What makes one "a runner"?

So, was once told by an ortho I should not run....  SI joint is unstable and until that is resolved....  No running.  Through the 'fun' working with AJ my personal torturer oops, I mean personal trainer it no longer slides out.  My IT band is not as tight either so.......  After the Rock-n-Roll and an amazing 8 year old named Alex Smith cheering me into running I thought....  Let's see what happens if I try to do it more.  So, Saturday I tried it again...  Would run and count to 30 and then walk til I felt OK.  Not sure how many intervals I did of this....probably only 4.  Speed walking between.

Monday I rode my bike to give the knees/hips a rest.  I also enjoy the speed of the bike.

Tonight was cardio again.....  Used my MapMyRide's interval and did 15 rounds of run for 30 seconds and walk for 3.  (So for the non- math fans I ran for 7min30sec and walked for 45min38sec when all was said and done.)

My pace average was 16:48... Fastest speed was 8:15min/mile but only able to maintain for the 30seconds.

***Forgot to add--it was HIGH humidity which was a first for me too!

I learned I don't like to jog..... It does not feel natural..  So I either walk or I run.  Does 1/7 of my time spent running mean I can call myself a runner?  Or am I still a walker?  If you don't understand why this matters......  Sign up for a 5k.  Some make you say which you are.......

Going to keep working at it as my legs don't feel to bad.......

So.... For all my fans out there.....CAN I CALL MYSELF A RUNNER?

Motivation....(well, MORE motivation)

If you are in Facebook with me you know I am working with a trainer at XSport Fitness.  (His name is AJ and he KILLS ME, in the best possible way.). They are having a contest similar to Biggest Loser- prize is $50k for the national winner....  Biggest % weight loss in 3 months.  Well......  AJ and I are going to give it a shot.  I think he is hoping to at least have me win their club so he has bragging rights. Figure this will give me that extra UMPH heading into the home stretch to my birthday.......

So, going to be kicking it up another notch and get more serious about it.  3 months from now is weigh-in.  222.6 on the scale today.  Where will I be in 3 months?   Not sure but it would be awesome to not only be in better shape but to have $50k to celebrate it with!

Don't wish me luck but instead Strength, Endurance, and WILL-POWER!

Inspired and Excited

This past weekend was the XSport Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon aka the RNR.  (Definitely NOT rest n relaxation.....).  

Kicked it off with some time with Connor Friday and saw a movie.  

THEN......the crazy time began.  Headed to the city for the RNR.  In typical Monica fashion, I made a wrong turn and parked at the wrong side of McCormick Place.  Literally the 180 degree wrong side.  If you have never been there, I swear it is over a mile from one end to the other.  And was wearing my minimal shoes so they do not correct for my goofy gait like my running shoes.  Shins were SCREAMING by time I got to packet pick-up and the Expo.

This was my first major expo I went to and OMG....  I was overwhelmed with the products, samples and info.  I spent over three hours roaming around, trying different protein and fueling products, looking and different vendors..... Yeah... It was crazy.  Grabbed a couple things I needed and a zillion samples and coupons.  Will likely do a review of all the stuff (the good, bad and the icky!) at a later time.

I bought a shirt on Saturday that said "You don't have to go fast, you just have to go!"  That is one of my favorite mantras.  Another great one "No matter how slow you are, you are doing laps around those who never get off the couch!".  (Anke likes "I thought they said RUM".....)

To make sure it was not "all about me" at the expo I registered to be a potential peripheral stem cell or bone marrow donor.  Not sure I will ever get a call but if I can help save a life, I will!

To make the weekend even sweeter, I got to see Dani Vitale and her Mom.  I went to school with her and lived down the block for years and like many friends, lost touch over the years.  It was like time never passed!  And her Mom!  Oh how I love that lady!  Time was too short this weekend but it will NOT be another 20 years beforeI see the again.

That night attended the CureJM conference dinner with my dear friend Anke and her wonderful boys Alex and Connor.  (Her Connor- she has one too!). It was so inspiring to hear the stories and meet some of the families I have seen on Facebook.  

Anke was kind enough to let me crash in her room so I did NOT have to get up at 4am to drive back in.

The race started at 6:30am.  I am not a early morning person, nor do I like to exercise in the morning.  We left the hotel at 5:40 so I figured "I should pass a Starbucks on the way for coffee". NOPE!

Decisions, decisions came next.  Anke has two adorable 9 year old twin boys, Connor and Alex.  Connor seems to be struggling with stiffness (he has JM, the charity I ran for in this event) and I was afraid I would go too fast for him or if something happened he would need his Mom so he went with Anke and Alex went with me because he is the faster of the two boys.  The race starts and Connor decides he wants to try to run.  AND RUN HE DID!  All the CureJM had this VERY bright yellow shirts.  Apparently he was on a mission to pass as many as he could.  

