Water Day

Yesterday I was in the pool for 4-5 hours. I usually run on Mondays, however I had a lot I needed to do in between work so I skipped it. Instead I hauled more wood, taught swim lessons, swam with my daughter, and had 2 hours of training. Our pool is going to add aqua zumba to the mix in December, so part of our fitness portion of training was to try it out. I have done zumba at home on the kinect and taken a class one time. I am not the most coordinated person, which is why I teach bootcamp and not an aerobic type class where I have to stay on the beat. I love zumba on the kinect, I really got into it and had a great core workout. I didn't feel like the class was as hard, although I'm sure I didn't go all out like at home. I was wearing my normal shorts and t-shirt while everyone else rocked their zumba clothes. I do think more dance style clothes would help get in the mood. Back to aqua zumba, it was a decent workout, but I didn't love it. I prefer zumba out of the water, I found it hard to do some of the moves and just felt like I was flailing around. I would prefer to swim laps if I am going to work out in the water. I do think I need to don some dance clothes and try out zumba again.

After aqua zumba it was on to treading while passing a 10# brick and answering lifeguard and CPR questions. We treaded water for about 30 minutes. Overall it was a great fitness day, just enough to stretch out my sore back (from all the wood) and help my muscles recover.

Today I am teaching bootcamp and will probably join in depending on how many new people I have. What are you doing today?

Halloween Weekend

We had a great weekend, starting with Halloween. My kids had a blast and have more candy then they will eat in a year. Saturday started out with sunny skies and temps in the 30's which is perfect for a run. I took the dogs out and had a nice 4 mile run, this was still not long enough for the puppy! Later that afternoon we went to the neighbor's for pumpkin chunckin. Someone had an old trebuchet he had sitting in his yard he had never used so we tested it out. After a few misses it finally launched a pumpkin....about 20 ft, not quite what we had in mind. The guys kept working on it, but at this time it was windy and COLD so all the girls went inside with the little ones. They ended up getting it to work and had lots of fun launching pumpkins and then the kids played baseball with the pieces. Afterwards we went home for a few hours then went to town to the library where they had their fall festival. I had a nice chat with my friend while tons of kids ran around playing games and eating more candy.

The time change was a wonderful thing this morning, I was up early, having my quiet time and still being able to work out before church. I decided to try out a kickboxing workout I found on youtube. It was just the right intensity and reminded me of how much I enjoy kickboxing and other types of workouts. After church it was time to get some work done. My kids and I hauled wood all day, and my back feels it! Squating, carrying, throwing, and stacking wood is a great workout, I think I will feel it tomorrow.

Overall it was a great weekend. How was your weekend?

I Did It!

I am now a NASM certified personal trainer! After a lot of studying I passed my exam and am so excited to start helping people! I am not sure in what way yet, I need to talk to my boss and see if they will hire me as a personal trainer. If that doesn't happen I will look into starting my own business. I have a lot of ideas and just need to start implementing some of them.

Running is going well, I have been averaging 4 days a week with 2 days of bootcamp. I am enjoying this schedule and starting to see more definition in my legs and arms since not doing much in the summer. There is a great group attending bootcamp and I am having a lot of fun getting to know them better. On tap today is a 4 mile run, and of course a nice long walk with my hyper puppy! Have a great day!

Fall Running

Running has been fantastic this fall, after struggling with motivation for quite some time now I am in love with running again. Fall is my favorite season and this year has been perfect with cool mornings and daytime highs anywhere from 50*-70*. We have had an incredibly wet summer so everything is still green, instead of the typical brown, and the fall leaves with the green fields are amazing.

I also had the oppurtunity to run a 10k with my son! It was Gavin's first race, besides the local 1 mile fun run, and he earned his first medal which was very exciting! We ended up doing a 1 minute run with 30 second walk throughout the race, and as predicted I had to chase him the first 2 miles. He started dragging a little around mile 5 but as soon as we turned the corner and could see the finish line 4 blocks away he picked it up. At the last block he stepped it up and I again started chasing him, he has his Dad's speed and I couldn't catch him. He finished about 10 steps ahead of me!

