Watch the World Championship Spartan Race, and Enter To Win A Free Race Entry!

Do you ever think that this could be you?

Spartan Race has been voted the #1 obstacle race by Outside Magazine and they've been the global leader in obstacle racing since 2005. This race gives you a chance to go back to your ancient roots where running through woods, getting dirty, and facing adversity was part of everyday life.

To see the Spartan Race in action, make sure to tune in to the NBC Sports Network on Saturday December 7th, for the 90 minute Spartan Beast World Championship:   

A few months ago I worked with the folks at Spartan Race on a giveaway, and for those of you who entered but didn't win, here is another chance to win a free entry to any open heat in any 2013 - 2014 Spartan Race in the continental U.S.!  To enter, simply leave me a comment, telling me how you plan to challenge yourself in the New Year......yes 2014 is closer than we think! 

If you can't wait to see if you've won, you may click on this URL which will generate a code for 15% off your registration in a Spartan Race: http://bit.ly/spartanwarrio

I will choose a winner on Friday, November 29th.  

Good Luck!

Cross Fit Made Me A Pin Cushion

I'll admit that I'm not good at cross training.  Given the choice between running 6 miles or a Jillian Michaels dvd, I'll take the run.  I'm actually not that bad in the summer, I swim as often as I can and ride my bike. But I'm well aware that to avoid injury and be stronger overall, I need to do something other than just cardio.

First up in this quest, was to try Cross Fit. I've been curious about this killer workout for a while now, it certainly seemed fun, especially after seeing photos of my friends on facebook, tossing medicine balls against walls and pounding monster truck tires with a sledgehammer.

After the Empire Half, I figured it would be a good time to start something new, and my sis in law Jeannine said she would go to the Foundations classes with me.  Off we went on a Monday night, feeling a little nervous but excited.

If you aren't familiar, in order to participate in Cross Fit workouts, you must complete six Foundation classes in a two week period.  Each class is about an hour, where you learn the "foundations" how to have proper form for each exercise.

We started out slow, with a warm up that had us kicking our legs, doing a series of squats, and crawling up and down the mat. This lead into how to properly hold and lift barbells and more squats.  Then came the WOD, or Workout Of The Day.

Our WOD started off on the rowing machine for 200 meters, then to the mat to do 15 squats,15 push ups (I do girl push ups, they wanted you to do the real deal) jump on a wooden box 15 times, then back to squats. You did this three times, the first time for 15 reps, then 12 reps, then 9 reps, finishing on the rowing machine for 200 meters.

Oh yeah, and they time you.

I was most fearful of the box, this was higher than any platform I've ever encountered in a step aerobics class back in college, you need to swing your arms for momentum, launch yourself up, land on both feet, stand up, then jump back down.  At first I thought I would just bash my shins on the edge of the box, but I took it slowly, and did a good job of not falling off the thing.

The push ups were another story entirely, the coach said that we could do a modified version, after touching our chest to the mat, we could curl up in a yoga type movement to get ourselves back up.  By the last set of reps, I felt like a fish that had just been caught and slammed onto a dock, I was literally slapping my body down on the mat.  I had really red knees to prove it.

I finished this in 9:22, I came in at the middle of the pack which wasn't too bad.  I was a stinky sweaty mess, when I got home Mike wouldn't come near me, he said I smelled worse than a 10 mile run.

The next day I was really sore, like post-marathon sore, where you can't sit on the toilet without wincing, and I had to walk down the stairs sideways, but I was looking forward to the next class.

Dun Dun Duuuuuun!

The next WOD was a doozy.  It involved lifting a 35 lb barbell, doing a squat, then putting the barbell back on the floor, repeat 10 times.  Then we ran to a bar for pull-ups, something else I couldn't do.  The coach gave me two thick stretchy bands to loop over the bar, I set my foot into them, sunk down, then the band gave me the momentum to haul myself back up and above the bar.  Aside from the fact that I almost launched myself into the drop ceiling, it was fun.  We did this 10 times, ran back to the barbell for 10, and back to the bar for 10.  At the end of this workout I had done 50 reps of each exercise. In 10:40.

