2011: Year In Review

This year I turned I can't into I did! On Feb. 27, 2011 I ran my first MARATHON and not just any marathon. I ran in the Tokyo Marathon with 36,000 plus runners!

I'd have to say the most memorable part was the preparation leading up to the marathon. I put in 110% into my training. There were many days when I would wake up at 4 in the morning just to run. Majority of my runs took place along the ocean side. Japan is a beautiful country with a such an intriguing history which made my runs that much more interesting.

Nothing will ever beat that sense of accomplishment I felt after I crossed the finish line. Tokyo Marathon 2011 was 26 miles of fun and the memory of a lifetime. It's definitely something I can brag about for the rest of my life :)

Less than two weeks later, on March 11, 2011 three disasters happened in one. Beginning with the 9.0 earthquake, followed by a tsunami and then a multiple reactor accident. The earthquake on 3/11 was immense and it went on for what seemed like an eternity. How the Japanese have handled the aftermath of this situation humbles me. They have handled this in a dignified manor, and an absolute civilized manor. There has been no loss of law or order, no loss of any kind of civilized decorum of the people. It has been something exemplary and something that the Japanese as a people can be proud of forever. Even though I wasn't physically impacted by the disaster it truly did have a emotional effect on everyone (including myself) who was in Japan during that time.

Tokyo Marathon February 2011

I remember telling my self at this point that I would never run a marathon again!

Two Mile Armed Forces Kids Run Yokosuka, Japan April 2011

(My daughter's first race)

Folsom Firecracker 10k in Folsom, California July 2011

Moonlight Half Marathon in Davis, California July 2011

(My first half marathon)

Moonlight Kids Run in Davis, California July 2011

(My daughter, nephew and niece)

Seattle Seafare 8k August 2011

9/11 POW Memorial Run in Silverdale, WA September 2011

Run To Feed The Hungry 10k in Sacramento, CA November 2011

A runners best friend: Garmin 405

(Which won't work in the rain, did I mention that I live in the wettest place in the country? Seattle WA :/

Running For My Sanity

There are many reason why I love to run but for the last week I have been running for a different reason. OMG, do you see the picture above? I am in California for the holidays taking care of my niece, nephew and my own two girls. When these 4 kids get together, they never listen. In fact when I speak to them or tell them to do something, I swear this is what they hear come out of my mouth..."Blah blah blah blah!" So I have run every single day for the last seven days to keep my SANITY!!! Tomorrow will be my rest day since it's Christmas and all. But when Monday morning comes, I'll be back on my running streak. Please believe it!!

Yay For Negative Splits!!

I only ran 3 miles, didn't beat my personal record but I sure did run an awesome 3 miler today! Yay for negative splits!! Here's how it went down....

Does anyone else stare at their shadow sometime while running? Or is it just me? Watching my shadow when I run can be motivate me to run faster!

I was excited to blog about my awesome performance on the pavement today :)

Why I Love To Run

I've always been athletic. There are many reasons why I love everything fitness but running has a special place in my heart.

Every one who knows me, knows that I love to run. I have friends who ask me why I run and what motivates to do it. Well I just love running in general. My only regret is skipping a run. When you find something that you actually enjoy doing you will more than likely stick with it. Every time I run, it's like a gift to my self.

I love the feeling that running gives me – such a sense of accomplishment. Its something you have to do by yourself and for yourself. No one can run for you.

10 Reason's Why I Love To Run:

1. Running is an awesome stress reliever. Running forces you to focus on yourself. Focusing on your breathing, your posture and taking the next step. After about 20 minutes I find that the stress of the day begins to fall off.

2. I love getting a "runners high". My "runners high" normally happens around mile 4. It's an amazing feeling, as if I can run as fast as I want and no one can stop me.

3. Running is my "me" time. Life as a mom and a wife can be hectic. Majority of the time I feel as if my life revolves around my family. Once I lace up my shoes, crank up the music on my iPod and hit the pavement, it's like nothing else exists and I can actually hear myself think.

4. Running helps me feel good about myself. My fitness, self-esteem and confidence have all shot up since I took up running.

5. Running helps me look good. Need I say more??

6. I love to set goals and achieve them. Having goals keeps me focused. Some people hate to exercise just for the sake of exercising, but with running, though, you can train for races, from 5Ks to marathons and beyond. Training for a race gives me a specific goal to work toward, which definitely helps improve my motivation to run.

