Tiffany vs Snowpocalypse 2012

Looking out my front door on Wednesday morning at 4:30am- it was snowing

So remember how I said my workouts would be in the same order each week with the only variation being the details of my run?  Well I didn't take into account what happens when our area gets hit by a huge (for us) snow/ice storm!!  It started snowing last Sunday and progressed into a full on blizzard by Wednesday, followed closely by an ice storm.  Wow oh wow! 

Looking out my front door Thursday morning at 5:15am- freezing rain was
falling and everything had an ice glaze!

I live very close to my job.  Close enough to walk if necessary, so guess who gets the 4am wake up call when the roads are terrible?  Me.  I don't mind, I would rather my fellow coworkers stay safe and some of them live pretty far away so it would be ridiculous for them to drive in when the roads are so bad.  All week long school was canceled, most offices were closed and people were supposed to just stay home and be safe.  But here is the ironic part- people were not able to get to work, but by golly they could make it to Starbucks! 

One of the trees in my backyard encased in ice!

The whole tree covered in ice

We were SO busy and short handed because not many of my coworkers could get to work to help us.  I guess people just needed their coffee and some sense of normalcy in their day.  Most of the customers were very appreciative we were open- and only a few were irritated that we closed early so we could get home safely during the daylight.  After 5 days straight of working crazy shifts I was completely exhausted!

Thursday morning was by far the worst- I looked out the window at 5:15am and everything looked like it was coated in melted marshmallows.  There was freezing rain coming down and it was hitting the snow and just smoothing everything out.  I attempted to get the car ready to drive but the layers of ice were so thick I just decided to walk to work.  It was very slippery but only took about 10 minutes, much faster than waiting for the car to deice!

Walking to work at 6am on Thursday morning.  I walked in the road- it was sanded
and not as slippery as the sidewalks.  It's about 1/2 mile or so.

Finally, on Friday I had a day off from work so the kids and I headed out for a walk so I could take some photo's of this wild weather.  Everything was literally coated in a thick layer of ice- it was one of the craziest things I have ever seen.  The temperature was slowly warming up and there was a light rain falling so every once in a while we would hear a "crack" and ice would come crashing to the ground from trees and power lines.

Taking a little walk.  The roads were a total mess.

The kids were having fun knocking all of the ice off of the branches.

We got pretty lucky- our power stayed on and none of our trees came crashing down.  I know several people (including my mom and grandma) still do not have power and might not have any until Monday.  Our new car handles really well in the snow- hooray for AWD!  I am ready for the snow to go away now so everything can go back to normal.  Please and thank you.

All that ice on a single blade of grass!

Results of my Tuesday weigh-in:  ZERO.  A big fat irritating zero pounds lost.  I guess that week 2 Biggest Loser curse is true.  I posted 10 workouts to Daily Mile and ate perfectly all last week.  I was rather disappointed.  Speaking of Biggest Loser- I could not believe that Joe just quit.  Actually walked off of the show and went home willingly.  And I was really shocked when Lauren was voted off- I'm sorry but Nancy or Conda should have been sent home.  Conda is obnoxious. 

So here is what my workouts have looked like this week:

Monday:
7 mile speedwork run on the treadmill (snow on ground)
P90X2- Core

Tuesday:
Snowball fight and playing in the snow.  The video below is of my crazy dog.
Plyocide

Wednesday:
6 mile tempo run on the treadmill (tons of snow)
P90X2- Ab Ripper
*intention to do Total Body on Thursday

Thursday:
Completely exhausted from work, decide to rest instead. 
I did "snow shoe" to work- does that count?

Friday:
6 mile run in the slush and snow and rain (I will do a seperate post for this one!)
*intention to do yoga after the run, skipped it because I was tired
*Soccer was canceled due to road conditions

Saturday (feeling guilty for skipping so many workouts):
P90X2- Total Body
P90X2- Yoga

Sunday:
My intention is to do P90X2- Balance and Power after work tomorrow, then I will have officially done all of my workouts for the week!  Might even do Recovery and Mobility if I get ambitious.

So, the workouts were all mixed up but the good news is that I managed to squeeze them all in!! 

