Winter Workouts + CrossFit Day 50 & 51

Posted on January 30, 2014 by tootallfritz

Just like you, these cold wintery days are taking their toll on my good humor. I’m not sure why because I do most of my workouts inside since hubby changed jobs in August of 2013. ~~Yes, it’s been a long ass 6 months, in case you were wondering.~~ My outside runs are few and far between and yes, I may have just signed up for another marathon so that I’m guaranteed at least 1 outdoor run within the next six weeks. So if you are heading to the Little Rock Marathon on March 2nd, LOOK FOR ME!!!!

Last week brought back “real” workouts for me. A couple short runs on the treadmill and the return to CrossFit. This week, I’ve been at both the TUE & THUR CrossFit sessions PLUS I ran 7 miles on the treadmill Monday night AND I hit the StairMaster on Tuesday night. Yes, I’m feeling like a total stud for making the most out of my indoor workouts. Plus I love the StairMaster and it’s nice to have an excuse to use it rather than just pounding out miles on the treadmill. Say HELLO to me in my ~~dining room~~ home gym as I stair away.

On to the week’s CrossFit workouts.

CrossFit Day #50 – Back Squats – 6 x4 – 73#

WOD for time – 200 Single jump ropes, 75 Kettlebell Swings (26# – and DANG was this hard), 50 – 10# medicine ball “side to side” sit-ups, 25 handstand push-ups.

The side to side sit-ups might be new. I don’t remember doing them before but I envision them to be very beneficial to my spongy core. Assume the sit-up position. Come up to crunch position but only lift the feet slightly off the floor. Then move the medicine ball from side to side, touching it on the floor each time before pivoting to the opposite side of your body.

CrossFit Day #51 – WOD “Jackie”

1000 meter row – Apparently I was rowing incorrectly and even though it was explained to me, as well as demonstrated, in SLOW MOTION, apparently it was too much for my brain to absorb at 5am. Sorry, J. Anyhow, I limped thru it in about 5ish minutes. Not sure it counts if I was doing something wrong but I was moving.
50 Thrusters – 33#
30 Pull-Ups – assisted with 2 bands and I still struggled.
Extra Credit ~~cuz we had extra time~~ – 10 Pull-ups w/ bands, 50 abmat sit-ups, 50 superman’s, 50 side to side sit-ups, 50 ring rows.

Bam! Another awesome week of workouts and I still have a couple days to go! What are you up to this week?

Unrelated side note – When I woke up this morning, I found this by my purse. Aby made it for an Art Club project and I am IN LOVE! Great job, “baby” girl!

You’ll find this sign on one of my kitchen cabinet doors for the next year or so. #KeepingItClassy

** Keep Calm and RUN FASTER ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Back At It & CrossFit Day #49

Posted on January 23, 2014 by tootallfritz

I’ve been on a little hiatus since the Dopey Challenge. I needed a break. The plan all along was to get thru the Huff 50K & Dopey and then take some time off and really not do “much” for the remainder of the month of January. And I was looking forward to it. What I didn’t realize was how much my body would NEED that break. I started getting a bit of a clue when I had a ~~pretty severe~~ Plantar Fasciitis flare up on the first day of the Dopey Challenge. Yep, during the 5K. Initially it took me off guard because it basically came out of nowhere but it didn’t take me long to realize that it was text book PF. I was fine while running but when I stopped ~~OMGosh~~ things got ugly fast. And when I sat down, the getting up and getting moving was super painful. It felt like I was walking on spikes. Not ideal but at least something I could self diagnose. Also something I was familiar enough with that I could be pretty certain that completing the Dopey Challenge ~~most likely~~ wouldn’t do much additional long term damage.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Then I got a head cold/sore throat combo that was a bit of a nuisance. Brought that new friend home with me from Disney. It took a week and a half to clear up (thanks to some electro acupuncture by Dr. Alexis). I felt good for two days. Then the stomach flu hit. Yep, the stomach flu. SO.MUCH.FUN. Okay, it sucked but my body was tired and why not get it ALL out of the way while I was in rest mode anyhow, right? Right!

