Racer ST 5

I have been putting off buying a pair of racing flats for my 1/2 marathons and upcoming marathon for quite sometime. I got fitted for the Brooks ST 5 back in July when the Calvalcade was in town. I am glad that I had the opportunity to have an expert tell me what racing flat I should invest in because there are so many to choose from!

I finally decided to cave in and purchase the shoes this week, partially because I wanted a couple of other small things for HTC and figured it would be a better deal with my discount if I got the shoes now too. I am so glad that I ordered them now because they are great! One of my favorite things about Brooks (other than the fact that their shoes and gear are awesome) is that I ordered my stuff Monday morning and got everything delivered yesterday (Wednesday). I was so excited to try out my new ST 5's that I completed my 5 x 1 mile repeats in them. They felt awesome! Sure, not a huge fan of the color scheme (why can't they be pink?!), but the comfort factor is huge. They feel supportive, but are light weight at the same time.  All of the reviews I read about them were spot on. I am pleased with my purchase and I might even wear them for HTC next week!

Speaking of my 1 mile repeats....I was a little sore from class on Tuesday (thanks Amy! :-)) so I was really dreading this workout, but I managed to average a 6:37 pace. The pace felt good and I probably could have ran more. I was dreading and apprehensive about the workout because 1 mile repeats are intimidating and it has been years since I have had a similar workout. I am starting to realize that I am much more capable than I give myself credit for. I have never been so focused and determined to get stronger and faster before and I love seeing how far I can push my limits.

--Tasha

Is it really August?!

I still can't believe that it's August, this summer has flown by. I have been busy the last couple of weeks training and just trying to stay focused on my goal in December at CIM. I have gotten in some great runs and some not so great runs. The last week has been a little rough and I can't really pin point a reason as to why. I think maybe I was over training a bit, but now that I have cut back I feel like I am running in circles and not really going anywhere. I will admit I have noticed that I don't feel quite as tired as I have previously so that means that I am letting my body have a chance to recovery between workouts. I am glad that I have Amy to keep me in check. :-)

Last Saturday I had a long run (11 miles). I felt like it didn't go that great, but at the same time my pace was fairly on target so in general it wasn't a bad run. I just didn't feel my best.  Everyone is bound to have what they consider to be an off day every once in a while. They are frustrating, but not every run can be perfect.
I took Sunday off which I felt was much needed. It had been a hard week and that 11 miler took a lot out of me. On Monday I had a 5 mile tempo run. I didn't go until after work so I was already a little on the tired side and it was between 85-90 degrees, which isn't ideal to be running a tempo in. BUT, it was my best and fastest tempo pace to date for 5 miles. A couple of weeks ago I ran a 6:53 pace, but on Monday I ran a 6:48 pace. I don't know where that came from or how in the heck I am getting so much faster. I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I trained hard for CIM I could run in the 3:20-3:30 range, but now I am thinking I can break 3:20 and maybe even run 3:10-3:15.......I know that the summer base training I am building up will be a great foundation to start my marathon training this fall. December will be here before I know it!

I am loving my new Garmin! I have been learning about all of the cool new training features on Garmin Connect over the last week. I am very impressed with everything you can utilize. I figured out how to download a workout to my watch yesterday so I am antsy to try it out and see how it works. I am hoping that it will be easier than having to keep track of the splits and distances in my head. I am not the best with numbers. :-)

--Tasha

Skinny Jean's summer session is here!!!

I am so excited, today was the first day of our Skinny Jean's summer session with AB (Amy Black otherwise known as FLAB- Fearless Leader Amy Black). I can't say enough great things about her program. It is simply amazing- it is life changing!!!!! So many wonderful things have happened since I joined her program in January. I still can't believe how much I have changed over the course of 5 months. I lost over 40 pounds and countless inches off of my frame (I actually lost track of the inches), but the most important thing other than re-training myself to eat healthier was that I got back into the best running shape of my life. I actually enjoy running now! For the first time in years, running makes me happy. I am not being over trained, I am not over racing, and I don't have external pressure. I am running solely for myself. It's a great feeling when you actually look forward to your training runs. I am already counting down the days until my 10K on July 10th in Portland.