Tiffany- 1 
Snowpocalypse 2012- 0

Are you on Daily Mile?  If so, we should be friends!  One of my goals this year is to leave more comments on blogs I follow and also for my friends on Daily Mile.  I know that I love when others do this for me and I am terrible at returning the favor.  But I am making an effort to be more supportive and encouraging.  Many times it is because I am on my phone instead of the computer, but I will make it work.

And finally, here is a music video that I think is pretty cool.  Click on it and tell me what you think:

Somebody That I Used to Know

My Plan- Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

X2 Baby!

My workouts will be pretty much in the same order each week, with the only change being the exact details of my run.  So I will pick up where I left off last time, with a look into my daily workout routine. 

Thursday:
Rest Day.  Don't you just love a well earned rest day?  I certainly do!

Guess what?  We got some snow today!! 

Friday:
RLRF- Long Run:

My "long" run for the week was a 5 miler at an average pace of 8:56 per mile.  For this 5K training plan all of my paces are below 9 minute miles.  How crazy is that??  I dropped the kids off at school and headed down to the Ruston Way waterfront around 9am.  It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out and it was about 29 degrees.  BRRRR.  I didn't bring gloves with me (oops) so my fingers and toes were really cold for the first mile or so and I wasn't able to check my garmin very often since my hands were tucked up into my jacket.  So I did my best to run by feel and keep my pace just under 9 minutes.  

I was able to run down into the new Chinese Garden area of Reconciliation Park which was really pretty.  I snapped a few photos and headed back to finish up my run.  My mile times- 8:55, 8:32, 8:50, 8:53, 8:55.  Not too shabby for running by "feel" for a total time of 44:08 and an average pace of 8:49!

Isn't it pretty?

P90X2:
X2- Yoga- After my run I headed home for a nice yoga session.  I shed a few layers, cranked up the heat in my house and pushed play on the DVD player.  I took yoga classes at my gym once a week for about a year and a half so I do know a lot of the basic yoga poses which is helpful for this workout.  Yoga makes me happy- I love how it stretches and challenges my muscles and is just such a comforting workout.  This DVD is very basic yet challenging at the same time and I am interested to see how I improve after I do it a few times.  Total time- 68 minutes

Soccer:
I have been playing on an indoor coed soccer team for about 2 years now, and although I had never played soccer in my life before this I am really enjoying it.  Our games are generally on Friday nights and once in a while they are on Saturdays.  This time our game was at 8pm and we were offered the chance to play an "extra" half so we took the opportunity.  Each half is 24 minutes so that is a total of 72 minutes of soccer playing to finish off my day!  We lost the game, but had a lot of fun plus it was our first game in almost a month. 

Saturday:
P90X2:

Warming up with some squats

X2 Power and Balance- I think this workout should actually be called 101 ways to do a plank!  Tons of core work combined with working on balance moves while lifting weights.  Also plenty of work on the stability ball.  Easy peasy. 

Supposed to be lowering down onto my elbows and then pushing back up here. 
I kind of almost can do it.  Once.  And I need to lower my booty a bit.

The crazy thing about these videos is that the time goes by really quickly and before you know it you are exhausted and almost done.  Total time- 63 minutes

Hello hamstrings, yes I feel you crying.  We are almost done!

I survived!

Sunday:
P90X2:

These photos are fromt the warm up of the Power and Balance DVD. 
I promise I change my clothes each time I workout!

X2 Recovery and Mobility- I was feeling pretty sore today (gee wonder why?  refer to FRIDAY above) especially in my quads which is most likely from soccer.  When I got home from work I had the option to take another rest day or do this DVD. 

Before I could think about it too much I threw on some workout clothes and pushed play.  Best decision I could have made, seriously.  This workout is really just an amazing stretch/foam rolling sequence.  It loosened up all of my tight muscles and made my body feel so much better.  It kind of felt like I had gone and had a massage. 

Hurts so good

I love my foam roller, and I think I may have a small crush on Tony Horton.  HA!

This move is called the "crawly crab".  The first time I heard him say it
I thought he said the "holy crap" which is pretty accurate!

So I completed my entire workout plan that I created, with the exception of X2 Ab Ripper on Wednesday.  I feel really good, I was a bit sore today but nothing like I was last week.  Tomorrow begins week 3 of P90X- 16 days down, 64 to go!  Anybody else get snow at their house today?  I think we might even get a bit more before it melts over the next couple of days.  Winter is definitely here!   

