Mind Games.

I firmly believe that life is what you make of it.  Someone famous once said something about how you may not be in charge of what happens TO you, but you are always in charge of how you let it AFFECT you.   Yes friends, you are in control of your own happiness, you can turn lemons into lemonade, and all of that good motivational pep talk you see on big posters hanging in your high school guidance counselors office.

Sarcasm aside, I promise you, it is all true.

Trust me.

And life is so much more enjoyable once you grasp this concept, because it is certainly inevitable that there will be trying times. This week, I have put a fantastic spin on the the frustrating, sometimes painful "stuff" that has been plaguing me as of late:  Ultra Beast Mental Training.  (Are you sick of hearing about the Ultra Beast yet? No? Good, because we are just getting started. )

Let me give you an example:

Saturday night, my boys got bunk beds.  What 3 & 5 year old wouldn't be over the moon stoked about that?  Mine certainly were, and have willingly and gladly gone to bed without hesitation because they love their new bunk beds so much.  So where does the opportunity to practice mental toughness come in, you may ask?  Oh, usually somewhere around 5:45 am.  That's when the baby, who was previously contained to his crib* and willingly slept until at least 7:30ish, realizes he has this new early morning freedom and decides to start poking me in the ribs and/or pry my eyelids opening all while declaring "it's morning, I want some cereal".

(*judge if you want that he was 3 and still in a crib. He loved that darn thing, and any parent will tell you that when it comes to sleep, you don't mess with a good thing)

Not only is that REALLY way to early to be debating with a three year old who insists that three poptarts would be a stellar breakfast, because poptarts are good and three is his favorite number, but it also means I've missed crossfit 4 times now.   Early morning arguments over high fructose corn syrup laden breakfast junk + no WOD = cranky, cranky mama.  OR...spin it around, and look at me overcoming adversity.  If I can start my day off like THAT, no spartan with a pugil stick is gonna take me down.  OK maybe PHYSICALLY, especially if they aim for my feet, but they won't crush my spirit.  See where I'm going with this?

Example #2

Sometime last week I broke my tooth. Yes, broke.  A molar in the back, while eating. It didn't hurt, in fact, I didn't even notice exactly when it happened. It wasn't until my tongue brushed against it that I realized something wasn't quite right, and a quick glance in the mirror confirmed that sure enough, a third of my tooth was missing. What the heck.   But in typical busy mom fashion, I put my health aside (who needs teeth anyway?) and figured I'd get to the dentist. Eventually.  When I had some extra time and money (haaaa!).   I should have realized last night during my run when every strike of my right foot radiated into my jaw that something wasn't quite right. But no, it wasn't until I woke up this morning with my jaw and lymph nodes in my neck swollen that I figured maaaaaaaybe I should see a dentist. 

Let me just start by saying, no disrespect to my friends in the dental field, but I would rather army crawl on my stomach on really sharp rocks under dangerously low barbed wire for five miles than visit the dentist for this type of situation. Or who am I kidding, any type of situation, really.   Three things in this world give me anxiety: tornadoes, millipedes, and dentist visits. Alas, big girl britches pulled up high, I made an appointment and went in anyway.  So there I was, getting those ridiculously obnoxious and painful xray things shoved into my gums (have they not invented a better way to do that yet?) when I thought to myself "Beast mode, beast mode, go into beast mode. This doesn't hurt, nooooo, give me more pain, bring it!" Reverse psychology works really well when you practice.

And the dentist and my tooth must have known I needed this mental toughness training, because together they gave me a really epic decision to ponder while I soak in these antibiotics: root canal or tooth extraction?

Psshhh bring it on, tooth.

Lemons into lemonade.

In all seriousness, and Spartan racing aside,  I fully believe that every experience we face in life is an opportunity to grow. Good times, bad times, trying times. It's all a matter of how WE choose to react.

Don't be afraid to GROW.  Play mind games....and WIN. <3

Beastly Training

A few days ago, I read that it took last year's VT Spartan Beast female winner 3:45:xx ish to finish the race.  A 12 mile race.  Winner.  Almost four hours.  That gives you an idea of how tough that race was. 
The one I'm running will be twice the distance. Twice the obstacles.  

When I read the quote from Margaret of "Dirt in your Skirt", a very experienced Spartan and obstacle course racer, saying that we, the first ever Ultra Beast runners, should "get used to the idea you need to carry everything and it might take 10+ hours to finish"  it actually really hit me...

I can't f*&k around. 

