I'm sidelined from running for 2 weeks... but I'm still training!

A couple of weeks ago, my knee started hurting.  I had surgery on it in Dec. 2011, and finished therapy in spring of '12.  My knee HAS NOT HURT since then (thanks be to God!)  I did both my tris last summer with no knee pain.  So, you can imagine that when my knee started hurting once I reached mile 4 in my training, I was NOT HAPPY, and honestly, a little scared.  I waited a couple of weeks before mentioning it to my coach, and spent that time stretching, foam rolling and doing some old PT exercises (that I could remember)... and after 2 weeks, I finally texted my coach.  This was part of the conversation we had:

                                                                       

(Even though we have only been working together for about a month, she knows what I need to hear, and how I need to hear it~ for that I am thankful.  After this conversation with Coach, I actually had this thought run through my head: "when a professional athlete gets injured- no matter how "big" or "small" he/she ALWAYS goes and gets it checked out...why? because if it is bad, they want to get it taken care of, and if it isn't bad, they don't want it to get bad..."  Now, don't get me wrong- i'm not saying I'm a professional athlete... TRUST ME, I'M NOT (and my bank account proves that)... but for me, it was a little switch, that combined with my coach's statement, flipped my stubbornness off and made me call...

So, I went to the Dr. today to get my knee checked out.  He said a couple of things that it "could be" but he really isn't too worried about those things at this point, and he mainly said: "I think your knee just isn't happy with you."  Basically it is inflamed, and every time I run, it flares up.  Therefore, he has sidelined me from running for the next 2 weeks.  On week 3, i can start running again, but building back up to where I was.  I'm ok with this because I still get to swim and bike.  He told me to "go to town" with those things so i can keep my cardio up! I'll go back to see him at the end of 3 weeks, and I'm believing and praying that my knee will be completely healed.  

I'm going to leave you with this clip from one of my favorite movies: Zoolander... As I was driving home this evening, this clip popped into my head and it is a perfect description of how I feelt right now regarding running... When I could run, I never wanted to (honestly, that did start to chaange recently), but now that I can't (for a short time) I want to!!!  Anyways, I thought it was funny... and those who know me, know that I consistently have movie reels playing in my head.... 

God is so faithful, and He care about the small details of our life!

(I'm just going to apologize for the long post, now... but please, read to the end... It's a good one, I promise.) ;)

                          

The past week and a half has been a breakthrough time for me.  2 days in particular... I had to leave my comfort zone (running inside on a treadmill) Let me explain:

Monday, Feb. 3 was not my best swim... I was off.. I'm not sure why, but my body was not doing what I wanted it to do.. breathing was off, stroke was off, I was sinking!  After texting my coach for some guidence and encouragement on Tuesday, I took to the pool again on Wednesday morning (breakthrough day one).  There was temptation to allow the poor swim of Monday to linger, but instead of doing that, I pressed into the Lord.  I prayed, asked the Lord to help me, and HE DID!  (no surprise there)  It was like something in my mind had shifted~ i felt like my stroke was right on, my breathing was WAY BETTER, I wasn't sinking (which is always good in a pool)... I left that pool feeling like I could conquer the WORLD!  Thursday, I rode my bike, and then Saturday we had another session with Todd!  This was probably the hardest session we have had, but it was soo good!  It was a great opportunity to make a choice... give into my mind and body thought were it's limitations, or I could push through... I chose to push through, and it was well worth it.  

Then came Saturday night... I'm not 100% sure why I texted Coach the question I did, becuse I already knew what she was going to answer (the text was about my comfort zone and how I needed to leave that, but part of her answer, I didn't expect.  She offered to meet me in Brentwood (about half way between our homes) and run with me on Sunday!  I immediately said 'YES!!!!' Then, I almost just as quickly started wondering why in the world I said yes?!  She was going to make me run... and run a lot.. So Sunday rolled around (breakthrough day 2), I went to church, lunch, errands, then headed up to meet with Coach.  As I was driving up, I had multiple conversations: 1 with a friend, 1 with my aunt and the most important one was with God.... I NEEDED THIS RUN TO GO WELL... As you all know, I've said for quite a while that 'running was my weakest event' or 'i'm no good at running'.  It was time to break that down!  I needed to change my mindset and the words that I spoke over myself!  The Lord had been showing me that over the week, and then my coach told me on our run: "You need to start saying that you CAN do this and stop saying the negative things."  So we ran... and ran... and ran... (ok, we actually walked some too, which was really helpful.  We ran for 4 minutes, walked 1 (and repeat))...  at the end of my run, I found out that we actually did 4 miles in 46 minutes and I ran at my fastest pace ever!!  WAHOO!!!  As I ran, I was talking with Coach, but I was also talking with the Lord.  The Bible says that "His strength is made perfect in our weakness."  This was shown during this run... Yes, I was doing the physical run, but emotionally, it was the power of the Holy Spirit that was getting me through... That was gently encouraging me to put one foot in front of the other and not give up.  After we got done running, my hips and the top of my foot started hurting.. We had another text conversation about this, and it was determined that I needed to get new shoes...

