A giveaway (AGAIN)!!!

In honor of my *NINTH* marathon and *FIRST* trail run, I (and the awesome ladies at Skirt Sports) are giving away one Go the Distance Tight!!

I have dreamed up my own hashtag for Skirt Sports, #morethanjustskirts.  I found Skirt Sports by looking for running skirts, and I wear them more than I wear any other bottom, but I want you to know that they offer more than skirts.  They offer shorts and pants and shirts and sports bras too!  The Go the Distance Tight is one of my very favorite Skirt Sports items.  I have both the grey and the black pair, and I must say I love them.  They are super high quality (like all of the Skirt Sports products).  The grey pair is more "cottony" and the black pair is more "spandexy."  Both have a nice compression feel to them and both will... um... make people love to see you go ;-).

Enter my giveaway here!  But hurry!  The winner will be chosen in one week!  And if you just can't wait or you aren't the lucky winner, remember, you can always get 20% off any item at Skirt Sports with my discount code, SSJBS20.  Good luck!!

I moved!

Hi guys!  It's been a while so here is a brief update on the awesomeness that is my life right now!

I moved to Florida!  I managed to land a faculty position in an awesome department at the second largest university in the country which happens to be in the fabulous city of Orlando.  I'm quite elated about all of these things.

My new place is right next to a lake that has a 2.5 mile trail around it.  I'm not going to lie, that lake was a big influence on my decision in choosing my living quarters lol.  So was the stairmill in the community center.  If you haven't used a stairmill, go find one.  You will never be the same lol.  What I didn't know is that there is also a 6.5 mile trail right off of my street!  I googled running trails so I could go on my long run last weekend and how exciting that one of the ones that popped up is literally right outside my door.  I'm already putting both trails to good use :).

I did quite a bit of traveling this summer (8 cities in 9 weeks), and somehow managed not to slip out of my workout routine at all.  My secret weapon?  Crossfit :).  It is super fun to check out boxes in different cities.  Two highlights: a box in Edinburgh Scotland, and accidentally meeting Emily Bridgers at her box in Atlanta.

Crossfit Skirmish in Edinburgh Scotland after a workout of death lol.

Emily Bridgers (the number one woman in the Atlantic Region) and me.

I'm currently looking to find a gym home here.  I found the best box in the world seven months late when I was living in NJ, so I'm trying to take my time with my search here.  There are about 7 billion boxes within 10 min of my house.  I'm currently on my third.  It's a fun little project, but hopefully I find my best match soon.

Upcoming marathons: Beat the Blerch, NYC (!!!!), and Disney.  Should be a fun fall.  It's more humid than anything right now, so running is hot but not unbearable.  I will miss the year round running I was able to do in NJ, but hopefully I'll adjust to the climate here quickly.  Best wishes to you as you tackle your own fitness endeavors!

Happy exercising!

Be nice!

Do you remember what it was like to be the new one at the gym?  I sure do.

It was actually my second day, not my first that really left a mark.  The first workout, a bootcamp, was really tough.  I forgot to bring water but figured I could manage since at that point I was already running distance.  I was wrong.  I asked the instructor for water halfway through as I saw my life flash before my eyes.  I finished and felt weak as ever, but I knew I had started a good thing (if you are in Austin, TX and you need a good gym, let me direct you to one of the best things that ever happened to me, Barron Jackson and X-train Fitness).  My first class was a Thursday, and I went in again the following Monday, when I was mildly able to walk normally and lift my arms again.  That Monday was a weight training class, my very first. I had always wanted to strength train, but I never knew how.  Lucky for me I stumbled upon this gem (no pun intended) by accident.  It changed my life.  That is another blog entry.  Anyway, I really enjoyed the class.  I finished up happy and was ready to rush off and start my day, when two ladies stopped me and asked me how it went.  That small gesture meant so much to me.  I would later learn that Barron calls his gym a fitness community, and these ladies definitely made it feel that way.  I was new, I didn't know what I was doing, but I wanted to continue, and that stronger, fitter people would check in on me, with no incentive at all, really solidified that choice for me.  Maybe you know by now that I stayed at that gym until I left Austin.  I still call those ladies (and so many of the other members I would meet over the three years that followed) friends.

