Whatcha Lookin' At?

There is a mantra out there for nervous gym-goers that they shouldn’t worry because every person at the gym is too busy with their own workout to watch what they are doing.  Personally, I find this a load of crap.  I may be busy at the gym with my own workout, but that doesn’t mean I’m not watching what’s going on around me.  An hour at the gym (whether running on the indoor track or between lifting sessions) means lots of downtime.  Yes, I am going through routines and thinking about form, but I still pay attention to the people around me.  What do I look for/at?

Eye Candy

I’m just gonna start with this one and get it out of the way.  Yes, I look at cute/hot/muscular people at the gym.  If you work out at my gym and are doing something active (ie: not machines), I’ve probably checked you out.  And, from the upstairs track to the lifting area and basketball court downstairs, there’s eye candy.  I look.  Get over it.  J

What are You Wearing

From cute clothes to race shirts to funny shirts to my continued obsession with what anyone wears on their feet, I’m looking.  I like the superhero shirts the best with race shirts coming in a close second.  And, if you’re in barefoot shoes, I’m instantly smitten.  <3

Good Form Lifts

My gym is notorious for lifters with terrible form – ie: half squats and curling in the squat rack.  So, when I see someone breaking the rules to lift barefoot or see someone doing a squat past parallel at the gym, I stop to watch so I can learn something.  If I see one of these people doing something I don’t know how to do, I might ask about proper procedure.  (Note: that’s still a might…I don’t like to interrupt others’ workouts.)  

           Inspiration

This is my favorite.  Especially people who transform themselves.  I see someone working their tail off and not just chit  chatting and I love it.  Whether it’s speed training or lifting or boxing, you can tell the people at the gym who are serious about their training.  And, if I see something WOW, I compliment.  Most inspirational are the a-typical gym rats that I see all the time -- anyone who doesn't fit the gym type.  This includes the senior citizen I saw walking around the track with a cane (good for him!) and the larger men and women at the gym plugging away to create their own personal transformations.  These people pull at my heartstrings and remind me that everyone starts somewhere.

So, final word?  If you think nobody is looking when you are working out, you're naive.  People watch...all the time.  But, that doesn't mean that they are judging you.  Don't put your insecurities into other people's heads.  Maybe that girl is looking at you because she likes your shirt...maybe YOU are HER inspiration.  Because everybody starts somewhere...

An A for Effort

My kids start school in just over a week.  My youngest is going to be in first grade -- her first full days in elementary school.  My oldest starts sixth grade -- her first year in middle school.  As we reminisced this morning over breakfast about our favorite parts of schools, I made the comment that I hated PE as a kid and how, looking back, I wish that I had put more effort into it.  And I had a realization of how my opinion has come to change on this subject since I left school.

As a student, PE was the only subject that you could realistically get an A for effort.  We were graded on attendance and participation.  If you showed up and participated even half-heartedly, you earned an A.  If that had been the grading scale in English or Math, I'm pretty sure I would have been pretty mediocre at those subjects too.  As I became an educator, I continued to feel that this was fair.  Not everyone is naturally talented at athletics, of course.  If I come into school as an overweight kid, why should I be held to the same standard as a kid who is fit?  I can blame my bad genetics and bad upbringing as to why I should only have to participate to receive an A grade.

Almost twenty years out of high school now, I can't even believe that I used to believe that crap.  I found that paragraph above even difficult to write because it now sounds so ridiculous to me.  How many kids come in to elementary school behind their peers?  Every kid enters school with different genetics and different upbringings.  We still hold them to the same standards in the "academic" subjects.  Why would PE be any different?  Perhaps if I had been held to an actual standard in PE anytime from elementary school to high school to receive a grade, I would have seen the importance of exercise and athletics from a younger age.  Maybe it wouldn't have taken until my twenties to run a mile...and my thirties until I ran a second.