(excuse the language. I've been told it's not classy to swear. But if ever there was a time to curse, it's during a discussion involving a 26+ mile race, fire, barbed wire, mountain slopes, and 10+ hour finish times. F*&k. )

Don't get me wrong, I'm not any less excited or any more nervous for this race with this new found bit of information. It's just that *in the past* I have had this tendency of beating around the bush when it comes to structured, disciplined training.  I hate to refer to it as lack of discipline, more so a lack of attention span.  I run, just not when nor how far the training calendar tells me to.  Which is ironic, because I write out training plans for others, and hound them to stick to it. Do as I say, not as I do.   But TEN hours = not a really fun time if you show up totally unprepared. 

But fear not, my faithful readers. This time, instead of lollygagging around (that word is fun) my crazy focus on this task at hand has me already headed down the opposite path: overkill.  Tuesday, I pulled an abdominal muscle doing box jumps. Seriously, who does that?    Heather with the apparently weak core, that's who. There I was, burpeeing, box jumping, and running 1/12th of a mile sprints in all of my "look at me, I'm an Ultra Beast in training" glory at the Y, when all of a sudden during a jump I felt the sharp pain.

  Now, I am stubborn, no doubt about it (blame genetics, that's what I do when my own kids don't listen), but for once the rational side of my brain kicked in and I thought of the advice that I always give my own clients:  "Know the difference between discomfort and pain. Push through discomfort. Push through 'this sucks' and 'I really, really hate this', but know when to stop when something doesn't feel right."

Something seriously didn't feel right, so I stopped.   Later that night at work, during my usual rounds around the fitness center, I jumped up to the pullup bar, as I have a hundred times before to knock out a pullup or two before continuing on the rounds.  The second I engaged my core and started to pull up, it was like a knife in the gut. 

Hmph.  

Don't worry, the next day I was back to new, but it was a sign, a sign perhaps not from the Spartans from the exercise science gods, that now is the time to put together a plan.  You see, my first instinct towards training for the Ultra Beast was to just train LIKE a beast. Anything, everything, whenever I got the chance. Go, go, go, more, more, more.   However, I'm now thinking that while crazy training is certainly necessary....progressive crazy training might be the best idea.  Structure, with all of those principals of training and exercise they taught me in school, complete with the dreaded....say it with me now....rest days. I hate rest days. I don't play well with others on rest days.  I get painfully cranky and irritable on rest days. Burpees don't make me uncomfortable, rest days make me uncomfortable.

So here's the general plan:

1) Run. A lot.  Conveniently, I have a 50 miler scheduled for August 18th. This should come in handy.

2) CrossFit. 4x week. (don't get me started on how I missed 2 days this week due to the "Great Bunk Bed Transition of 2012, that's for another post)

3) Mountains.  Hike, run, scale, whatever. Up and down, up and down, get used to the awesome suckiness of steep grades.

4) More core. The core is weak.  WEAK!

5) Swim, once, maybe even twice a week.  Because a) I hate swimming and b) the thought of possibly having to swim, with sneakers, and a relatively heavy camel back on, scares me. 

weeee cross-training !

6) Practice mud runs. Renegade Playground (they are letting us run twice, I hear). LoziLu. HeroRush. Warrior Dash. Spartan Sprints. Whatever I can get my hands on. Mud, obstacles, fire.

7) Find random heavy things to carry around, monkey bars on the playground, and awkward things to climb up and over

AND....

8) Rest *shudder*


Sure I'll come up with a more concrete plan (especially when it comes to building back up the mileage) but this is my starting point, the Lincoln logs to build my beastly cabin.  This should get interesting...

So , chime in:
Are you a training plan person? Does having a concrete schedule motivate you?  Or do you loathe them and wing it? Somewhere in between? Let's hear it!

Timex Ironman GPS: Global Trainer & Run Trainer Reviews

Test run to the top of a mountain? Check!

On my 14th birthday, I woke up early and ran to the breakfast table, eager to open my gifts before school.  What would it be ? New clothes? The latest Alanis Morisette CD? Whatever else I liked when I was 14?  Nope. None of the above.  It was a Timex Ironman chrono watch.  My dad swore up and down that it was the best watch out there. I hid my utter disappointment at the time that I got a lame watch for my birthday (I was hoping to rock the latest Abercrombie and fitch gear or whatever else was hip back in the 90's), but as it turned out, my dad knew what he was doing.  That watch lasted FOREVER, and was a staple to my wardrobe/sports training for the next 5 or 6 years.  I had to replace the band long before anything else on the watch stopped working. So needless to say, I already stand behind the quality of Timex products.


These days, however, the bells and whistles are far greater than the early Ironman watch I owned.   So I was very excited when Timex offered to provided me with two of their Ironman line GPS models to review. 

