Fitness – Page 2

How I PRd my Half Marathon

May 2, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

Last weekend I ran my 83rd half marathon. I ran my first one in 2001 when I decided to train for my first ironman.

At that time I was 29 years old and the longest I had ever run was a 10K…once! And BTW…at that time (and for the following 10 years) I pretty much hated running. I did it because I liked triathlon and if I wanted to be competitive in my age group, I had to run. So I did.

People always tell me they want to be a runner but they hate running. They ask my advice on how they can like running more. Here is what I say…

1. If you truly hate running, find another form of exercise that you love or you will never do it anyway! Or you may do it short term but never stick with it long enough to enjoy it or get the benefits running offers.

2. If you hate it but have a strong “why” you want to do it (my case) then keep running.

3. The more you run, the easier it is.

4. The longer you run, the easier the shorter runs are.

5. The faster you run, the less time you spend running a certain distance, and therefore feels easier.

6. The less you weigh, the easier running is.

7. The more nutritious your meals are (lots of fruits and veggies), the more energy you have, and the more energy you have, the easier it is to run.

In summary: Run more, run longer, run faster, eat better, maintain an ideal weight for you, and running will be fun and easy! Once it is fun and easy, you will like it more, maybe even love it!

No short cuts, no secrets, just do it…like most things in life you are successful with!

So basically that is how I PRd my half marathon. That and it was a flat course at sea level.

Over the past 15 years of my running career, I have had ups and downs: injuries, digestive issues, and a love/hate relationship with running to name a few. I even took 2 FULL years off and didn’t run a single step about 9 years ago.

But in the past 3 years, I have consistently been getting faster and improving my running times following the guidelines I posted in this article. I want to place at the top of my age group in my triathlon races this year and qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI (my why).

I am doing a running streak at least a mile a day (I’m on day 57…running more)

I have now done 67 marathons including a series of 7 marathons in 7 days (running longer)

I am incorporating 30-60 second ALL OUT intervals on all my treadmill runs (running faster)

I have lost 5 pounds this year from last year so I weigh less, and I am 100% vegan now and eat more raw fruits and veggies throughout the day so I have more energy and recover more quickly so I can run longer, faster, and more often

So that’s it! The secret is out!

Here are a few other articles that may help you with your run…

Making Running Easier, With Interval Workout!

http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fitness/making-running-easier-with-interval-workout

I didn’t even really like running…until today!!

http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fitness/i-didnt-even-really-like-running-until-today

Advice For Your First Marathon

http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fitness/advice-for-your-first-marathon

How I Trained For 7 Marathons In 7 Days

http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fitness/how-i-trained-for-7-marathons-in-7-days

I can’t hear about how much you LOVE running at this time next year!

Share your story with me!

www.facebook.com/groups/realresultsrock

Stay in touch!

www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/newsletter

See you soon!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: fitness, half marathon, marathon, running, running tips

What I Am Adding To My Ironman Training For 2017

April 4, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

As an athlete who is getting faster as I get older and getting better every year, I get a lot of questions about what I am doing differently as I age up.

Here are the 4 things I have added to my ironman training this year.

My first race is April 1st, so I will let you know how it worked out, but from how I am feeling so far and the small tests I have given myself over the past 3 months, I know all 4 of these are benefitting my training, racing, health, fitness, and life as a whole.

YOGA

I have literally been “trying” to add a regular yoga practice into my life and into my training for the past 10 years, with no success. It’s always the first thing to go when I get busy. It’s slow, I get bored, or I just forget to do it even when it’s scheduled in!

In July last year, one of the companies I am a rep for, Beachbody, put out a super easy to follow yoga program that streams online on any device anywhere (http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/AABOD)!

Plus, there are workouts from 10-30 minutes to choose from so even when I only have 10 minutes, I can still do something! I toyed with it on and off last year to start the habit so that this year I could turn it into a regular practice. Some weeks, of course, are better than others, but for the most part I have been doing yoga 3x/week typically for 15 minutes each. Sometimes a little longer, sometimes a little shorter, but always at least 10 minutes.

MEDITATION

If you have read any of my other posts, you know I have also struggled with a regular meditation practice since I was a kid. I do believe it’s a good idea and will help me in ALL areas of my life, but as with yoga, when I am busy, it’s the first thing to go!

At the beginning of this year, I uploaded the HEADSPACE app which is guided meditations. I did like this and it started me in the right direction in forming a habit. However, once I started working in the mornings, my morning mediation habit left the building. I have been working on some other ways of meditation that are starting to stick a little better, ways that work better with my lifestyle and my crazy brain. As of now I am doing some sort of mediation pretty much daily. So I will keep doing what is working for me. I definitely recommend trying LOTS of different meditations to see what fits into your world and your head.

