The last post of the day

I promise I won't be writing multiple times each and every day. Today was just one of those days where there was an intersection of available time and things to write about. Tomorrow I train 7 clients, plus have 5:35 boxing camp, so you can believe there will be ZERO blogger updates!

But please bear with me for one final post. Tim and Tucker were doing a P90X workout tonight and they were just so cute that I had to grab the video camera:

Lest I be accused of anything other than brutal honesty, I have to confess that yesterday was a day of intense chocolate cravings. And about 9:00 at night, I made up a batch of brownie batter, having absolutely no intention of baking any brownies. Do I feel guilty? Nope. Does my tummy feel happy? Yes in a BIG way! Can it count as carb loading for Saturday's race? I don't even want to answer that one!

Real craziness

This is Austin coming down from a flag hold. Yes, he can hold his body horizontally out to the side, which seems to defy all laws of gravity. Picture was taken outside of Big Spoon Yogurt over the weekend with a phone camera, hence the bad quality and the late capture of the action. But honestly, am I crazy or is my kid crazy??? I vote for the kid!

Recent workouts

Thursday: boxing camp (am), run 11 miles (pm)
Friday: boxing camp (am)
Saturday: run 10 miles (am)
Sunday: P90X chest/shoulders/triceps (am), Art of Strength Providence (pm)
Monday: boxing camp (am), swings with client (pm), Providence (pm)

At dinner I was saying that I'd done boxing camp and a kettlebell workout today, and Austin said I was crazy. That's a normal comment from a 14-year-old, but I was thinking about it last night, and decided to talk to him about it.

Me: I have a response to your comment about me being crazy because of my workouts.
Austin: Wow -- it only took you 2 hours to come up with a response?! (he's sarcastic like that, and it was said with a smile, so it was ok)
Me: You skated (skateboards) yesterday for 5 hours with your friends, and that was play. Well, the workouts are my play. Only it's tough to find friends to play with, which is why I do boxing camp, or DVDs. But if you think of it like that, it won't seem so crazy.
Austin: You're right.

Honestly, I see the physical stuff I do as playtime, pure and simple. Sometimes it's tough play, but it's still play. This morning I ran 7 miles with a girlfriend. We both started the run tired and it felt like the wind was in our faces no matter which way we ran. So it wasn't an easy run. But guess what? It's done. And we had a great time doing it, even when we were coming up Backside (for those who are local and know of this hill -- it's a killer!) and talking about how hard it was -- yeah, it was hard, but WE DID IT! And that feels fantastic!

Big fingers?

My fingers have always been thin. My wedding ring is a 4-3/4, which I'm told is small. Well, my ring no longer fits and I don't know what to do. In the past few months I've been using a recovery drink that has a small amount of creatine in it (200 mg per serving), taking it once a day. Could that be why I can no longer wear my ring? My clothes are fitting with ease and my weight is fine, so it's not a weight thing. Could it be kettlebell workouts? My hands are more callused but not on my fingers. I've switched recovery drinks to one that has no creatine just in case that's it. Any ideas, friends? I want to be married again! :)

New month of boxing camp

Yesterday began another new month of boxing camp. There were 5 new women in the 5:35 am camp and they all looked so nervous. I wanted to give them hugs and tell them it would be ok, but that just isn't what you do at boxing.

My friend's husband started camp yesterday in the class after mine. When I asked her how it went, she said he threw up during camp from the intensity. Oh no!!! She said the trainers were really nice and acted proud of him, which fits with the intensity of it all. But I feel awful. And at the same time, I feel proud -- proud that I can make it through tough workouts. And then I feel a little awful about feeling proud, if that makes any sense at all!

Just the other day, I found some videos from Prime Time Boxing on You Tube. They're just little clips of heavy bag work and some line drills, but if you're interested, go to You Tube and check it out.

