HBBC Update #2

Here's to week #2 of the Holiday Booty Buster Challenge! Not only had this challenge been a great way to keep up the mileage, but it's also reminded me to eat my fruits and veggies just to score the extra points! What a great incentive to stick to our goals throughout the holiday season.

Here's how we did this past week (26 November- 2 December):

Jess
26 November - 25 mile bike ride (8.3 pts)
27 November - REST DAY
28 November - one hour CrossFit fundamentals class, ran one mile (4 pts)
29 November - Unintentional rest day...work totally overwhelmed me!
30 November - 4.39 mile run, one hour CrossFit fundamentals class (7.3 pts)
1 December - 3.5 mile run (3.5 pts)
2 December - REST DAY (in preparation for tomorrow's triathlon!)
Five Days where I got at least 7 full servings of fruits & vegetables (5 pts)
Weekly Total: 28.1 

Jennifer
26 November - Ran 7.33 miles (7 points)
27 November - Ran twice totaling 6.48 miles (6 points)
28 November - Ran 3.53 miles (3.5 points)
29 November - Ran 3.52 and did Crossfit 50-40-30-20-10 200m run, box jumps & sit ups (4.5 points)
30 November - Ran 3.28, Biked 16.42, and did Crossfit KB swings & pushups +1 each minute (9.75 points)
1 December - Ran 3 miles (3 pts)
2 December - Ran 3.32 miles (3 points)
Weekly Total: 36.75

Patience is a Virtue...that I'm Lacking

In this world of Fast Food, Hi-speed Internet, magic diet pills, etc, it is no surprise that I have developed a total lack of patience.  Mostly it is patience with achieving my goals.  Do you remember that little spoiled brat from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", Veruca Salt?  She sang an entire song titled "I Want it Now"!

     I may not be singing this song and dancing around looking for my own Golden Egg, but sometimes my mind gets the best of me.  Even though I realize that results take time, I want to be able to run a 21-min 5k NOW.  I want to be able to break 4-hours in the marathon NOW.  I want to lose 5 pounds NOW.

     Luckily, over the years I have learned not to be too hard on myself.  For me, it's very important that I do not compare myself to others.  We follow some AMAZING runners on Facebook and Twitter and if I compared myself to them, then I would probably become very depressed.  Instead, I keep a log of what I have done and compare today's me to last month's me.  

     I took a class on Buddhism and learned quite a bit about focusing on the present moment.  I have to constantly remind myself that the journey is just as important as the destination.  

Are you a patient person?  When you struggle with being impatient, how to you readdress a situation?

Embarrassing Tunes...

Almost every runner we know has a playlist on their iPod that they would never want anyone else to discover...it's their workout list. For sheer entertainment sake, we'd like to share some of the more atrocious songs that we like to run to:

1) Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne

2) Barbie Girl - Aqua

3) Airplanes - B.o.B

4) Listen to Your Heart (remix) - DHT

5) Bad Romance (remix) - Starlet

As for the other half (Jen), I have a few CDs in my car entitled, Songs I Wish I Didn't Like. They are the CDs that if a guy I was interested in (pre-marriage of course) got in the car, I'd be mortified if they played. Nevertheless, I stay true to these tunes and play them on my iPod when I run. Here's a few:

1) Everything Louder Than Everything Else - Meatloaf
2) Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough - Patty Smyth & Don Henley
3) One of Us - Joan Osborne
4) Down (remix from The Sing-Off) - Nota
5) Stay - Lisa Loeb

Do you have any songs on your iPod that you only listen to in the solitude of a run?

What works for me doesn't have to work for you

Ok, kind of a long title, so I better explain.  In a world where we share everything online in forums, chat rooms, blogs, and websites, there is a TON of advice out there for how to lose weight and get into shape.  Whether you choose from any one of the exercise programs out there...such as

or you choose to come up with your own personal workout plan (which is what I do), the important thing is that it WORKS FOR YOU!  While it would be nice to see the models that advertise these different workout plans and think, "Hey, if I just do this workout, I'll look like her", that is most often not the case!  

      The other important thing is that you find something that you enjoy doing!  If you have a lot more will power than me, good on you!!!  But I know myself and if I'm not having fun doing the workout, then chances of me sticking with it are slim to none.  Although some people love P90X, others cannot stand it and would rather get in the gym and do 3 hours of weight lifting a day!

     So, find something that keeps you motivated, regardless of what works for everyone else, and have fun!