The next day was Halloween.  I woke up with an ache in my upper middle back, and felt swollen.  As in my hands looked like pin cushions, my arms were sausages, and you couldn't see my collar bones in my chest.

I could have been Popeye for Halloween.

I asked a couple of friends who do Cross Fit if this had ever happened to them, and it had, which made me feel a little better.  Of course I googled my symptoms, and got nervous when I read about Rhabdo.  I called my Aunt C who is a Nurse Practitioner, she thought it was a build up of lactic acid, told me to drink water and take ibuprofen.

The next day it was worse. My arm was a solid, hard tube, you couldn't even see my elbows.  It didn't hurt, it was just extremely puffy.  I was grocery shopping, and remembered that when my kids were babies and I was nursing them, that cabbage leaves help relieve engorgement.  So I bought a head of cabbage, and wrapped it around my arms.  I kept it on for a couple of hours, when I removed it I could see see a difference, but then it swelled back up.

 

Saturday I saw Aunt C, and she said to wear my compression sleeves or tops. I did that for a few days, and slowly started to see improvement. I went for a four mile run to see if that would help flush things out, but it didn't.  It wasn't until a full seven days later that the swelling went down.  That day I went to my chiropractor for an adjustment, he explained that the swelling happened because for some reason my lymphatic system didn't drain properly.  He also said it was very odd that it happened.  He agreed with Aunt C, that it was probably a good idea that I not try Cross Fit again.

I called the Cross Fit Coach, but I must not be calling at the right time because I get voice mail. Jeannine has been doing the workouts, the other night one of the guys in our group showed her his puffy arms!  J told the coaches about my puffy arms, and they said they've never heard of that happening.

Hmmmmmmmm.

I think I'm going to stick to traditional ways of cross training.

Time to dust off the Yoga For Runners DVD.

Empire Half Marathon Recap: a.k.a The Time I ran 13.1 miles in a sweatshirt

Isn't there some kind of Murphy's Law where you get wicked sick right before a race?

Yeah, I thought so.

Yesterday was the first time I ran the Empire Half Marathon, a flat out and back course that goes along Onondaga Lake in Syracuse.  I'm familiar with the loop, it's a popular place to run, has a couple of playgrounds, and a dog park.  Because of this, I felt pretty confident about the course, because I knew there wouldn't be any surprises. This round of training was pretty low key, no big issues, didn't miss any long runs, and for once I made it through a fall season without injury (see: pulled hamstring fall of 2010,  Pes anserinus bursitis fall of 2011)

Last week Eliza brought home the first lovely cold of the season, complete with a stuffy nose and head, and a nasty cough, that brought up all sorts of great things from her lungs.  Mike was the next to be hit with it, and then me.  It's been a week and I'm still hacking away, but I actually had a pretty good race!

Sunday morning I was up by six, after spending the night in the guest room. Mike was coughing and snoring, so I bailed on our bed, and fell asleep around one.  There had been a chance of rain, but the morning was dry, chilly, around 43 degrees, and windy.  I made breakfast, which consisted of a slice of peanut butter toast with banana, coffee, some nuun and water.  Frank had a moment of excitement when he saw me put on my running shoes, but I told him he could enjoy the couch for a couple more hours.

I picked up my sis-in-law/running friend/close friend Jeannine, and we were off.  The Start/Finish was at the baseball stadium, parking was fairly simple, and from what we could see, everyone was pretty bundled up. I was wearing sweats over my shorts and tee, the forecast was for sun and temps in the low 50's, so I figured that was a good choice.  However by the time we waited a short time on the port 'o potty line, we decided to book back to the car for more clothes.  I should have brought a long sleeved shirt, but I had to make due with my North Face fleece.  I was much happier wearing it, and figured if I got too hot I would just take it off and tie it around my waist.