Being new to the gym can be really intimidating.  Some newbies are simply returning from a long hiatus.  They are former athletes who have gotten out of shape, and packed extra fat onto their bodies.  Some are truly new, and have zero strength, never having lifted a thing heavier than a grocery bag in their lives.  Some people are in great shape, but completely new to lifting (like I was).  Etc, etc.  But the reality is, that no matter their story, all newbies can benefit from your kindness.  Here they are, having made the difficult choice to step into a new place and try something difficult for their hearts and their health.  Everyone else is on the sofa, but they have decided to make a change in their lives and get active.  They watch the more experienced people use double the weights they are using (and struggling with) and seemingly do it with ease!  They try a new movement for the first time, and try to comprehend the 70 tips the coach gives them to do it right.  Can you remember how this felt for you? Seems pretty discouraging right?

So gym vets, I'm calling on you.  Be nice.  The new faces in our gyms could be so discouraged by all of the above.  They could beat themselves up for being so weak/fat/slow/tired and refuse to put themselves through that ever again.  But they don't.  They give it their best shot anyway.  The least we can do is give an encouraging word as they walk out the door.  We might be the reason they walk back in.

*Addition: As someone who moves a lot, you should be nice to newbies outside the gym, too.
**Additional addition: As someone who tries to be nice to everyone, you should try to be nice everyone.  The world could really use more kindness these days.

Giveaway!!

I'm super excited because I just booked a flight to run this race!!  And guess what, you can too!  It's in Louisville, CO (right outside of Boulder), but if you aren't local or don't care to travel, you can win a virtual race entry!

What you get:
$50 gift certificate to Skirt Sports
race bib for the 5K, 10K, or 13er! Your choice!
finishers skirt (or bra, or top)
swag bag

Enter the giveaway here!  But hurry, you only have a week!  Best of luck!!

Why I'll always be overweight

I took off my running skirt and dri-fit top, applied my swim cap, and sat there anxiously in my swimsuit.    No, I was not about to jump into a pool, I was using one of the most accurate methods of analyzing body fat percentage, the Bod Pod.  You sit in a chamber for a few stints of 50 seconds, and this odd looking machine works its magic to determine your body composition through what is known as "whole body air displacement plethysmography".  It is as accurate as underwater testing, and far better than other methods, like calipers and bioelectrical impedance analysis (which in my experience is a complete joke).

Knowing your body fat percentage has several benefits.  One, it can be used to determine your RMR, resting metabolic rate, or the number of calories your body burns when doing absolutely nothing.  There are lots of great resources online that can help you estimate this value, but it's nice to have the number that is specific to you and your composition.  I compared my notes from the Pod Bod and an online calculator and the online calculator overestimated my RMR by about 100 calories.  What this means is if I used this number in an effort to maintain my weight, I'd potentially gain an extra pound each month.  Not cool.  Another benefit is measuring progress.  The scale can fluctuate a lot from day to day (and hour to hour even), simply based on hydration, sodium consumption, and activity level.  If you reduce sodium, increase water intake, and eat lean foods, you can move the scale 2-3 lbs from one day to the next.  Obviously this is not 2-3 lbs of fat loss overnight.  And of course if you get in the gym and pack on muscle as you drop fat, you might not see a change on the scale at all, or even see an increase.  So it can be misleading to judge your progress based on weight alone.  I think the scale can be a good starting point, but as we become more active it becomes a bit less useful.  On the other hand, if we see our body fat percentage, or lbs of body fat decrease, we know we are doing something good, even if our weight stays the same or increases.

This is the primary benefit of body fat testing for me, actually.  I'm 5' even, but I'm not nor will I ever be "thin."  I remember in third grade I got weighed and even though I was more or less the same size as the other kids, I was heavier (80 lbs; why do I remember that?).  I have never been "chubby", but I have always been overweight.  And it is likely I always will be.  If you have been to a doctors office you have probably seen this chart:

If I put a caption here it would have too many curse words.

