Member Appreciation Week: SATURDAY

On Saturday, there will be a DJ playing music during the morning classes, and there will be bagels, protein bars, and other treats.

Remember to fill out a raffle ticket each day you attend SWAT this week.  There will be a drawing for gift certificates to local businesses on Sunday!

Member Appreciation Week: FRIDAY

It's FRUITY FRIDAY!!!  Fruits will be served all day.  Yum!  

On Saturday, there will be a DJ playing music during the morning classes, and there will be bagels, protein bars, and other treats.

Remember to fill out a raffle ticket each day you attend SWAT this week.  There will be a drawing for gift certificates to local businesses on Sunday!

Member Appreciation Week: THURSDAY

On Thursday, Complete Nutrition will be in all day with samples of their products.  They're happy to answer your questions about all their products!  

Remember to fill out a raffle ticket each day you attend SWAT this week.  There will be a drawing for gift certificates to local businesses on Sunday!

Member Appreciation Week: WEDNESDAY

On Wednesday, as part of Member Appreciation Week, bring a buddy with you to the gym!  You're welcome to bring anyone, any time, all day - they can check out the classes, the equipment, the daycare (and, if you take them to Pump, it's the gift that keeps on giving, since their muscles will be sore for a few days if it's their first time in the class!).  While you're at it, introduce them to the blog, too!  ;-)

Complete Nutrition will be in all day on Thursday. 

Remember to fill out a raffle ticket each day you attend SWAT this week.  There will be a drawing for gift certificates to local businesses on Sunday! 

Member Appreciation Week: TUESDAY

Member Appreciation Week continues on Tuesday, with Jason from One on One Fitness will be giving free postural assessments and freebies from 6-8 pm.  On Wednesday, you can bring a buddy for free, all day, any time - please bring in a friend and introduce them to the awesomeness that is SWAT!

Remember to sign a raffle ticket for each day you attend SWAT this week; there will be a drawing on Sunday, 9/30. 

Member Appreciation Week: MONDAY

This is your friendly reminder that Member Appreciation Week begins Monday, 9/24, with FREE COFFEE ALL DAY!!!!!  Enjoy!  On Tuesday, 9/25, Jason from One on One Fitness will be giving free postural assessments and freebies from 6-8 pm.  On Wednesday, you can bring a buddy with you for free, any time, all day, so ask your friends or relatives now!

Member Appreciation Week!!

Look at you.  You're amazing - you've been a loyal member, you've burned countless calories, you've inspired fellow members, you've told friends and family to join SWAT, you've checked in on Facebook, you've stuck with it even when the air conditioning was broken, you've given hearty "woos" and claps during classes, you've helped make the launch of CXWORX a tremendous success, and you've even (thank you so very much) been following the SWAT blog.  

Now, the owners and instructors are giving back.  All next week, SWAT is celebrating you with Member Appreciation Week.  The schedule is below:

Monday, 9/24: free coffee all day!

Tuesday, 9/25: Jason from One on One Fitness will be giving free Postural 
                           Assessments and freebies from 6-8 pm

Wednesday, 9/26: bring a buddy for free, any time, all day


Thursday, 9/27: Complete Nutrition will be in all day

Friday, 9/28: "Fruity Friday" - fruits will be served all day

Saturday, 9/29: There will be a DJ playing music during the morning classes, and there
                            will be bagels, protein bars, and other treats

Sunday, 9/30: There will be a drawing for a gift certificate from Brewsters and other
                          businesses; you'll be able to sign one raffle ticket for the drawing each
                          day you are at SWAT during Member Appreciation Week


Emma also told me that instructors may be bringing in treats for some of their classes as well (Emma is going to introduce us all to Scottish baked goods!).  You ARE noticed and appreciated - thank you!

FEATURED MEMBER: Mary

Mary has been a SWAT member for almost a decade now, so chances are, you have run into her at some point.  She is always smiling (even at the end of a group fitness class!), and she works really hard...and don't you think this picture of her is just stunning (we're so used to seeing everyone at the gym with, shall we call it, the workout glisten - not with nicely done hair and makeup!)?

 

Tell us a little about yourself.

I have been married to my husband Chad for 19 wonderful years!!  We have 2 children: Mitch (16 yrs old) and Maddy (13 yrs old).  I have worked for over 22 years for Dr. Tom Saewert as a dental hygienist.  My favorite things to do are watch my son play soccer, watch my daughter ice skate, and exercise!!  I enjoy it and love how it makes me feel!!!!
 
