I'm Going To Be A Rugged Maniac

Greetings from the Chicago O’Hare Airport!!!

This is how you blog while in Child's Pose...

I’m currently en route to San Francisco for a week of exploring, and have some layover time to kill. Lucky you!

Now where did we leave off? Last week, I challenged myself to a week of Paleo (three cheats), dragging booty to the gym for 5 straight days, and putting up two additional posts. Well, the week is over, and all said and done, I’ll give myself a B. Nutritionally, I totally owned it, and only indulged in everything in sight not-so-good food twice. I went to the gym 5 days total, just not in a row (I took a day off because every joint in my body ached last Saturday), and I only got one of two posts up.

I do have some cool news, though! Thanks to my new kicks and running plan, I hit a personal best on Friday! I ran one mile straight, walked 90 seconds, ran another mile straight, walked 2 minutes, then ran 0.5 miles, and walked another 0.25. All and all, 3.1 miles—or a treadmill 5K (no, I’m not going to tell you my turtle-pace time…just let me have my moment on top of the world. The view is so great.).  Now, I realize that this mileage is really eye-roll worthy, but I honestly don’t think I have ever run a mile non-stop before. Let alone doing that twice. So, at the very least, I know my endurance is improving!

Now, I just have to do it back to back to back without all the walking. And I might as well do it with a 25-pound weight lifted above my head, or balanced on one foot for meters on end, or hoofing up a huge incline begging for mercy…

Why so, you ask?

Because I’m entered in a 5-K obstacle course race at the end of September.

Oh yeah.

Realistically, about 6 weeks ago now, a friend of mine messaged me after reading a post about my endeavors to break into running. She has done a number of mud runs for fun-zies, and she thought I might enjoy the masochism   beer at the end   experience. Never one to shy away from torture and challenge, I accepted and registered. The upside is that I’ll be doing my inaugural running race a the posse of similar-minded hooligans who I call friends. Five of us will be racing in the Rugged Maniac on September 29. We’ll be racing for fun, rather than time, but I think it will pose an interesting challenge nonetheless. Basically, it’s a 5K on a motocross course with 20 obstacles between you and the beer  finish line. The obstacles are largely mud and/or water related, so in addition to getting a good butt-kicking, it’s just a great excuse to get really gross like when you were kids and not have to explain yourself. Sign me up.

As this is now a mere 4 weeks away, I’ve launched myself back into my running plan. Now that I know I am capable of running a mile non-stop, walking a little, and then doing it again, my next step is to increase distance slowly without the walk breaks. I’m hoping I can get to 2-1.5 mile chunks within the next two weeks. My strength training card has also been shifted almost exclusively to multiple muscle exercises without machines so that I can adapt to lifting and moving my own weight. Hopefully this will help me be more gazelle-like whilst I attempt to climb walls, army crawl in the dirt, and bob-and-weave through water obstacles (though I’m more convinced it will just help me stay alive whilst I flail through everything else). 

So that is something fun to look forward to and prepare for in the coming weeks!

Wanna know what else is fun?! Running to catch your flight! Which is what I have to go do now! Workouts come in all forms, you know…

Happy weekend-ing!

The Shoe Matchmaker

Guys, the cat tumor is back and demands attention. 

Simultaneously writing and petting shall be my greatest challenge yet.

So about six weeks ago, I had a birthday—as many people do each year. And to my “surprise” (I say it like that because it is incredibly difficult to actually, fully, catch me unawares), I was thrown a really nice party complete with galactic bowling and some pretty great people. Here are some wicked awesome Polaroid pics of our debauchery (NOTE: I was told I was going to a fancy dinner, hence the totally bowling-appropriate outfit):

The grand reveal of sneaky snakes.

Mad skills, regardless of attire.

Who doesn't love cake?!?!

One of my gifts from this whole affair was an I-O-U custom shoe fitting for a new pair of running kicks! Since starting to run, I was noticing that my feet were really sore by the end of the 30 minute plans. I had bet that my shoes were the main culprit, and had been whining talking about getting new ones ever since.  Ergo, behold a new mathematical equation: whining about sore feet+birthday+attentive boyfriend who is tired of massaging your nasty self after workouts=new running shoes. Try it. It works. Like magic. 

A couple of weeks later, we went to a running-specific store. I was partnered up with a very nervous guy who was still in his orientation/training phase of employment…turns out shoe fitting would be a first for both of us…though his boss would be shadowing and throwing in commentary and suggestions as needed. Away we went on a crazy adventure to find the perfect pair of kicks for me.

I had brought in the shoes I was using to run, which the bossman looked at for wear patterns and design. He laughed, and told me, “Don’t run in these.” While they were perfect shoes for the CrossFit style workouts I do, apparently they were both too heavy and unsupportive for the wear and tear your body experiences when running. Noted.  Next, my feet were measured for length and joint placement, poked at a little, and I had to do a lot of walking to observe what my feet, ankles, knees, and hips did when moving freely. It was weird to feel so on display—I felt like I was being graded, and almost asked the guy-in-training to hold up a number rating as to my performance and speak like a Russian figure skating judge. I didn’t though, because he was all sweaty and having difficulty forming full sentences (I like to pretend that was because of my extreme good looks and winning personality, though it was probably because his boss was hovering just behind him the whole time silently giving HIM numerical ratings).

Now, most of you are probably used to walking into a shoe store, picking something you think looks pretty and/or badass, trying it on, and if it felt as good as it looked, you’d purchase. Well, running shoe stores handle that a little differently. Logically, they value fit over style, so even though you might see a pair on the wall that you totally love (and of course, I did), they may not be the best shoe for your body.