I know that I did the work by showing up to class, working out on my own, and eating healthier, but I don't think I could have gotten this far without the support & encouragement from FLAB. I have had a personal trainer before and never got close to the results that I have gotten from FLAB. I remember that I was absolutely petrified to go to my first class and then I was terrified for at least the next 2 weeks! I am sure that Angie can attest to that. Now, I look forward to class- I absolutely love it. The days that I have class with FLAB are the best days of the week.

--Tasha

Training for Helvetia

After work tomorrow I leave for Portland to run the Helvetia 1/2 marathon Saturday morning. Where have the past several weeks gone!? I signed up for Helvetia back in February and June 11th seemed so far away then.....time flys when you are having fun!

This will be my second year running Helvetia with Cassie, and I hope not the last. I already have a feeling that it will be a great weekend! I am really looking forward to my Helvetia burger after the race too...I can't remember the last time I had a hamburger-December??? January?????

Helvetia is a pretty challenging course- there are a lot of rolling hills! They seem never ending, but I have been running hills like crazy on all of my runs to try and be prepared. Luckily, it shouldn't be as hot as it was last year so I am hoping that I don't die on the course like I felt like I was going to last year. I have been tracking weather.com all week and it looks like Saturday will be a high somewhere between 65-70 degrees and partly cloudy. Perfect morning running weather.

After much thought over the last week I have decided against wearing my IPOD. I am hoping that this decision doesn't come back and bite me in the butt. I figure I need to really keep my pace in check and my music/IPOD might be distracting. I am also always in my "zone" and don't ever really pay that much attention to my music during a race like I would on a training run anyways. At Windermere I was so yucky and sweaty that the last couple of miles my ear buds wouldn't stay in place and it was annoying having to mess with them.

It has been almost 4 weeks since Windermere I am feeling fantastic. I have gotten in several solid runs and mixed up my cross training with class, spin, and TRX. I am pretty stubborn (SHOCKER!!!), but I am finding that by listening to Amy, I am actually making some great strides in my running. On my 10 mile run, I took 3 minutes off of my overall time and on a 5 mile tempo run I averaged a 7:04 pace (these runs were in the same week!!!). I don't think that I have ever ran a 5 mile tempo run that fast before. I was shocked, but mostly shocked that it felt awesome. Woo! Hoo! I am mildly obsessed with spin- it is incredibly addicting. I like to "compete" against myself to see how many miles I can get in. It is also some of the best cross training I have ever done.

I will admit that I have struggled a bit this last week. I only had 2 runs which felt weird- I have always struggled with tapering. On Monday I went to spin at 6 am and then I had a 5 mile tempo run after work. I was tired/crabby and it was cold outside, but I pushed through the run. I couldn't get my pace right so I was getting frustrated- first I was going too fast so I would slow and then I was going to slow. UGH! I finally got into a rhythm about mile 3 and pushed through with an average pace of 7:03. It was faster than the week before, but it didn't feel good because I was exhausted from running so late in the day and from spin class. If it hadn't started to rain on me I probably wouldn't have picked up the pace that last mile.

The last couple of weeks I have also been really focusing on what I eat. I was watching my food intake before, but now I am focused on eating a little more everyday 1300 calories or so and watching my % of fat, protein, and carbs more closely. I also have one day a week where I eat about 1500-1800 calories- that is usually on Saturday so that Cam and I can eat out. Currently I am trying to maintain my daily carb intake to 45%, protein to 30%, and fat to 25%. It took a couple of days to get into the swing of watching my %, but I think that I have gotten it down. I am finding that it helps to plan out my food the day before so that I can make sure that I am eating the correct amounts. I would usually plan out my lunch and snacks, but now I plan everything that I will eat the day before. I am telling you, this being healthy is time consuming- but so worth it.

