Friday, August 31, 2012

24 days: 4 miles, no sweat

Not much to report again. Went for a 4 mile run on the trail but did a faster pace. My IT band is still angry but it seems to be in my hip and and rest. So hopefully running will be no issue. Taking it easy before the race. Hydrating with water and hard ciders. Tomorrow I get my race packet. When I signed up for the 18.12 race I wasnt sure, nor was my husband, that I could do 18.12 miles. Well here it is and it seems more like a training event for me. I am going to rock it! I'll report back in post race. Probably not on race day but after!!

Monday, August 27, 2012

26 days: Let the dog out

Nothing big today. Spent all day catching up on a neglected house and letting the kids get their retinas imprinted with TV pixels. I guess every now and again it's ok. It started raining tonight so my natural reaction was to want to go run. I grabbed the dog and we went for a little 2 miler. I didn't want to push him more than that since we haven't run in a while. He got a really bad skin infection where the gentle lead goes so there was no running for him for a few weeks. We hauled ass though. That's all I have to say about that.


Sunday, August 26, 2012

26 days: Run, shoes, and lines.

I wont lie, I'm getting a bit freaked out on how close all these races are getting. Time to taper off the running and let my IT band get less angry with me. I need to work on my arm and core muscles anyways. I went out with a bang for my last long run though. Today I ran to the park with the kids, let them play/did some pull ups and ran back home for a total of 17 miles. I had a hard time with the last 3 miles.It was so hot today and my IT band was so angry. I popped a few Tylenol and walked/run the last 3. To celebrate I had Chipotle..my Achilles heal!

I posted when I got my new shoes here. Not even a month ago. Well today i noticed a hole/crack by the pinky toe. I didn't catch them on anything, it appears that the outer mesh is cracking when it folds. This makes me so sad. I really love Saucony because they are nice and wide. I don't need to buy 5 sizes up to accommodated my hobbit feet. I've had no issues with my Xodus shoes. I looked it up online and apparently this is common with Kinvara 2. I'm going to be calling the company tomorrow and see what cant be done. This is not acceptable.



Next order of business is these sexy tan lines all this running is giving me. Behold exibit A, the headband tan and raccoon eyes from squinting.


What says sexy more than a Jersey shore brown leg and a pasty white thigh?

But I digest. Literally. That Chipotle is also angry apparently. If you havent notice my ticker to the right I HAVE REACHED MY GOAL!! And them some!!! My registration fee, accommodations and fuel are covered!! If I do get any extra funds I will upgrade my camping spot to a hotel room. Nice hot shower might do me good after 26.2 miles of mud fun. I am seriously spoiled with such great family and friends. I hope to do you all proud!!

Friday, August 24, 2012

28 days: Crafty

I really have awesomesauce family and friends. Thanks to everyone that's donating to the crazy. Woke up to donations from Marc, Lise and  Andreanne.  I would not be able to go without you guys and I cant express how much this mean to me.

Today I took a break. My left knee is a bit bleh so I'm resting it for tomorrow. I was going to clean the house but then I got into sewing. And if you sew or craft you know how that goes. I do need to clean this place tomorrow..maybe? Also the local beverage store snuck in a few Spring brews of Woodchuck Hard Cider. So that's the rest of my day ;)

I made a pouch to attach to my Camelbak. It's a great 3L camelbak and it wasnt an option to buy another because i need storage. So frugal meet functional. I made the pouch with one of my old ACU tops and some water resistant fabric i got at Joanns. It goes on my camelbak with mini carabiners. So I spent about 5-6$ to make this and I'm very happy with the result. I'm going to test run it at the Super in NJ. I also spent way to much time today looking for my first aid kit and I could have sworn it was on the bookcase. Silly me, I put it under my daughter's bed!
I can put it lower but I think it will be better up there.
Going to make a patch that says Ultra Chicked!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

29 Days: Biker Chick

"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. " -Muhammad Ali



Beast Mode face!
I really like this expression. I am a Spartan and a mom. I may not be able to train 4 hours a day in the gym. My routine usually revolves around my children. I am going to do these races. I wont come in first or probably not even 100th. But I have the will to finish it and I  will finish it. Not only do I enjoy it but I want my children to be proud of me and learn from example. 