Oh great... I know I need new shoes, but I serious had NO IDEA HOW I WAS GOING TO PAY FOR THEM!!!!  I have ZERO EXTRA MONEY, and honestly, new shoes was not in the budget.... So, what do I do?  I pray, and pray hard!  This is where some people might think I'm crazy.. praying for shoes?  It seems so little, or vain, or ??  But I'm a firm believer that God cares not only about the BIG things in our lives, but He deeply cares about the small details of our lives too... So I prayed and trusted that the Lord would provide shoes for me somehow.

On Monday night, I posted this to our private "Tri-team" facebook page:   Stacee Strickland I'm no planning on completely following in your footsteps, but I too am taking tomorrow off of running... Yesterday's GREAT run has left me super sore, and I'm having some pretty intense tenderness on the top of my feet... Coach and I have determined that it is because my shoes are old and laces tied to tight... so, I'm going to give riding a try, but ice, ice, ICE!!! Looking forward to the pool Wednesday am!

Then i went to bed... I woke up to this private message from one of my teammates:    I read your post about you shoes. You have to have good shoes - especially while training. And this cannot wait. Come to Brentwood Fleet Feet at your earliest opportunity and I will buy you a pair. Seriously. If you keep running in those shoes, you will injure yourself and we can't have that. Let me know when you can meet me there.

Um.. seriously?  Did I read that right?  YES I DID!!!!  Oh my word! God totally just gave me shoes by the generosity of my teammate!  And let me just point out that our team has only really been together for about 6 weeks... So, I met up with my teammate today and we got myself new shoes!  I NEVER ONCE MENTIONED how I couldn't afford to get new shoes (prior to that message from my teammate)... GOD CARES ABOUT THE DETAILS IN OUR LIVES!  HOW COOL IS GOD?!??!?!?!?  He cares about the big issue of my finances, and then He also cares about the small detail of me needing new running shoes, and sends my teammate to buy them for me.  I had no idea how the Lord was going to come through on this one, but He absolutely did, and I am SOO greatful!  I now can't wait to get out and run with my new shoes.  They are lightweight, yet supportive, and they are an awesome bright yellow!  Here's a picture!  

    

It was soo worth me leaving my comfort zone this week, in at least 2 of the 3 sports.  It was scary, but it was way easier with the partnership of my coach and my team.  I absolutely LOVE training with TEAM, and my TEAM in particular.  I'll be honest in that it doesn't look exactly as I thought it was going to, but it is exactly what it needs to be! 

Running Vlog

It's no secret that running isn't my strong suit... I don't like it... but I want that to change!  I want to enjoy running and I want to do it well!  Here is a v-log (it's a little longer than the last one) but I did it while I was running... so sorry for the noise of the treadmill.  I know it's not super "interesting" but I am committed to bringing you guys along on the journey.. and this is part of my journey!

On the dusty trail... Pixie Dust, that is!

**this post was written out last week but not published**


Hellloooooooooo Glisteners!!

I know. I know. It's been a while. We don't have very good excuses. In fact, we don't really have ANY excuses. We just flat out didn't post. Bad Bloggers! 

2014 New Years Resolution: 

Have more of a presense online! 

Here we goooooooooo! (Off to Neverland!) 

As I compose this, I'm getting ready for a fantastic weekend at my most favorite place in the (small) world!! If you haven't picked up on my not so subtle hints... I'm going to Disneyland!!! 

This weekend is the Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend!

I'm signed up for not only the Half Marathon on Sunday, but I also registered for a 10K the day before! Craziness, I know! But I'm excited!

I'll have a full blog post up for you to recap the weekend but if anyone is interested in running a RunDisney race, check out their schedule of events at www.rundisney.com  I'll be participating in the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge this coming fall at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend.

Till then, keep on Glistening!

 

Listen to Your Body

Hello all my Glisten Girls! (and Guys!)


I learned an important lesson last week that I thought I'd share.  And that's what we're all here for, right? I love watching and listening to other people's life experiences.

Well, these last few weeks I've started a whole new routine that includes moving around my job, fitness, freelance work, eating, coaching cross country... you name it, I pretty much just restarted EVERYTHING.  I'm not gonna lie, it's been rough!
I've struggled all my life in setting a routine and then actually sticking to it.  I am a PRO at making plans and then not following through. (With myself, not with other people.  I promise, I'm totally dependable! LOL)
So you can imagine it's been a little hectic.  One of the things I restarted that I really want to stick with is my T-25 workouts.  It's important to me, not only because it was an expensive motivator, but because I know I can accomplish and kick butt on that workout challenge! Dude, I have come SO far in the last few years.  I know I can do anything I set my mind to.
 
So here's the problem.

I also have the last 1/3 of my Half Marathon training ahead of me.   This is the point in my training where the runs get longer, the runs get harder, and I have to stay focused.  This also means that I take extra care of my body in between these long training runs.  I need to make sure that I'm fueling and hydrating efficiently each day so that when I step outside that door on saturdays, I am good to go the distance.

