Tabata Tuesday!

I did a Tabata run (on the treadmill), then push up workout this morning.... freaking KILLED but so effective.
a) 5 minute warm up (@5% incline, 6.0 mph)
b) 20 seconds ALL OUT (@ 7.5% incline, 10.0 mph)
c) 10 second rest
d) Repeat b) and c) for 8 times (4 minutes total)
e) 5 minute cool down (@5% incline, 5.0 mph)

Then I went straight into a push up Tabata workout
a) 20 seconds as many push ups as I could
b)10 second rest
c) repeat a) and b) for 8 times (4 minutes total)

I was DRAINED and soaked in sweat... however, I then pulled out my TRX and did some workouts on that, too.

WOOO!!!! Happy Tuesday to everyone!!!!

14 Ways to “Afford” Shakeology

14 Ways to “Afford” Shakeology

The following is a document I created to answer the biggest concern I hear “I can’t afford it! It’s too expensive!” :)

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The number one question I get regarding Shakeology is “But it’s $119.95 per month! That’s EXPENSIVE! How can I afford that?!”

The answer: It’s not as expensive as you think. Here are a few ways for you to be able to “afford” Shakeology.

1. Sign up as a Coach (I’ll pay $25 of the sign up fee for you if you get Shakeology on HD through ME) and get the 25% discount. It’s $89.95 plus tax with free shipping on Home Direct (HD). This saves you $25.71 per month (this number already includes the monthly coach’s fee incorporated) and breaks it down to about $3.50 per day, cheaper than a Happy Meal at McDonald’s.

2a. Use coupons. There are great coupons at the following places: Sunday newspapers, moneysavingmom.com, southernsavers.com, coupons.com, smartsource.com. and google “Krazy Koupon Lady” in addition to the Hot Coupon World forums. You can also purchase coupons for little to nothing at sites like couponsthingsbydede.com/. I use coupons regularly and save a good deal of money each week. That doesn’t even include any promotions that use double or triple coupons such as Harris Teeter. (Disclaimer: Do not photocopy coupons as this is coupon fraud.-Yes coupon fraud really exists.) You can also shop Aldi (if there is one in your area) and save a TON on produce, canned goods, eggs, milk, yogurt, bread, and frozen foods.

2b. Combine coupons andsales to maximize your savings in 2a.

3. When making food, make it yourself from scratch instead of buying prepackaged, processed food. This will not only be cheaper but healthier.

4. Substitute your expensive meal of the day with Shakeology. Forget those $5.00-15.00 lunches or dinners out with coworkers and friends at restaurants or even your workplace’s cafeteria.

5. Make fewer trips out. Instead of taking several trips to the store to buy a few items here or there, make a master errands list to be completed for the day and save money on gas. Plus you’ll have extra TIME to do other things with those other days of the week!

6. Prepare meals ahead of time and freeze instead of going out to eat fast food or restaurant food. Again, this saves your wallet and your health. Google “Once a month cooking” to get a better idea of what this involves. You can also do “once a week cooking” or “Once every 2 weeks cooking.” Just cater to your family’s needs.

7. Make your own cleaners from household goods. Use vinegar and other household supplies to create your own detergents and cleaners. Not only does this save money, but it’s better for the environment.

8. Brown bag your lunch to work. If you want to drink your Shakeology for another meal, bring your lunch to work from home. Again, this saves you money that you won’t be spending at the workplace cafeteria or restaurant.

9. Stop drinking soda, and drink more water. Soda is ridiculously expensive and has nothing but sugar and chemicals – so each time you get a soda, you’re wasting your money and poisoning your body. Drink water. Your body craves it and needs it anyway, and it’s essentially FREE.

10. Use the groceries that you have in your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator before going out to buy more food or going out to eat.

11. Consign your old clothing or children’s items instead of just throwing them away or donating them. This can usually help you back about $100-200/season just on old toys and clothes the kids can’t wear anymore.

12. Have a yard sale the first weekend of the month. This can help you net between $200-600 each time.

13. Stop using your credit card and go to an all cash envelope system. Google “Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover” for more info.

14. Purchase foods (that you’ll use) in bulk such as nuts, dried fruit, grains, snacks, cereal, spices, and baking ingredients.

If you need additional hints or advice on how to afford Shakeology and save money, message me and I’ll be happy to help. I purchase Shakeology once to twice a month and I’m a COLLEGE STUDENT who is working towards a healthier life – SO CAN YOU!

I LOVE my Shakeology ~ I love all of the recipes you can make with it! I make mine SUPER THICK, which tricks my mind into thinking I get dessert every day …. AWESOME!!!

Have you tried your Shakeology yet?? OMG… what are you waiting for?? Taste the success. Shakeology® is officially certified on the low end of what’s already considered “low” on the Glycemic Index (GI). That’s a whole lotta low to love! It scores a 24!


Which would you rather do?
Take 38 supplements every day that will cost you over $483.12 every month, or one scoop each day of a great tasting meal replacement shake that will cost you just $119.95 (or $89.96-contact me about how to get the 25% discount) per month (just $4 (or $3) a day – like a coffee and bagel, but WAY better for you) – SHAKEOLOGY!
Get It at http://myshakeology.com/strivetobefit (***message me if you are interested)

*And, I could not find 8 additional ingredients that are in Shakeology.

