he could have bought for my birthday.

Here are some pictures from the race. It was by far the most scenic 5K I've ever run....beatiful farmland in Bargersville, IN. Plus you literally get wine and a commemorative wine glass after you cross the finish line.....score.

All for now!