Why Hello Cool Weather!

This past week the weather has been amazing. Nothing like a nice cooler temperature for running! I guess this is the last nice weather we'll have before the hot and humid spring and summer. I'll take it for now!

The last couple of weeks I've been pretty much following the same routine: Monday night is Orange theory night; Tuesday night I get a casual 3-4 miles in; Wednesday night I lead my run club; Thursday night is another Orange Theory night; Friday afternoon I work out at the gym at work; Saturday is my long run and Sunday I rest!

However this week my schedule is thrown in for a loop... First off I did not go to Orange Theory on Monday. Instead I actually rested (odd I know lol)! Tonight I decided to go to the Hollywood run club with some of my runner friends. I laugh because I figured this would be my one opportunity to go unnoticed in another run club. However, I was automatically introduced as the Weston Run Club president to the group and ended up getting acknowledged front and center by the club's president. Talk about embarrassing lol. All in all, it was a great run with lots of cool perks and a nice social environment. Although it was a far trek to get there, I wouldn't mind doing the run again. I did manage to enjoy the breeze from the ocean and pulled a great 22:02 for 3 miles. Not too shabby for a mid week run.

Tomorrow I'll be leading my run club. It's kind of cool because we will be giving out free race entries which is a pretty cool thing to give away to members. One of our members actually got some of the race reps out for us and they'll be able to advertise for their race and hand out some goodies. I love how the runner community just continues to look out for each other.

In another news, I decided to pick up golf. Weird, I know. I guess I should mention that I signed up for a work golf tournament and now feel the need to not look like a total idiot on the field. So not only have I been practicing, but I've also bought some sweet new gear to play the part. I must say that golf attire for women is completely outdated and frumpy. I managed to get some cute stuff, but it was pretty difficult to do.  I can't wait to post pictures. The golf tournament is in about two weeks which adds to this whole ridiculousness, considering that I've never played before. Just pray that I don't have a melt down lol.

So, that's about it. I'll try to blog tomorrow so I can have two consecutive blog posts for once! Until then... Happy trails!!!

Getting RRCA Certified!!

So it's been a couple of weeks since my last blog so let me provide you with a brief pre-cap of some exciting things that have been going on!

Last week I had Nesquik come out to provide free chocolate milk and giveaways to our group. It was pretty awesome and we had about 50-60 people come out! I must admit that I had a minor panic attack with Nesquik before they actually showed up. I was told they were supposed to be there by 7:15 so when 7:35 rolled around I was in a full fledge panic mode (this happens more than you think lol). After getting their contact information, they thankfully showed up. Here are some pictures of that night:

I love that freaking bunny...

 
I know - cool, right? I can't believe they came. After talking to their marketing people it made sense though. Plenty of people don't realize that chocolate milk makes a great recovery drink. It has the right amount of carbohydrate and protein mix to replace what you lost during your workout.

So you think the excitement would end there, right? Wrong! I took an RRCA Coaching Certification class this weekend. This is actually one of the hardest classes to get into because the limited amount of seating versus the crazy amount of people that are trying to get into the class. Also, they randomly go to certain areas in the region. So a couple of months ago when they released Miami as one of the cities, I literally signed up on the spot. It was like over $350 for the course, but it was something I've wanted to do for myself. I'm glad I did because the class was full by that night.

When I got to the class I was totally stunned. It was at this place in Brickell called 360 energy in motion. The place was absolutely beautiful and completely upgraded. It's funny - when I talked to someone else who took the class in the past, they told me to bring a bunch of snacks because the food sucked. Well, these guys were amazing because our food rocked. I'm actually considering checking out a couple of classes I might be able to go to because it was literally that AMAZING.

A couple of hours into the class and I was flooded with information. The day was long (8-5) and we even had to watch a video before coming to the class (this was the first time they did this so they could save time) as well as finish some homework that night. The first day we covered things like types of athletes, nutrition, physiology, and types of runs. As part of the course we also received a book by Jack Daniel's (no, not the alcohol lol).

That night I worked on the homework for hours... We had to put together a training plan for a man who wanted to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. It was hard, but I muddled through it. The next day we worked on the training plan as groups and critiqued other plans. We also talked about the psychology of coaching and branding ourselves as coaches. 

Overall, the class was awesome and I really did learn a lot of stuff that I didn't know! I made new friends with a running group down in Miami -Team Redline!! There is definitely a lot of information I need to digest before taking the test (100 question multiple choice test in which you have to score 85% or higher). I just turned in my First Aid/CPR stuff online (you need it to be a coach).

Now, even though I took this class, I did it for fun, but I also figured this was important to do since I'm temporarily in charge of a run club group. I still have a lot to learn; however, I think a lot of what I'm going to learn is by experience. I've started taking on some guinea pigs who are willing to work with me for the experience.

My last step is to pass this test. Once I do I am on a list as a RRCA certified coach that people can contact. Crazy, huh? I'm really excited about this. Not only about the possibility of coaching someone but at incorporating the stuff I learned into my running. That's it for now :) Until the next time... happy trails!!

Right before Day #2

During My Staycation!!!

This week I'm off from work. My husband and I went to a bed and breakfast this past weekend, but we got back into town on Monday and have been home relaxing ever since. Now, since I have the week off, I'm taking advantage of working out whenever I want and getting things done around the house. Let me start the blog off by summarizing this weekend!

I started off the weekend by competing in a local 5k: Runway 5k! This race was really cool. It was originally scheduled sometime during the summer last year, but was delayed due to logistical problems between the race directors and the airport logistics. The race was finally rescheduled for this weekend and I was so happy it didn't end up getting canceled! So like the race name implies, this race was held on one of the newer runways at the airport. Now, as much as they tried to tighten security, they obviously didn't pay attention to runners who brought in backpacks and other running accessories. Honestly, as scary as this sounds, someone could have caused some serious damage at that airport if they really tried. Granted they wouldn't have gotten very far, but still, it was a scary thought to have while you're sitting there waiting for the race to start.

The traffic getting to the race was horrible, and I honestly thought I wasn't going to make the start of the race. Luckily, I got there a couple of minutes before the official start time, but I was all flustered by the time the race started. I bumped into friends and we talked until it was time to go. Once the race started I took off trying my best to maintain a quick pace. I did get pinched between some runners, but managed to maneuver them. There was a steep incline on one of the parts, but I pushed up the hill using my arms for strength. As I sped down the final stretch, I looked at my watch and realized that I could actually finish with a really good time. I tried to keep my focus on some of the faster runners in front of me, matching their footsteps to try to catch up. I crossed the finish line with 22:04. I was floored. I had no idea I was capable of that time right now.

After the race I had breakfast with some other friends and started packing for my trip once I got home. Around lunch time my husband and I packed up the car and headed towards the bed and breakfast. It didn't take us too long to get there. Once we got there we unpacked our stuff and rested for the rest of the night. The weather was horrible so there wasn't too much we could do (except eat the delicious brownies they baked for guests)!

On Sunday I ran 2.75 miles along the boardwalk. I took it easy since I had the race the day before. I usually like working out during vacation since I eat a bunch of crap during the day. By crap I mean food that is drenched with cheese and probably thousands of calories lol. After my run We set out for the local zoo where we spent a couple of hours just looking at all of the animals they had on site. It was actually really fun! The rest of the day was pretty uneventful but super relaxing!

On Monday we drove back home from our weekend getaway. However, before we left we spent an hour at the beach to catch some sun! Once we got home I continued to lay out for a little bit longer. After tanning I decided to hit up the mall in search of a cute bathing suit and workout capris! I didn't find a bathing suit, but I did score some cute capris at Marshalls for 13 bucks each!! For those of you who have never gone capri shopping that's a really good deal (they typically retail for $20 or more)! I hurried home from shopping to an Orange Theory class.

The class wasn't too bad but I am still sore from it. I took an earlier class which was pretty nice because the class wasn't too full. We had two stations: the treadmill/rower and the weight room. Of course I started on the treadmill. That block consisted of: .25 mile run, 250 meters rowing, 10 jump squats, .20 mile run, 200 meter row, 15 jump squats, and finally .15 mile run, 150 meter row, and 20 jump squats. The goal was to do this block twice. I ended up starting my third block before calling time. I averaged about 1:40 minutes for the .25 mile run, a minute or less on the rower for each distance on the row, under 1:20 for the .20 mile run, and under 1:00 for the .15. For the weight room block, we had a mix of exercises such as leg curls with the dolly, squat bicep curls with a thruster, and some exercises with the SBT straps. I swear I can never remember the weight room exercises.

On Tuesday I tried running 3 miles but sprained my ankle about .25 miles into my run. I have weak ankles so this is a common occurrence for me. However, this time it hurt pretty bad. I limped back home and tried not to move it much for the next couple of hours. I did however go to the beach with friends for a couple of hours and had a total blast. I'm a little burned from the sun, but I'm sure it'll  turn into a nice tan! I did cycle that night for about 45 minutes to make sure I got some sort of cardio activity in!

Finally last night was run club; my favorite workout activity of the week. Last night was fun because we had a glow stick run and we were also giving away an iPod shuffle for the plank competition we had. We had a good turn out, about 65 runners total. We ran the usual path because of how dark it has been the last couple of months. The good news is next week we can change the route because of daylight savings!! I'm pretty excited for this since it'll be something different. The other fun part about next week is Nesquik is coming!!!!! I am so beyond excited. I'll make sure to take tons of pictures :)

Today I'll continue doing stuff around the house. Yesterday my husband and I dominated the homeowner world by working on a couple of house projects. I'm getting my hair highlighted again in the next couple of hours, so until then I'll continue folding clothes. This afternoon I've got orange theory and then tonight I've got a church meeting. I swear I've been so busy on my week off, but it feels nice that I've gotten so many things accomplished that haven't been a top priority for me. Until my next blog, happy trails!!

 
Another Runner's Journey Blog Design by Ipietoon