A Few of My Favorite Things :)

People ask me all the time about the tools and things I have used for training and races. So, I figured I would just post a blog for all of you with a recommendation for the essential tools in my training.

1) Tripp Worthy :) LOL...that would be my amazing trainer and if you are here in Columbia, SC looking for one, he is top of the line. I trust him implicitly. I often have to laugh when I am reading my running and fitness magazines and they suggest things to add to my workout to help me become a better runner of be in better shape....they are all things that Tripp has already incorporated. He is a wealth of knowledge, a source of inspiration and motivation and a great kick in the butt when I need it. Everyone should have one of him :)

2) Protein Shakes. When I first began training, I swore that I would never be someone who was dependent on shakes for food. I am still that person, however, I do use my protein shakes to supplement my diet. My absolute favorite brands are Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Whey and Champion Nutrition's Pure Whey. I think both are amazing brands. I prefer to mix my Optimum Nutrition with skim milk or almond milk and Champion Nutrition is perfect with just plain water. I use these after my strength training workouts or with my snacks to add extra protein to help build muscle. If I occasionally want a meal replacement shake (which is rare, but does happen) I use BSN's Lean Dessert Protein. All of these proteins have a variety of flavors.

3) Scivation's Xtend. This is an amazing supplement that I use while I am strength training and during runs. From their website: Xtend is a meticulous, scientific blend of Energy Aminos containing the proven 2:1:1 ratio of Branched Chain Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine), Glutamine, Citrulline Malate, and Vitamin B6 that will supply you with the energy you need to maximize your training while enhancing recovery at the same time. Encourage vasodilatation which can lead to better assimilation and absorption of protein. Elevate growth hormone levels. The complex ingredients in Xtend have been scientifically proven to help speed recovery and enhance ATP production and promote cell volumization. Stay away from fatigue by blocking entry of fatigue-inducing tryptophan into the brain. Boost protein synthesis, immune function and digestive health.) Flavors I like are Watermelon, Apple, Grape and Lemon Lime. I have not tried any of the others. This really does help with muscle soreness. And it is so much better than Gatorade!!!!

4) ipod Nano :) Music is a must for me, so having my iPod with me during workouts and runs is perfect. It's great added motivation when an awesome song comes on and pumps me up for my workout :)

5) Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS receiver with heart monitor. I will admit that I don't use the heart monitor much. However, when I am out doing runs, this is perfect and gives me exact mileage that I have done so I can keep track of my training. It also will plot out your runs on the computer for you and save your mileage and give you details on your runs as well. I love this device for it's accurate mileage information! It is a bit bulky but I love it!!

6) RoadID. I ordered one of these for days where I do a long slow distance run alone. I don't run with my i.d. or anything on me, so this is a quick way for people to know who I am and who to call if there is ever an accident. They come in several forms, wrist bands, shoe tags, etc.

7) Brooks Running Shoes. I won't lie I am addicted to Brooks Running Shoes! They are my favorite shoes to run in! I just recently bought two pair to switch between during training for my next 3 races so that I won't wear them out as fast as I have been and will have good shoes for all of my next races. Their Adrenaline GTS line is awesome. I was fitted for my first pair of Brooks at Fleet Feet a couple years ago and I just keep ordering the new version of this shoe :) Also, Runner's World Magazine gave this shoe high props!!!

8) Gu....chocolate outrage. I use packets of Gu during my long runs and races to give me an instant carbohydrate quick for energy. I am interested in trying a new product that a friend of mine has fallen in love with 2nd Surge. Same thing as Gu but a different brand. Hoping to get to try it out soon :)

9) yurbuds. For those of you that have not heard of these, they are awesome headphones that do not fall out of your ears when you are running and they are not very easy to be pulled out if they are grabbed. I got a pair of these in May at my last half marathon and I am in love. They are not cheap but the sound quality and the fact that they stay in place without the ear hooks is just awesome. I fully intend to get another pair at some point for backup.

10) Bosu ball. I love this tool to use to help strengthen my core and build up my balance and coordination. It is one of my absolute favorite things to use in a workout :)

Over the course of my training, I have tried many things that have worked and not worked for me. For example, I have tried the Phiten titanium necklaces, the Power Balance energy bands, and the Energy Armor energy bands. Do I believe any of these provide any extra energy? They did not for me. I did a test of the Energy Armor ones with 3 other friends. Two of us slept better with it and two had to remove them because it totally threw off their sleep patterns. Bottom line, if you ever see me wearing these in a training session or run, it's simply because I like the look of it. I don't believe they have any special powers or do anything amazing for you. I also used the Nike Sport+ iPod kit for awhile but found that it had to be calibrated often and did not keep an accurate record of my mileage for my runs. Other friends have had better luck with theirs than I have, but for me, the Garmin gives more accurate information.

