It's The Final Countdown!

(Don't pretend you didn't sing my title.....cause I know you did.)

Yes, the final countdown. I have less than 35 days until my very first half marathon. And although I have a little over a month, I am already thinking of what it will feel like to cross that finish line, to finally be a half marathoner, to have proven to myself (and others) that a morbidly obese person can do a half marathon.

As I eagerly count down the miles (75.1) until the big day, I also, as odd as it sounds, am trying to cherish them. I want to cherish the time before the big day, cherish those good (and bad!) runs, cherish the rest days. Why? Because this experience has taught me so much about myself.

I Don't Give Up - My training started way back in January, and I had planned to do two full plans before the big day. But I completely and utterly burned myself out from January to March. I was only averaging about 25 miles a month those three months, but I was on a treadmill, I was indoors, I wasn't eating enough, and it was hard. My last long run was in March, 10 miles, on a treadmill. I watched Grease all the way through and still had time left. It was sooo mentally draining. From April to July, I averaged 14 miles a month........14 miles. I could have quit completely, ate the run cost and moved along. But I didn't. Instead, I put on my big girl panties, found a 12 week training program, and got to work. I had a half marathon to do, I wasn't going to settle for anything less. Last month I ran 40.6 miles, which is only 15.6 less than I had ran April through July. I got back on that horse in a big bad way.

My Heart Is Stronger Than My Head - I struggle with negative thoughts, doubt, & lack of self confidence. About every other run I do, my doubts start, I tell myself I probably won't be able to do it, I'll probably exceed the time limit, I'll probably pass out half way through. But, than, my heart takes over, and my next run I get out there and believe in myself. In my heart I know I was meant to do this. Sometimes I just have to remember to tell my head that.

I Am Stronger Than I Thought -
This quote sums up my experience. Before I started this, I could have never believed I could run 7 miles in a row, or 8, or even 4. The old me "couldn't" run, "couldn't" stick with a training plan, "couldn't" run more than 30 seconds at a time, or more than a quarter mile. But the new me can. I can run for more than 30 seconds, I can run more than a quarter mile, I can run 7 miles in a row, and I can turn my dreams into a plans.

Polar Wednesday - FT4

Polar FT4 in Purple/Pink
Photo from Polar's website

Product: FT4 Heart Rate Monitor
Designed for: Fitness and Cross Training
Price: $99.95
What Comes In The Box: 

• Polar FT4 training computer 
• Polar H1 heart rate sensor 
• FT4 Getting Started Guide

The Polar FT4 is your basic heart rate monitor, as it counts calories burned and tracks your heart rate in relation to your Target Heart Rate Zone. The Polar FT4 is perfect for any type of cross training or fitness, and is even suitable for swimming. 

Setting up and using the FT4 is simple. Upon receiving, just input your basic settings, like height, weight and gender and you are set to go! 

For heart rate tracking, the Heart Rate Sensor will need to be worn. The FT4 will link with this to accurately keep track of your heart rate during workouts.

Currently, there are 4 colors available, Pink, Silver, Green, and Black. 

The FT4 was my first heart rate monitor, so I can personally vouch for it's usefulness and ease. It is a quality product and once I moved on to a new device, I passed it along to a friend, whom is still using it today (she also loves it!). 

For more information on the Polar FT4, you can visit the Polar website at http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT4. Or, feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

NUUN Review + GIVEAWAY (OVER)

That's right ladies and gents, my very first official giveaway! But first, some back story.

As most of you know, I am training for my first half marathon and I have learned the hard way that hydration is one of the most important parts of my training. I try hard to drink lots of water before AND after my runs, but up until a few months ago, I realized that even when I drank lots of water, I was still struggling with headaches for hours after my runs.

So I hit the web and started asking around, was it dehydration? something else? Soon, I was my given the suggestion of NUUN, a tablet that you throw in your water that helps replace the electrolytes you have sweat out during your workout. I was a little bit skeptical, but I went to my local vitamin store and picked up a tube of NUUN Active Hydration ("formulated specifically for higher intensity activities and/or higher electrolyte replenishment needs") in Strawberry Lemonade. I waited until my next long run (which I consider 3 miles or more) and tried it out.

I won't lie, I was really surprised with how much better I felt post run. I didn't get a headache or the sluggish feeling I usually get. I thought maybe it was a fluke, and maybe the run wasn't as sweaty as I thought. But I can now distinctly tell the difference between runs I drink NUUN after and those I don't.

So how does it work? NUUN has "the electorlytes your body needs" and "nothing you don't". The complete list of ingredients for one tablet (16oz drink) is as follows...

Active Ingredients
Sodium (carbonates) - 360.0 mg
Potassium (bicarbonate) - 100.0 mg
Magnesium (sulfate) - 25.0 mg
Calcium (carbonate) - 12.5 mg
Vitamin C - 19.0 mg
Vitamin B2 - 500 mcg

Other ingredients: citric acid, sorbitol, sodium carbonate, natural colors flavors, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, polyethylene glycol, magnesium sulfate, sodium benzoate, calcium carbonate, acesulfame potassium, riboflavin-5-phosphate.

The awesome people over at NUUN sent me a new flavor to try, the Tri-Berry. I am a pretty finicky person when it comes to flavors of drinks, especially sport type drinks, so I was pleasantly surprised that I liked both the Strawberry Lemonade AND the Tri-Berry.

The NUUN Active Hydration comes in 12 (yes 12!) flavors. The Active Hydration is only 1 type of NUUN, check out their website for more details on their other products, including their new Energy line.

So - do you want to try NUUN out?

You get 1 entry per item below! Good luck!

1) Like me on FB - facebook.com/abbysgettinfit
2) Like Nuun on FB - facebook.com/nuunhydration
3) Leave a comment here telling me why you want to try Nuun
4) Share my "contest photo" on FB
5) Follow me on Twitter @abbysgettinfit
6) Follow Nuun on Twitter - @nuunhydration
7) Leave me a comment on FB telling me why you want to try Nuun

Contest ends on Friday!

Week 4 Is No More

I know - the lame titles will end soon, I promise (or do I??)

So I'm officially 4 weeks into my training program and I am feeling pretty good. This week was a little bit of an all over week, no lie, but I got the bulk of things done. This is also the week that I decided to switch a few things up to work better with my needs, so you might see a few changes in the upcoming weeks.

Monday - Stretch and Strength - I didn't do any strength but I spent time stretching. This is one of my changes, my Monday will not be Roll and Rest days, foam rolling and resting. My body will thank me for it.
Tuesday - I skipped my run. That's right, just, skipped it. Why? Cause a friend I hadn't seen in a while could hang out, and I wanted too. And because...life, it happens.
Wednesday - Cross Training Day - Couldn't really decide what I wanted to do, so I broke out the good ol' Hip Hop Abs dvd and did one of the workouts. It wasn't much, but it was something
Thursday - I rested instead of ran, because, life happened again.
Friday - Instead of resting, I ran (see, it evens out!)
Saturday - Cross training day, but that didn't really happen. I could pretend I swam but really, I laid in the pool drinking an Angry Orchard.
Sunday - 5 Mile Run - Did all 5 miles, in the heat and humidity. Wishing this humidity would break!

So overall, it was an "easier" week for me, but that's okay. I'm not upset about it. I am doing what I can, doing what I want, and living life.

And for the first time in a long time, I have the confidence that I will succeed in my half marathon. I'm scared and nervous, but dammit I know I can do it, and that in of itself is pretty amazing.

Guess Who Is Now A Polar Ambassador??

I'll give you ONE guess!

I am turly humbled that Polar is giving me a chance to be their ambassador. It means a great deal to me!

So here is a little about the company...

From their website "At our heart we’re all about getting people fit and improving their physical performance, but more than that, we’re about pushing boundaries in everything we do. Take a look through the About Polar section and see for yourself. Who we are, what we do, our history and the innovations that make us unique – it’s all here waiting for you to discover." Polar was founded in 1977 in Finland and by 1982 they had their first wireless wearable heart rate monitor. They have a pretty cool timeline on their site of the accomplishments they have had.

My first HRM was by Polar and I purchased it about 2 and a half years ago. I went with the FT4. It came highly recommended by many people on FB and it did what I needed it to do, track my calories while working out.

Once my needs started to change (ie, I started running), I wanted something that would track my distance as well as my calories burned. I asked around and although people suggested a Garmin to me, I went with my gut and got another Polar, the RCX3 GPS and I certainly didn't regret it. The GPS was spot-on, it fit me well, it allowed me to use it for crossing training as well (something some of the Garmins don't really allow for) and I already knew the basics of using it (which BTW, these products are SO easy to use).

Now, I am once again upgrading, I will now be using the RC3 GPS and will be trading in my Fitbit for a Polar Loop. In the coming weeks, I'll give you some reviews on those, since I am just starting to use them.

So what does this mean for my readers? Well, I am going to be doing weekly Polar posts on here, introducing different products, giving you info, etc. You will start to see more of my photos with the hashtag #teampolar, which won't affect you, but, you'll see it. And I have some more things up my sleeve, but you'll have to wait!

So, tell me, does anyone have any Polar products?

Another Week Bites the Dust

I am officially three weeks down on my 1/2 marathon training schedule! Let's review shall we?

Monday - Stretch and Strength - I took Monday to relax a bit, I did a little stretching but over all, I'd call it a rest day.
Tuesday - 3.5 Mile Run - My legs felt like concrete but I was able to get through all 3.5 miles before it started to down pour!
Wednesday - 2 Mile Run or Cross Train - I was soo tired on Wednesday, achy, sore, exhausted. I planned to rest but the guilt hit me hard (you can read more about it here) and I went for a walk.
Thursday - 3.5 Mile Run - My body couldn't take it anymore, I needed a full on rest day. So I skipped my 3.5 miles, took a 40 minute epsom salt bath and rested instead. I regret nothing!
Friday - Rest Day - Yes, I took two in a row!
Saturday - 40 Minute Cross-Training - Woke up tired but decided to hit the pavement, with my bike! 40 minute cross-training - got in almost 6 miles.
Sunday - 5 mile run - It was slow and humid, but because of my rest, I didn't feel any pain in my knees. Success overall!

This week will be the same, program wise, but I hope to have more energy and less pain so I can complete my days.


PS - I have some super exciting things coming up, so please follow my blog! Think giveaways!

Schedule Slave

Have you ever started a work-out program and found that the schedule was difficult to keep up with (think Beachbody, Jillian Michaels, Marathon/Half Marathon training programs)? We have all been there. Some of us quit, some of us keep up with it, but beat ourselves up over skipping extra days, some of us even may get injured by pushing to hard to fast.

I am here to tell you, you do NOT need to be a slave to your program. In the words of Barbossa, the program should be more like "guidelines than actual rules". It is soo important to remember that you need to listen to your body, if you need extra rest, take it, if you need to switch up days, do it. You don't need to skip a day and than do double the next, you don't need to speak poorly to yourself about skipping a day. Our bodies sometimes just need extra time, extra rest, extra "me time". So take it.

For example - as I've mentioned, I started a half marathon training program two weeks ago. For me, it's rather intense, as it requires 6 days of working out a week, three of them being running. The first two weeks I sailed through, no issues really. But this week, I sort of hit a wall. My knees and back started to ache, and I just became more tired. So Wednesday, I decided I was going to stretch and rest, instead of cross train (walk two miles). But than, as I sat on the couch, the dreaded guilt set in, "why are you sitting doing nothing, get off your ass, stop being lazy" So I headed out for a 2 mile walk.

Enter Thursday - my body was screaming at me. My knees were killing, I was exhausted, my back was having some slight spasms when I'd turn a certain way. This was my bodies' way of saying "ENOUGH! I need a full, real, true rest day!" So I took it, I said "Okay, I hear you." I sat on the couch, than I took a 40 minute epsom salt bath, than I sat again (with Icy Hot on my knees). And it was glorious.

Because here's the thing, my goal right now, is to make it to my half uninjured and ready to run. How will it help if I push myself to far "training" and can't even run the race anyway?

PS - today is my scheduled rest day, and I'm taking that too, with no guilt. #imnotaslaveforyou

Photo from Google Images but original source - http://barefootcolo.com/