After completing 4 days of the T-25 workout plus a crazy week of my daytime teaching job and a night  time freelance illustration job... I was pooped!! In my head I started to hear those negative thoughts;

"You can't do this"

NO! I'm not going to let my brain tell me what I can't do! I've worked too hard to just give up on something and I have set my goal!

That thursday night, I just kept thinking about the dreaded double workout scheduled on Friday.  And then jumped to my scheduled 8 mile run the very next morning.  Was I crazy?! I was so tired.  To make matter worse, the fires up in Yosemite have lovingly sent all its contaminated air down into the valley where its been just sitting on top of all of us down here breathing it in. But was I just making excuses? Surely a fire throat, clogged sinuses, and a migraine is a sign I should maybe take heed to?

Finally, I picked up my phone and texted my lovely friend who happens to be my own personal pocket coach.  I told her how I was feeling and the advice that came back was so needed.

"LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!"

She was very stern with me.  She told me that I needed to listen to the signs my body was practically screaming at me.  She explained, (and I don't know why I didn't come to this conclusion on my own), that the Beachbody workouts like T-25 and Insanity and P90X were all put together for clients who don't usually delve deeply into the fitness world.  Of course there are always exceptions to this and we all have to find our own routine.  Each program is set up to be fool proof with a specific meal guide, exercise plan, and Shakeology to assist those who do NOT have a regular fitness plan.

I do.

I have a complicated training plan for my Half Marathons throughout the year.

Can I do both? Of course! but I need to be willing to adjust. What's most important?

At this point, my race is the most important.  I can't go out on training runs and try to prepared for a distance race if I have physically exhausted my body during the week.  I could try... but that's asking for an injury.  No Thanks!

I had to re-evaluate what my goals were.  Yes, I very much want to continue with T-25, but instead of hitting 2 workouts on fridays, I need to incorporate an active rest day to gear up for my run.  For that, yoga is my best friend.  I can still rest my muscles but I get in some balance and strength at the same time.

After my Half Marathon, I can absolutely start up on the 2 workout fridays because my training runs will be back down to shorter distances.  That's an attainable goal for me!

To drive home the point of this entry... Listen to your body!  Everyone is different.  It's ok to have a rest day even if it's not in your schedule.  Sometimes we just need a break.  Find what works for you.


Hope you guys have an awesome week!! Hit it Hard!

Weekend Motivation

Hey Guys!!

I just wanted to stop by and leave a little note of inspiration for you.

Over the last few weeks I've been talking to a handful of friends about their fitness goals.  Many of these goals have been in place for years but were never fully realized.  Why? Why is it so difficult to get to our goal? Why do we feel like we are constantly fighting a losing health or fitness battle?

Sometimes we lose sight of our motivation and our goal.  Making a change is hard!! If it were easy, we'd all be running around in size 0 pants, munching on celery and no one would have ever heard of the word "Diet".  We all wish it was so simple, but the truth is... it's not.  No big surprise, right?  We have to keep pushing and get through those bad days that will inevitably happen.  Let it go. The important thing is to start the next day fresh.

I want to give you guys a challenge this weekend.  There's no deadline or due date.

I want you to think of your main goal and write it down.  BIG and BOLD.  Get crafty or colorful if you want, add some glitter!! Then I want you to surround yourself with positive inspiration and motivation! Find pictures of HEALTHY body types you want to strive after - sorry, most fashion models are not healthy.  Hang up that bikini or little dress you want to fit back in to.  Find fitness or motivation quotes and put them up on your mirror.  Put them up where you will see them everyday and take a few seconds before walking out the door in the morning to remind yourself that you are worth it and you deserve to feel good about yourself.

When I first lost the weight, it was about feeling better in my skin.  I didn't want to feel my stomach hanging over my pants and the tummy aches I would get in the afternoons from my jean buttons digging in when I sat all day in school.   I refused to look at pictures of myself.  I made a deal with myself that I would never weight that much again. That was my goal.

When I finally hit my weight goal (lost 35lbs!), my fitness goal changed! I wanted to be stronger! I saw what I could accomplish when I put my mind to something.

This weekend is the official Disneyland Half Marathon weekend at the Disneyland Resort.  2 years ago, I saw my first RunDisney race and I was hooked.  That became my ULTIMATE goal! I wanted to RUN in a race that took me through my beloved Disney parks! (Did I mention the running costumes and sparkle skirts??)  I trained HARD for 10 months. Starting from 0 and ending at 13.1 miles.

I leave you with this.  Dream BIG. Find your ultimate goal and believe that you can achieve it!! Surround yourself with positive inspiration, motivation, and like minded people. Stacee and I are always here for you if you need a little extra encouragement.  Call us, text us, Instagram us, tweet us! Now we're even on Facebook! (https://www.facebook.com/wakeupandglisten) We've been where you are and we still struggle. And that's okay! :)

My Original Fitness Motivation: To Earn My Wings! 