After Helvetia I am just going to spend the summer focusing on getting stronger, faster and having solid runs to take me into CIM in December. I know that CIM is still months away, but I want to be as prepared as possible. I plan on running a couple more 1/2 marathons and some 10Ks prior to CIM. December will be here before I blink!

So much to be looking forward too in the coming months! :-)

--Tasha

Windermere!

The last couple of weeks have flown by! I had every intention of updating Healthy Diva, but I had way too much going on to even think about updating. It all started with selling my Jeep which escalated into this huge 2 week ordeal where that could have possibly gone wrong did (most of you have already heard the story). In the end I go the car I wanted and everyone, including the husband, is happy. On top of the car, I was busy at work etc. Bad excuse I know. Lets get to the fun stuff!

My last couple weeks of training went good and I felt great overall. I was pretty nervous for Windermere, but excited to be racing again. It has been how long????? The week seemed like it took twice as long as it should have to be over. I hate that!

The weather in Spokane has been crap lately so I was really starting to get concerned about the rain/wind that was being forecasted. Luckily, it wasn't so bad. Little chilly/windy at the start, but it wasn't what I had imagined. Out on the course it got pretty warm and there was quite a wind in spots. Wish it would have been more of a tailwind, but I will take that over rain any day. I felt great running wise until about mile 5 when my feet really started to hurt. I made the mistake of wearing my Nike Frees (which I had been training in) which probably weren't the best option for running a 1/2. Once my feet started hurting then my legs started cramping. It was a good lesson learned and I went home and ordered a new pair of Brooks (I know those work great!!!)

Overall, I finished and was happy that I was even in shape enough to run a 1/2. Of course I wasn't thrilled I didn't get my PR, but then again I haven't raced in how long????? I was more happy that I was able to get an automatic qualifying time for the Houston 1/2 in January.

Saturday also marked the last day of my most recent session with Amy. Now that I have been training with her for 18 weeks I am starting to see some muscle definition. Who would have thought?! I still have pea shooters, but they have a touch more definition. :)

Our next official session doesn't start until June, but in the meantime we still get to workout on Tues & Thurs mornings. No more Saturday class for the summer....what am I going to do???? Angie came up with the brilliant idea to start a class running group for Mon & Wed mornings. Should be fun!

I can't say enough just how amazing Amy Black is. She has done so much for me physically & mentally- I can't even begin to describe how much I have transformed since January. I am only a couple of pounds away from where I need to maintain my weight. If you would have asked me in January if I thought I would weigh 125 lbs in May I would have laughed at you and said "NO WAY". My skinny clothes that I wore the summer Cam & I got married are falling off of me. If my wedding dress wasn't boxed up I would put it on- I bet it would be too big.  I am telling you, Amy Black is WONDER WOMAN!!!!!1

Next up on my schedule is the Helvetia 1/2 on June 11th. Last year I "wogged" it in 1hr 58min. This year it would be nice to run it at least 10 minutes faster, even though I would prefer 15 minutes faster. :) I will be wearing better shoes for it!

The rest of the summer I just plan on training for my 1/2 in October and start my marathon training for December. I am doing a 10K in July and will also be doing the Warrior Dash in September (yes I am stoked to get a viking helmet). Warrior Dash is a 5K, but like Cassie said, there probably isn't much running involved. I might have to sign up for the Pints to Pasta 10K for the next morning......

--Tasha

Windermere 1/2 Marathon: Week 8 down, 4 weeks to go

I am starting to get excited for Windermere!!! I keep dreaming that I will have an awesome day and an even more awesome race. Even with the amount of work I have been putting in at the club and running, my legs feel great. I feel awesome all around! :)

Monday: Much enjoyed day off.

Tuesday: Class in the morning and spin later than night. I am starting to get a lot better at spin and I LOVE it. Such a great workout to supplement running with.