Then J and I met up with our friends, and we had a minute to take a group photo:

Then we were on our way!

I settled into about a 10:00/10:30 pace, aside from not being able to suck in a full breath, I felt pretty good. My friends went off into their own paces and about a mile in I decided to put on my iPod.  I coughed some, and thought of my time goal of 2:05.  I decided to just enjoy my run and see what happened with my time.  It was a beautiful morning, the sky was clear, and the sun was doing a little dance on the lake.  As I turned into the park, I noticed that the lights for the annual Christmas display had already started to be put up, we've had such a warm fall that it's hard to believe the Holiday Season is approaching.

The wind was in full force here, during one big gust I couldn't hear the band that was playing on the side, much less my music.  There were some people here and there cheering us on, I passed a Dad and his young children, I ran over and slapped their little hands as they held them out.  Then I noticed a runner on my left, he was wearing a NYC Marathon shirt from the year I ran it, so I kept looking over at him and tried to get his attention to give him the old "yeah me too!" thumbs up/smile. He was really focused so I went on my merry way.

About six miles in, I decided to have a strawberry Huma gel, these are made with chia seeds and they don't bother my stomach at all.  I grabbed some water which was the first I'd had the whole race, the cold weather will do that to you.  A woman in front of me was rummaging around in her fanny pack, when she dropped a really nice pair of sunglasses.  I knew I'd be pissed if I had dropped mine, so I ran back, grabbed them, then ran up to give them to her.

We reached the turn around, and I was still feeling good, I was happy to have my music, I was getting a bit bored of the course.  Then around mile nine my buddy Julie showed up next to me!  We were both happy for the company.  I had another coughing fit, and Julie asked me if I had bronchitis!  As we came up to maybe mile 10.5 I saw Mike and the kids.  I ran over and gave them kisses and high fives, Eliza was hiding the lower half of her face, until she revealed that she was wearing deep red lipstick! She knows the rules of no makeup for seven year olds, but she pulled one over on her Dad, since he didn't have any wipes or napkins in his car.

She gave me a rather large smile.

We were closing in towards the end of the race, when Julie started to have pain in her leg.  We slowed down a bit, got going again, then slowed down again through the last water stop.  Julie is the type of runner who always goes back for someone who is having issues during a run, so I didn't want to ditch her.  We had a mile to go so she said to go ahead. At this point I really just wanted to get to the finish, she could walk okay, so I went.

I crossed the finish in 2:15:28, which was fine, because I felt like I finished relatively strong.  I met up with my friends, including Julie, and guzzled a chocolate milk. Jeannine was psyched because she thought she broke 2 hours, which she did!

Then we went to breakfast, I had a burrito with eggs, tomato and cheese, but only ate half, I guess it was a little too soon for food.  Once I got home it was Sunday afternoon business as usual, which meant a visit to the pumpkin patch, then football. (So psyched the JETS beat the Patriots!)  I couldn't seem to get warm, but as a special post race treat, Mike made lobster pot pie for dinner.

YUM.

Here is the photographic evidence of my race participation, I was disappointed in the shirt, it's a long sleeve tech which is great, but it ran on the small side.  Mine is a medium, and it's more like a small.

All in all I'm happy with the race, I had my sights on the Syracuse Half Marathon in March, but I checked the date, and it's the same day as my sister's wedding.  So I'll find something else.

My play list for this race was particularly motivating, if you're looking for ideas, here it is:

Please Don't Leave Me - Pink
Hard Sun - Eddie Vedder
Neutron Star Collision - Muse
Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri
Rebellion - Arcade Fire
Stubborn Love - The Lumineers
Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus
Breathe Me - Sia
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
Short Skirt.Long Jacket - Cake
Set Fire To The Rain - Adele
Save Me - Aimee Mann
See You Again - Miley Cyrus
The Only Living Boy in NY - Simon & Garfunkel
Knockout - Lil Wayne & Nicki Minaj
I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons
Heartbreaker - Mariah Cary & Jay Z
Roar - Katy Perry
Always - Blink 182
My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson

Yeah, Miley Cyrus is on there twice.  So sue me.


