Friday's Letters

Dear Tommy (the truck), You've made it through 4 kids in high school, a couple different colleges and lots of dance parties. I'm sad to see you dying, but you've had a good life. Dear Spinach Manicotti, You look yummy. And pretty simple. Sounds good to me! Dear Utah Jazz, It's game time! Can't wait to you ball so hard. Dear Rocky Balboa, We could all use a little tough love some times. We ain't cowards!

Friday's Letters

Dear Pandora, you make work a bit more exciting when I never know what song is coming up next. But you also make it hard to not sing along and get up and dance in my office sometimes. Dear Weather, you've gone from 90 to 60 and then back to 90. Seriously? Dear Friend, you texted me yesterday and said, "Sorry I'm slow responding, I've been on a plane to the Caribbean." Next time, just lie so I don't get so jealous. Dear Daily Inspirations, you come in short texts from my brother from time to time, and you always make my day. Thanks for reminding me of goodness and strength.

 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Motivation

After a little talk about excuses on Wednesday, I thought it might be appropriate to talk about the other side of things…motivation.

I’m a pretty dedicated exerciser. I get in 6 days a week and have for the past several years. So what motivates me to get out there and sweat on a regular basis? Because it isn’t always easy. Here are some of the things that motivate me to get ‘er done.

1. positive thinking: I am a firm believer in self-efficacy and the self-fulfilling prophecy. If you start a workout thinking it won’t be a good one, or that you’re going to run slow or you’re going to be too sore to do much, then 90% of the time you will fulfill that. So instead, I decide beforehand just how great my workout will be. It gets me excited to workout and results in a overall better workout session.

2. gear: It is true. If I didn’t have good running gear, I would be far less likely to get out there and run and push myself. Thanks to my good running shoes, vibrams, and cold-climate running gear (like my Lucy leggings! which I love), I am prepared for a good workout.

3. Accountability: It really did help me to work harder when I logged my mileage in hoping to get 1,000 miles last year. So this year I track miles and weights I use on my own so I can see progress and try to beat myself.

4. Talking Watch: Okay, this sounds weird. But it is true. Since I got the new Nike+ SportWatch GPS, I have had more motivation to get outside and run. Not only because I love running with it and uploading my stats on the computer…but also because it ASKS me to run with it. So maybe you don’t have a talking watch, but you could get a friend to ask you to run with them!

5. Endorphins: I think it is safe to say once I start a workout, I never regret it. The starting is often the hard part. When that is the case, I imagine myself at the end and the good feeling I get that I accomplished something, I worked hard, and my health is better for it. That makes it alllll worth it.

Here are a few other motivation tips from the greatist.com:

• have a mantra (like the little engine that could!)
• visualize
• train with a personal trainer (eh?)
• break down your workout (tell yourself to run for 10 minutes, then another 10, then just 5 more, etc.)
• find a workout friend
• download some new workout tunes
• count out loud when performing reps
• get in the zone

~What motivates you to work hard?

Inspiration Friday

~What inspires you to change?

Have a fun and safe weekend!

A Little Pick-Me-Up

Here are some videos to help you get past the middle of the week slump!

Friday’s Favorites

Hey, people! Here’s a list of more of my favorite links I’ve checked out recently. Have a stellar weekend!
~ Speed workouts? They don’t have to only be done on a track!

~Nothing is wrong with celebrating Cinco de Mayo every day right? Bring on the Mexican food!
~Do you ever miss running? Even if you don’t…this will make you!
~Homemade crackers? Don’t mind if I do.

~What do cayenne pepper and pureed veggies have in common?

~I love skillets and I love eggs. Yum!
Do you have any other favorite links from this week you’d like to share? Comment away!

Not to be a Downer…but

Since on Monday we talked a bit about a common downfall, not sitting and eating meals (aka, not eating while eating) I thought I would touch on another common downfall: lack of planning.



I have talked about making a workout routine before, and how it can keep you from selling yourself short when it comes to exercise.

Another reason it is important to plan is because when you don’t plan meals and snacks in advance, the easy stuff is usually the not so healthy stuff.

