Off day

So it was bound to happen. Today I had a really off day with disc golfing. We decided to try out a new course, Hornets Nest. The course itself is a tough challenge with long drives and lots of narrow fairways. Oh... and some water shots. And the water shot is what got me. We had just started to tee off at the 5th hole, when I see that the basket is up on a hill. Well, I figure if I over shoot, I'd just be tossing down the hill. So I took my favorite disc, my shiny orange shark, and really threw it. It sailed beautifully over the basket and the other side of the hill. Boo gets up the the hill first and says something like, "I hope you like to swim." WHAT!? I bound up the hill and see a huge still pond and no disc. DAMN!! I lost my favorite disc. The disc that got it all started for me. That orange disc was the first and only disc I used for a long time. I took it hard. I know it's only a disc, and Boo says it happens to everyone, but it was a sentimental disc. I surely would of used a crappy disc if I had known there was a possibility of loosing it in water. Well, that threw me off my game. My next tee sucked. I just gave up and pulled the brat card. Told Boo I couldn't do it, but I would finish out the 18 baskets with him as his caddy, and that's what I did. He played really well, had some trick basket shots and some nice long distance drives. He has really stepped up his disc golf game. I'm so proud of him. Even though it was a nice day out, I lost a great disc today. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Be good to your sweet heart.

Once again, in honor of heart month, on Tuesday, Boo and I attended the "Be Good to your Sweet Heart" seminar by Zonya Foco. For those of you who don't know who she is, she's "a registered dietitian, certified health and fitness instructor, best selling author, TV host, and speaker, whose mission is to win the war on obesity, diabetes, and heart disease." AND, she's been on Oprah! haha! Her mantra is "The Power of one good habit." Basically, mastering one good core nutritional habit at a time til it becomes a lifestyle change. So after work, we zoomed down to the auditorium, where they had a healthy dinner waiting for us to eat before Zonya came out to drop some knowledge on us. (I had a really good chicken salad pita, made out of 1/2 yogurt and 1/2 fat free mayo. Who would of known to do that with yogurt? Boo had a Mediterranean wrap, filled with hummus, tabbouleh, and full of fresh veggies. I was so jealous of his wrap, it was really good. For a side, she had a broccoli salad, and for dessert, a piece of chocolate chunk cake, made without sugar, and honestly, it wasn't that bad.) She was a great motivational speaker and offered lots of tips and habits we could start working on. All you have to do is perform it once a day and start eating more of a Mediterranean diet. I'll list things I learned below (yeah, I took notes). Also you can visit her website http://www.zonya.com/ for more info and some recipes.

• Eat fish 5X a week, it lowers heart disease by 40% depression by 60% and lowers the risk of Alzheimer's, cancer, and eye disease.
• Vitamin C helps with Cataracts.
• Get in 9-11 servings of fruits and veggies a day.
• Eat Oatmeal. It is great for soaking up cholesterol in your body.
• Beans are cholesterol sponges, eat them 4X a week.(Chili, bean dip, on salads, hummus, burritos...)
• A clove of garlic a day helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
• If you strength train for 30 min, 2X a week, you reverse 2 decades of muscle loss in just 2 months!
• To cure a sweet craving, east a piece of fruit and a glass of water every 4 hours.
• Eat stir fry once a week, and double your veggies.
• Use meat as a condiment, instead of the main feature.
• Eat often, like 6X a day and eat a fruit or veggie with each snack
• Exercise 4 or more hours a week to cut the risk of breast cancer by 65%
• Snack b/f dinner on raw veggies and a light dip like hummus and you could shed 31lbs in 1yr.
• Did you know it takes 11X for your taste buds to change. So try whole wheat pasta instead of regular or fat free instead of full fat 11 times. I told Boo I'd work on finally liking fish, I just need to try it 11 times.... wish me luck...
• Use olive oil or canola oil instead of butter or margarine for cooking. Even on grill cheese.
• Bake a piece of fish with milk, olive oil and herbs. The milk takes out the fishy smell and taste.

