Put Your Dukes Up

Wednesday: 1 hour boxing class

Several weeks ago I bought a Groupon for classes at Title Boxing Club. I've always wanted to try training at a boxing gym and this proved to be the perfect chance! It didn't hurt that I easily persuaded my friend Kelly into buying the Groupon too!

I was a little nervous when we went for our first Kickboxing class. Walking into a new gym always intimidates me a little bit, and this was not just a gym, this is an all out boxing gym!

The people could not have been any nicer though.

They got us checked in, wrapped our hands for us, gave us a run through of how the class works and the different punches.

Before I knew it, it was time for class to start!

The first 15 minutes is a warm up without the gloves. I was already quite sweaty and tired and the actual work out hadn't even begun yet!

The next part of the class consisted of different rounds. He would show us a combination and we would go at it until the bell rang. Then we would do active rest - lunges, squat, crunches, etc. 

The last part of the class was abs.

Oh. My.

My abs haven't been that sore in a LONG time!

I've taken a few different classes now, but have had the same instructor each time.

He is an MMA fighter. This intimidated me at first, but he is super nice and helpful. You can really tell he loves this sport.

I'm looking forward to using up the rest of my Groupon and trying to decide about joining after that. It's been a fun, different and empowering way to work out and I have been LOVING it.

Ladder Track Work Out

Tuesday: TIU Full Body Toning at lunch, 4 mile track work out after work

I was pretty frustrated about not getting a work out in on Monday night, but it turned into a nice evening with K. He didn't have class (thank you, Fall Break!), so we got to wander around Home Depot and catch up on some shows.

I decided to make the most of my lunch hour on Tuesday and sneak in some toning.

I only got through it 3 times before I had to shower and get back up to my desk.

And I promise you, it's harder than it looks.

Last night we were back at the track for possibly the last time this year. Since it is getting close to most people's fall races, we did a ladder work out of longer distances.

800

1200

1600

1200

800

Since I just raced this past weekend I wasn't too concerned about times. I wanted to run, but didn't want to push myself too much. I was very consistent with 2:00 per lap on just about every loop around the track. I did a quarter mile warm up and cool down as well.

My body has fully recovered (minus the banged up knees) from the trail race. By Monday night I was feeling much better, but I still think it was the hardest race I have done.

It makes me sad that track may be over for the season - I might have to throw in some speed work on the treadmill to help fill the void!

A Little Tuesday Inspriation

So, yesterday was one of those days where nothing seems to be going your way.

Ever have one of those?

Wake up late. Check.

Forget gym bag. Check.

Need gas when you're already running late. Check. 

Spill coffee down your leg and into your shoe. Check.

Missing key ingredient for dinner but don't realize until halfway through making it. Check.

 

Here's hoping today is much smoother!

Sunday's Bengals game was the breast cancer awareness game.

Of course this is near and dear to our hearts. It's hard to believe it's been exactly 13 months today since we lost Kelly.

And did you see this?

These runners are truly inspiring.

The Boston Marathon victims are learning to run just 6 months after the bombing.

Incredible!

Think about that next time you don't want to work out, you spill coffee down your leg or are having a tough run.

Weekend Review: White Tail Trail Half Marathon Race Recap

Saturday: 13.1 mile trail run

Well, hello there Monday! Why do you always arrive so quickly?

This weekend was neither productive nor restful. But we did have fun!

Friday night was spent prepping for my trail half marathon the next day. Foam rolling, laying out outfits, drinking wine...

Saturday morning I was up nice and early since the race was about 45 minutes away. I was nervous about finding the right location and there were buses to take us to the the start line so I wanted to give myself plenty of time.

It was a gorgeous morning and this sunrise greeted me at the finish area/packet pickup area.

The course basically went all the way around the lake.

This was probably the hardest race I have ever done. It was extremely humid and in the lower 70s at the start. The trail was gorgeous, but very technical - at least to my inexperienced trail running self.