Now I’m feeling AMAZING except for the heel pain that Dr. A is slowly but surely kicking to the curb. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill last night at 8:22 pace. Then I hit CrossFit this morning! I’m so happy to be back to being active. I still don’t plan on doing anything big this month but I’m moving and that makes me happy. Smile

CrossFit Day 49 (and if you are really counting, CrossFit Day 48 was on January 2, 2014 but the WOD has been lost in the windy tunnel of the TTF brain. Ooops!).

WOD – Jack. Hello Jack. So nice to meet you. Thank you for kicking my butt on the first day back to CrossFit in 21 days. Thanks for reminding me WHY I CrossFit in the first place. Thanks for reminding me that I am weak and I want to be strong. Thank you for starting me off on my quest to be a strong runner in 2014.

20 minutes – AMRAP:

10 Push Press – Empty bar, the girlie version, #33 lbs
10 Kettlebell Swings
10 Box Jumps – 18” box – I did alternate in a couple step-ups a few times when I needed to catch my breath but 99% were box jumps.

I did 11 rounds. I was very focused on trying to get at least 10 rounds completed because at the half way mark I was into my 6th round so I didn’t want to lose ground. I was super happy to be able to complete the 11th round, even managed a few extra push presses even though time was basically up. I really tried to stay focused and wanted to keep pushing because it is a new year and I think it’s important to focus on new goals and try to improve. Plus, what’s the point of getting up early for a 5am class if I’m not going to push it? I don’t want to waste my time or anyone else’s. I want to get better. I want to get stronger. I want to run far and FAST when the opportunity arises and I really think the key to staying healthy is strength and cross training. For these reasons, I dedicate 2014 as my year of strength. I want be be strong physically and mentally. I want to be a better person. I want to handle LIFE better. I want to be strong inside and out.

** On a Quest to Be Strong ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

My “Thank You” to 2013

Posted on January 2, 2014 by tootallfritz

The year 2013 brought me health. Strength. Determination. And an injury free year. Thank you 2013 for all you gave to me, even if every minute was not easy and/or fun.

I started 2013 by running a 200 mile relay race, Ragnar Key West. I ran bits and pieces from Miami to Key West, FL with a group of amazing people. I finished 2013 by running my first ever ultra trail race, the Huff 50K. I filled in the year with numerous events from the 5K to marathon distance, the numbers are below:

5Ks – 4
4 Mile Runs – 1
8Ks – 2
Half Marathons – 8
Full Marathons – 2
Marathon Relay – 1
Cycling Events – 2
Duathlons – 1
Half Iron Triathlons – 2

I did 47 CrossFit workouts. I ran 1225 miles. I cycled 814 miles. I DNF’d one 5K due to foot pain. I teamed up with Aby for one Duathlon. I ran 2 relay races (Ragnar Keys and the River City Marathon Relay).

I didn’t run as many miles as I had planned. I didn’t cycle as much as I wanted. I barely swam. I screamed at the kids WAY too much. I lost my cool more times than I can count. I didn’t win Mom of the Year {again}. I didn’t spend as much “fun” time as I would have liked with the family. Work got in the way. My energy levels dipped. The commute wore on me and my schedule. I had headaches. I was cranky. I didn’t clean the house ~~nearly~~ enough. I was constantly behind on the laundry. The beds were almost always unmade. The floors were vacuumed only “as needed”. I ran on the treadmill when I should have been attending to some of the above.

My favorite race was the Tinley Park Duathlon with Aby as my teammate.

My hardest race was the Great Illini Challenge 70.3 were I suffered heat induced problems as the temps sored well over 100 degrees.

My favorite race shirt was from the Uno 5K Carrera de los Muertos.

My proudest moment was finishing the Chicago Marathon with a smile on my face after many attempts at that race where weather and injury did NOT leave me happy at the finish line.

I stepped outside of my “ box” twice. First by going to that first CrossFit workout and second by registering for the Huff 50K.

