Half Marathon Day

Today's the big day and it's pouring outside, not just a light rain but buckets of rain. I've ran plenty of times in the rain but I just knew that today was going to be like no other.

I knew that there were going to be a lot of people at the race today, so one decided to get an early start on the day with a nice healthy breakfast of apple juice, cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and a banana. Afterwards, we were off to find us a parking spot near the start/finish line....which we did, like the saying goes "early bird gets the worm" but in this case an awesome parking spot!

Since we got there with time to spare, I decided to take a little walk the start/finish line area. It was nice to be able to see everything before the crowd of people came walking in.

                              Hanging out inside one of the medical tents....trying to stay some what dry!

Right before it was time for us to take our spots at the start line, I met up with some of my fellow runners and even though we had our outfits all picked out, you couldn't really see them under our trash bag look!

                                 (thank goodness for trash bags....I was finally starting to warm up!)

Once we made our way to our spots at the start/finish line, I knew it would only be a matter of a few minutes before we would be off. Reality was starting to sneak in that I was getting ready to run a half marathon....something that the old me would never attempted. I took one last look around at not only the crowd of runners but also those who'd be standing out there in the pouring rain watching us. I tried to get one finale glimpse of my mom before I headed out but apparently she'd already gone to find her spot to watch me. For those of you who don't already know, the only races my mom has ever seen me do were the 1 mile Milk Runs....so this was a big day for her too!

                                                     Waiting for the race to start!



The next thing that I know we were off and running (taking a little while to actually cross over the start line) and like all my runs before, I was able to keep up with some of my Mainely Running people in the very beginning but as time wore on, they merged ahead. Before we even hit the 3 mile marker, people were already giving up and saying that they couldn't do this. That's when I decided that no matter how long it takes me...I am going to finish this race!

There were so many people standing along the beginning of the route cheering us on that each time you passed them, it just made you smile and beam with pride. There was even this one little girl who was standing in front of her house with her family giving out high-five's to the runners as they passes by her. I could see that the group in front of me just ran right passes her without a care in the world and she seemed a little sad by it, so when I got close to hear I didn't know if she was even going to stick her hand out for me. When I was almost to her, that's when she spotted me and the next thing I knew, she was putting her hand out to give me a high-five. I ran over to her with a smile on my face, reached out from under my trash bag and gave her a high-five back....the next thing I know, I hear her yelling from behind me "Good Luck". That I must say made me feel really good inside and helped me push on.

If it wasn't for the fact that it was raining so hard out, to scenery would have been beautiful and the homes that we passed, oh my weren't those nice. When I was nearing the mile 5 marker, not only was I being serenade by a guy playing bag pipes and people blaring music from their own stereos (which one house was even playing "Eye of the Tiger" when I ran by and I might have felt like Rocky at that moment) but as I hit that 5 mile marker, I realized that I had just ran 5 miles straight with no walk breaks! My pace wasn't completely off schedule either, which for me was a huge plus but like all of my other runs, I was running by myself. I could see a group in front of me and knew that there were people behind me....so if I was to die on the side of the road somewhere, I was covered and knew I'd be found by someone!

After I went through the water break station at mile 5, it was time to loose the trash bag I was wearing. By this point in time my body was already 90% soaked (I could hear the water squishing around in my sneakers), I figured I'd mine as well get rid of it.  As soon as I did that, people were now able to read the shirt I'd made for this run and even though the front had read "1/2 Marathon Mia", it was the back of my shirt that yearned me the nickname "Pride Girl" while I was out there running. You see, I'd written on the back "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever" and by doing this I'd became that person people were happy to see at the moment I either passed by them or they were passing by me. Giving them the inspiration to keep going at the moment they were starting to feel their weakness and didn't think they could go on.

When I reached the half way point, I realized that I wasn't in last place and that gave me a little extra surge to get down the hill and continue the rest of the race. As I was running past the other runners, I told them they were doing great and to keep up the great work. Today, it didn't matter where we finished....just as long as we did and we can consider ourselves half marathoners.

By the time I reached somewhere between miles 9 & 10 I was starting to feel some slight pain in my left foot and my legs were starting to feel like jello. The first marathoner had just passed me (the time clock in front of him said 2hrs 20mins!), I for one couldn't believe what I just saw (he looked like he was out for his morning stroll, not a marathon) and secondly, had to keep telling myself that was doing great and just keep going.

Just before I reached mile marker 11, I passed two little girls who yelled out to me "you can do it" and with those words, I ran up the hill. As I rounded the corner at the 11 mile marker, I can upon a group of college-age frat boys who were hanging out on their porch, playing music for all of us and just as I started passing by their house, they started cheering me on and telling me that I was doing a great job!

Somewhere between miles 11 & 12, I came upon a group of signs that not only made me smile with delight but also laugh. There were so many but the following 2 really stuck out: "Even Chuck Norris has never run a marathon" and "Because 26.3 would be too crazy". Oh...thank you to whoever made those signs and put them there!

When I hit mile maker 12 there was a time clock and even though today wasn't about getting the best time, I wanted to know where I was at. The clock read 2hrs 56mins, I started think to myself that I may be able to do this within 3 hours. As I was getting ever so close to that 13 mile marker, my legs just wanted to give out and I was really starting to think of just calling it quits right there but it was like it was someone was looking out for me because the next thing I knew I had a marathon runner running next to me, telling me that I'm doing great and to keep it up, we're almost there! And that's just what I needed to hear.

My coaches kept telling me that the last .1 mile is the longest and boy weren't they right. It seemed like time just stood still and even though I was running, I wasn't making any ground and then there it was...the finish line. As I ran with every last bit of energy I had left in my sore, wet and tired body towards that finish line, I could see my mom on the side line cheering me on with a HUGE smile on her face and hear them call out my name as I crossed that finish line!

            Me with one of the gals who nicknamed me "Pride Girl" after we both completed our first half marathon!

  Me with my running coaches: Christine, Amy and Jen. Without these gals telling me every week that I'd be fine and that I could do this, I really don't think I would of made it to the end!

I can't tell you how you feel after you've finished a race like this but I felt an amazing sense of pride that I did it. After I crossed that line and they put that medal around my neck, I almost lost it. I saw my fellow runners with looks of surprise/shock and happiness on their faces and of course all of us were soaked to the bone!

                                          My mom and I after I've finished my first ever half marathon!

Finale Half Marathon Results: out of 1,906 half marathon runners, I finished 1,811!

Gun time was 3 hours 11 minutes 55 seconds

Pace was 14 minutes 39 seconds (not bad knowing that it was raining so hard that for about 2 miles I couldn't see a thing)

Net time was 3 hours 9 minutes 23 seconds (not to bad for a first timer and knowing that I ran all but 2 1/2 miles)

*I'm already thinking about next years race (which some people are trying to convince me into running the full marathon, yep all 26.2 miles) and getting my friend Kylie to join me!

Final Week Part Two...seriously, where is that panic button!!!!

Oh me oh my....we're getting down to the wire. Only a few day's left till my half marathon...trying to stay calm and keep it together. So far, so good.

Thursday: I was told that if I was going to do any type of running before my big day, that this was the day to do it. So what better way to start your day than with a one mile run on the treadmill....that's considered an easy run, right???

Later on in the day I went back to the Y for a mini workout before my Group Groove class. Hey, it's always best to warm up right...and what better way to do that then with a 5 minute bike ride and 10 minutes on the Arc. Then it was off to Group Groove and tonight's class was a KILLER!!! We ended up doing four brand new tracks and trying to learn the moves was very interesting to say the very least but ton's of fun! I do have to say though, that the best part of class is when I wasn't standing in the "right spot" and my friend Josh had to make sure that I was there before he could start!!!!!

