Mixing Things Up a Bit

You guys remember seeing that lovely lady on the left earlier this week? That’s right, the lovely trainers Karena and Katrina are making yet another appearance here at Chez Outlaw because it’s their fault, basically, that I’m writing this post. But let me back up a little bit, yeah?

Okay, so you guys remember this?

My June/July calendar combo in which I outlined what I was planning on doing every day for the next two months. Of course, that calendar lasted approximately ten days before life got in the way and I had to switch some things around. Which led to more stuff getting switched around. Couple that with a nagging ankle pain and some weird tinging in my right knee, and I’m coming more and more to a place of being happy with where I’m at for the moment, running wise. I’ve pushed myself already these first few weeks of the month, and hit my five mile distance. I’m still thinking of that 10K, of course, and am planning on hitting 6 miles by the end of summer. But, until I can get some new shoes (having eliminated a host of other potential issues, I’m about 95% sure the pain is coming from my shoes just being shot to hell, which makes sense given that they’re over 18 months old) I’m officially declaring a shift in my goals for the summer! Enter Tone it Up. 😀

I’m falling more and more in love with Tone it Up every day I spend poking around the site and trying the ladies’ routines. Not only are Karena and Katrina adorable, personally – they remind me a ton of Cassey from Blogilates, another amazing website worth checking out if you’re in need of at-home routines – but, from what I’ve seen, Tone it Up has one of the most active online community support networks I’ve seen lately. The people participating in this program seem to be doing so with good results and maximum enjoyment, and while I’m trying to caution myself not to get all rosy-eyed and swept away in the whole glow of something new thing that happens, I’ve been really enjoying the activity going on on Instagram and Twitter as it relates. To be honest – I’ve yet to buy the nutrition plan on the site (it’s a bit hefty for a nutrition plan, at $150, although I’m hoping to be able to purchase it one day) but the free materials I do have access to seem comparable, and there are enough free recipes on the site that I honestly can’t tell yet what it is I’m missing out on 😉

Now, I know most of you out there are totally settled in to a routine that is totally working for you right now – that’s so amazing! I’ve learned about myself over the years that I tend to do the best with a kind of action plan (along with at least a little flexibility), and that’s what TIU is doing for me right now – giving me a weekly set of complimentary workouts that can be done at the gym or at home and can be done in one repeat or not. Not to mention there are enough video choices that, even if the ‘scheduled’ workout doesn’t look appealing, I’m bound to find something that does. I’m still experimenting a bit to find my best fit, plan wise (at least for the next few months) but I think shifting my focus from running and weight loss to strength training and then running, I’m going to benefit more overall in the long run.

A you a structured plan person? Or a by-the-seat-of-your-pants type? What’s your fitness routine look like this summer? Anyone else every feel kind of…wonky going back over their goals like that? As though changing them is like losing to them? No? Just me? lol.

I’m Baaaack…!

Hey you guys! (who’s with me on that being basically THE best movie of your childhood!?)

I’m back, y’all! I can’t believe I was without you guys for what seemed like practically an entire week (let me tell you, guys, blogging from your phone just is not the same experience! lol) When we got back from the water park on Thursday, I arrived home from my parents to a scene that looked very similar to this one

only the computer in question was my laptop. Mark had to call in the calvalry, basically – our most tech savvy friends Zach and John – because whatever was wrong with my computer was just not bowing down to the power of the control-alt-delete, lol. Whatever they did, it seems to be working now, although I’ve been forbidden from updating my iTunes before checking with Mark (?!) and I’ve had to switch to Google Chrome, which is a bit of an adjustment and was kind of a bummer in terms of re-setting up my bookmarks and what not. I know. #firstworldproblems. But I know one of y’all out there can feel me! So, what have I been up to while not seeing all your beautiful, digital faces?

Mark’s parents bought a new trailer! It’s a pretty nice tow-behind, and they’re planning on taking it on the road for a road trip through the month of July. Mark’s parents are pretty outdoorsy people, so this is actually pretty perfect for them, and the best part is that Mark and I are thinking about taking it out in October (the camper is heated!) for some lake-side camping for our anniversary. We love camping at Clinton, and this just makes it that much easier to camp in style 😉

Yeah, remember how they just finished building a bright and shiny Dunkin’ Donuts like thirty seconds from my front door? Just in time for National Doughnut Day, and remember how they’re also open very day – ALL day – and I’m basically an iced coffee addict who thinks Dunkin’ has the best in-house brand? So…this has been happening a lot. A lot more than it should, but I’m telling myself I’m just getting my kicks now, and soon the novelty will wear off…right… :O

Suushiii….Oh man, talk about a food I could probably eat my weight in every day and always be ready for more! This lovely sampling was snagged from a Costco platter Mark and I impulse bought home during our last trip, and that spicy tuna alone was more than worth it! There were also a couple California rolls and maybe a spicy salmon? Honestly, I don’t much remember and didn’t much care – it was all delicious!