I have a recollection of my mom calling my junior high and complaining that I was required to complete a mile in a certain time to receive an A in the class.  The teacher backed off on the requirement but, looking back, she shouldn't have.  We require that students complete certain requirements to earn grades in every class.  PE should not be an exception.  If you can't complete a mile in 15 minutes, maybe you should fail.  There should be benchmarks for PE just like there are for every other subject.  Can you imagine passing math class without learning how to add?  Or passing history without knowing when the Civil War took place?  Why should PE be any different?

Remember the Presidential Fitness Award?  They still have that thing AND it has standards for students to meet in a number of different categories.  According to their scale, an average 11 year old girl should be able to run/walk a mile in 11:17.  Do I think that's reasonable to receive a average grade in a class?  As hard as it is to write, I do.  And the students should work toward that throughout the year.  It shouldn't be a surprise on the final exam.  There should be both physical and academic benchmarks to achieve in this class regarding your physical body.

Our children work hard in their academic subjects to learn both facts and critical thinking skills to help them through life.  By eliminating actual standards from PE, the children are robbed of the ability to learn both facts and critical activity skills that will help keep them healthy and productive for years to come.

Going for Gold

We watch sporting events in the USA like there is no tomorrow.  We revere our athletes and our coaches and firmly believe that they have an abundance of natural talent.  We see their success on the court or field and think how lucky they are to be at the top of their gene pool.  We see athletic endorsements and fame and fortune.  We see attractive athleticism and six pack abs.  And, all the while, think that they are so lucky to have natural talent.  I am no exception.

I am an avid fan of the Olympics.  It doesn't really matter whether it's the summer or winter games.  I start with the opening ceremonies and watch almost religiously every day and as much coverage as I can get.  You see, my goal as a child was to be in the Olympics.  I was going to be an Olympic gymnast (or figure skater...my exercise ADD started early).  As a child, teen, and young adult, I always felt that what stopped me from realizing that dream was natural talent. 

While it's extremely probable that lack of natural talent prevented an Olympic run, I know now that professional and Olympic athletes are not just about natural talent.  I've watched Subway commercials that outline Michael Phelps' training schedule.  I watched features where Ryan Lochte explains how tire flipping helped his swimming.  I know that even sprinters like Usain Bolt hit the gym for weight work.  And heck...have you seen the muscles on the gymnasts??  These athletes who grace our television and computer screens for two weeks every four years work their tails off hours and hours every day.  We may watch every race, match or game, but what we don't see is the incredible dedication and focus that these athletes have had for their entire lives.

None of these athletes just jumped in the pool, laced up a pair of hockey skates, or pulled on a uniform and became stellar.  They started as kids and made a choice somewhere along the line to work their tails off.  They gave up nights and weekends and proms and a normal childhood to chase a nearly impossible dream.  And, whether they win gold, silver, bronze, or just a fabulous opportunity to compete for their countries, these athletes deserve some absolute recognition for their countless hours of dedication to their sport.  Because natural talent can only get you so far...hard work, focus, and relentless determination are the defining factors that make the difference between competing for gold and just watching from the sidelines.

I'm Sexy and I Know It!

It's all about perception.

A few tidbits over the past few months have gotten me thinking about how important perception is to exercise and losing weight.  My progress and my body image are relative to how I think about them.  Consider the following:

Back on Easter, my mom asked if I was skinny.  Now, to me, skinny is not something I aspire to be.  Trim?  Yes.  Fit?  Yes.  Look good in a bikini lounging on the beach?  Absolutely.  But skinny?  Never.  Skinny to me implies ribs sticking out and an unhealthy sort of look.  Think MaryKate and Ashley Olsen if you get the picture.  But, when I tried to answer the question, I realized that it was a question of perception.  To a person who struggles with their weight, I am probably fit and skinny!  To a person who has been an athlete her whole life, I'm probably still a bit on the pudgy side.  And they are both right.