Note: *This is a close approximation as to everything in Shakeology and the supplements shown here.- BW


Another reason why it is beneficial to become a Coach on my TEAM – being a Coach with Shakeology help save you $money$ (25% discount!)

http://myshakeology.com/strivetobefit

World's Toughest Mudder Fund

I'm racing in the World's Toughest Mudder in December 2011 in Englishtown, NJ.... it is the World Championship of Tough Mudder - muddy endurance obstacle course racing. It is a 24 hour endurance race through mud, water, ice, fire, electricity, obstacles, etc.... Please help fund my trip to NJ.

or if that does not work...try http://bit.ly/oGAfTF

new website!!!

www.befitwithwill.com !!!!

Check it :)

Run Under The Stars 2011 Pre-race

I am going into this race very motivated and ready to dominate. 10 hours of running and I am stoked!

I've been fueling my body very well - Shakeology, cutting out most carbs, eating more veggies, fruits, organic food, protein - the past couple weeks and I feel amazing (yet another testimonial to how important nutrition is!)

It will be great to see how much I can push myself during this adventure that begins at 8PM CST - June 11, 2011 and ends 6AM CST June 12, 2011. I will Dig Deeper and I will Bring It!

Insanity Fit Test

Alrighty, so today (Friday) was a full day of work starting with an amazing workout in the AM at the wellness center. After that I worked with Cycling until I had to leave, ate some lunch, and then worked at the wellness center basically from 12 to 5 (took a 15 minute break from 330-345) and then went grocery shopping with Justin and Sarah Cason to provide pointers and such and grab some more stuff that I needed for food. After shopping was finished, the three of us did day one of Insanity - the FIT TEST! I have not done the Fit Test since sometime last year so I was not sure how my results now would compare to then. They were actually really good I think - although I would like to increase my numbers, of course. Justin and Sarah are going to do the full Insanity program - I cannot wait to see the transformation!

Switch Kicks: 124

Power Jacks: 91

Power Knees: 125

Power Jumps: 85

Globe Jumps: 16

Suicide Jumps: 26

Push-Up Jacks: 40

Low Plank Oblique: 96

I was hurting so bad - but it was good to feel that hurt again. It made me realize that I need Insanity: The Asylum if I want to take myself to the next level. I will have it sometime very soon :)

Upon finishing the Fit Test, Justin and I made a hearty and healthy homemade

pizza. So delish - commercial pizza stores, eat your heart out ;) Just has joined the Flab2Fab Fitness Challenge I have created, and has also become a Team BeachBody Coach! He is super excited about Shakeology, Insanity, P90X, the support system that Team BeachBody provides and is looking forward to moving up to Emerald to get that beautiful GrEeN pIn (and further rank advancements, too, of course!!) :)

Anyways, it has been a very busy week since the Flab2Fab program has begun. I will provide more details and how things are going this weekend when I am somewhat able to 'relax' and take a break from working - although I work tomorrow and Sunday so my next day off will HOPEFULLY be next Sunday. Fingers Crossed!

Cheers peeps!

Video on why I became a Team BeachBody Coach

One of the most IMPORTANT things I failed to mention is that you do NOT have to be a fitness expert, nutrition expert, or expert of any sort to be Team BeachBody Coach. You can be at any point in your fitness journey and still receive the same benefits as all other Coaches!

Hope you enjoy the video :) Let me know if/how I can help answer any questions for you.

Take control of your health and fitness

"Every human being is the author of his own health or disease" - Buddha

I realize that it is time to actually put the name of the blog to use, like it was originally intended for "StriveToBeFit"... documenting my fitness journey and trying to provide fitness/health tips to anyone out there looking for advice. (Feel free to contact me!)

Working as a BeachBody Coach and Personal Trainer I often see and hear people say that they there is not enough time in the day to workout or eat right. From personal experience, I know that it is all about prioritizing. No matter what level you are at on your fitness journey, make time to go walk around the block or go to the gym for a little bit instead of sitting on the couch all night, every night. Or.. make the time to get up in the morning before work, school, or whatever else activities you may have to do. Morning workouts are a great way to get your day started right by KICK-STARTING your metabolism and often keep you energized for the rest of the day. (I love morning workouts!) They definitely make you feel like you have accomplished something substantial first thing in the morning - BE PROUD of taking the initiative!

You have to prioritize your time. You have to prioritize your fitness goals and what you want to gain from those goals. You have to most importantly prioritize yourself. It will make you feel better, more energized, others will see a difference in you (physically and through your attitude). Live it up!

I have had to implement a lot of this in my life lately since I have been working multiple jobs so far this summer. 1) Internship with Lindsey Wilson Cycling minimum of 20 hours per week + staffing the front desk 2) Internship with Campus Recreation/Fitness/Wellness at the Wellness Center minimum of 20 hours per week...along with training for a 10 hour endurance run in.. TWO WEEKS! So it has been rather challenging, but I practice what I preach as well as I can.

Living a couch potato lifestyle is not fun. It can be depressing for you and others around you. Make a change in yourself.

next...

