CrossFit Day 60 & 61 …

Posted on March 6, 2014 by tootallfritz

Needless to say, I’ve been sore this week. Little Rock, or more specifically the weather ~~and the hills~~, beat me up badly. I was sore in places that never hurt. However, I knew if I didn’t haul it up and out to CrossFit on Tuesday morning that my recovery would be stalled. I needed to stretch ~~a lot~~ and get the blood flowing to heal those micro tears in my muscles. But it wasn’t easy getting “up and out” the door because quite frankly, I was exhausted between the race and the driving ~~and my little man who thinks sleeping is boring~~. But I went anyhow and I was glad that I did because I started feeling better!

Day 60 – Substitute instructor {insert total panic} – However, The Sub was told “about” our group ~~a couple times~~. We aren’t hard core CrossFitters, we just CrossFit for cross training and strengthening. We are “special”, and we are loud, and we are a lot to handle at 5am. Kudos to The Sub for managing the class without totally freaking out ~~about our stupid questions~~.

Strict Press – Press up over the head w/o any bounce or use of legs. Super hard. 5×3 @ 63#s

Tabatas for Total Reps – 8 sets of each movement, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, keep track of reps.

Air Squats – Just regular squats but the title freaked me out cuz I was thinking I needed to do like a jumping squat in the air. And I knew I wouldn’t be able to get those tired legs 2” off the ground. So it was a win in my court when The Sub told us that they were just regular “unweighted” squats. Very doable.
Abmat Sit-ups
Burpees
Ball Slams – 20#

Day 61 – Welcome back Jared! Don’t leave us again, you scared us badly. I realize that you too need to vacation but we were were afraid The Sub was going to hurt us!

Push Press – 5×3 @ 73#

EMOTM – Every Minute On The Minute – 20 minutes. You have one minute to do the first move. After completion of the required reps, rest until that minute “dings”. Then switch to the second station and complete the required reps within one minute. The buzzer dings every minute to signify the switch. You will work for 20 minutes total, 10x at each station.

10 Kettlebell Swings – 36#
10 Ring Rows

Good week at CrossFit and I’m now loosened up enough that I should do a short, slow run tonight. Next up, the Oak Forest Fleadh 5K on Saturday March 8th. 12 degrees with snow and ice expected. Can’t wait! Okay, I’m exaggerating ~~by a lot~~ but trying to be positive.

** Amanda –TooTallFritz **

Little Rock Marathon Race Review

Posted on March 5, 2014 by tootallfritz

The 2014 theme for the Little Rock Marathon was “epic” with a comic type Super Hero flavor that was pushed hard all the way until and thru race day. I can’t say that I’ve ever encountered a race that delivered a better PR campaign. And I’ve certainly never ran a race that delivered above and beyond what the PR campaign promised, until I ran Little Rock. I was impressed with so many aspects of the race starting the moment I found the race website and how it was designed to fit the theme. I loved the race booklet they sent prior to the event to create hype leading up to the big day.

I loved how the booklet fit right in with the theme and was formatted in comic book style giving us a glimpse of what to expect. I particularly liked getting a heads-up to look for the lipstick “aid” station in the 25th mile before the finish.

Little Rock is a 9 hour drive from my home (south of Chicago) and to be honest, I had NO IDEA what to expect from the town itself. No, Little Rock was never on my “to be seen” list of places I wanted to travel. No, I didn’t really know anything ~~at all~~ about Arkansas. I made the trip because of the race, because of the good things I had heard about it from other runners, because of the large number (270+) of Marathon Maniacs who were attending and because of that wonderful PR campaign that really drew me to the race and the town itself. And I must admit, Little Rock was a pleasant surprise with a beautiful River Walking Trail, lighted bridges, lots of restaurants ~~and bars~~ in the River Market District, President Clinton EVERYTHING (parks, library, museum, bridge), beautiful homes, historic landmarks & monuments, and an old Street Car Electric Trolley, which was one of our favorite things about the town. Street car on the left. Julie M & Judy F inside the street car on the right.

We had a lot fun before the race even started and that was an unexpected treat. The expo was a great size with lots of vendors, keynote speakers and plenty of time to pick up packets prior to the race. The event also offered multiple race distance options for the entire family.

Kids Marathon – Finishing last mile on SAT – 1900 participant cap (sold out)
5K Run/Walk – SAT – 1400 participant cap
10K – SUN – 2000 participant cap
Half Marathon – SUN – 6200 participant cap
Marathon – SUN – 3500 participant cap (sold out)

The theme continued with a tricked out start line in comic book style.