I'll be honest: my reviews of these types of products do not go into great detail about the tech side of the gear. As a mom on the run (literally) my reviews consist more of: does it fit? Does it withstand to my 3 year old stealing the watch and pushing all of the buttons at the same time and then throwing it across the room?  Is this a realistic product for me to use day to day?   I'm happy to say that with the Timex products, the answer is "yes" to all of the above (seriously, Kain did some quality control testing of his own on the Run Trainer...sigh)

 So, first up:

Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS w/ Heart Rate Monitor

What they say:   "Worn on your wrist or mounted to your bike handlebars, the Timex Ironman Global Trainer is the only multisport GPS product worthy of the Ironman name. It delivers a state of the art GPS that records pace, speed, distance, and more. Powered by SiRFstarIII GPS technology and ANT+ compatibility, Global Trainer records your performance across several dimensions, providing real-time data on a customizable screen. It’s Multisport mode allows for a customizable sequence of up to five activities to make triathlon data capture completely seamless. This bundle includes an accurate heart rate sensor, and can be paired with third party ANT+ power meters. After your workout, download performance and route data to Timex Ironman online training log software powered by TrainingPeaks."

Special Features:

• GPS-Enabled Watch Measures Pace, Speed, Distance, Heart Rate and More in Real-Time.
• SiRFstarIII GPS Technology Requires No Calibration
• Customizable Screen Display Show Up to Four Windows of Information
• 20-Workout Memory with Dated Summary Records up to 1000 Laps of Information
• Battery Recharges when Connected to USB Port or to any Electrical Outlet with Included AC Adaptor
• Comes with Timex Flex-Tech™ Digital 2.4 Heart Rate Sensor
• Compatible with Timex Foot Pod sensor using ANT+

MSRP:  $360 (with HR monitor)

What I say:

Likes:  Off the shelf incredibly easy to use. I took it out of the box and started playing with the functions without reading the manual first, and I had no problem finding the "run" portion of multisport, hitting start, and going for a run.    The screen is large and easy to read,  the buttons the same.   While the face plate is large in diameter, it is not very large in height off of the wrist (like some other GPS watches you may or may not be familiar with!).  Honestly I'll take the large faceplate if it means I can see the stats clearly while ON the run.

size comparison: Motorola Motoactv, Timex Run Trainer, Timex Global Trainer, Garmin Forerunner 305

 The watch is also waterproof, which totally solves the swimming issue. I hated that I could never take trusty coach Garmin into the pool.  The multi-sport function is easy to use.  And conveniently, the Global Trainer comes with a bike mount that easily and securely snaps onto your bike's handle bars (a little trickier to find the right spot when you have aero-only, but I had no problem snapping the mount onto the side)

I love the soft heart rate monitor strap (as opposed to some that are stiff the entire length of the front chest strap).   I had zero issues with heart rate monitoring or losing signal, and could comfortably wear the chest strap for hours at a time.

soft Timex strap (top) vs. stiff Garmin 305 model

I will be honest, call me old school but I prefer buttons over touch screens of some other brand's newer models.  There is no accidental stopping of the timer, hitting the lap button, etc. if you brush the screen.
Lastly, I appreciated that when you power off the watch, it is now in "time" mode, as a standard watch. Convenient!

Dislikes:  Twice I couldn't locate GPS satellites, at all.  One time I will forgive the watch, as I was in the deep forest in the middle of no where (the trail head of Mt. Monadnock) but another time, I was in the middle of downtown.  I realize this is a common problem with ALL GPS watches, not simply the Timex brand, but I felt it should be noted.

Timex Ironman Run Trainer GPS w/ Heart Rate Monitor

What they say:  "It’s no longer enough to train hard, you also have to train smart if you want an edge. The Timex Ironman Run Trainer’s sleek styling and compact build complements a wide array of wrist sizes and running styles. The Run Trainer offers a large, readable face with three or customizable line displays, allowing users to view their preferred information during workouts. The product includes real-time pace, distance and elevation data using SiRFstarIVä GPS technology. In addition, the training device boasts an eight hour battery life and offers water resistance to 50 meters. "

Special Features:

• GPS-Enabled Watch Measures Pace, Speed, Distance and More in Real-Time
• Fastest and Most Reliable Signal with SiRFstar IV™ GPS Technology
• Highly Customizable, Easy-to-Read Screen Shows Three- or Four-Lines of Data
• Interval Timers, Alerts and 15-Workout Memory
• 8-Hour Battery in Full GPS Mode; Recharge with Included USB Cable
• Comes with Timex Flex-Tech™ Digital 2.4 Heart Rate Sensor
• 50-Meter Water Resistance
• Compatible with ANT+ Foot Pod Sensor
• Easily Customize Watch Settings on a Computer
• Review Maps and Performance Online
• INDIGLO® Night-Light with Option for Full-Time Illumination

MSRP: $275 (w/HR monitor)

What I say:

Let's lump likes & dislikes together for this one: My huge dislike was that it took me FOREVER to figure out how to work this thing, switch functions, etc, and the owners manual was seriously lacking in helpful information.  That said, once I figured it out, I LOVE this watch. It is smaller than the Global Trainer, which is great for me and my freakishly small wrists.  Once I picked up GPS satellite, I never lost it, even through deep trails.