Race Saturday

So my first official half marathon of the year is Saturday. It starts and finishes about a mile from where I grew up, and I think my dad's going to come see me at the finish line. Tim and the kids will be at the finish line too. My goal is a sub-2:00 half, and I think that's doable. Two years ago I ran a half in Folsom and finished in 1:47, but I was doing a lot more speedwork then, so I'm not shooting for anything that fast.

I ran 11 miles on Thursday, and then did 10 on Saturday. This week I'm doing 6 today and maybe 4 on Thursday and calling it good. Of course I'll still be doing boxing camp and kettlebell play on my "off" days, but I think my plan will have my legs fresh enough to do well. And if I don't meet my goal? Well, then that's information to use as I prepare for my next half!

Talkative Tuesday and Sleeping In

So the plan is for today to be a day of many blog entries. I haven't been consistent with updating in a while, so if all goes as I hope it will go, I'll be writing quite a lot today.

In the first thought of the day, today is the first weekday in a MONTH that I've been able to sleep in. With 5 days a week of boxing camp, I've been getting up between 4:45 and 5:10 every weekday. I was concerned that I might not be able to sleep late, but it turns out that concern was unfounded, because I got up at 7:00 am today!!!

Regarding comments

Regarding "My First Interview":

To all -- I've NEVER been able to do an April Fool's joke in my whole life, so this was tremendously fun for me -- thank you!
Stacy -- I loved your step-by-step brain tracking through the joke.
Stef -- I'm so happy!
Katie -- Thanks! Yeah, the meat part doesn't exactly line up with my vegetarian thing, does it?
Shelly -- Good one! :)
LizN -- So glad you like it, and I miss you!
Irene -- Hooray!
Jacque -- The short answer to your question about getting enough protein is twofold: 1) I think we vastly underestimate how much protein you can get from a whole foods, plant based diet. There's protein in broccoli and spinach and lettuce! So I think we group foods into protein and not-protein, and it's just not that simple. 2) Because I train as hard as I do, I use a whey protein supplement twice a day where each serving gives me about 20 grams of protein. I will post a sample menu soon, but don't be surprised when you see Diet Pepsi (!) and Raisin Bran Crunch cereal (!!) listed occasionally!
Matt -- You know SO MUCH! Thank you for the comments about getting enough protein, and you're right that the "you must combine beans and grain at a meal or you'll die of malnourishment" thinking has been disproven scientifically, and if you eat enough of the various aminos throughout the day, your body takes care of the protein synthesis from there.
Jen and Laurie -- Glad you laughed!

Regarding "Oh my aching muscles!":

Matt -- Thank you so much!
Anthony C -- Your intensity continues to inspire.
Colette -- Thanks for the words of wisdom. You know what you're talking about, and I appreciate the input. Although my family will assure you that I am NEVER in danger of eating too little! :)
Evelyne -- Thanks for the encouragement and the wise advice.
Regina -- I'm glad you liked the newsletter!

Regarding "Today is gonna be great!":

Matt, Connie, Colette, Irene, Katie, Take One, Evelyne, and Stef -- I'm so glad we're all feelin' the positive energy!!!
Karey -- You should do Women's Tri Fitness -- it's a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I'm nowhere near you, being here in Northern California. I trained with Darla Benfield of Roseville, CA and she was fantastic, and she may do some sort of online training. You can check her website out here. Best of luck, whatever you decide!

Time to head to the gymnastics awards banquet. More tomorrow...

Run? Done!

This is my last week of 5 days of boxing camp and I think that's good. Yesterday I was up at 4:45 for a particularly grueling workout that included lots of lunges and jumping lunges. And I wanted to do my last long run before next weekend's race. So I went out and did 11 hard miles, using every trick in the book to keep myself going. I don't know what anyone else does or thinks to keep going when they want to stop, but some of my devices include:

• thinking of my feet as Pac Mans (you know, the video game from the 1980s) eating up the pavement
• focusing on doing just one mile at a time
• telling myself that I can walk or stop anytime I want to (strangely, this makes it less likely that I'll do either!)
• thinking of Lance Armstrong and a particular story where he does like a 3 hour mountain climb on his bike in the rain, and then, because it didn't feel right, does it AGAIN!
• thinking of ultra-runner Dean Karnazes who ran 50 marathons in 50 days
• thinking of the ease I have with food and the ease I have in my clothes when I run

Today was boxing camp and it was especially brutal, not because of yesterday's run, but because only 2 people showed up, so the ratio of trainers to victims was 3:2. Seriously , I was drenched in sweat and very happy when it was over. And tomorrow I'm running 10 with 2 girlfriends who want to do 10 but have never run more than 8 at a time. They are in shape to do it and I think they're going to feel fabulous once it's done.