7. I love running in races/events. It's awesome to get together with other runners and run the neat courses in neat places. Iv'e run in places such as Japan, Seattle WA and Sacramento CA. Running in the Tokyo Marathon is one of my greatest accomplishments and something that I can brag about for the rest of my life.

8. It is just down right fun. Its fun to go shopping for running gear – socks, shoes, shorts, etc. Its fun to read Runners World and other runner's blogs. Its fun to put new music on your ipod & check the stats on your Garmin watch. Its fun to run on new routes in new cities. Its just fun.

9. I love the running community. Runners always have something to say. We exchange experiences, discuss running routes, running shoes, watches, foods or drinks for fuel. Even if we don't know each other we all have this common bond.

10. I run to inspire others. A few of my friends took up running this year after I completed my first marathon. I ran with one of my best friends in her first half marathon this year. My friend from High School completed her first half marathon this past fall. Now I am in training for marathon number two that I will run with another one of my best friends (who I've known since I was 12 years old) in her 1st marathon. I've realized that once you've achieved goals, you have become a role model to someone. This comes with a responsibility and accountability to lead by example. I want to be a role model for my children and teach them how to lead a healthy life and take care of their bodies now.

Tis' The Season!

Today's Workout 12/10/11

Insanity - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

100 Push Push Up Challenge 

Week 1 Day 3 4, 5, 4, 4, 10

Okay okay, I know I am trying to jump back on the clean eating diet but Tis' the Season.... These sugar cookies were calling my name. On this cold Saturday night in WA state my daughters and I watched Christmas movies, ate sugar cookies and had hot coco. It's been 4 years since we spent Christmas in the States. It sure does feel great to be back :)

Happy

Today's Workout 12/8/11

Insanity - Cardio Power & Resistance
Strength Train - Back & Biceps
100 Push Up Challenge Week 1 Day 2

(Back)
Superman's 8 Sets, 8 Reps Hold 10 Seconds each
Bent Over Row's 4 Sets, 12 Reps
Dead lifts 4 Sets, 20 reps

(Biceps)
Zottman Curls 2 Sets, 20 Reps / 2 Sets, 15 Reps
Hammer Curls 4 Sets, 16 Reps
Sitting Bicep Curls 4 Sets, 12 Reps
Reverse Curls 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Push Up's 4, 6, 4, 4, 10

I'm just happy :) Today I was able to wake up at 6 am (before the kids) and get my work out on! What an amazing feeling to have your workout completed first thing in the morning. Every time I work out it's like a gift to myself.

The rest of my day just breezed on by. Oh yeah, and I ate pretty clean & healthy today day. Yay! Except I ate tacos for dinner with a glass of fruit punch.

Running the Sahara. Movie Review.

First, I just wanted to say Thank You to those who commented on my last post. I really appreciate your support. Your kind words were a "pick me up" Thank you! :)

Who likes the new blogger dashboard? I hate it. I tried to get use to it but I switched back to the old layout. LOL

I am not really good when it comes to reviews but I can tell you that the movie "Running the Sahara" is a must see for you runners out there! You can watch it on Netflix. After I was done watching Spirit of the Marathon, I searched other running movies and came across this one. I am GLAD I did! The movie is a fascinating, inspiring documentary about three men who literary run across the Sahara dessert. They ran a total of 4,300 miles over 111 days across six countries. They ran the equivalent of two marathons every day.

Moving Along...

It's been a while since my husbands left. I've been a little dissapointed for the last few days because I am not any where near where I wanted to be in my fitness journey thus far. I've been working out but my diet hasn't been very clean. Then I looked at the picture above of my husband and all my worries went away. I have a lot going on right now, I'm holding down the home front taking care of my two daughters the best I can.

I realized this fitness life style isn't about being perfect. You will give into temptation and feel guilty the next morning. You will find an excuse to skip the gym. These are the moments that separates us from the winners and the quitters. Either you can say "forget it" and give up, or you can look at it as a moment to prove to yourself you can do this.

So that's what I am going to do. I WILL pick myself back up, because I know I can do this.

