I'm unusual for my age. I turn 35 today and I find that I look forward to my birthday even more as an adult than I did as a kid. Maybe it's because Christmas centers around my kids now, but I love my birthday. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, I don't have one day to celebrate my birthday...I celebrate the whole weekend. And this weekend turned into one of the best birthday weekends ever.
I kicked off "birthday weekend" with my free venti skinny 4 splenda extra shot of espresso hazelnut latte and, after work, headed to the gym for short intervals. HA! I have no idea why I bother planning these things sometimes. My knee was still bothering me from the sub 11:00 mile (PR!) and 8 mile (PR!) runs earlier in the week and I accidentally packed the "pants on the ground" pants which are definitely NOT appropriate for intervals. I made the best of it, went out WAY too fast on the first interval, but proceeded to modify my intervals for every other lap instead of 2 lap intervals. I set a lap PR (that's 4 this week if you are counting!) and had a blast speeding around the track. Imagine if I hadn't had to slow a little to pull my pants up at every turn.....I got home from the gym and got to open an awesome birthday present from one of my very good friends. It was an OSU Mr. Potato Head. Really?!? How many people can say that they got a Mr. Potato Head for their 35th birthday?? :) I was jazzed....
Saturday dawned with coffee and an outside run in the snow with the husband!! Came home and immediately went out shopping for my BIRTHDAY PRESENT!! What made me so excited about these shoes? Well....they have toe pockets!!! Yes, I am the proud new owner of Vibram Five Fingers. The guy at the store was awesome and the second pair that I was planning on getting in the spring were 40% off so I ended up going home with two pair!! See...birthday magic! Saturday night, we went to the Big Bang Bar for drinks and all around great fun. I was pleasantly surprised that the walk from the parking lot to the bar was easy peasy and could definitely tell that my running has had an impact on what I do in my daily life.
Sunday was one of the best days EVER. One of the admins from fitocracy (seriously more addicting than FB) was coming to Columbus for his lifting tour. So, Mike and I joined him and three other fitocrats for a day of lifting at OSU's RPAC. I even got to lift in my new Vibrams!!! We had a great time meeting new people and I got to learn how to squat, deadlift, row, press, and bench all in one day. (Note: I'm very sore....) We were definitely the newbies in the group but had a ball. I'm definitely going to be working some lifting into my weekly routine to get me stronger.
Monday followed with my actual birthday. What's on the fitness menu today? HIKING! Luckily, the weather held for us with no rain and no snow and 40 degree weather so Mike and I headed to Battelle Darby Metro Park for a nice moderate 5 mile hike. Know what we found when we got there? MUD! In my new Vibram Treks (the trail shoe), I gleefully traisped through mud puddles, ice puddles, slippery mud, and off trail. I had an enormous blast! We are finishing the day with dinner at my favorite restaurant.
More than anything in my wonderful birthday weekend was that each and every day, the highlight was focused around something active. I don't think I've ever had a birthday that was as much fun and filled with exercise as I did this year. If this is what 35 looks like...I happily embrace it!!! :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
"That's not going to happen..."
April 28, 2012.
What's that date, you ask? The next half marathon that I've signed up for? Nope...that's May 5. The anniversary of when I started running? Nope...that's not until October. So, what's the date?
That is the date of The Charles School 5k. My husband used to teach at this school and still teaches within their family of schools. About a month ago, I jokingly mentioned that I was going to beat him in a 5k. (In my head, I wasn't really joking but that's how I said it....) New Year's Eve, I wrote down as a goal for 2012 that I was going to beat him in a 5k. I mentioned it again last night and he said to me, "that's not going to happen..." Interestingly, he didn't say it in a challenging way...just sort of matter of fact. And, as we all know, I can't resist that type of challenge.
So, that date up there?? That's the date that I am going to beat Mike in his own 5k. Will simultaneously training for a 5k and a half marathon be difficult? Probably....but I'm definitely up for the challenge!!
BRING IT ON!!!!
What's that date, you ask? The next half marathon that I've signed up for? Nope...that's May 5. The anniversary of when I started running? Nope...that's not until October. So, what's the date?
