OUTSIDE

How amazing does it feel to be outside?! I'll tell ya right now. ah.maze.eeeng! The weather has been so unbelievably nice this weekend, we spent most of it outside... well, as much as we can for February.

Today the kids, Gram, Caw, and I decided to go hike Badger. The kids were champs and made it all the way to the top. I was VERY impressed. Parker was Parker and had ADD the whole way up- stopping to draw in the dirt, kicking rocks and dirt, taking lots of rests and water breaks. He kept asking "How many more minutes?!" On the way down, he really really had to go potty, so that was kind of torturous for the poor guy. Probably the longest 10 minutes of his life!

Callie conned Caw into carrying her for a good part of the way, but really did most of it herself, even running at times. She did great and really, they both were troopers.

I had explained to them a bunch of times prior to leaving that this hike wasn't easy and they would have to work hard to make it to the top, but they REALLY wanted to do it. Afterwards, they both told me it was harder than they thought it would be. Parker said he didn't want to hike the big mountain again until he is all grown up. I'm sure proud of them though.

Our Own Duathalon

My sister and I kicked some major arse last weekend when we decided to not only run 2 miles, but the go hike Badger Mountain. Needless to say, I could not walk for 2 days, but still- I'm super proud of us! Scout came and I am proud of him too.

First time on the top of Badger for this pup!

As far as my exercise this week, I've slacked. I played a Kinect fitness game and Dance Central with Parker and that's it. Don't laugh- have you played Dance Central? It's a workout!! I've really tried to focus on my eating this week and stay strong through temptations. I've been doing really good when eating at home, but going out for dinner has been my weakness! I think this week I probably will stay the same on the scale. I've slipped up a couple of times, and I know Super Bowl Sunday is going to kill my diet. My goal this week is to lose 1/2 pound, so I'll keep you posted!

Cross Training: Biking

Last night I had my first "real" bike ride for exercise. I rode with my sister and 2 friends from work. It was a 10.8 mile ride along the river. It look us about an hour and 15 minutes, but we took lots of breaks and even sat on a bench for awhile to rest our behinds.

I really don't have a fancy bike. I think it was the blue light special at WalMart.It does the job though so I don't mind. My sister and I bought the same helmet without knowing and noticed we have the same bike, just different colors. Weird, huh?! We must be on the same wavelength or something. I actually found biking to be much easier than running. My butt is the only thing that is super sore today. It hurts to sit down! I think I'll get used to it though (along with some padded shorts!) and will try to incorporate more biking into my exercise routine.

ALL DONE!

Crossfittin' It

I think I might be one of the last few people on Earth to never hear of Crossfit. After being totally into running, I was feeling the need to mix things up. I'd hit a plateau with my weight, and after hearing Cory talk about Crossfit, I thought why not try it?!

For those of you that were like me and had never heard of crossfit, it's basically a fast circuit training with weightlifting and quick cardio. Plus, Cory told me my boyfried Bob loves it, so I do too.

I find the whole website for crossfit super confusing, but luckily I have we have a Coach in the fam to help me out. Here he is explaining the next exercise to me while I am busy taking his picture.

Yes, I have a rullet..that's a reverse mullet.

We've been going to our old high school to work out because Cory has a key to the gym. Takes me back to my Lion Pride days!

So after my couple days I am SUPER sore. I think this change up in my workout routine will be great. It's really fast- like only 20 mins or less. The kids tag along and entertain themselves while we old people exercise. Here is Callie's exercise outfit she picked out:

My goal is to get toned up, reach my goal weight and do a freakin' pull up!!!

Wearing uneven socks will help you workout too

And don't worry- I'm still going to run...probably only a couple times a week for now. Oh, and I already lost 2 pounds in 3 pounds in 4 days doing this crossfittin' stuff in case you're wondering- which I know you are! :)

Hiking with da Hubs

Went hiking up Badger today with the hubby. It was about 41 degrees out, sunny but kinda windy. I was really nervous I was going to freeze, but actually worked up a sweat and had to take off a bunch of my layers.

For those of you that don't know, Badger mountain is in Washington state. Elevation is about 1600 ft. There are a couple different routes. A longer route that's about 2.2 miles and a shorter, more steep route is about a mile. We went up the longer route and came down the steeper trail. It's a great hiking trail for beginners.

