Nearing the End of the Season

So we are in the last week's of the current season. It has been a busy, hectic, and good season. I think many members found it hard to stick with their running programs because of all they had going on. But, the ones who did stick with it as best they could have been racing, running, and having a great time. We've had so many "firsts" this season, with first 5Ks, 10Ks, Half Marathons and Triathlons. Its been exciting and fun.

Progress, improvement, and reaching goals is often difficult. Yet, when you can stick with it through the difficult times that is when you often have the most rewarding results. This is the way it is with running, and also in life. Daily we face challenges, whether they be large or small. And daily we make choices, to tough it out or give up. Giving up sometimes seems like the easier, better route to take. It seems like it will lessen our burdens or make life easier.

Yet, oftentimes, when we give up, it can actually make parts of life harder. When you give up questions remain. What would have happened? Could I have overcome? Could I have reached my goal (or completed the task/event/etc)? Could sticking with it have brought something more to my life? Will I ever know the strength that I really have?

If you've given up lately.....don't dwell. The past is the past and new challenges await you tomorrow. Just make a decision now that with the next challenge you face, no matter how tough it may seem, you will believe that good will come and you will find the strength to stick with it - somehow even if it doesn't feel like it right away. YOU are worth it.

CrossFit and the Warrior Within

By Lisbeth Darsh 
(from CrossFit Fairfax Blog)

Most of us are not Marines or Navy SEALs. Not all of us are cops or firefighters. Most of us don’t live heroic lives or even talk about bravery in any real context. We know little of real need, and less of sacrifice. Instead of facing danger daily, most of us face boredom daily; there is too much of everything in America. We have wants and large appetites. Discipline is relegated to putting half a teaspoon of sugar in our tea, or buying a smaller car to save on gas, or skipping dessert. Like it or not, this is modern-day America. We are not warriors. Yet, within our microcosm of daily abundance, we CrossFit. We willingly subject ourselves to a rigorous, demanding program that brings us to our knees. Why?Why CrossFit? Why not just go to a globo-gym and use the cupholder on the elliptical and watch the mindless television on the treadmill and push ourselves only as hard as we feel like? Why not take the easy path? Why subject ourselves to an hour of agony each day, alone in our garages, or in a group at an affiliate, driven by some crazed trainer who asks questions like, “Doesn’t that suck?” And when we gasp, “Yes!” she laughs and hoots, “Faster!” Why take the sweat-soaked, muscle-aching, tear-producing, hand-tremoring path of pain and perseverance that goes by the name CrossFit?

Because we must. Because CrossFit hurts. Because it makes us cry. Because it really sucks. Because it is the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. Because it is the easiest thing we’ve ever had to do. Because we hate it. Because we love it. Because, ultimately, we want to know what courage really is. Because, in all of our time on this planet, we have never once put our lives on the line and learned what it really, really means to be afraid and step forward anyway. Because in the darkest depths of our workouts, in the minute of greatest pain, in that last ten Burpees of the Filthy Fifty, in the last Clean of “Linda”, in that airless, starry moment when we place one foot over the edge of the cliff and walk forward to see if the very clouds themselves will hold us up, in that moment – that moment alone — we are truly alive.

Matraca Berg sang it best: “Leap. And a net will appear.” That net is us – the person we didn’t know we could be, the warrior within, the conqueror unleashed – that very part of us that forces perseverance, that demands discipline, no matter the consequences. CrossFit brings us to that place inside of ourselves.

In this plush, overfed part of the world that we live in, CrossFit strips us to the bone and lets us see the very marrow of our souls. And what lies there, inside of us, is not always pretty. Sometimes it is a bitter heart, or a quitter’s attitude, or a cheater’s nature. It is raw and revealed and naked. But it is us. It is who we are, who we were, and, most importantly, who we will be if we do not work harder. In that realization of our own inadequacies, however, lies our very salvation. For, within the confines of the Workout of the Day, if we’re lucky, in that moment of dedication and drive, in that frenzy of encouragement, support, and love for our fellow CrossFitters, we also catch a glimpse of our very best selves – and, if we’re observant, we see it in others too. Through our CrossFitting efforts, we see who we could become, with a little more effort, a little more honesty, and a little more courage. Just like a faster 5K time, that better self is within our grasp; if we try hard enough, if we do the work, if we believe. Try. Work. Believe.