Music City Triathlon - June 28, 2013

I didn't expect a current.  I didn't expect to vomit.  I didn't expect a perfect weather day.  I didn't expect to make a new personal record.  I didn't expect to cry.

There were a lot of things I didn't expect to happen on this race.  I actually went into the race just hoping I would finish because I had not been able to train properly the weeks leading up to it (due to a quad injury).  I had set a goal for myself, which was a pretty lofty goad, but I quickly let that dream die after my lack of training. 

I arrived at the race site at 6AM.  As i started putting my transition station together, I kept praying and asking for the Lord's strength to come upon me because I wasn't sure how I was going to accomplish this feat.  

We lined up at the start of the swim… This was my first open water swim, so I didn't really know what to expect, but I didn't expect what I got.  the current was strong, and i had to swim against it for most of the swim.  basically I spent A LOT more energy on the swim than I was planning or anticipating.  

Because the swim was so hard, and took so much, I was already exhausted by the time I ran up to the transition area to get on my bike.  At this point, I threw up some, and while that's gross, I had a quick though of "finally, i worked out so hard, I threw up!"  And once i was finished, i got on my bike and off i went!  Cycling is my strongest sport, and so going into the tri, I wasn't worried about it.  However, once I got on my bike and my legs didn't want to move, I knew I was in trouble.  It took me a good 2 miles to get my head back in the game and refocus on what I had to do.  During those 2 miles, I actually had the thought "I'm never doing another tri… this is ridiculous".  Of course I didn't mean those words, but in the moment I did!  Thankfully as I prayed through this moment, the Lord reminded me of how much I enjoy it, and of course I will do another one!!!  How's Sept. 7, 2013 sound?  Good to me!  So the bike was a 12 mile out and back course.  They shut down many of the roads in Nashville just for us, and it was so nice to ride down Ellington Parkway because it is so smooth.  There were a few hills that weren't so fun, but it was a GREAT day for a ride.  

The run, like everything else, had unexpected results.  As i started out, I walked up the pedestrian bridge (because my legs were like jello coming off the bike)… Once I got to the top, there was a sweet man sitting among the spectators.  And what he said was another aspect of this run I didn't expect… he just simply said: "Hey 150, you're doing a great job, I'm proud of you.!"  I broke at that point.  tears started running down my face because it was as if the Lord was speaking through this man directly to me.  I needed to hear those words at that exact moment, and those words are what drove me to keep running.  My goal for the run portion of this race was to run more than I walked.  during my first tri, i walked the entire thing, so obviously I wanted to do better than that.  AND I DID!!!  I ended up walking about 3/4 of a mile total.  HUGE improvement for me.  

As I crossed the finish line, I heard cheers from my adoptive sisters who came up to watch me and cheer for me.  It was such a blessing to have them there, and it meant so much to me!  I don't do these races for anybody but myself and the Lord, but it is always nice to have someone there who is cheering specifically for YOU!!  

After the race, I went through the food line, and then over to the results area.  As I searched for my name, I finally found it.  I hesitantly looked at all my times.  I finished in 1:54:36… As soon as I saw that number, I cried again.  All day long, I felt like I hadn't performed very well, and that I would have a horrible time.  I had set up my expectation to believe that it would be impossible to attain the goals I had set in front of myself- which was to finish in under 2 hours.  I DID IT!!!  I could not believe it!  But that was just the "icing on the cake" of what the Lord had been speaking to me all day.  Way back at the beginning of the day, I prayed: " Lord, may you be glorified through this race today.  You have created my body to move and worship your through this sport, so may you be glorified today."  As I was out on the course, multiple times, when I was weak, I cried out to the Lord in my weakness, and His gentle response was this:  "my strength is made perfect in your weakness."  Honestly, there is no way I would have finished in the time that I did had I done it in my own strength… but it was apparent from the moment I jumped into the cumberland river that I wasn't going to be able to do the race in my own strength.  I must give all the glory to the Lord for this race.  today showed me how easy it is for me to slide into an attitude of pride when if comes to sports, thinking I'm better than I am, but I was humbled today.  Every stroke, stride and step I took today was an opportunity for me to grow closer to the Lord by stepping out of my own strength and depending on HIM.  As I released my expectations and hopes and desires to Him, He was then able to do exceedingly and abundantly more that I could have ever hoped or imagined.  I NEVER imagined that this would be the race where I shaved 24 minutes off my previous tri time.  NEVER!  But In christ, all thins are possible.  Phillipians 4:13 says that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  I have this verse taped to my bike, and it played through my head along with 2 Cor. 12:9- "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  The Word of the Lord is such a refreshing thing.  It is TRUTH.  

It was a great day overall.  I can't wait to see what the Lord does in the coming days in my life as a result of this.  I can't wait to share my story with anyone who is willing to hear because it is a story of overcoming through Christ.

Here are some photos:

Thanks for reading!