Happy Running!

Review Time: Energy Bits!

I always begin my day with coffee.

I think I love the routine of making it first thing in the morning, as much as I love the caffeine.  A steaming hot mug on a chilly morning walking the dog, or waiting for the school bus.  Or an iced coffee on a muggy morning.  I limit myself to one cup, otherwise I get jittery, and have sleep issues.  However, every once in a while I need something to battle an afternoon slump, which is where Energy Bits come in.

I recently had the chance to try these one calorie bits of 100% spirulina algae, which also contain 64% protein, GLA (an Omega 3) and 40 other nutrients.  A handful of 30 tabs help to give a steady stream of energy, curb hunger, and stop cravings, without caffeine or sugar.

From what I've read on other blog reviews, the Energy Bits are great fuel for a run, but I gave them a try after a sleepless night with Eliza, who was having stomach issues. I finally fell asleep crammed up on the side of her bed, with my back to the wall, and an American Girl doll in my neck.  

I had my usual morning coffee, but by late afternoon I was dragging. So I broke out the Energy Bits. You can chew them, but an easier way is to swallow 30 bit with a glass of water.  I chewed one bit, which was chalky and green tasting, and made it look like I had a mouth full of fillings.  So I swallowed the rest.

I waited for a big jolt of energy, which never came, but I did perk up, and finished out my day on a good note.

The bits also come in these varieties: Skinny Bits for help with weight loss, Recovery Bits, to boost the immune system, and Vitality Bits.  You can read more about these bits, right here.

The tin also has it's uses once its empty.  My son took it from me, and now it houses teeny tiny Lego's.



*Note, I was sent a sample of Energy Bits for the purpose of this review, my thoughts on the product are my own. 

Sometimes you have to put yourself first, so you don't come in last

I've been on a cleansing kick.  I'm not talking about a diet, more of a life cleanse.

Once the kids went back to school, I decided to clean the clutter that we've accumulated in the eight years that we've been living in this house.  Each day I pick one area, grab a garbage can, and get to it.  Clothes have been donated, broken toys have been tossed, and paperwork has been shredded.  It took me four hours just to clean out my desk, which was completely worth it, I was finding old schedules from Luke's nursery school.  

I'm the type of person who puts the needs of others before my own.  I do this happily, but at times I lose sight of what I need, to the point where I feel guilty if I go for a run.  Which is silly.  So now that my house and family are in order, I've been doing things for me.  I visited my chiropractor a few times for an adjustment, had my teeth cleaned, and went to a new eye doctor.  Now, I've had my eyes dilated before, but this time around they were extremely dilated.  After my exam, I opened up the door to the outside parking lot, then shrunk against the wall faster than a vampire caught in a spotlight. I threw my hand up to block the sun, and crept back inside.  

Then I had to drive home like this:

Love me some Blue Blockers.

I don't need reminding, I'll never forget.

I post this each year on this day. 


That Tuesday was absolutely gorgeous. Blue skies, no humidity, the temperature was in the 70's. I was in Queens on my way back from an early appointment, and listening to Howard Stern. He started talking about the first plane hitting the WTC, which seemed bad, but we had no idea how bad it was going to get. The second plane hit. My cell phone stopped working, my last call was to my dad, we spoke about the planes but he said not to worry because everything would be fine. I inched my way down the highway, and decided to stop home before getting the subway to work. When I turned on the TV I saw how bad it was. Mike called on the land line, his office was downtown, and he said things were getting scary. He saw the first plane hit as he came out of the subway, he called his Dad in the Adirondacks to find out what was going on. He sat on the fire escape of his building with his coworkers, no believing what he saw. People leaping out of the WTC to their deaths. I told him to come home, just start walking and come home.

