Goal for the new year - NOT resolution @BrooksRunning #newshoes #timetowalk #smallsteps

I don't like making resolutions.  I generally don't succeed.  Instead, this year I'm setting goals.  I finished out 2015 reasonably strong.  I made sure some things that have needed to happen were taken care of.  IE: Passports for the kids for our upcoming cruise, getting my son registered for the SAT/ACT, etc.  The problem with having "plenty of time" to get things done is they tend to slide until last minute.  I'm so tired of life happening TO me, that the first of my goals is to just get it done, whatever "it" is.

With all the fistula and related medical issues that happened to me last year, I haven't done much in the way of races or even just getting out to walk.  I'm still challenged visually, which makes running a hazard but my kids have said they'll go with me to help act as guides if needed.  So to get me started on the road, I bought a new pair of running shoes.  Love my Brooks shoes.  Normally, I'd go by Big Peach to get them or order them from Amazon.  This time I stopped by Hibbett Sports and picked them up.

I won't be running in the runDisney race this year, but I will be going to cheer everyone else along. My dad and I were slow on the uptake to getting in and didn't get in. I'm looking forward to going down and enjoying the parks and getting out of the RAIN! Now I'll need to make a choice as to what race I'll make my goal. I'm not in a rush, I figure it will be this Fall before I try a 5K.  I did join a friend's challenge on fitbit, maybe I'll actually be able to keep up.  Small steps.

Exercising, habits, trackers and apps #workingoutonmyown

I have to admit that I really slacked off on my exercise program in December.  I only have excuses not reasons, so I won't go into the why's.  I am, though , working on changing that back to what it should be.

 I know I mentioned that my daughter's cat stole my fitbit last year.  I eventually found it, but lost it again on our trip to Florida last month.  I had already ordered a fist gen tracker from Pivotal.  I've been using that this month instead.  It has potential, but has issues.  My son couldn't get it to sync with his android phone.  After quite a few attempts, I was finally able to get it to sync with my iPhone.  Since then, I've had it reset itself once and due to the button location have managed to turn it off three times by accident in one day.  I've also managed to put it into sleep mode a couple of times by accident.

For my workouts, I've been using an app called SWorkIt Lite.  It was free and of course has a pro version.  It offers you the chance to change the amount of time you are working out as well as 4 options for types of workout.  I've been doing 5 minutes of stretching each morning and changing the second part around between yoga and strength.  There is a cardio option as well , though I haven't used it yet.

I have also restarted walking twice a week while my daughter is in lab.  It is very convenient to go to Sugarloaf Mills to walk.  1 lap around is about a mile and I don't have to worry about the weather.  I use the app RunKeeper to track my walking and pace.

I would love to join a boot camp, but haven't had the money for it.  Instead, I'll keep using free apps and my own drive (ha!) to get closer to where I want to be.

What are you using to keep you on track?  Any good recommendations?

Running to a 5K/10K - figuring out my goals

I'm planning out my schedule for next year.  I'm one of those that has to have a goal set (and paid for) to be able to make my way to it.  Setting personal goals is hard to follow through with when I have no accountability except myself.  I end up getting mad at myself or something happens and I easily get off track.  That's been the case for the last couple of months this  year.  It's only because I'm scheduled to run the Disney Marathon weekend 5K & 10K in January that I'm doing anything at all.  More to it, I'm practicing because my daughter is joining me and she needs the practice so she doesn't get hurt.

Beyond that, I'm signed up to do the Hot Chocolate 5K at the end of January.  Want to join me? You can sign up and just meet me there.  I want to do the Pretty Muddy next year too (I'll register for that later) and the Peachtree Road Race.  I'll have to do the lottery, though, on that one (so no guarantees).

I have no idea what other races will catch my eye in 2015.  I'll have to wait and see what I can afford to do on top of what I'm motivated to do.  I really need to work on my motivation.  Anyone wanna walk with me?

Friday's Fowl #birdwatching #exercise

When my daughter is at lab at school, I try to go walking. Normally, I'd go over to Sugarloaf Mills as a trip around the mall is one mile and it's air conditioned. This week, I did something different and walked over at Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville. I broke up my walk when I decided to do some bird watching while I was there.

Geese

There were a lot of these around the lake.  Black headed vultures.

