Willow Glen 5k

Last weekend my best friend Chris and I ran the Willow Glen 5k race. It was my first actual 5k RACE - I have always loved racing the longer distances so I completely ignored the 5k. Now I see it in a whole other light - they are TOUGH! I started out fast and did my best to just hang on!! I came in 5th place overall, which I was extremely happy of.....by mile 2 I was at 12 minutes and 19 seconds. I felt strong and fast, even thought the girl in front of me was an 8th grade girl from the local track team :) The fact that I am 41 now and I stayed with her the entire race made me feel really good!!

I have been focusing on my running a ton the past few months, and all the hard work I out in on the track shows when I out it to the test. Tuesdays are my short track days, Thursdays are my long track days and Sundays are either a time trial or a long run day. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are reserved for CrossFit only. This schedule has been working great and sometimes I do double days as well. Yesterday I did my long track day since this past week was hectic! Here's what I did:

3x 1000 meters
200 recovery
2x 800 meters
200 recovery
1x 400 meter
DONE :)

This was a brutal one!! Jesus...I have it to Chris and when he told me to kiss the track before walking on it because I was going to be suffering I thought...it can't be THAT bad.....but it was. and even worse!!

Give it a try and tell me what you think!!

Reflections.....

I live a pretty great life. I have survived a lot of negative situations and people and not only made it through but got better because I went through the tough stuff. I am transparent with who I am. I admit my mistakes and my issues and all my flaws (and there are plenty) and I strive to not make the same mistakes twice. I genuinely care about those in my life and would throw myself in front of a bus to save anybody I care about. I wear my heart on my sleeve and feel others peoples pain as if it were mine. I love my children unconditionally and am blessed with their presence in my life. I have friends that enrich my life. I have a huge family that loves me.The list is vast and wide of all the blessings that make my life so.....soo....incredible.

Fulfilling a Dream....

My incredible day coaching my dream clients.....can't give any information just yet - but it will come. What a incredible day!!!

CrossFit Endurance Cert

I was fortunate enough to be an assistant coach at Diablo CrossFit for the Endurance Cert a few weeks back. I LOVE these guys!! It has been a while since I last saw Craig and all the wonderful trainers from that box, but as soon as I walked in everybody greeted me with open arms and warm attitudes. They all made tremendous improvement in their running technique and form and I loved coaching them in the drills. It was my first time doing a cert with Mark and the first time meeting Tim who is an intern for Xfit E but a helluva intelligent man when it comes to the body and running - hes a level 3 POSE coach. Enough said about Tim. I was most excited when Brendan Mahoney, CrossFit Endurance San Francisco and the world record holder for Helen, came by to help out with Sundays drills and lectures. I admire this man and am inspired by his speed .....just a crazy talented athlete and I probed his brain at lunch time about programming and race training. It was just great getting to hang out with him and learn from him. I look forward to hanging out at certs and coaching with him soon.

It was a great weekend and I drove home thinking how blessed I am to be surrounded by the best of the best and learn from them as well as pass on what I have learned to others. The best part was when Mark was explaining what we as runners strive for as far as form goes and said he would record me running as an example of near perfect form for attendees to see fpr comparison. I was extremely flattered that Mark said that about me. He recorded me running and everybody else reviewed it and although I have a lot to continue to learn, I have come a long way.

Thanks Diablo CrossFit for hosting us and I look forward to coming back to train with you sometime...maybe even go for a run!!!

Trip to Sweden-----AMAZING!

I had THE BEST time in Sweden visiting my guy Eric and all my wonderful friends. First of all, I have to thank my best friend Chris for getting me the ticket for Christmas- I never would have thought I would travel to another country, and he made that possible for me. I feel like I'm a big girl because with my fear of flying I traveled all the way to another country - all by myself and navigated through Munich, Germany airport where NOBODY spoke English and then to Stockholm. I truly feel like the world has opened up for me and I am more confident in myself. Thank you Chris - I love you forever! Seeing Eric again was so perfect and I don't think I have laughed so much and been so happy since the last time he was here visiting. My vacation was busy and I had zero time for jetlag - all my friends kept me very busy and I got to do many things. Jenny and Mads took me to train at their gyms where they work, and it was the best to see them again in their town. They have been trying to get me to Sweden for a couple years now and it was incredible to be there with them ! Training with Jenny was inspiring and I wish we lived closer so i could see here every day- I also got to hang out with Chris and Micke and I met all of Eric's friends, his parents and his son William. I instantly fell in love with all the important people i his life and I got to know more about him through meeting his friends. The people he surrounds himself with are top quality family people and they are super sweet and caring and genuine...what's NOT to love?? William and Eric took me cross country skiing and it was my first time on skis.. I think I did okay and I only fell once :) William and I had a race and he won of course - he's so great at sports and very competitive so we did a lot of racing type stuff; skiing, board games, video games, and just playing with his toys. Even though he doesn't speak english yet, we communicated just great and he was patient with me until I caught on. The best day was skiing with the family and William and I had a snow fight that Eric jumped into and I LOST! I had snow everywhere---we went upstairs dried off, Eric made up snacks of Lox, crackers and hot coffee and hot chocolate and we played for hours. It was truly the best day. Only think that would have made it absolutely complete was if my kids were there as well. BUT I will be bringing them to Sweden in the summer and we will all go to Eric's summer home on the lake and just have a blast together and the kids can get to know eachother.....In case you can't tell - I am happy.

