Tread Interval Extreme!

Hot off the press! PLEASE eat a good meal before you come tomorrow. This workout is designed to burn through a lot of energy! And if you're not prepared, I may have to revive you;) Monday is usually "repentance" or "penitence" day in my tread class...hence the weekend and its' possible misdeeds:) So,  please come prepared to battle in one of my most extreme tread classes ever!!

And if you can't make it, try it at home, at the gym, wherever. Don't forget to report back. And please don't tell me it was fun...FUN is not extreme. Extreme is misery, at least temporary. And yet, beneficial... as many of you have to come to know about my manic Monday methods.

See you tomorrow my hardcore treadies! 

bp = back pedal 
ssr = side shuffle right
ssl = side shuffle lef 

Monday Interval XTREME!!
Minutes	Incline	Speed	Intensity
5 min	1	4 to 6	50 to 60 %
30 sec	1	8 to 10	90 to 100%
30 sec	5	8 to 10	90 to 100%
1 min	1	3 to 5	40 to 50%
repeat 4xs
20 sec	15	6+	90 to 100%
10 sec	15	rest	0
repeat 8xs
2 min	1	3 to 5	40 to 50%
1 min bp	15	2 to 3	80 to 90%
30 sec	15	2 to 3	40 to 50%
1 min ssr	15	2 to 4	80 to 90%
30 sec	15	2 to 3	40 to 50%
1 min ssl	15	2 to 3	80 to 90%
repeat 3xs
1 min	1	2 to 3	40 to 50%
30 sec	1	8 to 10	90 to 100%
30 sec	8	8 to 10	90 to 100%
60 sec	1	3 to 5	40 to 50%
repeat 4xs
20 sec	15	speed walk	90 to 100%
10 sec	15	rest	0
repeat 8xs
2 min	1	3 to 5	40 to 50%
5 min	1	4 to 6	50 to 60%
stretch!

Don't Do This!!

Yeah, we look rather cute and sassy! In our little outfits and tutu's! Of course this is the "before shot." You'll see an "after shot" a little later. (BTW, I'm the one on the right with the pink skull tutu from Hot Topic and piggy tails;)

For people who know me or want to get to know me, I'm the "keepin it real" kinda gal. I don't necessarily air all the details of my comings and goings, but you get a good sense of who I am and what I'm about... "beautifully flawed" and unafraid to tell the world about it! haha. (ok...maybe not everything.)

We can all learn from each other right? And though I "preach" certain principles as a trainer, sometimes, well, I EAT MY WORDS!!!!

I ran the Provo Half Marathon with some of my "besties" yesterday. Went in completely confident that I was going to nail it! Cement in my best time and make my clients and treadmill class members proud. (Yes, I have a big mouth and told them I was running this, even invited anyone is earshot.) 

Every week I get up in class and proclaim the "do's and don'ts" of proper running and racing technique. Sure, I try to practice what I preache....most of the time. But EVERY TIME I get cocky and cavalier about anything, it turns around and bites me in the butt!

So, beginning to end, this is the breakdown of my race with all the "don'ts," which I actually "did." So basically, you'll take my experiences and do the opposite, ok?...haha!  Some of you might be a little shocked with my revelations, but hopefully you'll appreciate that I'm on this journey just like you. Sometimes we all go against our better judgement. That's human nature, right?

1.  I didn't sleep a wink the night before. Probably because I washed my spaghetti down with too much Diet Coke and Cheesecake!!! On top of that, the whole week I wasn't able to sleep or eat much, for other reasons. NOT GOOD! 

2.  That morning I woke up at 5 am to get ready. I was soooooo tired. More than usual. My stomach was in knots, so I wasn't able to eat much of anything. I was draggin', so to wake me up, I drank another Diet Coke on the way to meet the girls! What was I thinking????! Not much.

3.  When we got to the start line, I was thirsty and a bit dehydrated (thanks to my diet coke genius). There was no water, so I would have to wait until the 4 mile mark. Still quite fatigued, I then consumed part of my runner's powerade "slime" for energy. Not recommended on an empty stomach. Awesome combo!

4.  I was in the first wave of runners, the under 2 hour group. I can't lie. I am very competitive. So, it takes me a lot of restraint to hold back, which I should have done at the beginning. We started up at Sundance resort and had a little over a 3 mile distance downhill. Think in terms of "blue," or "black diamond" steep. Crazy! At the start, people were literally sprinting down. Again, against my better judgement, and I always tell people NOT to do this, I sprinted right along with them. No previous warm-up or stretch. I'm talkin, beginning the race in an ice cold standing position and GO!! Full sprint! I think it was around 30 degrees out. Yeah...I know.