Friday Fitness #notsofit #tubingHelen

I have to admit, since my leg hurt as much as it did at the Peachtree, I've slacked off walking this week.  About the only walking I've done is with the dogs.  I also had a point this week where I couldn't find the energy to do anything.  It took my 30 minutes just to work up the energy to make my morning tea and the day went downhill from there.  About the only exercise related thing I did this week was to take my kids up to Helen for some tubing fun.  We didn't get to do as much as I'd have liked, so our plan is to go back next week.  On that note, I'll leave you with a couple of pics of my kids on the river.

Pain in the leg #ithurts

I've been battling this issue for a while now, but after Friday's race I decided it was time to actually do something about it.   Basically, when walking/running, if I'm going any sort of speed I'll end up with cramping/pain in the lower part of the outside of my left leg (calf area, but on the outside).  I've tried running without shoes (which makes my knee hurt) and being fitted for new shoes at a local running shop.  I've added potassium/magnesium to my supplements (I can only eat so many bananas) and drinking lots of water (which makes me have to pee way too much).  I've slacked off exercise, I've ramped up exercise.  I use compression socks.  Nothing seems to help.  The weird thing about it, though, is that when it occurs, if I work through it the pain goes away and just becomes fatigue.  For example, at the Peachtree it started around 1/2 mile in and was gone by mile 3.  Saturday was just sore muscle until I went to walk the dogs (which is rarely a casual stroll) and it started hurting again.  So, tylenol and some rest and the pain went away.

So, for my own peace of mind, I've set up an appointment with my doctor later in the month.  Not sure what I'm going to do in the mean time, but I'll just keep monitoring it.

#WW @runDisney Because I could..

Friday Fitness

So, I didn't do so well in the month of May. I could blame it on end of school, leaving my job at GCA, or any number of other items. Fact is, I just didn't want to. I hit a wall and couldn't get myself motivated. Instead of doing a workout after my son headed off to school, I'd just watch the news or doze until time to get going for the rest of the day. Then I couldn't get in to walking the dogs later. Depression? Maybe. Stress? Definitely. Lack of motivation? Not really, at least not from external sources.

My kids, though, have agreed to start walking out at Stone Mountain park some mornings. It'll be fairly early due to the heat, but I want to start getting out there twice a week or so. I don't think I want to CLIMB the mountain, but certainly doing the 5 mile loop around is a good place to start.

I also want to explore a bunch of the parks in GA that I've yet to go to.  Get some hiking and what not in.  I need to replace my son's bike (he has 2 that don't fit) and maybe we can do a family bike trip. I'd love to try the trails at Callaway.

At any rate, here's hoping I do better than I have.  

#godirtygirl Getting Dirty and Loving it

It all started as a pretty day and I was all clean.  Even though I knew it would be warm, I knew the mud obstacles would be cold.  So I wore my shirt from last year's Dirty Girl.

Then we started the race and I crawled through the first mud pit.  Of course, I wiped my hands..

The obstacles kept coming.. and I kept conquering.

After 3.1 miles (5K) of course and obstacles (some with mud, some without), I'd had a wonderful time with my friends and came out looking like this..

I love the challenge of the Dirty Girl.  I don't run it (last year, it was too muddy to safely run), so I'm not speedy by any means.   I'm very tired at the end, but it's a great feeling.   It's fun to run with a group (yay Mud Puppies!), though I think next year we need our own shirt (and maybe a better name).

Fitness Friday

I'll admit it, I've been slack this week.  Hubs took us out to Tallulah Gorge last Saturday and we did the stairs down to the bridge and back.  I was fine after, but the next few days my calves really felt it.  Since I have the Dirty Girl tomorrow, I decided I'd just take it easy this week.  Doesn't help that my kids are on spring break, so my schedule is pretty well confused.

I haven't lost any weight and I don't see any changes to my measurements, so I've hit another plateau.  Really, I'm not working to lose weight so much as I am at toning up.  I'd really like to be able to do more of the kicks and moves in Choi more easily.  Guess it's time to change up my workout again.  Gonna see if I have enough weights to simulate a kettle bell and start working that in, I think.  I do love my yoga, though.

