The Influence of Social Media on Fitness

Posted on February 3, 2016 by tootallfritz

The influence of social media on fitness is currently huge. I can’t log onto Facebook or Instagram without seeing sweaty gym selfies on my newsfeed. There is a constant barrage of posts about fitness, workouts and training. Sometimes the meaning of these fitness posts get lost on its audience and I want to take a minute to think about that. Oh, and here is my sweaty selfie from my morning ride on the trainer.

I see many who get annoyed and block or unfollow the posters of these sweaty selfies. The poster may be a friend, blogger, or an acquaintance. But some people like my husband have just had enough.

Other people are inspired and want to see more. It helps them get motivated in the mornings when they’d rather sleep in or just sit and drink coffee in their pajamas. How about you; how do you feel?

For me, it’s about motivation, inspiration and accountability. I don’t have a coach. I don’t really have anyone who cares whether I work out or not. I do it for me. Each workout. Each drop of sweat. Each time I get up and get moving when I just want to sleep, it’s for me. Those sweaty selfie posters, aren’t taking pics of themselves cuz they think they are awesome. They are doing it to hold themselves accountable. To document workouts over time. To watch their own progress. To motivate themselves to stick with it and keep pushing when nobody in their real world cares. If it motivates others, bonus. If not …..

So please keep posting those sweaty selfies. Keep giving me the details of your workouts. Keep working hard cuz that’s what this is all about. It’s not pretty. It’s certainly not sexy. It’s hard work and I’m proud to know so many people who are chasing their dreams and being a positive influence on social media. It’s not bragging, it’s the way that we hold ourselves accountable. It’s the way we connect with others who care about fitness. It’s who we are, day in and day out. If by chance, we possibly motivate even one person along the way, then it was worth it. So let’s see those sweaty selfies! Post yours to social media and tag @tootallfritz on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!

** Cheers ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Small Gains = Big Motivation

Posted on February 2, 2016 by tootallfritz

Training thru the winter is very different for me than training in the spring, summer & fall. In the winter, I try to hone in on what isn’t right and fix my imbalances or bring back some training that got lost in the shuffle of the warmer months. I don’t spend so much time “free running” where I run the dog on the trails, just to spend time outside. Winter is different. It’s more focused. I try to get the most of our my workouts and keep them as efficient as possible. This year I have big goals and well, there isn’t much time for lollygagging, even if it is the middle of winter.

That’s what I want, to be better than I was yesterday. Better than last year. Better than I’ve been since I moved. I’ve finally checked my excuses at the door. Put my emotions on ice about the IL house and all the drama that surrounded that ordeal and the money lost. I’m ready to roll. I’m ready to work on me. I’m ready to get the most out of my workouts and see where it takes me. As a result, I’m already seeing small gains and that’s motivating me to stick with it and keep pushing.

One of the best things I’ve done so far this year is become more consistent. Over the last couple years, I’ve ran so many marathons that I was never actually training, just ramping up for one, then trying to recover on the fly for the next one. While this is fun and keeps things interesting, it also required that I kept things pretty low key. I never really pushed the pace on any of my runs. I was always in maintenance mode. I was trying to keep my body in check so I didn’t implode.

Last year, in the midst of my “marathon madness”, I tossed in a 70.3 triathlon to try to get my pre-move mojo back. I was instantly reminded why I love the triathlon so much. Its fun and requires more focus than just running. Last summer was disastrous for many reasons but I somehow ~~stumbled~~ made it to the start line, even with subpar TRI fitness. I started. I finished. And I loved every minute of it. So this year, I’m tossing in more triathlons and that requires consistency and commitment.

January was all about 1) hammering out a plan and sticking to it; and, 2) Getting my butt out of bed & into the pool when it opened. The first couple weeks were kinda messed up with the double marathon weekend Jan 9 &10th but I still managed to run 142 miles. That consists of one speed run, one tempo run, the WED night “fun run” at the Y & the Saturday long run at the Y. While, I’m still not hitting my speed & tempo numbers, I’m getting closer. My confidence is growing and I think I’m very close to being able to do the workouts, which I already softened up a bit for fear that my fitness wasn’t exactly where I had initially predicted. Smile It took a little bit to clear the fatigue from my legs and start hitting the numbers. I finally had a good session this morning after a hard look at recovery last week. Yay!!

I also added the bike back in this month. I bit the bullet and bought a new trainer since I lost mine in the flood last summer. Now I have a “smart trainer” and well, it’s way smarter than me and apparently also thinks my fitness is better than my reality. I managed 78 miles on the bike this month, which is low but getting the trainer dialed in was a bit of an issue. Plus so far, I’ve only been riding 2 days a week. I’m planning to add in a 3rd day of riding this week.

And the swim. Last but not least. I hate getting in the water. I don’t even swim for fun anymore. Plus we currently only have one pool at the Y and its used for training, lap swimming & therapy. Therapy takes precedence over everything else so the water is way too warm, usually between 82 & 84 degrees. Not ideal for a triathlete who has to swim in open water but that’s what I currently have available. I’m checking my excuses at the door. I’ve been showing up. I put in 5 swim sessions in January and I’m already noticing a slight improvement in my time per 100yds. Goal in this off season is 2 swims per week. I’ll get them all in this month!

All of these slow but small gains in January have motivated me to keep up the work, stay committed & do even better in February. I’m being consistent. Not moving around workouts. Not making excuses.

Monday – Off
Tuesday – Swim & Speed Run
Wednesday – Bike & Fun Run
Thursday – Swim & Tempo Run
Friday – Bike (skipped in January in lieu of a rest day)
Saturday – Long Run
Sunday – Long Bike

So far, so good. I’m committed to smashing my marathon PR at the Garmin Marathon & chasing my TRI goals this year. January down. Let’s see what February brings.