As a fitness professional, I like to have a watch and HR monitor on throughout most of the day.  For obvious reasons, like timing intervals, keeping track of a class, answering the never ending "hey do you know what time it is?" question, and not so obvious things, like getting a general estimate of daily caloric burn based on HR, and keeping track of my personal heart rate (because I'm an exercise science nerd) while teaching classes.  I really enjoyed the Run Trainer as I was able to customize the main screen to show me exactly what I wanted (HR & calorie burn) for work, and then quickly switch over to a GPS enabled watch to go for a quick run on the trail behind our facility (because honestly, this does happen a lot at my job. I am blessed!)

For both products, I was able to log onto https://timextrainer.trainingpeaks.com and create a free user profile.    I'll be honest, I'm a "here and now" runner.  What's my pace RIGHT NOW and how far have I gone, at THIS VERY SECOND.  I know a lot of people do enjoy analyzing every tenth of a mile over their race, but clearly I do not have the attention span (nor time) for that, so I'll be honest that I didn't go far into depth with this part of the review.  However, I know a lot of people are huge fans of Training Peaks.  I have used it in the past, and it is truly a great program to create, track, and analyze your training plan, so I was excited to see that the Timex Ironman products were compatible.

 

I also appreciated that both models came with an entire booklet dedicated to heart rate monitoring and training. The number one question I get from new clients, members, and athletes is "what should my heart rate be?"  Of course, without lab testing it's hard to know exactly, but the booklet gave an easy to understand, basic description of how heart rate training should work.

For those debating between the two models, I would ask you what your main goals are. If you are a statistical/training numbers junkie: go for the Global Trainer.  I have been using this watch for months now and have hardly scratched the surface of the capabilities of this watch.  It is a must for triathletes with it's multisport functions.  If you are looking for something a little more versatile and more "watch" like (for the gym, for the run, for timing your grocery shopping aisle splits), I'd suggest the run trainer.

It is very hard to list ALL of the capabilities of these watches without sounding like an owners manual, so if you have ANY specific questions at all about this review,  these products, or simply my opinion on these products, please comment below and I'm happy to answer them!

For more information on these models, as well as others in the Timex Ironman line, please visit their website.

*note: Timex provided me with these products for review free of charge, however, all opinions and reviews stated are 100% mine. *

Limits

There are two kinds of "I don't want to get out of bed this morning".  First is the kind where you toss and turn all night, with unsatisfying intermittent sleep. When the alarm goes off you are cursing the sandman for being a no-show to the party, and you just KNOW you are going to be exhausted all day.  Someone pass me the caffeine. There's nothing good about this type, at all.    Then there is the kind of "I don't want to get up"  where the alarm goes off and you literally think "woah, what just happened? Didn't I just lay down in bed?" because you slept SO soundly. Like an 8 hour time warp (who am I kidding, in my world it's more like 6 hours if I'm lucky).

I'm pretty sure the latter is how sleep is SUPPOSED to go, but as a mom of two, who did ALL of the night time feedings and wakings for the last 5 years (just calling a spade a spade), that deep sound sleep is something that is so incredibly rare in my life, I really can't remember what it's like for that to be a frequent occurrence.

This morning, I hit the snooze button 6 times as I tried to pull myself out of that time-warp kind of sleep.  SIX times. Each time I thought about how sore I am.  How exhausted I feel. How these workouts are kicking my butt. How easy it would be to sleep in just one more hour. And everytime I almost gave into the warm comforter and the "dismiss" instead of "snooze" button, I would think of the email I got yesterday:

...The Ultra Beast will be the ultimate challenge and will require dedicated training, and an understanding of self-support as only ONE water station will be available on course.  Finishers will have to be strong, durable, mentally tough, and prepared to take on the challenge of the Vermont Mountains.  It will not be easy but this is a Spartan Race, so easy isn’t what you were looking for.

Good luck.  Welcome to the Ultra Beast.