What is your usual weekly workout routine?
I try to work out 4 -5 times a week.  Each day I try to do different classes.  My cardio routine usually consists of Body Combat on Monday, RPM on Tuesdays, Body Attack on Wednesday, off on Thursday, CXWORX/Step on Friday, and Super RPM on Saturdays.  I try to fit Body Pump in on Wednesdays and Saturdays!!

What are your go-to snacks and meals?
My favorite snacks/meals are Greek yogurt with granola or fruit, almonds, veggies with hummus, fresh fruit and at least 1 salad a day with a healthy protein choice.

How do you balance being active with the demands of your daily life?
I balance being active with the demands of my daily life by planning out my workout routine.  When I find it too busy to keep up with my exercise routine because of 2 very busy kids and their activities, I will switch my workout days to Thursday or Sunday!!

What is a fitness or healthy living goal you have for yourself?
I have two fitness goals: the first is to run a marathon and the second is to do a long distance bike ride!!  I volunteered for the Mud Run this past year and found it to be so very inspiring!

What do you like about being a member of SWAT?
I love being a member at SWAT!!  I have built so many wonderful relationships with other members!  All the instructors are so positive and motivating....everyone there makes you feel so special!!

What is your favorite class at SWAT?  Why?
I really do not have a favorite class.  I enjoy them all because they are so different.  They challenge my brain as well as my body.  There are days when I drag myself into the gym feeling a little tired and sluggish but walk out of there feeling totally rejuvenated!!  Love those instructors!!!!!

Do you have a person who is your healthy living/fitness inspiration?  Who and why?
When I joined SWAT 8 years ago I was the member who would walk by the group fitness room and say I cannot do that.  As time went on I would stop and watch for a couple of minutes but did not have the courage to join in.  As I would stand outside the room the instructor would be yelling at me to come on in!!  One day I did and that was the beginning of my love for the fitness classes!!  The instructor who so inspired me is Carol Raseman.....she always encouraged me and told me that I could do anything I set my mind to!!   She no longer teaches but is a personal fitness trainer.  Whenever I need a new challenge or to change things up she knows just what to do for me!!

Anything else you'd like to say?
Thanks SWAT for offering the best fitness classes in the Kalamazoo area!!!!

Weekly Food and Exercise Journal

I'm still not ready to publish my weight...it's definitely way up from the last time I posted in June, when I hit 159 pounds.  The good news is that I was getting back into good habits and the number is coming down.  The bad news is that my exercise has been curtailed since my knee is injured.  I see a doctor this afternoon; hopefully, he can give me some answers!  The other bad news is that I was faced with many food temptations this weekend, and I pretty much gave in to all of them without journaling.  Sigh...it's a vicious cycle that I never seem to break, right?  How do people who get really skinny (or at least a healthy weight) DO that and maintain that?  I haven't been able to conquer that yet.

Monday, September 10 - 1,579 calories
Breakfast (432 cal): egg whites, oatmeal, sugar-free mocha
Snack (200 cal): Balance Bar
Lunch (287 cal): PB&J sandwich, mixed veggies, nectarine
Snack (60 cal): Tootsie Pop
Dinner (600 cal): Chicken Cacciatore, brown rice

Tuesday, September 11 - 1,529 calories
Breakfast (280 cal): Balance bar, banana
Lunch (435 cal): PB&J sandwich, mixed veggies, Chobani Greek yogurt, nectarine
Snack (160 cal): Baked Lays
Dinner (449 cal): egg whites, turkey sausage, hash browns
Snack (205 cal): apple with peanut butter

Wednesday, September 12 - 1,663 calories
Pre-workout (80 cal): banana
Workout 1: Floor exercises with Jessica, 30 minutes arc trainer
Breakfast (382 cal): Balance bar, skinny mocha
Lunch (320 cal): Cafe Steamers frozen meal, bell peppers, nectarine
Snack (286 cal): Greek yogurt, steamed corn, nectarine
Dinner (295 cal): 5 oz chicken, mixed veggies
Workout 2: CXWORX
Snack (300 cal): raisins and almonds

Thursday, September 13 - 1,583 calories
Breakfast (332 cal): egg whites, skinny mocha
Snack (80 cal): banana
Lunch (320 cal): Cafe Steamers frozen meal, nectarine, bell peppers
Snack (55 cal): apple
Dinner (796 cal): black bean burger (no bun) kettle chips, guacamole, ice cream