I didn't want to risk losing my chip again so I used 4 zip ties. The poor volunteer at the end had quite a rough time getting it cut off, but it was worth it.

I fell at mile 3. But my chip stayed on!

Thankfully it wasn't that bad. I picked myself up right away and kept going, but I refused to look at my knees until the end.  I lost count of how many times I slipped or almost fell. I am lucky I only went all the way down once.

All the runners were very friendly and helpful. The woods echoed with warnings of  "mud", "log", "slippery" and the loud stutter steps of runners catching themselves from falling. I met several first time trail half marathon runners which was reassuring.

The second half seemed to be much harder than the first. There were more steep inclines and the trail seemed much more windy. Or maybe I was just tired at this point! I just kept saying to myself "the more you run, the sooner you're done" and "run when you can, walk when you must".

I wished the race was over at mile 9.5.

Looking back, I should have brought my own water and Gatorade. There were several aid stations, but it was so humid and pretty warm, I could have used more.

 On Saturday I was listed at finishing 3rd in my age group, but when I checked again I had moved to 4th. Darn! Overall the race was well-run. I am really happy to have completed my first (and possibly only) trail half marathon!

Hi Ho Hi Ho A Trail Running I Go

Thursday: Body Blast class at lunch

I had planned to run last night, but after getting my booty kicked boxing Wednesday night and at Body Blast yesterday at lunch, I decided to let my foot (and the rest of my body!) have a little rest time.

Not to mention that Saturday I will be running my first trail half marathon, so I want to make sure my foot is feeling as good as it can going into the race!

That's right, I decided to go for it! I have run a 20K trail race, but a half marathon is 21K, so it will be a PR no matter what. I have no delusions, trail races are much harder than road races, so I know my time will be much slower than a road race.

All I know about the course is that it is 90% dirt and grass and 10% pavement or gravel. 

And let's remember that I have not trained on one single trail. 

 I hope I don't get lost!

Sounds like an adventure to me!

Garmins & Upcoming Giveaway!

Tuesday: 6 mile run outside
Wednesday: 1 hour kickboxing class

Tuesday night there was no track work out.

You know I love the track, so this totally bummed me out at first.

But then I heard that a Garmin Rep would be at Mojo so we could test some watches.

Since mine continues to look like this:

I was excited to see some newer models, my Forerunner 305 is probably about 6 years old. We didn't get test the brand new Garmin 220 and 620 which was a little disappointing. 

 It was nice to change it up on a Tuesday night, and with my next half marathon this weekend, no track work out wasn't such a bad thing. We also got to see the new Premier Physical Therapy location in the Mojo triplex. This place is going to be amazing! On Saturdays after running club they are going to have ice baths, stretching and other PT services available.

I think I'll wait at least til spring for my first ice bath!

Spin classes are also being offered. They will have a handful of spin bikes but also have trainers so you can do the class on your own road or tri bike. They are also offering bike storage and valet. Brilliant!

I did my first Kickboxing class at a boxing gym last night.

Holy amazing!

I'll give you a rundown on that next week.

Also next week a giveaway is coming! Here's a hint:

I might be just a little obsessed! Check back next week!

Hello, October!

Tuesday: TIU thighs and Sunkissed abs

I went back to the doctor yesterday afternoon for a recheck on my foot.

He said my strength was good and if I made it 13.5 miles on Saturday, then go ahead and keep running!

However, my foot was fairly sore after all the poking and prodding, so I kept my workout light on my foot with the TIU thigh and sunkissed abs routines.

Then I got to spend some time with my former roommate, her hubby and this cutie pie.

I mean, seriously, those cheeks! (the picture doesn't do them justice!)

I could squeeze 'em all day long!

It's October, which in my mind means it is finally Fall.

Yes, I know it has already officially been Fall for a couple of weeks now, but I refused to admit it.

I love running in the fall.

The colors. Capri tights. Long sleeve shirts with thumb holes. Cool, crisp air.

It's just perfect.

I can't wait to get out tonight to run!