Because body image isn't a matter of a number on a scale or a number on a clothing label.  And it certainly isn't reflected in BMI or my body fat percentage.  It isn't even about how much weight I can squat or how fast I can run a mile.  Body image is very personal and completely about perception.  On a good day, I can perceive myself to be smoking hot and awesome looking in that string bikini.  And, on others, I can look in the mirror and see nothing but cellulite.  Which is the real, true, objective image?  Neither...because it's all based in perception.


Body image and "sexiness" isn't what you see in the mirror.  It's very intangible and results more from your own personal confidence and mental image than anything else.  Having a great day?  Everyone knows it and your attitude shifts and changes as a result.  You automatically seem more attractive because it is your positivity that is attracting others.  Having a crappy day?  That negativity rubs off too.  


No matter where you are in your body's journey, keep it up.  Whatever your goal is -- focus on the process and stay positive.  That positive attitude and self confidence will enable you to reach your goals -- no matter what your personal daily perception happens to be.

Fitness Defined

"Fitocracy's mission is to make fitness a more fun, more addictive experience.  Play Fitocracy to beat challenges, push your boundaries, and show your friends who's boss.  Get addicted to your fitness." (taken from the Fitocracy.com website mission statement)  I have spent over six months getting completely addicted to my fitness -- running, lifting, cycling, swimming...heck, I've even hiked and playing raquetball by choice.  The more time I've spent on the site meeting new people, the more ideas I've gotten about how to improve my own level of fitness.  I learned this week that fitness is a relative term, but it shouldn't be.

For me, fitness isn't about looking "swole" or "hot" or the admiration of others.  (Ok...maybe a little for that last one if I'm honest!)  But, fundamentally, fitness is about being able to run around with my kids, carry two baskets of laundry up the stairs, and live to a ripe old age with my husband.  It took me a long time to be able to say the words "I am a runner" with any conviction.  Less time with the label of "lifter."  As for "swole,"   I think I'm too old to really understand what that word means and I'm ok with that.

I watched a new friend be castigated on the site for her views that cardio (running specifically) needed more points.  Now, yes...it's an internet website with fake points for real workouts so the argument goes "who cares..."  But, as a user of the site, I have been consistently frustrated that my all out PR runs do not gain nearly the points as my warmup sets in any of my lifts.  In fact, ten minutes of lifting will get me roughly the same points as a four mile run.  Ridiculous?  Yes.  But, it finally brings me to my point.  What is fitness and how does a person get to be "fit?"

I learned this week, that for some, the only way to get fit and be healthy is to lift heavy weights.  That sounds as ridiculous to me as saying the only way to get fit is to run.  Personally, I believe a good mix of the two works well.  But, heck...I'm the one who is trying to lift heavy and train for a half marathon.  And, as I've been told, the training methods for those are not complementary.  I enjoy lifting.  So, I lift.  I enjoy running.  So, I run.  It is not my place, or anyone else's, for that matter to tell someone that what they are doing to enjoy their fitness is useless and a waste of time.

So...if you like to run..GO RUN!!!  If you like to life...GO LIFT!!!  If you like to mix it up and do what you feel....GO GET TO IT!!!  It doesn't matter what you do as long as you challenge yourself to get up and do it just a little bit better/faster/harder every time you do it!!  

As for getting "swole," that's just a happy bonus.

This is the Part of Me...

It's been eight months since I started running.  It's been four months since I started lifting.  And in that time, I've lost over forty pounds and dropped from a size 16 to a size 8.  I've set more PRs than I care to count at this moment in both sports.  I've taken on new challenges and continuously set new goals for myself each and every month.  Sometimes I've hit those goals and sometimes, honestly, they've kicked my ass.  But, I realized tonight that fitness has brought me much further than I originally thought.

It isn't just about the PR that I've set on my mile or the fact that I hit that overhead press achievement that I was striving towards.  It's about knowing that I can always be better than that.  It's about constantly pushing to be more than I think I can be.  It's about knowing what my limit is and breaking through both the physical and mental barrier to go further than that limit.  In fitness, I always thought that this translated to running faster or further and lifting more weight.  And, yes...I won't deny that that's true.  But, it's also about accepting that in other parts of my life.

