Schedule it!

You keep meaning to get a workout in, but suddenly it's 9pm and you are way too tired. Or, you spend so much time debating whether you should go for a run or lift, that you end up not doing either. There are so many excuses not to exercise! But at some point you have to JUST DO IT!

For me, the easiest way to stick to an exercise plan is to schedule it out. You schedule your meetings, you schedule your doctor's appointments, your grocery shopping...why not your exercise? So I not only schedule my exercise, I schedule exactly what exercises I'll be doing (on most days at least). Better yet, at least two days a week I schedule workouts with my husband, so there's more motivation to do them. If you know by canceling you'll disappoint someone else, you are much more likely to do it!

For example, my exercise time is early in the morning. Mornings are when I have the most energy, and the air seems so much cleaner.

My schedule looks like this (keep in mind, fitness is what I do this for a living and I'm my own boss, so I allow myself time off for exercise):

Monday: Bike sprints and strength train
Tuesday: Early morning trail run with my husband
Wednesday: Distance bike ride and strength train
Thursday: Track Run (sprints and bleachers) with my husband
Friday: Trail run (the trail runs are simply because I find it more enjoyable than running on the road and the hills are good training) and strength train
Saturday: Just make sure we do active activities together--a walk, canoe/kayak, laser tag/etc.)
Sunday: Distance run (building up to a half marathon)

By knowing my assignment for each day, I'm able to do it. It brings out the former student in me. Plus, I see improvements (in performance and body composition) each week--which provides further motivation to keep going.

Your schedule doesn't have to look like the one above. Maybe running and biking aren't your cup of tea. Find the activities you enjoy doing, and schedule them into your weekly agenda.

Isn't your health important enough to deserve a meeting on your calendar?

A Woman and Her Shoes

Everyone knows the stereo-type about women and their shoes. I personally know many women who have a shoe addiction. They have a different pair of shoes for every outfit. They have shoes in their closet, under the bed, and in special bins they keep for the sole purpose of storing their shoes.

But I have to say, I never thought it would happen to me. But when I examine my shoe rack, I have to admit, I might have a problem. It's just a little different than most shoe addictions.



I love my shoes, and I like to think I have all my bases covered.


First, and probably most important, are my "go to" running shoes. They are the shoes I currently do all my distance and pavement running in. I went out on a limb a bit with the color this time, but they are suppose to have really good heel support. So far, so good.








Then there are the running shoes from days gone by. They were once the "go to" shoe, but now they are worn, but not forgotten. They are used for muddy trail runs, yard work, gardening and will become the "go to" shoe for a few adventure races (involving mud pits) this summer. After the mud pits, they will be retired.








Now these...these are my Merrell multi-terrain, adventure shoes. They are made for both ground and water. They worked wonderfully for a caving trip in Puerto Rico last year. I also love to wear them for kayaking, stream playing, rafting and on shorter trail runs and hikes. What makes them a really spectacular shoe, is that they were free! I won them in a drawing at the Muddy Buddy Adventure race in Chicago. They are a tad muddy because I took them on a very muddy trail run Saturday.




The Vibram Five Fingers were an anniversary present from my wonderful husband. I was really excited to try running in them. The theory is that they teach you to run the proper way with the ball of your foot striking first, rather than the heel. Unfortunately, because of a foot surgery I had about seven years ago, I just can't run that way. I have too much nerve damage in my foot to strike with the ball. But I still love my Vibrams. It's another pair that can be wet or dry. So I use them for kayaking, rock climbing, hiking (if it's not to rocky) and just hanging out in the summer. It's like being barefoot (which I'm typically not able to do anymore) with some protection on the bottom of your foot.






These are my New Balance trail runners. They are pretty much my hiking shoes. I don't like them for running the trails because they don't have enough flexibility in them; however, they are great for hiking. And, I prefer them to wearing hiking boots.








And, of course, you can't be a road biker without a good pair of biking shoes. Once you ride clipped into your bike, you'll never go back. It allows you to power up hills by both pushing with the quads and pulling with the hamstrings.





Finally, there are some shoes I tried out as running shoes, but they just didn't make the cut. They are nice and clean, so I wear them when I'm with clients. And everyone needs a selection of comfy sports sandals that can also get wet. You can throw them on with shorts or capris. They are nice and cool for summer.


So there you have it--my shoe addiction. I'm always on the lookout for a shoe that will add some fun and excitement to my life.

What's your favorite shoe?

Confessions of an Endurance Junkie

I think everyone has their addictions—coffee, soda, caffeine (alcohol, crack, meth...). Obviously some addictions are worse than others. For about ten years now I've been an endurance junkie.

It all started with a beginning running class for women that I took in my upper 20s. It was in that class I finally learned how to run. And we were all beginners, so it really didn't matter how fast I could run. I quickly realized I could never win races. I'm just not fast enough. Believe me, I've worked on it. I've tried to be fast. It's just not the way I was made. Endurance, however, is another story. I can't run or bike the miles fast, but I can run or bike a bunch of them.

