American Cancer Society

Flashback!

In the midst of my second month of bootcamp, I decided I wanted to run the American Cancer Society 5K Race for the Cure. Granted, the name wasn't as awesome or long as the "1st Annual Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-AM Fun-Run Race for the Cure", but it was still for a good cause...

Especially since both Grandmas have cancer right now.

I had anticipated doing it by myself, but somehow managed to get my mom and dad to come to Ames just to run the 5K with me! We had a great time, I finished with a time that was roughly 6 minutes faster than the first 5K I ran in May!! Astonishing!!

Mom loves running so much, she sweats back smiles!



Post-race bliss :)

Shame is...

seeing your bootcamp instructor from a few months ago and having to ask him to open a 20 oz bottle of soda because you can't get the cap unscrewed.

The whole thing was wrong in so many ways.

The end. For now.

Surefire Bootcamp, July edition is officially done!

Not going to share my results yet though! Can't let the cat out of the bag too early!

A lot has changed this past month...way more than I thought possible.

1. I like oatmeal. This revelation has come in just the past week. Maybe not so exciting for you, but my breakfast possibilities have been broadened!
2. I actually EAT breakfast?! I used to wait till lunch to have my first meal, but now I eat TWO breakfasts! Crazy...
3. The concept of actually getting up before 7... I've rocked 4:30 every weekday for the past month, without fail! Quite impressive, if I do say so myself...
4. I can actually SWEAT! I was told that the more in shape you are, the faster you start sweating. Upon further discussion with Emma, we concluded this applies to overweight people as well. Before bootcamp, I couldn't break a sweat to save my life. Good for me, I wasn't overweight-or in shape... Now, depending on what I'm doing, I can start sweating within 10 minutes. Woot for being more in shape (and smellier!)!!
5. My sense of navigation in the dark has gotten better. My nose is grateful.
6. Better diet! No pop or candy or going out to eat for 4 weeks (with the exception of last night and today, where I have been celebrating like a fat kid returning from fat camp). A lot more fruits and veggies and fiber and protein too. Other than being annoyed at having to spend an hour cutting all my veggies after buying them, it's been really nice having healthy alternatives to snack on rather than ridiculous amounts of junk food.

I've also realized that I take after my mom, who takes after her mom. We're eaters. If we're happy, sad, depressed, excited, bored, hungry, not hungry, adventurous, numb, you name it, it's an occasion to eat - certainly not a good habit to continue until my dying day. So while I recognize the problem, it's hard to resist the urge to munch.

ALRIGHT! It's time. Please keep in mind I screwed myself this week because I moved and found out my grandma has lung cancer, both events screwing with me terribly.

I lost 3 pounds (I was down 2 more last week and could have done better had I not slacked off - potential was 6 or 7).
I went down 2% on my body fat!
I DID 27 PUSHUPS WITHOUT STOPPING. Whaaaa?! "Who is this beast (in the most feminine way possible)?!"

So, theoretically, I've got this thing figured out and this next month, I should be able to go in, guns blazing. Hopefully that's what happens.

Not going to lie though, I miss getting up at 6:30 and going to bed at 10:30. And I still haven't figured out how to squeeze in running in the evenings... Oh well. Pretty sure Rome wasn't built in a month.

An old lover...

This past Sunday, I attempted to get a bunch of friends together to run the figure 8 at Ada Hayden (5K), and one by one, they all texted back saying they just weren't available.

(sigh) Looks like I'm in this alone.

So I drove out there, and ran THE WHOLE THING. No walking. No breaks (except for a 5 second gulp of water at the drinking fountain half way through). Just straight up running. It was amazing, glorious...

and freakin' hot.

But what do you expect when you run on asphalt at 3pm on a bright sunny day?

Anyway, if any of you are up for it and would like to join me, I'd love the company! Every Sunday, Ada Hayden. Times can be and will be changed to accommodate people (i.e. you). Please call me!

Warning/Disclaimer...my face turns a fiery red after running that long... I'm pretty sure it looked like my face was going to explode when I was done.