This is at the starting line.

Shortly after the 10k it was time to run the 1 mile with Brooklyn, my sister, and her daughter, Marlee. It started raining right before we started and dumped on us throughout the run, finishing with lightning at the finish line. We had fun though and excited to run again next year!

First Day of School!

My kids went back to school today and I am enjoying having the house to myself and all this free time! It is great to have some time to work on different projects without distractions. My only problem will be me, does anyone else find you can get more done with a packed schedule? When I have hours free I find myself wasting time because I don't know what to work on first. I am determined not to let this happen though so I will need to make out a schedule for myself and stick to it!

I am teaching my first bootcamp today and am very excited. The sun is finally shining today so hopefully a few people will want to work out inside! I am really looking forward to creating routines and trying new exercises. I am also hoping to draw more people in, I know a lot of people were intimidated by the name Insanity so they wouldn't come to a class.

I have been running, 3-5 miles, and it is feeling good. I ran/walked 2 miles with my kids then went for a 3 mile run yesterday, so I wasn't going to run today but it was so beautiful this morning I took the dogs out for 1 mile. I also did a 10 minute kettlebell workout and will do abs with class today.

What Happened to Summer?

This has been a very cold and rainy summer, I think we had a total of 3 weeks of normal 85* weather but it didn't happen all at once. We would have 3 days of nice weather and then it would be rainy and 70* for a week. Yesterday I almost started a fire it was so cold, and when the clouds moved there was a lot of new snow on the mountains. I am not ready for winter! Gavin has decided he wants to run the 10k with me, so I have been taking him out a few times a week to run/walk. Brooklyn is going to run the 1 mile so she goes with us, so we haven't gone more then 2 miles. I finally had a chance last weekend to run with Gavin alone. I told him to go at an easy pace because we were going to run farther, I had planned on running with him to help pace him. He started running and his easy pace was about 30 seconds a mile faster then mine! We were running on a hilly course and I couldn't catch him, when he stopped to walk I caught up and he said he was feeling good. I told him not to worry about me and to continue, he left me in the dust again. I told him he was going to run the race by himself and beat me, he told me "I hope not, I would be lonely." When it was time to turn around I had finally warmed up enough and he had slowed down a little that I could run with him, we started with me by his side and he started to pick up the pace. When I asked him why he replied, "I thought I was going to slow since you are running with me." Once I assured him that I was trying to run with him we ran the rest of the time together, maybe I can keep up with him in the race after all, I just need to warm up first!

What A Week!

This week went by so fast, I had planned on blogging throughout but when I finally had time I was wiped! So here is a recap of the week: Monday: I taught aqua-fit, this is only my second time subbing for this class and it is so much fun. The ladies let you know if they like it or not and the feedback is great. I taught from deck and after an hour of shoulder raises I was sore! Afterwards I had a couple hours the went back to the pool and worked the rest of the day. Tuesday: I ran 3 miles, then ran/walked about 1.25 miles with my kids. Gavin told me he wants to run the Yellowstone half marathon next year, I told him maybe we should just start running and he can run the 10k this year and see how he likes it. Both kids had a great time and told me they want to run or exercise every day, so now I have to step up and get them moving. Later that day we went to the lake, the water was nice, I was able to swim for awhile without freezing. Our lakes never get warm compared to other places, but it was warm to us, probably somewhere around 65-70*. Wednesday: Gavin has been in 4-h this year with our dog, so it was fair time. We left the house around 7, my kids are definitely in summer mode and did not want to get up! We drove to the next town and spent the morning watching all the kids show their dog. Gavin did great, grand champion 2 times and 3rd overall. Afterwards we hung out at the fair for awhile, we watched the hypnotist, and they loved that, Brooklyn was very disappointed that she couldn't be hypnotized! That night I did pilates, which felt great after a day at the fair. Thursday: I did a 2 mile run, with 1 mile tempo, followed by a run/walk with the kids for 1.5 miles. Then I tried to tackle cleaning my house (didn't get very far), then took the kids to the pool. Friday: I put together a circuit for the kids to do in the morning, including soccer passes and kicks, since soccer will be starting in a couple weeks. They LOVE doing circuits, and I find that they are so much happier and helpful when they start their day this way. Then I had a meeting with my new boss, and the rest of the day was spent at home. I had planned on getting a lot done around the house but I could not get in gear. I finally went for a walk in the evening but that was my only exercise. Today I am heading out for a 6 mile run, putting together a circuit for my kdis, then tackling my house and whatever my hubby needs help with. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Workouts for the Week

