This little guy flew right under me as I was trying to take photos of the flowers in my yard. One of my favorite things to do is watch the birds. My favorite is the hummingbird, with the blue jays coming in a close second. …
Due to the fact that I’m sort of a self proclaimed jack of all trades, you could be here for any number of reasons. Whatever it is, I’m glad you’re here!
The new year always brings new resolutions, goals, I committed to my first half marathon. Even though I didn’t officially sign up until April, I had already decided it was happening whether I trained and prepared for it or not. I also knew not preparing wasn’t an option, so I started to run!
I can’t say that I love running. What I really enjoy is accomplishing goals. Setting out on a five mile run I always dread the first three miles and then start smiling the last two because I’m almost home. I’ve struggled to finish a lot of things in my life and fitness is one place I stay committed to finishing. Health is important! Any hoo, my goal(resolution) was to run the whole thing…
In 2015, I signed up to complete my Spartan Race Trifecta. I earned it BUT not how I wanted to. I was training for the race and went out for a ten mile run, ended up running 16 miles because I got lost. That run messed up my left knee and forced me to walk a lot of my Beast, downhills are still mean! Since then, I’ve felt proud to have finished but felt like I could do better. That’s why I decided running the whole thing was the goal.
This was the first race I had a friend that wanted to join me on. I shared in January that I was going to do this, Lisa jumped on the crazy train and signed up too! I was stoked! I’m so glad I was able to have her in my accountability groups sharing her running struggles and victories because it made me push harder and made me stick to the plan even if I didn’t feel like busting out a long run. Trust me, there were plenty of days I didn’t want to run.
It’s interesting to think about the reasonings behind our races. She has been working towards a goal of being healthier and wanted to try it because running a longer distance was something she’d never done before. She realized a few weeks before our run that she wasn’t a runner, it isn’t something she enjoys doing. But she committed to running it and she did! Seeing the big smile on her face as she crossed the finish line was priceless. ❤️
One thing I enjoy about training for races is it gives me a deadline. I like being able to exercise and then move on to the next thing. Exactly why I love having such a huge variety of programs at my finger tips. I get to have that finishers moment but still get to work on staying healthy.
I also crave the attention I get from my peers, doing something most people don’t do makes a girl feel good. I had some rough relationships as a young adult, had some tough moments with my parents growing up too (divorce sucks and I hate that my kids have to deal with split households too) and I guess that probably contributes to why I crave that attention. That’s something I’m working on, there’s only One I should be seeking approval from.
Finally crossed the finish line and it was a little bitter sweet. My goal with this run was to RUN the whole entire thing and I fell short. At mile 11 my left hip and knee were toast. This is one reason I’m huge on proper form, if you are building muscle up in the wrong way, you are setting yourself up with a higher risk of injury. I thought my left knee was good but apparently the little bit of compensating I was doing impacted my hip. It’s crazy how even a foot injury can impact your shoulder or neck. Our bodies are so complex! The impact of jumping from rock to root to dirt wasn’t something I trained for and that’s a big part of why I suffered through the last few miles. (I say few because the total was 14.4 miles, I believe.) I spent time training on gravel roads, some dirt trail and mostly my treadmill, not rocky rough terrain. My heart wanted to run the whole way but I ended up walking around a mile of the race trying to get my hip to relax.
✨Lesson Learned: Sign up for a road race if that’s what your training on! ✨
Would I run it again?!?
Of course I would! On my way into the boonies, I was debating if I would try to push for a full marathon next year. After the race, I was already trying to find my next half and trying to find a good full. Of course my hip has been giving me grief and I’ve only tried running once since, but I still have big dreams for longer races and staying race ready year round. Wanna join me??? 😘
Eating healthy & exercise?!? That sounds terribly difficult right? I’m not here to tell you that it’s easy, it’s going to take some dedication on your part. BUT once you get started and get into a routine, I promise it gets easier to stay on …
It took 10 weeks and a day, but it is finished! This was a HARD month. Not just because the workouts were hard but because I took a couple rough emotional hits, along with getting sick for a week. I was a little bummed out …
When I started this round of Insanity I had a complete mental block, I have owned it for more years than I can remember and started without finishing it multiple times. So yes, I was excited to learn that day 1 was the fit test, I had it in my mind that it would be a fit test and a workout. Imagine how excited I was when I thought I only had 4 moves to do… Ended up being eight, oops the card is front and back! I was looking at the clock during move 4 and wondering how this move was going to last an extra 10 minutes. I’ve never claimed to be observant, just sayin.