STEPMILL

Ahhh the stepmill! The thing that looks like you are walking up an escalator, and feels even harder! I decided to make this a regular part of my training when I decided to do the St. George 70.3 race again this year. The bike is super hilly and the run is super hilly. Since the race is early May, I won’t be on a lot of hills outside before then, so I thought this is the next best thing.

I started in January with 15 minutes once a week. 15 minutes on that thing is HARD! Each week I added 15 minutes until I got to 2 hours. Then I stayed there, let’s not get too crazy! So once a week I do 2 hours on the stepmill. By the end my calves, quads, and glutes are trashed, so I know it’s working. The St. George race is May 6th. I’ll let you know how it goes!

ROWING MACHINE

What? How come no one ever told me how awesome the rowing machine was? I thought it was just some old school piece of equipment leftover from the 80s infomercials! I don’t even remember WHY I decided to get on it one day. I think I wanted to strengthen my upper body for swimming without actually doing any strength training. #lazyathlete

So I got on for 5 minutes and LOVED it! Not only did I feel like it strengthened my shoulders and back, it helped my posture, stretched my chest, worked my forearms, strengthened my glutes, stretched my calves, and helped the flexibility of my knees. I decided I would add it in 3x/week. I started with 5 minutes, added a minute each week until I got to 15 minutes and decided to stop there for time reasons. So I have been doing it 15 minutes 3x/week every single week.

I am excited to see how these 4 new additions to my training help me in my racing season this year. I age up to the 45-49 age group in triathlon so anything I can use to keep my body recovering quickly, my joints and muscles pliable and flexible, and my mind excited to keep training and racing will help me physically and mentally.

I would love to hear your favorite workouts and what you are adding ad taking out of your training as you get older and wiser!

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www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Newsletter

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Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: ironman, ironman training

Fun Holiday Fitness Challenges

March 7, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

I’m not a religious girl, so Christmas isn’t an important holiday for me. I do love that I get to see my family for a week straight, including my sis and her kids from Cali that I don’t get to see as often as I would like. I also like the parties that the holidays bring, and by parties, I mean my fun workouts I create around the holidays.

On Xmas Eve, my friend Wendy and I swim 100×100. If you aren’t a swimmer, 100 yards is 4 lengths of the pool, so we do that 100 times. Usually we do it on an interval with breaks and equipment changes every 10-20 100s, which is also how we keep track of our laps. With pee, drink, and Shakeology breaks, this usually takes about 3 hours.

I love doing this on Christmas Eve morning for 4 reasons…

1. There usually isn’t much going on in the morning for me since I don’t “do” Xmas

2. I get a little anxious around the holidays so this helps me release pent up stress

3. I burn a lot of calories so I can eat my magical sandwich (or 2 or 5) that evening

4. To inspire others to do something good for YOU before you spend a day typically catering to others or dealing with family, travel, friends, in-laws, traffic, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and other overwhelming activities that are made even more stressful when many people are doing these tasks all at once

Have I convinced you to start a tradition to do a swim (or other fitness) challenge in the future? If so, here is how to get started…

1. Pick your challenge. I would choose something where you move to burn calories AND energy (stress). I would choose something you LOVE to do so that the years you feel overwhelmed at having ANOTHER thing to do that day, you remember it’s something that you love and you will do it anyway. I would also choose something that is DOABLE (with your time frame and abilities) but is CHALLENGING (so that it excites you and gives you a feeling of accomplishment).

2. Round up at least one other friend to do it with you. The more the merrier. Not necessarily to physically do it with you, but at least to hold you accountable. This year Wendy is in Georgia and I am in Colorado, but we are still both committing to doing it “together” virtually.

3. PLAN in advance (as far as possible) and schedule it into your calendar. Check to make sure you have all the logistics far in advance. About 2 months ago I asked at the gym to make sure they were open Christmas Eve morning and for enough time for me to do my swim (and 30 minutes on the bike for my bike streak). If they weren’t, I would have checked the hours for the next closest pool. Set yourself up for success from the very beginning.

4. Commit to doing it NO MATTER WHAT! No excuses! Tell your friends and family (or whoever you will be with that day) that you aren’t avail until whatever time you are scheduled to finish.

When you take time for yourself and keep your boundaries set, you will inspire others to do the same (whether they are upset with you or not).

5. Have a blast. Make it fun! Reward yourself with something important to you! I like to get my hard work out in so that the rest of the day when I am sitting at my mom’s house just hanging out with the fam, eating, and not lifting a finger, I know I have already done enough to stave off stress and overwhelm, and I have burned enough calories to sit around and eat my insanely delicious sandwiches!

Oh…and in case you were wondering about those sandwiches…

Every year our family tradition on Christmas Eve is “sandwich bar” where we put out anything you could possibly imagine having in a sandwich and we all make our own. We pretty much eat these all eve and well into the night and next day. My special AMAZING sandwich is Dave’s Power Seed Bread (http://amzn.to/2h7XHeh), Natural Peanut Butter (http://amzn.to/2hoULHD), Strawberry Just Fruit Jelly, and Kettle Brand Krinkle Cut Sea Salt Potato Chips (http://amzn.to/2id9kOF). #promo

Try it and let me know if I am a genius or what!!!