Weekend Review: Lululemon Run Om Cincy

Saturday: 13.5 mile run, 90(?) minutes of yoga

I successfully cut back on running last week and gave myself a few complete days of rest.

While my foot is still a little sore, I believe it paid off since I was able to run over 13 miles on Saturday!

Saturday morning my alarm went off at 4:50 a.m. 

Yikes!

Luckily, it was for an absolutely epic event!

The local Lululemon stores put on an entirely free event called Run Om Cincy.

You had the option of running from one of 3 locations for distances of 6, 3, or 1 miles to Great American Ballpark (home of the Reds!) then participating in a 90 minute yoga class on the baseball outfield. If running wasn't your thing, you could just show up at the baseball field for yoga. So many options - definitely something for everyone!

I met my friend Emily at her house at 6, then we ran to the Hyde Park Square Lululemon (1 mile)

We then checked in and waited for the official start at 6:30 before running with the group to GABP.

Lululemon provided yoga mats for all of the runners.
Once everyone got settled, we started our yoga. Several different instructors lead different segments of the class.

It was an absolutely beautiful morning and it was so neat to be lying on a yoga mat in the middle of the outfield.

 Halfway through the class we attempted to break the world record for the number of people doing headstands at one time. The current record was 265. Over 2000 people were participating, so hopefully at least 266 of them were able to do headstands.
I am not one of them.

After yoga we ran back home. They provided bus transportation, but we wanted more mileage and it just felt silly to take bus back!

We ended up running 13.5 miles total. I didn't use my watch for the run to the Lululemon store in the morning, so it was off by a mile.

It was so much fun to see so many people coming together to participate. I hope they do this again next year!

Saturday night we were substitutes on our friend's bowling league.
My husband bowled a 253 one game. Seriously!

Apparently I married a pro bowler!

 The weekend was rounded out with errands, football, meeting up with a friend and this amazing pumpkin turkey chili simmering on the stove Sunday night.
Hello, fall!

Finally Friday

Thursday: Body Blast class at lunch, 3 run mile outside

I planned to attend Body Blast at lunch yesterday and just modify anything that would put too much pressure on my foot; however I ended up doing class just the way it was set up.

Which was a lot of running and lunges.

We went outside again and did lunges, overhead presses and side steps with a weight along the walking path. Then we did sets of sprints, then back to the lunges, etc. And of course we finished up inside with a million core exercises.

Thankfully my foot felt OK. 

 So why not add some running in after work? 

Kelly and I went for a short 3 mile run and took our time. I didn't want to push it since we had sprinted at lunch time too. (Yes, she does Body Blast class with me too!)

I'm still icing at night and I am officially over halfway finished with my steroid Rx.

The swelling is down, but there is still some mild pain and the tendon is red.

Hopefully that red part is normal! It was blue/purple last weekend.

I have a fun event I'm participating in tomorrow morning, so I hope I can make it through!

Here's a hint to the event tomorrow morning!

Source

Drinking Lately

Yesterday was a rest day for me. I had planned on doing some upper body toning, but work got in the way and I couldn't be late to meet my girlfriends for happy hour!

It had been far too long since all of us ladies had all been together, so I was super excited to meet them.

So, besides the bottle of wine they made me drink last night I've added a few other much healthier beverages to my routine lately.

Each morning I've been attempting to have a mixture of OJ, pineapple juice and apple cider vinegar. 1 Tablespoon ACV and 4 oz of juice (I add a little more juice to make sure I can't taste the vinegar)

Sounds delish, right?!

ACV has been used for AGES -  literally. It's been used by Hippocrates, people in the Bible, the Babylonians, Julius Caesar, Japanese Samurai warriors, the Greeks, Romans, Christopher Columbus...you get the idea, right?

Some of the benefits of ACV are that it increases your metabolism, good for your skin, helps with digestion, prevents muscle fatigue, reduces sinus infections and sore throats, whitens teeth and strengthens the immune system. It is thought to do many more things as well.

