Absence makes the heart (and lungs and legs) grow fonder

As I was running this morning, I had a revelation: when we're pushing ourselves physically we complain and can't wait until it's over, yet when we take some time off, we can't wait to return to it. Funny, huh?

Whew! What a week I had - Disneyworld, weekend with college friends, then the K'naan/Lenny Kravitz concert. It's taken me 2 days to get back to reality.

First up: Disneyworld. This was our 8th trip in 3 years. (Yes, my child is spoiled.) It never gets old! Seriously: could you ever NOT want to go to the Happiest Place on Earth???

It is very tough to exercise and eat right when you're at Disney. I tried my best, but I somehow ended up running only 35 minutes one morning. As far as food went, I did decently - not great but not awful. Didn't snack a lot, but did go a little crazy on the all-you-can-eat buffet we did one day for lunch. I figured all of the walking I was doing negated *some* of those calories. Plus, our son was having a super-great time. I can accept making unhealthy food choices and not getting my usual exercise time in so I can experience this:


Next up: weekend with college friends. We flew in from Florida around 9am on Friday, and by 1130am I was getting my long run for the week in: 13 miles. When I was done I had just enough time to speed home, take a quick shower, then head to the airport to pick my college roommate up. She and I hadn't seen eachother in 15 years. We went to dinner that night with 4 more of our sorority sisters - what a blast! Saturday, Sunday and Monday were spent hanging out, catching up, introducing her to my Nashville friends. She does not exercise like I do, so I tried to limit my training to an hour on Sunday and Monday morning before she got up.

The finale: the K'naan/Lenny Kravitz concert on Monday night at the Ryman Auditorium downtown. The Ryman is one of the coolest, most special places to see a show and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Both musicians were incredible, but I truly was blown away by K'naan. If you aren't familiar with him, I highly suggest you change that quickly. One of the most interesting, smartest, wonderful souls around. My friend and I got the privilege of meeting him after the show and talking with him for a bit.

Wow.

By the time Tuesday rolled around, I was truly missing my exercise. I am used to working out 8-12 hours every week, doing something 6 days out of 7. Last week I managed to almost make it to 4 hours over the course of 3 days. Monday I swam for 45 minutes and Tuesday I did some strength training for 40 minutes and ran for 28, but I was so tired that it felt like 3 hours. So this morning I awoke a new person: no more sleep deprivation, back to healthy eating, and ready to hit the track! 1.5 mile warmup, 8 x 800 @ 7:10 pace with an easy 400 jog between each 800, then .5 mile cooldown. Boy, was it a struggle! I got through it though, and am excited about getting back to reality and back to my usual routine. As fun as Disney, reunions, and concerts were, I was ready to return to my normal, crazy life and my sweaty workout clothes.

So my point is this: it is good and healthy to take a vacation from exercise every once in a while. It'll keep you from getting burned out and/or injured, and it'll also help you appreciate it more when you get back at it. My next exercise vacation will be right after Christmas when we go to Utah, and that won't be as bad. Cross-country skiing, here I come!!!

Weekend running reports

To me, chilly weather is PERFECT running weather - and this weekend was chilly, so there was much PERFECT running to be done! (Well, maybe not perfect, but pretty darn good.)

Saturday while I was running 6 miles through my favorite park, Edwin Warner Park, friends were going 5+ times as far in the Nashville Ultra Marathon. An ultra is anything over 31 miles. Walter, who was part of my winter running group in the beginning of the year, completed the 50K and can now add "ultra" to his race resume. Johnny, my first personal trainer here in Nashville and the guy who introduced me to the local triathlon community, came in 2nd male overall. Way to go, guys!

On Sunday, my client Dee raced in the Music City Half Marathon. She is competing in the Miami Man 1/2 Iron-distance triathlon on November 7th, and we've been focusing a lot on improving her run. We spoke on the phone last night and came up with a race plan. Had she followed the race plan she would've ended up with a time of 2:14. However, she was feeling frisky and the weather was great so she ended up with a time of 2:10. The course is very similar to the Tom King 1/2 marathon in March, and her Tom King PR is 2:11. We're counting this as a course PR. Woot!!!

I just ran 6 miles on Saturday then a little more on Sunday, but everything was pretty much uneventful except for the squirrel-carrying hawk I had to dodge in the first 1/2 mile of my run on Saturday. Yes, a squirrel-carrying hawk was flying directly at my head. A group of high school boys were running in the opposite direction and saw the whole thing happen. After I ducked and it cleared my head, there was a commotion in the bushes. Apparently the hawk dropped the squirrel (or the squirrel wriggled free) and it ran off. It was a very strange experience and definitely a running first. I posted about it on Facebook, and one of my friends commented that she also had a running first this week: she was running down a country road, and a pack of 20 pigs chased her! The image of that has made me giggle all weekend - a thin girl running down the road with 20 pigs on her heels! HA!!!

Have a great week!