So that's it from me for now. I have two more clients today, both of whom are really fun. And the weekend will be filled with kid sleepovers (at our house, different kids, both nights!) and end of season gymnastics banquet (tonight) and maybe a trip to the dog park.

Finally, the next time I write it will be in response to and with appreciation for all comments that have been left here. Be a good one, everyone!

An awesome quote

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded!

Is that the best quote? I think it is! I found it on Charlie Engle's website, after reading an article in Runner's World about how Charlie went from alcoholic/drug addict to celebrated ultra-runner -- yeah, that makes him my kind of guy! You can check out the article here.

Make it a fabulous day, friends!

A Difficult Choice

It's almost 10:00 and I've been up since 5:00, so I'm tired. Just a few minutes ago I was watching Work Out on Bravo and folding laundry. Tucker came into the bedroom.

"Mom, would you rather fold laundry and watch your lesbian fitness show, or help your son study for his science test?"

I hate tough questions like this! Just for the record, I turned off the TV and quizzed Tucker on aquifers and water tables and eutrophication. Work Out will have to wait till tomorrow. Thank goodness for Tivo!

He makes me so happy!

It is good to be married to your best friend, isn't it? We're coming up on 18 years of marriage and still going strong, which is a very good thing! (This picture was taken at Tucker's Tae Kwon Do meet a few weeks ago.)

Take 5 Tuesday

This is a take 5 template from a few months ago, not the current week's entry. But it's one I felt like doing, so...

5 things on your desk right now

• New RED iPod!
• 2 of my favorite pigs
• Client binder and workout plan
• Water glass
• Picture of my family

5 things you need to, or should be doing today

• Planning client workouts for the rest of the week
• Attacking "the pile" on my desk
• Cleaning out my purse
• Planning what to plant beside our driveway
• Ordering art docent supplies for the elementary school
  

5 of your favorite foods

• Big salad with lots of "stuff"
• Butternut squash ravioli
  
• Raw almonds
• Chocolate fondue
• Mexican burrito bowl
  

5 of your favorite drinks

• Water
  
• Diet Pepsi
• Arnold Palmer
• Pellegrino Limonata soda
• Good Earth tea

5 things in your bag

In my turquoise B Makowsky bag, I have:

• Bobbi Brown "brown" lipstick,
  
• a car key,
  
• dental floss,
  
• gum, and
  
• way too many receipts and loose papers!

When life feels hard

It's a new week and I'm feeling great -- well, a little tired, but great nonetheless. But I have a friend who is really struggling and that makes me sad. Anyone have any tips for someone who can't seem to find their motivation or any hope in their life? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Here are mine:

1. Treat yourself with great care. I like to this of this as extreme self care, which is the last thing I want to do when I'm feeling low. But doing simple stuff like drinking lots of water, taking vitamins, showering -- you know, the basics -- can help to put you back on track.

2. Make a list. Years ago during some of my most difficult times, I made a checklist titled "Elements of a Good Day." On it were the activities I deemed as mandatory in a good day. Stuff like this:

Morning prayer
Exercise
Shower
Plan dinner
Call 1 friend
5 fruits and veggies

I printed the checklist on nice paper in a cool font, and had places to mark each activity as completed. This helped when I was feeling confused and didn't know what to do next.

3. Take it a day at a time. If a day at a time is too long, take it an hour at a time. And do something -- anything -- that moves you towards what you want. Here's an excellent quote:

The reason most people
do not succeed
is because they sacrifice
what they want most for
what they want right now.