Friday, September 14 - 2,354 calories
Workout: 60 minutes arc trainer
Breakfast (462 cal): balance bar, skinny mocha, medium banana
Lunch (280 cal): nectarine, Cafe Steamers frozen meal
Dinner (1,612 cal): 2 Redbridge gluten-free beers, 3 pieces pizza at Old Chicago

Saturday, September 15 
Did not record food but walked/jogged 4 miles
 
Sunday, September 16
Did not record food but took Attack/Pump combo and CXWORX and jogged 2 miles

The Injury Cycle

I've been talking about my injuries since I started this blog.  First it was the capsulitis in my right foot, then the tendonitis in my left foot, then my shoulder injury, and NOW, it's my right knee.  I've been having twinges of pain in my right knee on my long runs for a while now, but it hasn't been anything debilitating.  

This past Saturday, I set out for an 11-mile run.  At mile 6.5, I stopped by my house for a pit stop.  I wondered out loud to Asa if I should continue since my knee was starting to hurt, especially going downhill (and the Winchell neighborhood is full of hills), but I decided to give it a try and take walk breaks as necessary.  At mile 7.5, I was completely walking.  At mile 8, my knee started buckling, and so, half a mile from my house, I had to call Asa to come pick me up.

I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo flippin' frustrated!  My lungs have felt great, and I've finally been able to push myself to do speed work, but once again, my body is not cooperating.  This is all happening just in time for fall, which, as all runners know, is the most wonderful time of the year for running outside. 

I have had many friends with IT band injuries, and so I'm doing stretches and PT exercises that are supposed to help with IT band stuff.  At the gym, I'm just doing CXWORX and the arc trainer, and I've actually rested 4 out of the 5 days since the injury occured.  Even the dreaded, boring elliptical seems too hard on my knee these days.

I did find this article about the injury cycle.  It's a little (okay, very) technical, but the overall gist is that injuries are a result of our entire lifestyle, especially our stress levels and overall nutrition.  I'm sure there is much more information out there, and I'm going to keep researching.  I'm hoping this doctor I'm seeing Monday will help me treat this injury in the context of all my past injuries and experiences as well as my future fitness goals (I kinda feel like he'll need to order a full body MRI with all my problems!). 

So, I don't know if I'll be able to do the fun bike ride and running races I'd planned on in the next few weeks.  I hope so - both are really fun events!  The first is the Baker's Dozen Beer Run (which I'm planning to bike) on September 29; the second is the Eight and Eat  run on October 6.  Cross your fingers for me!

FEATURED MEMBER: Lisa S.

This week's featured member is Lisa.  She is a member of the morning crew, and she is pretty dedicated to getting there every morning, especially considering how far she has to travel to get here!  I've seen her there for years, but I only recently introduced myself.  I'm glad I did - she's super fun to talk to in the morning when we're getting ready to head to work!  She's very funny in person, and as you'll read below, equally as entertaining in print.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Lisa Sikkema.  I am married and have a 7 year old son, Jackson who is the love of my life.  We live in Decatur and enjoy camping, boating/watersports, playing tennis and just spending time together.  I am a digital media consultant at the MLive Media Group (Kalamazoo Gazette) and LOVE it!  I get paid to get to know people and their business, and I love seeing the results I’ve been able to bring to my customers using digital media to help grow their business.

 

What is your usual weekly workout routine? 
I try to make it a minimum of 4 times per week.  I work with a trainer Tues & Fri., Wed. Body Pump w/CX and Mon and Thursday, my own thing- I start with 20-30 min. on the Arc or the elliptical at a level of 4-5…ok, sometimes 2 or 3!...it’s really hard sometimes!  I try to burn somewhere close to 300 calories to feel good about it, and afterwards I work with weights -1 of the days I will  do drills – I like to go into the yoga room and do the side running thing where you’re squatting a bit and holding 8lb weights and you kind of shuffle sideways (like football), really fast step ups on the bench with 3 risers (I count to 30 for each leg) then work my biceps/triceps and core.  On the other day I will work legs; I like walking lunges with shoulder presses, LOVE the sled and try everything in my power not to do squats because I HATE them!

What are your go-to snacks and meals?
I like to snack on cheese sticks, carrots…sometimes reduced fat kettle chips, I’m not really a big snacker during the week because I’m really busy during the day.  At home, I will find myself having a handful of kettle chips.  I’m not a “sweets” person; I prefer crunchy, salty things!