"Nothing is really over, until the moment you stop trying." - Bryon Dyson

Today's Workout 12/06/11:

Insanity - Cardio Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Strength Train - Shoulders, Chest, Triceps

(Shoulder)

Arnold Dumbell Press 4 Sets, 12-16 Reps

1 Arm Side Laterals 4 Sets, 12-16 Reps

Shoulder Press 4 Sets, 10-16 Reps

(Chest)

Around The Worlds 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Bench Press 4 Sets, 16 Reps

Push Ups 2, 3, 2, 2, 3

(Triceps)

Dumbbell Overhead Extensions 4 Sets, 12-20 Reps

Bentover Extensions 4 Sets, 12 Reps

Dips 4 Sets, 12 Reps

100 Push Up Challenge: 2, 3, 2, 2, 3 ....Next time I will complete the push ups before I do I my strength training routine. Doing it after was a bad idea because my arms could barely complete 1 push up after using the dumbbells!

Breakfast:

Rolled oats, with cinnamon and almonds

Banana & Water

Lunch:

Chicken Breast

Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

Mandarins

Snacks, dinner and everything in between kind of went down hill from here :/

Motivation

Staying motivated is key to achieving your goals. When you reach a goal it's natural to feel somewhat lost not knowing where to go next. The key is to keep it going and create a plan to stay on track. For some people I think it's hard for them realize that fitness is lifestyle and not a destination. The following tips can help you stick to your fitness program:

Begin Slowly. I've noticed that there are those who try to jump right into a fitness program and have a "do or die" type mentality. Therefore they wear themselves out quickly and end up quitting. Even though you are anxious to get moving and see results, your body needs to adjust to your new routine. All great achievements require time!

Goal Setting. A great way to stay on track is to continually set new goals. You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures.

Inspiration. Grab a copy of a fitness magazine, or read articles online. I love logging onto Facebook and follow people in the fitness industry. I've learned so much just by looking through there wall photos. Seeing their daily posts gives me a lot of motivation on my off days.

Role Model. Whether you realize it or not, once you've achieved goals, you become a role model to someone. After I completed my first Marathon I have received many comments from friends wishing that they could do the same and how I have helped motivate them to living healthier lifestyles. Leading by example by is truly the only way to influence people.

Change. Switching up your training program is another way to keep you motivated and will help break plateaus. Find something that you actually enjoy doing. No one sticks with a regiment if it's boring. Your workout should be fun, functional and purposeful.

Journal. This is great way to stay on track and keep yourself accountable. You can refer and read past journal entries to help you stay motivated and remind yourself how far you have come. It's very easy to lose perspective when you are on your path to achieving goals so this will help you regain it.

Consistency. Consistency is the answer. This is a lifestyle, it doesn't end. Staying on your training and and exercise regiment day after day is what "works".

Positive. Surround yourself by it! A positive attitude is contagious. There will always be those who try to bring you down or steal your sunshine. Don't let them and move on.

Do whatever it is that helps you focus on your health and that will keep you motivated to fuel your body with proper nutrition for energy and well being.

Turkey Run 2011

Thanksgiving morning 2011 I ran in Sacramento, California's Run to Feed the Hungry 10k. I must have brought the rain with me from Seattle because it was the first time in the 18-year history of the fun run that it RAINED! It was a wet one! Good thing for my hat that blocked those rain drops from getting on my face.

Some of my family members participated in this race. My two brother in laws ran the 10k, while my sister, her two kids and my dad walked the 5k. Those kids are troopers I tell ya. We were all drenched and freezing cold by the end of the race.

I didn't beat my personal record. I'm a little disappointed about that. My time for this run was 57:25. My PR for the 10k is 55:37. I set that PR last year while I was at the peak of my Tokyo Marathon training.

I didn't wear my Garmin in today's race because of the rain. The Garmin 405 stops working if it gets wet. I wasn't able to tell the exact pace I was running but I did the best I could have done with the amount of time I have trained. 

There was a pretty good turnout for this race. I love large events. A preliminary tally showed 26,844 registered for the race. I'm not sure if everyone who registered, came. There were a lot of runners, but it didn't look like there were 26,844 of them.

,

Week In Review

Week one of Insanity complete! Well, maybe incomplete. I skipped the fit test. I can't count the reps while I am doing Insanity so I just skipped it. I also didn't complete cardio recovery either. So one of my goals for next week is to complete all the Insanity workouts for the entire week. My hamstrings and back is a little sore from this weeks workout but I am so glad I am getting my fitness back on!!