Most of us know what we should eat. Of course vegetables are better than a hunk of mac and cheese. And of course whole wheat bread is better than white. But when we are hungry and ready to eat our arm off, what do you go for? The easy stuff.



So take some time to plan and prepare meals and snacks in advance. Little bags of sliced peppers, carrots and celery work great. A bag of a serving of crackers or nuts is a great option for on the road. And fruit! Oh blessed fruit. So easy to grab an apple or banana to take to class or in the car.

Then, plan some meals ahead. This can also mean planning days for leftovers and days for easy meals like egg burritos or soup and sandwiches. One thing that works great for our family is making a big salad one night with lots of veggies, and then eating it over several nights for dinner. It is a great way to guarantee you will get some veggies in.

So…start planning!

Here’s a little midweek inspiration for you!

Green With Vegetables

I realized yesterday how appropriate it was that this week we tried to eat more veggies, specifically green ones. And it was St. Patrick’s day yesterday! Fancy that. I hadn’t even thought of that when I decided the challenge for this week. I hope you got lots of greens in! My mom used to die the milk green on St. Patrick’s day, and also make us green eggs and ham. It was a fun tradition!

I’ve been thinking about how all of us are always looking for new, healthy recipes. So, I decided to host an online recipe swap! This is how it works:

1. Pick out your favorite recipe, preferably one that is on the easy side. We don’t like things that take THAT much effort…haha
2. Take pictures of that recipe and e-mail me with the name of the recipe, the recipe itself, and the pictures.
3. In the coming weeks I will then post some of the fabulous recipes I get and I will link it back to your blog!
4. Follow my blog. Okay, I’ll still post your recipe if you don’t. But I’m getting tons of hits every day and only have a few followers. So head over to the right side bar and follow me!

I think it sounds like a great idea. So get e-mailing! (tn.training@hotmail.com)

Here’s an inspirational quote to take you into the weekend. Or for me, into Spring Break! Yahoo!

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt

I’m On the Right Track

It's Wednesday already! Goodness. Have any of you put in your interval workout yet? I did a fun speed one yesterday, and will probably do my hills this weekend. 

It has been super rainy/snowy here since Monday. But tomorrow the forecast says upper 50’s! Woo hoo!

As promised on Monday I told you I would post the workout I did on Saturday, just to give you an idea of an interval workout. I have lots, so I'm considering making a page of them for people to use. How does that sound?

7 to 10 Workout
Each interval is in bold, and each set increases by a minute (from 7 to 10…get it?) The first section of the interval should be a pretty easy pace, the second about regular pace, and the third you should push yourself. Then, if you’re feeling really good, make each interval a little harder while adding the minute! For the last interval, the 10 minute one, I start at a slower pace and increase .1 with each minute. Of course, you should listen to your body and do the speeds you think you should. This is just how I did mine!

Time	Speed	Incline
0 – 3 minutes	4.0	6
3 – 5 minutes	6.5	1
5 – 8 minutes	6.7	1
8 – 10 minutes	7.0	1
10 – 12 minutes	4.0	6
12-14 minutes	6.6	1
14 – 17 minutes	6.8	1
17 – 20 minutes	7.1	1
20 – 21 minutes	4.0	6
21-24 minutes	6.7	1
24 – 27 minutes	6.9	1
27 – 30 minutes	7.2	1
30 – 31 minutes	4.0	6
31- 41 minutes	6.5 – 7.4	1
41 – 45 minutes	4.0	1

I hope that makes sense. I liked it quite a bit!

As a side note, here is a cool music video that talks about loving your body the way you are! We all would like to make changes, but it is important to love the body we have been given and embrace it. We are bombarded with so many false images of how women “should” look that we often forget what normal is. So check it out!

Check out www.operationbeautiful.com for more info!

~What do you love about your body?
*I love that I have a body that can exercise and be pushed and build muscle. It’s pretty amazing!
~Do you prefer hills or sprints?
*I like both at different times. They both work different muscles and give different workouts…and it always feels good when you finish!

What's Your Excuse?

Pretty sure I'm super stoked for my cycling class today. I hope you have found yourself enjoying a class as well!

I saw this clip online about a week ago and LOVED it. So I thought I would share it with you. On Monday we talked about getting in a rut with exercise...and sometimes we use that as an excuse to not get out there and move our bodies. But really, do we have an excuse? Watch this!