Dirty Girl Mud Run - Join Me! @GoDirtyGirl

April 12th at Lake Lanier, join me running the Dirty Girl Mud Run!  It's a 5K mud obstacle course and LOADS of fun.   I ran it last year with some friends.  You can see some of the pictures on this post.

I've created the team called "Mud Puppies" and you can even use a DISCOUNT code: BLOGFRIEND to save $10 off of the registration.  I've set myself up for the 10:45a heat so that I have plenty of time to get there and get 'er done!  There is a charge for parking, so if you join me we can carpool and split the cost.

Friday #Fitness

If you watch me on Facebook, then you've likely already seen this.  But here is the list of my planned (already registered for) runs that are coming up.

3/22 - Run for the Rescues (Suwanee)
3/29 - Kile's World 5K (Chastain Park)
4/12 - Dirty Girl Mud Run (watch my blog next week for a discount code and join my team)
4/29 - Run the April 1/2 Marathon (doing the 10K) Snellville

7/4 - Peachtree Road Race (Atlanta Track Club member this year, guaranteed spot)

Let me know if you plan on joining me.

#Fitness Friday

I picked up a new DVD the other day to put into my cycle of workout dvds. Given my preference for Yoga, I thought I'd get one that did more flexibility or core. I ended up with Jillian Michaels and her Yoga Inferno. At the end of the segment, she asks you to think about WHY you're doing this. If it was to be healthy, then what is healthy? After much thought (and given the kids I have), I came up with this:

Now, I think I'll go back to bed and recover.

@FitBit Ultra vs. @Jawbone UP

For a couple of years now I've had my FitBit Ultra.  I bought it used off of ebay as I couldn't afford it new and wasn't sure it was what I really wanted any way.  I loved that I could plug its receiver into my computer and have it receive data from the device and have it all sync into MyFitnessPal.  It made a great way to keep track of my exercise and eating habits.  I used it a few times to track my sleep, but I already know my sleep habits are bad.  So I didn't bother with that much.  My only problem with it was that if I wasn't careful, it would pop off of my pants, or if it got wet.  I've also forgotten to take it off of my pants before tossing them into the laundry.  Not good!

Then the Jawbone UP was announced.  It would sync directly with my phone. It was worn on the wrist and was water resistant.  The biggest draw, though, was that it would do the same basic things my FitBit would do, but be more convenient.  Not wanting to pay too much for (yet another) gadget, I waited until I could find it discounted on ebay.  (I really like ebay.)

At any rate, I've worn it around and had it track my exercise.  Eventually, though, I ended up drawing comparisons between the new UP and my old Ultra.  This was what my comparisons came up with.  Note: I'm using an iPhone 5 with these trackers.

FitBit Ultra	Jawbone UP
tracks steps and stairs	doesn't differentiate stairs from steps
tracks sleep	same
syncs with wired USB receiver plugged into computer	plugs into headphone jack on phone (won't work if you're using a Life Proof case, you have to remove the case)
charges on same wired receiver	USB plug adapter for charging
clips onto pants/bra	wear on non-dominant wrist
Not water resistant	water resistant

I wore both at the Disney 1/2 Marathon earlier this month and wanted to show you the difference in the displays. I had them both on the same amount of time, so I can only figure the distance travelled is related to where the tracker is kept on your body.  Getting the information from the FitBit was easy as the dashboard is already on my computer. Getting it from the UP requires sharing to facebook or twitter from my phone and snagging it that way.

FitBit:

Jawbone:

As to which is better, that depends on my mood and what I'm putting up with. I found it hard to wear the JawBone with a watch or bracelet. I also have very thin wrists so at times it rubbed just wrong and was annoying. I also prefer to have my phone in a LifeProof case when working out. If it's in that case, I can't sync it with my phone as it won't reach all the way into the socket. On the other hand, if I'm wearing the FitBit Ultra, I have to worry about it being knocked off or getting wet. I also have to be near or at my computer for it to sync as it won't talk directly to my phone. I'd love to get one that talks via bluetooth to my phone, neither of which I have will do so. I don't have the money to keep investing in new toys, so I'll alternate between these two as both of their apps will sync with MyFitnessPal as a single contact point.