And while even though I wanted nothing more than to stay in my DOMS filled coma while convincing myself that "rest is good for me"...I got out of bed and headed into CrossFit.

So yeah, I got into the Spartan Ultra Beast.   I can't tell you how excited I was (am).  Actually, my spin class could tell you probably, as I read the email literally 30 seconds before class started and then laid into them with a ton of hills and sprints (isn't that how everyone celebrates good news?).

But now that the excitement is over, it's time to get to serious work.  126 days.  Could I drop and run a marathon on whim, today? Sure (not that I recommend it) A tough mudder? Super Spartan? Yup, I'm in decent shape.  By health standards, I'm a gold star, baby. Heck, I ran my first sub 20 minute 5k yesterday.

But do I have what it takes to survive this, times two, for 26 + miles, unsupported ?



I don't know if I do right this second, but I damn well will by the time September rolls around, mark my words.

To completely change the topic but I swear it's all related, I think I may have mentioned that I officially joined  CrossFit Keene this week.  And thus, this week has been spent learning that I am WEAK.  Seriously.  I know not everyone starts out of the gate with the exact prescribed WOD's, but all I can say is thank goodness for modifications and scaling (best part about crossfit), because that's what I've had to do for just about EVERYTHING. My core is weak. My back is weak. My squat form sucks. Pullups suck. Deadlifts suck. I can't even get into a handstand never mind do handstand pushups. It all sucks so much and I'm so weak in almost every aspect... that I simply can not get enough.  I want more, I want to get better, stronger.  I'm hooked.

There comes a point in every fitness-enthusiast-turned-athlete's life where they cross that threshold, from land of "I should workout because it will make me stronger/healthier/skinnier" to "Bring it on. Faster. Better. Stronger. Whatever it takes Screw vanity, I want to be the BEST."

The last six months have changed me in so many ways. One being exactly what I mentioned above.  Believe it or not, there was a time where I only saw fitness as a very dreaded way to fit into my skinny jeans. Then, it evolved into the dreaded long runs, just because I liked to run marathons.  But nothing more. I loved the finish line, I loved the atmosphere, I loved the medals. I didn't love to train.    In fact, I almost always used something in my crazy life as an excuse (scroll back a year or two in this very blog, and you'll see for yourself, or ask anyone in my old running group about how many times I didn't show up to morning runs).   I always enjoyed exercise , I wouldn't have spent the last 4 years and more money than I care to think about earning a degree in it if I didn't love it.  But it was always from a "health seeker" point of view, and I was far from dedicated.

For me, pushing the limits came as a result of emotional pain. Pushing my body physically was a temporary solution to quelling the heartache and numbing the chaos of what my life had become.  Eventually, the heartache quieted down, and I was left physically stronger. I saw results from the hard work. Big ones.  I was fitter than I have ever been before. Faster than I have ever been before. And while I slowly no longer needed the mind numbing aspect of the workout, I found myself still looking forward to that feeling of discomfort from things being NOT easy.  I don't want to be told I'm good at something, I want to constantly be told how to be even BETTER. Training for this race will only help me strive to be better.

So now that my blog post about getting into the Spartan Ultra Beast has turned into some sort of a novel, let me bring this full circle.   This race means a thousand different things to me, that I'd love to tell you all about but this post has already taken 4 hours to write because my kids have a thousand different things to say today and suddenly I can not form a coherent thought.

So I will just say this: I refuse to fail. The blinders are on. Target locked. Spartan Ultra Beast or bust.   Thank you for all of your support in getting me to this point, and I hope you'll follow my journey to the finish line.

And I'll finish this (ridiculously long) post with this thought...

In the fitness field, people ask me all the time "how do you find the motivation?" and the truth is, I don't know how to answer them.  I can give them my answer, but I can't give them theirs.  Everyone has to find something deep within themselves. Something they want to beat. Prove. Do. Conquer. You have to want it for you, and for no one or nothing else. It's one thing to want to be "skinnier", it's a complete different one to want to be your BEST.   To win, whatever "winning" means to you.

Find your goal, hold on tight, believe in yourself, and don't ever give up. <3

You'll shoot your eye out! (a.k.a. "let me into the Spartan Ultra Beast!)

So here's the thing: I want to run the Spartan Ultra Beast.

26.2(ish) miles of 50 (ish) Spartan race obstacles.  That's potential for like, 1500 burpees (in a Spartan race, they tend to dole out 15-30 burpees as punishment per each failed obstacle).   One (yes, 1 single) aid station will be on course with water and/or sports drinks at an undisclosed location on the course (according to the website)

Mud, hills, fire, barbed wire, scaling walls, and certainly carrying something heavy and awkward (sandbags? logs? boulders? tires? small squirming children?), along with plenty of other ridiculous obstacles plus a marathon. In the woods.