** Keep Chasing YOUR Goals ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Marathon Training IN THE WINTER …..

Posted on January 14, 2016 by tootallfritz

How hard is it for you to stay motivated thru the winter? If you have a spring marathon on the calendar like the Garmin Marathon or the Flying Pig Marathon, then you don’t have many options other than to keep yourself moving. But that doesn’t mean you have to pound out the same hard miles, in the same hard way that you would do in the spring and summer months. Maybe change it up a bit and try something new? Something that might get you out of the cold and onto the treadmill or indoor track when the wind chill slips below zero or the snow is flying so hard that those oncoming cars can’t even make out your reflective vest?

Don’t get me wrong, I love my snowy runs but I can’t run a quality workout when I have to worry about my footing. So I save my easy, fun, social runs for outdoors when the snow is flying. Then I take my hard, fast runs inside where it’s safer. I also shorten my training cycle and lower the number of days I run each week. I focus on power and speed and strength. This does a few things. 1) Helps me to avoid burnout. 2) Makes me FOCUS on the runs that I have on the schedule each week. 3) Allows me some free time for cross training and/or weight work. Winter workouts are important. This is the time to work on the areas of your fitness that need extra attention. Strength? I need more of this and it’s definitely something I’ll be focusing on this winter. My goal is 2 strength workouts each week.

Nutrition? How is this going for you? I was doing GREAT before the holidays. I had lost 12#s, then I got sick, did the holidays, ran a 50K & a couple marathons, now I’ve gained 5 of those lbs back and am facing down 16#s which I need to lose before I crush the Garmin Marathon in April. So part of my winter marathon training is focusing on my nutrition AND making sure I am getting adequate water intake each and every day. Lean proteins. Fruits & veggies. Healthy fats. Whole grains. Water.

Rest? You betcha! I’ll be honest; I’m tired. So freaking tired. I know I’ve ran a lot of miles lately but I’m also just a poor sleeper. And I’ve been sick. I’m definitely run down in more than one way. I’m good about getting my vitamin c and other vitamins that help strengthen my immune system but nothing makes up for sleep. Maybe the winter nights are longer for a reason? Take advantage of the darkness and get some extra shuteye. Sleep repairs your muscles, helps build your immune system and makes you feel better! Don’t skip the sleep or you’ll pay for it later. This week I’m dragging. Do I need to swim in the mornings? Yes. Do I need to rest more than I need to swim this week? Yes. So I’m sleeping in and I’ll worry about how fast (or slow) I swim next week. Priorities.

Marathon training is about so much more than the miles you log. As you age, you may also notice that your body just can’t take the pounding that was once the norm. That’s when you start to develop aches and pains that lead to injuries OR you can shuffle the deck and change the way you train. Change can be for the better. I’m mixing things up this winter. I’m going to step back on my miles a bit and focus more on quality. One long run, one tempo, one speed. I’ve mentioned it before but I use the FIRST Run Less Run Faster app on my iPhone to plan my workouts. It was a $2.99 download but I’ve used the program so many times that it’s paid for itself. This certainly won’t replace a coach if you can afford one but a coach isn’t in my budget, a $2.99 app I can justify. Smile I’m looking forward to picking up the pace this winter. It’s always hard for me when I start this plan. I can never hit the numbers initially but as I build strength, speed and confidence, I’m always amazed at where it can take me.

** Happy Running, All! ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

2016 Goals …. On Paper

Posted on December 30, 2015 by tootallfritz

I haven’t written about my goals for years. Not because I don’t have a clear set of goals going into each new year but because I’ve been doing this for a long time and redundancy is B.O.R.I.N.G. Plus my training is non-traditional, and my volume is sometimes ridiculous. I don’t want anyone to think they should follow my lead. I finally found a great chiropractor in Ft Wayne who has made a lot of money off of me this year because of my volume & race schedule. He keeps me running even when he thinks I should go sit on the couch. Together we have learned how to juggle races/ mileage & springboard from one set of goals to the next by sacrificing speed. That’s right. If my goal is volume, I sacrifice speed. I can’t have my cake and eat it too. I gotta pick. So let’s see how I will choose to lay out 2016.

The year 2016 will be broken up into 3 seasons. 1) Spring Marathon Season, 2) Triathlon Season and 3) Fall Marathon Season.

My goal race for the spring marathon season is the Garmin Marathon in Olathe, KS on April 16th. Please someone tell me that Olathe is flat and fast. Please. I’ve plugged the numbers into the FIRST Run Less Run Faster iOS app and if I can hang onto my treadmill this winter, I’m going to run 4:15 or faster on the streets of Olathe, in a sparkle skirt of my choosing, possibly dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Outfit to be determined. Goal time, established. 4:15 or bust.

My goal race for triathlon season will be the 70.3 at Rev3 Cedar Point on September 11th. Although, I applied for the Rev3 team/ambassadorship, I was NOT selected. No, I’m not mad. I apply for a lot of things and get rejected but that doesn’t stop me from going after my goals. I still plan to go to Cedar Point and annihilate the swim, bike & run and go under 6 hours for the first time ever. Now this is the main goal of the entire year, my “A” goal, if you will. I want to break 6 hours at the half iron distance and this is as much of a dream as it is a goal. I have a lot of work to do if I even have a chance.

My goal race for the fall marathon season is the inaugural Fort4Fitness Marathon on October 1st. This will be about fun and running with my friends and run club members. My goal here is not about speed but to get as many people as possible to the start line for the 2016 Fort4Fitness races. Marathon or not. It’s a party for the running community in the Ft Wayne, IN area and I’m excited to be part of it. I plan to run, walk, stroll and talk to everyone I see! I was there for the inaugural running the the Fort4Fitness Half Marathon in 2008 and I plan to be there for the inaugural running of the their first full marathon in 2016. Super exciting!

