www.active.com

I recently came across a fabulous site that I thought I'd pass along. It's called Active.com and has lots of fitness resources on it:
- Training Logs - FREE
- Pace Calculators
- Training guides
- Articles "Ways to reduce shin pain, etc"
- Route calculators - very cool and accurate - Mike has tested many routes
- Nutrition information
- Event details
- Pretty much information on every activity/sport


As I was surfing the page this evening, I came across the following article: "Are you ready to run"...What the hay - might as well check, if I'm ready!
Here are the questions and my answers, as of 12noon today....

1. Are you acclimatized—have you been in similar temperatures during the last two weeks? YES

2. Are you well rested (having gotten at least seven hours of sleep last night), and have you been in cooled/air-conditioned environments for some part of the last 24 hours? NO and Are you crazy?

3. Are you hydrated? (If you are hydrated, your urine will be pale yellow in color. If it is dark like apple juice, you're dehydrated.) DEHYDRATED (if I'm looking at urine..)

4. Are you healthy—no recent illnesses? HEALTHY

5. Are you well nourished? NO, 1 banana doesn't cut it for me

6. Have you avoided alcohol in the last 24 hours? YES, off the bottle

7. Are you taking medications with ephedrine or other prescription medicines that might interfere with your thermal regulation (information you can find in the literature that comes with the medication or get from a pharmacist)? NO

As the article says: If you answer "no" to any of questions 1 through 6 or "yes" to question 7, Dr. Roberts advises either exercising indoors or keeping your run very short and very easy.

Hmmmmm...well it's been a slice but maybe this running isn't for me. Ha - joking! What does active.com or the Doc know anyway???'

ENJOY!

Perseverance

The last 2 training days have been challenging and rewarding. Perseverance was the theme for these days. As the Synchro Team is preparing for Nationals - the pool schedule has been demanding and busy. Caffeine and "digging deep" has been where I've been finding my energy. As I've been working power shifts (8pm-4am) and then getting up to coach/run (at 9am and 8am - Sat/Sun respectively), lack of sleep and muscle/joint soreness was trying to stand in my way. On Saturday, myself and future sister-in-law started her journey to the PEI Marathon 5km race in October. I love the feeling of starting a journey - anticipation, doubt and adrenaline all combined in one. We got through the run/walk and I must say - she did fabulous! Then, today - Bec and I continued with our training plan and ran a longer route (3mins run, 1min walk - 30mins). After 4 hours sleep, coaching 3 hours and hunger setting in - I was unsure if I was going to be able to complete the training for the day. Not to mention my sister's self inflicted illness - we were in a sad state of affairs. After a 5min focusing time (ie. sitting on the couch and complaining) we got up and headed outside. We established that we'd run on the residential streets - in case of an emergency "matapiko" (google swahili matapiko)and keep going under any circumstance - at one point, Becs had a severe stitch in her heart region that I was sure she was going to collapse. Note to stitch sufferers - count over and over to 10 - tried, tested and true!I'm sure you're wondering why we would torture ourselves? To me, persevering is a crutial part of the training process. If we don't run when we don't feel like it - we'd hardly run. It also makes the better times much sweeter:)

Naiads and the Nationals

This week (April 28-May 4th), the Charlottetown Naiads Synchro Team Tier 6/7 athletes will be participating in the Canadian Open Synchronized Swimming Championships here on PEI. The improvement in these athletes throughout this last season is amazing - as Tier 6/7 are the highest levels in synchro, these girls have earned their right to be competing at this meet. This year, I was consistently blown away with the work ethic of these athletes...There was never an issue with getting them to work hard - in fact, a lot of times I would need to tell the girls to take a break and stop working. I can honestly say that these girls are athletes. To me, an athlete is someone who dedicates (physically, mentally) themselves to a sport and lives a healthy lifestyle. Athletes are confident, fit, team players, focused and enthusiastic. The Charlottetown Naiad Tier 6/7 girls possess these qualities.
The mindset on PEI in Synchronized Swimming used to be that we are at a disadvantage because of numbers, facilities, equipment and money. Now, thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers, coaches and parents - we have excellent equipment, a top notch facility and increasing registration.
I would like to 'shout out' to all of the Naiad coaches as well - we have a hardworking group who devote countless hours to ensure that we improve and are on track. Thank You!
Check out all of the event details at www.synchro.ca
Good Luck girls! Proud to be a Naiad:)

Swinging and Sweating

Tonight, I got a taste of how difficult fitness pole dancing can be. I'm not sure if it was unusually hot in the studio or if I was just working extra hard tonight but I was 'feeling' it. We did extra rocking cats and sexy push ups and I couldn't help but start sweating and feeling the burn. We reviewed all of Level 1 and did our fireman's twirl and backward spins on both hands and I must of been working hard as I had no time for carrying on - I had to get down to work! Now that I'll be a graduate of Level 1 next week and moving onto Level 2/3, I need to up the anty. So as my sister was dudding her spins - wasn't her night - I was practicing. I did so many sharp back arches and spins that I wasn't used to it. By the end of the class - I was exhausted! The instructor showed us moves from Level 2/3 and by the looks of it these Levels will be a challenge! Can't wait:)