I'm getting angry just looking at it.  I am 5'0 and according to this bullshit chart, a healthy weight for me is 97-123 lbs.  Are you fucking kidding me??  My legs alone are probably 97 lbs!  The US Army uses similar standards.  So all over the country, doctors and superiors are telling people they are overweight, when in many cases, particularly for black and/or athletic people, their weight is a result of a high muscle mass.

My body fat test confirmed this for me yesterday.  My lean mass by itself is over 100 lbs.  If I had 0% body fat, well, I would be dead, but I still wouldn't be 97 lbs.  I'm (still) overweight according to BMI, but when I look at actual fat pounds, I am at a very healthy level.  Going forward, I'm striving to decrease not lbs, but lbs of fat, as that will truly reflect consistent training and healthy eating.  It is my hope that this shift in focus will spread to our doctors, to our military, and to ourselves.  Happy fat loss.

#REALwomenmove

Recently I saw someone ranting about "what is a real woman" in response to someone's "real women do xyz" slogan.

It made me think twice about Skirt Sports #REALwomenmove campaign.  And I decided I love it :).  It's funny how the same three words can be interpreted in as many ways.  But RWM is not about "you're only a real woman if...", it's about "a lot of these people do... including these very REAL (looking/living) women!"  How important is that message??

I was following a self proclaimed "fitness model" on instagram, and it didn't take me long to realize I could follow no longer.  What she was promoting was not fitness, but rather an unrealistic standard of how a woman could(?) and should(?) look.  I believe her intentions were good.  She often talked about how hard she worked for her body, and that others could achieve it if they just worked.  But parts of her body weren't even hers.  And the parts that were were photographed and posted so often... I just... couldn't.  Because fitness isn't (all) about how you look.  It was honestly irritating to look at everyday.  I knew that with every post, SO many women (self included) were watching and thinking I want to look more like that.  But the truth is, we shouldn't compare, and that's inevitably what we do when we are bombarded with barbie doll images each day.  We begin to see that as the bar, the standard.  But we shouldn't.  We should aim to be THE BEST VERSION OF OUR OWN SELVES.  So I opted to focus my attention on fitness ROLE models instead.  Women who post about the weight they are lifting, the PRs they're attempting (and even failing at!), the races they are running.  Right?? Because fitness is a JOURNEY not a DESTINATION and the goal is to make the JOURNEY as meaningful as possible.  To TRY, and to get stronger with every attempt.

So RWM.  You don't have to look like these "fitness models" to get out there and move.  When I walk into a running store, the clerk never guesses that I run distance, but guess what? I do!  Me and both of my ginormous thighs have run EIGHT marathons and NINE halves!  Little old me.  Because its not just fitness models that run!  It's REAL people, REAL women like me, who have (non fitness) careers and who carve out time for Crossfit and love love love wine, that move!  Professional Kenyan athletes run, but real women, women in your world, run too.  And if they can, so can you :)  You can do anything if you try.

NJ Marathon, Second Go Around

On Sunday I ran the New Jersey Marathon (again) and it was effing fabulous (again) :).