Friday: As we all know by now, today is the day I jump into that oh-so dreaded pool....but not this week. With trying to get everything ready for my big, one decided to skip the pool completely and get a few errands done. After driving all around town, I finally made it to my next to last destination...Fort Knox! I joined my mom for a little get-a-way and enjoyed not only a nice walk exploring Fort Knox but also enjoying the beautiful view from the Penobscot Observatory, which overlooks the Penobscot River. What better way to relax :-)

Saturday: Day two of rest and relax but also the day before the BIG DAY and how does one wake up for the long 3 hour drive...with a sore throat and a achy body, not to mention that it's raining! But we don't let this damper our spirits...especially since this is something we've been training for, for about a year!

As soon as we arrived in Portland and before we made our way to the hotel, it was off to the Maine Marathon Expo at USM. I walked into the gym to pick up my registration packet and bib number, only to see all the other marathon and half marathon runners and started to think to myself  "I'm so out of place". As I walked around the expo, I started feeling a little better about myself. From there we checked into the hotel and decided do some exploring before joining my fellow half marathon runners for dinner.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel for a relaxing evening of swimming, soaking the muscle's in the hot tub and a nice warm shower.

Next up...............Half Marathon Day!!!!!!

Final Week Part One....where's that panic button!!!!

With this being my final week before my first ever half marathon, one is starting to semi freak out! Don't get me wrong...training has been going okay and I can't thank those who've helped me along the way enough, it's just that until I've actually done this and crossed that finish line, that little voice in the back of my head is going to keep telling me that I could of done more...trained a little better and harder, I shouldn't of slacked when I did and dragged myself out of bed more often for those early morning runs. I know, I know....I should just tell this voice to Shut UP!!!!

Since the last time I wrote, I told you that me and training were not going to happen for a little while and well, I was right. Between last Thursday morning and Monday evening the only type of workout that I got was walking. I know that I should of gotten in a run....or like my so-called half marathon training schedule would say...a 8 miler! But like I knew going into this past weekend, that was not going to happen. And as for going on any long runs...besides my 6 milers, I didn't do any...which is another reason that I'm starting to freak out. I'm afraid that once I past the 6 mile marker, I'm going to pass out! Granted, I know that I should be fine and that there will be medical assistance if I need it (which hopefully I won't...unless one of them just happens to be a really cute guy!) but one can't help but think it.

I've been told by some of my fellow runners that I WILL be fine and that I have nothing to worry about. I should just go out there and have FUN! Don't worry about what my finish time will be, to use this run as a base line time for what I have to beat the next time I run a half marathon.....wait, what...another half marathon after this one. Well, I know that running is somewhat addictive but I didn't realize that I'd be running more than one half marathon in my lifetime!

On Tuesday I joined my running group for our usual run but with this week only being days before by half marathon, I knew that I needed to get in as many miles as possible. After our mini warm up walk, away we went hitting the pavement. When we reached the top of our first mini hill and turned the corner for the loop around, I'd taken the lead and just kept on going. Before I knew it I was all by myself and the next thing I knew, I was passing by my fellow runners. By the time we were done, they'd run 3 miles, where I'd run 3.7 miles....yep, nothing like going that little extra!

At the end of class, I was talking to two of the teachers/coaches about possibly doing a 6 mile run on Thursday (again...that little voice was nagging me for not getting any runs in since last week) but when those words came out of my mouth, the only thing that I heard was "NO"! Apparently this was not a good idea, especially with it being so close to my actual race day. So in the end, it was decided that if I was to go for a run....it was to only be anywhere between 3-4 miles. Fine!

Today, I thought I'd take an easy and rest my legs a little bit and incorporate something from my tri training. I hit the pool for some laps! This week here started our second month of training..what, second month...where the heck did the first month go! Anyways, today's pool assignment was swim 75 meters 8-10 times and let me tell you, by the time I was starting number eight my arms were starting to get tired. Needless to say, I only did eight...let's see if I can make it to ten!

Stay tuned to see how the rest of my final week turns out!!!!!!!!

Two Weeks Left...yikes!

With only two weeks left till my half marathon, training is sure getting tight and trying to find the time to schedule everything between work, family outings, volunteer jobs and my tri training is starting to get difficult. I can only imagine what this is like for my friends who actually have families of their own....wait I can't, they've got to have some sort of super powers that's all I've got to say.

Monday: I was back to my regular work schedule and boy didn't that feel nice! Getting back to my regular routine is just what I needed after one crazy week. After I finished my lovely day at work, off to the gym I went and met my new found friend...the bike. Now see, normally today would be a run day but since I did a 5k yesterday and would be leaving the area on Thursday, I had to change my schedule up just a little bit. I do have to say that I biked my behind off today, in 45 minutes I managed to bust out 8.66 miles!

Tuesday: I started off today still not feeling 100% but when I arrive to the Y for my am workout, I knew that I just had to push through it and that's just what I did. Again, I biked for 45 minutes but unlike last night I didn't make it to no 8 miles....it was more like 6.5 miles and I was lucky to get that. From there it was off to join my fellow classmates for our morning run. Still feeling like I shouldn't be there, I decided to take an easy but knew that I needed to get in the miles with my half marathon fast approaching. After our initial warm up, we sprinted off into our runs and run I did...non-stop for the whole 3 miles. By the time class was over with, I made my way back to the Y....only to send myself home a few hours later..........yep, I was sick!

Wednesday: Guess who's feeling better after sleeping off yesterday afternoon...ME!!!!! With a new spring in my step,  I jolted off to the Y to become one with the pool once again! This week here our tri training for the swim portion had changed...instead of our one length of the pool (25 meters) counting as one time, it's now become one lap (50 meters) as one time...yeah me! Although...one is not looking forward to next week when I have to start getting into the pool two times a week and swim 75 meters. Oh, why does next week have to be the beginning of month number two...why!!!!

Thursday thru Saturday: Umm....I'm sorry to report that there will be no actual training on these day's due to the fact that I will be out of the area. I will however be doing TONS of walking...so at least I'll still be active :-)

Days left till Half Marathon: 9 (ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!)

Koman Race for the Cure Day!!!!

Sunday September 18, 2011.....

The day started off somewhat brisk and could, I started thinking to myself....am I going to freeze while I'm out there, I don't think I've dressed warm enough. But as I made my way down to the Bangor Waterfront the temperature had started to rise and I realized that it was going to be a beautiful day!

I met my fellow Mainely Running teammates near the finish line, where we gathered to get ready for the day's events and as we were waiting for everyone to arrive and have our group picture taken, I couldn't help but watch all the other participants pass by...from young to old and think to myself that this was going to be an awesome day and I was happy to be there.

As the time got closer for the start of the race, we made our way towards the start line where I saw a few friends and fellow Biggest Movers, including two former teammates of mine. To think, when we Biggest Movers first started on our journey of healthy living did anyone of us really think we'd be running/walking a 5k???? I didn't think so!

After our inspirational speech was given, the gun went off and away we went....slowly. It's amazing how long it takes you to actually reach the start line when you're just one of 5,000 participants! When we rounded the corner to start running down Main Street, I realized that our running team had split into three different groups and some how I was near the front pack, slowly trekking along. By the time we were nearing the dreaded Lincoln Street hill (which is never ending...seriously, this thing just keeps going and going and going!), I'd broken away from the lead group and was on my own...but that didn't stop me. As I was trekking up this hill at my steady pace (thank goodness for all those practice runs, I've learned how to pace myself!), I kept looking at all those around me. Some you could tell do these runs all the time and we're flying up this hill with no problems what-so-ever, then there were those teenage high school girls who god forbid they get any drop of sweat on them...I do believe I heard one girl say that she needed to walk because she was getting too sweaty! As I was laughing to myself, that's when I realized we were about to be passed by some young college age boys and that's why these girls wanted to look their best....needless to say, those guy's never bothered to take one look at the girls!

As I rounded the corner onto Webster Street and then started running down Buck Street hill, three of my teammates had passed me and the last two were about 500 feet behind me. When we started trotting down Buck Street, we came across a bunch a "cheerleaders" cheering us on (which just made me beam inside with true happiness because not only was I out here running my little heart out, but I was doing this for a good cause!). 
 