That left the faster of the two boys with me and my 16-17min/mile pace.  Alex is a ROCKSTAR and my hero!  He never complained about me being slower and when I noticed his Mom was getting further away I told him he could run up to her if he wanted and NOPE!  He was happy to stay with Miss Monica!  Having a faster person with you who keeps a running dialog going makes one not think about "oh, my shins hurt" or "oh it is so hot".  We talked the whole time (well, he talked, I was often too busy trying to breathe.). He is a testament to his awesome parents.  This little 9 year old boy got me to do something trainers have failed at....  I RAN!  It did not kill me and my gait was fine.  And I have this pint-sized cheerleader "Miss Monica you are so fast when you run!  You are doing such a great job!  I hope I can you beat your personal record.  I am so proud to run with you!"  Seriously, this kid has a future as a sports trainer at the tender age of 9.  And he not only helped me beat my PR but CRUSH IT!  Previous best time was 16:53 min/mile.  DRUM ROLL............  NEW PR 14:31 min/mile.  Yup, shaved almost 2 1/2 minutes off my per mile pace!  And I am not sure who was more proud.... Me or Alex!

After that, I introduced Anke to the wonderful concept of being "Rolled-out". If you have never had a trainer roll you out with a foam roller after working out, you are missing the best part of working out.  She and both the boys tried it and I think it will be a new purchase for the Smith household.  I use one at least once a day at home and it is amazing!

Then some post race visits, showers and off to breakfast (and EXPRESSO).  And then it was it e to say good-bye.  I had to go home and The Smiths needed to get to their new hotel.  After a "scenic" way to the new hotel in Lincoln Park (stupid GPS was a little ambiguous at times and we made a few wrong turns....I know you are suprised by this) I dropped them off.

Posting some pics below.  This was such a fun but too short weekend.  Hopefully I can convince "my Connor" to do a race with me one day!

(Oh, and the medals are awesome too!  Check them out in my pics!  Very heavy and nice- not plastic but metal medals!  I got two- one for finishing and one for being a Charity Supporter!)

The CureJM Team!

Me and my hero Alex running!

Me, Alex, Connor and Anne!  This is the first picture in a LONG time I like how I look!  Loving watching the transformation in over the last 3 months since I started this journey!

I may be in that sea of people......  Likely the clump of VERY bright shirts at the start line on the far left side of the picture....

Me and Anke at breakfast.  I am always so impressed by how well she manages everything and has raised two of the politest and kindest young men!  Their compassion is amazing especially considering the medical issues and all.

Look!  I AM a runner!  

Keeping me humble........

I had not planned to write until after this week's 5k but tonight........   it was a "milestone" night between me and the kid.

He knows how hard I have been working out.  He seems to be happy about this.  We go to Dicks Sporting Goods to look for a Kettlebell for me to work out at home.

I see a very big one that has an 16 on it... .thinking "BOY, that seems awfully big for a 16?"  (Yes, I have since realized most are kg, not pounds).

I try to pick it up... DEFINITELY not 16 pounds.  My normal is a 26 pounds (unless AJ lies.... he tried to give me a 35# last week...sneaky bastard.)

Kid grabs it "What, this is super light" and asks what I do w/ it.  I grab the one above it and show him a kettlebell swing.  He does it NO PROBLEM w the 16.  (Which, for those non-metric friends of mine is the 35 pounder AJ gave me and I could not swing last week)  He then grabs then next one marked 20.  (45 pounds......)Yup, he could swing that too but just needed to put a bit more UMPH into it.

For those thinking 45 pounds is not that much....... I suspect you have not done a Kettlebell swing. Or are not a novice/getting back in shape 40 year old woman watching her 13 year old child do this...........

He now wants to get some stuff here to work out with.  He has flat-out does not want to go to the gym with me but is good about the elliptical so........ I guess I now have to build weight into the budget.

(We got an adjustable kettlebell so we can just add or remove weight for me vs him for now.  It can go up to 50 pounds and at 13 I do not want him swinging more than that.)

This week has been such a humbling week with this child.  He is now taller than me, stronger than me and likely smarter than me.

(OMG, and started shaving this week too............  glimpses of days to come.)

Fitness, fun and family

PHEW, is it just me or is it HOT outside?

It has been nice having a month between events.  Having a blast this summer and trying to make fitness part of it.  Two weeks ago, found myself particularly restless and had two choices........  watch something on TV or go MOVE MY a$$.  I started the day w/ an 8 mile bike ride and then followed that up w/ a 5 mile walk.  In 90+ degree heat.  FELT AWESOME THOUGH.  Then this past weekend, another 4 mile walk outside. My pace is sucky but know what... I SWEAT MY a$$ off, did it and it felt great!!!!  I may not make my goal of a 4mph pace this summer but hey, if I am improving and moving, it is a WIN!!!!

Starting to love my workouts with the trainer too.  Not sure I have talked much about that here.  I need things to keep me motivated (hence the crazy summer of 5ks......).  The other thing is paying someone each week to FORCE me to exercise outside my comfort zone.  If you can afford it, it is an amazing thing to do.  I only go once per week to the trainer and am on my own the rest of the time.  AJ is a great guy.  He is VERY into Crossfit (to the point he was competing for a while and training involved 1000 burpees in an hour....told him that was nuts and it ain't happening for this girl.)  Well, since I had time between events, he decided it is time to really start to push me outside my comfort zone.  If you would have told me when I started this journey in April I could do what I am doing today..... I might have laughed so hard I would pee myself.