5.   Thing is, the whole time I was pounding down the mountainside, my instincts were telling me to "SLOW DOWN. This is crazy. You're going to burn out pretty soon, and it will be hard to finish." In other words, I knew that as soon as I accumulated enough lactic acid in my legs, from anaerobic "sprinting," it would be near impossible to flush it out, which would slow me way down. And like I've always said: a proper, steady warm-up gets oxygen to your lungs and blood allowing you to go longer and eventually faster in a race. I KNEW that. But, for some reason, I went against my own logic, ego set in and I was determined to sprint past all those other runners.

6.  As I was heading down, probably at a 6 mile an hour pace, my big toes were on FIRE!!! I thought for sure the toe nails had been ripped off. Hurt so bad, and then they were numb. From feet to knees. I felt like I was running on stumps. Weird. Kind of nervous I was going to face plant it at some point. Luckily, that didn't happen. But, my toe nails are now totally black, and I wonder if I will eventually lose them. (For your viewing pleasure, see "after" photo below:)

7.  From start to finish, my stomach was in knots. I haven't experienced this symptom in a race since my first half in 1994. It was so frustrating, because I truly wanted to stop and just walk. I was miserable and fighting through the whole race. Although I wanted desperately to stop I knew I couldn't. I had dragged three buddies with me to this race and told practically everyone I knew that I was doing it. I couldn't back down. Once I commit to anything, I finish, even if I am crawling to the end.

8.  OK, so I usually never have to stop at those porta-potties, but I did yesterday. TWICE!!! And, if you've ever run a race competitively, you know when you stop cold, it's agony to start again. And it WAS! I'm talking knives shooting up the legs pain. But, when you gotta go, you gotta go. In that regard, I really didn't have choice. (although, all my bad choices earlier pretty much led me right to those porta-potties!)

OK, so I did finish the race. Not with a time I wanted, but I finished.  It was hard man! I ain't gonna lie. But, my girlies were with me. And they did awesome! Much better than me. I'm still glad I did the race even though as I write this now, my toes are bruised and I can hardly stand up. It was worth it, because you learn from mistakes, right? And when you conquer an obstacle, big or small, you're always going to come out ahead...even if your time sucks!! haha.

I know, ewwww, but owwwww too!

Are You a Chest Breather Or a Belly Breather?

Source: runnersworld.com via Elena on Pinterest

Yes, it matters, especially if you're an athlete trying to win a race. The method and manner in which you breathe can influence a big win, or a disappointing loss. In my treadmill classes we talk a lot about effective breathing techniques. I found this awesome article from "Runner's world" magazine that offers effective breathing exercises and techniques.  And how should we be breathing exactly? First of all, most of us have been conditioned to chest breathe, not belly breathe.

Basically, "every time you breathe in, your belly should fill up like a balloon.... And every time you breathe out, that balloon should deflate. When you chest breathe, your shoulders get tense and move up and down. That's wasted energy-energy you should conserve for running." Question answered? Yep, getting air "belly-up" is the best way!

Check it out!

Go Play Dirty!!

Look at that smile! Eu-pho-ri-a!! Yes! Grinning ear to ear while crawling through that sticky, stinky mud at the world famous  Camp Pendleton Mud Run. (And what the photo doesn't show, to my utter disappointment, are the marines screaming in our faces. shoot! That was the best part! haha)  

This particular race has been around for 20 years and is by far the most organized, most fun, and hardest run I've ever done. Why? Because it's run by the marines... Semper Fi! I take a little pride being a little Devil Dog brat myself:) My dad was a marine colonel, and we often ran the fire breaks in the hills of Camp Pendleton. Good old fashion bonding time with dad. I loved every minute!

So back to the smile.... I've truly never had so much fun running a race. Yeah, it was hard! So freaking hard! But, I had fun! That's right. Fitness can be fun. It can be rewarding even with the challenges that come with it. I talk a lot about "enduring," "commitment," "persistance," "motivation," "mind over matter," blah, blah, blah...

Although those qualities are important, finding pleasure and enjoyment in the pursuit of excellence should also matter. So, would it be the worst thing if getting from point A to point B were actually fun? I admit riding a stationary bike or running on a treadmill (without teaching a class) is "enduring" for me. Don't exactly get tickled pink over it. And that's OK. Sometimes you have to do things you're not super jazzed about. BUT I think it's such a sweet bonus when you can find something that excites you, while it drives and pushes you to be better.

Be open to change. Try new things. Get messy. Get muddy:) And DON'T take yourself too seriously. If you fall and make a fool of yourself, laugh it off. We've ALL been there. Trust me. (One day when I'm brave enough I will share my fun little "stories" of public humiliation. As horrific and shocking as they are, I survived! haha) The pursuit of health and fitness can be a wonderful eye opening, rewarding, and FUN experience!

And if you ever get a chance, do the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, do it! It fills up fast...usually in one day. Registration generally opens the 1st of January. It is so FUN! Go play dirty!