So what do I need to do to meet these goals? I need to stay focused on my healthy eating & get off the last 10-13 lbs that I packed on during the move to Indiana. I’m focused on this. Working on it daily. It will be gone before I hit the Kansas border in April.

In order to meet my “big hairy” goal for the triathlon, I need to become a better, more aggressive, faster, stronger swimmer. The term “just keep swimming” will eventually be replaced with something more aggressive and focused toward pushing the pace. I’ve never worked on my swimming, just basically showed up and swam. This will change. But first I have to get reacquainted with the water. I tore my rotator cuff in August after IM 70.3 Steelhead (race report HERE) and just went back to the pool today, for the first time. It wasn’t bad for a starter swim. I made it a mile in 45 minutes. But I need to slash this time by a lot to help achieve my goal.

I also think that strength work is integral to my performance related goals. I’m dedicating Tuesday & Thursday (before dawn) to my swimming & strength work. I thought I had my strength all figured out but the CrossFit Endurance class has been dropped. So I’m back on my own. But I can do this!!

We’ll start with these goals and build, adjust accordingly.

** Time to Get to Work ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Progression of the Running Watch 2007-2015

Posted on December 24, 2015 by tootallfritz

We are all hyper aware of the fact that technology changes so fast that its difficult to keep up or even stay in the game. This has always been an issue for me, particularly with our beloved running watches. While I WANT the latest & greatest run watch, I don’t want to pay for it. And I usually don’t need all the bells and whistles that come standard on the high end models. What to do?

I tend to buy based on price and my budget. I also try to keep it real. I’m not going to spend hours looking over the data from my latest run, so it’s not necessary for me to have a watch that records everything from my heart rate to my breathing. What do I need? Pace and distance. Splits. I like to look at my splits, briefly, like in the car after I finish a run, for maybe 2 seconds. Never on the computer. Never. So I usually keep things simple with my run watches. Let’s look at the progression of my technology since 2007. And let’s hope my hubby isn’t reading today cuz I’m also going to tell you what I’ve spent over the years on my quest for the perfect run watch. Yikes. Let’s get started before I lose my nerve!

It was in 2007 that I first became interested in actually tracking my runs and knowing my distance/pace while out on the road or trail. I was training for my first marathon and it wasn’t always convenient to plan my route with the car before I ran. We weren’t too far out from the release of the very first Garmin Global Positioning System (GPS) running watch that dropped in 2003. Those initial watches were big and bulky, overhung the wrist of most women, but all the cool kids had one, maybe you did too? It was a Garmin Forerunner 205. I never bought one but I think it’s important to drop a pic to remember this oldie but goodie. I believe the original price of this bad boy was $149 in 2003. Stock photo.

My very first run watch was the Polar RS200SD with Heart Rate Monitor & an S1 Foot Pod. No GPS technology on this watch, everything was measured via the foot pod. And EVERYONE asked me “what that thing was that was on my shoe”. Everyone. The watch was small enough that it actually fit my wrist. While I have a large body, I have a dainty wrist, so this was a good option for me. It was comfortable. Normal watch battery so it stayed charged forever. Foot pod had a AAA battery and would hold a charge for about 20 hours of continuous activity. I could swim with the watch but it would only record my time. I never used the heart rate strap and eventually lost it. The majority of the info the watch recorded was about heart rate. That’s what Polar does best, heart rate. I could see my pace, distance and pull up my mile splits via the watch. However, I if I wanted to transfer the info to the computer & connect with other Polar users, I had to do so via a special microphone that worked sporadically. It was a pain, so I didn’t upload my data often. Overall, this was definitely a good device at the time. It was always ready to run while the runners with the “original” GPS watches were waiting for a signal, which they would promptly lose if we ran in the city or thru the woods. Original Price: $220 – with 10% discount at Running For Kicks, my cost was $198 + tax. Mel D. even set the watch up for me and handed it to me ready to run. Thanks, Mel. Stock photo on the left, my package on the right as I was putting it on eBay last year sans HR Chest Strap.

From the Polar, I moved to the Nike+ GPS Sportwatch (powered by TomTom) with shoe sensor. Since I don’t run in Nike shoes, I always had to cut a spot out of the sole of my run shoes (under the insole) for my sensor. There was a little pouch I could have bought to tie the sensor/pouch to my laces but after years of having a huge Foot Pod on my shoe, I didn’t want to tie the Nike+ Sensor to my laces. Sensor was optional anyhow, not needed when GPS was available. The watch was fun. It popped messages if I didn’t run within a couple days. Always acknowledged new PRs. Sent me motivational messages. And the display numbers were HUGE. I could always see it while I was running, even when I was running really fast. Cuz I could run fast when I owned this watch. But it was big, with a long face that overhung my wrist. The face of the watch was hard and stretched across my entire wrist bone. It slid around when I was sweaty and I never knew if I wanted to wear it atop or on the inside of my wrist. It was either too tight or too loose and never just right. The end of the watch band actually revealed a USB plug and would plug right into the computer. Super easy charge, manage and upload info. I liked this watch a lot. It was $199 from Nike.com. I had a $50 gift card, so my cost was $149 + tax. Free shipping.

