This Is What I'm Talking About

Lose Your Weak (verb) \luːz jə(r) wiːk\ - 
1. To stop having a part of the body that is not as strong or healthy as it should be 
2. To no longer being a person that does not have much determination

Find Your Strong (verb) \faɪnd jə(r) strɒŋ\ -
1. To discover one's physical power and health
2. To uncover a lot of power, confidence, and determination

Ohhhhhh Yum!

This is my latest addiction for lunch. It provides lots of protein, healthy fats, and nutrients my body needs. It takes 2 minutes to make and my taste buds are in heaven. It's a lean, mean, energy packed meal. Try it out, your body will thank you. (It is a tweaked version of what my buddy Mike from my CrossTrain class has been eating. Thanks dude for the idea!)

1 can solid white tuna (I use packed in olive oil, but packed in water is good too)
1-2 Tomatoes
1 avocado
Cilantro

TOTW x 2

My big day came yesterday and it was EVERYTHING I hoped it would be! Grueling, challenging, leg burning, heart pumping, soul searching, exhilarating, inspiring, rewarding.

SweetH2O 50k. It's not the miles that get you, it's the course. Rooted paths, rocky crevice descents, water crossings, climbs to respect, 6,700ft. elevation gain, 2 x 4 miles of gas and power line roller coasters, and the famous Top Of The World (TOTW) x 2.

November 2011 I set my sights on new challenges, SweetH2O was my pick. It was to be my induction into ultra trail running and finding my inner strength in the process. Six months of training, digging deep, acquiring ultra status along the way, and finding my personal strong came out on this course. Never did I think to quit, never did I wish to be some place else, never did I question my quest. Every step that was grueling I relished, every step through rolling paths brought me inner peace, every step reminded me of where God has brought me in my life, every step I loved.

I'm riding high from this experience and will ride it into my next challenge. I hope you will set your sights on goals, no matter how great or small, that bring you to a place of witnessing your inner strength. It's all about discovering your personal greatness.
Peace!

Photo courtesy of my good friend and running gal Dixie Cox.

You're seriously going to eat that?

Look at the labels on food and beverage products before you consume! Is it nutrition that can fuel your body or preservatives that sludge through your digestive system? What you put in your body directly effects your body's function and ability. I believe most people do not know what it truly means to "feel good". Until a person eats nutritionally and is involved in some form of regular physical activity, they will never experience the fullest their body has to offer. Treat your body well and it will reward you back!

Check out Food Facts to find out what's really in your food.
 

Let's have a little fun with some examples below.

Ingredients:

CEREAL (RICE, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SUGAR, WHEAT BRAN, SOLUBLE WHEAT FIBER, SALT, MALT FLAVORING, MALTODEXTRIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2]), CORN SYRUP, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, BLUEBERRY FLAVORED FRUIT PIECES (SUGAR, CRANBERRIES, BLUEBERRY JUICE FROM CONCENTRATE, GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE FOR COLOR, SUNFLOWER OIL), FRUCTOSE, SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL)†, MALTODEXTRIN, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BLUEBERRY FLAVOR, DEXTROSE, SORBITOL, GLYCERIN, NONFAT DRY MILK, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE, COLOR ADDED, MALIC ACID, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), BHT (PRESERVATIVE).  †LESS THAN 0.5g TRANS FAT PER SERVING

                               VS.

Dates, Almonds, Unsweetened Cherries


Answer: Kellogg's Special K Blueberry snack bar VS. Larabar cherry pie bar 


Nutrition Facts:
20 oz. bottle - 240 Calories, 62g Sugar

                           VS.
12 oz. can - 0 Calories, 0 Sugar


Answer: Sierra Mist Natural VS. La Croix Lemon-Lime sparkling water


Ingredients:
Milk, Sugar,Milk modified Ingredients, Glucose Solids, Mono and Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Polysorbate 80, Carrageenan, Flavor(s) Natural, Color(s)

                                           VS. 
 Milk, Cream, Sugar, Natural Tara Gum, Natural Vanilla Flavor.

Answer: President's Choice Vanilla Ice Cream VS. Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream
 

Those Miles Are MINE!

Woo-hoo! I can officially call myself an ULTRA RUNNER! Yesterday I participated in the GUTS Operation Endurance 12 hour run and loved (almost) every minute of it.

This is is how it started... I needed one more long run for my SweetH2O 50k training and really dreaded the thought of running 30 miles through my same routes. I needed motivation, I needed something fun, and I needed to run with people. Popping up on my FB page was the Guts Operation Endurance (OE) 24/12/6 hour run. Perfect! I can sign up for the 6 hour run and get my long 26-30 mile run, which would be my longest run at this point. Oh but wait, shoot! The 6 hour doesn't start until 2AM. Blah, no way, not starting at that time. Ok, I'll sign up for the 12 hour just so I can start earlier. Click, check,  I'm in.

