My ass hurts

After not exercising for a while those gluts sure tighten up after a few workouts. I am only going to be brief so that I keep up with this blog. It's late and I need a shower. Bad.

Other things I noticed while working out tonight:

• I am always in a race against someone
• I need at least two miles to warm up before getting in my groove
• There is a fucking smores box that is staring at me when I run on the treadmill
• I need to pee before starting a workout
• Bodyglide is a beautiful thing, sadly I forgot it tonight
• I have a love/hate relationship with running
  
• Ministry KICKS ASS!!!

GOAL: 4 miles and ab exercises
REALITY: 4.01 miles and ab exercises

This ain't no competition!

I have this bad habit of thinking all or nothing about everything in life. I blame that train of thought for many of my missteps in my life. A perfect example is today's work out. I pulled out my Nike+ and plugged it in just to take if for a test drive to ensure it was still working. The little sensor is something that stops working after so a while and needs to be replaced. Since it had been several months since I used it (Team And Training won't allow you to use an iPod while working out with them, it's a safety thing) I had to make sure it worked.

It worked fine but I wanted to test it out on the treadmill and so I hopped on and then got some sort of strange need to run. As I increased my speed I was feeling pretty jazzed because it's really been a while since I put much effort into working out. And then I hit a wall. Three minutes into my work out a big brick wall (also known as my ex-smokers lungs) flew up in front of me and threw off my stride. I picked myself up but the whole while I was thinking, "Screw this, I am not about to post this lame excuse for an exercise on my blog."

Before I knew it my lungs were back to normal and I felt the urge to push myself again. I pushed and ran until that freakin' wall stopped me again. This time it was the wall of shame. "Who are you kidding? You are not a runner, just give up and walk the rest of the way, and then tell everyone you were just giving the Nike+ a test drive." OMG. Just because my milage is not what it used to be, and my pace is slow for the short distance I went I want to come up with excuses. Because I am not as perfect as I expect myself to be.

GUESS WHAT!!! I am not perfect! You hear that Gina, you're not perfect! Be happy you got off your ass today and even ran at all!!!!!!! My fitness goal for today is actually to do a pilates dvd I have. I still have time as the day is young.

Flowing Black Water, Crepe Paper Sun

The title is just the first line of a song that has been stuck in my head for a week. The band is Three Merry Widows, if you can find them anywhere, listen to them. They were around in '92 and they were not exactly a big name, little name...or really much of anything. Just a band that I adore.

OK, where was I going to go with this post today?

First, I need to post a picture of my water fanny pack for Jenn. It's the Nathan Elite 1 Plus Water Bottle Carrier. I LOVE IT. I have my water, my sports drink, and a spot for a tasty treat. It's not as bulky as some of the water fanny packs I have seen. Here's what it looks like:

I realize I should probably post what it looks like while I am wearing it, but really, let's be real. It's hideous. Do I dare share? Please forgive me for what you are about to see:


Oh, Blogger was nice. It made the picture much smaller then I anticipated. What you can't really see here is that my pants are slipping down, my shirt has ridden up and my back fat is exposed. :) This is what happens to you as you are about to cross the finish line next to some bitch half your size not sporting a water fanny pack. It's also what happens after 26.1 miles. You just don't care anymore.

On that note, this picture is a reminder that I am not going to make the same mistakes I made last go around. This time I am going to eat normal. I am not going to look at my calories burned as a reason to eat the entire pie. Did I mention I am doing this again? This time I am only going for a 1/2 marathon, but I am still training for a freakin' 1/2 marathon! There's not a lot of people who can say they have done that. This season I am a mentor for Team In Training. It will be a new perspective for me. As a mentor the training isn't all about me. I am here to support my mentees. I am also excited to have Jenn and her friend Danelle joining me with Team and Training as well. We are going to be doing the Rock 'N Roll San Diego Marathon. As a member of Team In Training we will have the option of completing the half marathon. It's one of the perks. I believe Apryl will be joining us at the event as well, but for the full marathon. Over the next several months we will all be blogging about the progress of our training (and sometimes the lack of progress).

So, away we go. I will be back more often I hope. I just needed to reevaluate what I need and want from this blog. I think I know now.

Benchmark

This past Friday I started a 10 week weight loss competition with my friend Debby. We took measurements, weighed in, and did some fitness tests. Each week we will weigh in and whoever loses the largest percentage of weight wins whatever the other has anted up. A couple examples are cleaning bathrooms, organizing files, etc.

But here are the fitness test benchmarks we took. I am hoping to do much better 10 weeks from now.

ONE MINUTE TESTS:
Push-ups: Debby - 17 Me - 24
Sit-ups: Debby - 70 Me - 55
Squats (with weights): Debby - 25 Me - 30
Jumprope: Debby - 65 Me - 75

TWO MINUTE TEST:
Step-ups: Debby - 42 Me - 45

Did I not just finish a marathon?

The past few days I have been feeling lazy and down on myself. Never a good combination. It leads to bad days for the family. :)

I took Riley to the dentist where my friend works. We discussed our weight issue in jest (because it's easier to swallow that way) and she stated "I am actively pursuing weight gain, and tomorrow if I desire I will actively pursue weight loss." Or something like that. However she phrased it made me laugh. In the past, in our quests to actively lose weight, we have gained weight, so maybe if we didn't try so damn hard maybe we could lose weight? (Damn, here I go again with these thoughts I haven't fully formed and are not easy to translate)

So long story short, it got me thinking. I need to do something about my eating habits. I thought, "after this weekend...". Wait, after this weekend what? It's just going to be something else after this weekend. So cut the bullshit and do it! I got home, made some delicious flax oatmeal (I lied, it tastes like crap but it filled me up) and proceeded to the living room where I put on my Cardio Max - Biggest Loser Workout DVD.

I did finish a marathon, right?

So why, after the five minute warm-up, was I ready to turn off the DVD and pass out sweating? GOOD GOD!!! No wonder why I wasn't losing much weight. My body had adjusted to the walking/running I was doing. (Plus I ate like crap...but that's besides the point). I wasn't pushing my body harder, I was pushing my body farther!!!! I decided to just do it. Just finish the 30 minute workout I had set up even if I pissed and moaned. Well, I did it and I was a hot sweaty mess after. But I feel GREAT!

I think I might pose myself and my readers a challenge (Apryl, I know you are the only person who technically "follows" my blog, but there are other readers, like Jenn and Paul).

THE CHALLENGE
Push yourself. Just make yourself work a little harder this week. It doesn't matter if it's a workout, playing with kids, cleaning the house, working. Just make yourself put just a little extra into what your doing.