Enough of that. Today i was greatly reminded how much I do not like to bike. I biked about 18 miles. My phone wasn't fully charged so I was saving juice for emergency calls so no accurate timing. My ride took me to the park on post to let the kiddies play. As they climbed around and had fun I couldn't help but feel I had little racers in the making. I obviously took this time to do some chin ups, pull up and some planking. .Now that I am home I realize that I should have listened to that voice inside my head that said take the weight lifting gloves, they might be handy. But I went with the louder voice that said, nah, why would you need those?! Oh well I guess I'm just working on my callouses.

Next year he can do a kids Spartan!
Climb climb she kept saying!


Tomorrow I plan on cleaning this house. I am going to keep telling myself in the future my kids are going to remember the fun we had and not the mess in the house.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

30 days: Lazy to Crazy

First off I need to thank everyone that's helped me so far. Gwen, Laura and my mommy that have donated to the craziness. Also my cousin Marie-Pier that has mailed me an extra headlamp she had! That's one less thing to buy!!

Small section of the trail.
Second matter of business I changed my post title to a countdown. Seems easier to track and it's scary to see how close the Ultra Beast is. The title lazy to crazy is because i kinda sat on my butt for 2 days. I might have also indulged in some hard apple ciders. Today i'm turning it around and eyes on the prize(s). The workout consisted of going up and down hills. Very much so run down but more of fast walk up. But that would be too easy for a Spartan to leave it at that. I filled up my Camelbak with water and put in 10lbs worth of dumbbells. That's 18 extra pounds on my back. I suppose that would have been enough but I couldnt leave the kids in the car. I put them in the stroller for an extra 70lbs to push. Today I went up and down 3 times for a little over 3 miles.


Faewyn enjoying grapes and PB&J at the zoo
I wanted to more but I promised my kids we would stop at the zoo and have lunch before my son's appointment. Next time I will shoot for more but it was a good test of my camelbak and a good location scouted out. I also kept the extra weight on to visit the zoo. Why not eh.

Brokk demanding more grapes.
I also feel i need more pushups in my life. So i've been dropping and doing 10 or so at random times. Doesnt sound like much but it adds up. I've also been contemplating carrying my 30lbs sand bag in my Ergo baby carrier all the time. Why not add the need to consume more water on a daily basis while i'm at it.



The other thing I have cooking is that I am planning on making myself an add on pouch to carry extra things on my Camelbak. The assault pack fanny pack works but it's huge and cumbersome. My husband will also have to turn it in before the race soooooo. I figured out something to make with materials i have and I spent 4$ on things i needed. I hope it does fail.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Day 26 Spartan on a budget

With hubby's end of service coming up frugal has to be my middle name. I try my best to do workouts that are free to cheapo at home. I even run with the kids in the stroller to save on gas. However there are certain things that I will need for the Ultra Spartan. Hydration pack with some storage. I have a Camelbak from when I was enlisted. I love it, it holds 3L and is sturdy. It doesn't have storage though and doesn't tie at the waist. So with the help of my MacGyver husband I added the fanny pack from the army assault pack. It works, yes i'd love a pack that has storage built in but I will make due with what I got. I'm happy to just be there!


I can tighten the pack more depending on contents.

For the record this pack is sexy and well priced. I might convince my husband that I need it. lol


I have pretty much everything else. I need a headlamp cause apparently i might be out there over 12 hours. I also want water purifying tablets because my biggest concern is being thirsty. That's what really brought me down at the Beast at Mont Ste Marie.  I already bought a box of Gel packs for all my races coming up. I'll make another post closer to race day with my full packing list. I'm trying to get the bigger things out of the way in case i need to order something online and wait for delivery. There is only so much you can buy at Dicks in the little town of Watertown.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Day 25 Practice run for the 18.12

Well the practice run for the 18.12 challenge race is complete. Wasnt too bad, the last mile almost got the better of me but I prevailed in the end. Met up with friends for a nice lunch. Poutine and Lemonade, what more could you want post run?!?!?! Well maybe kids that will nap. So i'm ready to rock this race now! IT band is feeling (knocking on wood). Now can I do this starting at 7am? yikes we will see.