Then came the last leg of the race, I was back to Main Street passing another group of cheerleaders and I knew that the finish line wasn't that far away. I'd run this route a million times and knew that I could do it, just one foot in front of another...keeping my steady pace. As I rounded that final corner onto Railroad, there it was...the great big pink and white balloon arc telling me that the finish line was near and that's when it happened. I kicked myself into high gear and sprinted like the wind to the finish line! Or as my friend Kathy would have pointed out, I picked my victim and was determined to take them down...heehee!!!!
 
My overall time (including getting to the start line) was 36:44.....Best Finishing Time To Date!!!!

After my run was over with, I joined some of my fellow teammates at the finish line as we cheered all of our fellow runners and walkers to the finish line. Even though I wanted to beat my previous running time, today wasn't really about that...it was all about those AMAZING women crossing the finish line wearing their pink "SURVIVOR" t-shirts. Every time I saw one of them past by me (whether she was young or old) my heart felt for them. From the young lady who just finished her treatments  to the lady who's been a survivor for over 20 years, they were all beautiful and amazing! They didn't care if they had the best running time, all they cared about was getting the word out and showing the world what they're made of!

As I was walking back to the Y after the final group crossed the finish line, I was thinking to myself...this may of been my first Koman Race for the Cure but it sure wasn't going to be my last! Do you think it's to early to sign up for next years????

One step closer

Another week closer means one more week of training and once again, I'm starting to think to myself "what did I get myself into!"

Sunday: With my new work schedule, I'm now able to work out at the gym on Sundays (yeah me!). So with this being a new beginning off to the gym I went for a 40 minute bike ride. I managed to bust out 5.35 miles during this time but what seemed really weird to me was the fact that I was the only one in the gym...talk about feeling lonely. Once I left the Y and drove myself home, I'd convinced myself to go for a quick 6 mile run and since the weather has been cooling off, this would be the perfect time to do so. But first things first, safety! I called my parents and let them know that I was going out for a 6 mile run and told them my route, if they hadn't received a phone call from me within the next 2 hours...send for help! I also made sure that I was visibly seen by ALL fellow drivers wearing a bright green shirt...with this race fast approaching I didn't want to take any chances of not being seen! And one would think that wearing a bright green shirt would do that but apparently that wasn't the case with one lady who decided that whipping out of here driveway on a sharp corner and texting was much more important than paying any attention to what was going on in front of her!!! Anyways, I'm proud to say that I managed to run my 6 miles without dying near the end (no cop cars following me to make sure I wasn't lying dead on the side of the road) and I only had to take 2 quick little walk breaks! My time is still 1 hour and 20 minutes but on the plus side, I did manage to skim off 28 seconds from my previous time!

Monday: Ummm....well needless to say, I didn't do any sort of workout today but with good reason I may add. For one, I did run 6 miles yesterday after my bike ride...I think that alone should qualify for today's workout and secondly, I ended up having to open the Y this morning. So after working about a 12 hour day, working out was the last thing on my mind.

Tuesday: Well, guess who had to open the Y again...yep me, so that ended up putting a change in my workout routine. I still joined my fellow Mainely Running classmates for our last run through of the Koman Race for the Cure route. Today, I decided not to push myself as hard as I had been in the past (especially with the fact my knee was still a little sore for Sunday's run and that I was told to ease it back a little) and it seemed like the temp went up 50 degrees during the short time I was out there. By the time the class was over with, I was done for and could wait to drink my water! After work, I didn't go straight home...instead it was off the fitness center for a 40 minute bike ride.

Wednesday: Again a day of rest....hey, sometimes a girl just needs a day to do nothing that's all I'm saying!

Thurdsday: Well, with me running completely behind schedule today it's amazing that I even managed to make it to the Y for a workout! I started off in the fitness center on the treadmill where I was told by one of my friends not to over do it so I could have enough energy for her class. So after 5 minutes I left the treadmill for a quick little 10 minute bike ride...you know, nothing big! Afterwards, it was off to Group Groove class. I was suppose to be joined by one of my new Group Groove buddies but he was a no show! Oh well, maybe next time.

Friday: Today was swim day....but I didn't make it to the Y for my usual set of laps. Instead I was off to my grandmother's timeshare and enjoyed her lovely pool and hot tub! Hey, for one...I need to relax my muscles and what better way to do that than in a hot tub! Secondly, I did get a workout in the pool....some kid left behind one of those beach balls and well, let's just say I was acting like a little kid again! Ahhh....good times :-)

Saturday: No workouts today...since it's always best to rest the day before a big race and with tomorrow being the Koman Race for the Cure, I didn't want to end up hurting myself.

Trekking Along......slowly

This week wasn't quite as busy as last week with my workouts and I'm thinking that was a good thing because everything else seemed to be exteremly busy in my life!

Sunday: I didn't do any workouts...instead I decided to treat myself and enjoy the lovely sunny weather we were having! Today was the last time we'd be closing the Y at 2pm and I was going to take advantage of it :)

Monday: With the Y being closed today due to the holiday (Labor Day), one needed to find other ways to get in her workout. My training schedule said that I needed to get in a 25 minute run today, alright that was something I could totally do outside (thanks in part to that running class I joined, I'm not afaird to run on the side of the road!). Off I trotted down the road to the local running track where I ran 4 laps (1 mile) without stopping. Kinda proud of myself I do have to say, knowing that the last time I came face to face with this track it was during my first round of the Biggest Mover and lets just say....we were not friends in the end! The rest of the day was spent walking up and down the fair grounds at Blue Hill Fair, again another great workout and a great way to work off the fries!!!!

Tuesday: Oh, what was I thinking on this day...doing  two workouts back to back...yep, I'm crazy! My morning started off at the gym where I was suppose to be joined by my tri training buddy but come to find out they completely forgot that we were meeting at 8am and not 7:30pm...oops! So, there I was trekking along on the bike for 35 minutes and biking a little over 5 miles. From there it was off to the new session of Mainely Running. After a little confusion of where we were all meeting, we finally got started and we ended up running 4.2 miles in 52 minutes! Not bad for Day 1 of class and I'm proud to say that yours truly ran the entire route with NO walk breaks!!!!!

Wednesday: After yesterdays workout, everyone thought it would be best to take a day off and let my body heal....which is just what I did.

Thursday: After taking yesterday off, I was pumped and ready for todays workout. I was joined by my training buddy this morning and we took to the treadmills for our morning runs. While we were running our little hearts out, two of our Mainely Running coaches spotted us and came over to quickly cheer us on. In 25 minutes I compeleted 1.97 miles and after my cool down, I compeleted 2.15 miles in 30 minutes. Since we still I had some time to kill before she had to get ready for work, we decided to do a 10 minute bike ride. I managed to complete 2.10 miles during that time...not the greatest but hey, at least it was something. We also divised a plan for any future triathlons that we plan on doing. If we're to do any more tri's after this one in April 2012, we're going to make sure that it's a relay one. And we've already got it planned as to who doing which part. I'll be doing the running section, my training partner will be doing the biking section (only because after today's workout it was totally clear that she's a better biker than me!) and our mutural friend will be doing the swimming section...which we sprung on her! She didn't seem to thrilled with the idea but then said that if we gave her enough notice to train...that she'd might be willing to do the tri with us!!!!

Friday: Oh Friday....you use to be my favorite day of the week, now you mean something compelety different to me. It's swim day! Once again, I wasn't joined by my friend (she wasn't feeling so well). So alone I went into the pool, where I was greeted by the lifeguard on duty and asked if I was lost! The pool wasn't busy and I managed to get a lane all to myself, which was awesome because this way there I didn't have to worry about running into anyone when I did my version of the free stroke! After I completed 8 laps in 20 minutes with very little rest...I was done for! I do have to say, getting the swim out of the way first thing in the morning is perfect and I don't have to think about it for the rest of the day :-)

Saturday: No gym, run (even though I was planning on doing at least a 6 mile run), bike or swim workouts today...instead one loaded and unloaded the back of a pickup truck 4 times with items ranging as big as 15.2 cu. ft. freezer to as small as a coffee table. Yep, that was a workout in itself!!!!

