2 Week Countdown...

To the Super Bowl? ... yes... 

but the Super Bowl is not what I'm counting down to.

I am counting down to February 5th because that is the day that I plan to complete my first Full Marathon!! Yes, that's right I said it...Full Marathon! That is 26.2 miles of pure determination. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would want to or have the fitness base to sign up for one let alone be excited about running in a Marathon.

Run Surf City

I have been training since October. I took a week off after Long Beach half marathon and then began training for this marathon. So far I have completed 14 weeks of training. These last two weeks are taper weeks. Which means my training is reduced to let my legs recover and rest so that they will be fresh for race day. Yippee!

I went back and forth before training started with how I wanted to run this race. I felt there were two ways I could run it: push my pace and finish as fast as I possibly can or not worry that much about pace and just get comfortable with the distance and enjoy the experience. After a lot of thought I decided to not push my pace and just enjoy this distance for my first time running it.
 
I'm running this race with my good friend Karoline and our goal time is somewhere around 4:30. Last weekend we ran the 20 mile run at a 10:29 pace but the training plan predicts our pace to be 10:00 for the race so I'll be interested to see what pace we end up at.

It's funny how scary 26.2 seemed just a few short months ago. I honestly don't feel intimidated by the mileage anymore and really I'm amazed at how strong our bodies are and how much they thrive at being challenged.

So while everyone countdowns to the Super Bowl I will be counting down to my first full marathon in beautiful Huntington Beach!

And just in case you are interested I ran the half marathon at Surf City last year. Here is the recap.

I used a specific training plan which I will share the details later this week. I absolutely loved using this "new to me" method. 

Long Beach Half Marathon 2011 - Race Recap

It's almost been a full week since Long Beach half marathon and I have been meaning to write to tell everyone what a fun race it ended up being!

I admitted earlier that my friend and I did not train like we needed to in order to run a fast race since we had been focused on the triathlon in September. In the future I won't plan races that close together or at the very least have a better plan in place before committing.

We decided to make this race a fun run and partially a training run for our full marathon coming up in February. The moment we made that decision all race jitters and any anxiety about the race went away. The night before the race I slept like a baby and this is not normal for me. The night before a race I usually get very little sleep because I'm really afraid of sleeping in and missing the race. So I usually wake up every hour which is not fun.

Race morning I felt well rested and I walked out my door to find my friend Karoline with two egg and chorizo burritos in her hand. Yummy! It was a real treat. We walked out to the street and the rest of our friends were there to pick us up and then we were off to the race.

We got to the start area in plenty of time to use the potties and get in our wave. Two of our friends went up to the speedy waves and Karoline and I went a couple waves back to where we thought we would pace ourselves. We took a quick picture before the start.


Then it was our turn to start the race. It was hard to keep our pace slower than normal but we knew it was needed to get through the race comfortably. We chose to walk through every water station which was a wonderful change! I usually run through them because I carry my own water and nutrition but occasionally I will grab a cup and try to drink it only to be plagued by a side cramp five seconds later. No side cramps this race. I really don't think we lost any time doing this because we would quickly catch up with the group we were around before the water break.

I really enjoyed all the scenery I totally missed last year. Around mile nine we were both talking about how good we felt mainly due to keeping the pace nice and easy. But around mile eleven I hit a point were I felt I was just done running for the day. Luckily Karoline told me to get my booty in gear and to keep moving and that little boost help me push through my yucky spot. I really wasn't hurting but I think it was more mental.

It was a great race experience this year so I couldn't ask for more than that!

Here are the race stats:

Official Finish time: 2:18:11
Avg. Pace: 10:33
Age group place: 364 out of 1063

Splits from my Garmin:
Mile 1- 10:10
Mile 2- 10:24
Mile 3- 10:05
Mile 4- 9:39
Mile 5- 10:06
Mile 6- 9:55
Mile 7- 9:44
Mile 8- 9:52
Mile 9- 10:14
Mile 10- 10:26
Mile 11- 10:18
Mile 12 -10:27
Mile 13- 9:33

Pacific Coast Triathlon 2011 | Sprint Distance | Race Recap

Before the race: Tiff, Maria, Karoline, Me, Kim 
Fun fact: We are all moms and if you add all our kids together there are over a dozen.


1/2 mile swim | 12 mile bike | 3 mile run
My first triathlon. Done.

Well I am told I get to call myself a Triathlete now which is pretty stinkin' cool!! Even as I am typing this I have a huge grin on my face. I still can't believe I did it. 

My biggest fear as you know was the ocean swim. Swim in general is not my strength but when you add the challenge of swimming in the ocean it just compounded my fear of the swim portion of this race. Ten weeks ago I was doubtful I could complete this race because of my insane fear of the ocean swim. After my first ocean swim I made the choice to train scared. Scared of the ocean and the challenge ahead of me. And now that I did it the feeling of accomplishment is amazing. I pushed through the self doubt and fear and realized how mental this sport can be and how I have what it takes to persevere! 

The day before the race my nerves were intense. The worse pre-race jitters I have ever encountered. Every time I talked about the race, picking up the packet or just thinking about the race made my stomach turn. I barely slept. I kept visualizing the swim and then I started worrying that I was too focused on the swim and that I needed to focus on the rest of the race too.

I packed all my things on Saturday the day before the race. My buddies told me to lay everything out by sport on a towel. I took a quick picture on my phone so that after I packed it all up I would be able to double check what I had packed instead of rummaging through my bag. I don't have a tri bag so I used a duffle bag. I really like how everything fit in my duffle bag. 