I had good times. And bad times. A few sad moments. Made new friends and forgot some old ones. Ran races for fun and for speed. Used a new training method/plan that helped maintain my injury free status. Focused on chiro/rehab treatments as preventative care. Gave everything I had to the kids/family, even when it wasn’t enough. Took time for me, even when there really wasn’t any time left.

I can only hope 2014 will be just as good, with maybe a little less screaming at my lovely children and a lot more boating in the summer months. Smile

Thanks to Mom/Dad and Hubby for giving me a few hours here and there to run outside and/or with friends. Thanks to the treadmill for putting up with all my pounding. Thanks to Netflix for streaming for me during all those ~~nasty and/or long~~ treadmill sessions. Thanks to Dr. Alexis for never telling me that I was crazy when she asked “so, what’s next?”.

How did 2013 go for you? What was your favorite moment, if you can nail it down to just one.

** Goodbye 2013, Thanks for the Memories ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

CrossFit Day 46 & 47 ….

Posted on December 20, 2013 by tootallfritz

Yesterday finished out my year at CrossFit. I’m sad to say that between the holidays and my need to “rest” a little bit before the Huff 50K on December 28th, that I’m done for 2013.

It was a good finish to the year with two solid workouts.

Day 46 – Back Squats 7×3 – 73# total – I’m getting more flexible!!!!

Tabatas – 8 rounds, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds res.t

Over the box jumps – think box jump but instead of going down the same way you came up, you go off the other side, turn around and repeat. Takes a bit of coordination.
Ring Rows
Kettlebell Swings – 26#s
Wall Balls – I think we moved up to 12#s this time. Whoa.
Ball Slams – I think we moved up to the 20# ball. Really heavy. Not a lot of “bounce” happening in my area.

Day 47 – 4 Rounds: 10 Pull-ups & 10 Burpees. I must have been having a good day cuz J tried to take one of my support bands away. Didn’t work. So we added one of lesser resistance back into the equation. I’m getting stronger but still need ~~a lot~~ of help.

For Time: 200 lunges with 7 push-ups, on the minute, every minute until completion. Took me almost 7 minutes. LOL!

50 Sit-ups & 50 Superman’s to finish things out.

Good bye, CrossFit. I’ll see YOU in the New Year!

** 47 CrossFit Sessions in 2013 – Started 3rd week of June ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Injinji Socks Review & Giveaway ……

Posted on December 18, 2013 by tootallfritz

My feet are a “little” sensitive. I’m SUPER picky about my socks. And to be honest, no matter how picky I am, I still get blisters, lose toenails and have REALLY ugly feet. I have more pairs of socks than any “normal” person should but really, WHO WANTS TO BE NORMAL? I hand pick the most desirable pair of ~~clean~~ socks for each workout to protect my feet to the best of my ability. If a pair stretches, or wears, or doesn’t fit perfect then it goes to the trash ~~unless Aby claims them~~ or recycling. My sock collection ….. Yes, “collection” is the proper term ….. encompasses two full dresser drawers and “might” be sorted according to use, thickness, ankle height, trail and compression. I don’t own socks for fashion purposes, each one is functional and an amazing performer or it loses it spot in the line-up. Sounds dramatic? Most definitely. Serious business in my world.

Until recently my sock drawer was missing one specific type of sock, the “toe sock”. I first heard about toe socks, specifically Injinji Toesocks from a fellow friend/runner/blogger, Maggie at MagMileRunner. She has been wearing them forever, raves about them {read her review HERE}, won’t run in anything else. I wasn’t interested. Sounded weird. Like super weird (sorry, Maggie!). Yeah, not for me. However, my young running princess, Miss Abygayl, jumped onto the Injinji toe sock train with both feet and has been using them exclusively for well over a year now. See her Injinji’s with her pink shoes from a run this fall.

Well, this year has been a particularly rough year for my feet. My feet have blistered in every spot imaginable and I kept hearing Maggie’s voice in the back of my head, “you should try the Injinji’s”. So I stole a pair of Aby’s for a test run on the treadmill and was pleasantly surprised. Okay, I liked them a lot. Really, a lot. So I went shopping and bought a few pair. Smile All three of the ones pictured below (plus a blue pair), original weight no show socks. Why did I pick those? Because I haven’t bought Aby any in a while so I figured they had to be “originals”.