Here's how the last week went for me.

Monday - No workout

Tuesday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Wednesday - Cardio Power and Resistance

Thursday - No Workout

Friday - Pure Cardio

Satuday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Sunday - Rest Day THANK GOODNESS!

Insanity Day 2

Today I am on day 2 of Insanity. It's been a while since I have worked out so I was feeling very week, especially when it came to the ski jumps and power squats. During the warm up I was hurting! So either I am out of shape or Insanity is just that good of a work out.

For those who are unfamiliar with Insanity, it is a 60 day body conditioning program. I've had people ask me which is better p90x or Insanity. Well Insanity is more cardio and p90x focuses on weight training.

The first month of insanity consists of several different plyometric workouts. "Plyometric" is just a fancy way to say "lots of jumping around like a crazy person", just in case you weren’t aware. Anyway, these workouts last around 40 minutes each. There is always a warm up and stretch session that's about 10 minutes long, followed by the workout that lasted roughly 25 minutes, ending with a cooldown stretch that lasted about 5 minutes.

Week 4 is a recovery week.

The second month the workouts jump from 40 minutes to 60 minutes! I'll be honest I hate working out at home so working out for 60 minutes is boring for me. There are times where I won't even finish the workout because it just last too long.

There is not much to offer in terms of building muscle. You will probably build some muscle and will definitely see some toning, but this is mainly a fat loss program.

This will be my second round doing Insanity. The reason why I have decided to start it again is because

1) Since I am single mom at the moment and I don't have childcare, I will be relying on my home work outs.

2) The first time I did insanity, I saw a huge difference in my running (for the better).

Becoming a faster runner in my ultimate goal :)

Music Tuesday!

Welcome to my second edition of Music Tuesday! This song by American Head Charge is one of my favorites. It just pumps me up! I'd say this song would be on my top 5 songs to workout to. It's a fantastic song to listen to while doing some sprints on the track :)

American Head Charge - Just So You Know.

To Do Lists.

Marissa's Crossfit group. They were able to wear their Halloween costumes to the WOD(Workout Of The Day, for you non-crossfitters).

Happy November everyone! A new month presents a clean slate. My goals have been set and I am excited for a new fresh full month full of possibilities! The first of the month always feels like New Years Day, time to strategize, get focused, and back on track! Fitness is a LIFESTYLE that is consistent day in and day out - not something that is thrown off to the side when the going gets tough! Before you make an excuse of why you can't - STOP and remember those who SUCCEED to find a way so that they CAN! Be strong, stay consistent, push through the bad times and you will emerge stronger and better than ever!

How many of you make To Do lists? Or plan your workouts before you head to the gym? I use to never plan ahead, I'd wonder around the gym wondering what machine I would use next. That obviously isn't the best strategy and is just wasted time in the gym. To eliminate my days being wasted now, I live by my To Do list! Even if I don't have a workout planned for the day I still make a list. Being a stay at home mom, it can be easy to sit on the couch and watch TV all day or spend countless hours surfing the internet.

Set your day up for success. Write out your To Do list and stick to it. Focus = Forward Progress. Keep your list close and refer to it often. My To Do list is one of the things that motivates me to stay focused and productive. Having a to do list is essential because knowing exactly what needs to be done and when, keeps me accountable to myself and the people around me.

My Current Goal

"You may be only one person to the world, but to me you are my world."

Deployment. While I hate my husband being gone, hate being alone, hate being a single mother and hate not knowing what he is doing and when he is coming home. I know that what he does is amazing. Someone has to do it and I'm proud that my husband is one of them. The sleepless nights and sporadic tears are nothing compared to the pride I feel. I am lucky to be married to a sailor even if he's never home.

On that note...I've fallen into a slump these days. I haven't worked out or run in what seems like forever! I'm ready to get out of this funk I've been in and get my fitness on!!!

I’d like to make a complete fitness transformation for when I see my husband again. I’m sick of being “skinny fat” I want to be lean and tone. I miss my athletic figure so I am determined to get it back!

My motto:

"I want to be inspired by the promise of success. I will work smart toward my goals. I'll surround myself with inspirational and motivational materials to keep me centered. I'm going to focus on what I want and WILL go for it."