Training Hard, or Hardly Training??

Today I saw a wonderful quote and I thought I would share it: "The only race you have to win is the race against yourself - there will always be someone faster and stronger but there will never be another you, so look within and push your own personal boundaries."
This quote is so true, whether you are trying to get healthy, do better in school, in relationships, and in life in general.

I ran for an hour and a half today, something I don't normally do. I lost myself in my steps and found it so liberating. It truly has become an escape from all of the negative things that I am experiencing. In stead of eating my feelings, I like to run my feelings out. I am determined to win the race against myself; I am determined to find out who I truly am and running is helping me.

Some things that I have found that really have helped me to progress as a runner:

• I push myself, but I don't push my body passed it's limits
• I like to wear cute clothes, it always makes me feel better to go out and run in something that I feel good in
• Music!! Music is key because it will either make you run faster or slower. I like to use upbeat music that keeps my steps going strong.
• I try to not be lazy and eat my feelings away because chances are it will make me feel 20x worse if I make the choice to not run and to eat that cookie.
• Finally, I decide what it is that I am running for prior to taking off. For example, today I ran for my hurting heart; I allowed myself to think about all that was bothering me and it helped to push me and motivate me to keep going.

Keep running, and never give up; it can only get better from here.

Challenge TWO & THREE!

Alright, so I know it has been SO long since I last updated on my 12 month challenege. Let me tell you how busy I have been! However, that is no excuse right?

I have found that this new challenge has become something more than I had originally anticipated. I honestly cannot explain enough how it has made me feel, in a positive way. I look forward to the months ahead of me, to challenge myself, my body, and my mind. Let me update you all on what has been happening the last two months.. So I got ANOTHER promotion, so I am no longer a running specialist. I thought I would lose my will to run, but it has honestly made me want to run more! I am completely OBSESSED with doing these races, and I garuntee that once you start you just can't stop. The only thing is that it is so EXPENSIVE! But doing what you love comes at a price right?

Challenge two- Goodyear, Arizona: Heart and Sole 5k Run/Walk; 2/18/12
What an early morning it was. Vicki and I arrived at Goodyear Baseball Stadium and we could both tell that we just weren't feeling it. It was cold, and early, and we were nervous about the race. Needless to say, we got to the start line and before we knew it we were off! We honestly, had NO clue how long 3.2 miles actually was. We did a mile and thought we were almost done, and we both complained when we realized that we weren't. We walkd one time, for about 15 seconds (DANG IT, WE COULD'VE IMPROVED OUR TIME IF WE DIDN'T WALK).

We finished 153 and 154, crossing the finishline TOGETHER! Our final time was 36 minutes exactly and our pace was around 11 minutes per mile. I think that is pretty darn good for a couple of girls that didn't want to run that morning. I think that was when we kind of realized, dang we shure do love this stuff.

Challenge NUMERO TRES- Lozliu Women's Mud Run 3/31/12
Here are a couple of prictures from race day.

MUDDER FUDDERS!  Yes, that was our team name.
First, let me just express how greatful I am for all of these ladies that took part in this race with Vicki and I. We had so much fun getting all dirty and gross with you. Second, let me express how unbelievably proud I am of My mother, and her best friend for facing their fears and getting mud in their hair and for whooping all of the young girls' butts, you two left us in the DUST; how proud I am of Lisa and Katie: Katie- you proved to yourself and to everyone else that you are capable of doing something for yourself, you never thought you would have been able to finish three miles but guess what? YOU DID IT! I am so proud to call you my friend. Lisa- you are constantly showing me that you are one tough cookie, and I am also proud that you were able to finish. It takes one step in the right direction and there is no telling where you will go from here! PS. they both did EVERY single obstacle! Even climbing over walls and crawling in the mud. You two are such good sports, I love you. And you both have inspired me in so many ways, I can't even describe right now. I hope you keep it up.

Night before the race- I was unbelievably anxious, I couldn't even sleep! I got my gear ready and laid in bed looking up at my ceiling. All I could think about was "how the heck am I going to pull my booty over those walls without louis?" Eventually I dozed off, for maybe 4 hours.

Morning of the race- I woke up, anxious yet AGAIN and started to get nervous! All of the ladies met at my mom's house so we could prepare together. When we were driving to the venue I honestly felt like I was going to POOP my pants because I was still thinking of that damn wall! I unfortunately made the other girls nervous because I was nervous, LOL sorry for that by the way.

Finally, 9:40 came around and we were on our way. Of course the very first obstacle was a mud run, it started off on the right foot but slowly it went all wrong! Our entire wave went the WRONG direction and we added about a half of a mile to our race. Dear lord was that embarassing? and frustrating. Finally, we were on our way to the walls! And guess what?!

Yep, that is me at the top of the wall in the HOT PINK! I pulled myself over without using the wall supports to help me over, PURE MUSCLE BABY! but really, I had no idea I could do that but I guess when your endorphins start going you can lift a car... or, in my case, climb over an 8 ft wall. I earned those bruises on my pelvic region!

Unfortunately, there was really o mud and some of the obstacles didn't seem like obstacles at all. The most fun came at the end of the course when we went down the huge slip and slide and went through the mud crawl. Of course if you are gonna do it, you gotta do it right... RIGHT?

And thank the lord, everyone else followed suit. We got down and dirty for sure!

The most gratifying moment for me, though, was not crossing the finish line, but to see that all of the Mudder Fudders finished and we finished together. I love my ladies, that is for certain.

