pretty aggressive...

This week KC taught us how to do a Turkish Get Up with a kettlebell. Turkasaykettlewhat? It is a kettlebell exercise I've always seen people do but now I can do it too! I am so proud of me and the baby 8kg kettlebell, haha.

Check it out:

I would have given KC some blog fame here but her video is only on FB and I can't figure out how to put it on here. However, she will support my disclaimer that you shouldn't try this without proper instruction first. Or at least she instilled enough fear of Turkish Kettleball Gods in me during her instructions to think so.

So from what I remember (more on 'learning' later), the exercise has several benefits for mind and body.  It's mentally exhausting to concentrate and ensure that this weight doesn't come crashing down on you.  You have to keep your core engaged pretty much the entire time and it is certainly an act of stability.  It will also get your heart rate up as you start to do them continuously.  The one other thing KC reiterated was about teaching your arms how to move around your body properly.  Turkish Get Up - voila!

The other exercise we did last night has left what feel like welts on my hip bones. I had a resistance band around my hips and had to sprint against it with someone holding me back. Harder than it looks. Ouch.  

I got to thinking last night... Training adults in a gym must be a little like teaching children in a preschool. However, it is not an official classroom and for this I think adults struggle to understand that personal training requires as much listening as it does doing. I couldn't count on my hands the amount of times that KC had to tell me "your other left" last night.

You've got all your typical children in a gym that you would see in a preschool. The know-it-alls (who don't), the adhd, the panic stricken, the complainers/whiners, those who need constant reassurance and pats on the back and the aggressive bullys.... But worst of all, it is in adult form.

I probably represent a little of all those qualities.  I sometimes fight the urge to raise my hand to speak... but that's only after I've completely cut someone else off from speaking.  HAHA. I am a piece of work, but I don't think I'm the worst out there.

It just further proves the point that no one's job is easy and it takes a certain kind of person to be able to do different jobs.  I would probably end up throwing a kettlebell at someone if they weren't paying attention to what I was saying.  And that's why I can't be a trainer... amongst several hundred thousand other reasons. 

Here we go Broad Street Run a mere 5 days away! Ahh!

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running for a cure!

I am absolutely so touched by everyone that has donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) as part of my competing in the Broad Street Run. Wow! You are all beautiful, generous people!

So far I've raised $250 which is just about half my goal. However, I think I have the opportunity to massively beat this target with the fundraising I'm doing at work. I am so glad I decided to fundraise; even if it is awkward asking people for money, it's going to a much greater good.

Visit my fundraising page to see why I chose to run for the BCRF as well as donate - any small bit helps!

I feel pretty well prepared for the race but I almost feel like I'm jinxing it by saying that. This year, thanks to Kelly the master trainer, I have incorporated interval sprints and hills into my training which has made me a more agile runner. I feel stronger and faster, anyway.

If you're thinking of running a race sometime soon or at any point in the future - I recommend following "Active.com" on Facebook or just regularly visiting their site.  They always have some great articles about training.

A couple of favorites recently: 27 Ways to Run Better Every Day | Training Runs for Building Race Speeds 

Hoping my cousin Mat still runs the race, he is undertrained but in boy terms this just means he'll be fine if he paces with me. Mat Ward get on it.

My super fit aunt (Angela) and a few of her super fit friends are running but I'll most likely be eating their dust.

Must get a good running mix together. Taking all suggestions!!!

Broad Street I'm coming for you. Please don't rain. :)

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UL Week 2

Week two down and down three pounds from last week. Woop woop!

Last week's Tuesday session with Kelly brought on my dreaded fear of the box jumps or whatever they're called. Basically jumping on and off a platform with both feet together. "Soft landing Jillian." Uhmmmmm, do you think I want to shake the floor of the entire gym when I land? Ahhhh, torture on every level. 

My other enemy, E-N-E-M-Y, is mountain climbers. OMG those little suckers are a pima! I have figured out that my running shoes are not ideal for these training sessions. They're too bulky and slightly big on purpose to allow for feet swelling on distance runs... they just do not mountain climb well at all.

I do heart the stability ball. There is something comforting about a big playful ball giving you a workout. It doesn't seem as threatening but I am here to tell you that you can workout hard with them just the same. I am going back to my Cardio Ball class this week, so pumped.

Thursday's LCW was good execpt the $^%&*@# mountain climbers. ;) We did a lot of circuit training, core work and treadmill sprints. I wish treadmill sprints were an option in high school. They're great because they force your legs to go as fast as you can, otherwise you risk a hard fall, deadly rug burn and massive embarrassment! Go legs go!