Training Thursdays

Ok all, we've decided hijack Thursdays and make them all about TRAINING!!!  For the next few weeks (at least) I will be focusing on my triathlon training.  In case you  missed my post, I'm doing a Sprint Triathlon on July 28th.  I'm a much stronger cyclist than I was when I competed in my first triathlon, so I'm not worried about that part of it.  Swimming, doesn't concern me too bad, but running might be my demise.  All that being said, most sprint training schedules are 8 weeks.  Since I only have 4 weeks to train, I've taken an 8 week schedule and modified it to what I need... I'm still going to train in all 3 events and we will see what happens.

You might notice that on my training plan, Tuesdays are strength training days, and Fridays are my "rest" days.  Let me just stop right here and point out how important it is to have both of those days in your training.

Strength Training
Strength training days help you focus on muscles and areas of your body that aren't being worked out in bike rides, runs or swims... It can help increase your speed and endurance while decreasing the risk of injury!  I know you all probably think that running, swimming and biking works all of your muscles, but the reality is, those specific sports only target the large muscles and maybe some smaller muscle groups, but strength training, you can focus on those smaller muscle groups, thus helping to have much better overall health.  Now, there is much more to strength training than just weights, but I'll cover that in another post. :)

Rest
Um... you've been working your body out really hard, it's time to REST!!!!  Your muscles (and mind) need a little time to recover!  If you work and work and work, with no rest, you will burn out mentally and physically, and you also increase your risk for injury!  I'm a huge fan of rest days... not because I don't have to work out, but because I know that if I rest, then my workouts will actually be much stronger!!

Brick workouts
Another thing you will notice about my training plan is that many days it says "Swim 45 Run 30" or something like that.  Since triathlons are multisport, we must train with that mentality.  Some days you only train in one area of endurance, but ultimately you will want to train in multiple areas so you build your endurance!  Again, I'll probably write an entire post on this as well, at a later point in time.

All that said, here is my training schedule.  I don't recommed doing this one if you aren't already somewhat fit.  If you are training for your first tri, I highly reccommend doing an 8 week training program.  My favorite is Hal Higdeon, and you can find his training schedule here.  He has a whole bunch of training schedules for different events (click here to see an entire list of training programs)

Enjoy this and happy training!  I'll "see ya on the road"

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Run 30	Strength	Bike 45, Strength	Swim 30 Run 25	Rest	Run 30 Min	Swim 30 Run 30
2	Bike 40 Run 15	Strength	Swim 15 Run 30	Run 30 Strength	Rest	Run 35	Swim 30 Bike 60
3	Run 35	Strength	Bike 40 Strength	Swim 30 Run 30	Rest	Run 40	Swim 30 Run 40
4	Bike 30 Run 30	Strength	Swim 30 Run 30	Run 30	Rest	Rest	Triathlon

Happy 1st official day of summer

Well, on this first day of summer, I did something that now I'm going to be held accountable for... I signed up for my 2nd Triathlon!!!  I did my first triathlon in 2010, i had never really ridden a road bike, I couldn't run to save my life, and I hadn't swam really since high school.  Now, 3 years later, I am a cyclist, still can't run to save my life, and I can swim so much better!  Training for my first triathlon is what got me started in cycling.  I LOVE IT!!!

So, I signed up for the Music City Triathlon on July 28th.  It's a 400 yard swim, 12 mile bike and 5K.  I'm currently dealing with a quad injury, but I know I'll be able train for this (even though it's 5 weeks away)... really, the only part that worries me is the 5K... I know that my partner in crime Annie, will give me tips and tricks for running, now that she's a half-marathon runner!

My first triathlon, I didn't have a goal for time.... I just wanted to finish!  and I finished in 2:16... This time, I do have a timeframe I'd like to finish in, and I think I can do it... of course I'll blog about it after the fact.

So, some of my posts over the next few weeks will be focused on training for this triathlon..

Never done one before?  you should TRI!!!! (see what I did there?)

Stacee

Annie's Journey, Part 3: Becoming A Beach Babe!

Hello my friends!

It's been a few months since my last full post and during that time I have gone through a huuuge transformation not only physically but mentally.

In recent posts (Part 1 & Part 2) I've shared a lot about how I have physically transformed myself into becoming a better me.  I've worked hard to lose weight and I've worked hard to gain endurance and mileage in my Half Marathon training.  BOTH of those are a huge part of who I am today, what I know about my "limits" and what can happen when I push them.  (I'll be doing a future post about my last Half Marathon and how I killed it!)

This 3rd section of my journey, which brings us to where I am today, actually started waaaaay back in November of 2012.  Like many of us, I was feeling the effects of too much holiday grub and being at Grandma's house! (treats everywhere!) I was feeling mushy and hadn't really been working out hard since the Half Marathon at the beginning of the month.  Granted, I was involved with a Christmas show, Beauty and the Beast, so I was active and working but not taking the time to build and train new muscle.