Last week, he pushed me.  We did work w/ weights on a bar (dead lifts, then clean and jerk, then to an overhead press... 3 sets at each level.)  He looks at me "AND NOW, we start the high intensity!".... What?  I thought I was going to DIE at what he told me we were going to do.  Sequence of Burpees/low jumps/kettlebell swings.  Sets are 21 reps, 15, reps, 9 reps.  And for those who struggle with math.... YES-- 45 burpees.  I did it!!! They were not pretty, my time was not stellar but guess what.... I did what I swore at the beginning I could not do.  He is worth every friggin penny.

In addition to the benefit of the workouts I get and the confidence he gives me, there are two other benefits to it that keeps me from cutting it out when I finish this group.

1.  To pay for training, I had to cut things from my budget..... what did I cut- the EATING OUT budget.  I am cooking more at home, even if it is something "quick and dirty" and trying to make more "clean" choices with our food dollars.

2.  I think about what I am putting in my body and what I do to be active.....   If I am putting crap in my mouth all day long and don't work out except w/ the trainer, then I might as well be flushing money down the drain.  So.... I make better choices and make sure to work out in between so I don't waste the money and physical gains those Thursdays w/ AJ give me.


So....... does that mean I am good all the time... HAHAHAHAHA.... Here is the fun and family part.  This past weekend had LOTS of Family.  Escaped to The Forss Hilton (actually, my dad and Margi's house but it is like getting away to a hotel for the weekend they take such great care of us!).  Got to hang w/ them Friday night and go with my Dad to pick up Uncle Ernie at the Airport.  He lives in Colorado and don't get to see him much.  He is my dad's oldest brother and it is so fun to listen to them talk about their lives as children and just seeing them together.

Envision a 66 year old man and a 72 year old man racing through Barnes and Noble to see who can get to the check out first and then trying to get the cashier on their side on what pests older/younger brothers can be....all while I shake my head with embarassment ... and laugh!

Or... having discussed earlier in the day that THEY had ice cream but me, my son and Margi didn't and them saying "well we can go again later".  I look up and it is 9:30pm and am like "HEY-you never got us ice cream".  We literally all JUMPED in the car (5 people, Honda Civic..... 13 year old looking at me like we all lost our mind) in under 2 minutes and raced the clock to get to the ice cream place that is 25 minutes from their house and closed in 30 minutes.... yes, we made it with 3 minutes to spare and then proceeded to eat a sundae made with apple pie ice cream and caramel sauce.   Nice thing about their house is they have a pool so I also swam that morning..... (although my swimming looks like someone trying not to drown really.......)

The next day it was off for more family to celebrate my Aunt's birthday and more fun time w/ family.  Love being w/ the cousins and my family!

This week at work.... it has been a challenge.  Looking forward to the trainer tomorrow -- for 1 hour I cannot think about work, or bills, or pretty much anything as I am trying to remember simply to breath and not fall over.  (Hmmmmm, guess that is another benefit of AJ.  Good thing he does not read this or he might push me harder when he reads about the ice cream....)

This weekend--  the RockNRoll Marathon (doing the mini which is 3 miles) down on the lakefront which should be a great time but even more fun.... Get to see a old friend who was so dear to me in High School (Dani), one of my far-away friends (Anke) and get to meet a virtual friend face to face (Mary)!  So cannot wait. GIRL TIME!!!!!!  (And a 3 mile event on the beautiful lakefront......BONUS)

Dirty Girls and Dirty Dogs...

WOW-this past weekend was super DIRTY!! 

Saturday was the long awaited Dirty Girl Run!  What a BLAST!!!

I was super worried about my lower body strength when I should have worried about my upper body!!!  Lots of pulling myself over walls and crawling!

The temperature was a bit cool too and by the end we were shivering!!  (And of course muddy!!  Thanks to Michelle and Theresa for hanging in with me!

Then Sunday had to run help the kid wash his dogs at his Dad's due to one getting sick on the others.  Love those dogs to pieces!  Have the best of having a dog (playing with them and exercising them and RARELY have to deal with the icky part)

We got plenty wet and had a lot of laughs trying to convince them to stand still long enough.  (3 dogs-2 are full Rotties who hate bathes and a lab/pit who LOVES to play and shake water everywhere). 

This is Gunnar-he was the one who was on the receiving end of most of the mess and who truly hates water made worse by some numbness issues he has.  The yard is my son's Dad's....  Such a great place for a boy and his dogs!

Cleaning the crates....not so much but still doable.

Then we went to put them away......

Bad judgement on my part led to me getting caught up in one of the dog tie-outs and a nasty burn/bruise.  Seeing my trainer tomorrow for some options until it heals and thankful I have 3 weeks til my next race!