This has been one heck of a bumpy adventure but I have learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned that I do best on a fit test if I’m warmed up, I’ve learned that though I thought I sweat a lot before, I really do sweat more with this program than any other I’ve ever done! I thought my body had adapted to the tomato affect, but apparently I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough… (note: tomato affect in above photo)
Every day was a struggle to want to press play. Working on my mindset has been crucial for my success so far. I finished the book “Push” by Chalene Johnson, which is about goal setting and planning to make them happen. Now I’m reading “Failing Forward,” which has proved to be my biggest motivator yet. The whole concept of the book is that if you are beat by failure, you missed the point, you missed to opportunity for growth. So many successful people are successful because they try and try again, always changing and growing towards bigger and better things. All of my failures with Insanity pushed me to do different things. I feel like though this adventure is hard, I’ve been able to grow and am ready to beat this!
Month 1 was actually 5 weeks because Shaun T was so nice as to include a “recovery week” between the first and second month. I’m not really big on recovery time because it seems like anytime someone does recovery it’s lots of looooong holds. I don’t like them Sam I Am. I prefer to bust out and get it done, but I realize that is something I am weak in and need to work on. Personally, I think if I were to do this program again, I would probably skip that week and just jump right into month two. I say that because they bump up from 35-40 minute routines to 50+ minutes each day. I’m proud of the progress I’ve seen already but would like to see a little more fat loss at the end of month 2.
In the midst of Insanity, I came up with the ingenious idea that I needed to throw in training for my half marathon too. It hasn’t been very consistent training but I’ve been managing to get at least 2 days of running in each week. The first week was rough because I added in waiting tables too and my feet had a fit. My run days are now days that I don’t work because running miles, Insanity and walking at work is too much for my little tootsies. I will do better next month, 3 days running is non-negotiable.
While my mind and lungs are good with running 3 miles at a time, I am going to be following a 10k interval training program. It starts with a 5 minute walking warm up and then does a bit of running, a bit of walking off and on for the time allowed and then another 5 minutes walking to cool down. The running times increase the further into the training program you get. I’m hoping that will give me the edge needed to minimize injury.
One thing I lagged on this month was nutrition. Abs are made in the kitchen. I didn’t do terrible but I definitely could have done better. I am a sugar addict, this sweet tooth will let me eat almost a whole cake without satisfaction. Once I get of track it’s hard to get back on. I am returning to the Saturday cheat day because I know that allowing myself a day to have goodies gives me something to look forward to and I’m a lot less likely to cheat during the week.
I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be for Month 2, bring it Shaun T!
The more I learn about the core, the more I realize when I’m using it. Or maybe it’s just that the trainer in my current workout program is big on working the core this week? Seems to me that God likes to put all of …
I hope you are returning for more! If you are new, please visit my Part 1 and check out the exercises I shared first. You wouldn’t jump into the ocean without first learning to swim right? Well, I want you to follow the same principles …
So I haven’t finished yet. I actually just started but this goal setting stuff I’ve been doing lately has got me pumped on positives! Say it’s happening and it will. Leave no wiggle room!
Let me give you a little back story as to why I’m FINISHING Insanity. I bought this program years ago. I was going to use it to get wedding ready. But, I quit and honestly didn’t feel as amazing in my dress as I do in it now. I’ve started this program a few times and never finished it. I am determined this round, I WANT THAT T-SHIRT! I feel like I’ve reached a point in my life where I can do this. I have conquered Insanity Max:30, which is comparably difficult. I have also conquered multiple Spartan Races.
Yet, I still have an immense fear of this program. I’m tired of making excuses because I know that they don’t get me anywhere. I know that hiding behind fear in the past has made me miss out on all sorts of fun things. A few summers ago we went out on our friend’s boat. Troy is awesome at wake boarding and I was invited to try multiple times but I couldn’t muster up the courage to try. The following summer we went out again and I decided to quit being fussy and just do it! I HAD SO MUCH FUN! I could have learned a year earlier and had more chances to play if I hadn’t been so full of fear. That and many more instances are what drives me to finish Insanity this time. I WILL BE beaming with pride come the end of February! #unstoppable
Insanity and Insanity Max:30 are all about pushing yourself for growth. It’s not about looking at the other guy, it’s looking in the mirror and fighting to strengthen that person! I still remember the first time I did the fit test… Everyone starts somewhere right?
One day down, 59 to go. I’ve got this!
Be sure to check back and call me out if I’m slacking on giving you updates. 😘
The area I hear people complain about the most is their back, and I’m not just saying that because my husband has degenerative disc disease. Second is probably the knees (my biggest struggle), but that’s a topic for another day. Did you know that approximately …