I had been following 2 girls on twitter for a while but hadn't really looked into what they did until one week right after Thanksgiving.  All of a sudden, Twitter "blew up" with tweets about a special Black Friday offer they had released.  Curiosity got the better of me and I checked it out.  It was an offer to join a team of women across the world and have life time access to a Nutrition plan that genuinely looked great! It was geared towards fueling your body to not only burn fat but also how to gain lean strong muscle.  With the deal came their own workout DVD, a water bottle (we all need more of those!), stickers, a hat, a journal, and a sample packet of a protein powder they had developed themselves.  These girls looked legit! But priced at $150, it was out of my range.  I sat on the offer for a couple days but as the deadline loomed near, I got anxious I was missing out on something incredible.  That night I went to the parents....

"Mom... Dad... there's these two girls who have this nutrition plan and they're having a special deal with extra goodies.... Can I have this be my one Christmas present?"

After showing them some videos and more information, I got my wish.  Santa came early!

I joined Karena & Katrina and the rest of the Tone it Up! family!!

I officially started the Nutrition plan on Jan 1st 2013 and there was a lot of trial and error on which recipes worked for me, exactly what things were, and when you were supposed to eat them.  Slowly but surely I started feeling better about what I was eating and my body was showing results through how it was feeling.  I had more energy and I felt better all around.

One of the things I really appreciate about the TIU program, is they are constantly bringing new things to the table.  It's just, buy the plan, here are some workouts, GO!  They have challenges throughout the year to keep you motivated.  The first challenge I was a part of was the Love Your Body Challenge gearing up towards Valentine's Day.  It was a great way to "up" my workouts and really start building muscle with a set workout schedule and help along the way.  I did have to sway away from it towards the end, as my next Half Marathon loomed closer and I needed to bring up my mileage.  But that race was a turning point in my own personal race goals because I had been doing so much strength training with the girls.

Fast forward to Spring of 2013.

Karena and Katrina announced the start of their 3rd annual Bikini Series Challenge! Who doesn't want to look amazing in a bikini??
I signed up the first day and was so excited for the next 8 weeks of workouts and challenges.  Lemme tell you..  it flew by fast!! It was tough, for sure.  There were a lot of days I could barely move my arms or pick up my legs to get me to work, but it was so worth it.  There were also days, I didn't make good choices on food and the last week of school was killer with all the parties happening in the classes and break rooms.  BUT I do know that I have made an incredible difference in my body since finding TIU.  I have muscles in my arms that have NEVER been visible before!  There are also times during a workout where I'll glance down at my legs and be utterly amazed at the muscle tone I've built up.  I've leaned my legs out with running but as far as muscle building, TIU has improved my strength by leaps and bounds.

I still have work to do as far as becoming confident in wearing a bikini but I know that I am literally a stronger person since signing up with these ladies.  The Bikini Series has officially come to an end today but I intend to continue the workouts and keep my goals in place.  I owe it to myself and to my body to treat it the best I can and I've gained confidence in knowing my good choices are affecting the rest of my life.   I'm incredibly thankful to Karena and Katrina for starting the Tone it Up program and bringing it to all of us.  Through it, I've met so many amazing women from around the world and am now lucky enough to call them friends.

If you want to know more about the Tone it Up program and the Nutrition plan check them out at Toneitup.com  They also have a community site where you can check in, blog your progress, share recipes, and meet new people. Both of these are FREE to sign up with! The $150 price I talked about was for lifetime access to the Nutrition plan which is updated and added to very often.  I think I have about 6 additional bundles plus the newest version of the entire plan.  It's worth every penny!

I hope that you guys all have an excellent rest of your week.  Get out and do something active! 

Your Beach Babe,

Good Bye Spring, Hello Summer!

Hey everyone! 

Long time, no see! I've been gearing up to wind down the school year and have officially finished my 2nd year teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th graders! (I teach music, art, and sometimes drama) It's flown by and this year held many new opportunities that wouldn't have been available had I not been living an active lifestyle.  Not only was I able to be the main event coach for one of my schools (had some of the kids advance pretty far in the district meets!), but I was also able to pick up a PE position for next year!  I'll be doing double duty teaching Music/Art and then I get to run out to the field to switch gears and teach outdoor activities. It's going to busy but it should also be really fun :) 

Now that I'm on summer vacation I have many, many posts I want to share with you guys on what I've been doing since my intro. Not a whole lot has changed per say but it has definitely been charged up!! It's been great, especially the last 8 weeks! But you have to wait for that haha 

I hope everyone is enjoying their last week of spring, Summer is almost here!! 

I'll leave you with a shot I took of my morning run today. Gorgeous view of Morro Rock about halfway through our 3 miles, of course the running was in between stopping to dig up huge sand dollars that were EVERYWHERE! Haha it was a great way to wake up. 

Have a great week ahead! 

Annie's Journey, Part 2: How I became a Runner

Hi Guys!

Hope you all have had a fabulous week so far, it's Friday!!!

Today I'm going to go into how I became a runner. As I'm sure you've picked up from previous posts, I have no Athletic background. In fact, I'd classify myself as a band geek and theater nerd LOL but that's another story.

If there's one thing you figure out about me, it's that I LOVE Disney! Yup, I'm that girl. I will do anything if it has some tie in to Disney... including running.

