brief update

Well this week actually went well. This is sort of sad to admit how slow my progress has been but today I ran for more time than I walked. Okay "run" is sort of stretching it, I jogged for quite a bit today.

It's funny I have been happy that I am slowly losing weight and sort of blanked on the whole MUD RUN thing. Gee whiz. I have only 100 days left to get myself in gear.

So last week I worked out -
Monday -gym run/weights
Tuesday - walk/weight
Friday - walk/run weights
Saturday - Step class

This week so far -
Monday - walk/run weights
Tuesday - run/walk

My Cheerleaders

So who's my cheerleader? My husband and my kids. My husband has managed to encourage me to go to the gym without making me feel like a loser. My favorite comment was a simple "well you will feel better if you go and I was looking forward to building a huge fort with the girls, so go".

Rowan will chant "Go Mama Go" when I workout. She can handle being in the stroller for about 25-30 minutes and then she likes to get out and run with me. The crazy thing is, Rowan is FAST. We passed a runner one day in South Pas who literally said whoa she is a great training partner. Thom used to run track and field and I think Rowan may be destined to run too.

I run Tuesday mornings after I drop off Rowan at school. Lila hangs in the stroller. When I manage to run quickly she leans forward and actually says "wheeeeeeeeee". I like to peer down at her when I am working out and she smiles up at me.

Both girls really encourage me to workout. Because I have taken them with me to the park to workout since they were six months old, they both can do all sorts of exercises. Rowan has been doing push-ups, sit-ups and downward dog for about a year +. Lila gets pissed now when I won't let her out to run with Rowan, and has started doing push-ups with me. It is really adorable.

There is a picture of the kids doing part of the workout.


Last week sucked and will be ignored in this post. I have started a new training program, more running, more weights less aerobics classes. This is my week so far...

Monday - Ran at the gym + chest/triceps/quads/abs
Tuesdays - Long walk + back/biceps/hamstrings/abs

the plan is --

Wednesday -rest
Thursday - Ran at the gym + chest/triceps/quads/abs
Friday - Run/walk + back/biceps/hamstrings/abs
Saturday - Step class

WISH ME LUCK.

Barrier to change

My life is busy. I mean insanely busy. I literally don't sleep. My house is a wreck and I am constantly doing three things at once usually all of them badly. I have been really pretty good the last 6 weeks at getting my workouts in and eating well & then my BIGGEST barrier to working out reared its ugly head.

My daughters got sick. It started Thursday, Lila pictured here with my husband Thom had a weird breathing episode where she couldn't take a deep breath for almost an hour. We took her to the ER, where they observed her and then they gave her a breathing treatment. The pediatrician said that she has a virus that made her airwaves swell and then she was probably chocking on her own mucous. We were there for 5 hours. I didn't workout.

Friday night she started throwing up. She is super skinny for her age and she really cannot afford to lose more weight. I was scared for her, all day all night. I didn't workout.

Saturday, Lila was still lethargic, wasn't eating, and was barely drinking. I didn't workout.

Sunday night my older daughter started to get sick. Here she is with.. okay this is totally gross.. but her barf bowl. IT IS CLEAN. She is bringing it to me because yes you knew this was coming, I started to get sick too. I didn't workout.


Monday we watched a lot of movies and lazed around the house. I didn't workout.

Today was better.


The best way I think I can get past this barrier is that I need to workout when I can because my life is so hectic. I needed to workout on Thursday when we got back from the hospital. I wonder if I had taken better care of myself if I would have gotten sick. I also need to acknowledge that if my kids get sick I probably will so I need to get my exercise in when I can. I let worry and stress derail me.

Inspired by the class

So who inspired me this week? My students. This whole blog thing was in part an elaborate ruse to find the motivation to complete this Mud Run. Having 15 students read your progress is very motivating. I should also mention that my family and several of my friends read this now every week. No pressure huh? I love it when a friend tells me after reading my blog that I really need to run more days per week if I expect to make it through the mud run. It is working though. Even though my life is crazy I am working out more regularly than I have in years.

This week I made the students attend a session of Parisi Speed School. The class is about learning the proper technique for running and is a brutal workout that doesn't require really any equipment. I am hoping to get some funding to try this program in some inner city middle schools. Right now they do the program with more affluent teens and their families, and I would love to see how it works with other cultures and income brackets. The class is tough but the students all did really well. There are some photos attached.


Last week was not my best effort to be honest. I really only worked out three days and that counts the massive walking we did at Disneyland. Working at Rowan's school messed me up as did weird meetings all day on Thursday. So far this week has been better but that is for the next blog...

Monday = park workout
Friday = 2+ hours walking
Saturday = step class

Success last week? Not taking the tram from the parking lot into Disneyland. A small thing really but the best way to start your Disney trip is with a 20 minute power walk with both girls in the stroller. I noticed that the super fit Moms all had their kids in jogging strollers and sneered at the tram as they power walked to the park. I too will soon join their number as a skinny Mom in skinny jeans.