From the Nike+ GPS Sportwatch, I moved to the Garmin Forerunner 10. I really wanted a watch for triathlons but was too cheap to spend the $$. The Forerunner 10 fit my wrist. Holy Heck, a watch that I could run with that would sit on my wrist and not overhang. What a concept. It was comfortable. Cute, came in multiple fun colors. Focused on pace, distance & time. I could pull my history, past workouts and/or mile splits directly from my watch. I was IN LOVE. Perfect watch for me. Not too fancy. Not too complicated. But it didn’t link up to GP S satellites very quickly when I was in a new location (or even at a regular hang out) and the battery didn’t last long. I was starting to run a lot of marathons and my max battery life on the Forerunner 10 was 5 to 5.5 hours. Sometimes I run marathons slow. Sometimes I run marathons in the woods. Sometimes I run longer than a marathon. My perfect watch slowly became somewhat imperfect for me. It was easy to use, easy to charge with a USB on the computer/laptop or via the USB charger for the car or wall outlet. Easy to link up to Garmin Connect. Great beginner watch. So great that I bought one for Aby. All in all, we’ve had 3 of these Forerunner 10s (green, pink & a purple which replaced the pink after repairs from Garmin). I bought both mine & Aby’s from REI. I used EBates to get 5% cash back, plus I got 10% back on REI dividends at year end. EBates referral code HERE if you want to save $$ shopping online but don’t yet have an account. Original price: $129, my cost $109.65 + tax. Free Shipping.

I loved the Forerunner 10 so much that I moved over to the Forerunner 15 when it was released. Longer battery life, plus a few more bells and whistles. It counted steps and mileage indoors, even when the GPS wasn’t activated. This came in super handy as I ran lap after lap on the indoor track at the YMCA when the temps and wind-chill plummeted in the winter months. But it didn’t help me in the TRI world. The GPS would work on the bike but not for outdoor swimming. The watch still took a bit to sync up with a satellite & I was still having issues with running out of battery life while running & biking. It was advertised to have 8 hours of GPS battery life but I rarely got that. But the watch looked good. I love all things aqua so we’ll probably never part with this baby. Aby is using it now. Original retail was $169, I got this “New with Tags”, in the box, on eBay for $129, free shipping, no tax.

I still needed a TRI watch, are you beginning to see a theme? I also was interested in monitoring my heart rate and possibly starting some heart rate based training. But I didn’t want to wear the chest strap. Very few watches monitor heart rates off of a sensor in the watch (vs a strap). Plus if I was going to buy ANOTHER watch, then I wanted to make sure that it would measure my swim distance, if nothing else. Enter the TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio. Wireless heart rate. Counts swim laps. Records biking. But doesn’t do swim/bike/run all at once in a Triathlon mode like most multisport watches. Battery life is only good for 8-10 hours. However, this baby must be downloaded frequently because if you are out on a run and it reaches the max amount of data that it can record, it doesn’t overwrite old data/workouts, it just shuts down. Really. I mean, REALLY? It also struggles to link up to a satellite. It is hard/stiff and big due to HR sensors being in the watch. Overhung my wrist. Moved around on my wrist and it wasn’t very comfortable. Lots of bells and whistles with this watch. It’s cute. It charges easily, workouts can easily be downloaded but you must stay on top of the downloading to have space to run, bike & swim. Oh, and it does NOT record outdoor swimming, only pool laps. Good bye, TomTom. Original price was $249, but TomTom was offering a $40 race rebate after purchase. My cost: $209, free shipping, free tax.

Last but definitely not least. The Garmin Forerunner 920XT. It’s a real TRI watch. First, the satellite signal is so strong that it will link up as I sit at my desk, here in the house. It records indoor & outdoor running, indoor & outdoor swimming, indoor & outdoor biking. It links up to my phone via Bluetooth and I can review my workout via the watch, my phone or Garmin Connect on the computer. It uploads automatically, wirelessly when I’m within range of my network. It vibrates and notifies me of text messages, Facebook messages/notifications, Instagram notifications, events, etc. all on my wrist. I’m a little drop jawed over all this. I never knew that a watch that wasn’t an “i-thing” could so much. Plus it will seamlessly record all aspects of a triathlon. From swim, T1, bike, T2 & run. One time. Lots of splits. Battery life with GPS is 40 hours. Yes, 40 hours. May I never do any activity where I need to record data for 40 hours. Please. And Thank you. This watch is big but I strap it on my wrist and it doesn’t move. That’s right, it does not slide around. I wore it for almost 7 hours of running at the Huff 50K last week and it didn’t bother me in the least. Its comfortable. I’ve even been ~~totally geeking out and~~ wearing it during the day while I work. The face is bigger than I’m used to but it is lighter and thinner than the Forerunner 15. And smart. So freaking smart. I’ll probably never know everything this watch knows but I’m slowly figuring things out. Thanks to YouTube videos. So if you need a watch to do it all, including count your steps and your 02 intake (why do we need to know this?!?!) and your movement/non-movement and your sleep pattern, then this is your watch. I think I’ll just use it the way that I use most fitness watches & let it record my data, which I like to review from my watch screen. I’m so happy that I can once again see my splits from my watch. Big win!

While most will consider it a waste of technology if I choose not to use all those glorious bells & whistles, I do fitness for fun and stress relief. If I take myself and my numbers too seriously, that’s not fun. And then it produces stress trying to figure out what my watch wants to tell me. So there you have it. I now have a big fancy watch that does big fancy things but I’ll just be reading my text messages on it and recording normal swim, bike, run data. Smile This baby has a monster price tag at $449 sans HR Monitor, $499 with HR. However, I purchased it Thanksgiving week when it was temporarily discounted to $329 (no HR). Then I used a deal at Running Warehouse where if I purchased a $200 gift card, I got a $50 card for free. Then I purchased a $50 gift card and got a $10 gift card for free. Complicated, right? That was $250 spent for $310 worth of merchandise $$, then I tossed in the extra $20 to bring that $310 up to $330. Free Shipping. Free Tax. Plus I had sold the TomTom above so had $100 credit toward my new device. Bottom line, I only have $170 into this beast. A couple pics below of my 920 XT compared to the Garmin 15 (which is Aby’s watch now).