I was able to get in a good week of workouts, with 4 runs, Insanity, and step with weights. I felt great running and was reminded how much I love running. I have been teaching Insanity since January, and while I love it I am not having a lot of people come to class anymore. I have decided to try something different and am planning on doing bootcamp classes. This is exciting because I think I will be able to reach more people who do not want to do such a high intensity workout. This will also require more work on my part since I will now need to come up with the routine and music. I have also decided to get my personal training certificate through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, I received my book this week and am looking forward to all I have to learn! Week recap: Monday: 4 mile run, easy Tuesday: teaching Insanity 30 minutes Wednesday: 4 mile tempo run and 45 minutes of step with weights Thursday: 20 minutes of taking my swim lesson kids down the water slide for the last day of class, about 320 stairs total! Friday: 3 miles Saturday: 4 miles Sunday: rest This week will consist of running, teaching Insanity, teaching aqua-fit, and hopefully some pilates and/or yoga thrown in.

Rendezvous Fun

My kids wait all year for Rendezvous, and it started on Friday when my friend Carrie and I took our kids around to look at all the street vendors. They all found something they couldn't live without, the boys bought spears, and the girls ended up with fans and fur pouches. Saturday morning it was time to run in the ramble, they changed the course this year so it was shorter (this way we didn't have to go up the last, steepest hill), my garmin said 4.66 miles at the finish. This run was so slow for me compared to years past. I keep wanting to run like I did 3-4 years ago, but I don't train as hard as I did then, and running 3 mile runs doesn't cut it. So I have decided to train hard for the 10k this year in September, back to focused speed work and tempo runs. I am going to follow the "own it" plan in Train Like A Mother. I will have 1 more week before it starts, so I am just planning on running 4 times this week. I did 4 miles this morning and it felt good. After running it was time to take my kids to the parade. They decided to be in the pageant this year so they walked in the parade as Indians. That night was the parade, which we lasted about 30 minutes before it started raining. It didn't last long but our clothes were completely soaked so we headed home. The next day was the pageant, which tells the story of the Green River Rendezvous and the people who met in this area to trade. My kids were so excited to be Indians and want to be in the pageant again next year.

Weekend Plans

Over the weekend we went camping with my sister and her family, as well as JR's aunt and uncle. We had a lot of fun playing in the lake and enjoying downtime. I did run 2 times, and it was hot! My sister is doing a relay in August over Teton pass, they were looking for a sub last weekend and I had debated on doing it and just decided it wasn't the right time for me. After running in 60* weather I am thankful I turned her down, because I think 100* weather would kill me! I am definitely a cold weather runner, give me 15* and I am happy. This is why I usually train for a spring race, everyone who runs in heat and humidity (we don't have humidity) is my hero. You are amazing! This weekend is Rendevous for our little town, there will be lots of vendors, a rodeo, parade, and pageant. There is a 5 mile run/walk benefiting a local organization that works with disabled kids and horses. I have a friend who has a son who has participated with this group and he loved it. It is not an easy course, as the first 2.5 is mostly up, then a fast second half as you come back down. I have not been running very much since the half so I am just going to go have fun and enjoy being out with other runners.