Koman Race for the Cure: 6 days!!!!

Half Marathon: 19 days!!!! (yikes!)

Going Strong

This is it...this is the week I add in my training for the triathlon. Sunday I didn't really do a whole lot due to the fact that I worked from open to close at the Y, so getting a workout there wasn't bound to happen. So, what does one do...besides plan and prepare oneself for their triathlon training, we bake! Yep, I had sometime to kill....so away I went baking up a storm and a storm it was....outside. You see, outside the wind was howling and the raining was coming down like cats and dogs due to Hurricane Irene! I did however fare much better than one of my neighbors, whereas my lights only flickered...the transformer that supplied their power blew! They were without power for at least 22-24 hours. And even though one knew that they really shouldn't be outside during a hurricane...I just couldn't help myself. The breeze was so nice and I just couldn't resist acting like a kid and playing in the mud!!!

Monday: First day of my triathlon training and the original plan was to do this first thing in the morning but that didn't happen, so when I clocked out from work...off the gym I went. Today's assignment was to do a 20 minute run on the treadmill. Thinking to myself, this should be easy since I've been running outside for a while but I decided to change things up a little and run with a slight incline. I'm proud to say in 20 minutes I ran 1.75 miles with my speeds ranging from 5mph to 6.1mph. After my run, I decided I needed to add in a little more than just cardio even though I do love my cardio! I ended my night with the following: 50 sit-ups and 30 chest presses with 12lb weight while balancing myself on a stability ball, only to be followed by some stretching.

Tuesday: Today I was joined by my friend who's training for the triathlon with me for a 30 minute bike ride. I can't remember the exact number of miles I biked but I do believe that it was around the 5 mile mark. After I finished my bike ride, I moved on to my old friend the rowing machine for a quick 5 minute workout and from there I did another set of sit-ups (50 to be exact).

Wednesday: Today I took the day off...which is a good thing and what my scheduled told me to do! It's kinda nice having a break :-)

Thursday: Yep...I do believe that the old crazy me made a comeback today and after reading this you may be shaking your head at me too. I started my day with meeting my friend for our scheduled 20 minute run. This time here I decided to make sure to include a cool down, so after 25 minutes I'd completed 1.85 miles. From there I decided to venture back to class that I hadn't taken in months, Group Power, which is an hour long strength training class. Then after taking a 5 hour break from the Y (where I spent my time outside doing some yard work and getting a great arm workout) I went back for the Group Cycling class, where I biked 10.3 miles in one hour! I wrapped up the night with Group Groove (one of my favorite classes and an awesome way to burn a lot of calories in one hour!). So, needless to say today I worked out for a total of 3 hours and 25 minutes...no wonder people were shaking their heads at me.

Friday: Oh...this was the one day I really wasn't looking forward to all week long. Today's triathlon assignment was swimming. Don't get me wrong, I love swimming...it's just that I'm not an excellent swimmer and the thought of doing laps over and over again did excite me. I know that it's best to warm up before you get in the pool and I figured the best way to do this is by running. Which is what I did....I ran to the Y and it only took my 20 minutes! I was joined by my friend for the swim and into the pool we ventured. 30 minutes later, we completed 10 full laps....yeah us!!!! The rest of the day's workouts consisted of walking....which itself is an awesome workout.

Saturday: Today was going to be a quick workout day and since there was no classes running due to the holiday weekend, off to the fitness center I went for my 30 minute bike ride. I managed to complete 5.5 miles!

Days left to Koman Race for the Cure: 14
Days left to Half Marathon: 27

Exciting News!

****Attention fellow readers, here's an update for you. No, I have yet to register for any new 5k's like I mentioned in my last post but I do any exciting news. No fears about me ending my "ONE CRAZY DREAM" with this half marathon. No, yours truly has decided to start training for a TRIATHLON! Granted, this tri will be a sprint but it's still a tri regardless! Training starts Monday morning.....wish me luck.****

Making Progress....

First off I need to come clean...I haven't been a good girl, once again I didn't get in my other runs like I should have.

Last week, I only got in that one outside run, which was a good thing for me and I did do a few runs on the treadmill but I'm telling you, getting up early to do my runs is tough and by the time I've finished work, running was the last thing on my mind and then, I went away for the weekend.

But this week, well that's a different story....kinda. The plus side to this week was that I'm back at the Y full-time, no more traveling 30+ minutes to make it to work. The down side, with a new walk way being put in that meant we had to have an alternative entrance where one of us would be stationed from open to close. Guess who was the lucky one to get the first opening shift...yep, yours truly! Normally I wouldn't mind this but I wasn't feeling 100% this day, so after my am 5 hour shift was done, I went home for 6 hours before I was back at the Y for the closing shift (another 5 hours), needless to say no workouts were done.

Tuesday I knew was going to be another long day, so if I was going to do anything it was going to have to be early. So off I went for my morning run with another fellow classmate. This time here we ran the same 5k route in 37 minutes!

Wednesday...Oh Wednesday, for the second week in a row how I've grown to loathe you so! I had all the intention to get in another early morning workout, whether it be a run or something at the gym but my body thought different. You see, for the second week I've woken up with the worst charlie horse ever! After discussing this issue with 2 people, one being a Personal Trainer and the other a fellow runner who's currently training for a FULL marathon, the following 2 things have been decided: A) I need to remember to stretch after ALL my runs and B) I need to add banana's to my diet (who knew!).

Thursday, once again the night before I had everything all planned out and ready for my morning workout but when that alarm went off, I felt like I'd been run over with a mack truck! My arms were sore and my abs felt like they went through one of Jane's killer Pilate's classes! So, I opted out of any early morning stuff but no worries, I still got something in. After work, I joined one of my friends for a really nice 35 minute walk...despite the rain!

Friday, what a day....needless to say, no early morning workouts this day. Decided to take that time and actually make a homemade healthy lunch instead of just grabbing something quick and easy. After a long day at work where I kept having projects thrown at me for left to right (I do believe at one point I was working on 5 different things, guess it's a good thing I can multi-task!), I still managed to get in a very intense quick workout. You see, at the end of my shift I received some very surprising news that just motivated me to push it as hard as I could in the fitness center (that and my co-worker/friend telling my I should go and work what I was feeling out on the treadmill). So tonight's workout consisted of a one mile run on the treadmill which took my 13 minutes, then off to the assisted pull-ups and dips (which only went to prove that after not doing strength training for a few months...you loose it!) and I wrapped up with 30 chest presses with 12lb weights on a stability ball and then 50 sit-ups. Yep, I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel those tomorrow.

Saturday.......OMG!!!!!! Not only did I managed to get myself up and going before 7am on my one and only day off but I managed to get in an early morning workout. No, I didn't drag myself to Y for any fitness classes or workout in the fitness center. No, yours truly went for a run....but not just any run, no we decided to go big and big we went! After lacing up my shoes and stepping out into the morning air...away I went for a 6 MILE RUN! Today was the day I was going to push myself and see if this was something I could do without killing myself. As soon as I made it past the one mile point, as was starting to get into a good groove (even though I had to stop listening to my music do to the fact my ear buds wouldn't stay in...got to get me some new one's). By the time I was coming down the 3rd big hill and getting ready for the next one which may I say just seemed to keep going, I came to the conclusion that when I do this again I need to remember the following: wear camel pack (need water!), don't wear my glasses (kept fogging up do to my sweat!) and lastly...I need a new sports bra! As I was getting to the near end of my run (and passed by a really nice police office who'd just pulled someone over for speeding and then I do believe later passed by me to make sure I wasn't lying dead some where along the side of the road), I kept thinking to myself that I can do this...just a little bit more, you've got this! Once I round the last corner and say my place, I made that last push (don't ask me where in the world I found that extra speed but I sure as heck glad it was there!) and sprinted to my make believe finish line! When I went to check my stopwatch to see how long it took my to run 6 miles, I couldn't believe my eye's. Here I was, thinking that I'd been out there for at least 2 hours but nope, I was completely wrong. I managed to run 6 miles in......1 HOUR 20 MINUTES!