If you made it this far, you’ve probably come to the realization that I would have saved $$ from the start had I just bought what I wanted verses hopping around and trying to settle for subpar devices. Story of my life. One that hopefully you can learn from cuz it’s too late for me. I must say that I’m VERY happy I made the upgrade to the Garmin Forerunner 920XT. I’ll try not to geek out and learn all the things and be THAT crazy TRI person in 2016. Maybe. Smile

** Run & TRI Happy, My Friends ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

A Return to CrossFit ….

Posted on December 3, 2015 by tootallfritz

Call this a week of new beginnings. It’s been approximately 612 days since my last CrossFit session. My CrossFit days came to a screeching halt in the Spring of 2014 as we learned that we were moving from IL to IN. Hubby had received a very sudden job offer for a position that I believe he had been interviewing on for over 7 months. We had about 2 days to decide if he should take it. Then we had another 2 weeks of mania before he left to start the new job, 200 miles away from where we lived in IL. It was a crazy time and to be honest, I still am not sure I’m settled in Indiana. Although I love the new area and being close to my family and old HS friends, it’s been nothing but a long period of adjustment, struggle and pure chaos, which is far from over. It hasn’t been fun but I’ve made a real effort to get back to basics and focus on my food, weight and regain my lost strength (both physically & emotionally). That’s what I focus on each day. I make the choice to eat well and be strong.

I’ve been looking for a CrossFit Endurance type program since I moved in August 2014. But it wasn’t that easy. The area I’ve moved to is much smaller. I’m now in a suburb of Ft Wayne, Indiana NOT Chicago. Slightly different market. There are very few CF boxes here and only one CF Endurance program within a 40 mile radius. That Endurance program was a cruise from where I live AND it’s an evening class. As a wife and mother with a full time J.O.B, evening classes don’t really happen for me. Ever.

So I visited a couple CF “boxes” (AKA “gyms”) looking for a CF class somewhat close to my new home. It didn’t go well. One box owner told me I was out of shape, overweight, and due to my history of injuries, I would need to be personally trained before I could possibly even go to one of their CF classes. Great. I knew all that but couldn’t afford a personal trainer or a bigger wound to my already damaged self esteem. So I tried to do home based CF workouts. I talked to some of the trainers at my local YMCA to see if we could get some CF equipment at the Y. I was making an effort but ultimately failing because I wasn’t even sure if I was doing the CF moves correctly. I knew I needed to regain my strength. I wanted to do Strict Presses, Push Presses and Dead Lifts, etc but I didn’t have anyone watching to make sure I wasn’t screwing things up. So I basically gave up til recently when I once again started searching for options. And bingo, one of the CF gyms had just moved to the north side of Ft Wayne.

513 Incentive Drive, Ft Wayne, IN * (260) 310-5360 * anthonyshefferly@gmail.com

I went for a visit. Can’t say I had a ton of hope. We still haven’t managed to sell our IL house and things are not good for us financially. I pretty much assumed that I couldn’t afford anything they were offering. But looking and talking are free, right?

Long story short, we set up a CrossFit Endurance Class on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5:30am. Offering a one month trial period for December 2015. Very low cost (almost free). Trial period for any runner, triathlete, endurance athlete who may be interested in seeing if this is something they want to pursue. Trial period for CF Tactical Strength to see if an Endurance class will work for them and if there is a real interest/need for this type of class.

December 1st was our first class. Stay tuned for more info on my first week back to CrossFit tomorrow!

P.S. ….. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a FREE Entry to a Spartan Race of your choosing. Go HERE to enter!

** Happy Running & Enduring WHATEVER Your Heart Desires ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Marathon Recovery

Posted on November 11, 2015 by tootallfritz

Marathon recovery is different for everyone but I do suggest allowing the body ample recovery time. Regardless of whether you had a good or bad race, the itch to run is a powerful one. I know you want to get back out there and hit the trail. Is that wise? Well, let’s think about that for a minute.

Was this marathon was an “A” race? If a person ran hard to meet a goal, regardless of whether the goal was accomplished or not, then that person needs more rest than others. Effort, both perceived and actual, exhausts the body and mind requiring more time for recovery. So, did you run hard? If the answer is yes, then you need a good recovery plan with lots of focus on nutrition, protein intake, rehabbing the muscles thru rolling, icing, stretching, chiropractic and/or massage therapy. Take care of the body that takes care of you!!

People who “race” marathons need WAY more recovery time than those of us who run but never really leave our comfort zone. I’m frequently asked how I run so many marathons a year. Well, I never used to run a lot of marathons. I used to only run one per year. But I ran harder! Way harder. And I was tore up afterwards for a much longer period. Over the years, my body has adjusted to the mileage demands but in return, I never really ask it to push itself. I run slow and try to be steady. If there is a nasty hill, I walk up that hill. I keep things pretty chill. For me, the ability to keep running is way more important than my finish time. It took me years to learn that. While it’s not a philosophy that would make everyone happy, it works for me. Running is one of the few things that gives me peace. It quiets my mind and soul. I don’t have to think or I get to think about whatever I like. So its important to me to stay healthy and keep moving. Now how do we keep you moving forward? Proper recovery!