That is the date of The Charles School 5k. My husband used to teach at this school and still teaches within their family of schools. About a month ago, I jokingly mentioned that I was going to beat him in a 5k. (In my head, I wasn't really joking but that's how I said it....) New Year's Eve, I wrote down as a goal for 2012 that I was going to beat him in a 5k. I mentioned it again last night and he said to me, "that's not going to happen..." Interestingly, he didn't say it in a challenging way...just sort of matter of fact. And, as we all know, I can't resist that type of challenge.
So, that date up there?? That's the date that I am going to beat Mike in his own 5k. Will simultaneously training for a 5k and a half marathon be difficult? Probably....but I'm definitely up for the challenge!!
BRING IT ON!!!!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Level UP!
Did you just see a little green mushroom go by? Me too....
A couple of months ago, I read an article about a new website created by some self-proclaimed geek gamers. Evidently, the gamers had both had switched their obsessions from online gaming to bodybuilding. They realized that trying to improve by leveling and continuing to best yourself worked as well with exercise as it did with online gaming. It seemed really cool and I tried to join. Unfortunately, I had to sign up for an invite since the site is still in beta testing.
Well, two days ago, I got to totally GEEK out at work because I FINALLY got my invite!!! I waited about thirty seconds before signing on to the computer (yes...at work) to join. While the site doesn't work well at work (it's not super compatible with IE), I was able to play a little with it. I waited until I got home and checked it out in it's full glory on my netbook. And, what I found? A super amazing website that mixes exercise, gaming, and a social FB like atmosphere.
The site features challenges, ways to "level up", achievement badges, quests, and groups to join to meet others. I immediately joined the running and long distance running groups. I was amazed at how friendly everyone was. I am following and am being followed by a few different people. One of my awesome friends who is training for an Olympic distance tri in April with Team in Training joined too! She promptly challenged me to a point total race for next week! 2000 points in one week!!! :) I'm so going to kick your butt, Tracy!
My favorite part of the site is the social aspect...there is a FB like wall where you can post to your groups and get a newsfeed from them as well. You can see others' workouts and provide moral support to others. It's pretty darn cool.
I am currently Level 5. Only 663 points to LEVEL UP!! :) Wanna join? Email me....you still need an invite!
A couple of months ago, I read an article about a new website created by some self-proclaimed geek gamers. Evidently, the gamers had both had switched their obsessions from online gaming to bodybuilding. They realized that trying to improve by leveling and continuing to best yourself worked as well with exercise as it did with online gaming. It seemed really cool and I tried to join. Unfortunately, I had to sign up for an invite since the site is still in beta testing.
Well, two days ago, I got to totally GEEK out at work because I FINALLY got my invite!!! I waited about thirty seconds before signing on to the computer (yes...at work) to join. While the site doesn't work well at work (it's not super compatible with IE), I was able to play a little with it. I waited until I got home and checked it out in it's full glory on my netbook. And, what I found? A super amazing website that mixes exercise, gaming, and a social FB like atmosphere.
The site features challenges, ways to "level up", achievement badges, quests, and groups to join to meet others. I immediately joined the running and long distance running groups. I was amazed at how friendly everyone was. I am following and am being followed by a few different people. One of my awesome friends who is training for an Olympic distance tri in April with Team in Training joined too! She promptly challenged me to a point total race for next week! 2000 points in one week!!! :) I'm so going to kick your butt, Tracy!
My favorite part of the site is the social aspect...there is a FB like wall where you can post to your groups and get a newsfeed from them as well. You can see others' workouts and provide moral support to others. It's pretty darn cool.