 

Running, running, running! I’ve found that new ‘thing’ that keeps me sane on the treadmill – Gossip Girl (you can kind of see Ed Westwick’s beautiful face hidden behind my awkward picture-taking reflection). It’s trashy, it’s rich, it’s beautiful teens with soap-opera problems – and it’s completely, startlingly addicting. I mean, don’t get me wrong – treadmill runs are still long and can still drag sometimes, but having a few more seasons of this show definitely lessens the dread! Also, my distances are slowly getting longer and longer (hitting 5 miles this week, and hopefully almost 7 by the end of July) which is TOTALLY awesome to see happening! But I’m also needing a change to the plan for this summer (see, folks, that’s why we reevaluate our goals every so often, note to future self 😉 ) which I’m excited to talk about Thursday of this week – stay tuned!

What were you all up to while I was gone? Big milestones? Major life revelations? Snap judgments  I’d love to hear whatever you have to tell me! 

 

Stop! Summer time.

Sorry for how totally awful that picture is! But did you guys know that it’s basically summer time?! While this means a great many things in general (cookouts! camping! mojitos!) it also means that it’s time for my annual summer time fitness goals! Summer just seems like the perfect time for going balls-to-the-walls crazy over just a few goals for those two months.

So what’s on the agenda for this summer, you ask?! I’m case the calendar didn’t give it away, this summer I REALLY want to focus on:

*Drinking a TON of water! I don’t drink nearly as much as I should, and on days I workout it gets even worse. And no, no tea or coffee or diet coke. Just legit water. Hopefully! Lol.

*Arms, arms, arms baby!!! I know we all have parts of our body that we’re not all that stoked about, and for me, my chicken-flapping arms have got to go! So it’s arms at least two to three times a week on top of everything else.

*Bring on the yoga, baby! I’m determined to get back to the mat this summer, not only because it’s great active recovery and muscle toning, but it’s a great spiritual practice for getting back in touch with your mental self.

*Last but not least, the running! I’m thinking about maybe maybe signing up for a half marathon?! With only one 5K ever under my belt, this seems totally sane lol 😉 but either way I definitely want to work on upping my mileage, which means I’m planning on slowly working my way from 4 miles now to just over 7 by the end of the summer!

And there you have it! It’s a pretty regimented plan, which I’m hoping works out for the better, but I’m giving myself permission to mix things up a bit, as long as the end goal is still in mind!

What about you?! Do you have set summer goals? What are your plans for the summer?

Rave Run 5K: Race Recap

It finally happened, guys! That first 5K EVER that you guys saw me sign up for, talk about ad naseum, and flip my lid over – it’s come and gone and it was AH. MAZING. Seriously, you guys, I can’t think of a better race to cut my teeth on in terms of running, and I can safely say that not only will I be running more 5Ks in the future, but I’m actually really, REALLY excited to start pushing myself towards longer distances, pushing towards that half marathon! But enough of this philosophical nonsense – how about some race pics?

The whole event was, obvs, a night race, so the registration tables and race location opened at 6:30 that night for all those who were registering last minute (PRO tip: don’t do that. It’s awkward and takes forever. Because, you know, I’m a pro now and can give tips, lol). We got there at about 8:00, which gave us about an hour to stand around, stretch, drink water, use the bathroom, get our glow stuff ready to go, and of course take a ton of awkward cute pictures!

The race registration came with a necklace, bracelet, and glow glasses, but the Outlaw/Brown family don’t play that. My dad went to Party America earlier in the day and picked up a few more packets of glow bracelets/necklaces and it’s a good thing he did – even as blinged out as we were, there were definitely folks there who really made sure to prep for race day! The race itself had maybe…1,500 people running? I have no idea. I’m horrible at gestimating big numbers, and since the race was untimed and “non-competitive”, there isn’t even a stats list of all the runners. I took this picture of the crowd right before the start gate opened, and we were maybe 2/3 of the way back in the corral?

Either way, it seemed like there were enough people there that things had a good energy, but I didn’t notice any major hang ups. Let me tell you, if you’ve never run a race with other people before – LOOK WHERE YOU’RE GOING. I see a ton of legit runners giving advice about fueling, pacing, stretching, but no one seems to talk about one very basic but overlooked component – how to run in a crowd of people without tripping over your feet, theirs, or tripping them in the process. The only advice I have is short steps. Wait for the crowd to thin out. The race course itself, which I suppose I should talk about, was an out an back on the property of Kemper Arena, a KC sports complex, and while there was a set of hills that weren’t exactly the most fun, they weren’t steep and they were well lit, so I was kept distracted. The turn-around came at the end of an alley, which made for some bottlenecking and “cheating” I guess you could call it – I saw a bunch of people hopping over the cones to reverse direction early, rather than getting caught up in the big crowd at the actual turn around. Having no point of comparison, I’m not sure how ‘normal’ this is, but I definitely saw it happening!

Mark and I finished in 35:00 minutes and my parents, rock stars that they are, actually finished just before us in just over 30:00 minutes. This is the part where I’m going to get all emotionally gooey, so brace yourself: I’ve never felt something cooler than crossing this finish line, hand-in-hand with my husband, seeing my parents there smiling and sweaty, and I knew that I’d made the right choice to run slow and wait for my family and just take this in more as an experience than anything…there will always be more races. That I can guarantee you, especially now that the first one went so amazingly. But there won’t always be another race that my entire family decides to run with me (especially one that starts at 9:00 which, for those that know my early-bird momma, is quite a feat in and of itself). So all in all – the race was a SMASHING success and I can’t wait to run my next one!!!

No final pictures of sweaty Mark because he just wasn’t having it. But there the rest of us are, in all our sweaty, glow-y glory! We hung around the post-race party just long enough to have a beer and look longingly at the mini funnel-cakes, and then it was off to home and to bed!

What’d you guys tackle this weekend? Any major new developments?

Go big or go home

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the things I want to do in my life – the goals I have as pertains to fitness, career, family, and all those things that kind of round out a person and who they are. Maybe it’s because I’m starting to see definite progress on my weight loss journey; maybe it’s because I’ve recently been bit by the writing bug again, for the first time in a long time. Who knows. But, for whatever reason, I’ve been dreaming big lately, and who doesn’t need a couple castles in the clouds?

I’d love to be a personal trainer

The more and more fit I get, and the more blogs I read and the more knowledge I gain about the world of fitness, the more I think I’d really love to help other people like myself reach their physical goals. Not to mention, I’m at the gym multiple hours a day anyway. I’d be awesome to get paid for it. 😉

Add Zumba teacher to that, too

Add to that personal trainers certificate the ability to teach group classes, specifically Zumba and BodyPump! I really credit classes like that with helping me get my groove back (pun intended!) as far as establishing a fitness routine goes. Group classes are fun, invigorating, and can really help turn a “I don’t feel like it” day into an “I’m glad I went” day before you know it! I took a Zumba class in college, and it was basically the best thing I’ve ever got credit for.

I think I’ve got the writing chops.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not Steinbeck or Harper Lee or any such thing, but I’ve considered writing to be my “thing” since I was a little girl and, I think with enough persistence and daily practice, I’ve got the stories inside of me to share that other people may just consider worth reading. Yeah, it would be a pretty big deal to ever make a living off my writing – I know I’m one of legions out there who would love to do just that. But some dreams just have to be really, really big don’t they.

I want a whole pack of rugrats.

I’d love four. Mark isn’t quite there with me, yet, but there’s still plenty of time. 😉 I just think being a mommy is basically some of the best and most important work there can be.

That 8:00/mile is out there.

I see really awesome people out there running it all the time, so it’s not scientifically impossible! And I’m not hating in any way, nor am I down on myself for where I am now, but the bar has been set and I want to get as close to it as I can!

Last, but not least. The Big Kahuna.

This would just be…the goal. When it comes to running, I don’t know if I could imagine a bigger goal right now. It just seems like this pinnacle of determination, strength, fitness, and, well, a kind of superhuman devotion to running as a sport. Talk about a mind-blower!

So, what about you?

What’s your castle in the cloud look like? If you could be doing anything other than what you’re doing now, what would it be?