Here's what my layout looked like:

Swim stuff: Tri Suit, wetsuit, race belt with bib, timing chip, swim cap, extra swim cap, goggles, extra goggles, body glide, shot blocks, water bottle to clean feet, sunblock.

Bike stuff: Helmet, sunglasses, socks, straw for water bottle, shot blocks, water bottle to fill aero water bottle.

Run stuff: Hat, shoes, water belt (I didn't use this but I wanted to have it just in case I wanted it).

Race morning. I was up at 4:30 a.m. My friend Tiffany picked me and Karoline up at 4:45 a.m. We loaded the bikes in the van and headed to Crystal Cove. It's about a 15 minute drive and I probably said  two sentences the whole ride. I felt sick to my stomach from all the nerves. Tip: If you carpool with at least three people in the car and get to Reef point parking lot by 5:00 a.m. you get to park for free and you are the closest to the transition area which was awesome especially after the race!

When we walked down to the main area we quickly noticed all the American flags it was a beautiful display and it was a great reminder of what a sad day this was for our country ten years ago. I loved that they dedicated this race to all the heroes of 9/11.

As we entered the first thing we did was get marked. Race number on your arm and age on your calf. Then you get to go back to the transition area and set up. This was fairly smooth since we were there early and were able to pick the spot we wanted. We set up closest to the bike exit since when you go out and come back you will be running/ shuffling with your bike shoes on so the shorter the distance the better.

Potty break. Since it was still really early we took a quick potty break and it was a good thing we did because within 20 minutes the line was really long to use the restrooms. I also appreciated being the first to use the port-o-potty it was as clean as they get.

We went ahead and got our wetsuits on to head down to the swim starts since one of our friends in the group had a son racing too! Which was pretty cool! He is fourteen and he did an amazing job. I finished my breakfast on the beach saw a dolphin swimming. Got to watch all the rescue crew get in position. I still couldn't shake my nerves. 

I kept looking around for my husband and kiddos because they were originally planning to come down but since it was early and the parking was a little tricky I had texted and told my hubby not to worry about coming out it may be too hard with the little ones. I didn't know what he decided since I needed to get down to the beach. 

My very experienced friend Tiffany had us warm up running a bit on the beach and then jumping in the water and swimming out parallel to the first buoy. I was unsure about doing this I thought it would freak me out. But it had the complete opposite effect. I felt great getting through the waves and swimming a bit. Then when we got back to the shore my nerves were gone!

Before I knew it the horn sounded and off I went into the ocean. My plan of attack was to stay to the left (away from the buoys) and in the back of my wave. My goal was not to stop to keep moving forward. I did not stop at all...I had some moments were I felt like I was stopped because I was moving slow but I was moving. The water was pretty smooth and the waves were not that bad. The water temp was great it was warmer than it was during my practice swims which helped me get my face in the water and swim.

The swim to the first buoy was quick the swim to the second was an eternity! Right before I hit the second buoy my right calf cramped up it was an intense cramp I flipped on my back to try and work it out while I kept moving. When the cramp was manageable I flipped back over and got back to freestyle but then I heard the loud noise of the next wave coming in behind and around me. All of a sudden I felt hands on my feet, feet on my hands and bodies next to mine. The water was extremely choppy from all the motion of the swimmers around me and I made a quick choice to move farther to the left away from the group. I knew if I stayed in the middle of all the commotion that I would have started to panic. I was happy with my choice until I realized I swam right into kelp patches. They were thick and slimy and it took a lot of effort to get out of it. I basically ended up swimming over the whole patch...it was a weird feeling. Then my left calf cramped. So I flipped to my back again to work it out. After I worked through the cramp I was realized I was really close to the last buoy and the end of the swim. My friend Karoline called out my name and I felt soo happy to see a familiar face. I tried to stay behind her following her wetsuit. The swim in was long. It felt great to see the swim finish but it took me some time to make it all the way in.

When I stepped on the mat for the swim finish I was super happy. Then up a steep hill to the transition area. I walked the hill to help myself recover from the swim. I got to my bike and got my glasses and helmet on and then realized I still had to finish getting my wetsuit off! My first transition cost me some time but I got on my bike and rode and it felt great. The view was beautiful. The ride is a small portion of PCH and you just get amazing views of the pacific. Before I knew it the bike was done.

The 2nd transition went much quicker. I put my bike up took my helmet and glasses off switched shoes, put on my hat and off I went. My legs felt yucky as they always do when I get off the bike and then run but I know it takes me about a half a mile to work through it. My calves were still very sore from the cramping in the water. I started on my run and not even a quarter mile into it I spotted one of my other friends, Tracey, (not racing this race) on the sideline and I can't even tell you how happy I was to see her smiling face!! She ended up running along side me the whole run in pants and with her purse on her shoulder. She ran me all the way to the end and gave me that extra boost to sprint it into the finish.

This was a great race! I had an amazing group of friends training with me, supporting me and encouraging me. Thank you ladies for all of your help!!

After the race. 

Pacific Coast Triathlon was a great race. There were a ton of volunteers all of them friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. The race was well organized. It was a small sized triathlon about 600 people which I really enjoyed. There was a great vibe from most of the other people participating. I would love to try this race again!

Below are my stats for this race.