Don't sacrifice what you want most for what you want in the moment.

4. When (not if, but WHEN) you don't do what you wanted to do, move on. Learn from it. Extra calories give you fuel for a better workout. Not showering proves that it feels lousy to feel dirty all day.

Hoping for a wonderful day for my struggling friend and for everyone!

The best thing about the retreat

I've believed for as long as I can remember that people don't like me very much. And I've been ok with it for the most part. Well, that belief was destroyed at the retreat, not by any specific thing that happened, but just because spending a weekend with 11 women who really like me (we all like each other) healed something very deep inside. That feeling of being loved and accepted was so powerful and wonderful it made me want to roll in it -- that's how great it was and is!

Ok, NOW we're heading to church. Have a great weekend everyone!

Finding some balance

I will respond to the much-appreciated comments in the next few days, but thank you to my smart friends who think I'm overtraining. You're right and I plan to do something about it.

I don't know exactly how I'm going to handle scheduling workouts, but I think I'm going to drop boxing conditioning for May. That will drop me to 3 days a week of boxing which should make a big difference. But conditioning is fun, in a crazy sort of way, so I'm tempted to keep it. But my 1000 miles of running is important to me, and it supports my 6 half marathons for the year, so it makes sense to go to 3 boxing days.

This morning I ran 11 miles and it felt great. I would have gone further but it was super windy, and I was ready to be inside after 11! Got home, cleaned up, took Tucker to Tae Kwon Do, and then he and I headed out to lunch and to Petroglyph where I painted yet another pig and he painted his second gnome. We have fun painting together -- it's very peaceful and sweet.

We're off to church, then heading home to watch one of my all-time favorite movies, The Terminator, as a family, with much popcorn and snacking -- hooray!

Board Breaking

Tucker had a Tae Kwon Do belt test last night. I can't even tell you how proud I was of my kid. Every skill from gymnastics, from paying attention, to knowing where your body is, to balance and coordination -- it all just makes him shine in his new sport.

I missed his first belt testing (Tim went, so it was ok!), so this was my first one. Turns out that you get to break a board at your first belt testing. Tucker was DYING to have me go up there, and I was certainly willing. The Grand Master (main guy? I don't know what you call him) told me what I needed to do, and I just went ahead and did it. I got really close to his face as I came through the board (Tim said he looked scared!). What delights me more than anything is that it never occurred to me that I couldn't do it. And Tucker had his arms open wide with a big hug for me after the board break, and that felt absolutely fantastic!

Gassed or whatever you call it

What's the word for when your body goes, "Nope. We're not doing another single thing today!"? Gassed? Smoked? Finito? Well, whatever it is, it's Friday afternoon and I'm there.

I'm needing to reevaluate my goals because while alone they are all fine, when viewed all together as belonging to the same person (me!), they may not work well. Here's the weekly goal list:

boxing camp 5 mornings
run 20 miles
one 1000 kettlebell swing workout
cell regeneration treatment (with 24 hours of rest afterwards)

Today I got up at 5:15 for boxing (today is conditioning, which starts at 6:00 which is why I get to sleep in), and I was TIRED! But once I got going at boxing I was fine. Workout was hard, but they're all hard. Came home, knowing I wanted to run 14 miles today. Got cleaned up. Trained 2 clients. Had a "window" where I could do part of my mileage, so I went out and did a fast-ish 7 (1:02 overall time). Trained another client. Laid down intending to rest for 30 minutes before doing the other 7 miles. Slept through alarm. Woke up really tired. Decided (with sane husband's help) to not run the other 7. Then I thought, "Well, I can do my swing workout!" Got ready. Did 100 swings. And knew that nothing else was happening.

Although it may sound like I'm obsessed with workout out, I'm really not. Nor do I have freaky body image issues (just normal ones like most women!). I just really want to hit all of my goals and it's getting hard to fit it all in.

So the plan for tomorrow is to go out early and run 10. I'll let you know how it goes.