And I want in. Really, really bad. In an obsessive "Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB Gun" sort of way.

(You'll shoot your eye out!)

There is not one specific reason why I've now decided that this is my "A" race for the year, my single, specific focus of training this summer (assuming I get in). The exercise/endurance sadistic part of me thinks the Ultra Beast looks....fun.   Every time I describe the race and how anxious I am to hear back from the Spartan HQ (do we refer to that as Sparta?) the look on others faces is priceless.  You know the one, the "come again, you want to do what now?" look, combined with the "I should back away slowly for I am not sure you are completely sane" eyes.  But I live for these kinds of challenges.

And another part of me...the part that has been to hell and back over the last year, wants to remind the part that at one point was so broken it just wanted to simply give up, that we (meaning, me) are so much stronger than we think.

So my Spartan friends, here are ten  reasons why you should let me into the Ultra Beast (since you made me limit it to 3 sentences on the application, and frankly, as anyone who knows me can attest, I have a lot to say. A lot.)

1)  I am not afraid of a challenge. ANY challenge, no matter how difficult and/or gross.  Just the other day I pulled a power ranger lego character's head out of a 3 year old's nostril.  Those of you who are scoffing right now thinking "pshh that's not a feat of endurance or strength" have clearly never attempted to pull a power ranger lego characters head out of a 3 year old's nostril.

2) Obstacle course/mud runs do this to me, and I still come back for more:

That's sexy. Or a 2nd degree anterior talofibular ligament tear. Take your pick. I prefer sexy.

3) Every time I see that post going around facebook about how no one "likes" burpees, I think to myself...but I really do like burpees. (I really do!)

4) I work out for a living.  As a personal trainer, wellness coach, group exercise instructor, and ASCM certified health fitness specialist, I'm constantly moving and training.  Six, sometimes seven days a week, the gym is my home away from home.  And that doesn't include my personal workouts (CrossFit, distance running, trails, etc).    Every day I strive to become fitter, faster, better, stronger. And honestly, I simply can not sit still.  PLUS..I dole out burpees to others on a daily basis. See? We have TONS in common!

5) I like to run. A lot.  One time, I ran a marathon, then a half marathon, then a trail marathon, all in the span of 2 weeks, just because I could.  I wear my marathon maniac title proudly (#3572!).  My 50 mile ultra in August will make a perfect training run for the Ultra Beast.

6) My running partner in crime Hope and I are some of the original "Spartan Chicks."  Long before there was official Spartan-Chicked gear, we made our own. Go ahead and ask Shawty Spartan/Carrie Adams about the bedazzler ;)  And I remember when the now 4,000+ strong facebook group only had a handful of us.  

The lovely SportyMomme, and yes we did get many compliments from guys as we "chicked" them on the course

Who's your Spartan? 2011 Carolina Super Spartan finish line

 7)  Let's get personal for a second (hey, I've never denied the fact that I'm an over-sharer): you want mental toughness?  Nothing you can dish out can compare to what I've been through this past year.  I'm a single mom and went through quite the sh*t storm that put me here. I've been torn down. I've hit rock bottom.  But like Kelly Clarkson and Kanye West say (and Friedrich Nietzsche, I suppose, if pop music isn't your thing)  "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger".   Day by day my phoenix wings are spreading as I slowly pick my way up out of the ashes, and every day I'm stronger than the one before.  Further, I now play zone defense on a 3 and 5 year old boys and thus, also have an awesome ability to foresee future dangers, disasters, and (typically very messy) obstacles, plan accordingly, and then tackle them like a boss.  (I'm also really good at refereeing wrestling matches, for what it's worth)

8) These days, I call New Hampshire home. As spring slowly works it's way into summer, I'm eating UP the beautiful outdoors in this state.  Mountains, trails, hills, I can't get enough of them. Can you think of a better place to train for the ultra beast?   OK I'm sure there's a few, but it beats the heck out of suburban Myrtle Beach where I just came from. Running on the beach can only get you so far...let's run up Mt. Monadnock instead.

9)

10)  I love you. I honestly love you.  *wink wink*. Let me in.

(Run Faster Mommy friends and fans, feel free to tweet the good people at the Spartan Race or harass them on facebook, and let them know that they should let me into the Ultra Beast!  You all rock!  And...anyone else in for the Beast or ultra Beast?)

Reebok Fitness Experience - Part 2

 So we left off yesterday with the awesome workout at Reebok Crossfit ONE, and me telling you that if you have wanted to try CrossFit but haven't yet, you NEED to.  (I reiterate that statement today, even though I can't lift my 40 lb kid off the ground right now after yesterday & this morning's WODs).

We then walked across campus and back to the headquarters to meet with some of the amazing women behind the Reebok product.   What impressed me the most about the presentation they gave us was how much they genuinely seemed to value OUR feedback. As both fitness enthusiasts & fitness professionals from all disciplines, shoppers and even fashionistas, they wanted ALL of our opinions. And they feverishly took notes as we shared our ideas. I loved that.  As a fitness professional myself, you can imagine what my wardrobe consists of. It's imperative to me to have clothing and sneakers that are functional for *me*.  And it's an added bonus when the functional gear is also the stylish, cute stuff.  I really appreciated that they wanted to hear from ME, someone who works IN the fitness field and busts my a$$ in the gym daily, versus just taking into account what the latest "fashion" trend is on the runway.

We were shown both current product and top secret up and coming products (believe me, you'll want to keep your eyes open for what Reebok has in store!)  Some of my favorite current product?  The new CrossFit line , which is designed with top of the line materials with range of motion and freedom of movement kept in mind at all times.  And, it's really cute. I'm just saying ;)

We went into great depth talking about shoe lines, as well as what and who they are designed for. As a big fan of the barefoot/minimal shoe movement, I appreciated that the ladies took the time to explain foot type, what the "drop" in a shoe means, and most importantly (for me) discuss Reebok's view on this current trend.  Basically, Reebok believes that while you should have a more natural shoe, they also believe you should be able to jump right into a sneaker and be able to use it, instead of needing months of "transitioning".  As a consumer, and a mom who leads an incredibly hectic life, I really appreciate that point of view.

The ladies showed us some of the most popular shoes in their line, including the Real Flex Transition, the Zig Tech, and the Crossfit Nano, as well as all of the technology that goes into the shoes.  For example, the individual nodes in the Real Flex that allow for 360 degrees of flexibility and a more natural platform.  Or, the "U-Form" technology, as seen in the Crossfit Flex Nano, that allows you to heat the upper of the shoe simply with a hairdryer, then have it custom mold to YOUR foot.

from top to bottom: Real Flex Transition, Zig Tech, CrossFit Flex Nano

Reebok fed us a delicious, healthy lunch, where I proceeded to embarrass myself as I admitted to my fellow healthy living bloggers that I am one of the horrible junk food junkies who doesn't think twice about where my food comes from (*sigh*) but assured them I'm going to start working on it. I swear. I'm eating fruit salad as I type this.  Promise!

Next up, it was time to learn more about what goes into actually designing a shoe.  We met with Bill McInnis, Head of Advanced Innovation, who is, interestingly enough, a former NASA rocket scientist. See? A lot of work goes into these shoes ;)  The exercise scientist in me was a little giddy when we headed into a giant conference room FULL of anatomy and biomechanics text books.  Bill told us all about the process of coming up with an idea to actually getting a prototype.  And instead of just telling us about it, they actually showed us, from the CAD designs to the actual machines that whip up 3D models.

And then came the hysterically fun part.  Reebok flew in the amazing Ilyse Baker, choreographer and dance fitness expert based in L.A, to lead us through a class.  Let's just say, the Beyonce moves I *thought* I have in the dance club are nothing like the ones I *actually* have when I see myself in the mirror, in the middle of a studio (perhaps it was the lack of a few adult beverages? Let's blame that!).   Seriously though, even with my horrible moves, Ilyse's dance class was SO much fun.  Check out this video below.  I highly doubt Rhianna will be calling any of us anytime soon to be her back up dancers, but we all broke a sweat and got in a great workout. And fun is what it's all about!  Sorry, but thankfully, you can only catch a few quick glimpses of me. heh heh.  (Thanks to Bex for the video!)

We reconvened for a huge round of thank you's and hugs to and from our wonderful hostesses at Reebok.  I really hated to leave, but left with some amazing new additions to my wardrobe.   I've already put much of it through the ringer between work, running, and crossfit, and I am pleasantly surprised.  Needless to say, my previous thoughts about step class and white high top sneakers have been replaced with thoughts of strength and kick-ass-ness (is that a word? Is now!). 

Thank you Reebok , for everything. For an amazing day, for great products, and for your commitment to the sport of fitness and athletes of all types.  You have earned yourself a new fan!




*disclaimer* I was provided a day at the Reebok Headquarters and Reebok gear free of charge, however, all opinions expressed in this blog post are solely that of my own.

Reebok Fitness Experience Part 1 - CrossFit

The universe continues to work in mysterious ways.