I felt SO undertrained!  I have been doing more Crossfitting than running, and trying to balance work and travel on top of that.  I missed more than one long run, and many midweek runs too.  I ran my 20 miler the other week, and it. was. slow.  I knew that this race could go either way.  My first marathon I ran in 4:33.  The next three took me close to 5 hours each.  It wasn't until last spring that I ran a 4:30-something again (I PRd. During this same race actually).  I felt very well trained for Hartford last year and ran 4:33 and finished strong.  Then I ran Philly in 4:38 (I didn't feel so well prepared for Philly, and the last few miles were rough, but somehow I broke 4:40, which is kinda my bar for a "good" race).  So I worried that this might be the race that put me back in that 5 hour timeline.  I started out conservative.  In almost every race I do not look at my time during the 1st mile.  I try to settle into a rhythm based on feel.  I ran that first mile thinking I was running slow, but it turned out to be not so slow, almost* the fastest.  More on that later :).  I ran the first 5 and then the second 5, and neither 5 went as slowly as last year.  For me, the true race begins at mile 18.  The goal is to get to 18 as painlessly and happy as possible.  But 18 miles is a long time, painless and happy or not.  They usually go slowly.  But this time was different.  When I got to mile 10 I thought, I have another strong 5 left in me.  I did.   When I got to mile 15 I wondered if this would be the race I ran without stopping.  I felt a bit of mental fatigue in 16, but pushed through (zoned out) and inched closer to 20.  As I approached 20, I thought, wow, I am feeling really good.  Maybe I can make this happen.  BUT.  Then I got rational.  I was doing ring dips (tricep dips on rings) the other week during a partner WOD at Crossfit, and my very strong partner warned me not to wait til I "redlined" to take a break, i.e. rest while you still have a little bit left to give.  And that seemed like sound advice for a marathon too.  I knew IF I was able to run the whole thing, I would be crawling across the finish line.  I knew I couldn't run another hour gracefully.  So I stopped and walked for 3 minutes.  When it was time for my last gel (YUCK, I was SO sick of GU by the end of this thing), I walked again, for 2 minutes.  But that's it!  TWO walk breaks!!  Five minutes of walking, or about 2.5 minutes added to my total time.  I've never taken few enough to count!  So I didn't reach my goal just yet, but I am getting there!!  AND my last mile WAS MY FASTEST!!  Who does that in a marathon (rhetorical, the point is that it's hard).  I finished strong in 4:37 :).

It. Was. Beautiful.  If you live within a three hour radius of Long Branch, NJ, I definitely recommend this race.  I did it last year and it was fabulous and I think it was even better this time.  Miles 17-21ish do take FOREVER.  It's like a maze, but overall its a great course.  Beautiful, flat, and well organized.  If I lived in NJ forever, I would do this one every year.

Other random relevant thoughts:

I forgot my race bib!!  I was about 10 min away from my house and remembered it lol.  #fail.  Hey, at least I remembered it.  And at least I had time to turn back and get it.

I met a great girl at the start line named Tina.  I love making start line friends.  She had run Tokyo and Philly.  We were both cold, and she was super cute and nice.

My friends came to watch!  I am used to running solo (without support).  I've heard other runners say they wished they were running solo (family members can be stressful), and I don't mind it, but it was super nice to have them there.  Not so much during (I was too delirious to think lol), but definitely after!  And they got this awesome photo :).

That's the Atlantic Ocean in the background on what was a glorious day.  Why haven't you signed up for this race yet??  I don't know either lol.

(Also I work the Skirt Sports Go the Distance Tights.  I wanted to wear a skirt since I'm a Skirt Sport Fitness Ambassador, but wimped out because it was 45ish degrees at the start.  I think it would have been fine, but I opted for a short top and long bottom instead of vice versa.  The tights were awesome though!  No drawstrings, thus no chafing!  WHAT??? Not too hot, not too cold.  I was very satisfied.  The best part of being an ambassador for an awesome company is being an ambassador for an awesome company.  Love this stuff!)

Overall, it was another great race.  And of course, while sitting at my desk during recovery week, I decided to sign up for more.  But this time I have reached a new level of crazy, and put my name on the Dopey Challenge, smh.  When will the madness end?  No time soon it seems.  Happy running.

Exciting News!!!

29 is definitely off to a great start!  One reason is that I was selected as a fitness ambassador for Skirt Sports.  Not long after I started running, I noticed women running in skirts and decided that I wanted one too.  I googled, and discovered a great company, Skirt Sports, which just happened to be out of Colorado (my home).  I ordered a pink "Marathon Girl" skirt and began my love affair :o).  Earlier this year, I learned that the company was accepting applications for "fitness ambassadors."  What does this mean?  Essentially, they wanted people to promote healthy lifestyles while wearing skirts ;o), two things I already do.  Thus, I jumped at the opportunity to apply.  My partner didn't care to help me with my application (there was some superbowl game on or something <kidding, I love the superbowl, but moreso when the Broncos are in it... not counting last year, but that's another story>), but luckily for me my friend (who cares more about the Golden Globes than the superbowl) did!  I found a race picture of me in a skirt (not hard, lol) and submitted my app!  And now, two months later, I am happy to say that I have joined a small group of women across the country and become a Skirt Sports fitness ambassador.