I was nervous for Friday weigh in, just had an ick feeling the dreaded week two was going to put me in a really unsatisfying disposition on weight loss. So I honored all that I learned as the manager of the boys wrestling team for six years. I got up early and hit the treadmill and eliptical with lots of layers, wore my hood up and blasted Lady Gaga for 40 minutes. It was worth it. Minus three, woop!

This weekend was due to be gorgeous and I didn't really have any plans. Ultimately plans found me and I found every excuse in the book not to workout this weekend. What's worse was that I did not eat well, either. I am in for it this week. I better be, anyway. Its going to take some serious a$$ kicking to get me where I need to be this week!

Doing a session with Kelly tonight, here's hoping I get killed just enough to live :)

Check out my new pumps to get me through the gym training sessions:

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sanity check

Hmm. Nope.  No sanity here.  Let's look at what I'm striving to accomplish in the next two months:

• Plan my wedding
• Train for and run a half marathon
• Get rid of my "old" apartment
• Find a new place to live
• Work my super full-time job

HELP!  I don't know what goes through my mind when I take so much on but I always do well under pressure.  I'm not sure maintaining two blogs is very wise, though. Hmm.  Maybe someday my wedding blog will help another girl in my position.  :)

If you can help me acheive any of the above I will love you forever.  I know you are all helping me with the wedding and that's amazing.  If you could train my legs for me as I sat at my desk during work maybe that could help... :P

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confession time

I feel like I need to be a little honest here.  If not just to my readers, to myself.  I've always felt that I'm quick to make excuses for quitting many endeavors before reaching my goal.  I know it's a personality fault and I really am unsure how to fix this.

This issue has been plaguing me for as long as I can remember.  For example, I quit the viola one year after starting to play it in third grade.  The following year I decided to play the trumpet... and quickly quit that mid year.  I think I also quit the mile run of the Presidential Physical Fitness test half way through on a yearly basis until middle school. HAHA.  Does anyone remember that stupid test?  I couldn't do pull ups/flex arm hang, either!!!  Always got National...

Anyway, I set these really ambitious and lofty goals and then find about 100 excuses (on average) as to why I am unable to fully accomplish these goals.  The one major exception here is of course graduating college. 

I just decided that running a half marathon on Memorial Day weekend does not appeal to me so have decided to go to LA with Gail to visit Libby instead. [INSERT HERE: you nodding your head in disappointment and making noises that resemble gasps and mumbles like "jillian michelle"] However, my crappy excuses are as follows:

• At $179 total round trip (and nonstop!) I'd be crazy to pass it up
  
• No one will really be around Memorial Day weekend in Boston
  
• LA with two friends is more fun then running 13.1 miles
  
• I'm running 10 mi on May 3rd - what's the difference, really?
  
• I can run a half marathon pretty much whenever, there are always some to choose from
  
• I don't feel adequately prepared, my training has regressed a bit
  
• I'm getting my wisdom teeth out the weekend beforehand
  

Unfortunately, there really is no excuse other than that I got lazy about keeping on top of the training schedule because I probably partied a little too hard in the last month.

UGH.  If you ever worry about me being nonchalant or indifferent, you can rest assure that I get really down on myself all the time for all my underachievement.  Which... I'm pretty sure just makes things worse.

So... plan of action for the next couple weeks.  Getting healthier by eating right (no more eating out), drinking more water (and less booze for sure) and getting my selfish 8 hours of sleep I love so much.  Also need to make sure I'm putting in my "short" runs, even if they seem trivial - they help!!!  Will also buy new trainers - I have logged enough miles on my shoes I blogged about many moons ago.

I leave you with my all-time favorite poem that will most likely remind you of me!

Sick
by Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today,"

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

"I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I'm going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I've counted sixteen chicken pox

And there's one more--that's seventeen,

And don't you think my face looks green?

My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--

It might be instamatic flu.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,

I'm sure that my left leg is broke--

My hip hurts when I move my chin,

My belly button's caving in,

My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,

My 'pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb.

I have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,

I hardly whisper when I speak.

My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.

My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?

What's that? What's that you say?

You say today is. . .Saturday?

G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

....haha!  To this day... love this poem.  

For me, it's a never ending battle trying to learn that sometimes you need to sacrifice "the fun" to do something extraordinary.