RUN

Distance. 18.11 miles
Total time: 2:54:01
Pace: 9:37min/mile


Saturday, August 18, 2012

Day 24: Move it Move it

Today we are going to help some friends move. I'll either be wrangling up some kids or trying to sneak in a good workout by lifting heavy things! I'm also planning a stop at the ropes on post to see if I can climb to the top. My goal at my Spartan races is to not fail at the rope climb. A failed obstacle is 30 burpees. Although I've grown quite proficient at burpees I rather conquer the rope!! Tomorrow I am going to run the course for the 18.12 race. Then taper down my running until race day September 2nd. I'm going to focus a lot more on upper body strength and getting in as much training before the Ultra Beast. I honestly pulled off a bit for fear of hurting my IT band. But I need to suck it up now and push harder (safely) and get Ultra Beast ready.

I'm already nervous and freaked out at the preparation leading up to this race. The facebook group has people spending rediculous amounts of money on shoes, hydration packs and other things. I think some people  I am going in my old torn Zig Techs and my old Army issued Camelbak. I am trying to come to terms with the idea that every one does these races for their own reason. Someone had commented that they are letting too many people in. I felt bad because i'm by no means an elite athlete nor do even plan on coming in first (or first hundred for that matter). I took some time to think about it and realized we are all racing for our own reasons. My goal is to simply finish this thing. It starts at 8 am with a cut off of 10pm. So that's my goal, the housewife and mother of two to cross that finish line before getting kicked off.

I need to go feed the kidlets and get ready to move it move it! I'm sure i'll post tomorrow about the pratice run. Have a great weekend and remember that i'm a beggar with a donation ticker to the right of this page!!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The journey just got epic.

Well it seems my journey to Sparta got way more intense. I applied for the first marathon distance Spartan Race, the Ultra Beast. 26.2 miles of unsupported mountain side obstacle goodness in Killington, Vermont. Well to my surprise I got this in my email yesterday.

Congratulations, your Spartan Ultra Beast application has been reviewed and you are being invited to register for the World’s First Marathon Distance Obstacle race to take place on September 22, 2012.  You are a part of obstacle racing history.  There is NO other event of this type anywhere in the world.  The field will be limited to a small, extreme group of athletes and you are part of a select few invited to take part.
 I am so excited! Well I was until I looked up the fees. I applied for this thing and though I'll worry about fees when the time comes. Well it's that time. And this is where you come in. I dont feel comfortable requesting donations but this means so much to me. So i've put up a lovely widget to the right here of what you are reading. 300$ will cover my registration fee and gas money. I'm planning on camping there to save some money. I am also trying to yard sale some of my unused items, much like a crack addict looking for her next fix.

Sooo if you can spare a couple bucks I'd love you long time. Help me achieve this incredible feat! For larger sponsors i'll write what ever you want on myself in Sharpie on race day!


Day 22 Run Play Run

Ran on Wednesday, a day late on posting though! Was a great run. I took the kids in the stroller and ran a little over 8 miles to the playground on post. We stayed there about an hour and a half. The kids had such a great time. I got to so some monkey bars and chin ups along with general keeping up with the kids. Then I ran back 8 miles home. Was a great run!


Run

8 miles
play an hour and a half
8 miles

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Day 21 Thundah!