This is the true challenge: to use CrossFit to become a better person, not just at CrossFit, but in life. Allow CrossFit to awaken that warrior within and then use this force to make a difference. How do we do this? By not settling for the easy option. By not using the phrase “good enough.” By learning to use — to live — words like “serve” and “sacrifice” and “community.” By doing the right thing. Always. Even when it hurts the most. Especially when it hurts the most. By living our lives so that thorough examination of our actions reveals only character, prudence, and honor. By living as a warrior should. Now, more than ever, in this overindulgent society of ours, we need warriors. We cannot continue to expect our warrior class – our Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, cops, and firefighters – to bear the entire burden of protecting the very fabric of our society. We all, in small ways, must do what we can in our communities to uphold values like honesty and justice and responsibility. We must be warriors in our hearts, willing to fight for what is right, and to face the enemy, even when the enemy is us. When we CrossFit, maybe in some small way, we take that first step toward mentally joining the warrior class. And then, hopefully, we take another step. Hopefully, we inspire those around us to join us in what could be described as a crusade for a better society, a better nation, and a better world. The future really is in our hands.Leap. And the net will appear.

Springtime Energy

It is definitely springtime, yet it is hard to believe that the mornings are still so chilly. It seems like winter has lasted forever because the first days of cold began way back in October. The cold and rain have been keeping so many cooped up inside, hoping for warmer and drier days. I know that many have been saying "I REFUSE to go running in the cold even one more day!!" (I'm one who has been saying that). Sometimes it just feels hard to push yourself day after day after day, when for months on end the weather has been not so cooperative for the every day runner!

But, I believe we are now over the hump and are ready to ride smoothly into some beautiful days of running! Even if it rains, it will still feel good because it will be warmer. The exhilaration of being outdoors, running with the cool breeze, hearing the wonderful sounds of brand new birds singing their songs, smelling the amazing scents of the blossoming flowers! AHHHH....I am at ease just imagining it all. It makes me want to throw on my running shoes, get the leash on my dog, and head out for one of those long slow runs!

Spring is the time for everything to be renewed and come alive! Us included. What were those health and fitness goals you were thinking of on New Years that you set on a shelf when the cold would never let up? Now is the time to pull them back out and start focusing on them again.

During the winter I pushed on through the drudgery and used CrossFit to energize me and keep me going. It has done the job! Not only did it give me something new and challenging to look forward to each and every day during the toughest part of winter, it motivated me to reach new goals and accomplish new things. The amazing thing is not just how CrossFit has been transforming my body and my general fitness (I can now do 15 pull ups in a row), but how it has also transformed my running.

When I began CrossFitting back in December 2008 my average 3 mile pace was around 10:30, 10:00 on a great day if I was pushing it, 11:00 on a tougher day. Today, my average 3 mile pace has reached as low as 8:29 on a great day, and 9:00 on a slower day! All that while running LESS miles since the end of January.

Add the advent of Spring and a renewed energy lifting my spirits to my recent CrossFit accomplishments, and I can't wait to see what there is to come. Maybe an 8:00 pace on a great day? How about 25 pull ups? Maybe 20 sets as Rx'd in a Cindy workout? There is no telling what can be achieved with a little push, a lot of excitement, some good weather to boost your spirits, and great friends to cheer you on!

LET'S DO THIS!!!

It's a New Season and I'm turning 40 this year

Our newest season is officially underway and now it is time to get serious. Serious about our goals, serious about running, serious about getting to know some new people, but most of all, serious about having some FUN!!!

Our group is now 70 strong. We've lost a few folks, which is sad. But, we've gained some new (and really great) people!

I love the start of a new season. The fresh, new smiling faces. The familiar, friendly faces. The excitement and renewed energy of them all. It is infectious! You can't help but get excited about meeting up with everyone to run when everyone is happy and ready to go! If you miss a day, you might miss out on something. At least that is the feeling.

I love hearing about everyone's goals, the new PRs they want to set, all the new things they want to achieve. It makes me want to do something new too. What will it be? Will I run more or less? Will I run harder or easier? Will I start swimming and cycling, and do a Triathlon? I honestly don't know yet! So far the only goal I've set for fitness is to get serious about my diet and CrossFit. I want to get my overall fitness in to peak condition, and then see what else I can do beyond that. Having overall fitness topped out will help with everything else that I might want to do. Maybe I really will run an Ultramarathon during the year I turn 40 (between 7/2009 and 7/2010).