All that's left to say...Half Marathon, you my friend are going down!

Days left till Koman Race for the Cure 5k: 21
Days left till Half Marathon: 34 (that's only 5 weeks left for me to train, ahh!)

One Step At A Time....

Okay, okay...I know that I promised to keep you updated on a much more regular basis but it's been tough. Summer and blogging just do not seem to be going hand and hand for me....hopefully when things calm back down, I can be on a much more regular basis!

Training for this half marathon has been going some what okay. Granted, one has not been keeping up with her training schedule like they should be and with the race fast approaching...I REALLY  do need to kick it into high gear, if it wasn't for the fact my bed is sooo warm and comfy in the mornings those early morning runs would be a breeze.

My training runs with the running group I joined back at the beginning of the summer has been paying off big time though. Two weeks ago we decided to change things up a little bit, between the route we run and how we run. You see, this time here we added in TWO hills and decided to run 2 miles straight before we took any walk/water breaks! By the time we hit that 2 mile mark...I was ready for some water, re-hydration is definitely the key people!!!!

Last week we changed things again! This time here we met at the waterfront to run the Komen Race for the Cure route which equals out to be a 5k and one that we, the Mainely Running class/group will be participating in on September 18th. We started off with a quick 5 minute walking warm up and then we were off in our run. As we started out, my goal was to run for 2 miles straight and then walk for a little bit...but as I conquered the most dreaded hill this race has, stopping was NOT an option for me. So on I trekked, I rounded that corner and started running my little heart out down that hill! As I was passing some of my fellow classmates waiting at the top of the hill, the instructor who was running with me told them that I wasn't stopping...so away they went to join me. As we were running the last 1/2 mile...it dawned on me...I'm actually doing this, I am running this whole thing without stopping...who in their right mind (or who've known me forever) thought this would ever be possible...surely not I! As we reached the 5k mark (3.1miles), I couldn't of been more happy with myself and just how much progress I'd made in just 2 months...I managed to complete the run in 37 minutes (and to think, if I'd been doing my "running" schedule like a good girl I probably could of shaded off some more time)!

This week, myself and a fellow classmate couldn't make our regular scheduled class time, so we decided to meet up 1/2 hour before everyone else and trek out on our own. We did the same route as last week but this time I decided that I wasn't going to push her like I've been pushing myself and let her set the tone and pace for our run. We managed to complete our run in 45 minutes...not too shabby if I do say so myself, especially with the fact it was raining and by the time we made it back to our car's, I was soaked! But don't think that just because we weren't able to join our fellow classmates and instructor's that they forgot all about us because that wasn't the case....they found us at the Y afterwards and asked us if we did our run.....guess that means we can't get away with anything now does it?!?!?!?!?! Today was also the last day of our Mainely Running class but no worries, we still plan on meeting when we get a chance before the next session starts in September (hey, some of still have with a 5k or half marathon to train for...or for those of us who are crazy, both!).

Days left till Koman Race for the Cure 5k: 33
Days left till Half Marathon: 46
Days left till I go completely insane: 0

****Stay tuned, I may be added in two more 5k's to my roster after I run this half marathon. Yes people, I am just that crazy.*****

Two More Weeks Have Come and Gone...

Wow, where has the time gone! I can't believe two more weeks have gone by since the last time I wrote, it just doesn't seem possible. I guess before I know it, this half marathon will be right on top of me!

Things in my life haven't slowed down, in fact if I didn't know any better I'd think they'd picked up! I've been trying my best to get in my extra runs during the week like I should but with the weather we've been having (some day's it's been in the high 90's with the triple H factor going on or most recently raining cats and dogs) it's just really hard.

I wouldn't say that I've been slacking though, because that's not the case for sure. On the day's that I'm not going for a run (either with my classmates or on my own), I've been trekking myself over to the Y for my workouts on the treadmill or elliptical. Occasionally I've been hitting a few group fitness classes but unlike before, those too have become a hit and miss with me.

The past two weeks in my running class we've really step things up! Last week, we attempted to run for one mile straight without stopping for our walk breaks (previously we were either doing a run for 2 minutes then walk for 1 minute, then it became run for 3 minutes then walk for 1 minute). It was amazing on how quickly this felt natural to me, so when it was decided that maybe the following week we'd try to run 1.5 miles without stopping...I was like, okay I think I can do that.

So, that brings me to this weeks class...only 2 other classmates showed up to join me but we were all ready for our first "long" run. As we set out with our 5 minute warm up, our "teachers" decided to try to keep everyone together throughout the whole run and instead of doing the usual route, we were going to change it up a little bit. You see, since some of the girls are doing the Koman Race for the Cure in September, they thought that maybe we should try to run some of the course...but no one besides myself knew what the course was. As we started our run, we did the usual beginning loop and then I ended up near the front of the group and took the lead in directions and I apologize now to my fellow classmates for the last part of our run being all up hill! In the end, we managed to run 3.3 miles (a little more than a 5k) with 2 miles of that being non-stop around 37 minutes! Next week, we're going to try to run the whole entire route (yes, that means we have to hit that oh-so-lovely hill again!)....wish us luck.

Half Marathon countdown: 58 day 2 hours and 59 minutes to go!

***Update, I completely forgot to mention this in my last post....but I am now currently at 70lbs lost!***

Training Still In Progress

Now, I know that it's been a while since I've written but I don't want you to worry - I haven't been slacking off on my training since the Biggest Mover ended in May, I've been going at it, slow and steady!

The week following the finale was a tough week for me, both mentally and physically. It started off with my 28th birthday, which should of been a happy occasion for me (don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all the "happy birthday" wishes I received) but for some reason I just couldn't seem to get "happy" and this funk ended up lasting for a week. Also during this time, I was taking care of a friends dog who'd just recently got his cast off from a broken leg and was also suffering from anxiety issue's. (Yeah, we were a lovely match for each other) So, needless to say working out in the gym was out of the question, along with going on any long walks. Thank goodness she had a treadmill that I could use!

After this week things started getting back on schedule. I finished out the month of May with my routine of classes: Group Step and Group Groove. Once June came along, it was time for things to change and not only my workout routine but also with my work schedule. You see, for those of you who don't know I spend 20 hours of my work week working at an overnight summer camp which is about a 30 minute drive from where I live. And after working an 8hr day at camp and fighting the traffic on my way home, trying to make it to my "regular" evening classes has now become IMPOSSIBLE! So what does one do, the switch up their workout routine to include some 5:45am classes (yes, that's right...time to become an early bird!), along with a few 9am, 6:40pm one's and my Saturday classes.

I've also added in a new class into my workout routine that's been helping me a lot in getting ready for the half marathon in October. It's a running class put together by the Mainely Running group. Our first class was right before the Y's Milk Mile Run that I did last year. This year I was determined to beat my previous time of 10:58, so when I crossed the finish line this year, I was happy to see my time on the clock......9:44, I shaved 1:14 off my time!!!! Thank you Mainely Running class :-)

 Since I started this class, I've been slowing making progress in getting better at my runs. I've even done one outside of class group run with a fellow classmate/friend and fellow Biggest Mover teammate. We managed to complete a 4 mile run in under 1 hour!!!!

I've also been doing my best to get out at least two other times a week for a run. In the beginning my fellow classmate/friend were meeting to do our runs together, but with this crazy heat we've been having and our crazy summer schedules it's been hard. But no worries....we've both have been doing very well on our running schedule, whether it be inside or outside.