I am currently Level 5. Only 663 points to LEVEL UP!! :) Wanna join? Email me....you still need an invite!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Things Bree Hates about Running that Will Make Her a Better Runner
This blog post is dedicated to Josh, who threatened me with it if I didn't stop whining. :)
1. Running Outside
I like my hamster wheel. I like the regularity of the track. I like that I can run at sunrise, sunset, after dark, in the rain, in the snow, in the heat...and it all feels about the same. Just the scenery changes (kind of). I like that there is eye candy. I like that I can tell myself that I am doing more laps than I can count. I like playing math games with my lap times. Heck, I like that I can pace myself with those lap times. Outside I lose all of those things...but, I gain a harder workout, crunchy leaves, and a change of scenery every few minutes. I get to think about Pop-Up talking to squirrels (since I don't do those things) and wave at people. I get to have dogs bark at me and cars roar past. I get to wonder why my town doesn't feel the need for sidewalks. So...do I prefer my hamster wheel? Yes. Will I get to be a better racer by going outside and dealing with the elements? Absolutely. I'm not whining about this one (much) anymore...
2. Pacing my Laps
For the first month or so of running on the hamster wheel, I had my heart rate monitor set to display total time instead of lap time while I ran. Every time I would hit the lap time button, it would stop briefly to display the total time at the end of the lap before the total time came back to the display. Since I was having difficulty with pacing my laps consistently, suggestions were made that I should view the lap time so that I could monitor at the half lap spot to see where I was at with my pacing. I resisted this suggestion for awhile, but gave it a shot one day and haven't moved back since. Has it made me a more consistent runner? Yes. Does it make it difficult for me to know my total time yes? Has it made me a faster runner already? Absolutely. I'm not whining about this one (at all) anymore either....
3. Jogging my Recovery Laps during Intervals
This is the one that inspired this blog post. I have been walking the recovery laps during my interval sessions whether they are short, medium, or long. It is easier to walk these laps because typically by the time I'm done running the interval distance, I'm tired and out of breath. This week, for the first time, I aimed to jog the interval laps. Was it fun? No. Was I more tired and out of breath? Yes. Did I whine about it when I got home? Yes. And threats were made by my friend Josh that inspired this blog post. (*grin*) Will doing this make me a better runner? That's what I'm told...the jury is still out on this one. (But, probably, I shouldn't be whining about this one anymore either......)
1. Running Outside
I like my hamster wheel. I like the regularity of the track. I like that I can run at sunrise, sunset, after dark, in the rain, in the snow, in the heat...and it all feels about the same. Just the scenery changes (kind of). I like that there is eye candy. I like that I can tell myself that I am doing more laps than I can count. I like playing math games with my lap times. Heck, I like that I can pace myself with those lap times. Outside I lose all of those things...but, I gain a harder workout, crunchy leaves, and a change of scenery every few minutes. I get to think about Pop-Up talking to squirrels (since I don't do those things) and wave at people. I get to have dogs bark at me and cars roar past. I get to wonder why my town doesn't feel the need for sidewalks. So...do I prefer my hamster wheel? Yes. Will I get to be a better racer by going outside and dealing with the elements? Absolutely. I'm not whining about this one (much) anymore...
2. Pacing my Laps
For the first month or so of running on the hamster wheel, I had my heart rate monitor set to display total time instead of lap time while I ran. Every time I would hit the lap time button, it would stop briefly to display the total time at the end of the lap before the total time came back to the display. Since I was having difficulty with pacing my laps consistently, suggestions were made that I should view the lap time so that I could monitor at the half lap spot to see where I was at with my pacing. I resisted this suggestion for awhile, but gave it a shot one day and haven't moved back since. Has it made me a more consistent runner? Yes. Does it make it difficult for me to know my total time yes? Has it made me a faster runner already? Absolutely. I'm not whining about this one (at all) anymore either....
3. Jogging my Recovery Laps during Intervals
This is the one that inspired this blog post. I have been walking the recovery laps during my interval sessions whether they are short, medium, or long. It is easier to walk these laps because typically by the time I'm done running the interval distance, I'm tired and out of breath. This week, for the first time, I aimed to jog the interval laps. Was it fun? No. Was I more tired and out of breath? Yes. Did I whine about it when I got home? Yes. And threats were made by my friend Josh that inspired this blog post. (*grin*) Will doing this make me a better runner? That's what I'm told...the jury is still out on this one. (But, probably, I shouldn't be whining about this one anymore either......)
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