Peace out - talk to you Friday :)

~What excuses do you find yourself using?
~P.S. Have you checked out my mileage for February? Booya!

Feel Good Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I hope it was a fantastic week full of fun, love, service, and some good sweat sessions :)

I had seen this video before, but stumbled upon it again this week. It gives me chills every time! What an inspiration. So I thought I'd share - what a great way to start the weekend! Enjoy



~Got any big plans for the weekend?
~What about some BIG DREAMS like Jason? Go for it :)

echo.

On Monday I talked about remembering your accomplishments to help you reach your goals. There are a few things I chose to remember and write about, but there is one in particular that I thought I'd share with you.
I like to remember my very first triathlon. It was the Echo triathlon in Park City, UT. I recommend it to everyone!

I remember training, which wasn’t always easy but always felt good after. I remember my first training “brick” or bike and run…my legs felt like jell-o! Then I remember being cheered on by my family members as I came out of the water, rode my bike and finished my run. It was invigorating! Which is why I kept doing them :)

My “trish-athlon” supporters!

I hope you found something, or maybe a few things, to remember. It's always nice to reflect on things we have accomplished. Often times all we focus on is where we want to be, not where we have been. Both are important. Talk to you Friday!

~Have you done a triathlon?
~What's your greatest accomplishment outside of the fitness world?

Breaking the “Social Norm”

When I was in AP Psychology in high school, one of our assignments was to break a social norm with a group and get it on video. Then we all made DVD’s and watched them as a class. They were hilarious! People did the craziest things! Like taking food out of people’s grocery carts and putting it into theirs, or walking through a store singing at the top of their lungs. Definitely a project I will always remember.
Moving on to a different social norm we NEED to break…

It’s January 24th…the beginning of the 4th week of January. Do you know what that means? That a third of everyone that made new years resolutions/goals have already broken them. But not you, right?! Because this year will be different. This year you made specific and reasonable goals that you can measure and attain through effort and dedication.

We all have those days where our goals seem a bit too far out of reach or you just don’t want to run that last mile. But today, I challenge you to

REMEMBER

This week, I want to you take some time to sit down and write about a time you reached a goal. Whether huge or small, or personal or fitness related, sit down and write about it. Write about how you reached it, write about the days that were sometimes hard, and then write about what it felt like to finish. Keep what you wrote in a place you can see frequently. That way you’ll remember frequently. 

Here’s a hint as to what I like to remember. More to come on Wednesday!

~What do you remember?
~Have you ever broken a different social norm for fun?

Talking Yourself into Your Next Big Breakthrough

I read this article in the Rocky Mountain Running & Triathlon magazine and thought it was definitely worth sharing. Just like it takes training to get ready for a race, it takes training to keep self-talk positive and powerful.

Self-talk can provide affirmation and help athletes stay calm during times of stress such as when waiting at the starting line of a race or struggling through the last two miles of a run. So, then, what should you say to yourself and how should you say it? Lets take a look at two major mistakes and then the best principle I've found.
Probably the biggest mistake athletes make in their self-talk is using negative statements. For example, they may think, "Stop being a moron, I shouldn't be here" or "There are other people more capable than I." In the moment of performance these statements are frustrating and literally add insult to injury. You must never let negative and self-degrading thoughts enter your head. Imagine your thoughts are like a slide projector or a PowerPoint presentation; when a negative comment comes into your self-talk change the slide. Move on and refocus yourself with a more proactive comment such as "I've done the training, I can do this" or "Get to the next aid station."
Another mistake is using a negative word in a statement when it was meant well. A golfer who has to hit a shot over a water hazard might say "Don't hit it into the water, carry the hazard." While this statement might seem like a focused one, the mistake is the word "don't." Hazards, barriers, and other challenging components to athletic competitions are there to distract competitors, and acknowledging the hazard can cause panic or a loss of focus on the task at hand. A better thought would be "make a smooth swing" or "follow through!" These are more useful and impactful statements that require focus on the process and the task at hand. In endurance sports, change the focus from "don't get lapped or passed" to "run within, make good strides".
Some of the most effective self-talk comes in the form of mantras or phrases that athletes can take solace in during hard portions of training or racing. While struggling up a hill during a road race, and athlete might say "calm, cool, collected" over and over to himself. To settle pre-race nerves, a former collegiate teammate of mine would always say "relax, breathe, and believe". These phrases aim to refocus the athlete and help them remain calm and to focus on the task at hand - starting or finishing any race or training session strong!
So remember, next time you self-talk, keep it positive and task-directed. You might be surprised at what you can talk yourself through or into doing.