I'm trying to talk her into doing the half marathon with me this October, we shall see if she does. But I can tell you that as of right now she's planning on doing the Race for the Cure in September with is a 5k (3.1 miles) and she plans on running it (a first for her!) and who knows, I may just even join her.

By doing this class, I've been really surprised at how well I've been doing. One would think that I've always been a runner, which is SO not the case...but I've set myself a goal and this is one way to help me achieve it.

I've also been training with my Biggest Mover trainer a few times with some of my fellow Biggest Mover teammates. We've meet 3 times so far and each time our trainer makes it feel like our very first workout ever. Which is a good thing because that way there, we know we're getting a good workout in!

As the summer continues to unfold, I promise to keep you posted with my training on a much regular basis. And who knows....maybe my next post will be about a 5k that I decided to run in at the end of July or just more about my crazy workouts! Either way....wish me luck as this crazy dream gets even closer to reality!

Half Marathon Count Down: 73 days 3 hours and 19 minutes as of today (7/20/11 at 8:45pm)

All alone...Part Two

Here we are, my very last week doing the Biggest Mover program here at my local YMCA. It seems so weird to be coming to the end of this wonderful journey. With the finale on a few days away and me still wanting to loose these last two pounds, I knew it was time to pick up the workouts once again!

Sunday: Now, normally on Sunday's I don't do anything do to the fact that I'm working all day but this week isn't like any other week and I knew I had to do something if I wanted to loose these last 2.2lbs. So, off to the gym I went during my lunch break for a quick (half an hour) bike ride. It actually felt really nice and it was a great way to shake up my work day!

Monday: Now, just like every Monday it's time for Group Step. Today's class was no different than any other, although it did seem like I was picked on more than usual.

Tuesday: Went for my workout during my team training time and once again I wasn't joined by any of my teammates, so I decided to put together my own little workout. Today's workout consisted of the following: 10 minute warm up on the elliptical, 30 assisted pull ups and 30 assisted dips, 15 kettle ball swings (3x), 15 chest presses with 12lb weights (3x), abs (3 sets of 10) and a 8 mile bike ride on the expresso bike! I decided to challenge myself with the bike ride and chose the course that said "Oh Mama" and let me just tell you, that was the prefect title for that course!

Wednesday: We all know what this day means.....GROUP GROOVE! Time to dance those pounds away and as of today, I'm only down .2lbs towards my goal. If I want to loose these last two pounds, I'm starting to think that I really need to kick it into gear!

Thursday: My last team day and guess what, I'm actually joined by a fellow teammate! Granted, this person could only work out with me for a half an hour but boy didn't I make the most of our time. We did the following: weighted sandbag lifts on box 2 sets of 25 (an old favorite), ball slams 2 sets of 25, kettle ball swings 2 sets of 15, burpess with leg lifts 2 sets of 15, ARC for one minute, Treadmill for one minute, 25 squats with 45lb barbell, 4 sets of bear crawls, 15 assisted pull ups and 15 inchworms with a push up. Not bad, not bad at all.

After my teammate left, off to the bike I went for a nice half an hour ride.

Friday: We're getting down to the wire and I'm still no where close to my goal. Final weigh in is tomorrow night, so off the Y I went to help me loose these last two pounds. I started off my workout with Pilates (time to work on the core!) and then I followed that with an awesome workout. I joined my "sister" Biggest Mover team (the Violet ladies) for one of there workouts. We started off with our usual warm up: jumping jacks and burpess. From there it was on to the workout, we did the following two times for two minutes each: step ups for one minute then side squats switching legs for the other minute, run on the treadmill (1 min at 6% incline 1 min at 0% incline but bump up the speed), squats with 45lb barbell, deadlifts with 20lb weight. From there we moved on to the following: 4 sets of 2 minute sprints on the treadmill and in between each set we did one set of these: boxing punches, ball slams, barbell lifts from the floor to above the head and kettle ball swings. Oh and I think I should add that all kettle ball swings were down with the 30lb one!

We finished the day with some nice stretching!

Saturday:                         LAST CHANCE WORKOUT DAY!!!!!

My origianl plan was to go to Group Power this morning and then follow that with Group Groove but when one of my friends told me that she wasn't making it to Group Power, I opted to skip any weight training for the day and focus on cardio....so off to cycling class I went! One hour of doing nothing but biking is one killer workout, I managed to do 11.2 miles but the best part was the fact that I survived the whole intire class!

From there it was off to Group Groove for my last big push.....needed to sweat out those last few pounds!

****After 12 weeks of hard work here are my final Biggest Mover results****

      Two weeks on my own, I lost 1.2lbs (not the 2.2lbs I was looking for but I'm happy!)

      12 weeks, grand total: 13.6lbs lost




 I'm proud to say that I'm now ONE pound away from 70lbs lost!!!  And, I'm now only 37.4lbs away from my goal weight!!!!

Our team ended up winning first place for the Biggest Mover Challenge and we won 5hrs of team Personal Training with our awesome trainer and $20 to a local resuarant. We also won the swim portion that took place during our "team challenge", thanks to me getting into the water! And for that we won 1hr of nutrition counseling.

All alone....Part One

So, we're now in the final two weeks of the Biggest Mover....which means it's time to test our skills and see if we can continue our weight loss without the help from our trainers. Some teams have decided to "hire" their trainer for the last two weeks....while the rest of us (my team included) are truly doing this on our own.

I've decided that this week's entry is going to be a little different, since I'm not training with the trainer...I'm going to break the week down day by day. Here we go!

Sunday: Today was Easter Sunday, which meant that not only did I not have to go to work...but the gym is also closed! So...what does one do for a workout, well they simply take this extra day of no work and clean the house! Eight hours of doing nothing but cleaning is a workout and I do have to say....I can't wait till summer time when I can have a yard sale. I've got WAY to much stuff and it has to go!

Monday: Oh Monday, how I love thee....not! Okay granted I do finish my Monday's with an awesome workout in Group Step (which I'm proud to say that I'm finally starting to get some of the moves down and this week here, I remembered to eat something before class!) but after getting to work at 4:30am, working out is really the last thing that I want to do. But for some odd reason, at the end of class I always feel much better and ready to take on the world, go figure.

Tuesday: Now on most Tuesday's I would be telling you all about what our trainer through at us during out workout but this is not a "typical" week. The original plan was for my teammates and myself to meet up during our normal workout times and put together some sort of workout. But as I walked in to the fitness center, I realized that I was going to be the only one. No worries though, I did get in an awesome workout...in fact I got two workouts in today!

Part one (done in the am): 10 minute bike ride (1.5miles), 30 assisted pull ups and 30 assisted dips, finished with a 40 minute run (non-stop) on the treadmill which was just a little over 3 miles. Not a bad start for this half marathon!

Part two (done in the pm): Since my work schedule was a little different this week and I was able to get out at 4pm, I decided to take Group Power. I hadn't done any of the new stuff yet, so I had no idea what I should be doing for weights. After talking it over with my trainer, downstairs to the studio I went and boy, didn't I have a good workout! I used more weights than I have ever done before in that class....I know that I'm going to feeling it tomorrow!

Wednesday: Again, since my work schedule was off than what I consider "normal", I was able to attend the 5:30pm class tonight. Tonight's class was Group Active and it had been a while since I've taken this class. If one remembers correctly, I think it was back in November....maybe January, but I do know that I hadn't done any of the new stuff! I ended up talking my mom into joining me for class, especially since it has been a while for her too! So there we were in the very back row, hiding in the corner so that way no one could see us mess up working away. The class tonight was packed, I ended up counting at least 30 people and I'm pretty sure that I missed a few people! We definitely got ourselves a great workout in and by the end of class, my body was a little on the sore side. Guess doing class each night for the past three might have been a little overboard? On the plus side though....after taking Group Step for the past month, I did notice that doing the step portion in Group Active was much easier for me this time around!

