It's THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tough Mudder is coming fast and furiously! 

Indeed the event is this coming Saturday... and after months of working out, getting fit, eating right, taking vacation, slowing down, eating bad, and round and round...

                  I'M SO READY FOR THIS!

Several people have asked me lately if I'm ready.  I tell them simply, "no!"  BUT... I must confess that I just reviewed the course and it has me totally pumped back up again.  Check it out - http://toughmudder.com/events/Vermont-2012/.

So, call me crazy, but I'm ready folks! 

Another question I've been asked is what I fear the most.  The course is 10 miles long and includes 30 obstacles.  Out of all that I think my top fears are:

• Climbing the mountain
• Ice water bath (Arctic Enema)
• scaling a 100 foot ice wall (Glacier)
• Electroshok Therapy (last obstacle)

That's not a bad list, I think.  I guess the other thing that I'm a little squirrly about is the Kinky Tunnels. 

I'm claustrophobic. 

Need I say more?

I spent this past weekend away in Ogunquit, ME with my mother, my sister and several aunts and cousins.  We talked about Mudder a bit and I received much encouragement (amidst the not-so-well-conceled concerned looks to each other).  I was apprehensive and tenative and feeling a little bit NUTS!   But it was a great thing to spend the weekend with my family.  They WERE totally encouraging and they ARE totally WACKY WOMEN.  They help to set the pace of my crazy life.  So to be with them was a blessing!

The estimated time of completion is 3 hours.  I'm going to be pleased if I can do it in 4.  Ok, let's face it. I'll be pleased to finish it!  No, no... I WILL finish!

I'm a little disappointed in our starting times.  I've been planning on running as part of a group of 5.  It turns out that three of the five have an 8:20 start time, and two of us begin at 8:40 (I'm 8:40).  So unless we catch up, we won't be running together. We'll have to make new friends on the course.  I'm good at making friends! 

My plans this week include a TOUGH workout on Monday, volleyball on Tuesday, a mild workout on Wednesday and a walk on Thursday.  Friday will be void of any substaintial movement.  Then Saturday... here I come!!

Feeling 41... or maybe 64

I've been telling people that part of my Mudder training has been to run up a small ski slope.  Up and down, up and down.  And to describe it, I've been saying it's "maybe 1/4 of a mile or a bit less."   Today I used my handy-dandy gps app only to discover it's...

.08 miles ... not even 1/10th of a mile up hill. 

** THAT'S IT?!?!?!? **

With all of the heart pounding workouts that I felt like I was doing I was only going up .08 miles?! 

*Head desk*

Now, just to make sure that you don't start to believe that I'm an UTTER whimp (i am... i just don't want you believing that) we do go up and down that hill SEVERAL times.  Plus sometimes we run 4.2 miles TO the hill, then go up and down the hill, then do some other things like pushups, squats, etc.  You get the picture.

I'm as tough as nails!

But as I was struggling to keep up the pace with my young compadre (Ms. Samantha Schulz... you rock!) I felt very 41.  And I thought she looked very 20-something (which she is) as I chugged behind her begging God for enough air to fill my lungs to go another few steps.  I even thought... "maybe I feel more like 53.  or even 64..."  *sigh*

So these are two of my cute friends... Samantha and Curtis. They're still newlyweds, in my book, and cute as ever.  Curtis has run Tough Mudder before (notice the coveted, orange headband?!) and decided to stoop down to our level today and work out with us.  Of course, he went up and down that HUGE hill a few more times than we did.  And he didn't look dead when he was done. He actually makes it look like a breeze. 

Samantha and I have known each other for many years.  I love her spirit and her determination, but best of all she loves the Lord.  I love that about her!  Thanks for waiting on the old lady today, Samantha!  T-10!!!

Silence Says So Much...

Yep.  I've been silent.  Well, for those of you that know me, I really haven't.  But I sure have been quiet on the blogging front.  And silence can be interpreted so many ways. 

I'm too busy to blog... I'm working out!  

I'm too tired to blog FROM working out!  

I'm not interested in blogging because I'm NOT working out...

See what I mean?


For me, it started with, I'm not blogging... I'm on vacation!  But then vacation was over.  And then I wasn't blogging because I was catching up from vacation.  And then I wasn't blogging because I was FAT from vacation.  And the list goes on.


So today, I'm back.  Why today?  A couple of reasons.  #1 - I just finished a run.  I used the MapMyRun app for the first time and it says that I completed 7 miles.  While I think that the app might be totally bogus, I'm feeling good about those 7 miles.  I'm choosing to believe it. And #2 - Tough Mudder is less than two weeks away!  WOW!


In truth, all of March was tough!  I had some challenging breathing issues which landed me in the hands of three different doctors and a load full of medication.  I am SO not a chick that digs drugs.  


         However, I am allergic to my dog.  
                             Therefore I don't breath.  
                                          Therefore I don't run...  


Not so good for a crazy woman that decided to run in mud with a bunch of 20-somethings!  BUT, I'm fully drugged now and breathing better... most days.  


So, to catch you up... I was working out hard 6 days a week and eating light for December and January.  For February and March I have been eating hard and working out light.  Now that we're in April, I'm trying to find the balance.  So I'm working out 4-6 times a week and trying to hold back from eating things the size of elephants.  My success rate is moderate.  


My sister said to me yesterday, "Are you ready for Tough Mudder?"  Am I ready?   NO! *rolling eyes* But I'm willing and able and a still looking forward to it.  So, a week from Saturday I'll face the mountain.  I'm sure I'll have some moments of "what was I thinking?!"  But I'll be there chasing after the coveted $2 orange headband that is the symbol of my accomplishment.  If you happen to be there, look for me!  I'll be the one stumbling past the finish line begging for a rest... or a doughnut.