Vacation

Wow, summer is flying by! So much has happened since I last blogged I'm not sure where to start. I ran a half marathon, the Yellowstone Half on June 14. I planned on running it for fun, hoping to come in under 2 hours. I knew that we would have to run on a trail for part of it but I still thought I could keep a good pace. We started on a gravel road that was not flat and by mile 2 my knee was hurting, just a constant ache so I knew if I kept it easy I would be fine. Then we hit the 2 track road and the pain moved up my IT band into my hip. I slowed a little but kept running, we stayed on the 2 track for most of the miles with about 3 miles of more techinical trail. It was a beautiful run and I just tried to enjoy it, not worrying about time. The last 2 miles were hard and I just wanted to walk but I didn't. When I came around the corner for the finish J.R. said I was leaning to one side, I didn't believe him until I saw all the pictures and I was leaning a lot! Guess it's a good thing I didn't push the pace! My knee/hip took a few days to feel better but it didn't cause any major injuries. My sister also ran the half with a group of friends. I think we all thought the course was harder then we thought it would be, however if we had trained on trails it would have been fine. It is always fun running in new places, and we didn't see any grizzly bears while running (they did have bear spray at all water stops)!

After the half it was time to start our vacation! We stayed in West Yellostone for a week, visiting Yellowstone throughout. It was a fantastic trip, we ended up seeing 7 grizzly bears, 4 wolves, osprey, bison, elk, and a lot of other animals. I had never seen a grizzly in the wild before and it was as cool as you think it would be. We also visited the bear and wolf refuge in West Yellowstone. Here are our "wolves" in their den, walking down the 300 steps to look at the falls in Grand Canyon, at the bottom.

First Day of Summer Break

My kids finished school yesterday, today we picked up my niece and nephew for the weekend. We didn't even make it out of the driveway before my kids started arguing! Fortunately I had fit in a 4.5 mile run beforehand so I was able to calmly fix the situation. I just hope I can keep them occupied without spending all my time this summer keeping them busy. Now that my niece and nephew are here they are all happy. My kids are now 10 and 7 and my niece, Marlee is 5, and Brekken is 2, so my day changes when they are here. I sometimes forget how much work little ones are, mine are becoming so much more self sufficient. This morning I was able to run without worrying about them, I made a loop around my house so I was able to see them a couple times throughout my run, but I didn't have to be right with them. I will need to fit in a run sometime this weekend, but the rest of the time will be spent enjoying my family. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Running with a Friend

Yesterday was a great day. I had a 10 miler to do and my friend and running partner C joined me. We trained for the marathon together last year but have only done a handful of runs together since. She has only been running 3-4 miles a couple times a month, concentrating more on biking this year. She ran the first 4 miles with me and I didn't want the miles to end. The conversations you have on a run just don't happen as easily when you are doing other things. I have been doing all my runs by myself which I have enjoyed, I didn't realize how much I missed running with C. I am hoping to be able to run with her throughout the summer, we have plans to take the kids to the track. They are old enough now to run or there is a park next to the track, and of course plenty of hikes since she is also my hiking partner! After school my kids did the Hershey's track and field event. They both ran the 50 meter, 100 meter, and standing long jump. Neither one placed top 3 but they had a lot of fun and has spurred them on to do better next year. We started exercising in the morning about 3 weeks ago, (with about a week of when we got a new puppy). They have been loving it and Brooklyn gets right out of bed which is amazing, since all year I have had to drag her out of bed. We started back up this morning, they did a circuit of jumping jacks, dribbling a soccer ball, squats, box jumps and jumping buckets. They had a blast.

Changes

This past year has brought so many changes! I have become a group fitness leader, Insanity instructor, swim instructor, and a lifeguard. I am loving my job and teaching kids to swim has been so much fun. It's amazing to watch the progress that can be done in 8 sessions! I am also teaching Insanity 2 times a week. This has changed my running, and I am enjoying the scheduled cross training. I am currently training for a half marathon and I am only running 3 times a week. In the past I would run 5 days a week and still try to squeeze in cross training, at least until the weekly mileage added up and I would be to tired. Now that summer is finally here (yay 70* days!), gardening and work are keeping me busy. My kids will be out of school next week and my schedule will surely change again! Every summer seems to be better then the last. My half marathon is June 14, and then I will probably scale back running for the summer. I don't have the time or energy to train for a race and keep up with my kids. There will still be some shorter runs but also lots of biking, swimming, and hiking.