Finish time: 1:48:29
Age division place: 17th (I'm not sure how many in my age yet)
Swim: 22:22
T1: 5:20
Bike: 49:13
T2: 2:17
Run: 29:14


Oh and my husband and kiddos didn't have a chance to make it to the race. I checked my phone after the race to see if they had made it and my husband had wrote that my son wasn't feeling well and I was lucky I wasn't home. We got back to the van got everything loaded and then I checked my email. And these two videos were waiting for me...

We all got a great laugh at the "poop allergy" and "diarreo" video. I love that we had just finished a triathlon and then got to watch my kiddos talk about diarrhea. I love all the hats we juggle as Moms. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Training for my first Triathlon

After my ocean swim I decided that I will be able to get through the ocean swim at PCT. I signed up for  the race after my ocean swim. I'm excited and a bit nervous.

Here is a short video of the race course: Pacific Coast Triathlon Course

This will be my first triathlon. I have already started training since I only have around 8 weeks until the race. GULP!

Luckily for me I am surrounded by more experienced triathletes and they have been more than willing to share their knowledge and help me out.

Here is what my training schedule looks like:

I also have the Long Beach half marathon I have already signed up for. It is four weeks after this triathlon so I have to make sure I keep a decent base milage so that I can add milage once the tri is over and increase my milage for the half marathon. My training schedule is a little tricky because I have a week where my hubby will be out of town and a week and a half that we will be on vacation. I will not have access to a bike but I will have access to a lake and I plan on practicing open water swimming in my wetsuit.

I have read a bunch of stuff on triathlons. Here are some of the websites I have enjoyed reading articles from in no particular order:

• Tri-Newbies
• Beginner Triathlete
• Triathlon Week
• Active.com
• USA Triathlon aka USAT

For my nutrition plan I have been adhering to the Paleo theory. For quite some time I have been having energy issues, sluggish feeling and my belly just always seems to be a little bloated and a little uncomfortable. I have been eating Paleo for about a month and I feel fantastic! I have cut out dairy, sugar and grains. And to be honest I don't really miss anything maybe because my body feels good.

Open Water Swimming Success!

The end of the swim. That's me with my arms up high-fiving and hugging.

Today was a big day for me. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and could not go back to bed. My stomach was turning because I knew in a few short hours I would be on my way to the beach and facing one of my fears. Swimming in the ocean.

I'm not going to lie I was scared so scared and nervous that I had to hug and kiss my kiddos about 10 thousand times before I felt I could leave, they thought I was crazy. When my husband told my son that I was going to swim in the ocean and not the pool this morning he looked at me and said "I hope a shark doesn't get you". So much for not thinking about things that live in the ocean.

I got in the car with my friend and we started to drive she kept telling me that it was all going to be okay and that I could do this. I just started crying. I cried for about five minutes and then felt much better. I was still nervous and scared but I think the cry helped release some stress. (Thanks K for putting up with my teary self.)

We got to the beach and it was beautiful and peaceful. There were already people in the water swimming, paddle boarding and kayaking. The waves were calm and the water was super calm. Which helped me feel much better.

We met up with the rest of our group and got our wetsuits on. Wetsuits are really tricky to get on. Luckily I wasn't the only first timer we had one other person today trying this for the first time. That helped me feel better too.

Going into the water was a little more scary than I thought it would be but lucky for me my friend Tiffany brought her husband out with us. He is a great swimmer and really good at instructing and keeping you calm. He helped us get out past the waves told us to get under them and got us to the first buoy without any major panic attacks.

This was right after a wave.
I tried to go under but hesitated and got hit a little harder than if I would have went under.

Once we got to this buoy I felt good. It was great to feel how buoyant the wetsuit was and that I definitely wasn't going to drown. Plus if I had to I could have probably floated back to shore. We swam all four buoys stopping for breaks in between. It's harder to swim in open water. 25 yards felt like 50. I'm sure I will feel better over time.

I think we look pretty cool coming out of the water!

I had a really hard time putting my face in the water. It was really cold so cold it would take my breath away and I would feel my chest start to constrict. I got better at putting my face in on our way back. Tiffany's husband stayed by my side and every time I came up for a breath I could hear him saying "Good job" "Good" and that helped me feel relaxed. I kept my eyes closed underwater. I tried one time to open them and felt nervous so I shut them quickly.

I ended up swimming all four buoys and back which is about 1/2 mile. My original goal was just to get to the 1st or 2nd buoy.

I am extremely proud of myself! YAY ME!! YAY to our other first timer!! She looked great. And a big thank you to the whole group for their encouragement and support! Thank you Kim for all the awesome pictures!

So if you haven't been swimming in the ocean because you are scared please just give it a try. It was a great experience and I can't wait to go again. If I can get out there so can you!!

Our group minus two, one in the water and one behind the camera. The boy on the end was amazing he did this swim without a wetsuit and I believe he did three or more laps, future Ironman for sure!

Open Water Swimming

Me. I will be swimming in the ocean tomorrow morning.

Source

I don't know if I've told you before but I have never really been a great swimmer. I have always wanted to be but I just have a lot of fears of the water that make it hard for me. Some of my fears are rational and some are not.

I have been swimming for over a year now. I can proudly say that I do not look or feel like a drowning cat anymore. The pool has become a close friend of mine. I love the feel of my body gliding through the water. I really enjoy pushing my distance and trying new swim drills. I have been working hard at learning flip turns because they are cool. And I especially love how I feel when I finish.

One of my goals has been to complete a triathlon. With triathlons comes open water swimming. I have talked myself out of this goal several times and then talked myself back into it. I am terrified of open water swimming. I don't think this is uncommon but I need to get at least comfortable with open water if I am going to sign up for Pacific Coast Triathlon.

