The Cathe Road Trip (aka “workout weekend”) is almost here

And by “almost here” I mean, it’s exactly one month from today.

And I’m FREAKING out because I’m so excited.

Why the random freak-out you ask?

Well…that would be because the itinerary was posted last night and it’s even BETTER than the past two years that my sister and I have attended.

Here’s the full line-up so you can either get excited WITH me or laugh at me for being such a workout dweeb for totally geeking out over it. Hopefully you’re with me on this one. 😉

Friday
5:15 – 6:15: FIRST CATHE CLASS: 30 mins step/30 mins kickboxing

6:45 – 8:45: 2010 ROAD TRIP MEET & GREET PARTY AT CATHE’S GYM

9:00 – 9:45:  SECOND CATHE CLASS — Pajamas Nightcap Stretch Class

Saturday
8:45 – 9:45: THIRD CATHE CLASS: 50 minutes Step/10 minutes Abs

10:30 – 12:30: We’ll split into two groups (A and B) of about 50 people each for the next two hours. FOURTH CLASS: Yoga Fit; FIFTH CLASS: Boot Camp

12:40 – 2:15: LUNCH

2:30 – 3:30: SIXTH CATHE CLASS: Cardio Core Circuit/Intense Upper body conditioning

6:30 – 10:00: FITNESS FEAST and ZUMBA DANCE PARTY AT CATHE’S GYM

Sunday
7:00 – 8:00: SEVENTH CATHE CLASS: Lower Body Blast combined with Plyometric bursts

9:00 – 10:45: FAREWELL BRUNCH AT FIVE POINTS DINER <—by then, I’ll be ready to eat everything in sight!

C’MON!! Is that NOT the most fantastic thing you’ve ever seen?! And on top of the six classes with Cathe over the course of the weekend, I’m flying in on Thursday night just so I can take a spinning class or another class in the morning at Cathe’s gym. She welcomes us Cathletes to come workout with her/rest of the gym if we’re there early, even if the “real” Road Trip activities don’t start until later in the day.

So yes folks – that makes EIGHT workouts for the weekend. AHHH!!

I’m gonna be a sweating fool and loving every minute of it. Especially because I’ll be with one of my favorite bloggy friends who I am DYING to meet – Heather (Where’s the Beach?). My sister will be there plus a group of friends from home that went with us last year AND one of the “traveling Cathletes” from NYC who we met last year, Ang (can’t wait to see ya, girl!!). We’re sharing two suite-style rooms for the weekend, it’ll be like sleepaway camp on speed.

So there you have it — full-blown freak out, workout weekend-style. 🙂

Doing what makes you happy…

…seems simple enough, right?

Well, I thought so too until I read this post from my friend Melissa over at Tales of a (Recovering) Disordered Eater. Her post, ironically, was inspired by Bethanny Frankel of “The Real Housewives of New York” fame.  In it, she talks about workout motivation. Essentially – that working out shouldn’t be your best friend OR your enemy. There should truly be a happy medium – even when it comes to exercise because you can most certainly overdo it, and not in a healthful way.

Basically – its not altogether healthy to look at things as very black-and-white all the time, especially related to fitness:

I worked out today – which is “good.”

I didn’t work out today – which is “bad.”

Working out, and the motivation to do so, should like everything else, be done healthfully and with balance in mind, above all else.

And yes – working out should (hopefully) make you happy and not become a source of stress.

Why am I saying all of this? Because this particular idea is sometimes hard for me to fully embrace, admittedly.

I LOVE to workout…and probably a little bit too much. I DO get down on myself if i either take a rest day (which duh, is obviously needed in order for your body to recover) or even if I switch up when and how I workout. For instance – today, I slept in because I was tired. No biggie. I will workout after work and it’ll be just fine. But yet – somehow, I find that I am a little bit “off” today because my routine was altered because I haven’t yet worked out for the day.

Is that wrong? Is that bad? Maybe? A little bit?  But on the other hand, part of the reason I feel “off” is because I’ve literally missed (so far today) working out which I honestly and truly just love because of the burst of energy and the positive mood it always puts me in. Much more so than things like the number on the scale or the size of my pants, honestly and truly.

So, going back to the root of my post – doing what makes you happy. If you’re truly happy working out 6 days a week, for example, and are able to weave it into your lifestyle in a healthful way, I am all for it. If you find that you are adding stress to your life because you CAN’T fit in as many workouts as you think/want/need to in a given week, that doesn’t mean you are “bad” by any means. Or — if you “just” go for a walk versus a run or to the gym to take a group fitness class, that’s OK, too – in fact, a walk is a great way to burn off some steam, get the blood circulating and to set your mind “straight” for the rest of the day.

It’s advice I openly admit I need to take more often. If I go on vacation and don’t break a sweat everyday, the world will not end. If I sleep in and do NOT makeup for it at the end of the day, I will be just fine. I need to remember that and, I have a feeling a few of my bloggy friends will feel the same way about their own (over)commitment to working out.  😉 Sometimes all it takes is a new/different perspective to see the forest from the trees, huh?

In other quasi-related news…I have done a terrible job of banishing the negative talk from my life. I know, I know, it was a new years’ resolution – I started off with the best of intentions, I really did! I think, quite honestly, now that summer has hit, my negativity has crept back in because we’re all baring so much more skin than normal. Case in point – I changed three times for that 30th birthday party over the weekend. Granted – three times is better than in the past (it often topped out at 6 or 8), but still – I changed because I felt “fat.” Totally ridiculous, I realize.  I’ve GOT to get used to living in my own skin and embracing my flaws for what they are – unique pieces of me, that make me, ME. So this is my promise to me, but also to all of you (my sister, included!), that I am recommitting to positive thinking, even if I have to compliment myself everyday. 😉

With that – I think it’s time for me to preorder the Operation Beautiful book, have any of you caught wind of it and decided to pre-order? I’m thinking it’s a must-read this summer…

On “Who would’ve thought moments…”

As you can imagine, after coming down from such an amazing self-imposed long weekend high, I was in need of a little “inspiration” if you will, leading into the work week last night.

Enter Joel Osteen, and a recording that had been sitting on my DVR since April.

I swear – his words always come at just the right time – I mean, what I’m about to share with you has been sitting on  my DVR for months and just watching it last night, his message was just what I needed to hear right now, not back in April when I recorded it. Incredible how God continues to work in mysterious ways.

Joel’s service last night was all about what he calls “Who would’ve thought moments.” Basically, that if we firmly put our faith and our future in God’s hands, and believe in that future (even if we can’t see it to believe it), goodness will follow. His advice? Get in agreement with God and His plan versus trying to talk yourself out of whatever future He has in store for you. His view is that when there’s an expectancy on the inside, that expectancy will become reality. Essentially – Joel’s message was one of urgency, urging all of us to dare to activate our faith. Believe what we might not be able to see, feel it, embrace it, and you’ll soon have those “who would’ve thought moments,”too.

Those moments could be…

...finally having the child you always dreamed and hoped for (this was a real-life example he shared of one couple who couldn’t conceive on their own and after lots of trials and tribulations, were unexpectedly blessed with an adopted baby boy…and it happened at exactly the right time for them, almost as soon as they re-activated their faith).

…a new job, a dream job, or even just the chance to follow that dream to the job you’ve always wanted but never dared to chase after.

…a chance to touch and inspire others. (this was where Joel shared his story of how he came to minster the church to begin with…something he firmly believed he’d never do, but lo and behold, 10 years later, he was ministering the church, who would’ve thought…).

What I loved about Joel’s message (and what I love about ALL of his messages, to be honest) is how real, non-“preachy” (if that makes sense) and how attainable it all felt as I sat on the couch listening to him last night. His urging to “get out of your head, letting the seed (of our dreams) take root” spoke so deeply to me. I am such a head-case, as you all know very well by now, that I truly believe that if I can let go (in more ways than one), I’ll soon have those “who would’ve thought moments,” whatever those “moments” turn out to be.

Who would’ve thought…?

Living, simply

Living, simply.

Defines my weekend.

There was…

…An awesome long run on Saturday. (thinking 7.5 miles or so but need to clock it…)

…Not one, but TWO, days spent at the beach.

…An incredible 30th birthday bash for one of my best friends’ husband. In a word, it was EPIC.

Our cooler “marking our piece of paradise” (great song, btw)

At the 30th birthday bash – with the fantastic hostess of the night and one of my most favorites in the world (I’m on the right, in case you were wondering)

With the hubs – doesn’t he look cute 😉

Our “Wicked Half” partner in crime – Meg (and previous guest blogger)

And finally, the birthday boy himself – Happy 30th Shane!!!

Couldn’t resist this one – sums up the night pretty much. Awesome.

So this post is dedicated to living, simply.

No stress.

No worries.

No fears.

Just life – simple, happy, perfect.

Fiesta 5k – what I learned

So, last night was my first real race since last winter. I signed up for the Fiesta 5k in my hometown to get myself into “race” mentality again as part of my half marathon training. I can’t say my race performance was stellar but I can say that I learned a lot from it which is what matters more in my mind, anyway. And no – I’m not beating myself up for where I landed in the race finals (ok – maybe a little but that’s my perfectionism coming out) but I’m taking this race and making it a learning experience instead. I figure – the more I can learn and gather about how I run and what works for me, the better off I’ll be come September 25 (aka the big, the bad, the Wicked Half).

So, first things first. Where I landed: 31 mins. Which is respectable, yes. In my head, I was hoping for at least under 30 mins, if not 2 mins under that. BUT, again – I ran the race, and I’m happy with that, I promise (Jo is ready to comment away on this one, I can sense it!). Also, I consider the time to be good considering the weather was super muggy and I was mentally not in the game. My sister’s cat, Nala, who I love very much, is still pretty sick and I was so worried for her. Jo ended up missing the race to bring her back to the vet for more meds. So please, please say a prayer for Nalllls. I really appreciate that.

Anyway, what did I learn from last night’s experience? Here goes…

My body is firmly entrenched in the slow and steady mentality. Run a little slower and more consistently, and I am in my element. I feel great. I’m not anxious. I enjoy the run and I can run longer. Hence, half marathon training is working. 🙂

Running faster and shorter isn’t my favorite thing anymore – 5ks for me are tough. It takes me at least a mile, sometimes more, before I get into a groove so by the time I get to that point, the race is almost done and I have barely hit my stride. I officially like longer routes versus shorter. Again, half marathon training is working (well, my “version” of training – I’m not going by any particular training plan…yet).

Mentality has everything to do with it. Yes, running is totally mental. It plays tricks with your mind. But this time, my mind was just so far removed from the race that I couldn’t focus. I was so upset and concerned about Nala and my sister that it definitely impacted my race…but I wouldn’t change that fact for the world. I love my sister and Nala unconditionally and would do anything in the world to heal her, and to take away my sister’s pain and sadness over the whole thing. I know, that was one big digression, but it had to be done. Bear with me.

Long story short – the race was great, I’m glad Scott and I ran it together (with my in-laws cheering us on at the finish line – probably the best part of the night!) and now today I’m firmly embracing my rest day (look at that – ME actually enjoying a rest day?!). AND an unexpected day off from work which is much needed in so, so many ways. So – I’m off to disconnect for the day, heading to the beach to do nothing but just be in the moment with Scott, ignoring the world for a few hours. Serenity now…

Why I blog (revisited)…

…It’s my outlet to share my passion for fitness, healthy living and balance.

…It’s all mine and I’m very proud of what I’ve created in just under 8 months.

…It’s a sounding board. I have some of my best realizations by blogging. A post could start out as one thought and morph into another in the 20-minutes it takes me to write the post. Amazes me every time.

…I love to write. My day job is very techy, so this is my way of keeping those creative juices flowing in a decidedly non-techy way.

…It keeps me honest.  In my workouts (rest days – ahhh).  In my desire to find and maintain balance (oh wine, pizza, chocolate, how I love you dearly in spite of it all)

…It’s made me realize that fitness and good health are much more important to me than I thought way back in October when I launched this here blog. It’s a lifestyle, it’s what I love, it’s what I want to be continue to find ways to instill that passion in others, inspiring them in any way that I can.

…It’s enabled me to make some amazing bloggy friends that I cannot wait to meet IRL (Heather — can we start a countdown to the Cathe Road Trip yet?)

…It defines me. Yes, my blog defines me in a way that not much else in my life do aside from loved ones. Work doesn’t define me. But somehow this blog does, funny that. More on this in future posts, I’m sure…

In a nutshell – I blog for me, but also (and more so) for you. I hope that comes through in my posts – my desire to share my passion, and not in a “woo, look at meeee and all my workouts” kind of way – but in way that, if it inspires just one person to get off the couch and go to the gym, well then, my job here is done. Somehow I feel the need to leave an impact in life, rather than just going through the motions.

As I read on a dove chocolate wrapper this week:

“Love yourself, dare to dream, live on purpose.”

So that’s what I’m trying to do – living on purpose.

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As you can tell, I’m doing a lot of thinking, mulling, ruminating. For now, I’m very grateful for this blog, and for all of you that listen to what I have to say everyday. Funny enough, Naomi‘s post today on blogging is the one that got me thinking about my reasons for blogging to begin with. Thanks for the inspiration my dear, blog it up and never apologize for it, sista!

Slow and steady vs. quick and short

I almost titled this post “slow and steady vs. hot and dirty” but thought that might send the wrong message (though it might’ve gotten me more page views, LOL!).

My point here is this – how do you condition your body to be able to run a quick/short race versus a fast/long race? Is that even possible? Or do you have to choose your battles? I’m thinking you have to choose your battles and here’s why.

I ran a 5k with Scott this morning in preparation for a last minute decision to run a 5k in our hometown on Thursday afternoon, mostly just for fun since a few friends are running it too, but partly to get back into “race” mentality. All part of the master get-ready-for-this-half-marathon-its-coming-whether-I-like-it-or-not-plan. So anyway, I was totally hoping/anticipating that I’d knock that 5k outta the park, running it fast and without any problems whatsoever. I mean really – 3.1 miles is nothing compared to the longer distances I’ve run lately, right?

Well – I was partially right. I did run the 5k with ease, picking up the pace as best as I could throughout, but my body clearly wanted to go back to the slower, steadier pace partway through as I clocked in at my usual 30 mins or 10 min/mile pace. Which isn’t bad, don’t get me wrong. I just had this anticipation that I’d come in faster – maybe 28 mins or so (which is still slow by any stretch!). But the more I mulled it over, the more I realized that my body is just conditioning itself to run longer and a little bit slower to ensure I can go the distance. Definitely not a bad thing – in fact, it means my training is working.

That’s not to say I still hope to run this 5k on Thursday at a quicker pace than today. I’m glad I did the test run though – now I know exactly what I want/need to do on Thursday to come in under 30 mins. I need to start strong and stay strong. 3.1 miles be damned – I got this. 😉 <—pep talk ‘o the day, ha.

Going back to my original question – I do believe that you need to choose your battles when it comes to conditioning your body, running-wise. Choose a goal, first and foremost.  If you want to run your best 5k ever – stick to sprinting drills and shorter training runs. If you want to run a longer race, say a half-marathon or a 10k – stick to longer distances at a steadier pace, slowly upping the mileage week-by-week.  At least, that’s what seems to be working for me so I’m sticking to it.

Look at me – talking like a real “runner” or something. How did that happen?!?

Fire, enthusiasm and motivation

Once again, I read Joel Osteen’s daily email and was inspired. What else is new, right? Well – as you can probably tell, I’m in a period of thinking, re-thinking and wondering – what’s that “next chapter” look like for me?

Joel’s words reaffirm for me that perhaps that next chapter is closer than I think:

Do you ever feel like you’ve “lost your fire or enthusiasm?” We all have times when we feel overwhelmed by the pressures of life, but that’s when you need to stir up what God has placed on the inside of you. Remember, there are no disadvantages with our God. You have everything you need to succeed. No weapon formed against you is ever going to prosper; you just have to stir up the gift inside.

I fully admit that I’ve lost that fire and enthusiasm in some ways. Yes – I’m still uber enthusiastic about working out and am always looking for new ways to challenge myself. I LOVE that aspect of my life. I LOVE my friends, my family, my husband. I’m just antsy – antsy about my day job (in full disclosure here…), I’m antsy about our future and wondering why exactly Scott was laid off when he was and if that is a red flag that I should be paying closer attention to?Aside from the fact that it’s given us an awesome opportunity to reconnect and make up for lost time due to the demands his job put on him from a work/life balance perspective, but is there more to it than that?

Oddly enough, I was watching “Up in the Air” last night with Scott on a random Sunday night “date night” which was all about George Clooney’s character as a road warrior, hired to lay people off at companies all over the country. Part of his spiel was that being laid off from your job was an opportunity, one that wouldn’t be all that clear to the person being laid off right away, but it would become clear soon enough. He also said that every great leader was once in his/her shoes and it took something like this (being laid off) for them to go out and find that “dare to be great” moment.

So – is this our indication that its time to seek that “dare to be great” moment, our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really shake things up, knock some things off our bucket list, or am I just reading into things? It’s hard to tell, but one thing is for sure, I’m bound and determined to figure it out. My sister is in the same boat as me right now too, if you haven’t already, definitely check out her post from yesterday, I could’ve written it myself, I swear…

Letting the body do what the mind thinks is impossible

This is what I’ve got to conquer to become the runner – the soon-to-be-half-marathoner – that I want to be. I have to let my body do what my mind thinks is impossible. Sounds easy in theory, right? Letting your mind go, wandering where it may, while your body does all the work?

Well, yeah, it would be easy, ‘cept for me being the overthinker that I’ve grown to be (“Overthinker’s Anonymous” right, Jo?), it’s kinda hard for me to let go. Let me rephrase that: It’s VERY hard for me to let go.

This is all that I could thinking about as I ran (ironic, huh?) this morning. Well, that and the fact that I was so thirsty I thought I would keel over. Images of ice cold water, iced coffee, crystal light fruit punch and iced tea and it took all the willpower in the world not to grab the water hose from some guy’s hand as he was watering his garden as we ran past him. Note to self: investigate those water belt thingies…

But I digress – my point here is that I realized today that I need to get outta my head (reminds me of my Kick training, like whoa) in order to become the runner that I want to be. I mean today I accomplished a pretty major goal – I ran my longest, probably a little bit over 7 miles which is awesome. But – I just wish I could get to the point where I wasn’t letting my brain take over now and then – there were times I was in close to panic mode because I thought I wasn’t going to make it and I hate that feeling. I’m better than that. Good thing Scott was by my side to coach me through, he totally got me through the last two miles, that’s for sure.

So, food for thought: What’s the one thing that you really have a hard time “letting go” and just doing something that, in your mind, feels impossible?

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In other bloggy news, go check out my guest post over at Faith, Fitness, and Fun. I wrote about my Kick journey for Tina, which was super fun especially since she loves Kick and was even considering becoming a certified instructor, maybe once baby #2 is born she’ll consider it again. Blogger/kick meet-up in Atlanta, anyone? I’d make the trek, that’s for sure. 😉

Perspectives, viewpoints and…rest

Isn’t it funny how perspective can change depending on the day of the week? Driving into work this morning I was filled with a sense of contentment and peace – all because today is Friday, and a “summer Friday” at that (we get out of work at 3 in the summer which is HUGE for me considering standard hours have us here until 5:30 or 6pm). Got me thinking about perspectives and viewpoints. Sort of like looking through a kaleidoscope – depending on how you look at it, the image that’s portrayed is quite different.

I know I talk about this all the time – but damn, perspective is a real kick in the pants sometimes, isn’t it? If I could just hold on to that feeling of peace/contentment, etc. during the rest of the week versus holding onto the endless to-do lists running through my head and all of the must-do’s versus want-to-do activities, I might have more of a spring in my step than I have had lately. That’s not to say that I’m also till ready for that next “chapter” whatever that may be, but in the meantime, kaleidoscope-like perspective may help. Just sayin’.

Another point-of-view I’m desperately seeking? That rest days are a GOOD thing and a necessary evil.

Case in point: Today I slept in versus getting up for a short run before work (long run tomorrow on the books so was aiming for a short get-out-and-enjoy-the-early-morning run this AM). I shouldn’t have even “planned” in my head any sort of workout today since I’ve worked out every day this week, maybe twice a day in some cases. I know, sanely, I need to rest and today should be it – especially given tomorrow I’m REALLY hoping for a good, long run as I continue on my slow prep towards the Wicked Half. But the little devil on my shoulder keeps whispering in my ear “well, you do get out of work earlier than normal today, you can totally fit a workout in this afternoon.” Um, that sort defeats the purpose of resting, must resist the temptation.

So – the viewpoint in my head that rest is good and that trying to be a no-rest-day-gym-hero will do me no good is one I’m desperately seeking. I think part of the battle for me is that I love working out so much (my “me” time as I always say), that to willingly deny that time for myself is hard. I know it’s the right thing to do, but still – it feels like a sacrifice or something (which I know is sorta irrational, ha!).  Battle in my head, battle on this blog (I KNOW I’ve blogged about rest and lack thereof very often, sorry for the repeat performance!), battle no more – I need to embrace rest! Someone smack me upside the head with that mantra, please?

Thanks,

Resting (or trying to) Rhoda