My Plan- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

My focus right now is on increasing my overall fitness using the P90X2 program, gaining speed for a 5K personal best in March using Run Less Run Faster (RLRF) and losing a few pounds by cutting my calories down and making healthy food choices.  I have created a detailed training plan for myself and tested it out last week to make sure it would be manageable while also working my real job and being a mom.  My days are extremely full but I made it work every day- no excuses!  I HAVE to create a plan for myself or else I am quick to just skip a workout.  I am not sure what it is, but if it is written on the calendar- by golly I am going to get it done!

So here is my very basic diet, I don't like too many rules or else it is too complicated.  I eat 4 times a day, roughly 400 calories each time for a daily total of 1,600 calories.  This seems to be a good number for me, I am always just a bit hungry when I go to bed but my energy level is great through the day and my workouts have not suffered.  I make sure my food choices will keep me full- the biggest "bang" for my buck if you know what I mean.  For breakfast every day I have been having oatmeal with some nuts, a little brown sugar and cinnamon plus a nonfat greek yogurt (fage brand).  The combination of a complex carb and protein seem to keep me full the longest. 

Some other things I eat a lot of:  oatmeal, eggs, chicken, salad, bananas, applesauce, protein bars, protein shakes, cottage cheese, soup and rice.  It may seem kind of boring but if you see food mostly just as a fuel source for your body and less as a source of pleasure it makes sense.  Eat what makes you feel good and what helps you achieve your goals.  I don't deny myself things, but I just make sure they are in moderation and only once in a while. 

I am a huge fan of the showThe Biggest Loser- I love watching the transformations the contestants go through.  I also love the trainers and miss Jillian A LOT, although Dolvett and Bob are making me laugh this season with their competitiveness.  Boys!!  Anyways, I decided to make Tuesdays my "weigh-in" day, just like they do on the show. 

My results for week #1 - Total weight lost 2.5 pounds (I am hoping for 1-2 pounds a week) Sweet!

And here is what my workouts look like:
Monday:
RLRF-  Track repeats:
Last Monday the plan was a one mile warm up, 2x1600 at 7:53 (3:00 walk/recover between), 1x800 at 7:38 then a half mile cool down.  I love speed work in a way people probably shouldn't love speed work.  It's quick, it's sweaty and then it's done.  Awesome.  I used Dolvett's mantra here and repeated "hardwork. dedication" over and over at the end of those repeats to get me through them.  I may or may not have pretended he was there shouting it with/at me.  4 miles done in just under 33 minutes.
P90X2:
X2 Core- This workout was done after my run and was much easier this week than last week!  A lot of balance moves that also incorporate strength.  Planks, warrior positions, squats, lunges, stability ball, burpees and push ups.  Tony Horton is a dork but I like him and he makes me laugh while I sweat for 57 minutes.

Tuesday:
P90X2:
Plyocide- just like it sounds, a combination of plyometrics and suicide LOL.  This workout has a lot of jumping and explosive type movements.  This is a challenging, fast paced intense workout but I think it is my favorite video.  This workout is also 57 minutes.

Wednesday:
RLRF- Tempo Run:
Last week I was so SORE from Monday and Tuesday's workouts I had to skip my run!  But yesterday I felt great so I followed the plan.  1 mile warm up, 2 miles at 8:27, 1 mile easy, 2 miles at 8:27 then a one mile cool down.  I found the tempo run to be challenging but manageable, not as hard as the track repeats.  7 miles in 62 minutes.

P90X2:
X2- Total Body and X2- Ab Ripper.  Wednesday is definitely my hard day- last week all I managed was the total body workout for the day.  And I "observed" a lot!  This week I added the run and then did X2 Total Body.  Still couldn't quite manage ab ripper, although time constraints had a lot to do with that as well.  Total body is just like it says- total body.  A lot of dumbell movements, pull ups, lunges etc.  There is a move on there I cannot do for the life of me, it is called the one handed tricep kickback on a stability ball (or something like that).  You get in plank position, balance yourself with one arm across the stability ball then do tricep kickbacks.  Right.  What I do is fall on my face.  But-I will conquer that move eventually!  Total time 64 minutes.  Next week I WILL add the Ab ripper.