Mike started walking with hundreds of other people, most of them started running as they passed the Empire State Building, because they thought that was the next target. My sister worked at Homeland Security at the time, her boss ran into her courtrooom and said we were under attack. The thing that stands out in her mind is all of the shoes in the streets, shoes people kicked off their feet as they ran, shoes from God knows where else.

Mike got to the 59th Street Bridge that leads into Queens when he called again, we were on the phone as the second tower fell. I told him they were all gone, I couldn't believe all those people were gone.

I couldn't take it anymore so I turned off the TV and went outside. Right outside my front door was a National Guardsman holding a machine gun. I walked to the bodega next door and bought a beer, even though it was 10:30 in the morning. We lived 10 blocks from the entrance to the Triborough Bridge, and I couldn't get over the silence. Cars and tractor trailers just sitting there, with the engines turned off, listening to their radios. Mike got home and the rest of the day we sat there, we managed to get a couple of phone calls from family, but the phones didn't really work. We finally got a call at 11:30 that night, from our friends K&C. It was their wedding anniversary.

The next day I got up and went to work. It didn't make sense, but in a way, it did. I wanted to show those f**kers that they didn't change my life even though they tried. Have you ever seen that Tom Cruise movie Vanilla Sky, there is a scene where Time Square is empty? That is exactly what it was like. It was so surreal, it was like a movie. That weekened Mike and I went out and bought some things that the recovery workers needed, gloves, spray paint, etc., and brought them down to Ground Zero. On the walk over, we kept noticing pieces of paper that were floating around, charred around the edges. They were memos, reports, things from different offices.

It was hard working at a newspaper during this time. It was hard reading a newspaper during this time. Reading every day the new list of people who were identified. Seeing all the Missing Person flyers everywhere. My boss' wife had her baby on 9/11. In the days that followed, he enjoyed his newborn son, while attending 30 funerals. My sister's college roommate lost her brother, simply because he had a work meeting scheduled at the Towers.  He had a newborn son.  I did a double take whenever I saw a plane in the sky. We were in The Gaf, our favorite bar on the West Side, the night of the Concert for NY. It was weird to be in a bar that was usually loud and fun, it was silent as we all watched the concert on tv and drank our beers. We drank a lot that month.

A few months later my brother and sister in law came down for a visit, and we brought them down to Ground Zero. My brother in law couldn't get over the cross that was found in the rubble, just two pieces of steel that became a cross, and where prayer services were held for the recovery workers. I truly think that cross is meant as a message. The one thing I get comfort from out of all of this, is the hope that when those poor souls perished, that God was there to bring them to heaven.

Strong Body Whole Heart

Holy cow, it's been waaaaay too long since my last post.  I have much to share, along with two giveaways, which I will get to tomorrow.  In the meantime, I wanted to share a project that my friend Kelly from My life as a trimommy has underway, the Strong Body Whole Heart Podcast.  

Kelly is a Mom and Triathlete, who completed her first 140.6 race last year.  She and her co-host Maggie, a personal trainer and life coach, are currently in the process of getting their own podcast up and running. The focus is on finding your best self each and every day. Each weekly session will provide inspiration, motivation, and practical tips along with a good dose of reality and laughs from the hosts. Kelly and Maggie will open up about their own challenges and how they have overcome them or are still working on them.

This is a podcast about whole body health – your heart, soul, strength and power and how all of those things go hand in hand to make us who we are. It will help people to rise up to honor themselves and stand in their full truth and beauty.

Kelly and Maggie are currently running an Indiegogo campaign to raise the funds for all of the technical equipment and start up costs. They have EIGHT days to meet their fundraising goal, if it is not met, they will not receive any of the donations already pledged.

Please check out their Indiegogo page HERE, to learn more about their podcast, and campaign!