3 Sleeps Left

As Saturday approaches my nerves have kicked into high gear. My left knee is aching & sometimes has shooting pain. I've been icing it since yesterday as well as taking ibuprofen. I hope that it survives Saturdays' Spartan Sprint. We just received our first email for Saturday & this is what it said:

PacificNW Spartans!

 This course is going to be awesome.  It has a few Spartan “firsts” such as designing much of the course on a motocross track and a barbed wire crawl “treat” that we can’t disclose in advance (why ruin the surprise?).

A few very important notes from the Race Director:
All final pre race Logistics will be sent out  tomorrow. Please continue to check the event page for updates!

The course is around 3.0 miles of hills.   Even the motocross track has a lot of ups and downs and little flat sections.  Race smart!

The 1^st 3/4 mile of the course is uphill, in the woods, and lean on obstacles.  Consider it a warm-up for everything you will encounter after that.

There will be ONE aid station on course with water.  Plan your nutrition and hydration accordingly.  Forecast is for heat.  Most of you will take over an hour to complete this course, some over two, and some over three.  You will be thirsty.  Don’t be that racer who bonks because you didn’t come prepared.

Follow the marking arrows and marking tape, never assume the person in front of you knows where they are going! Do not modify or remove the marking tape!!!

It is OK to pass other racers on the course, including on tight single-track trails.  Simply let them know what side you are passing on (e.g. “On your left”) and say some supportive words as you pass by.

Don’t forget your ID to check-in at Registration.  You must have it.  Along those lines, make sure you read the Racer Packet that was put together for more information on what to expect.

Getting to the venue can be tricky, make sure you know where you are going!

Most importantly, race safe and have a blast!

AROO!

I am OK with the mud crawl craziness as I love this part of the races. What scares me is all the hills. If my knee was 100% I would have no worries. I know I can run it or walk it we've been training for this for 5 months. But with a hurt knee I just hope it doesn't slow the ladies down. I am fully prepared to tell them to go ahead of me so they can finish faster. Keep your fingers crossed that it works out & we all have the fun we are anticipating.

I know some of you think I am a little crazy for doing these runs. But I am in the best shape fitness wise of my life! I love the challenges of the work outs as well as race day adrenaline rush!  I love that I have a group of ladies who enjoy the challenge of pushing ourselves to our fitness limits as well. They make me realize I am not crazy that I am putting my health & fitness first. If I am healthy then my family reaps all the benefits. Tonight's dinner menu was a yummy roasted garlic & red pepper Quinoa burger with steamed veggies. I have never made the Quinoa burger before tonight. I had to wing it because I didn't have a couple items on the list- but it still tasted fantastic! It boasted 10 grams of protein and a ton of flavor. I just added the veggies as my side to help me keep my clean diet going into race day. Wish us luck & watch for some fun muddy pictures to come later this weekend. Paul will take the boys fishing overnight while I venture off to my race. It's a fun filled weekend ahead for us all.

Roasted red Pepper Quinoa Burgers 

Sweat & Chicken

My day started off with super sore quads from my Wednesday workout. We did my version of a bootylicious workout. I had DOMS for sure this morning in the quad region. I then decided today would be back, arms, & chest with some cardio. Once all four of us super ladies arrived & where warmed up we hit it hard! I had a circuit going that hit your bi-ceps, your shoulders, your lower back, the area I call my bat wings-lol Plus some Burpees with long jumps to get that heart rate back up while we worked. Here is a lovely picture of me almost done with round 3 of everything.

I was super sweaty & tired at this point. I barely finished burpee / long jump #25! But I DID!! I hate that you can see my silly back fat even though I work hard 6 days a week in this picture- not sure if it just comes with my old age or what? After we finished this we jumped on the ellipticals for a good 25 minutes of cardio. Leg Pain- YES!! I was going so slow for my normal self- but I stuck with it even though at one point I was pretty sure I couldn't feel my legs anymore. After I got home I was so hungry & super excited to try out the new garden chicken burger recipe I found yesterday. Thank you Pinterest! I modified it a little due to not have a couple of ingredients but man oh man was it tasty!

I left off the bun because I have a PopChips addiction- the sweet potato kind-YUMM!! I enjoyed my Popchips and burger. Now I am happily folding clothes & watching Eclipse on this rainy day. I have some seriously sore muscles going on in my legs right now. I cringe everytime I get up- but I know it'll pass. We are down to 16 days until our Spartan Sprint & I intend to hit my training hard so I don't feel like I want to die at the end of my race. I hope you all got a good workout in today!

Garden Chicken Burger with Strawberry Sauce

3 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 medium zucchini, peeled
1 lb lean ground chicken breast
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
6 flatbreads or naan
1 cup arugula or baby spinach

1. Warm 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. Stir in mint and remove from heat.

2. Preheat grill to medium. Using a box grater or mandoline, shred carrot and zucchini, then chop into small pieces. In a large bowl, lightly mix shredded vegetables, ground chicken, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, egg, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Form into 6 patties and brush with remaining vegetable oil.

3. Place burgers on grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Meanwhile, toast bread for 1 to 2 minutes per side.

4. Line flatbreads with arugula, add burgers, and top with strawberry sauce, then fold bread over burgers.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 387 cal, 8 g fat (2 g sat), 54 g carbs, 7 g fiber, 497 mg sodium, 27 g protein

 

Battling Through

Exhaustion has set in big time today. I woke up full of energy excited to head to the park area to hoist my new log with Ashley until I tried to warm up. Oh- man I could totally tell it was day four of hard work outs with no rest day. My legs where screaming & I just felt fatigued so fast. I had so much going on this week that it has thrown off my training so that I have no rest until Saturday- bummer. I mutt-led through my workout but it hurt! At one point my right leg wobbled so bad coming around a curve I almost ate pavement. That's when I stopped to walk to the next circuit. I have hit my wall and been training non-stop since late January. With my first easy run on Sunday I need to keep going. The hardest isn't until June & I fear I may have no motivation left. 

I was excited that we had a new face join us at our workout- Katie came with her two kids. She has her first ever mud run on Saturday! She is about to loose her sparkle & become a mud girl! She did great but I felt bad I wasn't much help today. Here is a picture of her with Ashley doing wall sits on the pool fence.

Katie did a GREAT job today working out! I wish her the best of luck in Oregon as she tackles her first race. Now here is the picture of us with our logs.

 

 We were super excited! Did you catch the were part-lol I was so exhausted after hauling that 40+ pound log around the hills it was no joke. But I hope all this hard work & training pays off come June. That whatever obstacle they throw our way looks easy because we prepped so well. I even got almost to the end of the monkey bars today! That is HUGE for me,those silly things have been a thorn in my side.

I will keep plugging away & I hope to find a way to get over my wall . Sunday is a fun 5k run with my youngest Jacob in Seattle. Maybe just putting an easy fun run at the beginning will do the trick. I saw this quote on another great bloggers post & it is so true.

"Enjoy your sweat because hard work doesn't guarantee success, but without it you don't have a chance."

-Alex Rodriguez

 

It Only Took Four Years...

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get my hands on a free Nordic Elliptical to add to my collection of work out equipment for my garage. For about four years now I have been toying with the idea of starting a gym out of my garage for all of us busy moms who can't find the time to drive into town . Also the gas & money it cost for gym memberships can be nuts!! I went so far as to have my dad paint one wall a pretty spa green & hang a mirror. You have to see yourself working out to make sure your form is correct (thanks Jaime I remember ). I have a nice stationary bike my aunt donated four years ago. I also have a ton of free weights,bench, ball, jump ropes etc. I still would like some kettle bells & a pull up station. Not that I can do a pull up yet but my husband would also like to use this garage gym when he get's home. We go tonight to pick up the elliptical so I spent all morning sweeping, dusting & arranging the garage. It is now set up so that I can have around five ladies working out at once. My goal is to add some matting for the floor so that we don't have to keep using portable mats. But in time it will all fall into place. For now it's open on Tue/Thur to anyone in my neighborhood who wants to come join us for a work out. I have three regular ladies who meet at the park already. But with the weather changing it'll be nice to have this indoor option now for our group.


I have to say it has made me have a little pep in my step. I really am glad to be back into the fitness realm again. I loved it four years ago when I started studying through ISSA & I love it now. I am a teacher by trade & getting to teach a healthy life style right out of my home to other moms is GREAT! I am contemplating biting the bullet paying the fee & completing my final in ISSA. I would love to be able to offer Personal Training sessions at a lower rate then in town gyms because I have no overhead. I will think about this & let you know what happens. I really believe you are never to old to get healthy & enjoy your life! Looking forward to the first time we all get to use the workout space. Now for a name...... One of the ladies in the group suggested Warrior Wives Fitness. I love that Fitness is in the name but I have a single mom in the group. I thought maybe Warrior Women's Fitness ??  We are looking for a fun creative name so please chime in if you think of anything. It is all about health & fitness as a lifestyle.  Now I am off to get ready to pick up my new to me elliptical!!