I really want to sign up for this triathlon. I will have a good support/ training group since most of my friends will be competing in that race. I hear that it's a great first. I cannot logically sign up for this triathlon until I get into the ocean and see if I can swim without hyperventilating. Okay maybe I won't hyperventilate but maybe I will. Who knows?

I went to the beach yesterday and watched people joyously play in the water, swim out far from shore, paddle board, surf and what not. All of them seemed to be having a wonderful time and didn't seem worried or scared in the least bit.

So what am I scared of? I am just going to put it all out there, get it out of my head and then move forward and not think about it again.

• Sharks--I'm told that you are more likely to get hit by lightning before this happens. But I can't stop thinking that I'm invading their home. I can't out swim them!!
• Dolphins, otters, seals--Not cute. Okay, cute from afar but not near me when I'm in the water and especially not touching me in anyway.
• Really deep water-- The water is deep and I won't be able to touch if I panic. I know I can float on my back but I am wondering how I will feel about it all.
• What am I going to be looking at?--I hear it's just dark. I have heard that you just close your eyes and swim. I may just close my eyes.
• Being far from shore--What if I can't get back? This won't happen I know because I have friends that will be there with me and they will help me.
• Panic--What if I freak out and can't calm myself?

Now the good parts of getting out there in the open water:

• Conquering this fear of mine. Priceless.
• Checking open water swimming off my imaginary bucket list. 
• Doing something I never ever thought I would do.
• Proving to myself that I am strong enough to do this.
• Enjoying the ocean in a new way.
• Wetsuits are like a superhero suit I may feel like a superhero in it. 
• Signing up for this triathlon when I return from the swim.
• I have great friends and they will take care of me because they are awesome.

Ahh see I'm feeling better already just getting my fears out there. I refuse to let my fears hold me back. I am going to do this!!

If you would please say a little prayer for me in the morning because I will be out there in the surf. I will keep you updated on twitter/ fb before and after the swim.





Are you an open water swimmer? Is ocean swimming something you would ever do? Any tips?

WVA Ralph J. Reddington 10K and Kids Run- Race Recap

On the fourth of July I woke up early and met up with my girlfriends to run our local 10k. I had planned on running the 5k again this year but since I really hadn't done any speed work or really any training it was very unrealistic that I would have been able to run faster than last year. Plus all my friends were running the 10k and it's fun to run with friends.

We wore our cute sparkle skirts because they make any race a little more fun. But this race was not fun for me at all. It was hot and it was hard. I just couldn't find my groove.

It started off on the wrong foot. We stood at the start line chatting and taking pics and then the horn sounded to start and everyone was a little taking back the lack of warning before the start.

I can't really explain why I felt I couldn't run the route I run a couple days a week. My body just did not want to and my mind could not force it to get moving. I wanted to quit a handful of times especially when we ran past the road to my house.

I felt bad because my friends were staying back with me instead of leaving me behind. A couple of times I thought I was going to cry because I was soo frustrated with myself. My friends kept telling me to keep going and they were super encouraging and had it not been for them I may have just quit.

I have never felt this way before about a race and it was a totally bummer to have all those feelings. I finished with the time: 1:02:32.  My pace averaged 10:03.

So the best part about this morning was that my son Weston got to race in his first kids run!! It was a one mile race. I didn't plan on him racing until the night before when he told me how much he really wanted to race too. He has asked a couple of times but I have been waiting for a shorter kids run but this ended up being a fun race for him.

We were super proud of Weston for running this race all by himself! He ran the mile in 9 minutes and 7 seconds. 

So even though it wasn't a great race or a fun run for me I ended up having a good time after I finished and got to celebrate with my son.

Also I wanted to give a big CONGRATS to Tiffany (the one in the white hat above) for winning her age division at this race with a smoking fast 48 min time!

Have you ever had a race you just wanted to quit?

Simply Fit Mama Featured in Parenting OC magazine!!

I wish you could have heard my giddy squeal when I saw my feature in Parenting OC magazine for the June issue. Parenting OC made an awesome directory of Orange County mom bloggers in their June issue if you didn't get a chance to check it out here is a digital link (Simply Fit Mama is on page 30). There are some wonderful blogs in this directory.

I knew that they were making a directory but I had no clue how it would be featured. Needless to say I am extremely thankful to the kind people at Parenting OC magazine and of course to you my readers.

Thank you!!

Here is my copy of the June issue of Parenting OC magazine!

Summer/ Fall Race Plans

Okay since I threw in the towel for P90X I have been casually running here and there. Swimming a day or two then a week or so off and a ride thrown in for good measure every blue moon.

I have not been consistent at all. Which is not terrible but I love how I feel when I am on more of a schedule. I love to cross training days off a plan. Registering for races helps keep me consistent and challenged. I usually have a goal in mind when I sign up for a race and I try to figure out a plan/schedule to help meet that goal.

I have signed up for one fall race so far but I have one summer fun race and one other fall race I am a little too nervous to sign up for.

These are the races I have in mind for the rest of this year and a little into next:

7/4/11-- Ralph J. Redington (aka Woodbridge) 5K--I ran this last year for my first race in CA. It was a really fun race. Here's my race recap.

9/11/11--Pacific Coast Triathlon-- I have not signed up for this race yet. I really would love to complete a triathlon. This is a local tri (I have a group of friends already racing in it) but the swim is in the ocean which really frightens me. You know sharks, big waves, murky deep water, etc. Open water???? Hmmm.. I'm just not sure.