I'm going to back up a bit and tell u a little of my running background before all this.
But wait! You just said you weren't athletic!
You're right, I'm not. Haha but I did for one year in high school decide that I was going to join Track and Field.
I actually "trained" for Track and Field by joining a club cross country team that my friend's dad coached. I definitely got in shape but I gave out minimal effort and was always the last to finish. Everything. When T&F season hit, I was pretty much over it after a coach (specifically my high jump coach at the school) showed little effort in helping me or anyone else actually succeed in the event. He had more interest in being on the phone with his business during practice than dealing with us. After the school year ended I said good bye to sports and advanced in my music, theater, and art classes.

Fast forward to January 2012. My cousin who's an avid runner had asked me numerous times before if I wanted to ever go running with her. Usually my answer was a laugh and a polite no. By this time I had lost the weight and was feeling pretty good, but I had also noticed that I didn't have any muscle definition. The diet had melted away a lot of my muscle mass with the fat. This is a normal reaction when your body drops weight, which is why it's important to combine BOTH diet and exercise.
One day i got a text from her saying that she needed a driving buddy down to Orange County. She had signed up for the inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon! Promising me that it wasn't a trick to get me to run she asked if I would go down with her and check out the expo at the hotel before her other running buddy arrived. All the while full well knowing I'd have a hard time passing up a chance to experience something new at Disneyland. She hooked me.

If you want to see photos from the Tinkerbell Half, I have a similar post on my Disney blog here

Long story short, I was completely sucked in to the whole RunDisney movement that weekend.  Even though I wasn't running, everything, including the expo, was extremely exciting and all the merchandise... all the merchandise!  Did I mention the medals?!

The morning of the race my cousin had to be at the start line suuuuuuuper early in the morning.  With Disney races, the entire race route in the parks has to be cleared and cleaned before the parks open to the public.  Disneyland opens at 8am.   Disneyland park is not the start line.  This means crazy early call times!
We had set up a system where she would text me when she got within a couple miles of the finish.  Standing there watching all the runners come through the finish line before her was so inspiring! I saw a lot of people that looked like my level of fitness finishing the race! Not only were they finishing at a great time, they were finishing with huge smiles on their faces!

It was at that point I said to myself.... "If they can do it.... why couldn't I?"


That was all it took.


The next month the 2012 Disneyland Half Marathon registration opened up and I was among the 17,000 runners who signed up.  A few weeks later, I joined a local running club, got my feet fitted for the right shoes, and worked my booty off training for my upcoming Half Marathon which was months away in September.

It was one of the most fulfilling days of my life when I crossed that finish line.  It changed me.  It changed the way I feel about myself, the way I fuel my body with food for training, and the way my body works and feels now.  I honestly can say that Disney - RunDisney specifically - changed my life.

I wrote up a post on that day.  You can check it out here: Disneyland Half Marathon 2012

I hope that this post inspired some of you on getting into shape or finding something that you're passionate about.  Fitness doesn't have to be going to the gym and facing miles on a treadmill in the same 4 x 4 square all year long.  Find something that you enjoy doing and work your fitness into that!

I think I'm stuck on RunDisney races for the rest of my life LOL My same cousin and I are planning a year's worth of Disney races for 2013! It includes the Coast to Coast challenge (Disneyland and WDW) and hopefully the Dumbo Double Dare challenge at Disneyland. Can't wait!!


Hope you all have a great week and let's work to stay inspired!

What got you started getting in shape?

I'm coaching a Track Team!

Hi Guys!

Hope you all have had a great week so far :)

As the title of this blog suggests, I've had an incredible opportunity arise within the local school district this spring. During the week I usually work in a couple different schools teaching music, art, and sometimes drama technique.
Well this year, just before winter break I was approached by our Learning Director if I'd be interested in coaching.  First she asked if I played any sports... to which I made a funny noise and laughed.  No, I do not play sports, but I do run!
Well, I guess that was a perfect answer because with the next breath she invited me to be part of the school's track staff! At first I was a little hesitant because I've never done anything like that before.  I didn't even have very much experience working with coaches themselves! After a week or so, I had come to the conclusion of Why Not?  I knew what I do to get myself trained, although maybe slightly modified, it would be the same for these kids.
I accepted! :)

I've spent the last few weeks watching training videos and trying to remember all the drills and events I participated in while in Track during High School.  It was very unsettling realizing how many years had passed since then... *shudder*

We started this week and it's been going really well!  I actually got some feedback from parents that the kids had invited friends to join because it "was so much fun!!" How cool!
One thing that I've noticed while teaching my particular subjects is that if you can make the content relatable, they tend to pay attention more.  For instance, yesterday in class I dropped an F word.

*gasp*

You said what?!?

yup.

I said FACEBOOK!

I'm telling you, if you're in a noisy class you can't get the attention of, just start a sentence with the words... "So I was on facebook this morning..." and SNAP! All eyes on you!