A super-quick hello

Retreat was great. This week is going great. But I'm super busy and have not had the time to sit and write. Usually when I'm not writing, it means I'm stuck in depression, but not this time (hooray!).

Time to get some miles in, so gotta run -- literally!

A most unusual day

Today I'm not exercising at all. Nothing. Nada. The last time I had a day like this was ... hmmmm ... well, I'm not really sure. With boxing camp Monday through Friday, and 1000 swings one day and a long run the other day of each weekend, it's been a while since I had a day off.

Today wasn't supposed to be a day of rest. I got up at 4:45 to find Tim already up, having gotten up at 3:00! He's been stressed out about work and just couldn't sleep. I started getting ready for boxing camp, when I had the thought, "I should stay and be with my husband." So I sat on the weight bench in the training room and kept him company while he did P90X Core Synergistics. (I would have joined him, but I pulled something deep in my core the other day and have taken a few days off from ab-intensive exercises.)

So then it was time to get the kids up and going for school. Then I trained a client who had some great news. She tried on some bikini bottoms from 2 years ago that she couldn't wear last year, and they fit and looked great! Needless to say, that's exciting news for me. As she put it, her "butt corners" are gone.

Next on today's agenda was a cell regeneration treatment. I have a friend who does this energy work (it's similar to Reiki, I'm told) and while I can't really tell you how light touch and breathing can heal things at a cellular level, I can tell you that my bicep tendon no longer hurts after 2 years of aching daily. Plus I'm told this treatment is highly effective for dealing with depression, which makes it hugely appealing to this girl. So I've been going for treatments for about 2 months now, and here's the thing -- after a treatment, you're supposed to take it easy for the rest of the day, or the energy change doesn't really take hold. Well, there goes my planned 10 mile run for the afternoon.

So here I am with "extra" time on my hands. These are a few things going on in my world:

• The Spirituality of Being Enough. I'm going on a women's AA retreat this weekend. As you may know, I've been clean and sober for 21 years. But since I've had kids, I've rarely gone to meetings. Well, somehow I've hooked up with a really great group of women, and we're heading to a retreat. The title of the retreat is "The Spirituality of Being Enough" and it's being led by a Catholic nun who's in recovery. I am not usually a fan of big groups of women -- too silly, too emotional. But with how tough my kids have been, I can't WAIT to be away for the weekend!

• Veg Tucker? Tucker's told me several times over the past few weeks that he respects me for being vegetarian. It's always been at really random times, and hearing that completely fills me up. Last night he told me he's "going veg." I told him that was great if it is what he wants. I also said that if he changes his mind, that's fine too.
  

• Hawaii is a GO! I will respond to comments individually soon, and I so appreciate the vacation suggestions, but it looks like Hawaii is a "go". We're getting our money back for the flights we already paid for (through the credit card company), and the price for 4 tickets has dropped some, enough that Tim really wants to stay with Hawaii for vacation this year.
  

• No sparring for me. Since starting boxing camp, I've toyed with the idea of actually getting in the ring and sparring. Last week I really gave it some though, and realized that the only reason I'd be sparring would be to brag about it (aka notches on the bedpost) and that is inconsistent with who I am and why I train in the first place. In fact, my plan at this point is to continue boxing camp through May and then go to Bikram yoga for the summer. (I live in a place where it gets over 100 degrees a lot, and I like to feel acclimated to the heat.) That way I won't have to get up so early while the kids are out of school. But I think I'll be back to boxing in the fall.

• 1000 miles. Ten years ago, when I was 37 and my kids were 2 and 4, I set a goal of running 1000 miles. To do this, you need to run 20 miles a week on a consistent basis, and it's that consistency that can be challenging. Well, I've decided that a decade later, I'm shooting for the same goal. That's why on my blog sidebar I'm tracking average miles per week. Since I didn't decide on this goal until April, I've got some miles to make up. But that's ok -- goals are supposed to push you, right?

Probably no more writing till Monday. Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Take 5 Tuesday

5 of your favorite recipes, or things to cook/bake.