Happy Holidays if that’s something you do this time of year!

Join our swimming group for more fun (and shorter) swim workouts…

https://www.facebook.com/groups/IHeartSwimming/

See you next year!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: fitness, swimming

My Dream Job

February 28, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

One of the exercises I do with the coaches on my Beachbody team is to help them come up with their dream job. This would be the job you would have if you could do anything but still had to have a job.

This is hard for most people at first because we aren’t taught to “think outside the box” or “dream big” so we typically think of jobs we have had or believe we can have.

These don’t usually work as our dream job because (unless you already have your dream job) if you have had it or believe you can have it, you would probably already have it!!

I ask a few questions like “if money weren’t an issue, what would you do all day” or “do you know anyone who has your dream job” or “what are your favorite things to do” and these help prompt some answers. But usually most people still struggle with coming up with something until I share mine.

My dream job is to get paid to do what I would be doing each day anyway. This includes sleeping, training, racing, helping others build a business, writing out training plans, writing out meal plans, writing blog posts, listening to podcasts, making healthy foods, and helping people online, through social media, and through text reach their health, fitness, nutrition, career, life, happiness, and relationship goals.

All the things I just listed are things I would do each and every day whether I got paid to do them or not. As it turns out, I get paid to do about half of those things! Lucky me right? Nope, not luck! I have been working on the exercise of creating my dream job for about 10 years now, baby steps, and over time my life is looking more and more like I want it to look. Of course there are still things I would change, but I’m working each and every day to change the jobs I don’t want into jobs I do want. And it all started with KNOWING what my dream job is.

The whole reason I was thinking about this today is because of something that happened this past weekend. I ask for sponsorships for races so I can race more. A business or person will pay my race entry fee, and in return I will promote their business or cause in my newsletter, on my social media, and to my network. This is an example of my dream job. I am getting paid to race. For the payment, I do what I would normally do anyway!

I got a message from someone on Facebook wanting to sponsor me for an upcoming race. When I asked what she wanted me to promote, she said “Nothing, I just want to thank you for the help you have given me with my fitness and nutrition.” WHAT? How AWESOME is that??? THIS is my dream job. To do what I was doing anyway (sharing and helping on social media) and get paid for it (in the form of a race entry, which I would have paid for anyway)!! #dreamjob

Take some time today to think about your dream job. If you don’t know where to start, answer the 3 questions I asked earlier. Write down your answers. Make a list of all the things you do each day that you love doing. Start to open your mind to ALL possibilities, not just what you were programed to believe about what a job should look like. Visualize yourself DOING your dream job every single day. And then take action DAILY (even super small actions count…remember baby steps are still steps) in the direction you want to go.

I would love to hear what YOUR dream job is! Comment here or share with our community at…

www.Facebook.com/FoodFitnessFinanceFun

Stay in touch…

www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Newsletter

See you soon!

Filed Under: Business, Fitness Tagged With: business, fitness

Advice For Your First Marathon

February 22, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

Last week I had someone send me this message on Facebook: I am running my first marathon this weekend, do you have any advice?

YES! Don’t ask for advice 5 days before your first marathon!

But seriously…

I am running my 64th marathon this weekend so it’s safe to say I am a marathoner. I am happy to give any advice and share my experiences to help you have a great first (or 20th) marathon. Since I’m sure this woman isn’t the only one looking for advice, I thought I would share with you (and expand on) what I wrote to her.

Before I get started, I just wanted to share that you should have your marathon race day prep (mental, physical, and emotional) all planned out more than 5 days in advance, so you wouldn’t even need (or want) to ask someone else their advice. I help my clients work on this from the very beginning of their training. Sometimes even a year before their race. A marathon is a mental event. Running 26.2 miles is very physical, don’t get me wrong, but if you aren’t prepared mentally, when it gets hard, you will stop. So it’s important to train not only physically, but mentally as well for the event.

So based on my 15 years of marathoning, here are my top 3 pieces of advice…

Follow a plan and practice your race day nutrition. Whether you find a general training plan online or hire a coach to write you out a specific training plan custom to your needs, you need to follow a plan. WHY? Because it will give you the best chance for success. The coach writing out your plan knows how to train you for your specific race. If you follow the plan, you will complete your race and most likely hit your goal. Left to your own devices, emotions, commitments, priorities, doubts, etc will creep in to your mind and body and sabotage your marathon.

Within this training plan should be mental training AND nutrition training. You will want to practice on your long training sessions your race day nutrition plan. Elite athletes may be able to run a marathon on 4 cups of water and 1 gel, but you and I can’t. We will be consuming some sort of calories during the 3-6 hours it takes us to run and unless we have practiced during training, our bodies won’t respond well during the race. Trust me on this one!!