Over all it was a good seminar. Zonya is really motivating and having Boo there to hear it all will help us both in the end. Cause now he'll know why we need to make some changes, instead of feeling like I'm depriving him. One thing that I did learn that will be hard to give up are my cheeseburgers and fries. Zonya visually showed us how a cheeseburger and large fry are like eating 67 tbs of lard. Thats alot of lard! and it's really nasty stuff. So looks like I'll be having less lard.... I mean burgers in 2010. Here's to our hearts, and making them stay healthy and strong!

Week 7, Run 2

In honor of February being heart month, tonight Boo and I went to a heart healthy eating seminar (I'll write more about it on a different blog entry) and didn't get home til 8pm. Well, guess what. I was all ready to call it a night when Boo says, lets go to the track. What has gotten into this boy? haha! So we changed clothes and hit the track. I had an awesome 25 min run! I ran faster and stronger for the first mile, then slowed it down for the last leg of the second mile. I decided to concentrate on my breathing for this run. So I took slow deep breathes thru my nose, (which is hard for me to do b/c I'm a mouth breather), and quickly pushed it out thru my mouth. I really think this helped. It took a bit of getting used to, but I had plenty of air to keep me going. Afterwards, I was sweaty and my calves were on fire. I could definitely feel that I had a good workout. The music podcast for this week is all 90's hip hop, so I'm liking the tunes. I can't believe I'm really doing this. Even though I haven't run a 5k yet, I feel so accomplished already. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Week 7, Run 1

Today we headed to the track around 9am. It was a beautiful sunny day and the weather was a nice 60 degree. All this week, my runs will be for 25 minutes. I was a bit nervous, b/c we went hiking and disc golfing yesterday and I didn't have a rest day. I didn't know if I would be able to finish the run. Well guess what? I did! AND I ran stronger then I did on Friday. It was a great run on a beautiful day. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Double Adventure Day

Today was suppose to be a rest day, but Boo and I had other plans. It's been a while since we went on a hike with the dogs, so we decided to treat them and take them on a little adventure. We headed down to Anne Springs Park in SC. It was an easy 5 mile hike, but with lots of water for the dogs to frolic in. As we pull up, we forgot that in SC you have to actually pay to play. So we coughed over 2 bucks each for the entrance fee. We got a map and set out our course. As we park, the dogs are freaking out. They wanted to get out of the car so bad! We finally hit the trail, with the dogs pulling me on the leash. We get down to the lake and decide to do some soft, rolling hill trails before walking the 1.3 miles around the lake. The hike was so easy, yet so frustrating. There were no trail markers listed anywhere and a ton of intersecting trails every quarter of a mile. You really had to guess where you were and hope you hopped on the right trail. After an exasperating few miles, we decided to head back to the lake trail. (Quick rant on SC park system. Seriously Lower state, you need to work on the parks trail signage at Anne Springs. I mean, what are my $2 for? Those fancy colored maps? Just print maps on recycled paper and invest the rest in trail markers. Please, it would make for a less stressful outing, not to mention those novice hikers with no orienteering skills might not get lost in your bowl of spaghetti trail system you got going on. OK, rant over.) There were lots of people on the lake trail, so we had to make sure we had the dogs under control. I had brought Thing 1's Chuck it flying frisbee, so we stopped near an open section of the lake and threw the frisbee into the lake for about 1/2 an hour. Thing 1 loved it, and had several people stop just to watch him retrieve his bright orange and blue frisbee. We kept hearing people mention what a beautiful dog he was. Boo says, he thinks we might be taking our dogs for granted. We step back and try to look at our goofy, clumsy, chocolate lab with new eyes and realize that we were taking our lovable galoot for granted. He really is a beautiful dog, even if he is clumsy and silly. Sometimes it just takes another persons opinion to remind you of what you have. Thing 2 cooled herself off in the water, but made sure to stay by my side most of the time. After leashing everyone up again, we finished the 1.3 miles around the lake and headed home. The dogs slept in the car and Boo and I realized we still had some energy left. So we decided to drop the dogs at home and head out for another adventure.

After lunch, we headed out to the local disc golf course. It's been awhile since we played, so I was actually looking forward to playing. The course was packed! Boo and I got in line to tee off and actually did a pretty good job at keeping up with the flow. We lost the guys behind us, so it was nice not having pressure to hurry up at each tee. I played pretty average, but I did get 1 birdie. Boo on the other hand played so well. He got 8 birdies! New record! He has over grown this course. It's too easy for him and he definitely needs a challenge. Overall it was a wonderful day. We got in a hike, even if it had some bad to no trail markers, and got in a great game of frisbee golf. Til next time... GET OUTDOOR!!!

Week 6, Run 3

Whoo hoo! 25 min run completed! I did it! I ran for a solid 25 minutes, and you know what... it wasn't that bad. I actually ran slower than I wanted to cause I wanted to make sure to finish. My calves were a little stiff, but walking one lap around the track to cool down helped. So bring on week 7. All the runs for week 7 are 25 minutes each. I'm a little nervous, but looking forward to the challenge! Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Week 6, Run 2

Today's run was a bit tough. I had to do two 10 min. runs with a 3 min. break in between. I think it was tough cause I didn't have a rest day. I ran on Sunday, then hit the gym on Monday and did the elliptical, and did this run on Tues. I'm going to make sure I'm well rested for my third run, which is for 25 min. Aaaaarrrggg!! 25 min on Friday. Wish me luck. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Hiker Humor

Boo sent me these cartoon clippings and I thought they were so funny and so true too. Enjoy!

Cross Training

Since I've been doing the Couch 2 5k challege, I've actually been enjoying it. While checking out some websites for learning to run injury free, I came across some other interesting challenges. Like the six week program for doing 100 pushups, 200 situps, and 200 squats. Basically, it's a six week program to get you to do 100 pushups, 200 situps, and 200 squats. I think I'm going to incorprate those workouts to cross train on the running program. Here are the websites for each incase anyone is interested. Til the weather gets better, I'm keeping my legs in hiking shape! Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

100 Push ups http://www.hundredpushups.com/

200 Sit ups http://www.twohundredsitups.com/

200 squats http://www.twohundredsquats.com/

Week 6, Run 1

Happy Valentines Day!
This week started off on a good note. I knew I cold run 20 mins, so I thought this session would be a bit easier. It still challenged me, but the difference was that I was now more confident in my ability. After waking up from our comatose Valentine Day breakfast pancakes (the carbs really got us.) We headed out to the school track. I warmed up for 5 mins. ran for 5 mins. walked for 3 mins. ran for 8 mins. walked for 5 mins. then ran for 5 mins. with a 5 mins. cool down. The first 5 mins were tough to get into, but the last 5 mins seemed to get easier the more I ran. Which was strange, but I'll take it :) The music for this podcast was all 80's. It's only for a week, so I can deal.

On a side note, Boo and I volunteered this Saturday for the American Heart Association at their annual "Heart Ball." We had to dress up (Yay!, loved seeing Boo in a tux) and help out with the live and silent auctions by mingling with the guests, engaging them to bid on items and thanking them for bidding. All the while sipping on butlered champagne and passed hor'dourves. (Yeah, it was some hard work. hahaha!) In all seriousness, it was a lovely evening and we did it for a wonderful cause. After all, heart disease is the #1 leading cause of death for women. So go out there and get moving! If you feel you want to do more, volunteer for a Heart walk, hell, WALK in a heart walk, start a walking club, take a CPR class, or just do something to keep your heart healthy. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Week 5, Run 3

I was sooooo stressed over this run. I worried about it for 2 whole days! I wasn't sure I could complete it and that's b/c this week's run was for a full 20 minutes. Considering the longest run I've done so far has been 8 minutes, this week's 20 minute run seemed impossible. I mean it would be more than twice as long as I've run on this program. So yeah, this last run for week 5 was very intimidating. On top of that, I put it off once again by deciding not to do it this morning, but to wait til the evening. I think I was just nervous, afraid I'd fail, not finish the run, and disappoint myself. I know, I know... I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I really wanted to accomplish this. So I had another full day to worry. Oh, and it gets better. So, not only did I worry about this evenings run all day, but it started to snow. AGAIN! As I looked out the window from my office, I watched snowflakes after snowflakes falling from the sky. At first I was like, YES!, another excuse to not run. But the more I watched the snow falling, the more I knew I HAD to do this. I had to at least TRY. So as the snow blanketed everything, I drove home, changed into my running clothes, kissed Boo goodbye (he's sick and shouldn't be out in this weather), jumped back into my car, and headed for the track.

The snow came down like sheets of rain. I was literally dusting it off my shoulders and arms. I tightened the scarf around my neck and started the podcast. After the 5 minute warm up, I heard the prompt to start my 20 minute run. And as I listened to "Crazy" by Brittany Spears (this week's podcast is all pop music) I began my run by thinking, I must be crazy, to be attempting a 20 minute run in blizzard conditions! I chugged along and when I heard Suz on the podcast tell me I was half done, only 10 more minutes to go, I cracked a smile. I kept bouncing along, shaking the snow off my fleece jacket and listening to the words in the songs to take my mind off the run. Let me tell you, those boy bands really do have something to say. I don't think I ever really listened to the words on some of those songs. Anyways, then I heard Suz pop on and say "Congratulations, you finished your first 20 minute run." I did it!! I did it!! I freaking ran for 20 minutes! Whoo Hoo!! I jumped up in the air and fist pumped like the Jersey Shore kids. I finished my 5 minute cool down walking around the track with the hugest grin ever. And as I looked around, I finally noticed just how beautiful the falling snow looked and how white, clean, and pristine everything appeared. What a beautiful night, and for me, what a sense of accomplishment. What I take away from this run, is that sometimes we psych ourselves out of things that our bodies are capable of doing. I'm going to remember this lesson, and when I start to hear that nagging little voice inside me telling me it's impossible, I'm going to continue to chug along and know that I am capable of anything. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Week 5, Run 2

Today was a looooong day. I had to go to work, then jet downtown for a volunteer meeting, where they fed us pizza. I did good though, well, good as far as pizza goes. I had two slices of cheese and a bottled water. So after wrapping up our meeting, by the time we got home, it was 8pm. And guess what I did? I decided to go running! Seriously. Me, the former couch potato, changed clothes and headed to the track. (By myself cause Boo had a Disc Golf club meeting. ) And I ran :)

Today's run was toughest so far. I had to warm up for 5 mins. then jog for 8 mins, walk for 5 min, jog another 8 min, then cool down for 5 min. The first 8 mins were good. I felt strong and my breathing was good. The second 8 min was tougher. My legs felt like solid lead about mid way through. I just sucked it up, listened to the song on the podcast, kept telling myself I could finish this, and ran thru it. And when I was prompted to stop running and cool down, I had the biggest smile on my face. I did it! Whoo hoo!!! (While I was leaving the track, Boo had pulled up to check on me and make sure I was OK. Too sweet.) I had a really good session today and I don't know if it was b/c I ran late in the evening, or if it was the pizza that gave me the strength to finish (hahah!), but whatever it was, it was a great run. If you would of told me a month ago that I would be out at 8pm at night jogging around a track, I would of laughed at you and wondered what planet were you on. I was a weekend hiker/backpacker, not a jogger. Well guess what? I'm now a hiker AND a jogger :) Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Week 5, Run 1 (Superbowl!)

Superbowl Sunday! So much to do today and so little time! Today Boo and I hit the track for the first of week 5's run. Basically we had to run 5 minutes walk for 2 minutes for three sessions. My podcast didn't download right. It cut off after the first run, so I had to wing it. I knew it took me 5 minutes to run 1/2 a mile, (at least that's what I did last week) so I just ran around the track twice, then walked around once. I did this 3 times, while I clicked on some good music to keep me pumped. Tonight I'll fix my podcast for my next run. So after a good workout (my face and legs felt hot and I got in a good sweat) we decided, in honor of the Superbowl, to eat up all the calories we just burned. Seriously, Hahaha!

We drove down to our local Cajun cuisine restaurant for lunch. (Can you tell who we were rooting for?) Boo had his standard shrimp po'boy, I had a turkey muffaletta, and we both had an Abita Turbo Dog to wash it all down. It was sooooo good! As we leave, Boo decides to get an order of beignets to go, so we could eat them with a cup of hot chocolate.(Just like we did at Cafe Du Monde. ahhh memories...) OMG, they were sooo good. Boo loved it so much he suggested we do it every Sunday after church! haha! Beignets so good it gets the boy to church!

After the yummy beignets, we have just enough time to clean up and for me to make an appetizer for the Superbowl party we are going to. We are out to the door by 6pm and show up just in time for kick off! Oh, and just in case your not sure of who won. Here's a little picture for you. Til next time.... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Week 4, Run 3

I raced home after work, jumped into my jogging clothes, and headed for the track, hoping to beat the rain. I almost did. It started coming down on us during the middle of our 3rd run for week 4. I was kind of bummed too cause I had book club later that night and didn't want to go with frizzy, wet hair. OH well. I sucked it up and finished the session. The good news, I'm half way done with the Couch to 5k running program! Whoo Hoo!!! Til next time.... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Wippies

With the 2010 AT thru-hiker season just around the corner (starting in March!) I hopped on Whiteblaze to catch up on some Appalachian Trail chats. I love thru hiker season and am sooooo excited to start the 2010's class of trailjournals! I've even been invited by SHOE to come down to Neels Gap to help out with some Trail Magic! Whoo Hoo! AND to go backpacking with her and Kellye for a week in April on the AT! Man 2010 thru hiker season is looking up!

So anyways, getting back to whiteblaze. I read the most hilarious thing I've read in a while. I mean it was so funny, it made me laugh out loud. The topic was "things that annoy you on the trail." One guys answers, "WIPPIES, Fresh out of college, wanna-be-hippies. You know the kind, the 'Corporation are evil' guys who never know why they believe that and, well, frankly, couldn't define 'corporation'. They are usually sporting something from Patagonia on their bodies with no sense of irony. Given enough time on trail the same one, he'll end up bumming money off you....'bro'."

Oh my God! ha! I had to laugh. So true! I've met guys AND gals like this. Calling everyone "Bro", wearing some other corporate made clothing while spouting out the injustice of conformity. aaahhh... to be fresh out of college and idealistic instead of realistic. Those where the days. haha! Anyways... thought I'd share my laugh of the day. I'm so going to keep the word wippies in my vocab. Til next time.... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Week 4, Run 2

Since it's been snowing, icing, and all around cold, Boo and I decided to go jogging in the evening. So as soon as I got home, I changed into my sneaks, and we headed out to the track. It was still light out, which was a nice surprise. I've gotten so used to running in the early dark hours of the morning that I forgot how the track looked in daylight :) I thought running in the evening would pose a slight problem. You see, I'm usually no good after 6pm. I turn into a pumpkin and hibernate on the couch and watch stuff I've DVR'ed all day. So this evening workout was a bit of a test for me, but I think I passed with flying colors. I wasn't tired, it was light out, and it was actually warmer. I had a good workout and completed my second run of week 4. I warmed up for 5 minutes, jogged for 3 min, walked 90 seconds, jogged 5 minutes and did it all over again for another set. But let me tell you, the last 5 minutes was tough. My calves are starting to feel it now and the song for the last 5 min. jog SUCKS. It's a techno song and I hate techno music and it's a really loooooonnng 5 minute techno song. So no motivation there. I have to actually make my mind wander so I don't feel the pain in my calves or my lungs or my ears. Let's hope next weeks music selection is good. Til next time.... GET OUTDOORS!!!

"Moon Man" Backpacking gear.

I saw this on whiteblaze and literally almost pee'd my pants from laughing so hard. Check out the hommies in the picutre on the right, chillin' in their gangsta stance with their moon man outfits. hahaha! Now I'm all about being warm out in the woods while I'm backpacking, and using gear that does some double duty, but seriously, SERIOUSLY.... hiking in my sleeping bag? I had to laugh at these outfits. I don't think I could wear this in public, let alone in the woods. It's like a down snuggy. HAHA! Anyways, to whom ever can seriously sports these with a straight face. More power to you. I hope it keeps you toasty warm and comfy. But if I see you, (just be forwarned) you might hear me yelling out things like "HEY TELETUBBY, PILLOW BOY, DOWN CLOWN, MARSHMELLOW, and Yo! MOONMAN" between laughs. Man I hope I see someone wearing this shit on the trail. HAHA! Til next time.... GET OUTDOORS!!!