Wednesday: Hill repeats, yuckie! I did 10 sets of the hill by SAC...in case you were wondering that equates to 4 miles of hills. Holy moly! I also ran a 2 mile warm up and 2 mile cool down. It was a bit chilly outside, but even at 5 AM it was light outside and quiet since everyone was still sleeping. :)

I was hoping to be done by 6 AM so that I could hit up TRX, but I wasn't so I rode the stationery bike for a while.

Thursday: Class

Friday: I had an 8 mile tempo run. It was awesome, awesome, and awesome. I ran it in a pace of 7:59 which was way faster than I felt I was going.

Saturday: I had class and then I went to Spin. It was a great way to start my day.

Sunday: I was really dreading my 12 mile run. The day was beautiful and I had a million things I needed to get done. I finally went out about 12:00 pm. It was much warmer than I was anticipating and my lack of drinking water the day before hit me pretty good. I felt really dehydrated and the last couple of miles my tummy hurt. I was a little anxious to figure out my overall pace, because I didn't feel like I ran great. My pace covering the 12 miles was 8:18--I WILL TAKE THAT!! Not bad considering how yucky I felt.

This last week was a great week for me. Not only did I meet my goal weight, but I am now below my goal weight by almost 3 lbs. I had productive workouts and I am gaining a lot more self confidence.

On Sunday I went through my closet and got rid of all of my "fat" clothes...what a great feeling!!!

--Tasha

Reaching milestones....

I reached 2 huge milestones this week. Both of them seemed so unobtainable a couple of months ago, even though I know that with hard work and perseverance I could do it. I will flat out say that Amy Black is the best personal trainer ever. Period.

The first milestone I reached was fitting back into what I consider to be my "skinny" clothes. Just for kicks I decided to try on some of the outfits the other night. I slipped on some size 4's and they fit. I was pretty excited, they really, truly fit!!!! I was surprised, even though I don't know why . I have been working my booty off the last couple of months (literally!). Then just to see how much further I had to go to fit into my size 2's I decided to try on a pair. And....drum roll....THEY FIT!!!! I almost passed out, no, not because they were too tight, but because they fit! Holy moly! In January I was a sardine in my size 10's and now my 2's and 4's are fitting comfortably. Who would have thought that in around 3 months I would be where I am today. I am ridiculously happy with everything I have accomplished.

The second milestone I reached was my weight loss goal that I set for myself back on 1.15.11. Cam said that when I reached my weight goal  he would buy me the Juicy Couture cupcake necklace from Nordstrom. He bought it for me a couple of weeks ago and I feel like it jinxed me!!! I was less than 2 lbs away from my goal and then I just had an awful week. The worst week to date since I started in January. I worked out like crazy and lost absolutely nothing allllllll weeeeek. Now I know how the contestants feel on Biggest Loser when they weigh in and don't lose anything after working so hard. I wanted to cry everyday because I was so upset. After talking to Amy it was decided that I hadn't eaten enough the week before so my body was in "recovery" mode. Then (insert next excuse) my parents came to town for the weekend so we ate out a bit. Ugh. Before they came I was less than 1 lb away, but I am more than thankful that they were able to come and visit.

As of Thursday 4.21.11 I have surpassed my goal by 1 lb. I didn't just meet my goal, but I smashed it! WooHoo! Of course, I was more than excited to whip out my cupcake necklace and wear it, with my size 2's.. :)

My JC cupcake necklace!!! Thank you Cam!!!!

--Tasha



Windermere 1/2 Marathon: Week 7 down, 5 weeks to go!

This last week has been a nice little refresher for my legs. Recovery weeks always make me feel like I am being lazy, but I know that my body needs the time off. Next week will be another high mileage week and before I know it, it will be time for Windermere!!!!

Monday: I enjoyed my day off. I baked cupcakes!

Tuesday: SJ class. I added to my collection of bruises and also moved up to using the 25 lb KB for more of our exercises. Tuesday night Cam and I went to spin. Have I mentioned how much I love spin? Thank you to AB and Cam for getting me to go and give it a try!