10/9/11--Long Beach half marathon -- This is where I ran my first half last year. Poor organization last year but I hear they have a new event planner this year. Here's my recap.

2/5/12--Surf City MARATHON-- Oh yeah I typed that big fat word MARATHON not half but a full marathon I am pondering for Surf City. I want to run a marathon one day...I think 2/5/12 may be my day. Not signed up yet I have to grow a little more courage to click the marathon option. Yikes! Oh I meant YIPPEE!! :) Here's my race recap.

If you think you might be interested in signing up for a race and you're not sure how to get started take a look at this post.

Bike Ride- Newport Beach Back Bay

Source

I haven't rode my bike for a while really since last summer. Okay minus the occasional family rides to the frozen yogurt shop. I haven't really been riding because I have an older moutain bike that doesn't really fit me right so it can be frustrating to ride. 


My friend brought over her spare road bike a couple of months ago and I have been trying it out. Road bikes are so sleek and the tires are very skinny big difference in the feel when you ride. I rode a couple of months ago for a 20ish mile ride and yesterday we got out and rode 14ish miles. I say "ish" because I wasn't really tracking the miles it's really just an estimate.


Today my shoulders are a little sore. I'm not super fast on the bike but I really do enjoy riding. During the winter it get's too dark in the evening to ride after dinner (during the week) but now that it's light until 7:30 p.m. maybe I'll be able to get an extra ride or two in a week.


We have a wonderful bike path that takes you to Back Bay in Newport Beach. It's a nice ride. I plan on getting a lot more comfortable on the bike this summer. 


FYI- if you ride and you get saddle sore a hot bath with epson salt works wonders! Do it the same day you ride though don't wait until you are really sore.


Do you like to ride the road or the trails? Any tips to share on riding? 

I quit P90X!

So you may be wondering why you haven't heard from me and my P90X updates. Well that's because I decided to quit. I can't believe I'm even writing this...I'm not really a quitter. I really had to swallow some pride to make the decision to quit. But my time with P90X had come to it's end.

I was really excited to start the program and I really needed a little break from running. This made the first 30 days go by quickly and I really did enjoy the challenge and change. Then the next 20+ days were okay but I started to get really bored of the same workouts, the time commitment in front of my TV and the lack of fresh air in my workouts.

I started to dread working out and that is the opposite of what I try to achieve in my fitness goals. I never want to push through something I am not truly happy doing. I completed 7.5 weeks of P90X I took a week off for spring break thinking that would refresh my outlook of the program to finish it up. I tried a day here or there after spring break but just couldn't spend anymore time with the program.

The positives about the program are:

• If you have bad weather where you live this would be great for long winter months indoors.
• If you can't get away from the kiddos this is a great fully body program to do in the comfort of your home while kids are napping, sleeping, playing etc.
• Don't have a gym this is a good replacement: cardio and strength training
• You build a ton of strength

My shoulders, biceps and upper abs look a lot more defined than they have ever been. I feel a ton stronger in my legs, core and upper body. In the end I was able to do bicep curls and swimmers press' with 10 lb. weights my highest weight I have used before was 5 lbs. In the beginning I was only able to do 3-5 pull ups (chair assist) and by the end I was able to do 10 pull ups (chair assist).

I really enjoyed the Kenpo cardio workout and the Yoga. I never really warmed up to Plyometrics. The weight videos became my favorite (minus the push ups and pull ups).

The negatives about P90X:

• They are videos, you are in front of your TV for an hour to an hour and a half everyday!
• The videos get really old after 45 days.
• There are a million pushups (different types) and a lot of pull ups and chin ups.
• The ab workout is intense and was really hard on my tailbone (349 ab moves in 15 minutes).
• 90 days is a long time to do the same program 7 days a week.

I was disappointed in the change or lack of change in my lower abs (my trouble area). My upper abs became very defined which I think made my lower abs look worse. I know that some of the problem with my lower abs is extra skin and still some fat that needs to get burned off but still I would have liked to see a little more change for the effort I put in.

P90X nutrition plan

The first 30 days is very high protein lower carbs. I felt great the first 30 days. The 2nd 30 day phase you take away some of the protein and add in a little more carbs. I felt awful with this change. So I ditched the nutrition program and ate how I normally eat I just boosted my calorie intake to ensure I had enough calories for the workouts. 

Supplements

I took my normal vitamin intake. Post workout I used a recovery drink that I really liked and think that it really made a difference in how sore I felt the next day. I did not use the P90X recovery mix because I felt it was too pricey. Mike's Mix is what I used and plan to continue using with running, swimming and biking. (I prefer the original formula over the chocolate.)

So in the end I was happy I tried it. I believe you would see major changes in your body probably after the 2nd round of P90X. If you love working out to videos  than this is a great program. 

If you love being outdoors than this program will drive you a little nutty. I felt like a bit of failure after quitting and really for not keeping this blog updated with my progress so I'm sorry if anyone was waiting to see progress reports I just couldn't squeeze it in. I hope you understand. :)

A few tips if you plan to embark on the P90X journey

• Make sure you print out the worksheets from their website. They are free and they are really easy to use to track your weights during the workouts. 
• Commit to a 2 hour time slot every day for the workouts.
• If you can have a committed space to workout in. Line up your weights, bands,  yoga mat, pull up bar.
• Drink a recovery drink, it makes a difference in how you feel the next day and I hear it helps your muscles rebuild quicker.