Today was a distance run. Went for 13.5 miles. Was a pretty fun run. (I think that's the first time i've said that without the word beer in the sentence.) I had a friend run with me which made the run go soooooo much faster. Kept a pace i'm very happy with even with a pit stop in the sidelines. Hey when a woman's gotta go, you know. You just go and hope that that leaf wasnt poison ivy. So far i'm pretty sure it wasn't. Maybe it was the perfect weather or the company but I think maybe the good pace was because of my thunder thighs. I kept running to see if they would attract Thor.  Alas, Thor did not appear but i got some nice chafing to commemorate the run. Hopefully the Glide I ordered will be here by next weekend's distance run...unless i didnt run far enough to call Thor.... When I came home Brokk asked; "Did you have a nice run mommy?" Awww right?!?! I picked up Faewyn and she said "Maw hot!". I said:" Yes momma is hot". She then blew on me like hot food. These kids I tell you!! I followed up the run with a glorious hour long nap. Now to some of these calories NOM NOM NOM


This is what I got when I googled Thor and Thunder Thighs.
I'm pretty sure this is the real Thor.
I'd also accept this.


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Day 18 Dog gone day

Did a small 4 mile run today. Mental note when deciding to do the monkey bars best hit them at the beginning of the run and not the end when your hands are all sweaty. The run started off heart breaking. There was a lady holding on to a stray dog in the parking lot. She asked me if i've ever seen him and I hadn't. He was a gorgeous Shepherd mix, he was either hit by a car or had some sever mange on his hind quarters, bad ear infection, his nails were curled and his gums bleeding. He was someone's pet at some point cause he listened to commands like sit.  If you know me you know I cant just do nothing. I called around but it was past 7 and everything was closed. I scanned Craigslist from my Iphone and didn't find a lost dog looking like him. Thankfully the lady said she would take him in till tomorrow. I offered my number to help and she refused. I hope puppy finds his home or a new home!! On a happier note the usual older couple I see on the trail was there today again. They dont have a dog but the older gentleman had doggy treats for a little pooch that said hi to him. There are still people out there that give me hope for mankind.

Run

4 miles at a 9 min/mile pace


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Day 16 a little circuit

The IT band feeling better and better. Only problem is that my legs broke out into hives 2 days ago from a new razor. Does it stop me from working out but it's very itchy and this is as good a place as any to whine. I did a small circuit today. I was going to do 3 rounds but I stopped at 2 because my knee was starting to hurt a bit. I need to keep it heeling for the 18.12 race. For context i have a little hill or incline in my driveway that I went up with my 30lb sandbag and after the hill there is a little bit of driveway up to the street.

2 Rounds

Climb rope (took a few tries to get it down)
25 jumping jacks
3 x Run up with sandbag, jog to street, sprint back full tilt
10 x flip tire, jump in and out on other side
50 sit ups



Monday, August 6, 2012

Day 15 back at it!!

Ok I know I've been gone for a bit. My IT band has been very sore and I know not to push it when it gets like that. Today I got back into with a 6.5 mile run. Took my new Saucony Kinvara 2 on their maiden voyage and was a great success!! I'm going to tiger balm and foam roll the IT band. I might so some strength later tonight depending on energy levels.

Run

9.5 min mile for 6.5 miles.

As soon as I got home she pulled them out and put them on.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Day 11 Made to rest

Resting my IT band. It's in pain from overuse. So no workout to report. Tomorrow I might do a light run depending on how it feels. Rest is important too!!

Here are some funny pics i had on my computer instead.

You know that's how it always is.

It's serious business

Because i'm infatuated with the ermahgerd girl

I didnt hurt burpee's knee though

Butter is a carb.

I"M SO SO SCARED!!

My son, an hour old and flipping the bird.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Day 10 Burpee Madness

Today was Buck Furpee day for the Spartan workout of the day. The celebrations? 300 burpees. Did I do it? Of course! I told my husband I did 300 burpees today and he said "So now your arent going to flip tires with me tonight?" I said ppffffffffffffffffffffffttt That's just extra!!! Well maybe it was too much. (Why is my husband always right?) I had to cut my workout at 2 rounds. Beginning of round 3 I felt a pop in the middle of my knee and  it hurts to bend it. Icing it down now, took a good handful of Ibuprofen and hoping for the best. I did get to workout with my husband though and that was great! I hope he joins me more often!!

Where I did said burpees