Wednesday: I had four 1/2 mile intervals which I opted to do on the treadmill so that I could better keep track of my speed/time. I started with a 1.5 mile warm up, ran 4 sets with 90 second recovery, and finished with a 1.5 mile cool down. After that I went to TRX.

Thursday: Class was fun because we did a special little Boston send off for Angie. With my Boston themed cupcakes of course!
I was planning on going to spin after work, but I just had to much stuff going on so I had to cancel. I was pretty disappointed.....

Friday: I had a 4 mile tempo run which I ran on the treadmill in 31min. I followed that with a 2 mile cool down and TRX. What a great way to start the day!!!!

Saturday: At class AB set up our obstacle course workout again. It was awesome and such a great workout. I was dying at the end. I couldn't wait to tear off my sweats, they were drenched! I can't wait for the next class like that.

Sunday: Easy 7 mile run. The weather was perfect (little on the chilly side), but it was a great day. I went running later in the afternoon which I typically don't do. I am looking forward to having Monday off and gearing up for my busy training week.

On a side note, with my parents in town over the weekend, I didn't log some of my meals. We ate out for lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. I made fairly good choices at the restaurants we went too so I didn't fall completely off of the bandwagon. It's back to the grind now!

--Tasha

Windermere 1/2 Marathon: Week 6 down, 6 weeks to go!

What a crazy week! By the time Sunday rolled around I was thoroughly exhausted. I had some great workouts and I am now really starting to look forward to running in some races to see exactly where my fitness level is at. I struggled with my eating a bit this week. I upped my calories for a couple of days, but I don't think it was the right time for me to do so. I am hoping that this next week will be a good one for me.

Monday: I went to pilates for the first time in probably a year. I was hoping that it would help stretch out my legs from being crammed in a car all weekend. I was pretty stiff and figured that working on my flexibility would be a good thing. The class was interesting; definitely not my type of pilates. The instructor mostly used the stability ball and bands. Instead of stretching out my poor, tired muscles I think that I made them work even more. Attending this class probably wasn't the best idea, but I didn't want to just get up and leave in the middle of class. It is safe to say that I probably won't go back next week.

Tuesday: I got it handed to me in class with resistive running drills. That is another thing that never gets easier no matter how many times you run them. After work I went for a very slow and relaxing 2 miler around the top of Lincoln Park. Sometimes I just need those moments to clear my head and have some "me" time.

Wednesday: Oh boy. Wednesday was fun. I had every intention to do my hill workout in the morning, but when I woke up it was half raining, half snowing. I decided that staying in bed a wee bit longer would be nice. When I finally peeled myself out of my warm bed, I went to TRX class. This is another class that I hadn't attended since last fall. I like TRX because you use your own body weight to build strength and because you can make it as hard or as easy as you prefer. My little pea shooters were a little shaky when I left class.

After work I rushed home so I could get my hill workout completed. The weather still wasn't looking promising. I ran a 2.3 mile warm up and then completed 10 sets of hills. My hill running totaled 3.1 miles. I finished off with a 2.1 mile cool down bringing my total to 7.5 miles. I felt like I did great running on the hills so overall it was a good workout. The weather didn't really hold up; it rained, hailed, snowed and then the sun came out. I am so ready for summer!!!!

Thursday: Class was tough! I am upping my kettle bell weights so I have been struggling towards the end of each set. It's a good struggle, but it sure hurts. I am amazed that 12 weeks ago I was using a 15 lb KB and it was hard; now I am using a 25 lb KB.

Friday: I wanted to sleep in a bit, even if it was only an extra 30 minutes. I had pretty stressful week so pulling myself out of bed at 5:15 to go to a TRX class was brutal. Of course, it was AB's class so it was more than worth it! No matter what, it is always the best feeling in the world to begin your day with a workout.