I sit back and remember the year that I turned 30 - 1999. I hated that year and that birthday. I was in the best shape of my life (to that point) and I had 3 amazing daughters. Yet something was still missing. It wasn't something that I didn't "have", it was more fear of the future. Not believing in myself, not feeling like I had accomplished much, and feeling as if I hadn't done much to make a difference in this world. I had no purpose.

Since that time so much has changed. I found purpose, to find a way to try to change the lives of as many people as I can through fitness. I want to help them build their self-esteem through running and fitness. Getting fit can give someone a confidence they've never had before, and when that happens the possibilities are endless. Believing in yourself, believing that you can overcome challenges, it changes your life. I found that through fitness, and since that time have had "purpose" in my life.

So, regardless of what I choose to do, this year, one thing I will keep doing is living out my "purpose". And so far this is shaping up to be one of my best years yet. I'm looking forward to all there is to come.

Bring it on 40's....I'm ready for you!

ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon

Well, we finally completed our Season's final goal - the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon. Four of us finished the full Marathon, three finished the Half Marathon. It was the first Full for 2 people, and the first Half for 2 people. It was awesome to have everyone achieve their goal - to FINISH!!!

Racing is a difficult thing. You can train and train, yet you just never know what race day will bring. Sometimes you wake up feeling amazing and ready to reach a new PR, yet sometimes you wake up and feel the dread of impending "defeat" (whether its valid or not). For me, I woke up Sunday morning feeling good but as we walked out of our condo towards the start area my fuel belt felt like it weighed 10 pounds. It never feels like that. It didn't occur to me immediately that the heaviness of my belt would be an indication of how I would feel during the race, but it sure came back to me later!

I had intended on running a 10 minute pace for the first couple of miles, and walking with every water stop or mile marker. Instead, I felt pretty good so started out averaging a 9:30 pace. I started the walk breaks early, because I wanted to make sure I conserved some energy. I figured that if I could hold a 9:30 pace WITH my walk breaks then I would be sure to finish in 4 hrs 10 mins. By the halfway point I was definitely not holding my 9:30 pace and my hamstrings were already starting to get really sore. This was not good.

Every mile saw me getting slower and slower, and by mile 20 I was taking walk breaks not just every mile but every half mile - at the water stops AND the mile markers!! Sigh.....this was not what I had planned. I tried to cheer up and enjoy the scenery around me, but at about that point I think the city had their fill of the race and the people stuck in their cars at the intersections were blaring their horns and cussing out the runners and police officers. It was getting "hot" out, and I was so naseous that I couldn't drink any sports drinks or water. I resorted to rubbing on the BioFreeze to cover up the aching in my hamstrings and calves. Since I couldn't drink anything I started swishing water and spitting it out so that I could at least "feel" hydrated!

I guess it was around mile 23 when there were young kids handing out sponges out of a big bucket of nice, cold water. I HAPPILY took one, but as I wiped it across my face realized that one side of the sponge was scratchy. Combine the scratchy side of a sponge with the huge amounts of salt on my face (from sweating) and you have one very painful instant exfoliation! Not exactly what I wanted during my Marathon! But, I figured it out quickly and the soft side of the sponge felt so good I carried it with me to replenish with water at the remaining water stops!

During the race I had seen "Elvis" several times, but somehow during the last 3 miles of this race we kept passing each other. He was having fun getting all the shouts and cheers, but I was annoyed because I kept having to look at his butt with his pink or orange underwear showing through his white pants. So, I decided that I just couldn't have Elvis beating me in this Marathon! It was my motivation to keep running and stop letting the exhaustion and aches and pains make me want to sit down and whine! I think that I actually did beat him, if only by a minute.

For the first time ever, I finished a marathon feeling like crap, not just physcially but emotionally. Usually there is a sense of elation just to have finished! This time it was odd. It was like the negativity of the angry crowd stuck in traffic had washed over me. I just wanted it to be OVER!!! But, after getting my food and goodies, I went back to the tent and my friends eventually found me. After getting to relax, I started to feel better and started to feel happier about the race.