Turns out that this academic year was my first full year of 'normal college' since I did two years at the Air Force Academy (clearly not a normal college), then I was at LWC for a semester, then moved to California for a semester, then came back to LWC and here we are. Weird. Technically, I should be done with my 4 years degree... but all that moving around put me behind.. so here's to *hopefully* one more semester of undergrad. Then grad school.. somewhere studying something! EKU? WKU? I don't know. :)

I ended up earning an A in five out of five classes this semester! Sweet! So now that the spring semester is over with, summer begins... except it will be a summer filled with work as I am doing two internships - one with Lindsey Wilson Cycling and one with the Holloway Health and Wellness Center. Good news is that I will be making some money this summer to help cover the cost of tuition, yadda yadda.

I've been running quite a bit lately, however, I need to pick up my cross-training more. For about two days after the Kentucky Derby Marathon my legs felt trashed just like after completion of IM 70.3 Austin last October. Good thing was that I was 100% recovered by the Wednesday after, although stairs were still somewhat funny to go up and down. After I did IM 70.3 Austin, I was hobbling around for two weeks afterwards until I was 100%. I think one thing that helped me get over it so quick was that I forced myself to run the day after, causing my heart rate to rise, circulating my blood more. Good stuff, thanks to Dean Karnazes for the idea.

Coming up I have the Run Under the Stars 10 hour endurance race in Paducah, KY. The record is 63 miles... I'll be hoping to break that record in June.

Moving Forward...

I Must Always Be Moving Forward.

This week was different. Monday night there was a mandatory leadership thing we had to go listen to at the wellness center which actually was very neat. Tuesday, both of my classes had speakers come in a talk about Fred Smith and leadership. I missed my Sport Management class because I had a Leadership Award banquet where I received an 'award' for student leadership. It was actually a book that the President of the college picked out.

I had an overnight field trip for my Facilities class Wednesday to Thursday which totally could have been done in one day. We returned back to campus Thursday and that afternoon was the Honors Convocation. I was getting some sort of award, not sure what it was. I thought for sure I was going to get the Begley Scholarship (a full ride) because my essay for it was legit and very thought out. Turns out I did not get the Begley, which sucks, but I received an award for my major where I was given a plaque. Hopefully it has some sort of scholarship that comes with it, but no guarantees. So, that means I am zero for two on the things I applied for and was sure I'd get - R.A. position and the Begley. NOPE. I must admit, I was pissed. Very pissed. Then I got over it because since I did not get it, I'll be out of Columbia in December most likely for graduation, then bigger and better things will come my way.

Friday Jimbo and I headed up to Louisville because we were doing the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon. I was kind of nervous about Jimbo doing the marathon since he had like 15 miles of run training in the past two weeks and has knee and IT band issues, but he did it anyway. I knew that I would be fine. Saturday morning came around and the logistics were all sketchy and I had no clue what was going on, but that's kind of expected when you do something with Jimbo, but it worked out...

The race was about to start and there were thousands of people there!!! It was awesome. We were relatively near the front, but not at the front. probably 30 - 45 minutes before the race started I consumed VESPA and I was ready to go. I had used it in two training runs prior and it worked fine, but my stomach is different on race day compared to training days so I was a little worried about how it would work on race day. The gun shot and we had to wait for the massive amount of people to start moving. We finally crossed the start line and I said, 'see you at the finish' to Jimbo and weaved in and out of people while running past them. I swear, within the first two miles I must have passed at least 1500 people, if not more. I also ran into a good friend, Jessica, who was doing the 1/2 marathon, within the first mile. I said HEY and then continued going. I was a little nervous because for the first five miles I was averaging between 6:30/mile to 6:45/mile pace (depending on terrain) and was worried about massive bonking later.... turns out that I was able to hold that pace for quite some time. Miles 10.5-14 were hilly in Iroquois Park. The hills slowed me down a bit, but my 1/2 marathon split was right at 1:30, which is under 7 minutes/mile for 13.1 miles. SWEET!

I continued and after I reached mile 15, I saw Jimbo heading towards Iroquois Park, which meant that he was almost at mile 10. There were not as many food stations there as I hoped and the three that I passed in the whole race only had PowerBar Energy Gel. Near mile 20 I was hurting and hungry and the pace was in the 7minutes/mile. The last food aid station, which had the gels, was around mile marker 18 or so, which left me hanging for 8.2 more miles. The VESPA definitely helped and I was steady and focused for the first major part of the race, but I should have carried another one for during the race and consumed it about 12 miles in to help me focus more and hold my hunger needs during the later miles. Lessons learned, right.

The miles passed and there were neighborhood hills in the last 5 miles of the race which really hurt. But.. Lance said, "Pain is temporary...." and forward I went. I ran the last 5 miles by myself pretty much since there was no one to pace with, which was fine.

Finally, I could hear and see the finish area and I crossed the line at 3:17:21. Would have been nice to hold the 3:00:00 pace, but not too shabby for having two weeks to prepare for the race. Turns out I was 7 minutes away from qualifying for Boston. Dang... next time I will break 3 hours for sure. Jimbo finished at 4:19:12. Here's the medal we both received for finishing (to the right).