I was recently laid off from my job. Very long story short is that my position was eliminated to save money.  I was offered a demotion with a pay cut or a severance package.  A year ago, I would have been desperate enough to take the demotion because I thought so little of myself.  Today, I happily took the uncertainty of no job in order to do some soul searching to figure out what I want to do with my life.  Because, quite honestly again, I know that I am better than the position that was offered.  I have enough self confidence at this point to not grab at the opportunity to work for a company that was clearly headed in a different direction.  For me, it's about learning to accept the uncertainty that is the job market right now and push through that to discover the opportunities that await.

Another recent happy event in my life centers around Fitocracy.  Fitocracy, as many of you know, is the social fitness website that has become a part of my life.  Recently, I was selected for a member spotlight.  This is a member nominated recognition and was a huge WOW moment for me.  While I am honored and awed to have been both nominated and selected, with this came a huge realization.  I *am* an inspiration to others.  And there is great responsibility in that.  It means that I know that there are others that are looking to me to keep them going just as I look to my inspirations to keep me going.  It means accepting that fitness, both the exercise and the nutrition, is just another part of who I am.  It isn't something that is short term for the next few months.  It's become a part of me.  And, as I look to Kelly Clarkson for my inspiration...this is the part of me that no one can ever take away from me.  

Cap City 2012

In the days and weeks leading up to the Cap City Half Marathon, I felt everything from excitement to dread to nerves.  But, overwhelmingly, I felt that I had not trained nearly hard enough to hit my goal of finishing in three hours.  I worried that adding lifting to my training schedule and completely changing my diet had compromised my running.  I still hadn't completed a run longer than 10 miles in the last month and even that was a run/walk combo.  I had a race plan: 9:00 running/1:00 walking for the race.  Mike made me a great spreadsheet that even helped figure out what pace I needed to run and walk to be able to hit my goal with that combo.  But, that didn't stop the nerves.

Race weekend officially started Thursday afternoon when Cecilia and I headed over to the expo to pick up our race packets.  I was excited about all the shopping opportunities and definitely wanted to pick up a new tank to run in and maybe a new Half Marathoner shirt.  I was fortunate to have gotten there early while one of my favorite vendors still had some stuff on clearance!  I picked up two fun tanks to wear, a Cap City Half shirt, and a new tank for the race.  Combined with my free technical shirt and a free t-shirt from one of the other vendors, I felt I made out well!  My only disappointment was that my favorite running store didn't have a booth.  Goal for Thursday night: get a good night's rest so that I would be fresh the next day.  (That would be Friday night's goal as well.)

Friday dawned well.  I had the fabulous opportunity to speak at Mike's school for career day and then headed to work.  My co-worker, Sam, was also running on Saturday and we spent most of the day being nervous together.  A weird confluence of events had me leaving work almost an hour late and frustrated.  I walked outside and saw that it was pouring down rain.  I grinned, hoping that the rain would cool the weather off for the next morning.  Better yet, I slipped off my sandals and ran to my car in the rain.  THAT was fun!!  :)

I spent Friday evening getting all of my stuff ready: a pace band, a playlist, race gear ready to go.  Pace band was found online: covered in tape to be worn on my wrist.  Race gear (pack for my phone and Gatorade chews) and my bib on the counter.  Post-race bag ready for Mike to take with him.  And the playlist...originally, it was 7 1/2 hours long.  I cut it down to four hours and was happy.  I finally got to bed.  My last thought before I went to sleep: this is just like a long run with lots more people!  And, with that thought, I had absolute confidence that I could complete this race.

Race day itself dawned early and cloudy.  I opted for my normal breakfast and added a banana to it for good measure.  We left the house at 6:30, hoping to park in my favorite downtown parking garage.  After meandering through the street closures, we were able to get into that garage and have a great spot for after the race and a beautiful view of the finish line and post-race area.