Wore those for a bit on all my long runs, then went shopping again for some taller, “trail” socks”. Been wearing the midweight trail mini-crew socks for all my trail runs. It’s been cold. Snowy. Icy. But my feet stay warm even when they are wet.

I’ve been very happy with all of these so I decided to reach out and get you some socks too because these things are awesome and I know that most people will be hesitant to try something so different. I want you to think outside the box. These socks are warm and cozy and fit so perfectly. If you are prone to blisters and lose toenails like me, then these WILL help you. They will also help hold your toe protectors in the perfect spot so that they won’t slide off when they get cold and wet {or sweaty}. Nothing worse than having a toe protector half way off your toe when you are trying to run a marathon. Been there, done that, not so fun. That, however, won’t be a problem for me anymore!

I also like that the Injinji’s come in a variety of thicknesses and lengths since I prefer different types of socks for different types of runs. One sock does not fit all runs! I train mostly in the original weight no shows (pictured in grey but I have a few other colors too). I run trails and wintery/cold/snowy runs in the midweight mini-crews (pictured in green but I also have purple). I will race 5Ks in 2014 in the lightweight no shows, like the black and purple ones below.

I am going to ask Santa to bring me a pair of the tall compression 2.0 socks because those are the only Injini socks which I have yet to try and I am anxious to add them to my compression sock drawer!!

Now let’s hook you up for the win! One lucky winner will win TWO pair of Injinji socks: one pair for the road, another for the trail! WhoooHoooo! If you would like to enter to win, please comment below and tell me if you have EVER tried toe socks and if so how you feel about them! Second entry available if you go like Injinji on Facebook HERE (and then let me know in the comments below).

One winner will be drawn on Monday, December 23, 2013 at 9am via a random number generator. Good luck!

** Toe Sock Convert ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

CrossFit Day 44 & 45 + WOD Motivation

Posted on December 13, 2013 by tootallfritz

I’m about 6 months into twice a week Crossfit sessions. I know everyone is wondering if I’m “getting skinny”. No I’m not. I am getting strong. I’m getting fast. In my world that’s more important ~~than giving up the cookies~~. I’m not totally immersed in the CrossFit lifestyle and still don’t know the full meaning of “Paleo” other than the fact that Paleo baked goods are not TTF child approved for consumption. Maybe that’s not the right way to say it, I’d let them eat it but they don’t like it.

What I do know about CrossFit is that motivation is key. It can be as individual or team oriented as YOU want. That it can make YOU whatever YOU want to be, as long as you are willing to work for it, are able to map out your goals and able to communicate said goals to your coach. So figure out what you want and then go get it. Simple enough, right?

A couple of weeks ago, a new book dropped on my doorstep and it has captured my attention. The new WOD Motivation book by CrossFit Journal contributor Eleanor Brown.

It is as short and sweet as any CrossFit workout. It’s a compilation of quotes, sayings and motivational pieces to get me moving. I can pull it out and just read a couple of quotes when I’m in need or go thru and read half the book at a sitting if I want. One of my favorites so far is:

So true in life, running and CrossFit. Things aren’t easy and if they are then usually we can do better. That phrase certainly motivated me this week in my CrossFit sessions!

CrossFit Day 44 – Strength – Back Squat 4×6 – I used the bar (33#) plus I think 10#s on each side.

5 Rounds:

10 KB Swings (26#s)
8 Toes to Bar (Knees to Chest in my world)
6 Burpees – These were actually “doable”. Does that mean I’m getting better/stronger?
4 Front Rack Lunges w/ Kettlebell (26#)

CrossFit Day 45 – Strength – Front Squats – 7×3 (33# bar, 10# each side)

5 Rounds:

5 Deadlifts – 33# bar + 25# on each side. Holy Heck. So hard.
7 Ring Dips – Can’t stand these
9 Bar Burpees – SO.NOT.FUN. Burpee on one side of the deadlift bar, then “jump” over the bar to the other side, do burpee there, repeat til 9 burpees are completed. I was terrified of missing the jump and landing on the bar. I basically did “step overs” rather than jumps and they still weren’t fun.