I LOVE food, it’s my biggest downfall, but I can’t help it!  I like to think about what I am going to have for lunch, then dinner and when I talk to people (people I know, not strangers),  I like to find out what they had for lunch and dinner.is that weird?  Actually, I eat pretty healthy during the week because I am a planner – usually, chicken, fish or pork chops with veggies (try to curtail the carbs during the week), or spaghetti w/ lean beef, etc.  I’ve been a member of Weight Watchers forever and it’s a great program (if you follow it).  I am conscious about fat content, points and serving sizes – what kills me are the weekends.  I sometimes get this “anything goes” attitude – Friday is usually pizza night and I like to make a big Sunday dinner, usually some kind of delicious red meat accompanied by mashed potatoes and gravy (my first Love!).
 
How do you balance being active with the demands of your daily life?
I come to the gym between 5:30 and 6 am- I am a morning person and love to work out first thing, it really gets my day going!  I live 40 minutes away, and at the end of the day, I just want to go home.  I don’t like coming back to Kalamazoo on the weekends either; my priority is my family, so it’s really important to me to make sure I get those 4-5 days in during the week.
 
What is a fitness or healthy living goal you have for yourself?
My goal …..well, my goal is to lose this fatness I have around my belly and behind, BUT because I haven’t been willing so far to break things off with my food boyfriend, my goal is to just be healthy and I know that exercise is a HUGE factor.  My job can be really busy and stressful at times, and I know the toll that stress can take on your body, so that being said, I make sure that I eat healthy more than I eat badly, exercise regularly, and I have my HDL, triglycerides, and cholesterol checked every year...they are fantastic by the way, very low! My blood pressure is always low too, and I know it is a direct result of exercising consistently.

What do you like about being a member at SWAT?
The staff for sure!  The trainers are fabulous – Carol, Jeff, Marta, in particular, they are so motivating and make you feel like you are family.  It’s not really that they are trying, it’s just who they are!  When you do Body Pump with Marta (Jason too) she is constantly looking around the room to make sure your form is correct.  She always throws in this funny banter also –so you’re always engaged, she makes you WANT to work hard, and you always feel great after.  The personal trainers I have worked with (Carol and Jeff) are so educated about diet, physical fitness etc.  They are so very skilled at making me work harder than I really thought I could or even wanted to.  We always talk about what we put in our mouths and how one day of eating badly can throw away 2 days of a great workout, making sure I have the correct form so I don’t hurt myself, and finding creative workouts that are fun, like drills or boxing or boot camp type of stuff. 

I should also mention the members, I see the same people every morning –they are like family to me….all in all, working out at SWAT is just a really great start to my day!

What is your favorite class at SWAT?  Why?
My favorite class is Body Pump/CX on Wednesday – I love the mix of big muscles and core.   When I’m done with that class I have that all- over- tired- body feeling, like I worked all of my muscles.  It really works my core where I need it the most.

Do you have a person who is your healthy living/fitness inspiration?  Who and why?
My trainers – between Jeff and Carol, they really helped me turn a corner with being healthy – I have so much admiration for those two.  Jeff is over 50 and can do pullups like nobody’s business – even more than Greg Brady!  And Carol…..have you SEEN her? She looks like a million bucks and can outwork anybody!   While I still eat a little too much on the weekends sometimes, I am a lot more mindful of what I put in my mouth and am more conscious about making healthier choices.

Anything else you’d like to say?
I LOVE SWAT!  Between the staff (and that goes for the girls at the front desk as well the trainers), and the members, I feel like I have a second family.  Everybody is kind of cut out of the same cloth: we have kids, stressful jobs sometimes, husbands that irritate us, we like drinking wine …really, they are just like me, not perfect but just good people who have found the balance between having a good time and being healthy.  I look forward to coming in every day and can’t imagine not starting my day out there.

Weekly Food and Exercise Journal

As I said in my post last Wednesday, I'm going to resume publishing my food and exercise journal every Monday to help keep myself on track and hopefully avoid gaining any more weight.  I went "off the grid" Saturday - I felt like I needed one day to myself.  I didn't go crazy that day; in fact, I ran 8 miles (stay tuned for a post about my latest injury...GRRR!), and ate healthily except for one "cheat meal" involving Big Burrito and brownies.

If anything stands out to you, I'd love any feedback and/or advice!