No, I didn't finish as fast as I wanted. I was, in fact, at least 20 minutes slower than I had wanted to be. Yet, considering how much pain I was in back in October during the Steamtown Marathon, and this time my knee wasn't even really hurting at all (just achy by about the 23rd mile), I realized this was actually a good race. October wasn't that long ago, and it took me a good two months for my knee to stop hurting, and I've now just run another Marathon and it didn't hurt at all!

So, I guess it isn't always about speed! I can whine all day that I didn't run 20 minutes faster, but the fact is - I FINISHED and I finished without injury! My strength training is working because I am getting stronger and I am recovering incredibly fast! Besides that, I was there with friends, and being able to share the triumphs and disappointments together - that is what REALLY mattered!!

Its not about the speed....its about the friendships, the small successes, and just having fun!!!

Overall Fitness

This weekend will basically "tell the tale". I've been working hard the last few months trying to improve my overall fitness, instead of just focusing on running and running alone. My intent is to try to improve my running by improving every other aspect of my fitness. I've seen the results and I certainly feel the results. This weekend will be a TEST of the results....by running the ING Miami Marathon and hopefully running it better than the last few of my marathons.

Since 7/28/08 I've gone from 131/2 lbs. and 28% body fat down to 123 lbs and 20% body fat. I feel wonderful, my energy levels are at "high" most of the time (when I sleep good), and I just FEEL happier and better. I love the feeling of my clothes being loose, and I love seeing the changes in my body. I've got muscles where everything had begun getting flabby again. I'm seeing the hint of that ever elusive 6-pack that I never fully achieved but once came close to having (maybe this time I'll actually get it!). I'm strong and can actually do a few pull ups, which I never even tried doing before even when I was at my most fit.

There is most certainly something to be said for MAKING time in your schedule for even a short workout. When I first started working out this way, I asked my Trainer (Jerome) if a 10-20 minute workout was really going to be enough. I was so skeptical. I was of the school of thought that it took an hour or two a day, at least 6 days a week, of heavy lifting to get the fitness I desired. I couldn't have been more wrong.

My workouts range between 10 and 30 minutes, but more often than not are around 20 minutes. It isn't the time I spend working out - it is what I DO while working out. My short workouts are intense, and they work! Too bad I was only doing this 1 or 2 days a week for the first two months. Its only been since about November that I stepped it up to 3 or more days a week. I should have started sooner.

That is why even if I have an "average" Marathon time, compared to my other Marathons, I will still be pleased. The true test will come this fall when I run an October Marathon after taking the next few months to REALLY focus on my overall fitness. I'm going to have fun doing CrossFit, take the pressure out of running, and head into my 40th birthday being in the best shape of my entire life!

That's the goal for the year, and I INTEND and EXPECT to achieve it. GET SOME!!!

Its a New Year

It is hard to believe that we are already two weeks in to a brand new year. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was having to remember to write 2008 down with dates, and now I have to start that reminding all over again with 2009. But, life seems to be like that....just when we start to feel comfortable, or get used to things, it changes.

It is pretty ironic that for someone who really isn't fond of change, I so look forward to the New Year, and I inevitably am the sole cause of much of the change in my own life. I guess none of us really like change, yet deep down we know it is good for us.

Like the moment I realized that I was the reason why my kids were shy to talk to new people, and vowed to change that within myself so that I could set the example for them. I've worked hard at that for the last four years and it is amazing what that one small "change" did to change my life. It brought me new friends that have become some of the best friends I've ever had. It It has led me to attend different churches by myself, allowing me to meet some really great people and learn from them. led me to start USA Fit Gwinnett, which is the most amazing group of runners, coaches, and friends!

I often sit in wonder at my life and how fortunate I am, and realize that it is mostly a series of small events that open the way for so many greater things. Things that are often not even anticipated, and maybe not even wanted or thought of at the time. Yet, when you open up to change, to growing yourself, the possibilities are truly endless. It just takes a little courage, a little faith in yourself, and the desire to just take that first step.

So, as we head in to another New Year, 2009, I will once again take stock of my life and myself, and I'll contemplate ways that I can change and hopefully open some more doors to some really wonderful things to add to my already really great life.