The next thing is what goes INTO your body...some people can get away with eating cookies and chips and never see the numbers on the scale move.  Other people look at a cookie and gain weight!  You know yourself better than anyone else and how your body responds to caloric intake.  While there are literally THOUSANDS of diet gimmicks out there, most don't work.  And if we would just be patient with ourselves, weight loss is achievable.  You need a little less

a LOT more

and a few more

(gotta keep an eye on the fruit intake though, since it contains lots of sugar)

The best piece of advice I think I've heard (mostly from my dear sister, Jen) is to DRINK MORE WATER!!

I think finding a cool water bottle makes it easier for me to drink more water during the day!

Again, whatever you do, it has to work for you.  Listen to other people's advice, but do so with the understanding that we are all different.  You might gain muscle faster than I do, even if we did the exact same workout.  I might be able to sneak in an extra cookie or two, while you can't even be near one!  We are all DIFFERENT!  

Final Goal Update

Jennifer's Goals
1. Run 5 days a week. Throughout November, this has been the easiest goal to reach. The weather has been uncharacteristically warm and therefore, no excuses. 
2. Do speed work once a week.  I found that it was tougher to accomplish this goal than I imagined it would be. Strollers aren't really conducive to speed work, and I typically use my one day care visit per week to bike.
3. Go to bed by 10:30 every night!  I got better about this one as the month passed. These last few days, I've been in bed by 10:30 and asleep by 11. Overall this makes a huge difference in the way I feel the following day. I'd love to get 8-10 hours a night, but I cherish my time without a baby to tend to:)
4. Learn about fueling/nutrition for before/during longer runs.  Before this month, I've barely even thought to take a water bottle on my runs. Now, I pop a nuun tablet in my bottle and if I'm going longer than 30 minutes, I pack either chews or one of my Honey Stinger waffles. I've definitely noticed a difference in energy level at the end of the runs where I'm conscious of my refueling.
5. Eat sweets no more than three times a week.  Epic FAILURE! My sweet tooth cannot be curbed. Thank goodness for floss, regular brushing and a good workout routine!


Jess' Goals
1. Complete speed work once a week.  Nope, didn't get this one this week, unless you count my new 30+ PR at the Oceanside Turkey Trot (23:18).  I've decided that I can get a new PR every time I enter a new age division (therefore, my 2004 PR doesn't count against 2011!).  
2. Add two yoga workouts per week.  I FINALLY did it!  I signed up online for a free week of yoga at a nearby studio, Haute Yoga.  I went to classes on Thursday and Friday, both were hot yoga, and they were awesome!
3.  35 miles per week.  Again, I'll include my cross training, with the bum feet.  I was still able to go out and run at least 4 times this week.  
4.  Eliminate Monster energy drinks from my daily intake.  Made it the ENTIRE month without any Monster.  I had one tall Peppermint Mocha when MIL came to visit, but mostly because I forgot to ask for a decaf.  I feel so much better without the caffeine.
5. Find one new trail to run every week. Found a beautiful new trail on Camp Pendleton on Monday.  No post on it though!  


Thanks for checking in on us!  How did you do with your November goals?  

Virtual Friends

Although we are very new to the world of running blogs and Twitter, we have rapidly realized that you can create and maintain virtual friendships with so many out there!  By virtual friendships, I mean forming a connection with other people out there on the World Wide Web, people you've never met face-to-face (and not in the creepy child molester "connection").  These aren't people you have to call, text, e-mail, or write to.  You can just follow their daily goings-on via Facebook, Twitter, and their blogs....boy, really starting to sound like a stalker aren't I??

Here are a few of the folks that we love to follow and feel like we have "virtual friendships" with:






@nycrunningmama: We just got to watch her complete her first ever ultra, and what an amazing job she did!  It's always fun to be the runner, but it's almost as much fun to share in the joy that someone else has for running.  Way to go!  Checkout her blog - www.nycrunningmama.com














@RNrunnerdiva: She recently completed her first ever half marathon!  What a HUGE obstacle to overcome.  I had a great time tweeting with her the week prior and reading her race recap.  She is proof positive that hard work pays off!  Checkout her blog - The Health Trek








@WarriorBetsy: Always looking to impact other people's lives, we eagerly wake up Saturday morning just to read her Soldier Stories!  Her blog is full of great stories about things she supports and what she's doing to train for her next race!  Checkout her blog - The Everyday Warrior















@TheMommyMiles: These two girls are fun to follow!  Great writers who find humor in everything.  They have a joint blog, like we do, so that's also fun!  Reading about the trials and tribulations of motherhood and how they find ways to intertwine running through it all is awesome!  Checkout their blog - The Mommy Miles


This is by no means everyone that we love to follow, but that would be a REALLY, REALLY long post.

Keep pushing ladies, you are awesome!

Do you have virtual friends out there in Twitterverse that you've never met face-to-face?