If you want to give it a try, just make sure to get an all natural ACV. I bought the Bragg brand at Whole Foods. Don't buy one of the clear processed brands, you want it be brownish in color. And mix it with real juice.

In the afternoons I have been enjoying an Energy Fizz Stick from Arbonne. I am loving the pomegranate flavor, but they also have a citrus one. 

The fizz sticks have antioxidants and B vitamins that help increase energy and alertness. Perfect for that afternoon slump at work! 

I've been drinking it either starting with my lunch or shortly after lunch and it really does help me make it through the rest of the work day.

Maybe eventually this will replace my morning coffee too.

Maybe no, I really LOVE my morning coffee!

What are your go to beverages throughout the day?

A Post Without Sporting Event Selfies

Tuesday: 2.25 mile track work out

Tuesday after work I promptly iced my foot in an effort to be ready to take on the track.

Thankfully the steroids seem to be working and even after a few doses the first day the swelling was way down.

You all know I love me some track workouts - especially 400 and 800s, so I could not miss last night's 4x400 relay competition!

We started with 4 400s (my times were all between 1:27 and 1:32) then switched to 2 800s.

I decided to sit out both 800s. My foot was feeling OK for 1 lap at a time on the track, but I didn't want to push it with 2.

We then did 4 more 400s with the last 400 being the relay race. I ended up doing the same leg as 1 guy that is always just ahead of me and another guy that we tend to take turns of who finishes first.

My team didn't win the race, but it was a lot of fun. It really brought me back to my high school track days. We even got to pass the baton and everything!

Once I got home I iced my foot again while attempting to catch up on Dexter. We've been so focused on Breaking Bad that Dexter has been overlooked for a few weeks. Between K's school, Bengals, Liverpool, Crew we just don't have enough hours to stay up to date on our shows! Thank goodness for DVR and the Roku!

I will say that even though we only have about 4 episodes to go, Dexter has finally hooked me this season.

A little blurry, probably due to the fact that this kid was a RIOT and had my laughing incredibly hard.

Earlier this week I got to do vision screenings for one of the Cincinnati Public Schools.

This guy was totally pumped up to have his eyes checked!

This is seriously one of my favorite days of the year. The kids are so much fun and making sure they get glasses if needed is essential to their future!

Weekend Review: Better Late Than Never!

Saturday: 9.75 mile run outside

It's sad that after 4 days of no posting, I only have one work out to post.

We will get to that in a minute though.

Friday night we had very heavy rain and wind so I was a little worried about what the morning would have in store for us. Luckily it only sprinkled some. Other than that it was great weather for running.

A Physical Therapy group was waiting for us when we returned from our run to treat any of us that have issues or just help stretch us out. I decided to ask about my calf since it's been bothering me off and on for over a month now.

Turns out I am not crazy and there is definitely an issue.

The PT massaged it and tried to release the muscle. It helped quite a bit, but it's such a mess that he suggested Trigger Point Dry Needling. Yeah, I didn't know what it was either!

I haven't decided to pursue this option yet, but I may.

Saturday night we watched the Crew beat the Chicago Fire 3-0!

Then Sunday morning it was up bright and early to tailgate for the Bengals game.

It was one CRAZY game.

One of the craziest and most fun football games I have ever been to.

After my run Saturday my foot was REALLY bothering me. Walking around at the stadiums Saturday and Sunday was very painful. I could pinpoint exactly where the pain was coming from so I automatically worried it was a stress fracture.

Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be a stress fracture - just really bad tendinitis.

I'm icing, "cutting back" on running and taking a steroid in hopes of flushing out the inflammation as quickly as possible.

*"cutting back" were the exact words the doctor used, therefore I fully intend on still running this week.

Fingers crossed since my next race is in a week and a half!

My first trail half marathon!

I have done a 20K trail race before, but that's just shy of a half marathon!

I go back to the doctor on Monday to confirm that it's not a stress fracture (they don't always show up on the x-ray right away).

It was definitely a sports-centric weekend for us. Good thing we both love soccer and football and attending games!