I am officially registered for the 10 hour Run Under the Stars on June 11, 2011 which will be my first ULTRA run!! I will soon be able to call myself an ULTRA runner! YES! A guy from school and from the cycling team, Alex Pepper, is also going to do it. I've got 6 weeks until race day, so the marathon was a training run, in essence.

School has one more week of classes and then the week after is Finals Week... then I start the internship with the Cycling Team. I'll also be working at the HWC to help cover the cost of the internship since I have to pay to do it and since I do not get any sort of stipend or anything. So it will be a busy, but good summer.

And we press on..

Simple thoughts on minimalism and running update

Lately I have been really digging deep on my thoughts about the concept of minimalist running. I am definitely all for it, having two pairs of Vibram FiveFingers (KSO and Sprint), Nike Free Runs, and Saucony Kinvaras. Right now I do not intentionally run in any of them to please my mother (love you), but I simply wear them for as every day shoes, walk around and do non-running related workouts in them - cross-training, awesome abs class, weight-lifting, etc. I also have a pair of Mizuno Wave Rider (not-minimalist) but lately running in them has kind of been painful. I am thinking that it has to do with my feet and lower leg muscles becoming stronger due to using the VFFs, Frees, and Kinvaras more than 'regular' shoes. Although yesterday my Wave Riders were wet from the day before, so I used my Frees just for an 8 mile stroll and it felt SO good and natural. So I think that I will probably make the switch to minimal running shoes soon... :)

I have been focusing a lot more on my running technique and form, not so much speed lately, because I need to develop a strong base. I am not doing what the guy in the picture does (he is landing on his heel) I have been focusing on making sure my form is right and most efficient - mid-foot strike/fore-foot natural strike, NOT heel to toe. I have also been focusing on cadence, too. 1-2-3-4, quick strides, not necessarily long strides because then it becomes 1....2... and I'd rather get my form down and not be so hoppy and inefficient. The speed and proper longer strides will come with more training and base of proper technique. And I tell you what, focusing on form and technique has made a world of difference in the way I feel while running! Like I said, I have not been focusing on speed, so these distances and times are not completely on the faster side.

(Left map) Friday 8.11 miles (1:00)

Saturday 7 miles (0:54) (Right map)

I have been putting much thought into running lately and have been reading the blog of top ultra-distance runners like Anton Krupicka to see what I need to do in order to become a great ultra runner that was I can finish the World's Toughest Mudder and do other exciting races like Leadville 100Mile Trail run, possibly the American River 50Miler, Western States 100, and more. I also really am diggin' Anton Krupicka's thoughts on minimalist running and how he says that he prefers to be as in-tune with the ground as possible to allow for a more natural feeling since humans are meant to run.

Today during my run, it was almost 80 degrees, so I decided to take a water bottle, but I did not want to completely have to hold onto it for the whole run. I do not have an Amphipod bottle or Nathan bottle that has one of the hand straps on it, so I took a string from an old pair of shorts and ghetto-rigged a hand strap onto a bottle. It works for now, but maybe after a couple stellar results in races I'll be able to pick up a hydration sponsor or a pro-deal! ;)

I'm really liking the idea that I can put up my running (or riding) routes on here using screen capture! Awesome! I just might keep doing that.

Regional Championships and new stuff!

Regionals were in St. Charles, Missouri for road cycling this season. We took the big ol' charter bus there, so it was kind of like we were traveling in style - kind of. We got to St. Louis and I had my headphones in, then looked up and saw these cars way close... all of a sudden, BOOM! Apparently the brakes were not working on the bus and we side swiped a couple cars and rear ended a Honda. No one was injured and the vehicles were still able to work, so things were fine. The police officer needed us to write down all of our names and he told us to write our real names down, not the goofynames like "Phillip MaGroin" or "Ben Dover" or anything like that. It caused everyone on the bus to laugh. We finally got to the hotel and we were all tired from our trip. Team Time Trial and Road Race on Saturday.

When Saturday came along, it was chilly in the morning. The TTT was an 8.5 mile out and back course. It was Nick, Dooley, Taylor and me. The first half of the race was hard into a sucky head wind, so it felt really slow. Once we got to the turn around, we started zooming because on the way back we were in a tail wind. ZOOM! Nick popped with about 3-3.5 miles left. Then I looked to the right and it looked like Dooley was popping at the same time, too.... Crap, I thought it was going to just be Taylor and me. We pushed on and kept going. I guess Dooley decided to suck it up and he hung on, which benefited us as a team. We rotated and could see the finish line and we pushed it hard. Our finish was almost perfect since all three of us were close to each other, so I felt pretty good about out time. Coach had us guesstimated at 21 minutes and 30 some seconds. Marian was our biggest threat. They started a couple minutes behind us and Coach said that their time was either 30 seconds slower than ours or 2 minutes and 30 seconds faster than ours... I was hoping that we beat them.

Results were posted near the registration table.. 1st place in the TTT!