Anyway... :) In the workouts, I try to use language that they'll remember for each drill.  I have a work out that I do with Tone It Up that's labelled "Wild Child".  It  involves all kinds of jumping around and being, well... wild! So I used it on my kids this week and they remember which drills go in that work out because of it!
They also love doing Booty Kicks and I nicknamed a type of ab drill the "Spiderman tucks" - it involves a push up position and lifting knees to either side like spiderman does when scaling a tall building.

It's definitely going to be a challenge over the next few weeks to get them in shape and in gear for different events.  Like I hinted at before, I've been out of the Track & Field scene for quite some time.  I have to make sure technique and form are right on events I don't have a lot of experience with as well.  But I have to tell you, this week has been fun.  I'm glad I signed on to it and if I can get kids excited about running and being in a sport that involves constant daily training, it makes me feel like I've made a difference.  You never know you you're affecting.

I'll keep you posted on how far we get in the season.  The first meet is in about 3 weeks and after that it's all about who continues to qualify.  We'll See!

A Little Bit About Us

Hi Guys!

This is the first post of what we hope will be a compilation of a ton of useful information and a source of good positive experiences of 2 beginners when it comes to getting into shape. Please follow along with us as we begin this journey of healthy living and pursuing an active lifestyle. 

Let the Good Times Roll!

I grew up in Southern California most of my life and was very active in the arts. You name it,  I probably took a class.  Art, music, theater, photography, etc.  Besides one brief year in a club Cross Country team and Track & Field, the closest I got to a team sport was Marching Band.  Yup, I was one of those.. 

Anyway! I went through college pursuing my art degree in Illustration (if you'd like to check out my illustration blog, click the link: illustratedbyanniehobbs.blogspot.com) and had no interest whatsoever in any kind of outdoor activity or sport.  I was completely content sitting at my art desk painting and drawing.  As you can probably guess... I packed on the freshman 15.  And then more so. After I graduated, I was able to find an office job working full time - you can imagine what that added to my waistline and my overall fitness level.
Fast forward to 2010, I had a different office position but I was still working full time. My sister had gotten married and I avoided looking at any of the wedding photos I was in. I had gained about 40lbs and 2 sizes since graduation.
That year was a turning point in my quest to make healthier choices. My dad and I had a conversation about the amount of weight we had gained. Right there we made a decision. We were going to change. By following a diet plan in the book "The F-factor", (I'll go in to detail on that in another post) in less than a year both of us dropped about 40lbs by simply changing our eating habits!!
This last year I was coaxed to begin running with my cousin. I had lost a lot of the weight but I had also lost some muscle mass. I needed to build that back up. I spent all of 2012 training with a team to run a Half Marathon. Now I've completed 3 Half Marathons and am currently signed up for at least 2 more!!
My life has completely changed and I feel so much more confident in myself because of it. Im not a small girl, I'm 5'10'', so I'll never be a size 2 LOL but I am proud of the work I have put in. I cant wait to see what else I can achieve through healthy eating and continuous training the right way!

I also grew up in Southern California, but unlike Annie, I was not so active in the arts, rather extremely active in athletics.  I played anything and everything you could think of, especially if it had a ball... Basketball, Baseball, golf, tennis... Pretty sure I was born with a ball in my hand.  Don't get me wrong, I love to be creative (I'm a photographer and you can check out my work on my blog), but movement is my thing!  I have played basketball since I was 5, and in the offseason, I would play anything else!!  

I've been active my whole life, yet I was still not healthy.  In high school I was close to 200 lbs. and I couldn't figure out why!  Bottom line is that even though I was active, I wasn't worried about my nutrition.  Let me tell you, if you dont partner nutrition with the right kind of exercise, you won't really see success (that's for another post, another day).  As I went through college, I continued to eat poorly and play rec softball, occasionally I would go to the gym.  I've never had a desire to run, just to run.  For me, running need to be accompanyed by a ball- run the bases, run up and down the court... but in 2008, I moved to Spring Hill, TN and my roommate convinced me to start training for a 1/2 marathon... CRAZY!  

So I did... I ran in my first 5K, and then I got to 8 miles, and I injured myself. BUMMER!  I finished that race from the sidelines (again another post).  After that, I kinda lost my passion for running- however in 2010, I trained for my first triathlon.  This is when I fell in LOVE with cycling.  Every since then, I still play athletics, but cycling has stolen my heart as my favorite thing to do. During that race, I ended up breaking my heel, so that took me out of the triathlon season for 2011, and then in Dec of 2011, I had knee surgery.  What was one thing that got me through rehab?  My bike... I knew that I needed to get back on my bike, and soon.... Sept. of 2012 I did a 25 mile bike race, and I'm currently signed up for another 5K, and I'm planning on doing a Bike race around Tennessee this fall!  I'm not the 200lb girl I was in high school, but I'm definately not at the healthy place I know the Lord has designed my body to be at. I've made poor choices and it's time for a change!  Sure, do I have some physical goals to reach?  YES, but ultimately, it's not about what my weight is, or how much muscle I have (which I want a lot of), it's about overall health!  

Are you ready to join us on our adventure?!!  Here we go!!