So that is the first half of what my week looks like- just add in there a full day of work, kid's homework, dinner, laundry, dishes and maybe a shower once in a while and my day is completely full!  What workout plan are you currently using, or do you just like to wing it?  Have you ever done P90X, and if so how did you like it?  What do you think I should dress up like for the St Paddy Day race- typical green attire or go for something creative like a rainbow?  Anybody out there doing a fun valentine's day race?  Sorry for the lack of photos- I am going to figure out a way to take some next week so you can see my attempt at these videos! 

   

My 2012 Race "Wish" List

My race "Bling"!

For a while I thought I would take a little break from running a lot of races and just pick a few choice ones to run this year.  But then I start looking a race calendars and training plans and talking to friends and realized I am not ready to take a step back just yet.  I LOVE races, in a way that I have never really felt about anything before in my life.  I love everything about them- the training, the atmosphere, other runners, the pain, the finish line, the swag bag, the expo, the friends, the outfit, the sense of accomplishment- I love it all.  Even the honey buckets.  Ok, I don't really love the honey buckets but I do appreciate them! 

First of many honey bucket stops during Ragnar! 
FYI- that is hand sanitizer in my hand.

So here it is, my "wish" list of races for 2012.  I am currently only registered for the 5K on St Patrick's Day, but hope to get registered for a couple of the others that may sell out soon.  I would also like to add a couple of 10 or 12K's to my list of races.  I am not quite ready to pull the 26.2 card again just yet.  Maybe next year.  Hey, I said maybe!  Hmmm- better than the "no way in the world do I ever want to do that again" that has generally been my thought when I think about running another marathon.  Baby steps people, baby steps!

5K's:
*March 17th- St Paddy Tacoma
*April 14th- Y Run for Kids
*December 15th- Santa Runs Tacoma

10K and 12K's:
*March 31st- Dash Point Trail Run, 10K
*June 9th- Sound to Narrows, 12K
*September 9th- Iron Girl 10K

Half Marathon's:
*May 5th- Cinco de Mayo
*May 6th- Tacoma City 
*May 20th- Capital City
*June 23rd- Seattle RnR
*August 4th- Tacoma Narrows Half
*September 16th- You Go Girl

Relays and Other Races:
*July 20th- Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage
*October 13th- Defiance 50K (15K course)
*August 4th- JBLM Down and Dirty Mud Run 8K
*June 2nd- Rainier to Ruston 50M relay (4 person team)
*September 1st- Over the Narrows 10 mile run

If you are on my relay team I promise to wear calf sleeves, socks, sandals and various
other awesome accessories while offering you water!  Who wouldn't want me to help them hydrate???

I could probably continue adding to this list all day long but I will just leave it at this for now.  These are just some races that have caught my eye- I will need to make some decisions in the next month or so and really get my calendar focused so I can register for a few of these races.  Anyone want to come race with me?  Any fun races I should know about?     

I will also help ensure we are safe AND entertained at the same time while
crossing the street by doing a little dance!

One of my goals for this year is to move to a higher level in the half fanatics club- and I am going to do that by running 2 half marathons in 48 hours.  I am really considering the Cinco de Mayo and the Tacoma City back to back in early May to achieve this.  Anyone else ever do back to back half marathons??  Does this sound crazy?  Any suggestions on how to train for something like this?  

I would also like to take a trip to Boise and run a race there with my long lost BRF (best runner friend) Cynthia.  So find us a race and I will head over the mountains- somewhere between a 10K and half marathon would be great!!!  What do you think BRF??  Send me some races and lets get it on the calendar!

BFR's at the Seattle Rock and Roll last June

      

Applying What I Learned

I finally got my hair cut- took a few inches off, it feels so much better!

There are two things I learned from my second year in the running world that seem to be important in meeting my goals for 2012.  Notice I say goals- I don't think I am actually going to make any resolutions this year.  I haven't quite decided.

#1- If I want to run faster, I need to train faster.  Seems fairly obvious right?  For some reason I guess I thought the more miles I logged the easier running would be and I would just magically get faster over time.  But it just doesn't work that way, and I didn't really believe it until I started the Run Less, Run Faster program last August.  I got over my fear of running track repeats, tempo runs and managed to knock about 15 minutes off of my previous half marathon time, finishing under 2 hours!  If I want to run faster I need to train faster, the end.