Next challenge was the 3 lap (21 miles/lap)- 63 mile road race. My front shifter was not working 100% correctly so the hills were going to be a challenge. Our race started and it was a slow pace to begin with, but it would soon speed up since there was a good size hill within the first three miles. I figured out how to get my shifter to work and pressed on with the group. It started to warm up as we got into the second lap. The first big hill came again during lap two and this time I could not get my shifter to work when I needed it to. The pack progressed without me as I finally got my shifter to work and I tried hard to catch them. They were within sight, probably 20-30 seconds up the road but riding in the headwind all by myself was just too much. I did not give up tho like some other people who would have just dropped out of the race. I knew I was in a good enough spot to earn points for the team, so I pushed forward. Lap three was extremely tough, especially the hilly first section with the huge hill. I actually puked and had to get off the bike for a couple seconds then climb back on and mash gears up to the top and work my way to the finish line. Ended up finishing 12th, which was in the points for the team. Mission accomplished and thrashed legs! YAY.

Sunday was the criterium and it was pretty warm out. No need for leg warmers or arm warmers! FINALLY! The course was a three-turn loop with a section of brick-type cobbles. It was pretty smooth but there were some rough parts that sent a few people flying in our race. There actually was a crash that happened right in front of me on the cobble section and luckily I avoided it. Taylor and two other dudes were in a breakaway from the rest of the group. My legs were feeling pretty sore from Saturday but I had to suck it up. It was only a 45 minute race, but it felt fast. I watched the time counter count down as we passed with each lap until it read about 5 laps to go. Then I knew I had to prepare for battle. Last lap I was sitting in a good spot - about third or fourth wheel going into the last turn. In the middle of the last turn there was a loud POP! Someone blew a tire and wrecked, luckily it was not me or any of my teammates. I ended up getting 12th, again, but still in the points, so I will take it. I also got prime lap points, too! I was pretty stoked about that! The team ended up 4th overall in the conference. We would have done better overall if so many people did not drop out of races, but what can ya do? We ended up getting back to Columbia at about 1230a.m. or something and I was glad I did not have classes Monday morning.

In non-cycling news, I did not receive the R.A. position for next year even though I was one of the top applicants and had a great interview. Oh well, their loss. Waiting until next Thursday on the result on the Begley scholarship, since I was invited to the Honors Convocation award ceremony. Not sure what I'll be getting, but hopefully some sort of good scholarship money that will be helpful. We shall see!!

There was an Earth Day 5k that I decided to do yesterday (Wednesday). I ended up getting third overall and 2nd place in the men's field. A LWC running team guy and a Kenyan LWC running girl beat me (by 2 seconds). It was a hilly course but lots of fun. Then I had to go and immediately teach abs class, so it was a good workout :)

I also have got in touch with Peter at Vespa Power

(www.vespapower.com) and will be using Vespa during long distance training and long races. Pretty excited about it and the adventure that is in front of me as I go down the path towards become an ultra runner. I've also been trying to find ultra runs during summer and even into the early fall semester for race prep for the World's Toughest Mudder but they all seem so far away. :/

I think that's it for now, I'll be back with more news and stuff later!

Marian and Purdue and other exciting news!

This past weekend was a split weekend. Saturday was at Marian, while Sunday was at Purdue. The Thursday before we went to the race, I decided to try my shot at upgrading to Men's B from C. Sent in the race resume to USACycling and received an approval within 30 seconds - literally. SWEET! Now I can help out Dooley, Tay, and Nick. That is exactly what I did, except Taylor was the only one I really helped because Dooley popped in the Crit on Saturday and the Road Race Sunday. Both of the races, the Crit and Road Race, I did lots of teamwork for Taylor, which ended up causing me to pop, but I still did what I needed to do to help the LWC team. I earned prime points and finishing points in the Crit, while covering moves and such for Taylor until I popped, then he ended up getting 6th. So I will say that is a check next to the teamwork section of racing for me. Regionals at Lindenwood is my time to shine.

The Team Time Trial on Sunday was going to be my event. I love TTT's. Time started and we were rolling! The course was basically like lollipop style - meaning you ride out, go around a loop, then head back. It was sure to be domination between Dooley, Taylor and me. We were going, and then all of a sudden Dooley decided to turn left when we were supposed to go straight. We were in echelon-type pace line, so my bars were at his hip and Taylor's were at mine. His wheel crossed mine and I ended up falling on my a$$$$ and sliding for like 10-15 feet. Taylor almost went down, too, but did not. I was pissed. Skin suit was ripped, right butt cheek was on FIRE, and we pretty much automatically lost the TTT. Taylor's wheel decided to not work, so he needed my wheel, so it was up to the two of them to finish. I coasted back to the start finish and switched into normal bibs to keep riding around so my leg did not stiffen up. 4th out of 4 teams. Whatever, we still got the team points, I guess. Dooley kind of avoided me for half of the day after the TTT, but 'we cool'. The road race, like I said earlier, consisted of me being the 'domestique' for Taylor, which is fine. The wind out there... was... insane! Last lap of the road race I was riding solo and was going as hard as I could into the wind but was only going EIGHT miles per hour... say WHAAAT! yeah, apparently there were 50 mile per hour gusts and I believe it. Once the race was over and we headed back, my right cheek started hurttttting. No pain, no gain. It's all healed now.

Okay, so done with biking stuff for now....

In other news, I was officially nominated for the Begley Scholarship at LWC. I have to write an essay about the Cordoba Initiative and the proposal for the Islamic mosque near the 9/11 site. The scholarship is a full-ride for one year! Let's hope I write one kick-a$$ essay because my brain has not been cooperating with me in terms of letting me get anything done so far this weekend.