How were your workouts this week? Do you manage “at home” strength work or do you have to leave the house, like me, to “fit” it in?

** Working On My Strength ** Amanda- TooTallFritz

Winner of the Tough Chik Fleece Hoodie + Tough Chik Discount Code!!

Posted on December 9, 2013 by tootallfritz

Lots of interest in the Tough Chik fleece hoodie! Unfortunately, there is only one winner for this item. The random number generator selected #114.

The corresponding comment is from fellow Shamrock Shuffler – Lisa “Murf1013”

Congrats, Lisa!! Please email me your address and size preference to amanda@tootallfritz.com! Merry Christmas from TTF & Tough Chik!!

As for the rest of us, I think many will be adding this fleece hoodie to our Christmas Wish List! Amazing item, you will NOT be disappointed. Tough Chik wants to help Santa save a little by offering everyone a discount code. Feel free to go shopping with the discount code: “tootallholiday” for 20% off the entire Tough Chik website until Monday, December 16th at midnight! Go shop now!!! Or maybe have Santa go shopping, whatever works!

**Happy Holidays ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Inspire, Be Inspired, Meet Tonia

Posted on December 6, 2013 by tootallfritz

Everyone comes to the TTF website/blog for a reason. Many of you are friends, family or running associates. Some of you are Team Tough Chik members or fellow Fit Approach Sweat Pink Ambassadors. ~~A lot of you are trying to figure out how to get extra entries to win the AWESOME~~ ~~Tough Chik~~ ~~fleece hoodie that we are giving away on Monday~~ ~~HERE~~. Some are looking for a bit of inspiration.

Regardless of the reason as to why you have visited today, I think it’s important for all of us to remember how things used to be for EACH.AND.EVERY.ONE.OF.US. If all your friends are marathon runners, it may seem “normal” but know that only 0.5% of the US population has EVER ran a marathon, that’s less than 1%. So your friends, no matter how cool, are not the norm in the US. Not even close.

Do you remember how hard it was when we started working out and focusing on a fit lifestyle? Or how hard it was to come back from that crazy injury? Or how hard it was to come back after the last baby? If you are JUST STARTING to focus {or refocus} on your own fitness then I want you to know that you aren’t alone. There are lots of people doing the same exact thing, right this very moment. If you haven’t yet taken the plunge to begin your own fit journey, then do it now. It’s not to late to start today, no matter how poor your fitness or how many kids you have or how busy you may be, it’s not too late. However, tomorrow is a different story. We will never know what tomorrow may bring. There are no guarantees. No promises of tomorrow. Start today. Or restart, if you must, but do something, anything, NOW.

Please meet my friend Tonia and BE INSPIRED. Last year in October, we had our {cough} 20 year high school reunion. See photo below. Tonia is on the end in the blue shirt. Hi, Tonia!!!

We talked. She was nice, pleasant but very quiet. Some people just aren’t big talkers, right? Well, it was more than that. Read Tonia’s story below in her own words,written December 1st, 2013.