Frequently Asked Questions

Hi there and Happy Wednesday! Here in Nashville it's been quite dreary - drizzle, grey skies, cool temps. Perfect weather for staying indoors and playing on the computer (after a great strength training workout, of course!). I thought I'd make a list of what I think are my Most Frequently Asked Questions:

1. You're a triathlete. I have no desire at all to be a triathlete. Can you still work with me?
--Heck, yeah! I understand that swimming, biking, running don't appeal to the masses and that's cool with me. I work with stay-at-home moms, small business owners, college students, and tennis players. As long as our personalities jive and you like my style of training, then I know I can help you get the results you're looking for.

2. So - what is your style of training?
--I like to incorporate a lot of core training into what I have my clients do because our core plays such a major role not only in our athletic endeavors but also in our everyday lives. I tend to stay away from most of the standard strength training machines (bench press, leg extension, etc) and instead strive to give you workout routines that involve either dumbbells or your own body weight. If for some reason you can't make it to a training session with me, I'd love you to have something you can do at home so we can continue to make progress towards your goals. Another thing I like to do is base our training sessions on time goals rather than on number of repetitions. Doing as many reps of an exercise (with good form, or course!) for 40 seconds is a much better way to gain muscular endurance and shed fat than counting reps. Besides - do you really want to hear me count down from 10 or 12 or 15 over and over and over again for an hour??? I think not. I'd like to save my voice for giving you tips on proper form or words of encouragement (or talking to you about the many trashy reality TV shows I watch!)!

3. Where do you do personal training?
--I've got access to a great personal training studio on 21st Avenue near Hillsboro Village. As my client, all you have to do is pay my personal training fee, show up in your workout clothes and be prepared to give me your best effort - that's it! No studio fees, no memberships. We're located right off of the interstate so it's very easy to get to. And if you're meeting me before work, we've got locker rooms with showers and towels so you don't have to go back home. If you'd rather train in the comfort of your own home, I can come to you. I own a lot of fun toys that I can bring over to your house!!!

4. What hours do you work?
--My schedule is fairly flexible during the mornings, early afternoons and evenings. Just contact me and we can work something out, I'm sure.

5. How often do your clients train with you?
--I've got clients who work with me once a week and others who are with me 2-3 times each week. It all depends on what your goals are and how motivated you are to doing homework assignments I give you. Again, I like to create workouts that don't involve much equipment so that you can do them on your own, but if you need me to hold you accountable, then 2-3 times a week is the best way to get the quickest results.

6. Do you give guidance on nutrition?
--I am not a dietician so I will not give you a specific "diet" to follow. (Diet is such a bad word anyway. It's just one letter away from "die".) However, I can give you tips on how to clean up your eating and make wiser, healthier choices. Remember - I'm the girl who used to eat 2 hot dogs every day after school when I was a kid, so I know all about cleaning up bad eating habits!

7. In your first post, you mentioned something about training programs. Can you tell me more?
--Aha - got your interest peaked, huh? Stay tuned! Information on winter training groups will be posted within the next 2 weeks!!!

Introduction

Hello there and welcome to my blog! I've created this as a way to keep my current clients updated on what I'm doing and also attract future clients. If you find what I have to say interesting, please pass it along to your friends!



Done with the swim portion of the Ironman Florida triathlon 2006!

A bit about myself: I am a personal trainer/group exercise instructor/triathlon coach living in Nashville, TN. I've been involved in the fitness industry for the last 9 years. I started out teaching indoor cycling classes, then transitioned into personal training and triathlon coaching. My certifications include:

--CPR-certified through the American Red Cross

--Certified Spin instructor through Madd Dogg Athletics

--National Strength and Conditioning Association - Certified Personal Trainer

--USA Triathlon Level 1 Certified Coach

I work very well with triathletes and marathon/half-marathon runners who would like to incorporate strength training into their training schedules, and with personal training clients interested in losing weight and/or toning up. As a triathlon coach, I excel at helping my clients fit the training they need to do in with their "normal" work, family and social lives and still meet their race goals.

Growing up, I was not an active kid - very far from it. I used to sit on the couch and cross-stitch for hours on end, and my after-school snack was 2 hot dogs. I decided to sign up for step aerobics in college for my PE credit, hoping that if I forced myself into it I would grow to like it. (Note: I generally would not recommend doing that, as an activity that you don't like doing doesn't usually become a habit!) Worked like a charm! I added Weight Watchers into the mix and lost my excess weight. Fast forward 19 years and here I am: 70 pounds lighter, 3-time Ironman triathlon finisher, and loving my job in the fitness industry! Who would've thunk it?!??


Kicking it in towards the finish line at the Music City Triathlon, July 2009!

In my personal, non-athletic life, I have been married to my husband for 11 years and we have a 9-year old son. He (my husband, that is, not my son) is a marathon runner so he understands the important role exercise plays in my life. Our son, who has autism, enjoys horseback riding and being on the local Special Olympics swim team. I think that being a mother to a child with special needs and having a husband who has to have his workout time has provided me with one of my strengths: helping clients juggle their workouts with their family time and other commitments and not lose their minds doing so. An exercise habit has to be supported by your family members and/or significant others for it to stick and be a positive experience!

That's it for my introduction - hope you enjoyed reading! Stay tuned for things like:

--information about upcoming training groups
--tips on general fitness
--client success stories
--stories of my own adventures in triathlon and running

Have a wonderful day!!!