• Snickerdoodles

• Tortilla Soup

• Garlic Coleslaw

• Black Bean Chili

• Brownies (because I LOVE brownie batter!)

5 habits you would like to break.

• Thinking that Diet Pepsi tastes wetter than water.

• Going to bed with a full stomach, usually via cereal with almond milk.

• Going into a place of despair when my kids fight. (Right now, older son is smugly playing video games, and younger son is riding his bike to deal with his anger. I, in a surprising plot twist, am writing in my weblog, instead of trying and failing to make it all better.)

• Depending on caffeine to wake up.

• Not washing my face when I go to bed. (I failed girl school on that one.)

5 windows open on your computer right now, (if you have 5.)

• Bizarro.com's essays on why he's vegetarian.

• Tracy Reifkind's Food and Thought weblog

• Cathe Friedrich's STS blog (new pictures were posted today)

• MotionBased.com (where I upload my Garmin data after running)

• Bloglines (how I keep up with weblogs without spending every waking moment on the computer!)

5 of the best gifts you’ve received.

• An engagement ring and a proposal from Tim.

• A Mother's Day plaque from 2000 which reads:

For Mommy
because you read to us when it is late,
you make the best cookies,
you take us to the park,
and you always have a hug and a band-aid.
You are the best Mommy in the world,
and we love you up to heaven and back.
Happy Mother's Day from your boys.
(Tim "interviewed" the kids and then had their words made up on a plaque -- isn't that the BEST?!)

• A ticket to see Aerosmith in concert from my brother and sister-in-law. (Concert was canceled and then marriage fell apart, so I never went, but I still remember how blown away I was!)

• Green M&Ms from the M&M Factory in Las Vegas. Tim gave these to me right after I'd completed the figure portion of the Women's Tri Fitness competition in 2005. Chocolate has never tasted so good!

• My Campus Queen lunchbox. I desperately wanted this in maybe 3rd or 4th grade, and my parents got it for me. It had a game on the back and a spinner, and I still have it!

5 of the best gifts you’ve given.

I'm completely drawing a blank on this one, which either means I've never given a good gift, or I'm just plain out of computer time and need to start dinner. I'll get back to you on this one...

Weekend Update

• Just finished my weekend 1000 swing workout. I felt low energy so I stayed with the 12kg bell, but at the end I did one 7-1/2 minute long set, combining 3 of my 2-1/2 minute (100 swing) sets. It was tough, but doable.
• My kids are really mean to each other and I need to find a way to stay balanced when they're fighting. I think what is most discouraging is that when they're angry, they truly seem to hate each other. And when that's going on, I want to be a part of any family but this one.
• Austin competed in the regional championships in Reno yesterday. He did not have a great meet, but took 5th place in pommel horse among the 30 boys from 4 states in his age group.
• Tucker competed in a Tae Kwon Do tournament today (yes, we're tired!) and took 1st place in weapons and 2nd in his Songham 4 form.
• Tomorrow's workout will be a long run.
  
• We've canceled our Hawaii vacation. We had airfare with one of the airlines that went out of business. And as of Thursday, 4 tickets to Kauai were going to cost $4500. I think we can have a lot of fun here in California for quite a bit less, don't you? (Assuming I'm willing to do a whole family vacation.) :)
• I'd LOVE to hear some suggestions of fun family vacations in California. All input is appreciated!
  

Today is gonna be great!

Why? Because I'm going to make it great!

Happy Thursday, friends!

Oh my aching muscles

Did I overtrain yesterday? Ummmm yeah, if my body has anything to say about it. This week starts 5 day a week boxing training (3 days boxing skills, 2 days conditioning). So yesterday I did conditioning at 6:00 am. Then at 8:30 I trained with a client (my one client I workout with, at her request). And at 5:00 pm I decided to get some running miles in and did 4 hilly miles. And now? Ouch! Where? Ummm, everywhere.

Time for a quick breakfast, then I'm off to boxing. This WILL be my only workout for today!