Back in the Saddle

March has come in like a lion. Jon and I are in the midst of a kitchen remodel which has our entire house turned upside down. I put in my resignation the day before my 8 year anniversary with Bones, with my final day Feb 28, and starting my new career at Merrill Lynch on March 4th. At Bones my wardrobe consisted of sweatpants, t-shirts, and gym shoes. Needless to say I had to buy all new clothes. From jackets, to shirts, to trouser socks, to panty hose, to shoes, and more. The best part of the necessary shopping spree was I found that I am a solid size 4, no longer a 6 to 8. Oh, and my weight is the same. I'm just denser, less pounds per square inch. I also had to get with the 21st century and buy a phone that did not flip open. Yay! Finally! Needless to say the past 4+ weeks or so have been a whirlwind. No need to go into it. Although, I will say, I am happy. I had been ready for change for a long time with my old job. I realize this sounds ridiculous, but I thank Spartan for ripping my butt out of that office chair. When I began training about a year ago, I found a happiness, a satisfaction in my life. I wanted that feeling in all things I did, so a career move was necessary. And I'm there. My new career is challenging with endless possibilities. Woo Hoo! So that's that. In a nutshell.

So I am back in the saddle. Well, not entirely, but I'm finally getting back into the groove. Figuring out my schedule and what works. The kitchen is almost done. I went to the podiatrist with the diagnosis simply being extreme stiffness. The following week I went to the Physical Therapist, and she instructed me on stretches to do twice a day. I'm a week in, and my shins are feeling better. I was so happy to find the two are related. So, the stretches will help with both my Plantar Fasciitis and Shin splints.

I raced the Arnold's Survival Race March 2nd. It was a pretty lame course and not one that I would race again. It was snowing so there was no water. The course basically went around an outdoor sports complex so the terrain was extremely boring. We were in a strip of woods for maybe 100 yards. It was flat, which was a little expected since it was in Columbus. And the course was fast. Meaning, a runner's course. I'm not a fast runner, so I didn't expect to place well. I figured the fastest woman would be around 25 minutes. Turns out the fastest was 24ish minutes. I did place first in my heat. And Jon, my voice of reason, made the point that had I raced faster women in my heat, my time would have improved. I'm a competitor runner just going fast enough to keep my lead. Overall I place 7th, with a time around 28 minutes.

My recent workouts:

Saturday:
My 3.4 mile trail loop with 3 pits stops:
1. 100 Walking lunges
2. 100 Squats
3. 100 Walking lunges

Core Circuit

Sunday:
40 lb, 1 mile ruck up to the park
(No room to work out in the house so I had to take my 20lb weights to the park)

I don't have the notes on my circuit, but it was 8 moves, 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off. Then, the march home.

Monday:
Rest

Tuesday:
3.4 mile trail run

With rock dug out of creek (it was either go home and do taxes or keep working out):
15 deadlifts, press, slam
Sprint
20 Burpees
Sprint
15 Chest Throws
x2

And in upcoming news:

Spartan Race will have a Representative at Go Native Fit on Saturday, March 23 from 10am-Noon. Come by, get info on the April 27th Sprint in Indiana, take your picture with the Spartan Race Car and have a chance to win some cool SWAG!!! While your there you can partake in the Burpee Competition for a race entry. Oh, and maybe get in a work out. $20 for the class. Highly recommended. Ryan is an awesome trainer and has kicked my ass plenty in the past. Hopefully, I'll see you there!