For the past few months I've been doing a lot of functional training on my own.  Any sort of WOD I can come across that I am able to do at the Y, I try to do. If not, I'll put together some mishmash of sprints, burpees, and box jumps and call it a day.  This is also how I typically train my clients.  My philosophy is this: you pay for the gym membership, you can use a treadmill and the weight circuit anytime you want. If you pay EXTRA for me as your trainer, well I'm taking you out of that comfort zone and pushing you to do something different.  For me personally, more functional training and less simply putting in the miles has made a HUGE difference in my fitness level and running speed.  I am lucky if I hit 20 miles a week, and despite the low mileage, recently took 11 minutes off of my half marathon time.

I've known about CrossFit forever. I've wanted to join in for about half that time.  I'm not exactly sure what took me so long, but about two weeks ago, before this evil cold struck, I finally, *finally* made my way into a box.  CrossFit Keene.  And it was awesome.

So amidst all of this, I get an amazing invitation from Reebok and FitFluential to visit the Reebok headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts.  For those of you who don't know, Reebok has partnered with Crossfit in a long term contract as they set out to be the face of fitness.  Reebok is 100% committed to CrossFit, its athletes and community, and thus, has built the most epic of Crossfit boxes (the term for the building one does crossfit in) of all time. And suddenly I had an invitation to visit.
Geeked.

Reebok was gracious enough to send a couple of awesome outfits before hand (including their crossfit gear, which I adore, review to come soon) and some Real-Flex transition sneakers. So decked in my Friday best, I made the quick drive down to Canton to the headquarters.

Right from the get-go I fell in love with Reebok, because they have a track that goes around the building, *AND* roaming wild turkeys.  Big ones.   And signs on the wall like this:

What's not to love about a place like that?

Now I hate to admit it, but previous to this visit, when I thought of Reebok I thought of this:

Fitness. Step class. Classic white sneakers, probably with Velcro. And most likely some sort of leotard. 

In our introduction to Reebok and where the brand is headed these days I realized that the focus of Reebok has not changed over the years. They are still committed to being the face of fitness.   Except these days, fitness looks more like this:

Say it with me now: bada$$.   Check it out:


So after our quick intro to the brand, the above motivational video and this one below that seriously makes me want to drop and knock out 10 burpees (credit to Kelly Olexa for this one) we headed to the box.



The box was AMAZING.  I may be a newbie to crossfit but I'm no stranger to gyms, and the equipment in this facility, and the facility in general, was just unreal. 

Austin Malleolo, head coach at Reebok Crossfit ONE

We met with some of the Reebok Crossfit ONE coaches, including Austin Malleolo (top finisher in the 2010 & 20111 CrossFit Games), Caleb Diebolt, and Lindsey Johnson.    Austin briefly gave us a CrossFit background (check out, What is CrossFit?)  and gave us a rundown of our WOD. 

3 rounds for time:
200 m relay (400 m total)
45 KettleBell Swings
24 pullups
(done with a partner).

After a bunch of demos (where I was told nicely that my posture sucks and my squat form needs some serious work. New coach Tim here in Keene pointed it out again this morning, haha) we got down to business.

poor guy was trying so hard to teach my to tuck my pelvis in and flatten my back. Who knew I was such a slow learner...

Cheering on my partner Nicole (photo credit K. Olexa)

patiently working on my swing form (photo credit K. Olexa)

It was a quick, fun workout (to be honest, after being sick for a few weeks my fitness level is seriously lacking, so yeah, the 200 m sprints pretty much killed me. Sadly.) And after thanking our coaches, we, in typical social media-blogger fashion, took a ton of photos.  It's what we do.

So, a ton of you have tweeted or commented asking me about crossfit or saying that you are wanting to try it.

Do it.

Seriously.  I considered myself "in good shape". I could drop and run a decent time half marathon right now.  Heck, I could even make it through a marathon if I had to.  I can do real pushups. I can do 2 unassisted pullups.  My BMI and body fat are in check and healthy.  CrossFit, however, has shown me that I am weak.  I have great endurance, but I am not fit. And I aspire to be strong.

 I love that you can get in a killer workout in a short time. I love that you compete against yourself, push yourself to do better every time. I love that it's not the same thing every day. Again, I'm still new at this, so I can't profess my undying love for it quite yet, but I'm certainly at the lust phase.  I want more.

And I'm incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to train under the watchful eye of some of the worlds best CrossFit athletes in such an amazing facility.  I wonder if Reebok will let me move in?

Stay tuned for part 2...where we learn about footwear, the direction of Reebok apparel, and the moment when I realize that I do NOT shake my booty as well as Beyonce...or even relatively close.