5k Update & A New Summer Challenge

June is coming to an end, which means that the 5k running challenge will be left in Colorado’s fire’y-ist month.   I wanted to share a quick update on how I did, or did not do.

The first 20 days I ran everyday (except for a day I went hiking for a few hours instead).  On the 21st day I had a dermatology appointment, which resulted in taking off a few suspicious moles and made my running come to a screeching halt.  You can read about that scary experience here.

As I was allowing my new wounds to heal, I dusted off my hybrid bike and rode around the local reservoir.  Less impact = less pain.  Everyday I went between 10-17 miles.   Good enough to keep me feeling active when I was supposed to be inactive.

Now that a week has gone by, I was able to run again today.  I went out for 3 miles and felt like I had lost whatever strength I had accumulated in the first 20 days.   I was baffled by how quickly it can be lost.

A new month is approaching and I am setting a new goal:  30 days of running or core power yoga everyday.  A mini 30 day sweat challenge sounds like a good idea!   The first 20 people that commit to doing a 30 day sweat challenge will get a complimentary life coaching session!   Write “SIGN ME UP!” in the comment section below or if you’re shy, shoot me an email betsy@betsyfrycoaching.com

What are you doing to stay in shape this summer?  Do you have specific goals that are helping you to stay on the fitness track?  Publicly declare those goals in the comment section below and I’ll help hold ya accountable.

Get Moving Colorado!

I promised to continue updating the blog with lots of goodies once the workout challenge finished and I have been slacking.  I hope that this makes up for it and provides some of you with some new running goals to get you through the winter season.

Overwhelming Gratitude

I wanted to take a moment and give my utmost gratitude to lululemon athletica.  The company was woven in and out of my blogging experience like a beautiful quilt.  Not only were they with me as my part-time employer, but the employees encouraged me daily and the community had become my support group.  Although I am no longer with the company, they continue to show love and support for my personal goals.  Ultimate definition of a dream company.  All of this reiterates my gratitude for what lululemon has helped me achieve and my sadness to leave such a meaningful chapter in my life behind.

Five million thanks for everything you have helped me create and for all of the undiscovered goals, ideas and relationships that lululemon will continue to cultivate in other individuals lives.   Hats off to you.  Humbled and wordlessly grateful.

 *Click the picture to see the blog that inspired my endless blabbering!

Days 167-169: Happy Sweats

Day 167:  In 2008 I went to my first yoga class with a new friend, Katie.  I have a memory of us at the studio in Pura Vida, trying desperately to complete crow pose and both of us falling on our faces.  Four and a half years later we had the chance to practice together again at Karma Yoga.  Katie is now an instructor whose practice I couldn’t take my eyes off of and who I am guessing, can complete a strong crow without any head bangups.

During our 75 minute class I was reminded of how far I have come in the past few years of consistent practice.  Four years ago I was terrified of yoga and what I thought it represented.  During class the instructor, Katrina, said hundreds of insightful things that I loved in the moment.  Three days later, I am at a loss for what she said, but am reminded of how looking fear square in the face is the best way to conquer it.  What’s the worst that can happen?  Falling out of crow? Finding a new passion?   Making a lifelong friend while laughing over a face plant?  Same thing goes with your biggest fears.  No matter how big the fear, it’s just a feeling of being scared.   Test them out, thank yourself later.

Day 168:   Yesterday my brother, sister-in-law and fiance went to Ft. Collins for a tour of New Belgium Brewing Company.   The tour lasted 90 minutes and they gave out six samples of their delicious beers.  If you live anywhere near Ft. Collins and haven’t been to the brewery, then I highly suggest checking it out:  www.newbelgium.com    After our tour we wandered around the city for about an hour to let the beer run its course in our bodies and then made our way back to Denver.

Despite our headaches from day beers, we decided to go on a group ride to REI and back.  Afterwards, we all downed our water bottles and collectively felt better after a 10 mile sweat session.

Day 169: 45 minute TRX workout at home….while watching the season premiere of Mad Men.  That really tested my multi-tasking abilities.

Days 157-159: It’s Runnin’ Season, Baby!

Day 157:  4 mile run

Day 158:  3 mile walk with a friend in Washington Park

Day 159: 5 mile run in Washington Park

As the weather gets warmer, my legs grow antsy for a consistent running season.  My running goals have remained unmet and the same for years.  This year, with the combination of the blog, our wedding and a fast running fiance; I meet my goals.   Please excuse any repetition in declaring my goals, it just helps me solidify the importance of them in my life: 

1. Run the Colfax half-marathon in under two hours in May 2012
2. Run 4-5 days a week, three miles minimum leading up to the half
3. Keep up with Mike for a five-mile run
4. 2-3 days a week of yoga to keep me stretched and balanced
5. Eat to fuel my body for goal achieving (aka: a fueled body feels better during workouts)

There they are, plain and simple.  What are your goals for this upcoming season?  Whatever they are, make them attainable, fun and give yourself lots of loving rewards along the way.  Want some support?   Enroll your friends, family and make public declarations of what you want to achieve.  You can do it, I guarantee you that…now you guarantee yourself the same thing!

 

Day 97: Pushing My Limits

On what is now setting the record for the most consecutive days that I have spent in the gym, I came to the conclusion that have been complacent with running.   Let me just rewind a bit to explain what that means to me.   In eighth grade gym class it was a requirement that everyone run a mile in under 12 minutes, I crossed the finish line some 20 seconds before the cut off.  In high school, I dabbled with shotput and discus; avoiding running entirely.  In college I ran a 5k in about 33 minutes.  After college I trained for my first duathlon and I ran my fastest 5k in 29 minutes.  Two years ago I ran my first half-marathon and averaged a 10.30 mile.  Are you seeing a pattern?  Over ten years of running and almost zero improvement in my times.

My only defense to this is that I have always told myself that I did not want to get faster.  I was ok with a 10-ish minute mile pace.  I was complacent with being a mediocre runner.  It was not until the last three days on a treadmill that I have watched my mile times tick down and down.  Today, my fastest mile at 8.15 felt stronger than my 9.30 mile.  I wanted to keep going, to continue testing myself and pushing for something that my body already knows is attainable.  I have been stuck in my head for so long and my body was ready to move on to something better.  It was ready to break through a barrier.

Today I am making a declaration that my half-marathon in May will boast less than a 9 minute mile pace.  Anything faster than that would take my breath away- literally and metaphorically.

Here are my questions to you:  What in your life have you become complacent with?  Are you being honest with yourself with what you truly want?  How are you going to set yourself in motion to make the changes that you need to move forward?   Be honest.  Make a declaration.  Watch your life change.

Day 83: Dream Big

I have run 10 miles four times in my life, new years day 2012 was the fourth time.  Mike and I both planned to  run 10 miles in our respective parts of the US.  I believe he did it to support me and I decided to do it for a lot of other reasons.  In the past few years I have become very dependent on class instructors to motivate me and have lost some of my intrinsic motivation in the process.  This year, I want to motivate myself more.

That was why I chose to start 2012 with the longest run I have completed in almost two years.  I averaged a 9 minute 30 second pace, which is an entire minute faster than the last time I ran 10 miles.  It was also 23 degrees with a windchill that made it feel like 16 degrees.   I found it really hard to move my legs for the first 3-4 miles, after that, I felt good.  Around mile 7.5 the sweat on my body starting getting really cold, I could feel my body overheating and freezing all at once.  It was such an odd sensation.  The thought that kept hovering in my mind was “when you’re done, you’re going to be so proud.”  Which I was.  Well that and that I got to eat Hank’s Eggs with my best friend at Lucille’s when I was done.  I kept my thoughts light, gentle and self-loving the whole time and it made my entire run seem so peaceful.

Since it is New Year’s Day, I thought I should throw a nugget in on resolutions.  Resolutions can be a wonderful thing, but most of the time people end up letting go of their resolutions quickly for whatever reason.  So I challenge you this year, not to set any resolutions, rather set an intention to make a commitment to yourself.  Whatever a commitment to yourself means, set it and stick to it.  The smaller the better.  You will be surprised what a difference a small commitment can make in your life.

I am going to share with you some of my goals for this next year:

• Run the Colfax half-marathon in May
• Work in one crossift class per week with Mike
• Hold a yogi head stand for two minutes
• Post higher quality pictures on my blog
• Workout with Al Roker on The Today Show

Those are just a handful of things I’d like to do in 2012.  I will spare you the details on the rest of them 🙂   This is the first year that my #1 goal was not “lose X pounds.”  I’d really like to congratulate myself for not putting that on there.  As a woman, I would always like to lose a few pounds, so it’s not that I do not want it to happen.  It didn’t make the list because it’s not a priority in my life.  My priority is to remain healthy, live a life full of integrity and be happy with what I have.  If I lose weight, great, if I don’t, then my body must be happy where it is.  Well that or I have had one too many plate of Hank’s Eggs from Lucille’s…

Happy 2012 goal setting!  Take small steps and dream big.

Day 73: Body Fat Blasted

Almost two years I was 10 lbs heavier and had 20% body fat.  As of today, I weighed 133 lbs and had 19.4% bodyfat.  I felt bad for the woman at Pura Vida who used the skin fold caliper on me today.  Not because she had to touch my chub, but because I get so awkward when people touch me that I start babbling about anything and make zero sense to even myself.

Because this is a blog about challenging myself and goals, I wanted to share some goals of mine with you.  By the end of this challenge, in 292 days to be precise, I want to have 15% body fat.  I’m not sure why it’s 15%, I just know what 19.4% feels like and I think that -4.4% would feel nicer. 

I am in the process of coming up with my other goals for 2012 and will share them with you on New Years Day.  A gal’s gotta have goals, right?  I typically set goals for myself every month or so and update anything that’s been outdated or needs some perking up.  It just keeps me focused on what I want and helps me manifest my dreams.   Whosh, sorry for all the goal talk.  New year’s and goals just gets the coach in me all jazzed up!

….so after that lovely body fat and goal detour I suppose I should tell you about my daily workout.  Today I went to Pura Vida and rode the bike for 45 minutes, followed by some ab work.  I am still feeling a bit under the weather, so I didn’t want to push my pedals too hard (pun intended).

Day 26: Friendly Walk

My friend Jenny and I walked around Washington Park twice (a little over 5 miles) and dished out about our lives.  It was one of those talks where you do not even realize that you are walking or doing anything good for yourself.  Doubly awesome when you consider the benefits:  talking + walking = a healthy soul.  If you have someone in your life that you can talk to for hours, then do it while walking.  Take advantage of the beautiful outdoor days of Fall and get to steppin!

Tonight I am working at lululemon and practicing (youuuuu guessed it!) another hour of yoga.  Two lovely workouts in one day.  I am so grateful to live a life that supports this lifestyle.  So grateful to have turned in my business pants and heels to embrace a life of stretchy pants and head stands.  I am blessed to get to talk about life goals and dreams everyday and share them with the world.  I am so happy that I get to help guide my clients down a path of a more inspired life.

What about you?  What would you change in your life to guide you to more happiness?