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Body Back Certified!

Last Saturday I accomplished something I've wanted to do for long time - I became a Body Back Professional. The training was head by Fit4Mom's National Fitness Expert, in-house motivator, and all around awesome, Farel Hruska.  With tons of information, 3 tough workouts, I left sore, exhausted... and completely empowered.

Farel's approach to the training was to not only inform on the "how" and "why," but to let the trainees experience the power of Body Back by doing a little mini-session through the day. After intros and first part of lecture, we headed to our "assessments." The Body Back program starts and finishes with these assessments, and although Farel didn't consider it one of our workouts, I definitely did! WooWee! 

Here is a little peek into our assessment. I'm the one in pink.... j/k. You'll find me doing sit-ups to the left.

Part of the assessment is to hold a plank for as long as you can. One of the mamas (because, yes, we are all mamas) held a plank for about 8 minutes. 8 minutes!! Talk about being surrounded by a group of inspiring women! Later, Bre "the plank master" told me, "Yeah, I do a 5 minute plank everyday before I go to bed." See, inspiring.

After a little more lecturing and a little break, we went out to our GRUELING traveling workout. In short, ouch. This workout was so physically demanding it was mentally exhausting. But when those negative, good-for-nothing thoughts arrived, Farel was there to ask, "Who is talking to you: your gremlin or your goddess?" We pushed on.

One point of this workout was a sprint up "Pride Hill." I happen to love the picture below. I will hold it dear for motivation in the future. Me and the other trainees on "Pride Hill":

The day continued with more information, more workouts, and, inevitably more motivation. I don't know if it's the Fit4Mom corporate office, the one and only Farel Hruska, or being surrounded by like-minded, amazing, and inspiring moms, but every time I leave a training I feel so empowered that I truly believe I can conquer anything. Body Back training was no different.

And now it's my turn. I can't wait to begin a new journey as a Body Back Professional. I hope to inspire and be inspired on this new path. Body Back truly has that effect. Motivation is contagious!

Our group of amazing trainees, to which I say, "WE DID IT!"

Showin' 30 What's Up!

*** I know it's been awhile and I've fallen of the blogging boat, but I'm just gonna act like I was never gone ;)

I did it! I ran the Surf City Half Marathon in my hometown on my 30th birthday!  I'd be lying if I said it went as planned (in short, I went out way too hard and paid for it the last 5 miles), but I finished under 2:00 which seems to be an average for me.

Instead of focusing on the negative, I have to say what I AM happy about. First off, I trained my little buns off. I followed my training, and even added more cross and yoga on my non-running days. And, I finished! All things considered, I look back on the race happy with what I achieved.

 And, of course, what's a blog without pics.

Oh, heeeey!

 
 Finished!!

 

While I don't have any half marathons scheduled for now, I do have some new and exciting things on the horizon and I look forward to sharing them all with you :) Stay tuned for more!

Resolution Run - 15k

Sunday I completed my first 15k here in San Diego. I used this run as a training tool for my upcoming Surf City Half Marathon and to test the waters in the pace department. Now, even though I run a lot, I still don't necessarily think of myself as a runner. Instead, I'd say I'm a soccer player who likes to run. That said, I don't have the background in running races like some might. Basically, I've had to teach myself how to hold a pace and sustain it. More recently, however, I've realized that I can run a lot faster than I give myself credit for. Speed, I'm learning, is about 75% mental.

This epiphany came before last Sunday so I went into the race with the goal of keeping under an 8:30 pace. Well, the Garmin doesn't lie:

I ran all 9.3 miles at an average pace of 8:18- goal achieved! I am proud of myself and feel like I'm even more excited for my upcoming half. Training for the half has been going well and I'm finding that I'm more motivated than ever for Surf City. It's a perfect blend of motivation - my 30th birthday in my hometown. I can't wait for February 3rd!

Awesome 80's 5k

Last Saturday I ran the Awesome 80's 5k in San Diego. This was something that mamas from Stroller Strides got together and ran. Technically, this was my first "race" since having Parker, but I didn't run it like a race... which I'm happy about. I really had fun with it and used some of my extra energy to help motivate mamas to run their first/best 5k.

I usually am always going for a PR, but this time it was great to sit back and enjoy (as you can imagine, there was amazing people-watching). The race did do what I had hoped, though. It gave me a reminder of how much I love to run and gets me in the right frame of mind for the half marathon I'm about to start training for. Half marathon, you ask? Yes, I signed up for the Surf City Half on my 30th birthday, February 3rd. I'm nervous coming off of pregnancy and completely excited for the challenge. A bag of mixed emotions that I have to use to catapult me into training which officially starts next week.  I'll keep you updated on how it's going.

Now for your viewing pleasure, a few pics from my Awesome 80's run:

Sometimes it's fun to be a goofball and not take life (or 5k's) too seriously :)

AFC Half Marathon

Well, I did it. I conquered my first half marathon after having Landon. My official time was 1:57:06. Although, it wasn't my very best time (even though I did beat my last time I ran the course), the day after I am feeling good and proud of what I've done. The course is a pretty tough one with a nice 1 1/2 mile hill starting at mile 11 (like a cruel, cruel joke), BUT I'm happy and have that feeling of accomplishment that comes with setting a goal, training for it, and then finishing it. It just goes to show that if you put your mind to it, you really can do anything. And for me that means that with all the craziness of motherhood, I still can make time to live a healthy lifestyle :)

Now for some pics. This is me nearing the finish when I catch my first glimpse of my cheering squad - Nate and Lando. (Is there such a thing as an attractive running picture? I think not.)

My prize :)

A very special thanks to my boys, my loves, my cheering squad. I can't tell you how many times I thought of these two while I was running. I knew the quicker I ran, the sooner I'd see them. Great motivation :)