March 2018 Goals | Fitness Friday

Hello March!!! How did February go for you? I gotta say, February went pretty well for me.  I’ve felt the most focused than I had in a long time! I know starting Whole30 has been a big help, but more on that later because I still have a few days left and I need to recap week 3 + 4! My training runs have been consistent, albeit slower than I want but I'm happy to be running again, so I won't complain.  I totaled 40 miles in Feb. which is also lower than I like, but I'm happy to be running at all!  I've been enjoying my gym classes once a week. I've been alternating between a Sandbag Class and Body Pump.   I'd forgotten what it was like to feel sore! 


Now, on to my goals for March! 


Running consistently makes such a huge difference in being ready for a half marathon.  I learned that the hard way when I didn't train properly and injured myself during the Arizona Rock n Roll Half.  So, I plan to stick to my running schedule in March. I would like to work on speed once a week, but didn't make it a goal, just yet. Since I'm feeling pretty good about my running consistently and ready to add 1 more day of cross training to my weekly schedule! It may just be 30 minutes at home doing HITT, a kettle bell workout, or Pilates, but it will help me become a stronger runner! Sticking to my paleo diet is a must too.  I'm not gonna lie, I still want/need to lose some weight to be back to where I was when I felt my best and my clothes fit! UGhh the struggle is real, friends! I've tried other "diets" but I know Paleo works best for me and it's something I've been able to maintain.  I know I'll have a few non-Paleo meals this month and I'm ok with that.  It's important for me to have balance and focus on the whole picture and not just a few meals throughout the month.  What I need to work on is self control and not turn a cheat meal into a cheat weekend! Who else can relate? 

Here's to a successful new month full of happiness, making memories, and staying active!   XO

February 2018 Fitness Goal

In my attempt to keeping accountable, let me start of by saying January was not my month.  I'm really hoping it's not an indication of what the rest of the year is going to be like for me because, well, I won't stand for it! But, I do need to be more strict with myself because I really need to meet my goals.  The month started off ok. I was meal planning and prepping what I could but getting to the gym was not happening.  And then I hurt my foot during the Rock n Roll Arizona Half Marathon and it all went downhill from there.  Not able to run or workout much has made me cranky and sad.  And do you know what happens when I get cranky and sad? If you guessed eat you would be correct. So now that January is over and my foot is feeling better, it's time to let go of the excuses and make some drastic changes.  


Welcome February!!! I am so ready for some structure and focus in my life, especially when it comes to self control on the weekends!!! So, I chose February to be my month to start Whole 30.  I'm actually starting on Monday, Feb. 5th because Super Bowl! I know, I know, talk about not having self control!!!! I'm actually really looking forward to starting Whole 30 and I've got all my meals planned for the 1st week.  This weekend I'll be going shopping and Sunday I plan to spend my morning prepping for the week, right after my first run in 3 weeks! I seriously cannot believe I haven't ran in 3 weeks!!! I've got the Rock n Roll Nashville Half Marathon coming up in April, so I want to get back to running (pain free) and start training correctly and consistently! I've got my BFF running it with me and it's going to be her 1st half marathon ever, so I gotta represent and be there for her!! And in an effort to stay injury free, I need to do some cross training, so going to the gym at least once a week should be totally doable, right?


How did you start off your year? Were you on track or like me and needing a re-do?! What are your goals for this new month? No matter what, don't stress out and just keep moving forward and don't be too hard on yourself. XO 

Badass Dash Las Vegas Race Recap

This past weekend I ran the Badass Dash for the first time at Sam Boyd Stadium.  I ran 2 other Badass Dashes a few years ago, both were at Silverton Casino and they were lots, so I was looking forward to checking this race out.  I ran with a team of 4 others, 2 girls and 2 boys, plus me! The Badass Dash is a 7K (4.4 mile) obstacle course adventure race.  

We had a 9am start time and by then it was pretty warm outside and we were ready to get started.  Unfortunately, they don't stagger wave start times the way Spartan Races or larger marathon events do.  So, there were hundreds of people lined up for the 9am start.  They couldn't let all hundreds of us go at the same time since that would cause major congestion on course, so they let us go about 50 at a time every 5 minutes. It worked out great because there was no bottlenecking at obstacles however we waiting in the sun for almost an hour and that was no fun. I would suggest they give us staggering or wave start times, so we don't have to just wait in line for so long! That would help us prepare a lot better and we wouldn't have to wait an hour in line! 

The Badass Dash is not intended to be a super intense race like the Spartan Races or Tough Mudders.  They are geared towards having fun and are a great introduction to obstacle course races.  They have over 40 obstacles, from super easy to difficult, throughout the course which is nice! I felt like the walls were challenging but also achievable for most, so that was a big plus!  Being in a stadium, I was totally expecting the stairs to be part of the race, and boy did I feel the burn on those! Once we got through the up and down of pretty much the entire stadium stairs + all the ones outside, they set up the last 10 or so obstacles in the middle of the field.  I really thought that was pretty neat and totally different for me, since I haven't ran a Spartan Stadium Sprint yet.  Lastly, they cooled us off with a fun car wash/spider web obstacle before crossing the finish! 

Once my team was finished, it was then time for the kiddos to race! They were running with their friends which made it super fun for them.  Both Diego and Elysse did the 2K (1.2 mile) Kid Dash.  Remember those killer stairs I mentioned? This was also part of their race and I am so proud that they pushed through on those! The rest of the kid obstacles were also all in the middle of the stadium.  They did most of the same last 10+ obstacles we had during our race as well.  All 4 of them finished strong and had a great time, even if they did complain a bit about the heat! 


I would totally recommend this race if you're new to obstacle course racing and even if you are an OCR junkie! It's challenging and fun :) Go out there and give it a try.  You just might surprise yourself :)