All this is to say that after my foot interview was over, my nervous shoe guru and his boss went into the store room to bring out a few selections that they felt would best partner with my lower body physiology. They brought out two different boxes, and I started feeling like a giddy child on Christmas morning, wondering if Santa got you the cool Super Soaker you asked for. I also had an extreme urge to yell “WHAT’S IN THE BOXXXXX?!!!!” But I acted like the mature adult that I’m not, and kept my cool.

Boxes were opened, laces were tied, and I found myself out in the parking lot test driving the first pick—the kickass Asics I was drooling/fantasizing of when checking out their wall of options. I did a quick loop around the lot to test for fit, and was immediately surprised by how light they were compared to my current pairs of gym shoes. Also, I could feel wind in between my toes as I ran! I didn’t even know that was an option with shoes! My shoe gurus watched me as I ran to see if I was pronating/supinating or sliding around in the shoe. All good there. I gave them my feedback about how they felt, and we went inside to try on pair #2—some awesome grey/yellow Nikes.

Those were a no-go. I could feel pressure on four different points of my feet, and when test driving in the parking lot, my feet felt clunky and heavy. The staff brought out one more pair of Asics with a ton of cushioning to give a try. I didn’t like the way those felt while running either. The cushioning was so absorptive that I felt like I was squishing something when my feet landed. Nixed.

Alas, a happy ending! The shoes that felt the best also happened to look the best, too! And here they are….

Awww yeah!

Super Fly.

Overall, I’d have to say the experience was awesome. The staff were very knowledgeable and really listened to my feedback and heard my needs. It was also nice not to be overwhelmed with choice. They narrowed my options down for me based on what they knew about my feet and their products. And they made a perfect match!

These shoes and I have been in a relationship now for three weeks, and it’s going swimmingly. I think they might be the one(s). They continue to be light, airy, and supportive, and my feet have not hurt once since (the knees, however, are a story for another day)! If you’re breaking into running, or already do run and have never had a custom fitting, I highly recommend it. It’s so important to learn about your specific foot physiology and the different brands available to you that best meet your individual needs. As I’m learning as I continue my running plan, the right shoe makes all the difference in your speed, endurance, and overall performance when logging the miles. Plus, who doesn’t love something that makes you feel like lacing up and working it out?

Happy Friday, peoples!

Have You Met Karl?

So I have to fess up. I’ve fallen halfway off of the bandwagon over here—in case you couldn’t tell by my radio silence for over a month. It all started back in July…when I went home to the tundra for a weekend and consequently missed the gym. And then I was tired when I got back. And I missed the gym. And then I got runner’s knee and needed to ease way up on my running training. So I “missed” the gym. And then holy hell broke loose at work, and so I got emotionally tired. And I missed the gym.

Are you tired of my excuses yet??? Me too.

My last post was about hitting the restart button on my workouts since a crazy start to the summer. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. And while I’m making it sound like I went straight up cold turkey on my gym kick, I suppose that’s a little too harsh. I have been making it there, but usually only 2-3 times per week, and usually just to do my weight cards.

Truth be told, it’s the mornings that are really kicking my butt lately. I am great at getting to the gym after work, but I am having such a hard time just waking up when the early mornings hit. I don’t know you are familiar with the comedian Mike Birbiglia and his joke about Sleepy Karl (if you are not, you should watch this awesome clip for the first 3 minutes or so), but seriously, SLEEPY KARL LIVES IN ME. I can NOT wake up in the morning, and I think this dude is to blame. My alarm is a gentle yet peppy melodic sort of tone, largely because I like to wake up thinking that I’m a magical princess who daily arises to singing birds and sunshine—but Sleepy Karl has horrible hearing and severe delusions of his own. Lately, when the alarm goes off, Sleepy Karl is all like, “What’s that noise??? Oh, it’s just an ice cream truck at 7am in the morning. Nothing suspicious here. Back to sleep.” And I believe him! Sleepy Karl is also really good at out-reasoning and back-talking me. The alarm goes off, and BOOM! Karl is all up in my grill giving the laundry list of reasons why 9am is a MUCH more acceptable time to get up. Largely, his main argument is something to the effect of, “But look, if you stay in bed and roll over, there is a COOL PILLOW on that side! You can get up anytime, but that cool pillow won’t be there to hug your head if you strap on your running shoes.” What can I say? He’s a persuasive little punk who consistently parleys me into missing my cardio mornings.  

Regardless of Karl, I’ve been missing the structure and the routine I had going in the Spring. My body feels less capable lately, my loss of body fat has slowed to a near halt, and I just feel weak and jiggly everywhere. My nutrition has also gotten a little out of hand. I’ve been able to stay relatively clean/gluten free during the week, but I totally gorge on the weekends on anything in sight. And I’ve fallen off my writing schedule, to boot!

In short, I’m feeling off-balance.

And when that happens, usually I give myself a challenge to help re-center…because I’m a control freak. So here goes:

• Workout: Step One—Give Sleepy Karl the bird and get to the gym tomorrow morning for my running card. Step Two—5 consecutive days of cardio/weight training to break back into the groove (today-Saturday, rest Sunday).
• Nutrition: 1 week Paleo/Primal starting tomorrow until next Wednesday. Three cheat meals maximum.
• Bloggy-blog: One more post by Friday, one post additional post by Sunday.

Ah, feeling more successful already. And just because the universe has a funny way of sending you things when you need them, check out what was FINALLY waiting for me when I got home today (I've been anxiously awaiting my first issue for 7 weeks)!

Two times the fun! Score!

So without further ado, I’ll bid you goodnight to go start the challenge off right—whipping up some Paleo crepes for dinner! Happy Tuesday!