Do you ever have one of those days when EVERYTHING annoys you? Even when it shouldn’t?

I had one of those days recently – at the gym nonetheless. It started when I was struggling with my snatch form, and then overhead squats – and then it just went downhill from there.

(this is me. annoyed. at myself.)

Which got my thinking about do’s and don’ts at the gym (because I felt bad since I was definitely having a DON’T day by being whiny and not talking to anybody) and……..

What NOT to wear to the gym (not sure how my mind traveled here, but it did):

• Unsupportive sports bras
  • Ladies, these HAVE TO GO. Seriously. No one wants to see that – besides, doesn’t it hurt??!
• Heavy perfume
  • There’s nothing worse than sucking wind and getting the smell of cologne/perfume stuck in your nose/mouth/throat during a workout. A little body spray is cool, heavy perfume? Not cool.
• Too tight shorts
  • Fellas, I’m talking to you. I know you’re working on your quads. I know you’re working on your glutes. But when they start to get bigger due to all the protein shakes, PLEASE buy some bigger shorts to fit your new muscles. Please!
• Cotton
  • Cotton retains water. It’s science. And since we all go to the gym to get our sweat on, your cotton shorts, cotton underwear, and/or cotton shirts are all going to soak up the sweat. And then make your clothes nice and heavy. And then they’ll start to sag. And chafe.
• Smelly clothes
  • It’s inevitable – your workout clothes are going to stink after awhile. Especially if you’re a heavy sweater. So if you catch a whiff when you’re working out, it’s most likely your clothes. Which means it’s time to pitch them! Here are some tips to make them last longer: hang to dry, don’t use fabric softener, and wash them right away or hang to dry (don’t let them sit in their own sweaty pile until you get around to doing laundry!).
• What do you have to add to the list? What should you NOT wear to the gym??

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to be able to do 3 unassisted pull-ups. I have yet to do ONE without the help of bands. Grrrr, it’s so darn frustrating!

So I bought an at-home pull-up bar and the rule is every time I walk past it I have to do a pull-up. Of course, it’s a jumping pull-up, but it’s a pull-up none the less. I figure that has to be worth something?

Plus, C is really into it, too. He can do one pull-up already, but wants to be able to do 5 (and show his mom up, obviously).

Showoff.

But once we started doing handstands at Crossfit, I really got into those, too. The first time we did them, we had to do 2 minutes total and record the number of attempts it took us to get to 2 minutes. I think it took me 3? And the next time we had to do 3 minutes total. It’s definitely harder than it sounds!

So I started practicing. After class I always have J time me to see how long I can last.

I started at 50 seconds.

And yesterday I made it 1 minute and 25 seconds before I collapsed. Every second matters!

My goal is to get to 2 minutes. And then I want to be able to do them without the wall (but I’m sure it’ll be awhile before that happens!).

For now I’m just trying to get better and stronger every day. I’m really hoping this is my year for strength.

Anyone have any tips for pull-ups and/or handstands? What are you working on right now?

Oh, and the winner of the No Fibber Bib Sticker is Katie!! Katie, email me your new address and I’ll get it out to you asap!

Fitfluential recently asked their ambassadors to make a Fitness Bucket List on Pinterest. I thought to myself “I can do that! Easy peasy.”

Hmmmm….yeah, right. It took a lot of thought (and time!) to make this list, but here it is:

Goofy Challenge

(source)

Cleveland’s 24 Hour Run at Edgewater

(source)

Learn to surf:

Go on a Cruise for Runners:

(source)

Boston (if I can’t run it, I at least want to go cheer and experience the amazingness!):

(source)

No words necessary:

(source)

This may be the only way I ever get my butt to California:

(source)

And the top 2 are…….

Become an Ironman:

(source)

And run a marathon with C!

The last two are HUGE goals and obviously it will be a few years before the last one is even possible, but these are all definitely doable.

What’s one thing on your fitness bucket list??

I’m a religious The Biggest Loser watcher. And the newest season is all about No Excuses. But I feel like all some of the participants do is make excuses, whine, and/or complain. Ugh, I was so annoyed last night. It’s such an amazing opportunity these people are getting – why would they ever waste it?? Obviously they know what they’re in for when they apply to be on the show. Do they really expect it to be easy?

So, anyways, today when I was on the treadmill whining to myself that my legs felt sluggish and tired I thought about all the excuses that had annoyed me while I was watching the show last night. And my mood immediately changed. I may or may not have even yelled out loud at myself during the last mile saying “Come on!”. I had somehow changed from a whiner to a bad ass just by thinking about how I didn’t want to be one of those people who make excuses. And proceeded to finish my 4 mile run with an average pace of 9:02 per mile.

That’s 3 runs in 3 days at a 9:13 pace or less. Do I dare say I’m making a come back?? Nahhhh…..not yet. I don’t want to jinx it. Not yet.