Take in Protein, Carbs & Water immediately after the marathon. This serves a couple purposes in bringing the glycogen levels back up (since you depleted them!) and getting the recovery process started! The optimal carb to protein ratio for recovery is 3:1 or 4:1 depending on who you ask. We need between 10-20 grams of protein for proper recovery, so that means we need 40-60g of carbs. Too difficult to do the math? Plan ahead so you don’t have to think. Stash your recovery food/drink in your check bag. If they hand out chocolate milk at the finish line, your golden, drink it. I use the AdvoCare Post Workout Recovery drink so I don’t have to do the math. Start refueling as soon as you get across the finish line, it can make a difference on how you feel not only for the rest of the day but also for the rest of the week! Don’t let a nauseous tummy stop you from eating. Food is what you need to start feeling better.
Rehydrate. This is so obvious but I’d be negligent if I didn’t stress its importance. I normally chug a bottle of water as soon as I cross the finish line. I get the water down and my recovery drink ASAP. Less to carry. Puts me on the recovery fast track.
Stretch or Roll as soon as you can. I keep “The Stick” in my car or hotel room. If I forget it, I borrow one. It’s important. The act of rolling increases the blood flow to achy muscles, tendons & ligaments. The faster the blood gets moving, the faster the recovery process. The blood starts working to heal those microscopic muscle tears that cause soreness.
Compress. Thought compression was a joke or a object of commercialism to steal more of our hard earned $$? It’s not. Compression works. If you are in a bad way, compress the entire lower body with compression tights or a compression shorts & compression socks combo. Compression does the same thing the rolling does, but that doesn’t mean you can skip the rolling. Compression keeps the blood flowing even when you are sitting or driving home. Compress today, feel good tomorrow.
Ice. I know you hate those dang ice baths but it’s the quickest way to handle swelling in the lower extremities. You can knock out icing the hips, quads, hamstrings, knees, calves, ankles & feet ….. all at once. Looks like a better deal now, right? Sit in the empty tub, start filling with cold water, add ice once water is above hips. Sit for 15 minutes. Yeah, it sucks but it’s work it.
Stay on top of food/hydration throughout the week. You’ll be hungry. Eat. Lean proteins, good carbs, fruits/veggies and drink lots of water to flush the lactic acid out of your mucles. Try not to eat all the Halloween Candy. But if you do, refocus the next day and start again. I keep a high quality protein drink handy at all times. Once again, I’m an AdvoCare user/distributor so I use AdvoCare Muscle Gain. I also have an ace up my sleeve and use the AdvoCare Nighttime Recovery on days leading up to/away from the marathon when my legs are heavy/sore. I’m sure there are other great products on the market, feel free to use what you like, this is what has worked for me over the last 9 years. I mention it so that you know to look for something extra when you are struggling with recovery. I have it down to a science at this point. Find what works for you.
Light activity for the week (or more) following the race. I avoid running for 3-4 days. Then I just go slow and get the blood flowing. I practice yoga, stretch, swim and cycle when I don’t run. I never stop moving but I can’t run every day like some people, so I need to switch it up. This will also prevent burnout from intense training plans by doing non-running things post marathon.
Rest. Sleep. Go out for dinner & drinks with hubby. Enjoy some free time, not related to “the run”.

What has worked best for you for fast recovery? Tell us! Everyone is different and we need as many tips as possible!

** Speedy Recovery Wishes ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Sleep, The Missing Link In Your Recovery

Posted on October 30, 2015 by tootallfritz

Possibly one of the most important things you can do for your body ~~other than eating right,~~ is to get the proper amount of sleep. I know, you are busy! I know you are up and down all night with the kiddos (and pets). But you have to sleep if you want your body to fight off all the nasty germs/illnesses and recover from your training plan. It’s a must.

This is all I could think about last night as I was up and down a billion times with my dogs. We had a rough one last night and every time I went up and down the stairs, my legs were screaming at me. My left foot hurts and my legs are fatigued. On a good note, next week I get to cut back on workouts to freshen up for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. On a bad note, I’m pretty crabby.

There is a great article by Jeff Kuhland on rest and recovery HERE, which outlines 7 “elements” for rest and recovery. The #1 “essential element” is sleep. See the excerpt from the article below:

Sleep is the most important time to recover. Adequate levels of sleep help to provide mental health, hormonal balance, and muscular recovery. You need to get enough sleep, which is between seven to ten hours for most athletes. Everyone has individual needs based on their lifestyle, workouts, and genetic makeup.

Hours slept before twelve at night are proven to be more effective than those slept after.

Sleep in the most natural setting possible, with minimal to no artificial lights.

Wakeup with the sun if possible.

Fresh air and cooler temperatures help to improve the quality of sleep.

Seven to 10 hours of sleep per night. Who is getting that? And who is able to wait til the sun comes before they have to wake up? Not me, or anyone else I know. So what can we do about it? Here are a few suggestions:

Go to bed earlier. I’ve been going “upstairs” early. Like between 7:45 & 8:30pm. Some days it feels like a punishment. Other days it’s a relief to get Mr. Michael settled early and have a bit of quiet in the house before sleepy time.
Drink hot tea or take a hot shower before bed to relax.
Use that crockpot & try to get dinner on the table earlier so that you aren’t cleaning up the dinner plates and rushing the little ones to bed at 8pm. So hard for me. I had everything cleaned up by 7 or 7:15p last night and it felt like a huge win.
Read, write or do something for “you” directly before you turn out the lights. Step away from the kiddos for a minute and just breathe. Yoga, anyone?
Get that workout in before dinner so that your endorphins have time to dissipate before bedtime. I’ve never been a fan of the evening workout but when I hit a workout after work, I keep it short & sweet with lower intensity.
Avoid alcohol before bed. Article HERE from the Cleveland Clinic on what happens when you drink alcohol before bed. Think scary nightmares, sleep walking and frequent waking.

No hydrating after dinner. I have a huge issue with this and usually drink a glass of water after dinner. That combined with my high water intake during the day leads to frequent potty breaks at night. I need to be better about this. My old weim wakes me up 2-3x a night to potty. It’s super frustrating when I have to get up before her and then I have 3 dogs ready to go outside. Yes, I have 3 dogs, which leads to the last thing.
We aren’t supposed to sleep with our pets. If you have a dog, or two, or more in your bed at night, I don’t have to tell you why. This graphic says it all. My lovlies cause me a lot of unrest at night. But I still love them and wouldn’t change a thing.