Enjoy the process. The process of training your mind and body to run 26.2 miles is life changing. Whether you started off as a runner or not, you will finish as a runner. This transformation is exciting and I don’t want you to miss a beat. This is also important because your race may not go as planned! Let me re-phrase that…your race probably will not go 100% as planned.

Life is unpredictable. Weather is unpredictable. And our bodies are unpredictable. You can train exactly as planned, have your nutrition dialed in, taper perfectly, and then wake up race morning with a migraine or a sore throat. Nature may toss you into a snow storm or a heat wave. You may get a cramp or twist an ankle or any number of random things could happen before or during your race.

If you have a bad race or don’t make your goal, and you DIDN’T enjoy your training, you are going to be disappointed, frustrated, and possible out of the sport for good. If you have a bad race but you loved your training and everything it took to get to the starting line, then you will walk away with experience, lessons learned, and excited to do the next one. Trust me on this one too!!

Have fun! There is no point in taking the time, energy, and effort it takes to train and race a marathon if you aren’t enjoying yourself. Especially on race day!

Get there early, take a selfie, meet people, tell others to have a great race, smile for the camera, sing a song, when someone passes you tell them they are looking strong, if you pass someone encourage them to keep moving, make up a rhyme to count down the miles, thank a volunteer, just enjoy yourself.

Believe me, at mile 20 you will be feeling so much better if you are having a good time. And again, if your race result wasn’t what you wanted, at least you had fun! And possibly made a few new friends.

I hope these are helpful! If you have any specific race questions or want a custom training plan, email me at coachsmith@usa.com

Here are some of my coaching options…

https://www.etsy.com/shop/FitnessDivaKir

Stay in touch!

www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/newsletter

See you soon!

Follow a plan and practice your race day nutrition and pacing during your long runs. Enjoy the process just in case your race doesn’t go as planned. Have fun!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: fitness, marathons

Making Running Easier, With Interval Workout!

January 31, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

I love running…when I am in a race! Any other day, not so much. Let me rephrase that…I love the feeling when I am done, but it’s always so hard for me to start.

Today I had an hour run on my schedule. My goal was to get in 5 miles. Not because it takes me 12 minutes to run a mile, but because it usually takes me a while to convince my body that it wants to run.

Here is how I do it…

1. Schedule a time to run. I have nothing else on my schedule from 2-3 today except to run. So nothing to keep me from running! No excuses!

2. Start with something you feel like doing. Today my legs are tired. I don’t feel like running at all! But I want to watch ‘Scandal’ and jogging at an aerobic easy pace sounds doable for me.

3. Set a low goal that is doable. Today I can run 10 minutes and then if I hate it, I’ll walk 10 minutes and see how I feel after.

4. If you are really not in the mood, pick your fave distraction. As mentioned above, I want to watch ‘Scandal’.

5. Just start!!! Ok, I’ll watch ‘Scandal’ while I jog for 10 minutes.

6. One of three things happen…

I feel good after a mile of jogging and I keep going
I feel crappy after a mile so I walk the next 50 mins at a high speed or incline
I feel great and decide to pick up the pace and add a few intervals

If intervals are on my schedule and I don’t have it in me, I will play a lot of games on the treadmill like 30 seconds fast, 30 seconds walk, 1:00 easy jog, repeat or alternate with 1:00 fast, 1:00 walk, 2:00 easy. Typically next thing I know 30 minutes has gone by and the running endorphins have kicked in and I can continue at a higher intensity.

Here is a sample interval workout for you when you’re having a hard time getting going. PS you can do this outside too with estimates for your pace, I do this on the treadmill.

10:00 easy jog/walk
1:00 up .5 mph
1:00 up .5 mph
1:00 up .5 mph
1:00 up .5 mph
1:00 up 1.0 (this should be the max you can maintain for 1:00 knowing you will have a rest after, his may take a few rounds to get this right)
4:00 walk
1:00 back to easy jog

Repeat, make adjustments as needed until the 1:00 interval is hard but doable. With a 10:00 warn up and cool down, 4 rounds of this equals an hour! WHAT? Time flies when you are having fun!

For a new workout in your inbox weekly…

www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Newsletter

Happy Running!

See you soon!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: fitness, interval training, running tips

Homework: Plan Ahead For Success (MyFitnessPal)

January 10, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

Typically during the holidays or stressful times or when I’m not training for an ironman, I gain weight. I tend I eat too much and not work out enough. The times where I am successful are short lived and usually I attribute it to relentless planning and discipline. This month I decided to take my planning to the next level for my best chance for success.

I love the app, my fitness pal, and have been using it for the past 3 weeks in a way I hadn’t in the past.