And the only reason I ran yesterday is because I saw this on the box of the Vega Sport protein products I have right now:

I saw this right after I had skipped my pool workout. Talk about timing. Even though I had missed my time frame to be able to swim, I had no excuse not to run (one of the curses benefits of having a treadmill now). So I did it. And it was awesome. I was on a serious runners high after that run, too – I was grinning ear to ear for the rest of the night like a giant tool. I always feel so amazing after a workout, it’s a wonder to me why I ever skip one.

Anyways, when I mentioned to J that I wasn’t going to the pool he had a really great idea. He said I should give myself “x” amount of “Free Passes” when it comes to my workouts. I immediately fell in love with the idea. It’s a great compromise that will hold me to my workouts but also give me a little leeway when I’m just not feeling it.

So now I’m trying to decide how many “free passes” I should get. One a month? Two a month? No more than 2. And if I don’t swim like I’m supposed to, but I run instead, is that considered using one of the “passes”?

What would you do?

• One pass or two?
• Do you think swapping a workout should count as using one of the free passes?

Saturday was quite the day. It was full of my favorite thing: SWEAT.

I didn’t really plan it this way, but the tweeter feed went down like this:

Sure, why not? But then this tweet came in:

And I responded:

Sounded like a good idea at the time…….

……..until I was at bootcamp and already sweaty from running 5 miles there. Christie and I literally had sweat dripping off our foreheads while we were doing pushups, or burpees, or whatever else exercise that required us to be parallel with the floor. I had to use the towel I brought (carried it while we ran) to wipe up the sweat……….yeah, the same towel I brought to wipe my face with. This was no time to be germaphobic, people. I mean, have you seen how much I sweat?

So after a nice azz kicking morning, I came home, ate lunch, and then headed up to the pool. I had a pool date with my friend, Suzanne, to give me some pointers and lead me through a workout. With triathlons on the schedule this year, I really need to up my game. After doing a workout with Suzanne, I know now I’ve got a LONG way to go. *cringe*

Needless to say, I came home wiped and was pretty much useless the rest of the day. I curled up on the couch with a book and the pups, and spent most of the rest of the day there. And if we’re being completely honest, I never even showered. I convinced myself that the chlorine from the pool “cleaned” me off. (don’t worry, I’ve showered since)

Sure, it was a long day, but I kinda loved it. I’m looking forward to more sweaty Saturdays!!

Did you sweat this weekend?

When I started my blog two years ago, I was in hard core training for the Pittsburgh marathon. Training was everything to me at that time in my life. I never missed a run and thought about training 24/7 (I swear I knew my training plan by heart!). Now, with no training plan (not yet, anyways), I find it hard to get in a good run. I start off with great intentions and always end up a mile or two short of my goal.

Well, when I completed the Home for the Holidays Virtual 10k over the holiday break, I went into that run knowing I had to complete 6.2 miles. Period. I never thought “well, I’ll run 2 or 3 miles depending how I feel”. I just knew I was going to run 6.2 and that was that.

And you know what? It wasn’t so bad! I swear it’s because I approached that run with a plan. No wishy washy crap about “not feeling it today” or “I already did Making the Cut, I don’t need to run more than 2 miles”. Excuses, excuses, Heather. Lame.

So today I tried the same approach. I decided I wanted to run 4 miles, so 4 miles it was. Again, not so bad! There was a point when I got a little bored and wanted to stop but I knew I’d be mad at myself if I did so I just kept on. And really, 37 minutes of working out is not long, suck it up already, right?

Well, in sticking with the theme of today’s post, I’m outta here. I have a little extra time on my hands tonight so I’m heading up to the pool for a swim (it’s been FOREVER). I told myself earlier I should get up there – I mean, I finally have the time, why not. And then, as the day went on, I started making excuses AGAIN. Why swim when you already ran? You can swim another day, right? Grrrrrr……..not really, just do it today!

Luckily I’m getting back into “training mode” at the end of this month. And I have a “coach” who doesn’t like excuses. Bring it on.

What about you? Do you need a plan to stay on track? Or do you just DO IT?

So, after a little nudge from my friends, I purchased a Living Social deal last week for some local bootcamp classes. I’ve always said how I am NOT a morning person or morning exerciser, but I somehow forgot all about that this morning and agreed to attend the 5am class tomorrow. UGH, WHAT WAS I THINKING. I’ve already warned Alana to not be alarmed when she sees me tomorrow morning. I am not a pretty sight that early.

The one good thing about this is that I can literally roll out of bed and be there in less than 15 minutes. Ahhhh……that’s the beauty of being the student instead of the instructor! I don’t have to make a playlist, or review my material, or come up with new workouts – all I have to do is show up. Glorious.

Some days I just want to go to a class and be the student. I don’t want to have to think – I just want to be told what to do and get my ass kicked by somebody else. So I’m hoping that’s what happens tomorrow morning. I hope I leave that class not pissed off about the early wakeup call, but instead happy that I started my day in such a positive way.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Oh, and the winner of the Wasa Crackers is:

KIMI!!