Within a year of that running class I had signed up for my first marathon. It was the Ridge Runner Marathon in Cairo, WV. It was 26.2 miles of hills. I ran it with my friend, Cheri. And by mile 18 we were struggling. By mile 24 we felt like we were near death! As I crossed the finish line I swore I would NEVER run another marathon again. EVER! By 6pm that night I was wondering which marathon I would do next.

That's the cycle of an endurance junkie (at least in my experience). I've done six more marathons (and numerous relays and halves) since then. And each time as I struggle through miles 24 – 26 I swear I'm never doing another. Two years ago I ran the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, at the end of that marathon, my knees made the decision for me. “Enough is enough!” they said. So I had to cut back. For a year and a half I did very little distance—maybe a five-mile race or a 5k here or there. I've slowly been venturing back, seeing how my knees are going to handle it. We did a ten mile race in June. And I plan to do a half marathon in October.

Now my husband and I are training for a Century ride (100 miles) on our bikes. I took two years away from endurance. I gained weight. I slacked off on my workouts. Basically, I lacked focus. I need endurance in my life. If I can't get my fix running, I'll get it on my bike.

This will be my second Century ride. My first (much like my first marathon) was a crazy hilly ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains. At one point during a particularly harsh climb around mile 79 my quad muscles seized up on me. I would pedal a few rotations, then have to get off the bike to stretch out the cramps. I think it took me nearly an hour to get up that hill. It was hateful at the time, but looking back it makes me giddy.

This Century is a little more sane. It's mostly flat with just a few rolling hills. It's also for a charity that's very near and dear to me (M.S. Pedal to the Point), which makes it a little more meaningful.

The thing about my addiction—it's very time consuming. I mean the actual ride or race you're doing takes hours (for some of us it takes more hours than for others). But preparing for the actual event takes a real time commitment. Mark and I have been building up our biking miles for five weeks now. Which means one of our weekend days is spent on our bikes. Sure, the 40-miler didn't take too much time—maybe three hours. But yesterday's 85-mile ride literally took up our entire day. And it physically hurts to bike for that long. But the pain is where the junky tendencies come to play. The whole basis of my addiction is pushing my body physically beyond where I think it's capable of going. It hurts at the time. It's hateful at the time. But when you push past that point...past the point you feel your body can go, you get a serious high.

Endurance is my drug of choice. It keeps me focused. It keeps me trim. It keeps me strong. I'm not recommending it for everyone. It's hard on your body. My own mother thinks I'm crazy. She's a yoga instructor and feels that any time your body feels pain, you are pushing it too far. She has a point. At 39 I have the knees of a 65 year-old, and I see a chiropractor every week (if I could afford it, I would see a masseuse too)! But it's my addiction and I'm not ready to give it up yet. For me, the benefits outweigh the costs.

What's your addiction?

Father's Day

For the last fifteen years or so, Father's Day has been filled with mixed emotions for me. I'm thankful and happy that I still have my father in my life (I have many friends who do not), but I'm sad because each year I watch M.S. take away more and more of the Dad I remember from childhood. On Father's Day I can't help but think back to childhood when Dad would take us to the Springfield Reservoir to swim. He always had us for a week in the summer (I'm a product of divorce) and we'd often head for the beach or somewhere different like Cumberland Falls, KY.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. The body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. The nerve fibers themselves can also be damaged. The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing the variety of symptoms that can occur. (http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/what-we-know-about-ms/what-is-ms/index.aspx, June 20, 2010).

My father started showing signs of M.S. when I was about eight years old; however, back in the 1970's they didn't have the tools they have today to diagnose it. He was officially diagnosed with Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis when I was in college. Each year I watch the disease rob him of more and more of his independence. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability. And each Father's Day and each Christmas I wonder if it will be his last.

So why am I writing about all of this depressive stuff on Father's Day?

I do have a point.

You never know what lies ahead. So embrace life and live it to the fullest! Sometimes my friends think I'm kind of crazy. My husband, Mark, and I enjoy our adventures. In our few years together we've gone rafting, caving, kayaking, skiing, hiking, rappelling, ziplining, and more. This summer we are doing a 100 mile bike ride to benefit M.S.

We have healthy, capable bodies now. And we're going to use them to experience as much life as we can, while we can.

My father always likes to ask us what we've been up to. He knows the answer will be something out of the ordinary. When we sat with him over dinner this evening he asked us what we did over the weekend. We told him that yesterday we took a tree climbing class and today we biked 50 miles. He just shook his head and said, "You two are crazy!" But in his eyes I can see that he yearns for an adventure. And, I really think he enjoys vicariously experiencing them through us.

My Dad's body was taken away from him far too early. At my age, he was already starting to feel the devastating effects of the disease. And so often that seems so unfair. But it has also taught me a life lesson.

Live now. Make your life an adventure. It's the only one you have.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.