She Runs LA - Virtual 10K

Last night I ran my first ever virtual 10k with the She Runs LA hosted by Nike. I was able to get together with a couple of friends and pound out the miles. For the event Nike provided super cute pink tanks with the She Runs LA logo. Love it!

Since I have been on a break from running this was my first longish run since Surf City. I was slow as molasses but the company was great and the view was extraordinary! We decided to run Quail Hill Trailhead / Boomers Canyon area. It's very hilly which was a nice change but it was tough. Hopefully since the sun sets later now we can run this trail more often.

If you are ever in Irvine you should definitely run this trail the views are great. We finished a little after dusk and as we reached the top of the last hill we could see all the lights of the city. I was tempted to take a quick picture but decided to drink water instead.

It was really a fun idea to run a virtual 10k especially knowing that there were women all over running on the same day the same distance for the same event. 

I did download the Nike+ app for my iphone so that I could upload my run to their website. I have tried a couple other running apps for my phone in the past but I will say this one was neat. I used it for the first time last night so I haven't had a chance to play with all the features but for $1.99 it looks like you get a  lot of bang for your buck. 

Tonight they hosted the celebration at the Nokia theater in downtown LA for the She Runs LA event. It sounded like it was going to be a blast. Unfortunately I was not able to make it and I was totally bummed! Hopefully some of you were able to attend and if you did I would love to hear all the details.

Back to running...yippee!

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I haven't ran a single mile since Surf City half-marathon. Boy have I missed running. Saturday was my first day back and I had the pleasure of running alongside two lovely friends...running and friends = double awesomeness.

I didn't bring my Garmin. I wasn't interested in tracking my time or distance really. It was a beautiful and peaceful morning. I don't love waking up early but I do love the quiet of early morning runs. I love the  morning light and the gentle breeze against my skin.

I'm trying to take it nice and slow but it's hard because I just want to jump right back in where I left off. That's not how it works. I'm sore today but it's a good sore. It's been a long time since running has made me sore and I welcome it.

Tomorrow I will start my last month of P90X. I am changing from the classic plan to the doubles plan to get my running back into the mix. 

My running plan for this week:

M: 3-4 miles

W: 6.2 miles--She runs LA

F: 3 miles

S: Swim

She Runs LA Powered by Nike and Giveaway

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Nike will be hosting their first digital 10k race in Los Angeles and surrounding areas on April 27th starting at 4p.m. and ending on April 28th at 4 p.m. You have that 24 hour time period to run a 10k and then upload it to the nike+ website. The idea is that women all over LA will be running at the same time to show our love for running! After the "race" Nike will be hosting a big red carpet event at the Nokia Theater in downtown LA to celebrate in style. 

They just announced that Mike Posner will be the performer for this event! There will also be guest appearances of Nike athletes and other fun things. Sounds like a fun post run bash Hollywood style!

The best part of this event is that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a program called Students Run LA. This is their awesome mission statement: The mission of Students Run LA is to challenge at-risk secondary students to experience the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health by providing them with a truly life-changing experience: The training for and completion of the Honda LA Marathon.

Nike has offered 50 free passes for my readers to participate in this fun event!! If you would like a free pass for this event please email me: simplyfitmama@gmail.com for the details.

I would love to see a bunch of us out on the streets running on April 27th. If you are not 10k ready that is perfectly okay come on out and run/walk or walk the 6.2 miles. If you are in the Irvine area I would love to run with you!

I plan on running a 10k on April 27th, why don't you join me?

Register HERE!

The effects of not consuming enough calories...

Ninety percent of the foods I eat are whole foods and organic. I try to keep my food very "clean" and unprocessed. I have been eating like this for almost three year now. I have seen a boatload of health benefits since I changed the way I eat and of course how my family eats. Healthier teeth, clearer skin, weight loss, my son's eczema cleared and the list goes on.

But even when you eat good foods you still need to consume enough calories. As my fitness increased my calories should have increased along side it. I really didn't think about it that much. I just added a snack or two here and there. My snacks didn't equal enough calories to make up for all the calories burned running, swimming or biking.

My body went into starvation mode. For real.

Starvation mode: is a state in which the body is responding to prolonged periods of low caloric intake levels. During short periods of caloric abstinence, the human body will burn primarily free fatty acids from body fat stores. After prolonged periods of starvation the body has depleted its body fat and begins to burn lean tissue and muscle as a fuel source.

The result of my low calorie intake and high intensity workouts left me with a very high body fat percentage. My body fat percentage is 10% higher than it was when I was 30 pounds over weight. The crazy thing is that I am in the athletic range for cardiovascular fitness with a resting heart rate of 57. Which means my body burned lean tissue and muscle instead of fat and any food that I ate went straight into fat stores instead of being used for energy.

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There were many signs that my body was not functioning correctly. I just felt too busy to address them. I thought I just needed more sleep so I stopped working out in the mornings to catch a few more hours of sleep each day. I also hadn't lost one pound in a year of intense running which is odd since I knew I had a little (5-10lbs) to lose.

Within the first couple weeks of eating the right calorie amount for me and my fitness regimes I started to shed weight. I am in week five of P90X and have lost 5 pounds and I have shaved 2% off my body fat percentage.

If you eat healthy foods it can be a challenge to get your calories into the higher ranges it can feel like you are eating a lot of food. I know I have had to make those adjustments but I feel great because of the changes and I am seeing great results from adding calories.

If you haven't calculated the calories you need please take a minute to figure that out. Your body will thank you for it. Who knows you may be able to shave off those last stubborn pounds by eating more!