#2- Trying to lose weight while training for a marathon is harder than it sounds.  I don't know how to explain it, but I have a heck of a time trying to cut calories and put in high miles each week.  After reading other blogs, I know I am not alone.  Last year one of my resolutions was to reach my goal weight- yaaaeeehhh that didn't happen.  In fact I am a couple of pounds heavier than I was at this time last year.  I blame December mostly.

My new "gym"

So for the next 90 days I have committed myself to doing the P90X2 program along with the Run Less, Run Faster 5K training plan with the ultimate goal of getting a 5K PR at the St. Paddy Day  race in Tacoma on March 17th.  I am on week 2 of the running plan and 3 days into the P90X2 videos.  I am more sore right now than I have been in a long time!  I am excited to see the results of my efforts- I have also started counting my calories again and making sure that what I choose for calories is healthy.  It would probably make that PR easier if I dropped a few pounds. 

My coach here makes sure my form is correct.  Please ignore the
random clutter- I obviously do!

I weighed in this morning, and will weigh in each Tuesday although I think I will keep the numbers to myself this time around.  I might change my mind about that though, too.  I guess I am wishy washy tonight!  Speaking of Tuesday weigh-ins, anybody else watching Biggest Loser season 13???  I haven't had a chance to watch last nights premiere, but I am excited and will probably get a chance tomorrow.

One of these days I can be as buff as my son and do chin ups.

So that is what I have been up to for the last week or two, along with working lots of early mornings which I am not used to.  In my next post I will make a list of what I am planning AFTER I get my 5K PR in March, including my race wish list for 2012.

Oh yeah- and we bought a new car last week- 2011 Chev Traverse.  Love it!!

Anybody else try the P90X series before?  Any tips or hints?  I am really enjoying Tony Horton, he is a nut. 
What races are on your 2012 wish list? 
What do you think of my new car? 
Did you make any New Year's resolutions?
Are you going to watch Biggest Loser this season? 

How I got to 1,001 Miles

My daily mile stats for the year!

Yesterday I completed one of my goals for 2011 which was to run 1,000+++ miles with Tall Mom Club.  I ended my year at 1,001 miles- most of which were training miles, some were just for fun, and quite a few were ran during some awesome RACES!!!  Here is a list of my races from 2011, in the order I ran them (click on them for a recap):

3/12/11- St Patty Day 5K- *5k PR, pouring rain, 6 weeks into my marathon training!

6/5/11- NODM Marathon (long version HERE )*Proud, determined, too warm, beautiful race!

6/26/11- Seattle RnR Half Marathon*Last minute, FUN race, perfect weather, BRF Cynthia!

7/4/11- JBLM Down and Dirty 8K Mud Run *Family and friends, great obstacles, loving the mud!

7/22-23rd- Ragnar Relay:  Here, Here, and Here*Epic, Exhausting, Laughing Running Adventure!

9/18/11- You Go Girl Half Marathon*Finished under 2 hours, Rained, Ran with Alyssa, fun outfit!

9/25/11- Black Diamond Half Marathon *Competitive, Triathlon events, last mile is a trail

10/1/11- North County Wine Run Half Marathon*Qualified for Half Fanatic, hubby's first half, joy

10/16/11- Race for a Soldier Half Marathon*last minute, hilly, fantastic volunteers, wonderful cause

12/4/11- Las Vegas RnR Half Marathon*Freezing cold, at night, insanity, amazing sights and sounds

12/17/11- Santa Runs Tacoma 5K*Candy Cane, running with some fun bloggers, well organized

I love having a race or two on my calendar- it gives me focus and purpose.  The minute I don't have a training plan to follow my running goes straight down the toilet.  Thank goodness for the challenge to run 1,000 miles so that I kept putting some miles down while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do next!  Which, by the way, I have finally figured out.  But I will save that for next time!  Hope you all had a fun and safe New Year's weekend- I am ready to see what 2012 brings, aren't you?? 

Merry Christmas



I always write my training plan down in my calendar so I see it every day!

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you all had a chance to enjoy your family and friends this holiday season- I know that we did!  I think my daughter liked her "big" gift this year. 

She is just a bit excited!

And according to my son, his favorite gift was his new Spongebob Wii game from Santa- but I think he liked these books as well!

They kind of have the same smile!

What was your favorite gift this year?  Two of my favorites were a new half fanatics running shirt and a Runner's World Calendar- time to get my training plan back on track!!