Introducing....

I think it’s about time to introduce you to my newest fling (though I’m hoping this is more serious than my relationship with running or P90X ever was)!

[insert your name],
meet Surefire Fitness Bootcamp!
Surefire Fitness Bootamp,
meet [insert your name]!

Maybe we’re still in that honeymoon stage, but I really feel like this is it! This is the one! Oh sure, he’s not without his downsides… The early mornings (and subsequently, early nights) are killer and he’s definitely not low-maintenance. There have also been times where I have wanted to throw up. But when I look at the big picture, I really am happy! There are times when I wish I could stay longer just because it’s so good! Yeah, there’s pain, but in the end, you know it’s for the best. No relationship was ever easy.

While results are still yet to be seen (and there had better be results…), I have had fun, amidst all the grunting and sweating and heavy breathing. (clears throat…umm…)

So, I totally don’t intend to jump the gun or assume anything on his part, but I think this is something that could last, even through next month! Let's just hope we don't get tired of each other or wimp out. (baaaaad jokes)

I still don't understand...

Zumba's going great, but once a week just isn't enough. And upon Kevin's suggestion of www.jeffbartontraining.com, I decided to check out Jeff's bootcamp. It's pretty much the same concept of P90X only it's a person kicking my butt instead of a DVD, and somehow, that makes it easier to handle. There's just something about someone saying "Good job!" to YOU, not a distance audience where you might happen to hear it once a week, 34.5 minutes into a certain workout.

Unfortunately for me, it's still 5am, but I'm learning to enjoy the extra time I have in the morning to make AMAZING scrabbled eggs. TOTALLY worth it, just for the eggs. Mmmm...

Because it's so early and I don't want to disturb my roommate, I usually get ready in the dark. No big deal really...my eyes are adjusted to the lack of light. Until, that is, I brush my teeth in the bathroom with the light on.

Now, of course, I'm completely blind when the light goes off and I go back into the room. I THOUGHT I had the layout of the hallway figured out, but apparently I missed it by six inches...

I gently pushed the door open and moved forward to go in and
SMACK!!
I smashed my nose into the doorway.

Simultaneously, I thought "FRICK. Abort, abort! Football? (Marsha?) Frick. Broken. BLOOD?!?!"

I stumbled back into the bathroom and examined my nose through flooded eyes (you can't help but cry when you smash your nose), but for as much as it hurt - and trust me, it did - there's only a tiny cut and a little swelling that even I wouldn't notice were it not for the fact that I know my face pretty intimately.

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I don't have a nose the size of a baseball, but really, the bigger the injury, the better the story. Case in point, amputation vs. broken finger. Which story would you want to hear more?

Changes...again

I quit P90X. I just can't do it. It wasn't a good fit for me, and I didn't have fun doing it, which always makes it worse. But I did learn a lot, and I know that I can do some of that on my own.

But as I promised, I am not quitting exercising. No no no.....far from it. I'm still not happy with the weight I'm at, and I'm determined to shed these pounds! I'm just stuck in a rut...

Today I signed up for zumba, which is an exercise dance routine based on salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton and other international music styles and forms. (yes, I pulled that completely off of wikipedia. I'm pretty sure no one has ever heard of reggaeton before.)

I had SO MUCH FUN. I was exhausted and sweating and thirsty, but I was so disappointed when class ended!! I could have gone another half an hour! It really was a blast... I'm considering joining the Wednesday night group - the only thing is it's an extra $20, so I'm still on the fence on that one.

But seriously, I think I've found what I've been wanting!! So I'm super excited about that...

I found my hip-hop dvd too, so I'm thinking about pulling that one out. I tried it once, realized there wasn't a single hip-hop bone in my body, and put it away. It's one of those things where it's embarrassing enough that you ONLY do it when no one is home. :) For the record, there will be NO video demonstrations.

I may attempt another 5K this weekend - we'll see how diligent I am about getting up in the morning to go for my run. So far, it hasn't been good, but with the race only 4 days away, I better kick it in gear!!