Also don't focus only on what the scale says it can dash your motivation. For example say Lulu weighs 160 pounds and her body fat percentage is 34%. After a month of eating right and exercising she weighs in at 158 pounds. She gets a frustrated that she has only lost two pounds in a month. But if she were to re-calculate her body fat percentage she would see that she is at 30% coming down a whopping 4%. Which shows that she has gained four pounds of lean muscle mass!! She has lost more fat than the scale alone will reveal and she has brought her body fat percentage into a healthy range.

So get your body fat percentage figured out. The easiest way to do this is by having / buying a scale that  can measure your body fat percentage. These can actually be more accurate than a fat caliper test, so a friend in the food science has shared with me. :)


Next post on nutrition will be a sample of my daily menu plan in the 1200-1500 calorie range and a sample of my day at 1900-2200 range.

Nutrition-Take a close look at your calorie intake it may be too low!

First off my disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist. I have no training in nutrition. I am constantly learning just like most people I know. Everything I know I have learned through reading books, trial and error and research on the world wide web :). So please don't take what I have to say as law. It is not. It is just what I know and have learned.


We moved here in May of last year and I had for the most point lost all but 5 pounds of the weight I wanted to lose. I began running in my neighborhood for fun instead of for weight loss. Then I met a group of friends who did lap swimming on the weekends. I joined them and really started learning how to swim laps. Then last fall I began training for my first half marathon. At this point I was very active but I still was hanging onto the last five pounds I wanted to lose. I trained hard for that first half topping out at 40+ miles a week. I was really tired and I ended up getting really sick. I couldn't figure out why I was so tired.

I finished the race and took two weeks off to get rid of the bronchitis. But even after I had the rest and medication I still felt really tired. I just shook it off and thought maybe I wasn't getting enough sleep so I started going to bed early and sleeping in later. Then I started training for my second half marathon.

The tired feeling stayed and I started to have some nagging pains in my hip and foot during training. I also started to realize I never felt hungry, even after long runs. My friends would talk about how hungry they were at the end of a run and I started to think "Why am I not hungry?".

Then my dad sent me P90X. The day I got it I was very exited I read through both books cover to cover. And then the lightbulb went off in my head. I am not eating enough food!!! 


This is why I couldn't shake that tired feeling. As I read through this book and did the math I realized I was really only eating enough calories to survive not enough to fuel the type of workouts that I was doing. My calorie intake was not an uncommon number, you may be in the same calorie range. It was 1200-1500 calories. This is the number that was calculated by sparkpeople.com (love this site) when I first started trying to lose weight. I was not as active then so the calories met the need to create a deficit to lose a healthy 1-2lbs a week.

My activity increased but I continued to eat right around the same calories just out of habit. I didn't need to count the calories because I had been eating within that calorie range a couple of years. I was eating 3 meals a day with 3-4 snacks. Extra snacks before and after a run or swim. Sounds like enough meals and snacks, right? Wrong.

After reading the P90X nutrition book and then doing a little research online I figured out the right calorie range for my body. It is closer to 1800-1900 calories (creating a slight deficit) on an average day and on long run days more like 2300 calories!

The same week I got the book I quickly increased my calories to the 1800-1900 range. I felt 100% better within the week. My energy levels increased and I felt like a million bucks!

This is the first part of nutrition that I want to share with you. I have two more post coming on the rest of my thoughts on this topic.

I would love if you would take a moment and calculate your calorie range you should be in today. Not the range you were using last year. You can google all types of calculators for this but here is the math:

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RMR (resting metabolic rate): calories needed to perform vital body functions.

Weight x 10 = RMR (in calories)

Daily activity burn: calories needed for daily movement apart from exercise.

RMR x 20% = Daily activity burn

Now this the most important part. You need to calculate the calories required for your workouts. So all you runners out there wear your garmin and heart rate monitor to get an accurate calorie count on your runs. For other sports you can use estimations or use a heart rate monitor to calculate calories burned. There are a ton of calculators online that will give you an average.

RMR + Daily activity burn + Avg. Calories burned in your workouts = Calories needed for energy to perform your workouts.

Example:
150lb woman
RMR: 1,500
Daily activity burn: 300
Exercise: 400
Calories needed: 2,200 calories a day.
If you were trying to lose weight you would need to create a slight deficit so you would shoot for 1,900 to 2,000 calories a day.

P90X- Week 2

This is me right after Plyometrics, dripping with sweat!

I finished week two on Monday and I am working on week three as of Tuesday. I can't believe I'm already on week three! The first week was tough since it was all a surprise to me and a lot of the moves I have never done before. The second week felt better mainly because I knew what was coming next on video so I felt better prepared for the torture. Just kidding, a little.

I'm really not as sore as I thought I would be but I have been using a recovery drink after workouts. I've never used one before but I really do think it has help reduced soreness.

Next week will be recovery week. No weights. No Plyometrics. WooHoo!

I plan to add running back in when I start the second month of P90X. I can't wait I miss running.

I weighed myself on Monday morning and I lost another two pounds. So total weight lost is four pounds in two weeks. This is great I have had about five to ten stubborn pounds that haven't really budged in a year. I figured this was just my happy weight. What I am realizing more and more is that I was not fueling my body right and this is why my body was hanging on for dear life to those last pounds.

Nutrition post is coming I promise. I'm just trying to reduce the rambling so you won't fall asleep reading it!

P90X- Week 1

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Done.