We used the portapotties before heading out to our corrals.  I looked around, made sure I was at the front of my corral and smiled.  Finally excited by all the people and the great weather, I was ready to go!  I saw Amy in her curly pigtails -- she was the one I walked the half with in October and was super happy to see her again!  But, I headed out for the beginning of the race with Sarah -- someone new who had the same goal time that I did.  I figured that we could pace together for the race.

Once we took off, Sarah and I stayed together for the first three miles.  The first three miles were easy.  We spent the time talking about training.  I was surprised by how easy it was.  I was under pace by about 2:30 through the first half of the race.  I was using a run/walk combo and doing really well.  I made sure to stop and get water at every water stop after the first one.  I could feel myself starting to dehydrate at one point and really didn't want that to happen again.  By about the halfway point, I was also dipping into my supply of Gatorade chews.  (Those things are like candy!)  More than anything, I wanted to make sure my nutrition supply stayed up throughout the race.  And it did.

I stopped just before the six mile mark because I just couldn't hold it anymore.  I know I am supposed to use the restroom before the race and I did....but I definitely need a better strategy for that next time!  That took about 2:30 off my time and put me almost dead on pace to hit three hours.  I passed my fabulous family on High Street, waving signs and giving everybody high fives!!!  It was awesome to have such support to come to see me!

I kept myself just on pace through Mile 9.  Somewhere in the tenth mile, I started having pain in my hip.  The interesting thing was that it only hurt when I walked, so I tried to run more than I walked.  My Mile 10 time wasn't great but Mile 11 was faster because I was focusing on running more.  But, somewhere in Mile 12...the hip pain got enough that I couldn't run.  I stopped a couple of times to stretch that and my tightening calves out.  I promised myself I wouldn't cry but couldn't quite manage it.  At one point, the guy next to me asked if I was ok.  I responded that I was in a lot of pain but I was NOT stopping that close to the finish.  He helped to keep me distracted from the pain through the end of Mile 12 and part of Mile 13.  Once we crested High Street (the other direction) and could see the finish line, I decided to try running again.  And while it hurt slightly, it was definitely doable.  A great song came on and I took off for the finish line smiling!  I ran across the finish line BY MYSELF (which coolly enough, meant that they announced my name over the loudspeaker as I crossed...but I didn't hear it)!  Two minutes later, my mp3 battery promptly died.  So...great timing on my part!

I finished in 3:10:18.  I did not hit my goal of 3:00:00.  But, I did set PRs at 11 miles, 12 miles, and for the Half itself, taking 36 minutes off my previous time.  Had I not stopped to go to the bathroom, I was also on pace for PRs at 6 miles, 7 miles, and 8 miles.  In my book, a good race and I'm happy with it.

I learned about perseverance and fun during my last race.  This race was about goals and community. I set a goal...I didn't hit it.  Life goes on.  And, somewhere during that race, I realized that the only thing that mattered was having fun and enjoying myself.  As for fun, definitely a good time!  I love the camaraderie that is the running community.  Having the A corral people cheer me on as I ran towards the finish lines says so much about how supportive the community can be.

I ran this race, but there were tons of people that supported me throughout both the race and the training leading up to the race.  I couldn't have done it without their support: my husband Mike, my daughters Cecilia, Samantha, and Alexa, and my friends Josh, Maurice, Eric, and Rich (that's you SS). Aside from them, the community at fitocracy became a wellspring of support throughout my training.  The number of people that rallied around frustration over bad runs and chimed in with messages of good luck before the race are amazing.  So, thanks to them too (Maurice, Eric, Rich...you are above): Argyle, Debz, Ebilwabbit, MearCat, lokkju, ShortyStylee, Cadenza, and Roryn.  You are all amazing.

Do I think I would have completed my goal had I trained "harder" and focused more on running?  I have no idea...I know that the strength I gained from lifting helped me get through this run as much as running intervals and steady states.  Perhaps sticking solely with running would have gotten me to that three hour goal.  But, I never did have just one goal.  That said, in the six months between races, I am definitely a new me!

More Race Pics: http://imgur.com/a/jjZ6r#0