Oh, Garmin, you tempt me with your pretty colors

So yesterday was kinda crazy so I didn't get a work out in, but I have plans to make up for that today. Yesterday I saw that Garmin came out with 2 new GPS watches this week.

My watch is dying very slowly...more and more pixels (is that even the right word?) are gone each time I turn it on.

Sadly, it is much worse than this now.

But it still works and I can still read it just fine, so I still use it!

I am still looking and trying to decide on my next Garmin though.

I thought I had decided, then I saw this week that 2 new ones were introduced.

Pictures from www.garmin.com. 220 on the L, 620 on the R.

I mean, aren't they purdy?

Color screens? Yes please!

The extra features on the 620 are definitely ones I can live without (although they are very cool!).

But the purple 220 is quite tempting!

Decisions, decisions!

Track Party and a Bengals Win!

Tuesday: Track work out

Every time I think life might settle down a little bit, things seem to get just as crazy again.

I suppose that is just how life is, so I should just enjoy the ride!

Monday night the Bengals played the Steelers for their home opener.

Of course the Steelers are a HUGE rival of ours.

Rival + Home Opener + MNF = INSANITY! 

We had so much fun tailgating with our friends.

We grilled, played corn hole, and flip cup.

And we get to do it all again on Sunday when we play the Packers!

 

Hello, football season!

Needless to say, K and I both took Tuesday off. We didn't get home until almost 2 a.m. and we are FAR too old for that!

We enjoyed attempting to sleep in, brunch and a trip to the zoo yesterday.

Such a fun day off!

Then it was time to hit the track!

Yesterday's workout was 2 x 1 mile, 8 x 200s.

I held back a little for the first mile and completed it in 7:30. My second mile was 7:09.

 6/8 200s I finished in 40 seconds. The other 2 were 43 and 44.

And thankfully my calf held up! I really think it was the hills Saturday that aggravated it so much. Unfortunately it's hard to do too many miles in this city without running hills, so we'll see how it does on this coming Saturday!

Weekend Review: Grandpa turns 91!

Saturday: 5 mile run outside, TIU thigh workout x 3

This weekend we didn't have much on the agenda, which was a nice change of pace for us.

Of course, we still managed to stay busy!

Saturday I headed out to run much later than normal. A lot of the women from my running club were out of town for a race, so I took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in a little. It was also MUCH cooler, so sleeping in gave it a little time to warm up outside too.

Yes, 45 degrees at 8:37 in the morning. Hello, fall!

I decided to just run in my neighborhood. I haven't done that in a while, wanted to stay close and thought the rolling hills would be good training for me. I set out for the 2.5 mile loop. I planned on doing that a few times then adding some more, depending on how I felt.

The last .75 of the second loop my calf was screaming at me - I had even worn my compression socks too. I think it was the hills that it did not like. I have mostly been running fairly flat courses lately.

 After my failed run K and I went to the gym.

I did the TIU thigh work 3 times through and ended with a few arm exercises too.

This week I am going to try to lay off the running just a bit and see how it feels. Boo!

Saturday night we celebrated Grandpa's 91st birthday! The family went to Valley Vineyards for dinner. It was a beautiful night out which was perfect since you grill your own fish or steak at the vineyard! They have everything you need to grill and the sides and dessert are buffet style.

It was such a fun and unique dinner!

Sunday was spent doing errands and cleaning and also watching our nephews play baseball.

We had so much fun at both of their games. The weather was incredible and we got to play tag and football and also chat with our family.

Lily and Carson cheering on Danny as he bats!

Such a fun weekend!

9.11 In Honor of 9/11

Wednesday: 3 mile run outside, 6.11 bike inside

Sometimes I get these "great" ideas and before I even tell my friend Kelly what they are, she says she is in to do it with me. I'm not sure who is crazier based on that!

So, when I suggested we do a total of 9.11 miles in honor/remembrance of 9/11 it was no surprise she was game!