Despite last week being a crazy week with Natalie's surgery, I decided to start P90X last Tuesday. I needed the distraction.

I know...I know everyone says to start a new fitness program when you're well rested and have time to devote to it. But life with kids can be crazy and unpredictable and if I waited for this or that I would never get anything done. Especially fitness. For me the best thing I can do is just do it!

Last week after the first couple of days I started to get pretty sore. The two killer workouts for me were the Plyometrics and Ab Ripper X videos.  But my core is pretty weak and I have never done any sort of plyometrics before so it's a real challenge.

So that brings me to today the start of week two. I will work my Chest & Back and do the Ab Ripper X workouts tonight. I'm pretty excited especially since I had a rest day yesterday and I feel very rested and ready to kick booty.

Pre-measurements and all that good stuff I plan to share around day 30 because I feel more comfortable sharing if there is something to compare the numbers to.

I have scaled back my running to zero. I totally miss running but my body really needed a break. I can't wait to start adding running in as I start to adjust to this new program. I'm totally jealous every time I see someone running! I'm scanning the race schedules trying to figure out what I would like to do next. Right now I plan on adding small runs after day 30. I'm still swimming but only once a week and very easy going with the meters.

I am following the nutrition plan that comes with P90X. I feel like the nutrition needs it's own post. I am writing a P90X nutrition post for later this week. I have a lot to say about it. I'll start by saying I tried using their meal plan last week and it was a lot of preparation and it just didn't work for me. So after the weekend I came up with a new plan and so far so good.

Weekly weigh-in:  -2 pounds

Have you completed P90X? Do you have any tips to share?

Surf City Half-Marathon - Race Recap

What an amazing race! First off I just want to give all kinds of praise to Huntington Beach for hosting this great race. It was so well organized from packet pick up to the finish line chute.

This was my second half-marathon. I ran Long Beach in October and it was very disorganized and a bit frustrating at times especially for being such a large race (25,000 runners). Surf City was a large race (20,000 runners) but it didn't have the congested feel that Long Beach had. They had plenty of port-o-potties and public beach restrooms so there was never a huge line to use the restroom. Which was great!

Race morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. got dressed rolled and took a little time to do some static stretches. By the time I was finished it was 5:30 a.m. and my friends were outside ready to go! I hopped in the van and enjoyed my breakfast on the way to Huntington Beach. I ate a banana and a Luna protein bar washed down with some water.

We arrived in Huntington beach a short drive later and found a good parking spot. Woo hoo! We arrived right around 6:00 a.m. and got to hang out and chat for a while. This is when race day jitters started for me. My stomach got a little upset and I got anxious. It was nice to have friends to chat with so that I didn't focus on unnecessary worries.

From the moment we got out of the car we started getting complements, winks, nods and "oh my look how cute those skirts are". Did I tell you that we bought super cute matching sparkle skirts? I didn't? Since the four of us were running this race and we trained together we thought it would be fun to match. So we bought these skirts from Team Sparkle. Now I want one in every color and adorable race legs to match!

Marathon waves started at 6:45 a.m. half-marathon waves started at 7:45. We had time to walk around and stop for a couple potty breaks. We also said "hi" to the folks at the Train 4 Autism booth. My friend Tiffany is training and racing this year to raise funds and awareness for autism and other social disorders. She is an amazing athlete and mother and it's a pleasure and a privilege to know her and train with her.

Here is a picture of our team before the race:

Left to right: Tracey, Me, Tiffany, Karoline

Next we headed over to our waves. I love how Surf City had the waves organized. Your wave was determined by your estimated finish time that you entered when you registered. They also had a nice wide walkway on the side to get to your wave easily. At Long Beach you had to push your way through the crowds. Thank you, Surf City!!

The weather was great and the miles went by fairly quickly. The goal for time was to finish right at 2:00 or just under 2:00. We knew we needed to keep our pace around 9:10 and under to make that goal.

Official Finish Time: 2:00:02
Average Pace: 9:10 (my garmin says 9:07)

Mile Splits:

Mile 1- 9:03
Mile 2- 9:07
Mile 3- 8:55
Mile 4- 9:18 --left side cramp--ate two cliff bloks
Mile 5- 9:04
Mile 6- 8:53
Mile 7- 9:03
Mile 8- 9:17--ate two cliff bloks--started having some hip pain
Mile 9- 9:16
Mile 10- 9:14
Mile 11- 9:21--really bad right side cramp--ate one more cliff bloks
Mile 12- 9:18
Mile 13- 8:58
Mile .16- 7:45

Of course after making that time I wish I would have ran just a bit faster to get under two but that's for another race I suppose! I am super happy with my time and with the race in general. It was soo much fun running with my friends. They are great ladies and I am thankful for every run that I run with them and the time we get to spend together!

The weird thing about this race was that I couldn't think of anything to talk about. I am usually pretty chatty but my mind just drew blank for nearly the entire race. Sorry race buddies. :(

One thing about wearing the sparkle skirt was that I would forget I was wearing it and then someone would cheer us on by saying "love those skirts ladies, run!!" Or we would see others in sparkle skirts and I felt a little burst of energy to cheer them on! We couldn't get over what a hit these skirts were. Funny how much sparkly things inspire. At the end of this race we were able to meet up and take pictures with the creators of "Team Sparkle" and they are a fun, crafty and sporty bunch of ladies. It was nice meeting you and hope to see more of you this race season. Sparkle Love!!

Left to right: Tiffany, Tracey, Karoline, Me, Elise, Carrie and Kelly