Saturday: Class was a tough one! Since it was nice we got to go outside on the hill outside of SAC and do lunges with our KB's and do sprints. Ouch! I am finally getting better at lunges, but not when a hill is involved! I was a little sore by the time we were done. After class Cam and I went to AB's spin class. It was my first time, but Cam had been to a couple of classes before. I was pretty hesitant about going, but AB said that it would be great cross training for running. I was super nervous about going (I am such a dork!). The class was a lot of fun and was great. I can see how it can help my running. I will be attending a spinning class on a more regular basis now. I think that it will help me out a lot. Thanks AB! On the other hand, my gluteus maximus was quite sore after the class, especially Sunday morning. Ouchie!

Sunday: I woke up kind of sore (see note above) so I didn't go running until around 11:00 am. I wanted to do some stuff around the house and hope that my muscles would loosen up a bit. They finally started to feel better so I headed out for my 12 miler. The first couple of miles were pretty slooooow. It took me a while to get warmed up and find my rhythm. Once I got going, each mile was faster than the last. I hit my 10 mile mark in 1 hr. 27 min (same time I ran 10 miles the Sunday before) and I finished in 1 hr. 43 min. I don't remember what my 6 mile time was, but I know that my last half was a lot faster. I felt super strong by the end of my run and I could have kept going, but by then it had started to rain and I had a strawberry & Greek yogurt chocolate protein shake calling my name.....

This next week is a recovery week so I won't be running as many miles. I plan on going to TRX and maybe a couple of spin classes too. :)

--Tasha

Betty Lou's Nut Butter Balls

I was texting Amy about how fabulous the 22 Days bars were and she mentioned that she had never heard of them, but had recently eaten a Betty Lou's Butter Ball. I kind of wondered what it was, but got preoccupied and never asked her what exactly she was referring to.

While I was shopping around my new favorite store, Super Supplements, I came across a display of Betty Lou's. At first glance I saw "coconut macadamia" and said SOLD! I got several flavors for a taste test, knowing that I would more than likely be back to purchase more of these delicious sounding snacks.

As I am leaving the parking lot on my way to pilates class I decided that I really needed a snack. I decided to try the coconut macadamia first. OMG! It was to die for! I couldn't get over how amazing it tasted, how filling it was, and how it was gluten free! It was the perfect size for a snack. The further I got away from Super Supplements the more I was wishing that I had purchased more Betty Lou's. I will be back, very soon!

A more interesting thing about Betty Lou's is that they are made in McMinnville, OR. Who would have thought?  I did some searching around their website and it looks like they have several more tasty treat offerings. I might have to do some online shopping now! Here is their website: Betty Lou's

My to die for oh so yummy afternoon snack

--Tasha

How cool is this?!

Today after class, Amy brought us treats. She made a customized Skinny Jeans Fitness Bar from You Bars. It was amazing! She is beyond awesome.

I was so excited about her bar, that I looked up the website to make bars for myself. The website is pretty neat, how come I didn't think of this genius idea to let people create their own energy bars? Not only can you create energy bars, but you can also create your own custom shakes, trail mix, and cereal. Wow!

You can order 3 different sizes of bars; small, medium, and large. The medium bars come in a box of 13 for $38.87. That equates to about $2.99 per bar. A little pricey, but I think they are totally worth it. The website walks you through the process of selecting your ingredients. There are tons of options to choose from. The website tells you what the most popular ingredients and ingredients that they recommend. After selecting your ingredients you can see the nutrition label for your bar and adjust if necessary. After that you can name your bar. They even guarantee that each bar will be delicious. Seriously, how cool is that?!

You Bars Website

--Tasha

Windermere 1/2 Marathon: Week 4 down, 8 weeks to go!

The last couple weeks of training have flown by. I am amazed at how much faster I am getting each week. Unfortunately since I have to do most of my workouts at 5 am before work I have been running on the treadmill a lot. It is boring, but at least I can really see my speed improving. A couple of weeks ago, my warm up was at a 6.0-6.5. Now I am warming up and cooling down comfortably at 6.8-7.0 for a couple of Smiles. My 5 mile tempo run for the week was done at speeds all above 7.0. I like the feeling of knowing that each week I am constantly improving.

