Running Etiquette vs. Selfies

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Brambelton 5K

Race Etiquette 101: After crossing the finish line of my first 5k, I pulling off to the a designated spot to out of the way of other runners so my husband could snap this shot.

When running a 5K it never dawned on me to stop, take my iPhone out of my carrier belt and snap a selfie of me.  That’s not why I run. Sure I had my husband take a photo of me crossing the finish line for my first 5k — that was a big deal to me.

I’ve run other 5k races since and not once did I stop in the middle of the course to snap a photo.

Well apparently it is becoming a problem. More people stopping mid race — in front of other runners — to take a selfie. There will always be rude people who are so self-absorbed they are inconsiderate of others. But apparently it is dramatically on the rise in races thanks to smartphones.

Race organizers are trying to come up with solutions to this problem — no selfie sticks allowed (good start!), redesigning courses to allow selfie areas (fine), and “discouraging” runners from taking selfies or social media updates mid race (ugh!).

I think when idiots like this get their 15 minutes of fame by taking selfies of unsuspecting “hot guys” during the New York City Half Marathon, racing organizers are going to have to do more than “discourage” these folks. When media like Good Morning America covers a story like this because “oh how cute” expect more of this crap to happen. Unfortunately I think it’s going to take a serious injury for it to happen. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Down A Bit

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weekly weigh in May 7

Down 1/2 a pound this week. Just need to keep up the momentum. Exercising outdoors helps with that. Hopefully I’ll be able to run tomorrow with weeks of rain finally ending.

I’m down slightly this week. Or as I like to look at it, I dropped 2 sticks of butter from my thunder thighs. That’s half a pound baby. Not too bad considering I devoured a yummy strawberry short cake during mom’s birthday celebration.

Exercise Nil All Last Week
Hopefully the rain will finally stop so I can start running again. Or even go for a walk. We’ve had rain for nearly 2 weeks straight. So anything outside was a non-starter. Which means when the weather finally turns for the better I have to start my interval training from the beginning. Ugh!

Now I’ve run during sprinkles before. But this was cold, windy and sprinkles mixed in with heavy rain. Oh and puddles. Lots of big, deep puddles. Not fun if your shoes behave like a sponge.

Unfortunately I own gear for two particular seasons — freezing cold winters and hot humid summers.

I think it’s time to invest in running gear for the spring and fall rains.

Fearless In The Kitchen
This week I spent quality time working on some new recipes, including an awesomely tender pulled pork with homemade mustard sauce (with no sugars!). The husband went bonkers for it. Pictures and recipe coming later this week along with my sausage-egg bake. A casserole that the hubby enjoyed hot or cold.

I’m also working on some new recipes using my new Dutch oven as well as testing older recipes that my slow cooker ruined. With the Dutch oven I can control the cooking temperature. With my slow cooker, not so much as the “low” temperature is really “hot.” Unfortunately you can’t leave the house when cooking with a Dutch oven.

With summer around the corner I’m busy this week working on tasty, low carb breakfast smoothie ideas. I do miss smoothies. Unfortunately my favorites are loaded with carb-heavy fruits. So I’m noodling with ingredients like cacao and protein powders, avocado, coconut milk, coffee, green tea, cream, jalapenos, berries, cherries, leafy greens, flavor extracts, nuts and fresh herbs.

A lot can go wrong, but that’s part of the fun of being fearless in the kitchen.

 

 

Weekly Weigh-In: Sore & Swollen Muscles

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weekly weigh in april 25

My new workout routine caused lots of sore muscles all over. Which means up up ever so slightly this week.

Last week I jump started 2 workout routines — running and resistance training. My arms, abs and legs are feeling the burn as they say. Thanks to that soreness (a.k.a. swollen muscles), I’m up a a whopping 6 ounces. My guess is sometime this week that will fall off and I can expect better results next weigh-in day.

Why Resistance Bands & Not Barbells?
Turns out the local rec department I planned to use twice a week for weight lifting got rid of their free weights. Ugh!  Who does that?

Anyway I figured I’d just dig out my resistance bands, load up the Fitness Blender YouTube vids and workout. Turns out my old bands were lacking the resistance I needed. So I gave those to my mom as she wants to start building muscle (yay!) and picked up some new bands.

That doesn’t mean I’m giving up the dream of working with barbells. Turns out my parkour gym offers weight training classes. Once I go through the initial class, I can come in anytime and workout with the free weights. I’m hoping to hit the newbie class this Saturday.

Running Again
I stopped running because I was freaked about what I read regarding cardio exercise and IVF success. But it turns out that’s more related to over exercising. That doesn’t mean I won’t stop once we start treatments. That’s a very real possibility. But for now I want to run.

Rather than trying for a personal best, I’m just doing intervals to help me get back into the swing of things.  Last week I did 1 minute run/2 minute walk for 21 minutes. This week that flips to 2 minute run/1 minute walk for 30 minutes.

While my first run was awesome, the next 2 were more challenging. My legs were so sore from squats, lunges and mountain climbers. My leg workouts are the day before a run so my poor legs never got full rest. If that happens again this week, I may have to rethink the timing of my leg workouts.

 

 

Man vs. Fat

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fork and measure

My husband has finally committed to getting healthy. So Mondays he’ll post about his weight loss escapades. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net and Mister CG.

Let’s face it, the overwhelming majority of weight loss products and information target women — 85% in fact. But what about men? It feels like with all the news about Oprah buying into Weight Watchers and the latest weight loss gimmicks (lose weight eating chocolate), it seems like men are getting left out in the cold.

Well here at dot2trot I’m an equal opportunity type of gal. I recognize that guys who want to lose weight also need some TLC and encouragement. So every Monday my hubby, author John L. Monk, will document his weight loss journey. Yep, he’s committed to openly discuss his temptations at work (all the donuts!), bad eating habits (eating off the wife’s plate!), and finding motivation to get off of his butt for evening walks.

Something tells me you’ll enjoy his trials and tribulations more than he does.

My March Madness – 3 Healthy Challenges

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dot weight lifting

I’m undergoing 3 challenges in March, including strength training.

I hear birds chirping. Our cherry blossoms have a ton of buds ready to bloom. Temperatures topped 60 degrees for 3 days straight. That means March is here and it’s time for a new monthly challenge.

So far this year I’ve only done one challenge – 30-Day No Alcohol Challenge. I did so poorly in January I decided to give it another try in February. Needless to say, February was a bust too.

For March, yes I’m doing the alcohol challenge again, but I’m adding two more challenges, both of which should help me go alcohol free this month (yes, even on St. Patty’s Day). Read More

Getting Serious About Weight Training

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pink bag

My weights and resistance bands stayed in my pink gym bag far too much this winter and I paid the price.

My exercise routine is pretty non-existent this winter. Between the bitter cold, high winds, snowstorms, and the rain (lots of frickin’ rain!!), I’ve chosen the comforts of a warm home over working up a winter sweat.

Snowzilla Uncovers My Weakness
During Winter Storm Jonas earlier this month, I discovered something that made me very unhappy. I’ve lost some strength and felt out of breath at times during the many rounds of snow shoveling. I can’t even begin to tell you how sore my legs, back, and arms were…but hey, shoveling more than 3 feet of snow does that to you.

Thankfully, we were smart enough to not wait for all of the snow to hit the ground before we broke out our shovel. Moving 3 feet of snow at one time just wasn’t appealing to either of us. Read More

Book Review: Natual Born Heroes

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An amazing book that retraces the steps of some British misfits that kidnapped a German general during WWII while taking a hard look at how we've lost

So what does a kidnapping of a German general during WWII have to do with Greek mythology, the lost art of the hero, parkour, and our lack of nutrition, strength and endurance? Actually, quite a lot. 

In the spring of 1944, on the occupied island of Crete, a German general was kidnapped. No shots were fired. No sign of a struggle. When I started reading the book, Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance, it seemed like an odd topic for Christopher McDougall. I loved his previous Born To Run so much that I purchased my first pair of running shoes and started training.

But a true story of a kidnapping during World War II? Turns out the kidnapping is only a small part of this carefully woven look at Greek mythology, the art of the hero, parkour, the power of fascia, the modern gym, poor nutrition, physical mastery and mental conditioning.

Now, to call the band of kidnappers “daring British commandos” is being…generous. There’s a one-eyed archaeologist (Indiana Jones has nothing on this guy), a playboy poet, and an artist. And the Crete resistance? Mostly shepherds or local towns folks who, as the Germans painfully found out, were great with gardening tools. Read More