Tuesday, 9/4 - 1,604 calories
Pre-workout (140 cal): Chobani greek yogurt 
*Workout: 45 minutes of BodyAttack
Post-workout (200 cal): Balance bar
Lunch (250 calories): 1 c. fruit, egg white scramble with mushrooms, onions, and green peppers
Snack (200 cal): Balance bar
Snack (315 cal): grapes
Dinner (270 cal): 2 c. green beans, 1 c. garbanzo beans
Snack (230 cal): pumpkin protein shake

Wednesday, 9/5 - 1,543 calories
Pre-workout (53 cal): 1/2 c. grapes
*Workout: floor workout with Jessica, 15 minutes elliptical
Post-workout (382 cal): Balance bar, skinny mocha
Lunch (290 cal): PB&J on gluten-free bread, 1 c. grapes
Snack (200 cal): Balance bar
Snack (63 cal): nectarine
Dinner (450 cal): 2.5 pieces of 10" gluten-free mushroom pizza from Erbelli's
*Workout: 2.6 miles jogging
Snack (105 cal): 1 c. grapes

Thursday, 9/6 - 1,772 calories
Pre-workout (80 cal): 1 banana
*Workout: 4 miles on the treadmill (1 mile warmup, speed intervals, 1 mile cooldown)
Post-workout (382 cal): Balance bar, skinny mocha
Lunch (419 cal): Chobani Greek yogurt, cucumber, PB&J on gluten-free bread, nectarine
Snack (240 cal): 4 Tootsie pops
Snack (97 cal): 2 c. strawberries
Workout: BodyPump class
Dinner (554 calories): 8 scrambled egg whites, 3/4 c. garbanzo beans, 24 almonds, 1 c. mixed veggie (corn/carrots/green beans)

Friday, 9/7 - 1,796 calories
Pre-workout (80 cal): 1 banana
*Workout: 60 minutes on elliptical, low intensity
Post workout (382 cal): Balance bar, skinny mocha
Snack (200 cal): Balance bar
Lunch (342 cal): Chobani Greek yogurt, green beans, PB&J on gluten-free bread 
Snack (123 cal): nectarine, Tootsie Pop
Dinner (669 cal): 4 oz. Tandoori chicken, 2/3 c. brown rice, 1 c. green beans, fruit salad w/mandarin oranges &
     banana, ice cream 

Sunday, 9/9 - 1,390 calories
Breakfast (304 cal): 8 scrambles egg whites, 1 c. raspberries, 1/2 banana
Snack (182 cal): skinny mocha
Lunch (310 cal): Greek yogurt, salt & vinegar Pop chips
Dinner (594 cal): 4 oz. grilled salmon, asparagus, 1/2 corn, quinoa with almonds, raspberries

Pumpkin + Protein

Last night was great sleeping weather, wasn't it?  Windows open, blankets on, lots of snuggling.  Ah, fall.  These cooler temperatures mean I will be breaking out the crock pot pretty soon.  It also means I'll be craving pumpkin pie.  However, I've found a much healthier alternative: a pumpkin protein shake.  It's one of my favorite snacks, and my kids love it too!  Pumpkin, even the canned stuff, is chock full of nutrients.  It's low calorie (about 45 per half cup), and it has lots of fiber, vitamin A, and beta-carotene (and we all need lots of antioxidants!).

Blend together the following ingredients:

6-8 ice cubes
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 packet Splenda (optional)
2-4 T. water as needed (in case it's not enough liquid with just the milk) 

Altogether, that's about 200-250 calories, depending on what kind of milk you use. 

Going Mental

So, if I blogged every thought I had about food/exercise/fitness/diet/weight loss, you would think I'm a head case.  That's because I am a head case.  I am so Jekyll and Hyde with my thoughts!  Here is a sample of what you may hear me saying to myself if you could hear my thoughts in, say, a thirty-second time span:

Today is the day!  I will get back on track today!  I totally sucked in my workout this morning.  What a wimp.  Hmmm...I'll feel better if I can find one person in the room fatter than me.  I really do like my legs!  Yay for muscly legs!   What the hell are those ugly lumps of fat above my butt?  Is there a medical term?  Bonus butt?  And what about that low gut pouch?  Front butt?  I'm going to train for a marathon!  I really want to lose 30 pounds, but I'll never be able to do it.  I have come so far already!  I am strong.  Forget it, I'll never lose the weight anyway...where's the cereal?  Or the chips?  Or both?  My kids make healthy choices most of the time, so I must be doing something right.  I'm soooooooooo fat!!!!!!!!