There are many supplements on the market. Not all of them work for everyone. Currently, I am going to be trying out a few new ones. I picked up Hylytes which is an electrolyte pill supplement to try out to help with muscle cramps during racing. I also got some other electrolyte supplements to try to see if I can completely eliminate those pesky cramps. I will let you guys know what I think. I will admit that I tend to be a supplement junkie. I have tons of different flavors of protein and xtend. I also use a multivitamin, preworkout supplement and a fat burner. All of these have been suggested by my trainer and have worked well for me.

And for fun news, this supplement junkie will officially be working at a local supplement store. I am really excited about the opportunity. I know I am going to learn tons and cannot wait to share more details with you as I learn more. Tomorrow is my first day and I am really super excited about it!

Lessons Galore....

So, a couple of weeks ago I decided that I wanted to learn some self-defense maneuvers and asked my friend, Chuck, who is a black belt in Kook Sol Won, to teach me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I asked Chuck for this favor. Apparently, I cannot start off by learning ways to beat the crap out of an attacker. The first lesson is learning how to fall! Yes, that's right...learning to fall correctly. And there are about 8 ways to learn how to fall.

On Tuesday, I was instructed in two of those eight ways to fall. I learned how to fall forward and how to fall backwards. I have to practice these and get them down better before I can go to my next lessons. I never thought it would be so hard to learn how to fall. I mean, I am a clumsy and completely uncoordinated person, so falling for me is like second-nature. Then again, my natural instinct is to keep myself from falling down which is where the difficulty comes in. Let's just say that it was interesting trying to figure that out...especially since I had given blood the day before and my arm was killing me!!! Now I get to practice this for a few more days before I see Chuck again and he checks my progress and I get lessons on some of the other 6 ways to fall.

I also learned how to form a fist correctly so I can punch better. I generally form my fist in a way that I would end up breaking my thumb or my wrist. So, I need to practice forming fists with both hands so that I can do them with good form. And I learned one kick...well, it's more like a knee to the groin-kind of thing! I am actually pretty good at that and feel pretty confident with that one. However, I will work on practicing that too!

There is also much to learn in my running. Chuck is a fellow runner and I have been picking his brain on improving my running. He used to be a runner who liked to run fast also and had to learn some techniques in order to become a better endurance runner. He is definitely a much faster runner than I am and that I might even become. However, his thought-process and methods of improving are sound. So, I will start relearning how to breathe now. LOL...that means when I am running I will actually be more efficient in my usage of air. If I use my air more efficiently, then I will be able to run for longer and run better. Also, he gave me a plan to get my hip back on board for running. I told him how frustrated I was about not being able to run the same as I did before or feeling comfortable when I run. So, he gave me a couple tips to increase not only my speed but also my mileage.

I really feel like I learned a lot this week. It was really helpful to get some tips and learn ways to improve my techniques. The next few days I get to practice my lessons and continue with my regular routines. Tomorrow, I hope to be able to get some running in after work.

I have enjoyed having the last couple of days off too. I learned some lessons there too. Having a few days to spend time with some friends and some time for myself is a good thing. It's also something I need to do more often. De-stressing is always a good plan! I had fun and I enjoyed my days off.

The rest of the week is back to the usual. I go back to work and see how things managed while I was gone. I feel pretty confident that the guy I trained to be my back-up probably did a great job. So, I am not too worried and if it all went well, then I may actually get to start taking some time off every once in awhile! And I am really looking forward to Saturday. Cathy and I will be heading out for some more mileage!!

What a Week!!

Seriously, I just had a pretty amazing week! I always enjoy spending time with friends and this week has been filled with visits from friends!!!

Monday afternoon, my dear friend, Laura, got here with her 3 precious daughters! They arrived about the same time a crazy rain and thunderstorm did!! It was insane. I wasn't sure they were going to make it from their car to the house!! And then just to welcome them to our house, the storm decided to take the lights out. It wasn't too bad at first, but the older girls got bored and it started to get hot in the house! Luckily, the power was restored and we were able to enjoy some time with Laura and the girls.

I am afraid that I don't quite have a house babyproofed for a 9-month old! I felt bad for Layla who was crawling everywhere that we had to keep blocking her. She was such a sweetheart! Annagrace is so smart and funny. She kept me laughing. I really enjoyed talking with her too. She is so bright!! And Madalyn and I had fun...middle children unite :) LOL!! She is a very spirited child and also very smart! I really enjoyed meeting the girls and spending time with them! And it was really awesome to see Laura and hang out with her again!!!

We had a great visit! Tuesday, we headed out to the zoo and spent quite a bit of time there checking out all the animals. It was so hot out!!! I felt like we were all melting!! Then we headed over to Build-A-Bear so the girls could make bears to remember their trip! On Wednesday, we hit the gym and did an upper body workout and some cardio. The girls enjoyed playing in the kids' area while we got a workout in. And after getting all cleaned up and having lunch, we headed to EdVenture, the children's museum. This was my second visit to the museum and the second time I was disappointed. The museum is pretty expensive and on this visit, a lot of the exhibits were broken or just not working. The girls had a pretty good time in spite of it.

It was a great visit. I am definitely going to have to head up to visit them this fall. Jason and I were both sad that they had to leave because we truly enjoyed having them visit!

Thursday, I picked up my friend, Chuck, so that he could hang out with us for a few days! I had asked him to come and help me take down a branch on our cedar tree that had fallen during the storm on Monday. Jason was unable to get it trimmed with his foot still healing. So, Chuck agreed to help me out.

I also went to see my orthopedic surgeon on Thursday. I got great news. Dr. Ekman released me back to my regular routines. He is very happy with my progress. And he told me that he wanted me to continue slowly getting back to where I was and that if I had pain while doing an exercise that I was to stop doing it. From now on, pain in my hip means stop doing that. I can try it again later, but I need to be careful and listen to the hip!! I was so happy to get a good report!!!

Jason also got a good report on his foot on Friday. He got the stitches out and is now able to drive again! Hooray!!!

I got to train Chuck on Friday. It was leg day and I ended up having a pretty great one!! I was able to lift a set on leg press that is the heaviest that I lifted prior to my injury. And I also was able to move from the small box to the medium box for box jumps!! I felt very accomplished. I tried to work Chuck pretty hard too. I felt like I didn't give him too great a workout until Saturday when he started telling me how his legs hurt :) Mine hurt too :) So, yay for great leg day!!!

So Friday night, we celebrated. I invited Cathy & Robert over to join us for dinner and hanging out! We watched a couple episodes of Top Gear and then we watched a movie. It was a great night!! Saturday was a long day...but it ended up being fun. I will give you details about that at a later date! Let's just say that I am happy with the results of my Saturday!

This morning, I got up early and Cathy and I headed out to Harbison State Forest for some hiking. We actually ran into my physical therapist, Daniel, and chatted for a few minutes. I assured him I was not going running but walking because as we all know I am not all that coordinated :) We had a great walk and talk. The weather was not too sweltering and it was overcast! Afterwards we grabbed breakfast at Cracker Barrel!!!

So, it's been a pretty great week for me. I am tired, really tired...bordering on exhaustion to be quite honest. But it's a good tired. I enjoyed all the guests this week and spending quality time with my friends! I am headed to bed early tonight! And I think Jason and I will enjoy some quality time until he heads out to Vermont this coming weekend.

I am looking forward to a great week. Tye is back from vacation so I get to train with him again. And I will get to spend some quality time with Jacob and Jillian :)

I'm So Excited...

...and I just can't hide it :) LOL!! Tomorrow, my friend, Laura, who was my matron of honor 9 1/2 years ago is going to be coming in to town for a visit! I have not seen her since my wedding but we have kept in touch over the years. She is bringing her 3 beautiful daughters with her. I cannot wait to meet them! Annagrace, Madalyn and Layla are so beautiful! Jason and I are so looking forward to having them here!! We are going to have a blast!! I'm sure we will have lots of pictures to share of all the fun stuff we'll end up doing :)

Speaking of having a blast, I had so much fun yesterday spending the day on the lake celebrating my friend, Jess, and her husband's birthday! It was awesome!! Lots of time floating in the lake. Lots of time talking and laughing!! It was so much fun hanging out and spending time with everyone!

And Cathy and I enjoyed our Girls' Night Out on Friday. We went shopping but ended up not really buying alot! It was one of those nights where we didn't really see a lot that we had to have. We did enjoy hanging out while the guys were doing their thing!

Well, I am headed to bed shortly...I have a few errands to get done tomorrow before Laura and the girls get here :) Hope everyone had a great weekend!