I didn’t like to have my picture taken at all when I was that “big”. I seriously considered not going to our 20 year class reunion because of my weight. Then when I saw pics posted on Facebook of our whole class, I felt so embarrassed of how big I had gotten. I had been depressed in 2009 while I was laid off from work for 9.5 months. I finally got to be way beyond what was even acceptable to me. I had to do something about my weight. I was concerned about becoming diabetic or afraid something else bad would happen like stroke or a heart attack. I was worried. So on June 22, 2013, I started my first AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. I lost 13 lbs and 18 inches in that first 24 days. I was excited to see what it was doing for me. I felt more energetic and my clothes were fitting better. As the weeks went on, I stuck to the clean eating and even started running. I started with the Couch to 5K app on my phone. Shin splints stopped me after about 3 weeks. I was still walking some and bought compression socks to help with the shin pain. A week before my first 5k I got my very first pair of Brooks running shoes at Three Rivers Running Company in Fort Wayne, IN. It made a huge difference in how my legs felt while running. I’ve lost a total of 50 lbs in 5 months. I’m still on the journey of losing weight. To be honest, I’d like to lose 50 more! I want to show my kids that when you want something bad enough, anything is possible. My son is now showing some interest in running. He’s only 9, but he goes with me when I’m only running a mile or so. I love it because he assumes the title as my trainer and says little things like “keep up the pace” or “keep running, you can do it”. My daughter likes the lifestyle change too. She loves the healthy foods in the fridge. She’s always eating all of my fruits and veggies. Lol! She also loves tilapia and turkey burgers. I don’t have to worry about anyone eating all of my plain no fat Greek yogurt though! Please see my before & after pic below. The “before” was in March 2013 and the “after” was the morning of my very first 5k, November 23, 2013.

Thank you, Tonia, for sharing your story! We are all so proud that you were strong enough to step outside of your comfort zone to do something for yourself and your family. AMAZING progress; keep it up!! Please keep us posted as to how things go in the future; we are all rooting for you!!

As for the rest of you, Inspire & Be Inspired!!

** Inspire & Be Inspired ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

CrossFit Day 41, 42 & 43

Posted on December 5, 2013 by tootallfritz

Tripling up on the CrossFit workout report since last week was a short week ~~and I’m so slammed between work and life~~.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving we had a fabulous workout. Apparently “someone” thought we should hit it hard “in case” we overindulged during the holiday.

Day 41 – Strict Press 7×3 (10 #s on each side w/ a 33# bar = 53# press)

Simple move, press from shoulders straight up in the air til arms are extended. Might be tough if you have weak spaghetti arms like me cuz there is no “hop” or leg help. Yikes, this is all arms, baby. All arms. Cool diagram below from sliveryearsfitness.com.

Step down: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Wall Balls – 10#
Hand Release Push-ups
Ab Baskets – 10# ball
110 single jump ropes

Not sure on the official name of this workout but I call it step downs for lack of a better word. First round, do 10 reps of each and end with 110 single jump ropes. Second round, do 9 reps of everything and then end with 110 single jump ropes. And so on, and so forth …. FUN but I was dying on the last couple rounds with the 110 single jump ropes!

Day 42 – Tuesday – Karen WOD – OMGosh “Karen” you are a real ~~bitch~~ tough chick. 150 Wall Balls for time. 10# ball for me. We did increments of 15 so that helped but by round 3, I was wondering if I would survive. I did survive. I mean, HELL YEAH, of course I survived and I loved it!! It took me 8 minutes and 18 seconds though and then I proceeded to go lay on the floor ~~and cry~~. Here is my girl, Michelle CRUSHING her workout!!

We got to follow that up with 7×5 Front Squats (10#s on each side & a 33# bar) just to make sure our quads and hammies were totally trashed when we left. Mine were for sure.

Day 43 – Today – Still sore from WOD Karen. 25 Pull-ups – 2 bands assisted me and it was still hard today. ~~Stupid spaghetti arms.~~

Tabatas – 8 consecutive rounds at each rotation before moving onto the next. 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest. Repeat x8.

Rowing
Hand Release Push-ups
Kettlebell Swings – 26# – Wow, that kettlebell was HEAVY today!
Sit-ups
Rope Slams – SO.MUCH.FUN. We did single rope slams, see first photo from phillymag.com, but the more recognizable version is the double rope slam as pictured by muscleropes.com.

Great group of workouts! Thanks, CrossFit New Lenox for continuing to push me!

** Stronger Me = Faster Me ** Amanda – TooTallFritz.com **

Running For Kicks 4 Mile Turkey Trot – 2013

Posted on December 2, 2013 by tootallfritz

I love the holidays. I love spending time with my family. I love getting in an extra run here or there when I can. I love that running has not only become a regular part of my life but one on which I now center a few holiday traditions. Thanksgiving is one such holiday. I run the Running For Kicks 4 mile Turkey Trot every year not only because it has become one of my “traditions” but also as a way to gauge my fitness level on an annual basis. The race is always post Chicago Marathon season, in a relatively low mileage month, on the same course year after year, and at time when my fitness is decent. Plus the weather is pretty steady usually ranging from 20-30 degrees. All of the above factors produce decent conditions for a realistic comparison on an annual basis. So let’s get to Turkey Trotting!!