Here is what I have been doing to assure my weight loss/maintenance during stressful times…

1. Put the myfitnesspal app on the bottom row of my phone (dock) so it is always in view when I open my phone so I wouldn’t forget

2. I started utilizing the bar code feature to make my entering food way faster and easier so I would be more likely to use it when I was busy

3. I scheduled time each night before bed to enter the following day’s meals and exercise to make sure they balanced each other out

4. If/when my calories in didn’t balance my calories out, I would make adjustments to the following day’s schedule regarding food and exercise

5. I made this process a high priority for the month of December. In turn, there were only a handful of days where I exceeded my calorie goal. This is the best I have ever done as far as weight loss/maintenance during the month of December. I am excited to repeat this in the months next year when I am traveling, overwhelmed, busy, or anxious. I am slowly becoming better and better at life and am excited to see where I will be a year from now!

Happy New Year!

Stay in touch…

www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Newsletter

See you soon!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: fitness, goals, my fitness pal

How to Run a Marathon on the Treadmill

December 13, 2016 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

My 3rd annual running of a marathon on the treadmill took place the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Each year my friend Wendy and I run a marathon on the treadmill the day before thanksgiving to show gratitude that we have the mental and physical capability to do such a challenge.

This year Wendy moved to Georgia, so I was solo on my treadmill that morning. I decided to post a pic on Facebook and share what I was grateful for at each mile during the 26.2 run. At each mile I took a pic, posted my gratitude, and by the time I was done with both of those, I was half way through my next mile! I hardly had time to listen to my podcasts, drink my Shakeology, pee (poop), watch Scandal, fill up on Energize, or struggle through the marathon! And before I knew it, I was done!

Here was my mile by mile gratitude during the 2016 treadmill marathon…

1 mile down…25.2 to go!!! I am listening to the Rich Roll podcast and his interview with the Spud Fit. He is the guy who ate only potatoes for a year!!! He has lost over 140 pounds and his blood work is pristine health-wise!

Mile 1 Gratitude…

Grateful I have made a lifestyle for myself where I can choose what I want to do on a Wednesday!

Happy Hump Day!!

So far so good! Mile 2 DONE! Easier than mile 1 since I’m not a morning person and unless I am racing I usually don’t workout until 8-ish!

Mile 2 Gratitude…

Grateful for the Rich Roll podcast. I have been listening to it since it very first came out and have loved almost every single episode! I always learn something about someone cool as well as something about myself.

3 miles down! When I am running a marathon, this is a milestone for me. I always think “5K done…I only need to do this 7 more times and I have done hundreds of 5Ks. I got this. This will be easy!”

Mile 3 Gratitude…

Grateful for technology! I love that I can listen to this amazing interview while sharing my experience with you! This is the first year I am doing this challenge alone and I don’t feel alone at all because of technology!

Mile 4 done! Feeling good and sweating up a storm. I don’t swear outside because of the breeze, dry air, and coolness, but the gym is a different story! Plus I’m wearing my full compression tights for maximum support.

Mile 4 Gratitude…

Grateful for self-discipline. I don’t know if it’s an inherent skill or a learned skill, and I’m not always as disciplined as I want to be, but for the most part I will do what it takes to get me toward a goal.

5 miles down!! Legs a little fatigued and I have to poop but other than that I am feeling great!!

Mile 5 Gratitude…

While looking through my photos on my phone I am reminded how grateful I am we found Joey… He makes me laugh every single day!!!

10K done! This is another huge milestone for me during a marathon. My average marathon takes me 4 hours so each 10K is approx an hour. After my first 10K I say to myself “You are awesome! 3 more of these and you are done!! You have done dozens of 10Ks and you know exactly how they feel! Keep it up you are rocking this!!”

Also in a race this is the point where I drink my first sports drink (whatever they have on the course). In training I drink Beachbody Performance Energize. It’s made with beet sugar and has electrolytes and caffeine and I love the taste which is super important for me!

Mile 6 Gratitude…

Speaking of Beachbody, I have been a coach with them for almost 6 years and am grateful my friend Wendy for introducing me to them. I love their mission, their products, and their CEO Carl Daikeler!

Mile 7 done! Poop break! I also grabbed a drink of Beachbody Performance Energize. Break felt good!

Maybe too good….ack!

Mile 7 Gratitude…

I was thinking about my incredible husband and how supportive he has been in everything I’ve ever attempted. I have seriously started like 30 businesses over the past 20 years (with most of them failing).

Plus all my crazy health and fitness challenges I do!! He didn’t choose to be vegan or to be an ironman widow, but he cheers me on every single day!!

Mile 8 DONE!! Time flies when you are having fun!!! Done with the podcast…I think I’ll watch an episode of Scandal!! #guiltypleasure

Mile 8 Gratitude…

Grateful for social media so I can connect with my friends and family every single day!!

Mile 9 done!! Wow that Energize gave me a boost and my last mile was 8:34! Not that I have a time goal, but I like numbers and keeping track of everything! You should see my geeky spreadsheet!!!