#WW #HC15K Hot Chocolate Run

My family was supposed to run with me. Unfortunately, my daughter wasn't feeling well the night before, so her dad and I decided she didn't need to go. He (of course) decided he'd stay home with her. Given the opportunity to stay home or go out early, my son stayed home. So, I was the only one to actually go and earn my chocolate.

Fitness Friday #HotChocolateRunAtlanta and More

This weekend is the Hot Chocolate Run 5k! I'm excited.  My husband, not so much.  He's a couch potato. I did ask if he'd run with the kids and I before I signed him up, though.

On the subject of upcoming runs, I'm playing with my potential list.  If you're a runner in the area and have suggestions (or know which of these you're going to do), let me know!

2014 Run the Reagan - (February) this one is just down the road from me.  I'd do the 5K.

GGIA's 1st Annual Spring Into Color (March)- Not too far, just up 85 in Suwanee.  I've enjoyed the other color runs I've done.  They're in Hampton this year, though, and I'm not interested in driving that far.

Run for the Rescues (March) - I'm already signed up for this one.  I heard about it at the Pet Expo and jumped in.

Peachtree Road Race (July) - I want to get my son to run it with me.  I joined the Atlanta Track Club this year to have access to their emails and runs. 

Down & Dirty Mud Run (October) - This is actually farther out than I want to go, but it may be the only mud race I can get to.

Vampire 5K (October) - My daughter wants to do this one. She wants to be a vampire.  If the timing works out and it's not too far away, we may join in on it.

In the past, there was a run for the Wounded Heroes in Kennesaw, I haven't seen that one listed yet.  If it pops up and I can make it, it'll be year 3 for that one.

So, anyone in the Gwinnett area want to join me on one (or more) of these?  I'm not speedy and you may end up just meeting me at the finish line, but it might be fun to at least start out with someone at the race.

Fitness Friday #fitfluential #rundisney

So, technically it's fitness friday. I can honestly say that other than the Disney 1/2 marathon this past weekend, I haven't done much.  My knee and my back haven't been thrilled with me since we finished.  My back has hurt more than my knee the past few days.  W-Fri I did my yoga flexibility work out.  I figured stretching will help, but I'm starting to think it's got another cause than just the run.  So, I'll try other solutions and see what happens. 

In the meantime, I'm working on a comparison.  I took both my Fitbit ultra and my Jawbone UP down to Disney and wore them while I was there.  I'll let you know what came of that next week.  Next weekend is the Hot Chocolate 5K, who's joining me and my family?

Fitness Friday (pin-spiration)

Friday Fitness - 5K run planning

I'm starting to plan my runs for next year.  My last run of this year was cancelled (by the event folks themselves), so my next runs are next year.  I still plan to do the 1/2 marathon at Walt Disney World in January.  I'll do that one with my dad.  He's decided that after this 1/2, he's going to scale back on distance.  He's thinking maybe the Tower of Terror 10 miler instead.  I liked the idea of the Expedition Everest 5K (an obstacle/scavenger hunt run).

I've only picked two other runs to register for at this point.  The first is the Hot Chocolate 5K.  My daughter is going to do that with me.  That one is a couple of weeks after the 1/2 marathon, so I'm keeping distance small comparatively.  The other I found out about at the Pet Expo.  It's a Run for the Rescues in March.

I'll likely do the run in Kennesaw to benefit Wounded Warriors as well.  I'd like to keep them fairly close to home, though. So I don't see me driving to Hampton to do the Color Run or the Foam Run.    I'll have to see what comes up over time.  Most of the races I did this year aren't listed yet for next year.  I like running for causes as well.  If you see a race mentioned you want a partner for, just let me know. :)

Friday Fitness Update

I'm still doing my morning workout after my son takes off for school (usually, any way). I'm not seeing a huge difference, but I can say that I've gotten slightly smaller in the waist. As an experiment yesterday, I put on a pair of jeans I haven't worn in a while as they were too tight in the waist. They were snug, but not tight. It was reaffirming that I'm doing SOMETHING right, even if it's not all that I should be doing.

I've been using an UP Jawbone band to measure how much I walk. I take it with a grain of salt as to how it measures my sleep. It's a good day if I get 5000+ steps. I need to up my game to get ready for the Disney 1/2 Marathon in January. Now if it'll stop raining long enough for me to get out there and walk more.