Mid story... This past month has been one of the hardest mental and physical blocks I have ever experienced. Sometimes I will have a week when I am just not feeling in the groove of things, my body doesn't want to move, and my head is not in it. I usually trudge through these weeks and come through the other side feeling stronger. But not this past month, yes... over a month of this! I have had to push every workout and every run. My last post pretty much sums up my whole month of training, pulling out mental toughness almost every workout. After a month, trying to constantly pull out mental toughness and motivation gets tiring. Knowing OE run was this weekend, I took the week easy and tried to rest. Friday came and I was starting to finally feel myself again. I was more than ready than to kick this funk to the curb. I got excited about running the next day and began making my playlist. Just the titles of the songs were pumping me up... I'm a Machine, Rip It Up, Hell Yeah, Let's Go... that's the vibe. Then I read a couple of blogs of some ultra runner women/mom's and I got really pumped reading their stories of realizing their potential through fitness and running. Body was rested, mind set was positive, kids were shuttled off, I was ready to do this run.

Ready, set, go... time to run. Did I plan to run 12 hours? No, just wanted to start early. Did I plan to run certain mileage? Kind of, I wanted 26-30 miles, it would be my longest, but considering the past month I would take what I could get. I ran. I felt good, no... great! I was having fun. People were great. My body was in a groove. Better... my mental block had cleared! I was pumped every step of the way! Finally, all my hard work and digging deep mentally was paying off. Where did it take me? It took me through 40 continuous, beautiful miles! Sure there were many others that racked up many more miles than me, but those 40 were mine. Those 40 were more than I thought I would accomplish. Those 40 are taking me to new places.

Can I get more of that? I'm already planning my 50. Losing the weak feels good!

The tally marks kept me pumped!

Mental Toughness... Get Some.

Picture this... I'm doing a 20 mile trail run, it's a gorgeous day, and at mile 10 I hit a mental wall. I feel like there is absolutely no way I can get another 10 miles done and 2 of those include a mountain climb. I usually run with enthusiasm and I've run farther than this countless times. What in the heck was going on? I was obsessing about my physical low and was having a difficult time changing my mental status. In fact, I was mad! Mad that I still had 10 miles, mad that I was not enjoying the run, and extremely mad that I felt like I lost the desire to push myself. I really wanted to quit and call it a day. But.... wait... I remembered that conquering the mind is most of the battle and... good lord... I'm not a quitter! Digging deep and reaching even deeper for some mental toughness, I kept putting one foot in front of the other knowing that the feet will follow the mind. I'd like to say I ended running my best, but it was not... my body was beat. What was amazing was the feeling of conquering the battle that was fought in my mind and pushing myself beyond what I thought I could do that day. I was emotionally pumped as I drove home.  I even went on to run another enjoyable 6 miles later.

My point is not how many miles you can put in, but how mental toughness can get you farther, keep you from quitting, and help you accomplish your goals. It has to be practiced. The next time you feel like you can't take one more step, perform one more pushup, or hold your plank one more minute... grab hold of your mind and get it done! These small steps in prepping the mind for bigger challenges will also push your fitness level higher. Mental toughness plays a very important role in getting fit and realizing your true physical potential. Now find your STRONG!

Treadmill Training

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Treadmill-Training-With-Dave-Scott.htm

The treadmill... I know, I know... the dread-mill. It's not quite the same as the beautiful outdoors, can't let the wind catch your hair or breathe in the fresh air. What the treadmill does offer is an alternative way to get that run/walk done. Let's look at it as a valuable training tool that allows you to get specific with your speed, incline, and form. I use the treadmill for exactly that, spending miles not just on intervals but also concentrating on form every week. The above link is an article posted on active.com by Dave Scott, 6-time IronMan World Champion. It's a pretty good article and a darn good workout! I performed this workout with my running/walking gym peeps for the past 2 weeks, 1st week as stated in the article and 2nd week reversed. It's a great combination of speed and hills, you'll definitely feel it! So... get your dig deep music going, find your STRONG, and get it done!

• Warm Up: 8-12 minutes at 1.5 to 2 percent grade, starting off with a slow jog. In the last 3-5 minutes of the warm-up, gradually increase to your standard aerobic speed (outside pace). This gives your heart rate time to catch up. (Note: HR is not a good indicator until you’ve been running for about 15-20 minutes.) Once at aerobic speed, you’re ready to go into the first set
• First Set: 6x2 minutes on a hill with 1-minute rest intervals; effort should be moderately hard at the offset
• 45 seconds at 5 percent grade (don’t change speed)
• 45 seconds at 6 percent grade (don’t change speed)
• 30 seconds at 7 percent grade (don’t change speed)
• 1 minute rest interval at 2 percent grade (remain at your aerobic pace; don’t go down to a softer speed)
• Repeat 5-8 more times
• Second Set (leg turnover): 8-12x20 seconds at 0-.5 percent grade; you should be working at a sub-threshold pace. Segments are short to avoid unnecessary stress.
• Run for 20 seconds with good balance, symmetry and control; it’s not a flat out sprint.
• Jump off belt and straddle the treadmill for 20 seconds
• Jump back on for 20 seconds
• Repeat this sequence 8-12 times
• Third Set (if time permits): Run steady at aerobic pace for 12-20 minutes (1.5-2 percent grade).
• Extra Credit: Repeat sets 1 (with slight modification) and 2.
• Set 1 (modification): 6x1 minute on hills from 5- to 7-percent grades. Effort should be moderately hard to hard at the end. Include a rest interval of 1 minute between each round.
• Set 2: Same leg turnover set at 8x20 seconds
• Cool Down