Mile 9 Gratitude…

Grateful I was raised by parents and in an environment where I was encouraged to be, do, and have whatever I could dream up!!

Mile 10 in the bag!! I love mile 10 in a marathon! It’s the first mile in double digits and is only about a 5K from the halfway point. I like to remind myself how easily I am progressing toward the halfway point and how many 5Ks I have under my belt. I also remind myself that I have done 5Ks sick and sore and injured and out of shape so I can definitely do this next one. I am a running machine!

I am drinking my Energize every 10 minutes now and the only thing getting sore on my bod is my booty!

The hour on the stepmill yesterday may have been a bad idea!!!

Mile 10 Gratitude…

Speaking of sore glutes…I am grateful for my compression tights and calf sleeves. I am wearing them both today. Since I am not actually trained for the marathon today, I figured I could take all the help I can get!! Compressport and X2U I thank you!!

Mile 11 down the tubes! See ya!! I love mile 11 because 11 is my fave number! Been watching Scandal and doing a couple faster intervals just for fun!

Mile 11 Gratitude…

Grateful for my Pure Romance biz (www.MovingTowardPassion.com), my Beachbody biz (www.RealResultsROCK.com), my coaching biz, and my blog biz www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com) for letting me make money online and on my own schedule! You have allowed me to accomplish so many of my fitness, financial, and personal goals over the past 10 years!!

Mile 12 DONEZO!! Ahhhh! Only one more mile to the halfway point! Still drinking my Beachbody Performance Energize every 10 minutes and actually feel amazing right now!!

Mile 12 Gratitude….

Grateful my body is healthy, strong, able, fit, and does what I ask it to do!!

Oh how I love you 13.1 . Halfway point in any challenge for me means “it’s all downhill from here” and by downhill I mean easy!!! I love hitting the halfway point!! And I’m right on target for my time restraint I have today. It’s not too bad but I agreed to sub a class at the gym at noon so I gave myself 5 hours to finish. Got to 13.1 in 2:02 so I am good to go! Still feeling strong! Getting a bit hungry…may drink a Shakeology® in a couple miles!!!

Mile 13 Gratitude…

Grateful I am a vegan. I became a vegetarian when I was 8 because I didn’t want to eat animals. Becoming a vegan was a 10 year process of breaking my physical and emotional addiction to cheese and dairy. I have been vegan now for almost 3 years and I have never fly better both physically, emotionally, and ethically.

14 miles down!! 12.2 to go!!! I’ll be honest with you…I love seeing the numbers of calories burned! I know they aren’t accurate on a treadmill, but I know running for 4+ hours will burn a lot of calories!! I’m not as obsessed as I used to be (14 Mile Gratitude) but I still want to be fit and thin. I love food so burning calories helps me stay healthy and in shape on the days when I do tend to over eat! I know I will indulge at the vegan buffet at Native Foods tomorrow for Thanksgiving so I am grateful for the calories I am burning today!!

Mile 15…crushed it!

Yes, I am sweaty Betty but I feel great! This is my longest run since IRONMAN Boulder August 7th. My body doesn’t mind it at all!!

Mile 15 Gratitude…

Speaking of IRONMAN…grateful for my performance last season. I cut over an hour from my ironman PR in Boulder at the age of 44 and am grateful (and excited) to see how well I do in my new age group next year! I love that my body is faster, stronger, and recovers more quickly than it did in its 20s and 30s.

Mile 16 DONE! Yikes! In less than an hour I have to restart or switch treadmills! Last year Wendy ran her first 10 miles on one treadmill and the last 16 on 16 different treadmills!

Mile 16 Gratitude…

Speaking of Wendy…I am grateful I have friends who will do crazy and fun things with me!!

Mile 17…killed it! Ok maybe not so much of a kill as a slap actually I LOVE mile 17 because it means I only have 9 left. 9 is a single digit number and it seems manageable! In a race it is mile 17 where I start counting down. I’ll say to myself “9 miles to go, an hour and a half, nice and easy 3 miles and then see how you feel.’ Usually by then most marathons have an aid station so I’ll start drinking a cup of electrolyte at each aid station.

Mile 17 Gratitude...

I often forget to be grateful for things I take for granted because it’s just part of who I am, but things I like. I am grateful I have blonde hair, grateful for my blue eyes, grateful I am tall, grateful that when I do gain weight my stomach stays fairly flat. I am grateful for my calves and forearms-2 of my body parts I like. I am grateful I have full lips. I am grateful I never got in the habit of wearing make-up or a push-up bra! What you see is what you get!

Mile 18…YIPPEE! My joints are getting a bit achy, but that is to be expected!! I drank half a cup of Shakeology® because I was a bit hungry. I’m holding steady at 10:00/mile which is perfect for me at mile 18. In a race if I have snacks like PROBAR Bolt or an energy shot, this is when I would take it.