Do yourself and your body a favor and try to get some extra rest. I know I can’t make up for sleep deprivation but sometimes on the weekend I like to lay down and rest for a bit mid day. Makes me happier and allows me to stay up longer with the kiddos for fun things like movie night. If you need me, I’ll be thinking about sleeping cuz I’m a little short on it for the week.

Any other suggestions on sleeping, getting to sleep or staying asleep? Let us know!

** Sleep to Recover ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Work In Progress …..

Posted on October 27, 2015 by tootallfritz

I wanted to touch base with all of you today and talk about a few things. So many of my blogger friends, run friends & Facebook friends are just killing it right now. I mean KILLING IT. Running killer times. Lifting heavy weights. Qualifying for Boston. Conquering new and ~~horrific~~ challenging distances. And I’m proud of them. They worked hard and they deserve everything that comes to them and more. But there is a whole group of us, myself included, who are also working hard but it doesn’t look quite as great on paper. That’s because we are a Work In Progress. And let’s be honest, some of us will forever and always be just that …… a Work In Progress.

Social Media can be as great as it is horrible. There is so much to motivate us and even more to tear us down. Let’s build our network accordingly. Keep the motivators, get rid of those who spew negativity toward us and others. Focus on what we can control. Identify our weaknesses. Be positive. Know that things don’t change over night. Fitness, life, parenting and work can be hard and getting where we want to go can be a painfully slow process.

In real life, there are road blocks. U-Turns. Detours. And people who want to tear us down, possibly because they are miserable and too afraid to chase their own dreams. They see us “going for it” and call us selfish, bad mothers, single-minded and/or obsessed. Well, they are right, I am obsessed. I’m obsessed with my own personal wellbeing. Obsessed with wanting to be the best person I can be today, tomorrow and well into the future. But I still have to take the detour like everyone else. Life is hard. It’s how we chose to react and handle what is thrown our way that defines us as people.

Don’t let the fear stop you from chasing down what you want. Don’t let the excuses build a wall around you. Don’t let stress be an enabler. Think for a minute. What’s the plan?

What can I control? ANS (for me): Only my actions and reactions.
What is my weakness? ANS: I’m a stress eater and let my emotions enable binge eating.
Be positive – I always get in my workouts, even when everything else is falling apart.
Know that things don’t change over night – I’ll keep chipping away at fitness even when it seems like my goals are hopeless. I’ve created mini goals to keep things focused and manageable.

Over the last 18 months, I’ve been in a period of constant change, chaos and struggle. I look back at the “easy days” longingly and wish that just a fraction of the easiness would return to our lives. I know that it will. I have faith that better times are ahead but for now, I’m focusing on what I can control. I’m doing pretty well with my food, except for the bags of mini health bars that hubby keeps bringing home for me. Unfortunately, today I told him not to bring them home anymore because they are the TTF kryptonite. Sad smile More salads, fresh veggies, spaghetti squash dinners. Less Heath Bar candy.

More StairMaster and Strength Training, less mindless running. I can barely move my 35# kettlebell at this point and that makes me sad.

And most of all, no matter what, I refuse to give up. Even if I never get back to where I “once was”, I’ll keep working toward new goals. Pursing new things with dogged determination because I know that for me, fitness is about more than the size of my jeans and more about the state of my mind.

I’m a Work In Progress and I’ll never give up ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Ironman 70.3 Steelhead Race Report

Posted on August 20, 2015 by tootallfritz

As I previously mentioned, life around the TTF household has been slightly chaotic thus the lack of a timely race report. In fact, it’s been down right stressful! But we keep on keeping on, right? Yes! So I showed up for Ironman 70.3 Steelhead overweight, undertrained but ready to tackle whatever the day tossed at me. Remember, I do this for fun. I run, train, TRI as a stress reliever and for a little bit of “me time” amongst the chaos. Total bonus is when I get to spend time with friends. Aby and Julie M were my race weekend support crew and we rolled into Saint Joseph & Benton Harbor MI with smiles on our faces!

We hit packet pick up, listened to the pre-race meeting, figured out the new swim course, racked my bike and hit the expo while Aby constantly reminded us that she just wanted to go to the beach.

There is something final about leaving your bike in transition. Most of us are on our second or even third or more bike. We started at the bottom with a low level road bike and worked our way up. We have an emotional attachment to our bike that is hard for people who do not ride to understand. Most of my friends actually have a name for their bike, I do not. But I still love it. And I spend a lot of time with it. And it never sasses me or talks back. So I bid my bike farewell and it sits in transition, awaiting my return and trying to soak up the calm before the chaos of race day begins.

When I return it is race morning. It’s full on chaos. Transition is packed. It’s still dark. Trying to set up transition in the dark, with 2499 of our new friends, just begs for things to be forgotten at the bottom of the transition bag! But we are finally set up and started inching our wetsuits on for the swim start. Wendy, myself & Judy getting ready to head to the beach for our 1.2 mile swim!

Swim waves went out in 4 minute increments. Judy was in the first wave at 7:00 am and Wendy and I were 12 minutes behind at 7:12am. There was a last minute change to the swim course to keep the swim start & finish close together on the beach. The change resulted in us having to swim further out into the mammoth body of water known as Lake Michigan. What Lake MI delivers on a given day is just a surprise so I was ready for the worst like IM 70.3 Racine in 2013 and hoped for the best. New course:

Water was calm at the start! Yes! But the course wasn’t as nice as the pretty picture above. We were swimming at an angle and it seemed like every buoy turned us a bit and we had to reposition. It wasn’t as easy as it appears, plus I felt VERY crowded in the water, both by the ladies in my wave, as well as the fast swimmers behind me. It took me a good 3 buoys to get myself together and just do my own thing but then as soon as I’d get in a groove I’d have a swimmer in front of me swimming perpendicular to me. I need to be more aggressive in the water but I’m not at this point. Swimming is the easy part of the TRI and I don’t really rush. When someone is swimming the wrong way in front of me, I stop and let them clear my path. Doesn’t make for a very speedy swim but keeps me comfortable. Something I need to work on for the future! Anyhow, I finally navigate the swim course, it was marked well and easy to follow. No clock when I got out of the water, which was odd, but I could make out the start line clock, that read 8:00 am real time. That put me in the water for 48 minutes and I was happy with that considering my lack of swim training. However, Ironman clocked me at 55 minutes via my chip so I’m not sure how I messed that up. Or why I was in the water so long because overall the swim was decent, I wasn’t panicky, there were some rolling waves out on the back side of the course but nothing too crazy. I kept moving but yes, I did stop numerous times to avoid “random” swimmers. But it was a beautiful day and I kinda enjoyed the cool, crisp, clear water.