Cory would like to hike Mt. Adams this summer, so he is starting to train for that now. Crazy guy carried a 50 pound pack.

My moutaineer

The view was great like always. On the way down there was even a few pretty snowflakes. I'm totally sore already. Tomorrow, I'll need the Advil!

At the summit!

Biking FAIL!

After talking with a couple family members about biking, I decided to give it another go. Main reasons I was scared to go back on the bike: It hurts my butt, I'm scared of hills, and I have no idea about gears. I told myself to get over it and suck it up.


Cory was a gem and fixed my bike up all purdy. He borrowed his brothers super fancy bike, called mom, and we were off!

We got nearly 2.5 miles into it and "pop"! There went my front tire.

Lance Armstrong Cory was pretty far ahead of me Mom went to catch up to him so he could go back to the truck. I sat there for what seemed like forever staring down the road.

And finally- my knight and shining husband guy!

Guess what? Oh his way back, BOTH his tires blew!! Eventually my mom passed him, so he hopped on her bike. About an hour and a half later we made it home.

I think my bike hates me.

New Training Plan

So I didn't exactly stick to my last training plan, but it did the job..Got me through my first 5K without killing myself. Hal Higdon still rocks the house in my book, but this time around, I'm going with a 10K training plan by Jeff Galloway. That's right, I am not going to tear my hair out if I have to walk at times while training. I think that's okay.

I'm heading into my second week of this 8 week program and so far, so good. Because I'm not planning on doing a 10K until next year, I am giving myself lots of time to increase my mileage with no stress if a workout doesn't go as planned. Here is what my next few weeks look like:

Week 2
Sun: XT (cross train)
Mon: REST
Tues: XT
Wed: Run 30 mins
Thurs: Run 30 mins
Fri: XT
Sat: Run 3 miles

Week 3
Sun: XT
Mon: REST
Tues: XT
Wed: Run 35 mins
Thurs: Run 35 mins
Fri: XT
Sat: Run 4 miles

Week 4
Sun: XT
Mon: REST
Tues: XT
Wed: Run 40 mins
Thurs: Run 40 mins
Fri: XT
Sat: Run 4 miles

At the end of the training plan, I want to be up to 6 miles on my "long run days" (Saturday). Right now during training, I am doing a run 5 mins/walk 1 min ratio. This has really worked well for me so far. I was able to run my last race with no walking breaks, so I am happy with that.

Guess what? I have a new training partner too...

Not Parker..Cory! Yay! I'm so happy to have the hubs join me!

Importance of Cross Training

I recently finished my first ever running training plan. I didn't follow it exactly, but I learned a lot. For example, I suck at motivating myself to run after work. By time I cook, get kids in the tub, clean up a little, the day is gone and I am pooped (or insert other useful excuse here).

So this time around I am more realistic and smart about my new 10K plan. That's right, I threw it out there..I am training for a 10K!!

Turns out on my last training plan I was missing a major key. I have been doing things totally wrong!!

I did not include cross training in my weekly schedule!

Actually after reading other running blogs and articles, I feel kinda dumb that it never occured to me to do other forms of exercise besides running. It might not seems to make sense at first, but cross training actually will make you a better runner! Here's why:

REDUCES INJURY!! Doing other sports will lessen the strain on the muscles you use while running. Running is high intensity, high impact. Pounding on your joints day after day will eventually take it's toll. Especially for a newbie.

AVOID BURNOUT!! Let's face it, running gets boring at times. We have all been there..in a running rut. Taking a day off to do another form of exercise will make you maybe miss running a little bit, recover mentally, and help you give it your all on the next run. Monotony sucks.

MUSCLE BALANCE!! No one wants to end up with buff hamstrings and calves, but puffy untoned arms and abs. It's important to lift weights to target specific areas and tone, bicycle for cardio/quad workout, swim for cardio/arms/quads/back, yoga for stretching, ect.


To get started with all this cross training stuff, I went for a bike ride with the mamasita tonight. What a nice change and great cardio workout. I really enjoyed it. Variety is the spice of life, right?! Nod your head and say "Right, Katie!"

We did 4.6 miles in 29 minutes. I have no clue if that is good or not. I will have to do some more research on biking. Great, I am a newbie all over again!!