This year was a normal year. I was healthy. Conditioned. Ready. Going in I felt fit, somewhat fast and was ready to see what I could do. My only concern was that I had registered Aby and in my head, I was tossing around the idea of running with her. The course is HARD. Lots of rolling hills. Aby is good on hills but a Thanksgiving race puts her out of her season and not anywhere near peak conditioning. It’s the end of running season for her and the start of volleyball. Last year since I was just coming off an injury, I ran with her ~~and she~~ ~~wasn’t necessarily grateful.~~ We normally do not race together but rather “run our own race”. Since that time, we made another attempt to “race together” and while it went much better, the fact of the matter is that we are different runners, have different strengths {and weakness} and to be honest, it doesn’t do either of us any good to make the effort to race together. We don’t “need” each other and in reality we hold one another back at various points, resulting in neither of us having our best race. So, I decided to let it fly off the start line and she would either follow, or not. Pre-race photo while we ~~shivered~~ waited. Me & Aby on the left. F’N Runners on the Right: Pam, Brian, Aby, Me & Nicki.

So I let it fly. This race is different than most. Since it’s so hilly, I have to focus on really running the straights/flats & downhill’s as fast as possible because I’m a ~~crappy~~ poor uphill runner. I once described this race as a 4 mile fartlek session. It’s a constant variation of pace due to my uphill running weakness. So I run fast when I can, like off the start line. My only indication of how the race goes is the finish time cuz let’s just say that running it never feels great and pace is sporadic. Here is my “history” with this race. I started running it in 2007 after a much more “relaxed” Turkey Trot in 2006. I wanted more structure. More challenge. I found it. And I keep coming back year after year.

2007 – 34:21 – I was a bit in shock over the hills. Hardest road race to date.
2008 – 32:33
2009 – Mr. Michael arrived
2010 – 31:53 – Under 8 min/mi average – HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!
2011 – 31:55 – Consistent, Plantar Fasciitis was at it’s height & I was preparing for time off running so happy with the result.
2012 – 34:29 – Recovering from torn tendon in June 2012 (damn PF!!), only been back to running for a couple months, decided to run with Aby “for fun”.
2013- 31:02 – Proof that fewer miles, the addition of CrossFit & regular Chiro sessions with Dr. Alexis has been a winning combination for me!

Great day that brought us an amazing run with a local food bank as the choice charity. Great swag, several store coupons, plus lots of free stuff, mainly socks, which was pitched into the crowd while we awaited awards. Plus, they raffled off 7-10 pair of shoes at the end of the event. Aby happened to win a pair of the FREE shoes but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we are sending them to a young lady who happens to need a pair.

Aby improved a lot this year too. Last year she ran a 34:25. This year a 33:14. Her time was good enough for third in her age group! Yay, Aby!! Love to see the progress!! I have high hopes that this will become one of her cherished Thanksgiving Day traditions too. See you next year, in Palos Hills on Thanksgiving Day!

** Who Runs to Eat? ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

TooTallFritz

Running Toward: Health, Wellness & PEACE …………………………………….. Running From: Insanity, Screaming Children, Housework & a Big Ass

Category Archives: CrossFit

Winter Workouts + CrossFit Day 50 & 51

Back At It & CrossFit Day #49

My “Thank You” to 2013

CrossFit Day 46 & 47 ….

Injinji Socks Review & Giveaway ……

CrossFit Day 44 & 45 + WOD Motivation

Winner of the Tough Chik Fleece Hoodie + Tough Chik Discount Code!!

Inspire, Be Inspired, Meet Tonia

CrossFit Day 41, 42 & 43

Running For Kicks 4 Mile Turkey Trot – 2013

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