Heres a few pictures from the trip. I will post more in a few....

2010 Is Starting Out Right!

I hope all of you have written out some goals to keep you motivated for the new year. As always I assess my life and where I'm at and take a look at where I want to go in the new year. The first on my list, of course, was to get some PR's and work on strength and gain some speed going into the race season. Chris and I decided we'd tackle a storm a week and hit the track as well. It started out tough and seeing where my base is on the track was a little disappointing I must say - but we all have a starting point right? Heres what I did in January - not a bad start to the new year!!

Dianne old time: 16:56 new time: 10:55!!
Grace old time: 8:23 new time: 5:31!!!
Fran old time: 6:05 new time 5:10!!!
Elizabeth old time: 11:22 new time 8:57!!!

10k old time: 46:?? new time: 37:42
5k old time 18:33 ***still chasing that!!!

Clean old PR 117 New PR 130!!
Pullups old 40 New 43 ** could got 50 for sure!! I just stopped after a new number was got.


There are more but Ihave to head to CrossFit.....I know these numbers are not ll that fantastic to the Elite or the stronger women out there......but keep in mind I weigh 105 pounds!! Some of those rxd weights are tougher for me than a woman weighing 135!! I'm excited and can't wait to see what else I can do!!

After the Storm....

Santa Cruz has been getting pelted with a pretty bad storm for the past week. I happen to LOVE stormy weather - even more than sunny weather so I was enjoying the lightning and thunder and gloomy days. They say "relax" to me....and for anybody who knows me, that's something I hardly get a chance to do! One of the best treats after a storm where the ocean swallows up the roads and the beach disappears , is all the driftwood that covers all the shores after the water resides. Yesterday was a sunny day so my son and I went beach hopping. We hung out on Blacks Beach and had a blast with our imaginations. We were there so long we got to watch the sunset. Watching Brandon run around and enjoy the calm on the beach made me smile from the inside. I happily gathered all the wood in the right sizes for him so he could build what was in his head....we made a teeter totter, a sledge hammer (which he dead lifted and flipped like a tire flip quite a distance on his own and it was HEAVY--yea functional movement CROSSFIT!) and the beginning of a boat or a shelter.

I need to mention that my Saturday started off the BEST way possible....I got to workout with my favorite guys...my best friend Chris and my son Brandon. We attacked Fran at 8am and we all PR'd!! Knowing Brandon was next to me just hammering the thrusters and getting his chin over the bar on his pullups made me push even harder. I want my son to look at me in pride and say "that's MY mom!" I want to set the example for him. I want him to view me as a capable, independent, strong woman who smashes the word "can't". I think I am succeeding :)

So as you can see my Saturday was off the charts awesome for me. Intense workout with my boys, playing on the beach all afternoon with my son, and watching the sunset over the water. Incredible.

Today I continue kicking off my half marathon training. It used to be so easy for me hen I was younger and competed all the time and ran distance every day. Now that I am older I have to train my body again to be on my feet that long. We know CrossFit isn't an endurance sport so I am way stronger, but my endurance is lacking. Time to get it back!! I'm running a 10k time trial and I can't wait. I'm just a little sore from Fran, but i'm sure running will work all the kinks out of my muscles.

Enjoy your day and breathe life in. Can't wait to play on the beach again today---hopefully my Sarah will come too then life will be even that much more perfect :)

Half Marathon Training Starts Tomorrow.....

So far 2010 has been full of PRs for me. I took 5 minutes off my old Dianne time, and 40 seconds of my Grace time. I also PRd in my 5 rep backsquat. I'm excited to continue getting faster and stronger. I've decided to register for the Santa Cruz Half Marathon in April, again, and to hit a pr there as well. I haven't really been running with any purpose, I've just been running because I love to! After getting my ass kicked on the track last weekend with Chris, I realized I need to hit the track way more often and get serious about my running. No more run just to run. I hit the track last Thursday at 8am and did a 200+400+600+800 x3 rounds. Warmed up for 1 mile, did stride straights, and build ups....then hit the workout. I managed to negative split my times, and walked off the track feeling accomplished and better about my training.

I feel really good about putting as much time and effort into my running as I do my CrossFit workouts. I'm excited to kick off training for some spring races.

Beautiful Santa Cruz sunrise....

Last weekend I decided to set my alarm Sunday morning so that I could watch the sunrise on the beach. I grabbed some coffee and went for a walk on the beach and snapped this shot as the sun crested over the ocean. What a beautiful morning and exactly the reason why I live where I live. I absolutely LOVE Santa Cruz !. As I walked and sipped hot coffee I meditated on the new year and my hopes and goals for 2010. Thinking back over 2009, even though it whipped past me so fast that it seemed like a blink, I couldn't help but smile. I feel content in my life. My best friend often tells me "you are in a REALLY great space now.", and i have to agree with him. I have surrounded myself with amazing people and friends and I'm just happy. I have come a long way and have grown up a ton....

I hope all of you have articulated your needs, wants and desires for this new year and that every dream you hold comes your way. If you meditate on these things they WILL manifest in your life. If you focus on negative and what you don't have, you will continue to want. Everyday I am thankful for where I am, the lessons I learned through my struggles, and I feel open to whatever comes my way. Hopefully 2010 holds some beautiful surprises for me and my family. I hope the same for you and yours!