Poor Asa...he often has to put up with me actually saying these things out loud.  So, what is getting in my way?  I work my tail off at the gym and out on the trails, but I obviously lack self-control when it comes to food.  I can't tell you the number of times I've resolved to start over with calorie counting and weight loss.  After all the hard work I put into exercise, why am I a self-saboteur when it comes to food?  Why can't I either avoid unhealthy foods or just be satisfied having one small serving? 

I've decided the best thing to do is to resume publishing my weekly food and exercise journal every Monday.  That's selfish, I know - it's really just to keep me on track; I know it's not riveting reading for anyone else. 

On Tuesday, I went out to eat with some friends from work.  It was the first day back to school with students, and I was feeling celebratory.  We went to Crow's Nest, which has so many delicious options.  I had begun the morning with a Body Attack class and followed that with logging my breakfast into My Fitness Pal.  I didn't want to ruin my healthy-so-far day, but the sweet potato fries were tempting me, as were the hash browns and bacon.  I talked myself into ordering an egg white scramble with green peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and I ordered fruit instead of hash browns.  I also nixed the toast that came with it (I shouldn't be eating that anyway since gluten makes me sick!).  It was a yummy meal, and I was glad I resisted temptation.  I stayed on track the rest of that day - first time in a long time!!

When I checked my work email right after lunch at Crow's Nest, there was a message with our monthly "Wellness Tip" for teachers.  It affirmed the thought process I went through when ordering lunch.  Here is what it said:


“To weaken the intensity and reduce the frequency of cravings you have to stop giving in to them,” therapist Dr. Judith Beck tells us.  And, each time we respond successfully to temptation we add muscle to our behavior change process.
“Easier said than done,” you might be thinking.  Change is not easy but with techniques and support we can succeed.

Here are some thinking skills you can use to win those daily battles and avoid the negative thinking that keeps you from achieving your health goals:

1. Track the day, time, duration, and intensity of your cravings. Pay particular attention to how they do pass with time and focused resistance.
2. Label and release the message that comes into your head:  “This is just an idea in my mind and I can let it go.”
3. Respond to the temptation with a big NO CHOICE (thinking or verbalizing) versus going into the push and pull thinking that you have done in the past.
4. Imagine the aftermath of giving in to the temptation.
5. Remind yourself why you don’t want to give in to temptation using a personalized list you have created.
6. Distance yourself from temptation.
7. Distract yourself from temptation using a list of things you can do for 5-7 minutes until the craving passes.
8. Relax.
9. Drink water.
10. Always give yourself credit for each time you resist temptation and share your successes with others—every positive action counts!

Adapted from The Beck Diet Solution:  Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person, Judith S. Beck, Ph.D

 

The (Gallo)Way to Go

One of my BFFs, Kenny, is training for the Disney marathon this January.  He's following the Galloway method in an effort to have injury free training and a successful marathon.  Injury free????  Why haven't I been trying this?

The basic premise is that during your long runs (usually on Saturdays), you take walk breaks, the frequency of which depends on your long run pace.  Kenny has been running for intervals of 4 minutes with a 1 minute walk break following that.  The past few Saturdays, I'd been doing some long runs - 6 miles on August 11 and 8 miles on August 18.  I felt pretty good, but my knee had started to act up towards the end.  On August 25, I ran 9 miles with Kenny, and I can definitely say that incorporating those walk breaks made it the easiest 9 miles I've ever run!  

So, this past Saturday, I set out to run 10 miles.  I was confident that with the walk breaks, I could make it through that distance no problem.  The only difference was that this time, I'd asked my darling husband, Asa, to accompany me.  Asa works out all the time, but he is not really a runner, so I figured he'd say no...but he said yes.  Who does that?  I mean, who agrees to run 10 miles with no training?  It all started when I signed up for the Eight and Eat run a couple weeks ago (you should sign up too - or at least volunteer to help!).  I was telling him how it's for a great cause AND you get to eat pancakes at the end!  He said that he would sign up because he was sure he could run 8 miles.  Um, okay, honey...whatever you say.

Well, he did it.  He ran 8 miles, and made it 10 total but mostly walked the final 2.  I'm sure the walk breaks helped him a ton, and they definitely helped me!  That was about 60 hours ago, and his lack of training is still coming back to bite him; he is still sore and stiff and pretty beat up.  I, however, am feeling great...there is a hint of my old foot injury, so I'm making sure to ice it and not do too much running between my Saturday long runs.

It feels great to be getting back into distance running just as fall weather is around the corner.  I'm keeping fingers crossed that this method keeps working for me!