For your viewing pleasure - Enjoy: http://www.youtube.ca/watch?v=bbD-r7Pe0tQ

Goal Getters

Today is the beginning to achieving a goal for a special person to me (and I'm sure there's lots of people that are about to begin something as well today). It's hard when you're about to start a journey and you're not certain of the final destination. I can sympathize with feelings of doubt and fear as the first time I started running (for example) it was more of an ambush then a plan. Mike and I decided to go out for a walk on the trail on a beautiful afternoon. All of a sudden (as he looked at his watch) he said "ok - we're going to 'jog' for the next minute - let's go"....WHAT? - I thought - you've got to be joking! I did it, ONLY for the sheer fact that he was running and I didn't want to walk by myself.... What a way to start eh? After the first minute, I started thinking that it really wasn't THAT bad. I could think of worse things I could be going through.. This was the beginning day of my running journey and I've had lots of ups and downs since then. What hasn't changed is the length of 10kms or the hills that may be standing in my way. What can change for some is the goal - on the 'doubtful' days - the goal may waffle - "maybe I'll just do 5kms" or "maybe I'll try for 35 mins instead of 30. Setting a goal should be concrete, achievable, and challenging. There's nothing wrong with reassessing goals but set a date, time to do the assessing - NOT in a doubtful moment. Rebecca and I have set a reassessing date in July (this would be 14 weeks until the Marathon - and approx 2 months after we've started our conditioning training). to assess the following:
- Our progress, commitment to date
- Our body (aches/pains)
- Circumstances in our life's at this time (work, etc)
Then - we'll choose whether we'll move on to the 10km plan or the 1/2 marathon plan. One thing is for sure - we intend to run in this race!
So, if you're beginning a journey today - believe in the power of a mindset, intention. Good Luck!
Shout out to Lisa G. who is doing awesome on the treadmill! Keep it up!

Fitness Log:
Yesterday: 25mins run/walk (2.5mins run, 1min walk)
Today: 25 mins run/walk
Tomorrow: Pole dancing, run/walk

The CrossFit Challenge

Myself and a coworker decided to give CrossFIt a go and attend a free clinic last fall. CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at a high intensity (pushups, sit ups, squats, box jumps, pull ups, etc) in timed exercise sets. One thing is for sure, it is intense. At this free session, the instructor/owner gave us a basic tutorial of what CrossFit is and why it is an effective way of exercising. Then - we learned how to properly squat and were put through a sample workout. The sample workout was an eye opener as I never thought that box jumping could be so difficult. It challenged your system where I felt like (at the end of 5mins) I had run 10kms. Amazing!
At first, I was intimidated to go to the class - I had a predetermined opinion that everyone who goes to CrossFit is in amazing shape and that I would "look silly". Don't get me wrong - there were some people there that were in great shape but there were also a lot of average Joes/Janes. I fell somewhere in the middle for my timed workout and felt a sense of support/community after 1/2 hour. The instructors were excellent and encouraging. The people that attended were just as scared/apprehensive as I and of course, I could offer some "good jobs" and "keep it up's".
In my opinion, if you could combine CrossFit, Yoga, and a weekly cardio session - you would be on your way to a well balanced, effective workout regime. Funny thing is that you won't see traditional body building exercises (like bicep curls) at these classes. You will see people pushing themselves to their limits and looking alive and healthy. Mike has been doing CrossFit for a couple of years now and ran last year's PEI 1/2 marathon without training (did I mention that CrossFit has little running involved). I also know that I started doing CrossFit workouts on my own and noticed a change in my overall ability in a very short period of time. I can also say that my coworker has kept up with it (I couldn't as I had Synchro during class times) and is looking fabulous! I intend to join the gym hopefully this summer but the nice thing about CrossFIt is that you can do it on your own as well.
I believe CrossFit is a challenge at is not for the mentally weak - you will feel like giving up but if you can push yourself to the end of the time, you'll gain a lot. Typically the exercise sets are short so in this case you could think of it as "Short-Term Pain - Long-Term Gain!!"
Today, Rebecca and I were up at 6:45am running in the snow and rain. We were sooo thankful there was no wind and we only had to concern ourselves with how wet we were getting. Yes, we're hardcore!

Training VS Exercising

This week, I'd like to say I was 'in training'. I had an excellent week on the pavement and brought calm and tranquility back into my life by going to Yoga. I couldn't ask for more - The body felt great, I had a spring in my step and a clear head. Having set a goal for the PEI Marathon has brought a new sense of purpose to me. It's a different mindset of thinking that I'm "in training" and not just exercising because I have to. This week mother nature brought wind, snow, rain and overcast skies and yes, I was running through it all. Rebecca and I met for 2 training sessions both which brought sh**ty weather but also brought out the competitor in us.
I would like to say that at the end of this journey to the marathon, that I gave it my all and persevered at times when I would have quit before. I have started to noticed some changes in my body. I can see a mini bump on my legs (others would call it a quadricep), I have started to notice a hint of a collarbone and when I run I can't feel my stomach 'jiggle' anymore. Not scientific/specific measurements but areas that mean something to me. I can stand up straight without effort and feel a sense of confidence when I walk around. I haven't weighed myself and don't plan on it. I would just like to see a little more room in my jeans, my jacket zip up easier and possibly get back to wearing more fitted clothing. That's all....
So, for now on - I'm going to set specific fitness goals for myself and 'train' to achieve them. Rebecca and I have also decided to sign up for Level 2/3 pole dancing as it's been a liberating time for us and I plan on (after the synchro season) starting regular kettlebell classes and stick with Yoga.