PR aka Personal Record

Ashley and I ran the Sailin' Shoes 5k downtown last weekend. Prior to the race, we ran for two week straight training hard for the race. Our goal was to run it in under 27 minutes. Preston said we were being too easy on our selves and said we could run it in under 26 minutes. We said okay, but secretly we both knew we would be happy with a time of 26:59. Well Preston was right! Ashley and I ran faster than we could ever imagine! We both have a new PR!!! I recently learned that PR is the cool hip lingo the running world uses when stating your best time.

7     Ashley Fetters            25    Colo Springs     CO    0:24:51
8     Lori Hollis               27    Colo Springs     CO    0:24:59

We finished 7th and 8th out of 45 in our age group. Out of a total of 311 women we came in 30th and 31st.

Waiting for the race to start. Do you see me?

Ashley willing herself to run faster across the finish line.

Me running as fast as I can across the finish line.

After the race.

Starlight Spectacular Bike Ride

Last weekend Josh, Ashley, Preston and I

participated in the Starlight Spectacular bike ride. We had no idea that 1800 people would show up to ride too... in the rain. The bike ride started at midnight. The 14 mile course took us about 2 hours to complete. Ashley ready to ride. Preston not sure what he is getting himself into... Ashley and I pre bike helmets... Us with the hot helmets. Josh duct taping the bike light to his bike. Ashley's thrift shopping and creative thinking paid off. She found us $2.50 bike lights compared to $20 lights. Preston trying to look extreme! Ready to ride. Rest stop #1 We had a great time riding together in the dark and the rain and creating everlasting memories... No one got bucked off their bike, but we had some close encounters! Ashley thought she was going over at least once if not twice. Preston was a mad man on his bike. Ashley and I swore he was secretly racing us. Ashley and Preston ran a red light, trying to catch up with Josh, while I stopped obediently at the light next to the cop. The pancakes at the end were worth the rain, the cold and the store butts!

If you live in the Springs and have never done this bike ride, you must put this on your Bucket List!

Eat... Pray... Love...

I just finished the most amazing book!

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert I love her writing style. She is witty, humorous, knowledgeable and honest. They way in which she tells her story is truly inviting.

At the end of the book most readers find themselves wishing they could go on the same self discovery journey that Gilbert writes about. I was no different. In part one I wanted to re-learn Spanish and travel to Mexico with Preston. In part two I wanted to find my God. I was and still am convinced that I need to find a Guru, meditate and practice yoga. I even went as far as to "Google" Ashram locations.

In part three , well I didn't connect as much with part three because I have already found love. What has stayed with me the most after finishing the book is the concept of self-mastery. I never really thought about this idea before, which is odd because, this concept is pretty obvious once you say it out loud.
I hold the power to control my actions and thoughts. 
   Lately, I have had a hard time controlling what I eat. I think some of it has to do with stress, emotions, PMS, yada, yada. It wasn't until Gilbert wrote about self-mastery that I realized I have the ability to control what I eat.

At times, I use food to fill a void. I eat without really being present in the moment. I am not over weight by any means so obviously I have some control, but at times I feel like I am powerless. In this situation, self mastery is about being present and making conscience decisions on what goes into your mouth. It is making yourself really focus and what you are eating and how much. I have no idea why, but this has helped me tremendously! When I want a candy bar or some other type of junk food I really, really think about it. I make sure I am present in the moment and in the decision that I make. Ashley jokes with me and says if she knew all she had to do to motivate me to eat healthy was to say to me "self-mastery" she would have said those words a long time ago!! It's funny where inspiration sneaks up from. It is usually at just the right moment in your life when you are open and ready to receive it.

WE DID IT!!!

Since Wednesday or so, Ashley and I have been desperately trying to run 3.1 miles on the treadmill in under 27 minutes.  

Today, Ashley and I both did it!!

What a great accomplishment!!

The goal for Saturday is to run Salin' Shoes in under 27 minutes. I think this is very doable!

~MUSIC~

I love music.
All type of music. But when it comes to my workout playlist I am very particular. My playlist consists of a variety of songs that inspire and motivate me past the pain and the I can'ts that constantly go through my head. Each song must have a fast tempo or sing-along/uplifting lyrics. When I say uplifting lyrics I am talking about Rage- Killing In The Name Of type lyrics. When the climax of the song amplifies through my headphones my heart starts thumping and my pace gets faster.