The weather was super hot and humid again yesterday, so we decided on a 3 mile run outside then coming inside to finish off the remaining 6.11 miles on the bike.

Source

Even the measly 3 miles felt hard yesterday, but maybe that is appropriate.

My calf was burning (apparently standing all night on it Tuesday night hurt it just like running on it...), the sun was blaring down on us. It was a hot and hard 3 miles.

After some water we jumped on the upright bikes in the gym and started pedaling away.

The 6.11 on the bike was much harder than I thought it would be too. Of course we were also trying to go as fast as our legs could. My quads were burning at only 2 miles in.

This is when I looked at Kelly and told her not to let me have any "great" ideas ever again.

Clearly I am not a fast cyclist. Maybe I should work on that!

Everyone remembers in their own way on special days like this. I tend to do it through exercise because it gives me time to reflect and clear my head. I get to think about how grateful I am to be here, able to run and bike...remember the drive home from white water rafting in 2001 listening to the radio and trying to figure out what was happening.

It may not be much, but it's the way I choose to remember and reflect.

So, I completed my 9.11 miles, sweaty and absolutely exhausted, but mindful of the day that forever changed us.

Dos a Cero in Columbus Again!

So no workout happened Tuesday.

But that's OK. I did stand up and jump around like a crazy US soccer supporter, so that counts for something, right?

We originally did not get selected to be able to buy tickets to the US vs. Mexico world cup qualifier in Columbus. We were totally bummed about this. We had a blast last year watching the US play Jamaica and were looking forward to this game for a while.

But, husband came to the rescue and managed to get us tickets!

We took a half day off work and headed up to Columbus early to avoid some traffic.

We had a great lunch at North Market (more on that later) then headed to a bar across the street to entertain ourselves for a while.

We found a bar with multi person skee ball and a beer pong machine!

I didn't even know they existed!

Then it was off to the game.

We were already hot and sweaty at this point. It was 95 degrees. Hello, Ohio, it's September, did you forget?

The patriotism is AMAZING - it brings tears to my eyes. The National Anthem was sung louder than I have ever heard it before.

Once again the US beat Mexico 2-0!

It's the 4th time the US has beaten Mexico in Columbus with the exact same score!

The crowd was INSANE and the experience was absolutely incredible.

It's definitely a night I will never forget!

A Trip to Young's Jersey Dairy

Monday: TIU thigh work out (x 3), 3 mile run outside

 It was super hot - 93 degrees on our run last night, so we just took our time.

There's not much else you can do when the temperatures soar. 

Ben and I hadn't run together in a few weeks so it was good to catch up. His wife joined us on her roller blades so of course we were heckled about being so slow.

My quads were burning at the beginning of our run. We always start uphill and we also had a headwind to contend with.

It was only 3 miles, but we were very happy to be finished and get some water!

Over the weekend we visited Yellow Springs and Young's Jersey Dairy.

It's been on our list of things to do since K had never been and we both love a good ice cream place!

It is a working dairy farm with tons of activities!

You can watch them milk the cows, feed and pet the goats.

It's all fun an games until you think a goat is about to eat your hair!

They also have miniature golf, batting cages and seasonal activities such as a corn maze and pumpkin patch.

We ate our ice cream so fast that we didn't get any pictures - oops!

If you order the flavor of the week, you get your second dip free! You better believe I took advantage of that - especially since last week's flavor was cookies and cream! Yum!

We were a little obsessed with the animals, but all the other activities looked fun too!

I see many more trips to Young's Dairy in our future!

Weekend Review: The Birthday Couple

Saturday: 6.3 mile run outside, hiking (roughly 3 miles)

Well, hello Monday morning! You arrived quite quickly this week!

We had quite the busy weekend: 3 birthdays to celebrate, a memorial, and an engagement party. 

Since mine and K's birthdays are 2 days apart, we split the difference and celebrated together on the day in between. We took a trip to Yellow Springs and spent the day exploring.

More on that later. For now, here's some of our weekend in pictures!

More on our adventures later! I'm still recovering!