AND!!!! I have a group R.A. interview on Tuesday! AND.... I am receiving a leadership award from the school sometime later in April! It's not a scholarship or anything, more like a piece of paper, but I'll take it!

Finally... the best news so far (besides nomination for the Begley)...

I received THE email from Tough Mudder HeadQuarters announcing that I OFFICIALLY qualified for THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST MUDDER! It is going to be in December in New Jersey! (If you're interested to check what it will consist of... http://toughmudder.com/events/worlds-toughest-mudder-series-finals/ )

I am pretty stoked! Jimbo qualified, too. I am definitely doing it whether he does it or not. 36 weeks out from race date - today exactly. I'm going to actually train for this event considering it is technically a World Championship! I will be ready and in fighting shape, too, even more so than now. Not literally fighting shape, but in good enough shape to run circles for 24 hours around the other contestants. Time to get serious.

The last little bit of news I've got for ya.. Insanity: The Asylum is now available! I think right now it is only available through Team BeachBody Coaches, like me! So email me if you're interested in getting it.

Okay, enough from me... time to get stuff done, I hope! I'll update mid-week after the Begley essay is turned in and the group R.A. interview.

Peace!

Post Spring Break and Notre Dame

The week after Spring Break was JAM packed it felt like. I was constantly moving from like 7am until like 10, 11pm. But, that's how I know I am doing what I need to do, right?? Awesome Abs class was still rockin' and rollin' and it actually made me sore, probably because I took Spring Break off from doing the Awesome Abs routine. It felt good to be sore again in my core! More school, work, blah blah blah and then the weekend came around and it was time to go to Notre Dame for racing. We took the big charter bus again and it was neat. It was a 6-7 hour drive and you could tell everyone was excited to finally get there 1) because it was a long drive, 2) people were hungry, and 3) our hotel was the bomb and was right on the Criterium course - so we could actually watch the race from our hotel room if we chose to.

Saturday rolled around and it consisted of the Team Time Trial (TTT) and Road Race. I did the Men's B TTT with Matt, Taylor, and Nick. It was about 20-25 degrees outside, but luckily not raining! Matt popped off within the first 1.5 miles of the 10 mile race. I'm guessing he did not do enough of a warm up. We were doing pretty well, then at about mile 8 or so, Taylor dropped off, too. It was left up to Nick and me to finish strong for the Men's B team. We crossed the line knowing that we could have done better, but we did our best. It did not help that we lost a teammate within the first 5 minutes, but that's part of TTT racing. We ended up 3rd - 22 seconds behind the leader (Marian, of course).

The road race was still chilly, although it had warmed up a degree or two. I felt strong and ready, since I was pleased with my TTT performance. Our road race was a three lap race(~13.5 miles each lap). I was trying to just let everyone do the work for the beginning of the race, but somehow I ended up right at the front again. A group of four sketchy dudes decided to try to break away, and their gap began to grow. Only one other dude, besides myself, tried to reel them in, but since he and I were doing the work, it did not happen, but we caught one of them. It came down to the last couple miles near the finish and I could not move up in position to get ready for the sprint because it was about 5-wide in a one lane road, so I was mid-pack in the 20s somewhere. People started to sprint towards the line and I couldn't let out my Cavendish-like sprint (haha) because there were so many people who were near the front but could not sprint, which caused me to end up getting 15th. I was not completely happy with that position, especially since Souers got 6th and Andrew got 11th and I know I could out-sprint them in a heart beat. The day went on and in the other categories, lots of our LWC riders were dropping out of the race for no reason other than they "didn't feel it" which kind of upset me. But it was still a good day for me at least :)

Sunday was FREEZING and was the crit - more my style of racing. The gun shot and I should have bet money on what was going to happen. This little asian dude from northwestern sprinted to the front and led us with a good size gap, but we reeled him back in within the first lap and a half, and I did not see him again. He does that every race!!!! hahaha. Anyways, the roads were pot-hole filled, but it was a good course. The first prime-lap bell rang and I wanted points. I ended up sprinting for it, and took first in the points. Then I let people do the work again. Second prime-lap bell rang and I wanted more points. Sprinted the crap out of Trixie (my bike) and took first in points in that sprint, too, by a hair. Sat in the pack again and let my legs get ready for the three lap countdown that was approaching. One lap to go, and the pace slowed down dramatically and I was sitting fourth-wheel. I did not want to go slow last lap and then have the whole pack swarm around us, so I decided to man-up, take the lead and I time-trialed the sh!t out of that last lap. Came into the last corner still in first but I could hear people right behind me. I started sprinting, but hit a pothole and it threw me off and ended up getting 4th by less than a bike length. It was a great day, I acheived both of my goals for the day - 1) get points in both primes, 2) get top 5. Check!

So I've been gearing up mentally and physically for the next couple races. I decided to try to upgrade to Men's B... and received an approval email from Jeff Hansen within 30 seconds of submitting the request. WOO! I also received good news that I was approved for the LWC Cycling Internship this summer to cover my internship program requirement! SWEET! Then.... I had a letter in the mail from the Office of the President of LWC saying that I was nominated for the Begley Scholarship for next year. It's been a great week. AND... last week and this week, I've been able to skype with my mom! You da bomb, mom!