Thursday: I woke up this morning and could feel every single muscle in my body...I was sore! But being the type of person that I am, I didn't let this stop me for doing any type of workout! So off to the Y I went for a little mini-workout with hopefully some of my team members! When I walked into the fitness center I was happy to see two out of the five waiting to start. Since, I was unable to stay for the whole hour due to a meeting...I had to get in as much as I could during my short stay. Looks like today was going to be done in another two parts!

Part one (am): 10 minute bike ride and then 20 minutes on the Arc

Part two (pm): Group Groove (it was originally planned for all Cardinal Red team members to be at the class but just like our training times, this didn't happen. I thought I was going to be the only one...but right before class started, in walked one of my team members and we had fun grooving the hour away!) They say that for one hour of dance you can burn 400 calories, I'm thinking that after taking tonight's class...I burned a lot more than that. Not only did I give it my all but there wasn't one unfoged mirror in that whole entire room. And even though we didn't dance to Nelly's "It's Getting Hot in Here", it sure as heck did!

Friday: Today's workout consisted of something that I haven't done in a few weeks....Pilate's! I thought it was about time to do some sort-of core workout and it's the first time in a long time that I've been able to make it back to class. I also went bowling tonight with a fellow Biggest Mover and even though we only did one game, I'm considering this a workout...especially since I couldn't help but laugh at myself and my wonderful bowling skills!!!!

Saturday: Today started off with my cleaning out my SUV since I was getting my new one today. I didn't realize how much stuff I had in there! After lugging out three bags of quick concrete (60lbs each) and a 50lb bag of bird seeds out of the back, off to the Y I went for a quick workout with my friends (Group Groove time!). To finish out my day, I did some yard work. It was finally a nice day and I decided to take full advantage of it. There's still a  lot more to get done but we'll just save that for another day and another workout!

Almost to the Home Stretch!

This was our last week working out with our Biggest Mover trainers and it seems a little bitter sweet. I've enjoyed the past 10 weeks getting my behind into shape, not to mention working out my "Hollywood" thighs! (sorry, I just had to add that in there. It's sort-of become this thing with our team....we just LOVE working our hollywood thighs!)

Tuesday's workout was to say the very least....fun, yes you saw that right....I said the word fun! The weighted vest made it's appearance once again but thankfully we didn't have to wear it for the entire workout this time! We did 4 rounds of one minute each of the following: sumo squat walks while wearing the weighted vest (I was told by one of the members working out that I wasn't squatting low enough, that I needed to go lower.....but then after my workout they came up to me to tell me that there was no way they could do what I just did. Ahh....music to my ears!), suicides with bear crawls back to start point (we did these the entire length of the fitness center), planks with toe touches, burpess with leg lifts, cross punches with weights, assisted pull-ups and inchworms with push ups. Our intermission consisted of the following: jumping jacks, burpess and mountain climbers (and can I just say for the record....when I start hiking again, those mountains better be a breeze after doing these babies!).

Thursday's workout was our last one with our trainer....but as we all stood outside the fitness center waiting for our trainer to arrive, we were told that she would not be joining us today due to the fact she was sick. So we got ourselves a sub!!!! We were lucky enough to have the same trainer to fill in for us like last time and boy, didn't she have a few things planned for us!

We started off with a warm up of some nice cardio, I opted for the Arc machine and then we moved on to our workout that consisted of 4 rounds of one minute each of the following: wall sits with alternating leg lifts, wood chops, mary catherine's, reverse planks, jump squats and then one where we lied on our backs, legs in the air and we had to touch down to the floor switching legs each time.

Today's workout wasn't so bad and things probably would of been much better for me if it wasn't for the fact that right before our workout, I ended up hurting my left ankle. Yes, leave it to me to do something like that. And you would think that I would of been smart enough to say something at the beginning but no, I didn't tell anyone until after we were done.

Today was also weigh in day and with this being the last official weigh in before the finally, I wanted it to be a good one and after last week's weigh in our team alone was only 3lbs away for loosing a grand total of 100lbs. When I stepped on the scale Tuesday morning, I was already down 1lb...so my goal for Thursday's weigh in was to loose another pound. I'm proud to say that goal was met....total weight lost for week 10..... 2.2lbs. That now makes my total for 10 weeks 12.4lbs and since January 2010.... 67.6lbs. I'm now only 2.2lbs away loosing a grand total of 70lbs! And that my friends is my goal....I want to loose these last few pounds by the finale. Wish me luck!

My extra workouts for the week consisted of the following two classes: Group Groove (which I attended only 2 times this week and was happy to say that for one class, I was joined by 3 of my teammates and for the other class, I was joined by 2 of my friends who haven't taken class in forever!) and Group Step (which I now know that I need to eat something right before I take this class, not a pretty picture!). I also made it to the gym 3 times....very proud of myself!

Challenge Time!!!

This week's team workouts were a little different than normal due to the fact that it's Team Challenge Week!

Tuesday's workout started out like usual, with our warm-up consisting of one-minute jumping jacks, mountain climbers and burpees. From there it was time for Part One of the Team Challenge. First up was the oh-so-lovely push-ups, but unlike those special times when you're allowed to use your knees, these were a little more challenging. You had to stay on your toes the whole entire time and go all the way down to the floor. The challenge was to see how many you could do without stopping and yours truly was able to do 15 right in a row! And that was the most for my team. Next up was the curl-ups, which for those of you who don't know what these are...it when you lie on your back, hands are on your thighs and you just curl up till your hands reach your knees. Unfortunately, yours truly did not do so good on these. Lastly, for today's part of the team challenge was a mile run on the treadmill. Now, going into this thinking that I should do some what well since I am training for half marathon...I hopped on that treadmill and got my legs into gear. Eleven minutes and four seconds later I had finished my mile run, with my top speed being 7mph! I don't think I've ever ran so fast in my life....but it did feel great knowing that I was able to do it.

The rest of Tuesday's workout consisted of the following: side lunges with weights, high/low planks, sumo squat walks, sumo squat jumps and burpees with leg lifts. (If you couldn't tell, our team is still stuck on working our hollywood thighs!).


Thursday's workout was let's say nothing but interesting. There's was only three of us today due to the fact one was out sick and the other was in Portland, but no worries....our trainer had something special in store for us today.

We started off downstairs for our usual warm-up of jumping jacks, mountain climbers and burpees and then we went back upstairs for our surprise........a weighted vest with 25lbs in it!!!!

We had to do three rounds with an intermission in between each workout while each of us took turns wearing the vest through one round and one intermission and guess who was the lucky one to go first, yes that's right....me!

Our workout consisted of the following: sumo squat walks, sumo squat jumps, inchworms with push-up, plank with side two touches and overhead ball slams, all for one minute each.

Intermission went as followed: burpess and jumping jacks for one minute each.

                          (wearing the vest while doing a plank w/side toe touches)


Let's just say, the two rounds that I got to do without the weighted vest were a complete breeze! Man, wasn't that thing heavy and to think....I use to carry that extra weight around on me all the time. My mind still can't get over that.

After we finished all three rounds, it was off to the treadmill again for yet another mile run! Oh and it was decided that since our other two teammates missed the opportunity to wear the vest, that they should wear it the next time we work out...during the whole workout!

Now, since this is challenge week and I did mention that what I did on Tuesday was part one...you are probably wondering why there was no mention of part two during my team workout. Well, that's because I'm the only one from my team that was willing to do part two...so yours truly joined the violet team in completely this task. So off to the pool I went to see how many laps I could do within ten minutes....the answer to that questions my friends is, 7 laps! After doing those laps, I stayed in the pool with the violet team for part of their workout and I have to say that it was nice to change things up a little bit.

My extra workouts for the week weren't nothing to exciting. They mostly consisted of my group fitness classes (step and groove), along with a pre-training workout on the ellipitcal and running 1.2 miles on the treadmill.

Now, for the best part of my week....weigh in day!  As we all now, I've been trying to reach a certain goal for a while now. So when I hopped on the scale Thursday before our training, I was just praying that I'd lost the 0.6lbs to make that goal. And when the scale numbers finally stopped moving, I couldn't believe my eye's. I had lost 1.2lbs in one week....I met my goal! I've now lost a grand total of 65.6 pounds!!!!!!