Perks: a spending allowance for merchandise, discounts on merchandise for myself, friends, family, and strangers (really!), discounts on races, and "membership" in a great community of great women.  SO if you need some fitness apparel, check out SkirtSports, and let me know!!

Love this!

Found this great list of advice.  Enjoy!

latest running notes

Gooooooood morning and a very happy MLK day!  I have started it off with an easy 6 mile run.  NJ has great running weather in the winter.  It was a bit icy today, but still great nonetheless.

A few weeks ago, my friend and I went out for our (now) weekly run and when we came in I was incredibly itchy.  She has a cat so I thought that might have had something to do with it, but when I got in my car I was still ridiculously uncomfortable.  I got home and showered, and realized my legs were quite red.  I did a lot of googling and found that the top layer of my skin had begun to freeze.  Yikes!  I think the windchill that day was -2 or 2.  I had two layers on top, but only one on the bottom, which is why it only affected my legs.  But lesson learned: layer layer layer!  I ran a 10K the following Saturday and wore two layers on bottom.  It was also stupid cold that day, but I was completely warm during the run, and did not have any leg-freezing symptoms.

I mentioned before that I wanted to PR all of my standard race distances this year.  I am 1/1 so far :).  I ran the 10K comfortably without paying much attention to my watch, but at mile 5 I realized I could probably PR.  At mile 6 I realized it was a definite possibility and I fought for it.  I PRd by 22 seconds.  It was a small PR, but a PR in any case.  The Central Park loop has a fair amount of hills, and my last PR was set in 2012, so I would say its a sufficient improvement.  The 2012 PR was an 18 s improvement off the previous one (2010).

I am officially (I guess?) marathon training.  I have a full in 14 weeks.  I have developed my own long run schedule, because I want to run without walk breaks (and in turn, PR by a landslide) and have planned out training accordingly.  I am going to piece together the weekday runs using other plans.  I think I will stick with 4 days a week.  That schedule works well for me (and my science) and I think it prevents burnout and keeps my legs happy and injury free.  That I am about to ramp up mileage means that I successfully stayed in running shape between seasons :).  That was another goal of mine.  My frequency slowed down a bit the first few weeks of December because of conference travel and personal travel, but I was able to keep in shape with other workouts and definitely never had to feel that first-day-back feeling.  Its absolutely amazing to me what we can accomplish when we make it a priority.

I am coming up on my 29th birthday!  I'm pretty excited about that and I want to enter the last year of my 20s in great physical shape so that the year can be spent focusing on other specific fitness goals.  I took a photo on my way out for a run the other day.  It was intended to be a "before" but I sent it to my bud, who said he was completely motivated by it (and my midsection lol).  That made me feel so good.  What I want people to know is that you just have to do a little bit consistently.  I have been running about 3x a week, no longer than 5 miles with the exception of the race.  When I do other workouts they are 30 min or less.  I have been eating way too much sugar, and I may or may not have eaten an entire pizza a few weekends ago along with a whole bottle of wine (and it was great lol).  But 80% of the time I try to do what I'm supposed to do, and do a short workout when I don't feel like it, as opposed to nothing at all.  The little things add up.  So be encouraged!  Now that you don't have to be perfect you can be good.

And lastly, I got a great message in my inbox this morning from a friend who just signed up for her first marathon :).  She has definitely done the hardest part.  I think we often make things so much harder than they are, but she has chosen not to.  I couldn't be happier for her.

See you on the pavement!  Happy running!

Happy New Year!

Monday Funday!!

Have a great Monday, January, and 2015.  Make this the year you prioritize your health.  Take it to the next level and be your best you!  Here's to 2015!!