My weekly workouts consisted of 3 classes with Amy, a hill workout, tempo run, and a long run. In class, I am making an extra effort to add more weights so that I can add some upper body strength by the end of this next session. I think I still have little pebble arm muscles. :)

My hill workout was tough! It took me a couple of days to fully recover. The hill by SAC doesn't look too steep until you run up and down it 8 times. I did a 2 mile warm up on the treadmill, ran 8 sets of hills, and finished with a 2 mile cool down on the treadmill.

I completed my long run on the Bloomsday course. I think the Bday course is one of those that it doesn't matter how many times you run, it never gets easier. It was a little chilly and windy on Sunday morning, but I felt pretty good once I got going. I finished the course in 1:01 which is fairly decent for this time of year and where my fitness is at. The stairs that we have been running in class have helped on hills immensely (thank you AB!). I ran an average of 20-30 seconds per mile faster than my 6 mile tempo run the week before so that is a huge improvement.

I have 8 weeks of training left and I am very excited to see where I am at when race day arrives. I know that I am just doing Windermere to see where my fitness level is at and to have some fun. My real training will begin after Windermere for my 1/2 in October and my marathon in December. At this rate I should have some good races in my future. :)

--Tasha

Skinny Jeans

I haven't felt this great in a long time. On January 15th I started Skinny Jeans with Amy Black at the Spokane Club. I was ready to transform myself from the couch potato that I had evolved into. Everybody has their excuses as to why they haven't been working out, but I had a list of excuses! Mostly it was due to stress and an illness I had last year. I was incredibly disappointed in myself after the Boston Marathon and I lost all of the drive and motivation that I had. Couple that with a job loss, etc. and the pounds packed on quickly. I love my husband, but he can be the worst influence ever when it comes to eating. He would much rather hit Arby's or have a costco hotdog then eat at home. Arby's more than once a week is not good!

The last couple of months I was feeling pretty unhappy with myself. My clothes weren't fitting and everytime I looked in the mirror I was just disgusted in what I had become. I couldn't believe that I had gone from being a talented runner to being fat! Cameron encouraged me to sign up for Skinny Jeans at the Spokane Club. I drug my feet a little, but I knew that I really needed it at the same time. After talking with Amy Black, I knew that it was I making a good decision by joining her class and that she could help me get healthy and reach my goals.

What exactly were my goals?
#1 Eat healthier
#2 Lose weight
#3 Get back into shape
#4 Train for a 1/2 marathon
#5 Gain more self-confidence

I started the class with an extremely positive mindset. I knew I could accomplish all 5 of my goals and then some if I really focused. I decided that no matter what, I was going to follow Amy's plan as closely to 100% as I possibly could. I wanted to see just how far I could get by taking in all of her advice and attending class on a regular basis.

My first class with Amy was a rude wake up call! I was even more out of shape than I had imagined. I made it through the 60 minute session and could barely move afterwards. It hurt to breath! The class was insane; I actually felt like I was a contestant on the Biggest Loser. There was running, running, and running. There were ropes, weights, and stability balls. The list could go on. I felt amazing (tired & sore), but amazing after the class. As soon as I got home I slept for like 3 hours. The next day I could barely get out of bed. I just layed around the house all day. Muscles hurt that I didn't even know existed! I had 2 days to recover from class which was much needed. The whole next week I was still sore. I shuffled around everywhere, I am sure that people got a good laugh watching me.

Amy signed me up for Fatsecret, which has been an incredibly useful tool. I know that I wrote a blog about it earlier that describes it's features into more detail. The main thing I got from Fatsecret was accountability. Since it is so accessible and user friendly I was easily able to keep track of my eating. It helped having Amy check in on my account and give me tips about what I should and shouldn't be eating. There is so much to remember when you are trying to eat healthy. Watch the fat, calories, carbs, sodium.....it isn't easy sometimes!