Mile 18 Gratitude…

I am grateful for Dave Ramsey and his baby steps. It took us about 7 years to get on board but this is the first time in my life I have had no debt, had an emergency fund, had an HSA, and starting to save money toward retirement!

Mile 19 just flew by!! Ok maybe not flew…But I did it! Just a little over a 10K to go! This is when I am amazed at where the time went. Often I strongly remember the first and last 6 miles of a marathon, but not much in between!

Mile 19 Gratitude…

I am grateful I have a free membership to this gym. I sub fitness classes here so I get my membership paid for! It’s almost like I’m getting paid to run today! Almost!! #professionalatete

Mile 20 COMPLETE! My 3rd favorite part of the marathon (after 3 miles to go and the finish). I finished off my Shakeology®, walked a couple minutes, restarted the treadmill and off and running again! 10K to go!!

Mile 20 Gratitude…

I am grateful for my family. They are all so supportive of me, my lifestyle, and all my choices. I am super excited to see my sis and her kids at Xmas! I haven’t seen them since April and I miss them all soooooo much!!

Mile 1 what?? Is it Groundhog Day? I would not choose treadmill marathon day to be my day I live over and over! Actually I had to restart my treadmill…hit the time limit!! It’s slower going but I will most likely still finish under 4:22 which is always a great goal for being “out of shape”. 4:22 is a 10:00/mile average. 21 down…5 to go!!

Mile 21 Gratitude…

Grateful that thinking about gratitude and sharing my experience with you is making my marathon fly by!! I spend time every single day focusing on gratitude and I know it has made me a better person and my life more meaningful.

Mile 22 done! Filled up my cup and drank half while walking one minute. Pretty much every muscle from my neck down to my toes is achy. Luckily I have done this before and know this is normal, that my body can handle it, and that I can easily finish with 4 miles to go!!

Mile 22 Gratitude…

Grateful my mind is tenacious and more resilient than my body! Running this marathon on the treadmill will only make me stronger!!!!

I love me some mile 23!! My 2nd fave part of the marathon. This means I have about 5K to go and as I mentioned a couple hours ago, I have done hundreds of them in my lifetime! At this point I know I am almost done! I know I will make it through! And I typically get a 10th wind…at least for 1-2 minutes

Mile 23 Gratitude…

Grateful for my husband’s job. His boss is super flexible and lets him take time off for his adventures and his adventures make him very happy! I also get a gym membership at UCHealth – Poudre Valley Medical Fitness through his job and that is where I do most of my swimming and indoor training for triathlon.

Mile 24 DONE! And I may have tripped on the treadmill belt twice in the last mile. Joints and muscles are all pretty much done but my stubborn brain is forcing them to keep going for 2 more miles!!

Plus finishing my bottle of Energize didn’t hurt!!

Mile 24 Gratitude…

Grateful for my tenacity and pushing when things get hard in my life. The harder the challenge, the stronger I feel!

Mile 25…WHAT??? Only 1.2 to go! This makes me very happy!! My legs are getting super super tight and I’ve been walking about a minute for every 5 of running!! Still on track to finish under 4:22.

YIPPEEEEE!!!

Mile 25 Gratitude…

Grateful for guilty pleasures! I love binge watching shows and drinking Zevia when I am feeling anxious or overwhelmed!!!

26 miles OMG! Sooooooo close! I walked a few minutes but overall felt good! I am super thirsty but didn’t want to take the time to stop and fill up since I’m almost done!!!

Mile 26 Gratitude…

Grateful for silicone lube to prevent chaffing!!! When I was w Passion Parties I used Slip-n- Slide and now w Pure Romance I use Pure Pleasure. They are 100% silicone and even after 4 hours of running today and sweating like crazy, I chaffed NO where!!! YES!!

DONE AND DONE! 26.2!! My 3rd annual treadmill marathon is complete! I feel amazing! My legs are tired (DOY) but for not running a lot in the past 2 months I did so great!! I may be sore later today but that is expected! I am grateful for my body! Good job girl!! Now off to bike (easy to loosen my legs and get my bike streak in). I’ll swim later too since that always makes me feel better!!

Mile 26.2 Gratitude…

Grateful for the awesome things that helped me get through the past 4 hours and 13 minutes…

And all YOUR energizing words of encouragements, thoughts, and messages!

I’m out!!!

Follow more of my fun fitness endeavors at…

www.facebook.com/FoodFitnessFinanceFun

See you SOON!

PS – There are affiliate links and links to my business in this post! Help a girl out and support these fine sponsors!!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: marathon, treadmill marathon

Stay Sane and Maintain Your Weight Through the Holidays

November 15, 2016 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

When I went full-time as a personal trainer, I wanted to come up with programs that could help my clients stay motivated throughout the holiday season even when I wasn’t there to coach them at every office celebration, every stressful shopping day, and every holiday party.

I spent hours and hours writing up meal plans and fun workouts they could do with their friends and families when they were too busy to get to the gym. I encouraged them to sign up for 5Ks and ski trips and other active activities, but without fail, New Year’s Day would arrive and I would have sad clients who ate their way through November and December instead of moving their way through it.

