Can't stop me now!

When I crossed the starting line in the swim portion of my tri, I left the old Michelle standing on the sandy shore. The Michelle that was too afraid to live life. The Michelle that watched other people doing the things she wanted to do because she felt like she didn't deserve to do those things or simply couldn't do those things. The Michelle who couldn't stand to look at herself in the mirror because the despair she saw reflected in her own eyes was too painful to see.

When I crossed the finish line, it was like the new Michelle was there waiting for me, welcoming me with open arms, showing me what the world is really like when you believe in yourself. And then the new Michelle saw the starting line for the Rock 'N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon that I'll be running in August 2nd and hightailed it outta sight ...

Just kidding *Mwahahaha*

Yes, I'm now 17 days away from my first half-marathon. I signed up for it on a whim with my friend Maria. I'm not freaked out at all ... it's so different than the anticipation for the triathlon. My goal is the same - to finish. Okay, so maybe I am freaking out just a little, but then I remind myself ...

I am powerful.

I am strong.

All I have to do it keep putting one foot in front of the other and I'll get to the finish line, easy peasy!







Well, you'd think doing a triathlon on Sunday meant I have a break from workouts this week ... NOPE! Just because the triathlon is over, doesn't mean my life is over! Eating clean and working out is my life. THIS is my lifestyle now. I honestly can't see stopping it now, not for anything in the world!

Monday's workout was HIIT on the elliptical. My legs were a little tight, and but I've always found the perfect remedy for tight hammies and calves is exercise! TrainerGirl said to take it easy, which meant we kept the tension/levels the same, but I didn't have to get my heartrate as high as we normally would.

5 mins warm up
3 mins @ Level 7, heartrate no higher than 155
1 min sprint @ Level 12, heartrate no higher than 170
*repeat 6 times

The kids and I also hit the pool after work on Monday, and I practiced my breast stroke for 30 minutes. It's still pretty pathetic, but practice makes perfect! And the best part is I have an entire year to train!

Tuesday's workout was a total body strength/endurance workout. We kept the weights lighter than usual, as I'm still supposed to be in a recovery mode from the triathlon. I had no problems with the majority of the exercises, but the the leg curl/hip up combo was absolutely killer on my hammies and calves ...

5 min warm up on elliptical

A1: Squat with bicep curl into overhead chest press with 10/12 lb dumbbells
A2: Lat raises while in bridge position on stability ball 8/10 lbs dumbbells
A3: Captain's Chair crunches on bench
A4: Leg Curl with Hip Ups on stability ball
* Repeat this set 3 times

B1: Pushups
B2: Upright Rows on cable machine, 45lbs
B3: Crunches on Dyna Disc
B4: Lunges with overhead chest press on functional trainer
* Repeat this set 2 times, with an extra set of Upright Rows.

The leg curl/hip up combo gave me so much trouble we ran out of time to do 3 sets of the "B" exercises. I went for a short run/walk after work on Tuesday night. I went to MapMyRun.com and charted a quick 3 mile loop in my subdivision. The kids tagged along on their bikes, and it was nice to be out with them.

Wednesdays are rest days from personal training, and I took complete advantage by not doing a single workout!

Today was a repeat of my total body strength/edurance workout ... the leg curl/hip up combo was still a challenge, but I was able to eek out more reps than Tuesday!

5 min warm up on elliptical

A1: Squat with bicep curl into overhead chest press with 12 lb dumbbells
A2: Lat raises while in bridge position on stability ball with 10 lbs dumbbells
A3: Captain's Chair crunches on bench
A4: Leg Curl with Hip Ups on stability ball
* Repeat this set 3 times

B1: Pushups
B2: Upright Rows on cable machine, 45lbs
B3: Crunches on Dyna Disc
B4: Lunges with overhead chest press on functional trainer
* Repeat this set 3 times

The upper body portion of today's workout really really really really REALLY burned. Going straight from pushups to upright rows to overhead chest presses are intense! But I loooove that burn (at least when it's all over! lol)

Hope everyone has a great day - don't forget to answer my Twitter Question of the Week: "What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?" All answers will get posted on tomorrow's blog with a link back to lil' ol' YOU! :)

xo,


"Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.” Anthony Robbins

9 comments:

Diane, Fit to the Finish said...

Awesome blog - you are not only losing weight, but are in great shape. I admire you very much. I've maintained a large weight loss for 12 years, and just wanted to stop by and say great job!!

Corey said...

Michelle, I cannot WAIT to hear how your 1/2 goes!! I'm signed up for one in October and am in the same mindset as you - I don't care about my time, I just want to finish it! Of course, w/ as little walking as possible, but whatev, right?!

Anonymous said...

I would attempt a tri RIGHT NOW! I know it wouldn't be considered 'failing' if I did it at my own pace, but I also know that my body couldn't handle it at this point yet. So, I suppose that could be considered failing, right? I am so anxious to do one, but I shall wait until I can give it my all!

WriterMarie said...

Awesome Michelle! Congratulations...you are so right about going out and living life. And definitely don't wait until your at that "ideal" weight...do it now! :o)

Melissa Cunningham said...

love the "new you" outlook you have!!! have fun with the 1/2marathon! i am only about 4 hours or less from chicago and wish i would have know about this sooner! my 1/2 will be in september 12th-a local race in IN--whoo-hoo!!
just remeber to have fun with it,talk to as many people as you can,encourage them and help push them along-i always love doing that in road races bc so many have helped me in the same way while racing!
keep the ball rolling chica-your doing GREAT! :)

Vix said...

Hey Michelle, just thought I would drop you a quick line to say how awesome you are doing!! I am so happy for you that you not only finished your first triathlon, but you came out on the other side charging towards your next goal. Well done you!!

Vicki :)

PS - I absolutely love reading your personal training posts, you are a classic girl!

Vix said...

Hey Michelle, just thought I would drop you a quick line to say how awesome you are doing!! I am so happy for you that you not only finished your first triathlon, but you came out on the other side charging towards your next goal. Well done you!!

Vicki :)

PS - I absolutely love reading your personal training posts, you are a classic girl!

HD said...

Great blog! I just found it and it is super motivating - way to go!

iampalegreen said...

Fantastic. I need to challenge myself to something as well. I love seeing your Half Marathon countdown on your page. I am finding a 10K to sign up for. I think there is an Elvis one..haha!

Copyright © 2009 - Secrets of a Former Fat Girl - is proudly powered by Blogger