On top of the class Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings I have workouts that I am responsible for completing on my own. I mostly used the workouts for running since I wanted to sign up for a spring half marathon. Possibly with the goal of running a full marathon by the end of this year.

There were days that I was so sore and tired I could barely move and there were days that I just wanted to sleep in, but I didn't. I kept on pushing myself even when I didn't think I could. After my first week I could already tell that I was improving and I was eating much healthier and losing weight. Each week I have seen improvements in myself.  I am faster and much stronger than I was a couple of months ago.

This week is the start of my next session with Amy. We ended our first 10 week session this past Saturday. In 10 weeks I lost 23.8 lbs and 17.25 inches (hips, arms, legs, etc.). Not only do a I feel a million times better, but I am much more focused and motivated now. All of my "skinny" clothes are starting to fit me again and I have a crazy amount of energy. Without Amy, I don't know what I would do. She is simply amazing and an inspiration to me. I am looking forward to taking more Skinny Jeans classes from her and setting more goals for myself. I haven't decided what exactly those new goals will be, but I know I still want to get leaner and faster of course!

Check out Amy's website at http://amyblackfitness.com/

--Tasha

Windermere 1/2 Marathon: Week 3 down, 9 weeks to go!

This week was a challenging, but great week for me. We had "Shock Week" from our class which definitely pushed my limits and added some extra soreness. I ran 6 extra miles that wasn't on my training plan because I felt good. I can actually blame those extra 6 miles on Maisy because she wanted to go for a run. :) I know that I need to stick with the training plan that Amy gave me so from this point forward I will just listen to her and not add my own miles to the schedule.

My running workouts were great. My tempo run felt really good on Friday. It was the first one that I had gotten to run outside and it was awesome. Hopefully I won't have to do anymore tempos on the treadmill for a while! On Sunday I had my long run of 10 miles. It was pretty chilly and windy and as I started out I began to think that my out and back idea wasn't the greatest. I hate starting out running against the wind. You feel like you are barely moving and when it's cold it hurts to breath. At mile 3, I felt like it was going to take me 2 hours to run the 10 miles. Luckily as soon as I got past the windy part everything starting to fall into place and I got my rhythm back. I was planning on finishing the run between 90 and 105 minutes, but I finished it in under 90 minutes. Woo hoo! I felt really good when I was done and I didn't feel sore or cramped up so that is extra bonus points! I have a feeling that my 1/2 marathon in October is going to be awesome!

--Tasha

Shock Week

This week is what Amy Black likes to call "Shock Week". When I first heard her say that, I felt a little intimidated. Pretty much every morning feels like a shock to my system so I had no idea what to expect. This week signifies the end of our 10 week training session. I think most of the people in my group have signed on for the next session as well. Most people will only be going for 2 sessions a week, but I will be going to 3. I feel like I have came a long ways, but I am still not where I want to be....yet.

Shock Week was no walk in the park. We still have a workout Saturday morning, so the week isn't quite over. On Tuesday we did some stairs, but it was mostly ropes and kettle bells. My arms were burning! I mean burning, I thought that they were going to fall off! After I left class I really started to freak out about Thursday since the rumor was a majority of the class would be on the stairs with our kettle bells. Not 1 kettle bell, but 2. Stairs never get easy no matter how many times you run them. Add kettle bells and then it gets really tough!

I tried to rest up as much as possible on Wednesday so that I didn't bonk on Thursday. Our class started with our timed mile on the treadmill. I am proud to say that I took a lot of time off of my mile from 10 weeks ago. I would say that I took close to 3 minutes off. We also did a push up test for 1 minute. I don't think I could have done 10 regular ones back in January, but I did 25 regular ones this time and only 5 on my knees. Hopefully next time I won't have to do any on my knees. After that it was stairs, stairs, and stairs. With our 2 kettle bells of course! It wasn't easy and it hurt, but I survived.

The last 10 weeks flew by! I am looking forward to the next session and hopefully obtaining my goal in that time frame.

--Tasha