I wanted to do more but didn’t know what I could do since I couldn’t follow each person around all day long and give them motivating words and help them make different choices. And back then we didn’t have social media or text to easily stay in touch each and every day!

Around the same time, I was diving deep into personal growth and development. I was learning not only about myself and how to become a better version of me, but also more about others and how we all operate. In general we do not like pain. We don’t like giving things up that we love. This is why we choose comfort (sitting on the couch watching a show instead of hitting the gym before bed) and why we call ice cream a comfort food and not broccoli.

I began to think about all the things most people love and find value in. Something most people do not want to give up. Something that hurts when lost. A-HA! Money! People hate to lose money and when money is on the line, they may re-think the bet!

So I started a program where my client’s holiday activities (or lack thereof) affected their pocket book.

To join, each person gave me $20. If they maintained their weight between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, they got their $20 back. If they gained weight, they lost their $20 and I donated it to a local charity. And IT WORKED!!! The following year out of my 18 person “test group” only 2 had gained weight! And a few even lost weight! WHAT??? Amazing results! I continued this challenge for the next 7 years at the gym. It grew each year with excellent results. Clients even started wagering with each other who could lose the most weight, run the fastest, lift the heaviest, etc. Money talks!

As I transitioned from a “gym” coach to an “online” coach, I wanted to continue the tradition. So here are the deets…

The cost is $20. If you GAIN weight, you lose your $20, if you MAINTAIN, you get your $20 back. At the end of the program I will donate any money we have left over to a charity of my choice.

To join, paypal me $20, make sure your name is on the order AND you put it is to family and friends so you aren’t charged a fee. My paypal acct is Kirsten@MovingTowardPassion.com.

Next, join our support group here…

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StaySane

I will be posting articles, workouts, and recipes DAILY! Plus, you can use each other for support and accountability!

On Thursday morning (Thanksgiving), weight yourself and document it (pics are perfect for this) in the group.

I recommend weighing yourself WEEKLY as to avoid a “surprise” 5 pounds 😉

On January 1st , weight yourself first thing in the morning.

Post your results!

Get your money back (if all goes well).

I would love to have you join us this year. Email or text me if you have specific questions…

CoachSmith@usa.com

970-214- 7745

See you soon!!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: fitness, holiday weight gain, weight loss

Race Report: 2016 Wildlife Loop Triathlon

November 8, 2016 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

The question I get most often from my clients who are training for any distance triathlon (but especially the longer distances) is “what do I eat during the race?” This is a great question and one that takes years of experimenting to master as each person is so different and our bodies respond differently to different amounts of salts, sugars, water, etc over the course of a 1-17 hour race day.

I have spent my fair share of time, energy, and money to figure out what works best for me and my body. I race a lot so I have a lot of opportunities to experiment. And this year has been the best for me so far with my race day nutrition.

The Wildlife Loop triathlon was one of my faves this year. It’s a half ironman distance (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run) which is quickly becoming my favorite distance. I raced 6 of this distance this year. This was one of my favorites because the course was gorgeous, the temps were perfect, the race was low-key, and my nutrition plan worked perfectly. Oh…and I won $800!

I made a video race report you can watch here…

And here are the deets about my race day nutrition…

Pre-Race…

6:30 am Vegan Chocolate Shakeology (www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Shakeology) with unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk

7:30 am Banana and Energize (www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Energize)

7:45 am (15 minutes before swim start) Package of Pro Bar Bolt (http://amzn.to/2e9mhrN)

During-Race…

I drank 2 bottles of Energize on the bike, ¼ bottle every 10 minutes for the first half and then Gatorade (on the course) the second half, again about ¼ bottle every 10 minutes.

I drank a bottle of Bing Cherry Energy Drink (http://amzn.to/2dKxBN8) ¼ of the bottle each mile for the first 4 miles and then switched to Gatorade on the course (same amount).

I also had one package of Pro Bar Bolt w caffeine at mile 10 of the run.

The temps were pretty much perfectly moderate, but in hotter races, I have taken salt tablets and consumed more Gatorade on the course.

Post-Race…

After ANY race, I immediately drink a bottle of Shakeology with water to replenish nutrients and give my body some clean protein. Typically I don’t eat a lot at the race “after-party” due to limited options for me, so I want to make sure I get something nutritious in me right away.

For this race, I did eat about 50 cherry tomatoes and 20 pickles post-race as well!! BONUS!!

If you have any questions at all about any of my races, training, or nutrition, please reach out! I offer personalized training and racing plans as well as custom meal plans, on or off the race course!

Check out some options here…

www.etsy.com/shop/FitnessDivaKir

Free training and recipes here…

www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/newsletter

See you soon!

Filed Under: Fitness, Race Reports Tagged With: race report, triathalon