This weekend is at Marian on Saturday - Crit, and Purdue (Pur-don't) on Sunday - TTT and Circuit Race that they are calling a Road Race. It's on like Donkey Kong!

Spring Break quick recap

Okay, okay, I know, I've been slacking when it comes to keeping up with this blog thing lately, but I've been nonstop it feels since I have returned from Spring Break. Speaking of Spring Break, I have not even written about it, what the heck! Here is a short recap of Spring Break 2011:

Jimbo, his pops, and I drove to Georgia . Jimbo and I did the Tough Mudder at Highlands Park and dominated. Immediately upon finishing, we drove down to Jimbo's grandparent's place in Meridian, Georgia. We stayed there the whole week of Spring Break. We went out the boat in the intercoastal, rode our bikes from Meridian to Jekyll Island and St. Simon's Island, had a major epic fail when we tried to go kayaking, enjoyed the sun, and slept outside on the back patio. We spent quite a bit of time on the bikes, however, the roads soon became monotonous because there was one way to and from his grandparent's house and it was about 10 miles to get to different roads. We also watched BATTLE: LOS ANGELES! It was so awesome! I want to see it again. Action was nonstop right from the get-go. YEAH! I also bought a new pair of Vibrams- the Sprint! They're so comfortable.

The boat was a lot of fun because it had literally been YEARS since I've been on a boat. It was neat being able to let the wind go through what little hair I had and just look at the scenary. Legit ;)

There was not as much beach as I was visualizing in my head, it was mainly marsh land in the surrounding areas near his grandparent's place, which was why Jimbo and I rode to Jekyll and St. Simon's Islands, to get a change of scenary and see the beach!

It was a good time, for sure, and his grandparents were so welcoming, but I was definitely ready to get back to my own 'routine' I guess you would say and do things on my terms when I wanted to. We arrived back in KY with a sort of heat wave on Saturday evening March 19. It was in the 60s and 70s, everyone had thought spring had sprung! The little tease of warm weather would only be around for a couple days and then the 40s came back. Drat!

Tough Mudder Georgia 201111111!

Tough Mudder is claimed to be the longest and hardest of the muddy obstacle course race series out there. I figured, I’ve done an IronMan and other grueling events, so I figured an obstacle course-muddy run would be super fun! I did not want to be mediocre at it, by any means, so most importantly, I had to get in the right mindset to have fun and do well. Online for Tough Mudder Georgia, the race directors told us it was 10-11 miles. Race day they told us it was 12-ish. Come to find out, it ended up being 14.2 or 14.3 miles. YEAH!

Upon arriving to the race site, Highlank Park, Georgia, in the morning, nerves were stirring. I simply wanted to get a mohawk before the race, as they advertised free mohawks, but no one was there at the mohawk station.

Bummer. Jimbo and I were to begin our Tough Mudder adventure in the second wave at 9:20 A.M. Our race numbers permanent markered on our foreheads and legs, we use blue Crayola body paint from SGA to represent Lindsey Wilson College Cycling and R.A.V.E. We were Blue Raiders, for sure. If he and I knew there was an “elite” specific start at 9:00 A.M. we would have been on board. The first wave went off and we went to the starting area and were given the speech from one of the race directors. The race clock drew closer and closer to 9:20… and I was nervous and psyched. We were at the front of our wave. I was worried about being passed right in the beginning and looking like an idiot.BOOM! The race officials started us and the SPRINT downhill began. Jimbo and I were sitting 3^rd and 4^th right off the gun… YES! The first obstacle was an ice-cold muddy river crossing, twice. I had to remind myself to breathe; it took the air from my lungs. WOO! Get past it and press on. We did.

As each obstacle came, our lead on our group grew and we would pass the two guess in front of us within the first mile or so, one of them would hover behind us a couple seconds. Completely covered in mud from head to toe, we kept running, as if trying to escape from a wild pack of dogs – like when we’re on road bikes, so it was a similar nostalgic feeling. Obstacles came and went, ranging from mud and ice filled narrow tubes, low crawl under 8-inch barbed-wire, maneuvering under a cargo net in nearly a foot of mud. Let’s just say that within the first two miles, blood was drawn on my knees and elbows. The blood (and future scars) made me feel as if I was in some sort of battle because I yelled to Jimbo that the battle wounds have started to show!

Our shoes were covered in mud and so were our bodies, which added weight and made moving harder. Still, we pressed on. We run, and run, and run some more, still just Jimbo, that guy a few seconds back, and myself. In the distance, we could hear the next wave of Tough Mudder participants taking the same oath that we did. That was rather a neat feeling.

We then make a dash into the woods, following the course directions. HILLS EVERYWHERE! It was rather impossible to get lost during the run because the single track (and some double track) was beautifully marked with arrows and Tough Mudder signs galore. Up and down, up and down, the hills continued and continued, and Jimbo and I started passing numerous people. It was a cool feeling to know that with the first three to four miles of the course we had caught people that started 20 minutes before us. The hills came and went, and so did all of the people that we passed from the 9:00 A.M. group.