In 24 days, my PIR and I hit the road to Florence, AZ to do the Warrior Dash. Here is what we are up against: http://warriordash.com/register2012_arizona.php#

3.28 Hellish Miles... Together there is nothing we can't handle!

Alright, so with nearly two weeks until the next race it is time to kick it into high gear right?
Well, let me start off by saying this, running is definitely not my strongest feat; especially when you have a cold, it is 54 degrees outside, and your knees hurt. But who is making excuses? Not this girl!
Today I ran two miles in 22 minutes- which is really good for me! I am getting there. My endurance is doing okay but my lungs burn when I get to about mile 2.5. I am not sure how to fix this, but maybe it will go away as I continue to train!

Here is a little bit of information on our upcoming race, and maybe I will see you there!
http://www.goodyearaz.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=5973

First off, let me start with a little bit about myself; my name is Ashley, I am 21 years of age, and working hard to achieve my academic goals. I have never really thought of myself as over weight, until last year. I was at a weight that I was not happy with, and plus I was really unhealthy. My eating habits were disgusting, I worked out but not hard, and I slept a lot. However, since January 2011, I have lost over 30 pounds and I feel good; but I know I could lose a little more to be at the optimal weight I want to be at.

This was me last year....

 This is me now, 30+ pounds lighter....

I am sure throughout this I will tell you more about me, but for now this is all you get.

As a child I was always active; I played softball and soccer for a total of 9 years. When I was about 14 I tore my ACL in my left knee and that killed my athletic career. At the age of 17, my knee specialist found a tumor, called Osteochondroma, in my right knee; it was benign but it was a very scary thing to go through.

I never thought I could be a runner, I never thought I WOULD be a runner, heck I never thought I would even like to run. However, last year, after I lost some weight, I was given the opportunity to become a "running specialist" at my current job. I did a lot of thinking and asked myself, "how can I be a running specialist without being a runner?" It just wasn't possible. From that point on I ran, a little here and a little there but not quite as much as I should have or could have. I just had some silly excuse, usually my knees were my reason, to not run that day or another day. In November, last year, I decided to sign up for the Tough Mudder. Now, for those of you that don't know what that is, I suggest you look it up; there is really nothing that I can tell you to make you understand, you have to see it to believe it. I didn't train like I should have, but with the help of my teammates and my P.I.R., Vicki, I made it through. Shortly after this race Vicki and I decided, literally in the truck leaving the race, that we were going to make 2012 OUR year! We decided to sign up for at least one race per month, 12 races in 12 months can't be too hard right?

The challenge:
          to prove to myself that I can do something for ME, that I am capable of getting even healthier, and that I can keep a goal that I have set for myself!

First, let me say this- I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions, mainly because if you want to change something then you should start now. Not tomorrow, or "Monday", or even January 1st. There should be no reason to start something, except for the pure fact that you want to make an honest difference now, for you and only you! And plus, how long do those New Year's Resolutions actually stick around?
So no, this is not my New Year's Resolution; rather, it is my life reolution, where I start today and keep it going through tomorrow, and next year, and for the next 50 years. Whether I continue running after this year or not, my goal is to become something more than just a student, girlfriend, friend, or coworker- I want people to look at me and say, "I want to be like her" or "wow, she's an inspiration". I intend to work hard and show not only myself, but others, that we can change ourselves and not become just another statistic.

No more excuses. Just do it.

I want to share my story, as it happens, and have the chance to inspire others, and myself. We are all capable of being healthy. Most importantly, we are capable of doing something to better ourselves and the many lives around us; it is just a matter of taking that first step saying, "I can and I will"!
It only takes one big leap of faith and a lot of courage to get started, but I plan to prove that it can and will be done. 11 more months, let's do it!

My first challenge story:
THE TOUGH MUDDER, dun dun dun!
What a better way to start my 12 month challenge than the Tough Mudder. 12.5 miles of running, and 29 crazy-insane obstacles: mud crawls, 4-8 foot high walls to climb, ice baths, balance beams, and electric shock therapy; to name a few. It was possibly one of the toughest things I have ever gotten myself into, but then again it is called the "Tough" Mudder for a reason. I cannot begin to express the things that were going through my mind when the bell went off and we were told to start. Some of the things included, "What the F*&^ am I doing!", "Holy crap, no turning back now", and "I really hope I don't die". You might laugh, but I sure as hell wasn't! I ran the first mile, and then we got to our first obstacle; oh joy I had to jump into a pool of green junk and ice! I was so excited and ready to jump in that I just did it! Bad idea, because after seeing my friend Vicki come out of the water and how cold she looked, I held on to the wall like a big baby and almost started to cry because I was so terrified. Needless to say I got pulled out and did not go back in! I nearly ate mud getting out of the pool, but I didn't thank God, and started to run. The next obstacle was a mud crawl, I believe, and let me tell you, IT WAS FREEZING. But this time I didn't have anyone to pull me out just because I was cold. Above my head was barbed wire, I really was trapped; I couldn't breathe and could barely move, but I kept going. Mainly because I had Louis, my boyfriend, right behind me telling me to GO and hurry up; apparently he was cold too! haha. After that I really kept asking myself what the hell I was doing!
My shoes and clothes got heavier and heavier due to all of the mud I kept collecting after each obstacle; I felt like I weighed 400 pounds!



Although it was tough, my muscles ached, I was bruised from head to toe, and nearly got hypothermia; I really enjoyed myself and felt unbelievably accomplished crossing the finish line. It was kind of like when you have to go number two all day, and when you finally go you get that feeling of accomplishment and like you are on cloud nine! What a feeling right??

Before the race:                                                         After the race: