CrossFit

Today I completed the On Ramp Foundations class. And registered for the next month of drop in classes. Oh yeah. Looking forward to feeling the burn.

Yeti Chase

My sister and I walked the Yeti Chase 5K this morning on a most gorgeous January day in Colorado. The temperatures were very mild, the sun was shining, and the race was sold out. We had a nice leisurely walk and good conversation. There's lots of stuff going on in our lives right now so it was nice to have some time together to catch up on things. We stopped at Starbucks on the way for a hot beverage. We were able to get a close enough parking spot at the park where we could get back to the car and not need to check a bag. We even had time to stand in line for a potty break and then stretch a bit.

Our official chip time was 51:01 according to the race web site which seems pretty accurate. My Garmin time was 51:03. We had no expectations for this one. In fact, we thought about skipping it and just getting breakfast. We were both glad we didn't skip it. We always feel better after it's done.

This was the 2nd race in the winter distance series. I'd originally signed up for the long series (5K, 10K, half marathon) but changed it after I didn't get any training runs going. I'm ok with that. In fact, it's more fun to get back into the races with my sister. We are sort of in the same boat, with the same goals, and similar struggles to reach those goals. The next (and last) race in the series is in just two weeks. It's the Ralston Creek 5K and Half Marathon. After that, we plan to register for a 6 race series that builds to a long run of 10 miles in July. That should be fun. :-) We will be able to challenge ourselves to get the workouts in and push ourselves to make some progress. :-)

Tomorrow is the last On Ramp day for CrossFit. I'm excited to graduate! :-)

CrossFit

Monday is the last day of the 3 week On Ramp foundations training session at CrossFit Roots. After that, I plan to jump right into the regular Women Only sessions. I'll register for 3 times per week and stick with the MWF schedule. The sessions are at 10:30 and it's nice to have that to break up the work day.

Speaking of work, that's mellowed out a bit. My job is secure through the end of September which makes it a full year of work that I wasn't supposed to have (when I got laid off last August). I still don't yet have a secure future but September gives me a lot of time to get a lot of things done. Hopefully, some of those things will secure my future. Or, I could also win the lottery. Some days those options have equal chances of happening. :-)

I really like this gym in Boulder. It's quite mellow which is what I need right now as I'm starting over and dealing with so much other crap. It's nice to start with a group of ladies with similar goals. We are also of a similar age for the most part. Trying to get back to a fitness level previously enjoyed is hard as you age. Having women around you struggling to do the same is the best.

I missed the yoga class last week. I can't remember why. I think I need a more beginner level class. I'll have to look into that and use my Y membership for something.

I also need to really think about what I'm eating. :-/ I'm not ready to admit that just yet. I'm just trying to make my workouts a habit at this point. Maybe for Lent I can give up something again. I fell off the wagon recently with the soft drinks. I think re-establishing that and also giving up the Starbucks chai would be a huge thing. :-/

Tomorrow my sister and I will walk the Yeti Chase! I'm excited for that. :-)

Glass Half Full

In 2012, I ran my two fastest half marathons. I also ran my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fastest 5Ks. And I ran my first trail race. That's pretty good!

Glass half full.

That's not such a bad year after all. :-)

Today I went to my first CrossFit Foundations class at CrossFit Roots in Boulder near my office. Location and the women only class is why I selected it. I think I might love it already. I am so out of shape but it felt so good to be in a class and moving again. And to get proper instruction. I can't wait for Wednesday's class.

2012 Recap

2012 started out with many positives but sort of plummeted from there. It just wasn't my year. In fact, it was a year where much of my time and energy was focused on other people (in a good way) and dealing with instability at work (in a bad way.) My physical and mental health certainly suffered this year. It was reminiscent of the post-Katrina year in a lot of ways. Sigh.

The race recap:
I ran two half marathons and bailed on two half marathons.
I ran one 10 mile race and bailed on one 10 mile race.
I ran one 8 mile trail race.
I did seven 5Ks, some running, some walking, some walk/run.

At the start of the year, my mother came to town for her first knee replacement surgery. The start of the year was also the beginning of my training for the New Orleans Rock and Roll half. That race turned out to be the highlight of the year. I ran another half less than two months later and injured myself. My training went downhill from there. A couple of months later, my granddaughter was born. Yay! A couple of months after that, I learned I was being laid off. Boo! My mom returned for her second knee surgery a month later. Things at work settled a bit and I am still employed (for a little while more at least.)

It was a crazy year.

I didn't meet one of my goals, which was to run a trail half. I also just barely missed my goal to run a 2:30 half. NOLA R&R was 2:32. So, those will carry over into the new year perhaps. I haven't set any real goals for 2013. I'm not entirely sure where I'll go with my running. I am registered for some CrossFit in Boulder for the month of January. My job is secure through March and maybe even through July. (I don't yet have that in writing.) So, making training plans is still difficult.

I'm trying to remain optimistic. It's been difficult though. But 13 is my lucky number. So, I'm very excited to see what happens next. I am looking forward to starting over in 2013.

Lunch Walk

Did a two mile walk over lunch at work today. Needed to move. I'm much more sore than I thought I'd be after that body pump class on Sunday.

I've also downloaded a 10K training plan for the January race. It's in 7 weeks. My two mile walk was the start of the plan.

LesMills Body Pump

My sister and I went to the Y late this morning for the LesMills Body Pump class. I thought this was more of a boot camp style class but it turned out to be a weight class. Cool. My sister really like it because, she said, she never does weights because she doesn't know how to lift properly. The class was more full than I thought it was going to be for a Bronco Sunday. But, they played later so maybe that was why. Lots of "Active Older Adults" as the Y calls them. They were glad to show us the ropes. And every single one of them lifted more weight than I did. Gives me hope for my future. :-)

After the class we got yogurt with a $1.00 off coupon we got at the Y. Score! We chatted about our workout plans and hopes. On Sunday at the Y there is a morning Beginner Yoga class from 9:30 - 10:30. The Body Pump class is at 11:00. She'd like to do both each Sunday. That sounds like a good plan to me. I think we'll start with the yoga class next Sunday and see how we feel after it's over. We are also doing a 5K on Saturday so that may determine how we feel as well. It's supposed to snow and be cold on Saturday.

The Stocking Run 5K is the first in the Winter Series. We are both registered for the series of three races. My sister is doing all 5Ks and I'm doing the progressive runs (5K, 10K, Half). We went to Gordman's and bought some matching long Christmas socks for the run. It's going to be awesome!