The legs were definitely starting to feel fatigued because of the hills, but we pressed on. There were rocks, roots, mini-trees, trees, mud puddles and people were things that we had to make sure we avoided in order to reduce chances of injury. Well, mud puddles were not really avoided on my part, simply because it was a MUD race, so why not run through the MUD! I splashed some other people we were passing, but they got over it and I had a good time doing it, too.

The water stations were essential in continuing the Tough Mudder because it was HOT and there were only three water stations throughout the course. Pressing on, there are other obstacles, including Berlin Walls, which are 12-foot walls you must get over- piece of cake. Some other obstacles, this time in front of crowds, included the Funky Monkey and the Fire Walker, more cargo net mud crawls, and other crazy challenges that were fun. Still, we pressed on. We ran past some people that were about one mile into the race, and they were gasping for air, complaining about this or that, and I wondered how they would end up continuing for however many miles the challenge ended up being. We were nearing the finish. A couple more mud pits and cargo nets later, we approached the final water obstacle, which was a climb up to a 20-foot platform into 15-feet deep, cold, muddy water, which you had to then swim 15-20 yards to the exit.

The FINAL obstacle was “Electric Shock Therapy” which had live wires hanging down (which we had to

run through) that would conduct up to 10,000 volts if you touched a positive wire with a negative wire. Jimbo did not get zapped once, however, I was lucky enough to feel it THREE times! BZZZT! We crossed the finish line and received our victory mementoes, a Tough Mudder Georgia t-shirt and the coveted orange Tough Mudder head-band. It seemed as if only about three to five people finished ahead of us from the 9:00 A.M. start group, so we did pretty awesome for passing almost all of the “elite” wave. Our time was 2 hours and 10 minutes for the 14-some odd miles hilly, muddy race. Seemed like a victory to me since the average projected finish time online for the 10-mile version was 2 hours and 30 minutes. We stomped that time and had a great adventure in the meantime.

All during the race, and as we finished I kept thinking about the World’s Toughest Mudder – the world championship event in December and how the top 5% of participants get to do the event if they chose to. I wanted to be in that top 5%. Looking at our time, I was (and I still am) 100% sure that Jimbo and I qualified. Now we just wait for the e-mail, which should be coming soon. The World’s Toughest Mudder website says to "expect 50 miles of mud, ice, snow, fire, hot coals, rock climbs, barbed wire, electric fencing, underwater swimming, boulder carries, rope climbs, extreme weather conditions and 100-foot dives from waterfalls." Sounds like an adventure to me, since the location and actual distance is undecided. They project 10% to finish the World’s Toughest Mudder. Jimbo and I will be part of that 10%. Stay tuned as we press on.

OSU RR and update before Spring Break

So the OSU race was last weekend (my bad for not posting earlier) but it was an exciting weekend. We departed campus around noon on Friday on the big honkin' LWC charter bus. Bikes and bags and people scattered everywhere, was worried about my pretty Miranda getting scratched, but luckily nothing happened. When we arrived in Columbus on Friday evening it was freezing cold and raining, which meant a promising weekend of excitement on the bike. We ate dinner at CiCi's pizza.... WHOA. so. much. food ;)

Saturday rolled around and I was feeling pretty good despite the really cold wind and rain. Our race was the first to go off, two laps. BRRRRR.. was really cold! and WET! Right before the race started, I noticed my front brakes were not working! yikes! Legs were frozen and immediately wet, and the power output was just not there! I needed to do some sort of hard warm up to get my legs pumped and ready, but they were not. It took about 18 miles for my legs to feel really good, and by that point the field had kind of gone into the distance. I started to time trial to finish hard and pass people. Within the first mile that my legs opened, I had passed three

people, then came a 90 degree right turn. Neither of my brakes, front or rear, were working and.. I could not slow down enough to turn and I did not want to take the turn going 25mph since the roads were wet and very slick. Missed the turn, and the cop at the corner just stared at me. Those three people I had passed, made the turn and were ahead of me again. The TT continued once I got onto the right road. In the rest of the race, I ended up passing about 6-8 people, but still realized that I needed to have warmed up hard before the race, especially in the freezing conditions. Sunday was supposed to be a crit... but the roads were icy and it was snowing, so it was cancelled.

Moving forward to the next race at Notre Dame, which is the weekend after Spring Break 2011! I'm going to be prepared and mentally ready to dominate. I purchased the USACycling Coach Certification Manual because I want to work towards adding "Cycling Coach" to my resume. I am hoping to work with Coach Grigsby and gain some experience with the LWC Cycling Team and other respects, as well. Also, I am thinking about the AMFPT Strength and Conditioning Certification, as well, which would help me in many aspects. Lots to think about.

So, since the Spring Break trip was cancelled on Wednesday that Joel had set up, for lack of proper preparation, I decided to do the Tough Mudder in Georgia with Jimbo. I have just been doing regular training, but I will still be more than ready to dominate. I mean, I did an IronMan without really training for it (that was 140.6 miles - Tough Mudder is 10 miles). After the event TOMORROW, we're going to Jimbo's family's place and we're going to go camping, biking, running and many other chill, relaxed things (along with working on my research paper).

I'm rather excited about the next week or so, it will be great. Look for more, soon. Here's a picture from the road today... Jimbro, Chrisbro, and yours truly.