Congrats, Friend! Hope the crackers can be eaten with your Making The Cut challenge!

What about you? Do you prefer morning or evening workouts?? No question for me – afternoon or evening, duh.

Isn’t she pretty?

She’s the newest addition to our household and I couldn’t be more excited.

I gave her a test run yesterday and she wasted no time in kicking my ass. I completely forgot how much harder it is to run on a treadmill than outside. Plus, I haven’t run on a treadmill in probably a year and a half (I’ve always trained outside). So this is a treat!

Pre-winterizing and post-winterizing:

I’m looking forward to getting acquainted with my new friend. I have a feeling we’re going to be spending a lot of time together if we have a typical Cleveland winter.

We’re working on transferring this room into our “home gym”. J’s actually installing a tv in the “gym” while I’m blogging and as soon as we get our bikes set up I’ll post more pics.

But for now my new bff gets the room to herself. I think she’s going to like it here.

Do you prefer running outside or on the treadmill? I’ve always preferred running outside, but I really want to work on my speed so she is going to come in handy!!

Now that the marathon is over……

(oh, hey, another marathon photo – how’d that get in there? )

…….my focus is on two things:

1. Getting faster
2. Weight training

So in order to get faster I need to make friends with this:

Ugh, not my favorite friend.

I had a speed date with the track this past Sunday. And when I say “speed date” I mean it was a quick visit, not that I was speedy (though this is not from my lack of trying). The track always likes to remind me how slow I really am. And the track always makes me sore no matter how much time we spend together. I hate the track. And love it at the same time.

Sidenote: I love that I can meet friends at the track while C plays soccer on the field.

Win win!

I’ve also been back to teaching Group Power twice a week for a few months now. But I wasn’t really doing any of the leg work. I was too worried I would hurt my IT Band or ankle before the marathon so even when I did the squats or lunges I never used the bar with weights.

Well, yesterday I changed this. No more excuses. I always push and motivate the participants in my class, so now I’m doing the same thing for myself during class. And holy crap, my inner thighs and butt are mad sore today. I love it!

I’m starting to feel like my old self again. I’m back at it and pushing myself like I used to. I still have big plans for another marathon in the works, but until then this is my focus.

Do you have a focus right now?

It’s no secret that I’ve been down and out and second guessing my abilities while training for the ING NYC Marathon. I’m normally a very happy and positive person but I’ve just been so crabby lately (which I’m sure you can tell by my recent posts).

A good friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook this week that said:

“You’re always so positive, energetic and encouraging towards others that I’m surprised you’ve had a lot of negative thoughts about the race. Obviously the ankle injury has something to do with it but it seems very uncharacteristic of you.”

Sigh…………this really hit home with me. She’s completely right.

So I wanted to tell everyone where my negativity is coming from. This is what has been going through my head:

1. Yes, I ran 20 miles this past weekend, but they weren’t quality miles. I honestly can say that I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to finish another 6.2 miles. I remember what it was like when I ran 20 miles last year in training for the Pittsburgh Marathon. I felt prepared, confident, and ready to tackle the race. And that race didn’t even go as planned! If I couldn’t run that race at my full potential with fantastic training under my belt, how the heck am I going to finish NYC?
2. My original goal for finishing NYC was 5 hours. I figured that was reasonable considering my ankle injury and lack of training. Well, I’m doubting that time now. I’m not sure it’s possible!
3. The one thing I can honestly tell you is that I know how I feel towards the end of my long runs. My legs ache and I have a hard time catching my breath. It’s no fun. And not how I remember training in the past. It’s such a struggle (and defeating, to say the least)!

J told me I need to stop comparing this training to last since it’s not apples to apples. He’s right, I know this. And I know I just need to enjoy the experience on race day – I mean, it’s FREAKIN NYC. Which is why I don’t want to feel like death. I want to feel good enough that I CAN experience the race.

I’m just sad that it had to happen this way. I’m sad I only had 10 weeks to train, I’m sad my ankle is still swollen, and I’m sad I’m not in as good of shape as I was last time I trained for a marathon. I know I was meant to run this race. Deep down inside I know it. I just wish it were under better circumstances.

So, like I mentioned last week, I’m going to try to start looking at the GOOD side of things from here on out. I’m going to revel in the fact that I ran 8 miles tonight and negative split the entire run. I’m going to be happy that my new shoes came in with plenty of time to break in before the marathon:

Aren’t they pretty? Not sure if you can tell, but they are bright PINK (not red) – my favorite are the laces. I LOVE them!

Nike Pegasus are my running shoe of choice. They have a wider toe and I NEVER get blisters. Three generations right here:

Oldest, Old, New

10 days til the marathon. I don’t have much of a taper since my training period was so short, so I have on long(er) run this weekend and then it’s recovery time til race day!

It’s time to let go of the doubt and let the excitement take over. It’s almost here!!!!!!!!

What is your running shoe of choice? Do you stick to one brand/model, or do you switch often?