No wetsuit strippers but I managed to get unzipped and unsuited. On to the bike! The bike as you know, can make or break you and is the longest segment of any triathlon. This race is a half ironman, AKA 70.3 race, where all the mileage equals 70.3 miles at the end of the day. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike & 13.1 mile run. I had been having bike issues most of the season. Issues with my shifters. Issues with getting out for longer rides. Too many issues. I really had no idea what I could do on the bike so the plan here was to hold back on the first half, eat, drink and relax. Get thru the nasty/bumpy section of bad road, then try to be somewhat “fresh” for the last half and all those uphill sections (which suck the wind and energy right out of me). One loop course, which is my preference. I hit the half way mark (28 miles) right at 1 hour 30 minutes and vaguely remember thinking, “wow, if you keep this pace, you might break 3 hours”. But then I dismissed the thought immediately because I knew that there were some nasty uphill sections to come. I really didn’t have much of a strategy. As I’ve said, I’m super bad riding uphill, I was down into single digits so many times, 9mph was very common. But I USED the downhill. No matter how tired I was when I got up the hill, I was ready to rush the down. And I did that to the best of my ability. At the end of the ride, when my butt hurt so bad I wanted to toss my bike I was tired, that’s what held me together, crushing the downhill. Then eventually the thought that just possibly, if I kept pushing, I might, just might break 3 hours on the bike. And I did. 2 hours 59 minutes on the bike. HUGE triumph for me after a summer (full year really) of trials and tribulations. Happy girl.

After a phenomenal (for me) bike, I hit the run. I hadn’t done one brick all season and my legs had trouble spinning off the bike. Took about 3 miles to get in my groove. Course had two run loops. There were 3 big hills on the first loop. 2 on the second. I walked the entirety of each hill. I also walked thru each of the aid stations and made sure that I got enough fluids, ice and refueled with coke and small bites of banana. Run went well. I wasn’t dead but not speedy. I thought I’d run a 2:15 but at the end of the day I was at 2:21 with the walking. It was a good day. We had cloud cover, which was a HUGE help (especially to those who melt in the heat, like me). Temps were in the high 70s at the finish (78 degrees). It was a bit sticky with humidity but manageable thanks to the clouds.

I’ve now participated in all 3 Midwest Ironman 70.3 events. Muncie in 2012, where I took a DNF due to a torn tendon in my foot (race was also downgraded to Olympic distance due to extreme heat – 108 degrees). Racine in 2013 where the monster waves and bumpy roads stole the show. And now Steelhead. There were things I liked about each of these events. The bike course at Muncie was FUN and the hills seemed manageable. Not too steep but big enough to produce some speed. The run in Racine was beautiful with scenic views of Lake Michigan. But Steelhead was different. It felt like home. My family goes up to Saint Joseph MI on occasion for day or weekend trips, year round. My friends Judy & Julie M both have “cabins” within a reasonable distance of the race site. In fact, we actually went up and I was able to ride the course once before race day. So, yes, it’s a big fancy race, but one that felt like it was on our home turf. And there is no denying the home field advantage. And that’s how this race felt, like I had an advantage cuz I knew where to hold back on the bike and where to push. I really enjoyed Steelhead. Great race. Great volunteers. Plenty of aid stations on the bike (3) and on the run (5 each loop).

In closing, I’ll address the full Ironman issue one more time. I’m frequently asked “when” I’ll do a full ironman. First, a full Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) just isn’t for everyone, so it’s important to realize that it’s just not what some people call fun. But for myself, I’ve been dreaming about the full distance since my first half in 2008. Then I was blessed with a bouncing baby boy in 2009. Baby boy is growing, CRAZY and is becoming more self sufficient each and every day. In fact, he started kindergarten this year and will be turning 6 in just a couple weeks!!!

I think we are finally at the point where I could tackle it, IF I could justify spending the money to register. In fact, I’ve been upgrading my equipment for years so that I’ll be ready when the time finally arrives. However, the last year has brought us a lot of change and financial strain. We have taken steps to rectify the problem (Hello, NONPAYING IL renters, I’m talking to you.). Then, maybe, I can tackle the full ironman. It’s something that I think about every day. I even think about it when I should be sleeping. It’s definitely “on the list” but I need to make sure that its something the family can endure in terms of time commitment to my training and also the $$ commitment of the registration fee and travel expenses. Plus, I need to find a race that will NOT interfere with Aby’s Cross Country season. So those are a few of the reasons as to why I’m not YET an IronWOman. But I’ll get there and it will be all the sweeter when I do because I waited for the right moment.

Keep Pushing For YOUR Dreams – Amanda – TooTallFritz

TooTallFritz

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

Category Archives: Swimming

Small Gains = Big Motivation

Marathon Training IN THE WINTER …..

2016 Goals …. On Paper

Progression of the Running Watch 2007-2015

A Return to CrossFit ….

Marathon Recovery

Sleep, The Missing Link In Your Recovery

Work In Progress …..

Ironman 70.3 Steelhead Race Report

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: