Randomness

I am officially a gym-goer! I got my membership yesterday. Actually, speaking of the gym yesterday...

I FINALLY TRIED ZUMBA!!

It was hilarious because as you all know my mom has been wanting me to go with her for weeks. For some reason or another we haven't been able to go. Well, yesterday was the day.

My mom actually thought the class was Sha'bam. We walk in and I see a different teacher so already I'm suspicious. My suspicions were realized when the instructor turned around with a t-shirt that said "Zumba" on it.

I turn to my mom and tell her: "Um, I think this is Zumba". My mom says: "Oh" and shrugs. So we stay. I'm thinking that it's a good thing because she's wanted to try it for some time.

We are in there doing the steps for about ten minutes and my mom turns to me and says: "I'm ready to go!". Yes, I almost fell to the floor laughing! Here I was apprehensive about it and my mom wanted to give up after 10 minutes! Of course I didn't let her. We stuck it out for the entire 60 minutes.

Really, it's understandable why my mom wanted to leave.

• The room was RIDICULOUSLY CROWDED
• Everyone, but us, knew how to do the steps
• The instructor was hyper-active and didn't teach us how to do the steps before she started
• There was a lot of booty shaking. My mom is not a booty shaker.

Overall, it was a pretty hilarious situation. I should have taken pictures of my mother's "stank face" because she had it the entire class! Personally, I think it's OK. Would I do it again? Probably not. Mainly because it's not enough of a workout for me. I do give it some credit though because there is a lot of jumping around. But I'd rather do body combat or Sha'bam or body pump. So, yea, that's Zumba.

[We went to the gym today and my mom had her appointment with the personal trainer. I did weights after a warm up on the elliptical. Wednesday we had a rest day so tomorrow morning we are hitting a class to make up for it. Then running for me on Sunday followed by Sha'bam!]

In other news I'm trying to re-work my diet a bit. I typically don't eat anything before a run. If I do I feel nauseous. It doesn't matter if I wait 3 hours after I eat. For that reason I typically like to run in the morning. I eat breakfast after I run.

This week I've been incorporating Cliff Bars into my eating regimen. Last week I bought some vitamins and I have to take them with food. Usually I eat half the Cliff Bar and then have my normal breakfast after I run. So far so good.

Anyone have any suggestions on what to eat (and what not to eat) before a run? Or any suggestions on how I can train my stomach so that I don't feel queasy when I do eat?

In an entirely non-related note, I decorated my mom's house for Halloween! This is definitely the first time it's ever been decorated. Ok, my younger brother and Chema helped too. Marvel in the magnificence that is scary stuff. 

(Hey, I haven't been able to celebrate Halloween for 4 years so I'm into it this year).

This was my vision and my favorite part.

Clearly, my brother's idea.

We all helped with this one but Chema did the hard stuff.

This was a brother and sister colaboration.

This was my mom's idea!

I can't wait to give out candy to all the little trick-or-treaters!

Week 11 Hair

Next week is my 3 month mark! I'm very excited to measure my hair and see if I've retained length. Even if I haven't, I know that I am taking better care of my hair and it looks and feels healthy. Recently, I've been getting compliments on my hair. My hair has been natural ever since we came to live in Spain and before. However, I haven't gotten this many compliments on how it looks. Believe me, that is a plus in itself. My hair sheds less, isn't dull and ashy and is a lot more manageable. 

The hair routine hasn't changed since last week. So instead of being boring I will show you some birthday pictures!!

 

I'm officially 27 as of August 3rd (Wednesday). 

Time flies doesn't it?

 Opening up a gift at one of my favorite restaurants in Córdoba: Pizzaiolo. Me and my husband had our first date here.

 A beautiful necklace. The one I'm wearing was actually another b-day gift given to me a few days before.

 Friends who came with us to dinner: Brenda (from Guatemala) and Jóse her husband from Córdoba. She bought the necklace in Guatemala.

 Me and the hubby!

 One of our appetizers: Salmorejo. It is like gazpacho but made with bread and sprinkled with Jamón Ibérico.

 This was a crepe with tons of different cheeses, dates, and walnuts. However, it only tasted like blue cheese. I hate blue cheese!

 A shot of all the dishes. Brenda had the tastiest one. I'm definitely ordering it when we go back!

 At a bar having another drink.

Me and the hubby to round out a nice, relaxing, birthday!

Week 12 Hair

• Shampoo
• Detangle with conditioner
• Deep condition
• Kimmaytube leave in
• Twists

Unforeseen Circumstances

WARNING:

Googleimages

This will be a short post, hopefully, on some (unforeseen) circumstances coming up that I hope won't hinder my marathon training progress.

NEGATIVES

 

Googleimages

1) Moving to another country

So it's not exactly what you may think. I've been living abroad (meaning outside the United States) for the last four years. I previously lived in England and currently live in Spain. I was studying while In England (where I got married) and then my husband and I left and came to his country (he's Spanish). 

We are leaving Spain in September because the crisis has hit the country bad. The unemployment rate is at 20%: so 1 in 5 Spaniards are unemployed. He has been out of work for more than a year now and so we decided to leave. 

The silly thing is that I'm more concerned about having to change my running routes than the move! I know the move will work out with some effort and hard work. 

But it's hard for me to leave my tried and true routes! I mean now I have to re-map everything, kind of start from zero, and so I'm a little worried. That will take some time and I don't want it to disrupt my training.

Googleimages

 2) Jobs

I've been lucky in that my work in Spain has allowed me to be flexible. I worked for myself and so could schedule my workouts in whenever I pleased. Now I will most likely have a 9-5 job, working for "The Man," who won't let me come in late or leave early because I need to get a run in. 

So my schedule will be a lot more restrictive. I'm worried that I won't have the energy after a 9-5 to do my runs or the time. Again, it will just take some adapting to it (time) but I hope it won't disrupt my training.

POSITIVES

1) Documentation

Something I am really excited about with this move is that I am motivating myself to be a lot more proactive about documenting my journey. There will be a lot more videos and pictures to come on the blog, so stay tuned! 

2) Running Team

I've already done some research about the area where I'm moving (North Carolina) and there are a couple of running teams near me! This is going to be the push I need to stay motivated. As well as make some new friends and connections to the running community in my area. I've always wanted a running buddy so I'm thrilled with the possibilities!

3) Half Marathon       

The day before yesterday I signed up for a half marathon race in North Carolina! It will be my second one and will be held on November 6th. I am super excited! My plan is to also run some 5ks and 10ks leading up to that race. I want to get a few more races under my belt before I run the marathon in 2012.

4) Marathon   

I also found a marathon in 2012 in the area! It is a qualifying race, which is perfect. It is in Myrtle Beach (technically South Carolina) and takes place February 18th. Registration begins in August.

 5) Odds and Ends

One last positive is since I will be in the States again I can try/do some research on a ton of things I couldn't find abroad (future posts on these products coming soon):

• Kettlebell
• P90X
• Insanity
• Bikram Yoga (aka hot yoga)
• Bosu ball
• The 4-Hour Body (controversial, I know)
• Barefoot Running and the Complete Idiots Guide to Barefoot Running
• Tons of fruits, veggies, nut butters, and grains (ie. millet, jicama, almond/cashew butter...) for much more inspired recipes

 

Moving is always stressful. It is only heightened when you have to pick up and move to another country. But I (and my husband) look at it as another adventure. I'm cool with that...as long as it doesn't screw up my training!

Fitness Tip: Trying something new

Taken from googleimages

 I think we all get to a point, when exercising for awhile, where we want to try something new. Perhaps a new routine, a new class, new gear...

Here are some new things I want to try:

• Minimalist running shoes
• Barefoot running
• Heart rate monitor
• GPS watch
• Kettlebell
• Various DVDS on spinning, pilates, boxing, and yoga...
• Foam rollers

I am really focused right now on perfecting my running form, staying injury free, and becoming stronger and more flexible. I plan to purchase this book at some point in the near future: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Barefoot Running. Once I get it I will definitely do a review on it and document my progress. 

I haven't done that much personal research yet, but the "buzz" out there is in favor of barefoot running and minimalist shoes. 

What I do know is that barefoot running is a process. Meaning, you can't just start running barefoot without careful planning and training. It takes about 1.5 years for someone to train to run even a half marathon barefoot. This is assuming they are in tip-top shape. I want to run better and more efficiently and I believe barefoot running will help me acheive this.

I want the heart rate monitor for some of the same reasons I stated above. I want to be a more efficient runner. Building up your stamina and your speed is not only about adding on mileage week after week. It is actually more useful to increase how fast you run, or how fast your body works when running. Building on this makes a runner stronger, faster and more efficient. 

Say you typically run at a 6 or 7 (10 being your full potential) but can easily run at an 8. Well, the heart rate monitor will help you measure this as well as keep you within safe boundaries.


The GPS watch is one of those tools I like to drool over! It makes mapping a running route much easier and more accurate than all of those pedometers on the market. Nike, apparently, has a new GPS watch. It is touch screen and uses TomTom technology. It looks fabulous!

I don't know what other brands are good. I just know I want one! And that they are expensive, so I have to save up. (And, clearly, do some more research)


The kettlebell I want to spice up my routine. I've done traditional weight training for a long time and want to try something new. It seems to work your upper body pretty efficiently and looks like fun!

Spending a lot of money I don't want to do. So instead of going to expensive classes, I plan to pick up some DVDs and try some things I've been wanting to for awhile. I've always wanted to try spinning. I also want to try some new toning techniques and improve my flexibility. Which is why boxing, pilates and yoga are on my list.


Finally, the foam roller looks like an easy way to soothe sore muscles. I always hear that it's the runners "best friend" so I'd like to give it a try. Sometimes normal stretching doesn't always get the job done.

There has never been a problem with me changing up my routine to keep me interested. I just feel like I want to reach another level of my fitness. Using these tools will help me reach this goal. 

What are some tools/classes/gear...you want to try? What are some of your favorites? What do you recommend? Have you tried any of the above things? What do you think of them? How do you change your exercise routine to stay interested and keep your body guessing?