By: Stephen P. Gonzalez, M.S.

He Wouldn't Give In

I thought it would be nice to start with a little inspiration! Whether you're a runner, a walker, or a dedicated yoga do-er, we all have those times when we just don't want to roll out of bed and get moving. But sometimes we just need to think of how blessed we are that we can roll out of bed and move our bodies.

The Denver Marathon was less than a month away, and Steve Baker was ready. The 33-year-old Denver sales rep had gotten himself into the best shape of his life, and predicted a four-hour finish in his first marathon. He was anticipating what it would feel like to cross the finish line, to feel the weight of a medal around his neck, to feel his parents' embrace as they congratulated him on his first 26.2-mile endeavor.

Then, in a split second, he felt nothing. On September 19, 2008, Baker broke two cervical vertebrae after he dived into a nine-and-a-half-foot deep swimming pool and hit his head on the bottom. "I heard something snap and my body went limp," Baker says. "I was rescued, but I couldn't feel my body.'"
Two hours later, Baker underwent a spinal fusion to stabilize the broken vertebrae. He awoke from the six-hour surgery in a halo brace, with no sensation from the neck down. Yet Baker was a "blessedly lucky man," according to his doctor, Indira Lanig, M.D. Because his injury was classified as "incomplete," meaning his spinal cord was damaged but not severed, there was a possibility he would recover some functioning. "Spinal nerves are like a freeway," Dr. Lanig says. "In Steve's case, there was a pile-up that his neuromuscular system could untangle with time, rather than a 'complete' injury, which is irreparable."
Even so, each incomplete injury is unique—some people regain feeling but no movement; others may have movement but no feeling—and it's impossible to predict a recovery timeline. "At first, I was very depressed," Baker says. "I felt like a prisoner in my own body."
Three days later, he moved a toe. The next day, a pinkie finger. A week later, a knee. Then just three weeks after the accident, he was hobbling on crutches. These would be the first steps of his training for the 2009 Denver Marathon. Initially, Baker set the marathon goal to show loved ones his spirit was strong. But as he watched his father run the 2008 Denver Half-Marathon in his honor, the more Baker wanted to run for himself.
To get to the starting line, Baker had to overcome many obstacles. He had to wear the halo for three months. Then he had to retrain his body to run: Point your toes up. Land on your heel, 10 feet at a time. Progress was slow. "I couldn't get on a treadmill without almost killing myself," he says.
In March, he got help from personal trainer John Faczak. "We had to reeducate his neuromuscular system," Faczak says. "He could almost run a mile, but he limped through it. He couldn't pick up his legs."
Baker eventually regained his coordination. "At first, I'd be real clumsy, I'd be all over the place," he says. "But as I kept running, I could go farther and farther." Even though he was steadier on his feet, he had to train through muscle spasms, which he still experiences on his right side. And he remains insensitive to temperature and pain on his left side.
To test himself, he ran the Rocky Mountain Half-Marathon in June—an important milestone. He ran a strong 2:06.
Baker remained confident until a month before his goal race. Five miles into his last 20-miler, he experienced intense knee pain that forced him to stop. And then just five days shy of race day, Baker was diagnosed with a hernia. The doctor was a runner, so he didn't try to tell Baker not to run. "He said, 'It's going to be painful,'" Baker says. "He was right."
On October 18, Baker ran the Denver Marathon despite a strained knee ligament and a hernia, which inflicted so much pain he grunted the last miles like a tennis player. But he achieved his goal. "It turned into a guts race, and I was ready for it," says Baker, who finished in 4:34 (chip time). "During the final stretch, I saw snapshots of all the trials and tribulations of the last year. It was totally overwhelming. I felt amazing."