Another example of an emotion griping song is Lil Wayne- Drop The World. This will forever be my all time favorite workout song. The song's tempo is relatively slow, but the emotion Lil Wayne puts into the lyrics I'll pick the world up and drop it on your #$&@ head just gets me going.
 A great fast tempo song that I love is Fergie- Fergalicious. I also happen to like Beyonce- Sweet Dreams.

I am always looking for new songs that make my blood rush and my insides twist and turn. I love the rush that I get from a good song! On the other hand, nothing is worst than having a song come on in the middle of your workout that you have heard a million times. Instead of letting the beat and lyrics take you to the next level all you can think about is when is this damn song going to be over with and how many more miles do I have to go. This is why I am always looking for new songs.

What songs do you workout to?

Here is what is on my workout playlist right now:
Michael Jackson- Bad
Micheal Jackson- Beat It
Micheal Jackson-Billie Jean
Outkast- Bombs Over Bagdad (just added this today)
Black Eyed Peas- Boom Boom Pow
Carrie Underwood- Cowboy Casanova (undecided if this is upbeat enough)
Lil Wayne- Drop The World
Jay-Z- Empire State of Mind
Fergie- Fergalicious
Nas- Hip Hop Is Dead (undecided if this is upbeat enough)
50 Cent- In Da Club (just added this today)
Rage- Killing In The Name Of
Eminem- Lose Yourself
Eminem- Not Afraid
Usher- OMG
Rhianna- Rude Boy
David Guetta- Sexy Biotch
Kanye West- Stronger (on its way out)
CCR- Suzie Q (on its way out)
Beyonce- Sweet Dreams
Ke$ha- Tik Tok (on its way out)
Carried Underwood- Undo It

Shakeology vs. Starbucks and fruit drinks

Are you thinking Shakeology is too expensive? Check out how the price compares to Starbucks and other fruit drinks.

Running and more Running

Ashley and I have been running our little booties off in preparation for the Salin' Shoes 5k. We honestly thought we were in pretty good shape. Ashley finished the entire P90X program and got her body fat below 16% (I will post her P90X story and pictures soon). I on the other hand kinda finished P90X, but my Vegas vacation interrupted the last round.

Anyways, so last Friday we took our running outside. Let me tell you we almost died! It was the hardest most tiring run I have ever done. We had to stop a couple of times to get our breath and to convince ourselves that we could continue. In our defense it was extremely hot. We went home feeling defeated and a little worried about the upcoming race.

The next day Augusta and I went on a 3 mile run. This time I didn't stop to walk, but my time was a little embarrassing. Nonetheless, the run felt easier. This might have something to do with the course being relatively flat and the weather being much, much cooler.

Tuesday Ashley and I met at the gym. You know when you are running and everything feels great. Your strides are perfect, your legs feel strong, your shoulders are relaxed and your breathing is under control, not to mention that your workout music is like BOOM BOOM POW! This is what Monday felt like for me. I love days like this! I felt like the chick below in the picture. Then came Wednesday. The roles were completely reversed. Ashley felt great and in the zone. I on the other hand was hanging onto the treadmill for dear life. Today we decided to step it up a notch and run at a slightly harder pace. Our initial goal was to run at a pace of 6.8 (we usually run at 6.7) for 3.4 miles (we usually run 3.2 miles). We were also hoping this new pace would allow us to run the distance of the race (3.1 miles) in under 27 minutes. At about 2.8 miles I finally looked down at the treadmill and realized if I wanted to be under 27 minutes at 3.1 I would have to step it up. I didn't make it. I was over by 22 seconds or so. Not to mention that I had nothing left to run the remaining .30 miles. Speaking of which, I try and hold out as long as possible from looking down at the treadmill to see how far I am. Nothing is worse than looking at the clock and seeing you are only at 2.4 miles. Does anybody else do this, or am I crazy?

Dave Ramsey

As I mentioned the other day on Facebook, Preston and I are back to living the Dave Ramsey way. About two years ago we first discovered Ramsey's book Total Money Makeover and The Dave Ramsey Show on the Fox Business Network (channel 359 on Direct TV). Preston and I bought the book and tuned into his show every night. We followed Dave's 7 Baby Steps with all of our focus on the debt snowball and worked diligently to pay off all of our debt.

In January of this year we shouted:

WE'RE DEBT FREE!!!!!!

Was it easy? NO, but we did everything we could. We sold a newly bought weight bench and weights on Craigs List. We stopped contributing to our retirement. We held a garage sale. I didn't go shopping. We no longer went out to dinner or to the bars or golfing. We were cheap. We had a strict budget "on paper, on purpose". We told our money where to go instead of the other way around. We ate "beans and rice, rice and beans". But most importantly Preston and I were in this TOGETHER. We were living like no one else, so that later in life we could live like no one else.

In February or March our Jeep started to go out on us. Dave would have told us to buy a car that we could afford with hard-cold-cash. We knew this was the right thing to do, but I convinced ourselves that we deserved a nice vehicle. Now a couple of months into the dreaded car payments, we have come to the conclusion that we need to put all of our energy and focus towards paying off the vehicle. Car payments suck!

This time around, we are doing the envelope system. This is done by writing a category such as groceries or entertainment on the envelope and putting a predetermined amount of money into the envelope. Once the money is gone, you cannot spend anymore on that category until the next month. This works well for categories such as entertainment, gas, groceries and gifts.

The Dave Ramsey system is not for everyone, but it sure has helped us!

DAVE RAMSEY'S 7 BABY STEPS:
1. $1,000 in an Emergency Fund
2. Pay off All Debit with the Debt Snowball
3. 3 to 6 months Expenses in Savings
4. Invest 15% of Income into Roth IRAs and Pre-Tax Retirement Plans
5. College Funding
6. Pay off your Home Early
7. Build Wealth and Give!

DEBT SNOWBALL
1. Shred all credit cards.
2. List all of your debts from smallest balance to largest.
3. Pay minimum payments on all of your debts except for the smallest one. Put every extra dollar towards this debt until it is gone.
4. Then attack the second debt. Every time you pay a debt off, you add its old minimum payment to your next debt payments until all of your debts are paid off.

Michael Phelps is in the House

Tonight Ashley and I did our first block training. We biked 12 miles on a stationary bike and then ran 3.2 miles on the treadmill. I am happy to report we both finished the session without quitting in the middle. 

It wasn't easy though. I am not very good at biking. I don't know why or what I am doing wrong, but I suck at it. I finished the 12 miles probably 5 minutes after Ashley. Her legs were peddling at 115-120 mph and little legs were struggling to keep it above 100 mph! 

Any input would be greatly appreciated!!! 

We then moved onto running. Before our vacations we were both running pretty well. Now our endurance and stamina is nonexistent. It is so frustrating what a couple of weeks of relaxation can do to your fitness level. We both made it to 3.2 miles, but it felt harder than it should have. 

My goal is to run as much as possible to get ready for the Sailin' Shoes 5K on Saturday, June 19th.  

The Next Michael Phelps is in the House...  
Tonight I swam 1/2 mile in 15 minutes. I am pretty excited about this time, not gonna lie. If I can swim this fast in the Triathlon, I will have a pretty competitive time. 

Here are the top 4 "buddy" times from last year.

Swim---Transition--Bike---Transition--Run---Pace-----Final 17:20------ 5:55-------36:39-------5:27--------23.21----7:32-----1:28:43 17:54-------4:31-------38:48-------3:23-------25:78----8:12-----1:30:05 17:36-------4:23------39:12--------3:38-------25:19----8:10-----1:30:11 14:27-------6:46------37:21--------3:47-------27:56----9:00-----1:30:19

Not sure if I will have enough legs to run a 9 minute mile, but I can wish can't I? What should my goal swim, bike and run times be? And why did it take 6:46 to transition from swimming to biking and 5:27 for another person to transition from biking to running. What am I missing here??

Memorial Day Bust

The Memorial weekend was hard on me. It all started with my cousin's high school graduation party in which I ate Puppy Chow, M&M's and Fondue. Saturday I did a little better and actually turned down Pizza. Then Sunday and Monday I indulged in a couple of beers and some restaurant food. Pretty disappointing to say the least. My will power basically sucks. So yes this means that I have not reached my 10 pound goal and yes I have had more than one cheat meal. Yikes!! Today I ate pretty well with only minor indulgences at Dan's birthday party. I also got in a 1/2 mile swim that felt great. My legs and arms were actually on the same page working TOGETHER for the first time in a long time. Too bad they are closing the pool for a little over a week to do some maintenance. Tomorrow I will be running and biking. It feels good to get back into the grove of working out on a consistent basis again. I am pretty excited to weight myself tomorrow morning. It is always motivating to see the scale change.