Training in Progress!

Well, since last Thursday things have been pretty crazy but no need to fear, I've been a good girl and I've been getting my workouts in!

Within the past week, I've taken 5 classes and managed to make it to the fitness center at least 3 times. I'm proud to say that I've finally made it back to Group Step class and the best part, is that I'm finally getting some of the moves down! On Saturday April 2, was the launch of the new Group Groove release. I only have one thing to say....LOVE IT!!!! I love the new stuff some much that I've actually been to for classes already (hence the reason why I said I've taken 5 classes!). And no matter how many times I take this class, I'm still sweating like it's the first day. Oh and on a plus side....I've finally made it towards the front of the class. I'm still not quite ready for the front row....but who knows, maybe someday.

Tuesday's group workout was very interesting to say the very least. Our regular trainer was out sick so we had a sub. Our workout started with a warm up doing cardio and then it was time for the games to begin! Round one (all for 1 minute each): mountain climbers with disk, squats with weights, reverse planks (up on a bench with hands on the floor and do toe touches down to the floor), 180 twist squats and assisted pull-ups (which I'm proud to say I was able to do 5 in a row without any help!). Round two: 1/2 burpees with disk, jump squats (remember to stay low!), reverse planks, squat and hold (remember to stay low....legs starting to scream!) and lastly, assisted pull-ups. Round three and four: jack abs on bosu ball, ab workout where you sit on the edge of a bench, lean back and pull your knees and chest towards one another, plank with hip twist and lastly, corkscrews (start off in a push-up position, move feet in and keep twisting the lower half of your body from one side to the other just like a corkscrew!). In between each set we did the following: woodchops, one arm dumbbell swings (both sides) and one where you start off with the weight low on your right side, move to the middle and have the weight above your head and then move down to your left side. We did each of these 10 times!

Thursday...aka...weigh in day! When I weighed in on Tuesday I was up .4lbs, having a feeling that I was still up I decided to hit the gym a little early for a pre-training workout and then make a small trip to the sauna. The sauna was really nice...but next time I go in there, I'll have to remember to bring something to read...otherwise I will fall asleep. When it came time for me to weigh in, I was hoping to make my goal of at least .8lbs lost....unfortunately that did not happen. I only lost .2lbs. I know that I should be happy with the lost, but I was really hoping to make the goal of 65lbs lost and with only 2 weeks left with the trainer and 2 weeks on my own, one is starting to wonder if this goal will even be possible. Don't worry, I won't give up....keeping my fingers crossed!

Thursday's workout was a nice mix of some old favorites. We did the following for one minute each in 4 different sets: inverted rows, sumo walks, sumo squat jumps, plank with side toe touches, walking lunges with weight, push-ups, run on the treadmill, burpees with leg lifts (still working on those hollywood thighs!) and kettle ball swings. And of course our warm up consisted of the following for one minute each: burpees, jumping jacks and mountain climbers.

Now, for a side note on training for my marathon...which I think has now become more like a half marathon (hey, I don't want to kill myself the first time I'm out there!). Over the weekend we finally had some really nice weather here in Maine (we reached 60 degrees!!!). So, yours truly decided that it was finally time to go outside. I decided to take just a short little walk and kinda get to know my neighborhood. Well, what I thought was a short little walk ended up becoming a 5 miler! On the plus side though, I've now planned out part of my route for my half marathon training and yes, hills are included!

Milestone In The Making!

Ahhh....deep breaths! This week was nothing but a killer and I mean that in a good way. After not doing any type of workout on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (unless you count working long hours at the Bangor Y's Spring Fair and hauling 5-6 cases of soda at a time to load up the cooler a workout, oh and not to mention a nice little spin on the mechanical bull...which may I say afterwards, my thighs were killing me!). It was time to get back into routine on Monday and since I was able to get out of work a little on the early side...off to Group Step it was. Now mind you, I was still sore from the weekend, so taking this class was going to be a challenge. So many jumps, legs lifts, squats and oh yeah...stepping up on the step, by the end of class my legs were telling me no more!

Then Tuesday came and it was our first workout of the week with our trainer. After the four of us weighed in to see where we were at from last Thursday (our fifth team member was out), our trainer wasn't to thrilled that we were a little on the up side (yours truly was only up .4lbs...which wasn't bad since I really hadn't done a thing since the last weigh in). So off to our workout we went....and if we thought what we had done before today was tough...we hadn't seen nothing yet! Breaks were very, very limited...if there was even any, I can't really remember. In between each round, we had a nice "intermission" which consisted of the following: one minute burpees, one minute mountain climbers and one minute of jumping jacks (we did these 3 times!). For the workout itself, we did the following for one minute each three times: inchworms (which are when you inch yourself down into a push-up, do the push-up and then inch yourself back up again), suicides half-way down then all the way down (but when you came back to starting point you had to do a bear crawl back!), jumping ball squats and cross-puches with 12lb weights. After finishing there, it was off to the treadmill where we ran for two minutes, then ball squats with overhead lifts for two minutes. We did these two times before we went to cool down.

Wednesday came and I was running behind, so I didn't make it to Group Groove class...so off to the fitness center I went. Before I started my workout, I decided to weigh myself just to see where I was at and I couldn't believe my eye's...I was up again! Thinking that I needed to do something about this, off I went with my MP3 player to the elliptical and rocked up for 50 minutes! Over 400 calories burned later, I was feeling pretty darn good.....although I sure as heck didn't look pretty but eh, who cares.....I didn't.

Now I've come to today....weigh in day! The one day of the week that I look forward to but wasn't this week. I was still freaking out over the fact that I was up yesterday and I just had this really bad feeling that it wasn't going to be my week, I really didn't want to let my team members down. I was next to the last one to be weighed in (my team member who missed Tuesday's workout was going to be arriving later for her weigh in....another workout she was going to miss). As I stepped on to the scale and the numbers started changing...I couldn't believe my eye's.....down 1.8lbs since last week! I was so happy that I didn't care what the workout was going to be...all I was thinking was "bring it".

So downstairs we went, after our warm-up (burpees, mountain climbers and jumping jacks!) it was time to kick some butt! We started off with 5 different stations where we did each thing for one minute, station one was inverted rows (in other words, pull-ups with your feet still on the ground), station two was inchworms, station three was step-ups with a ball, station four was standing v-twist with ball and the ever so popular full body workout where you take a half-tire filled with sand and move it from the top of a box to the floor, then back up and then back down to the floor switching sides each time was station five. Then it was back to what we did as a warm-up and then it was back to the same five stations, only this time we took out the inverted rows and added in the treadmill. We did two more times of this workout and when it was my last time on the treadmill downstairs, one of my teammates made a comment about me going "to slow"....so what does one do, up the speed to 6.7mph!

After we were done downstairs, we went back to the main fitness center were our favorite machines were just waiting for us....the treadmill! You know what the meant....speed interval time! We did three rounds this time but unlike the other day's, there was no getting off the treadmill. Round one was at a 3% incline which a slight job for two minutes, then drop to 0% incline and kick up the speed for two minutes. Round two, 4% incline and then back down to 0%. Round three, 5% incline and then back down to 0%. Fastest speed for me this time was 5.2mph...didn't really want to hurt myself, but did run/jog for 13 minutes straight without falling off or hurting myself! By the very end...although I was tired, I felt really good and ready for the day.

*****************************ALERT, ALERT*********************************

IMPORTANT NEWS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO'VE BEEN FOLLOWING SINCE THE BEGINNING! SINCE I'VE STARTED LOOSING WEIGHT, I'M NOW PROUD TO SAY THAT I'M ONLY 0.8LBS AWAY FROM A GRAND TOTAL OF 65LBS LOST!!!!!!

WHO KNOWS MAYBE I'LL MAKE MY GOAL WEIGHT AFTER ALL!