The race directors even dressed up like super heroes and stood on top of start (by the right flag) and started each of the corrals the morning of the race. In the pouring rain. At 3-4 minute intervals. It took us 22ish minutes to get across the start line and begin our journey thru town. The first mile was crowded ~~as always~~ but the road soon opened up and we were on our way! Temps at the start were in the 50s with rain so we were pretty tight from shivering in the rain while we waited to get started; however, after 4 miles or so we were loose, warmed up, the rain gave us a short reprieve and we were READY TO RUN! We wove thru town, ran across the big bridge and saw Capitol Building.

By mile 6, we had already tacked a few hills, I was feeling good and starting to get antsy.

The real test of the marathon is patience. I’m not a fan of waiting. In fact, I really can’t stand to wait. This is the reason why marathons and I don’t really get a long. BUT in Little Rock I was with friends and the goal was to have fun. I had zero expectations and I’m not really sure they did either, if they did they were quiet about it. We knew the weather was going to be an issue. We knew there would be hills but we had no idea what to REALLY expect. So we were patient. We didn’t dawdle but didn’t run fast, just kept eating up the pavement, stopped for a potty (or two) and just kept moving. When I noticed a hill, I just put my head down and ran up without looking beyond the pavement in front of me so that it didn’t drain me mentally. Then the rain came faster and harder. Then the wind came. Temps started dropping A LOT (all the way down to 30 degrees by the finish). We passed the Governor’s Mansion ~~and Julie excitedly waived to the man in a blue raincoat who she SWEARS was the Governor, himself~~. We ran down streets with lots of history and amazing houses. We passed a priest who stood in the rain, blessing runners with Holy Water and we made a B Line over to him so that we could be blessed ~~because it seemed stupid to pass that up~~. And then it got cold. Like really cold. Around mile 10 or 11 the wind really picked up and the rain had us soaked to the bone. Our hands were red and we could hardly move our fingers. We made a consorted effort to wiggle our fingers, shake our arms and get the blood flowing cuz we knew how fast things could go “south”. Some of our marathon friends took the turn off for the half because they were so cold that they were starting to go hypothermic but we just kept our heads down, eating up the pavement as much with our eyes as our steps. We couldn’t see much thru the rain anyhow. I tried to take a few pictures but they all looked like this photo of the historic Central High School. Cloudy and foggy thru the rain.

So we kept moving. Not quickly but not dawdling either. We didn’t walk thru water stops, just slowed til everyone could get in fluid and fuel. We had to help each other a bit with our fuel cuz our fingers were so frozen we couldn’t get into our belts. Or open the packages for the gels/chews. Our pace seemed solid though and our spirits were high. We loved the course. We loved the houses. We loved seeing so many Marathon Maniacs and yelling support to as many as possible. It was fun. We were honestly having fun. There was a decent amount of entertainment. The course was diverse and interesting. Aid stations were well stocked with water & Gatorade. There were food stations with pretzels, bananas, oranges, jolly ranchers, & GU. There were surprisingly a lot of spectators considering the weather conditions (wind, rain, thunderstorms, and a promise of hail and freezing rain to come). It was all good until mile 20 when we saw the first sign that said that the race was canceled and we needed to get off the course.

We were in disbelief but kept running. Then slightly past mile 20 there was a very nice older man who was very aggressive about getting us off course. He was able to redirect some runners, while a few of us stopped to discuss the situation with him, then stepped off course to check the radar on our phones ~~and decided to keep on running~~. By this time, it was pretty bad honestly. And not many people were running, most were moving at a slow walk, frozen with tight muscles. Spouses and half runners were coming back for the marathoners and bringing them warm clothes and rain gear. We were instructed MANY, MANY times that the race was canceled, that buses were in route for us, that aid stations would be closing, that roads were opening, that traffic control was shutting down, that we should take shelter due to approaching storms. But there wasn’t anywhere to go. We were on a path (see the photo above with the lady holding the sign), on the riverfront without any buildings in sight. No buses in sight to “pick us up”. It was just us and the weather and we needed to keep moving for our own safety. So we ran! It was finally at mile 24 when a police officer with a bullhorn was shouting at us that if we continued it would be at our own risk. We had the option of staying on the riverfront and heading to the finish or crossing over the road, walking thru the trees, and heading toward a Walmart {which was not visible} where buses were supposedly waiting to pick us up. At that point, we headed toward the finish. There wasn’t any lightening. Yes, it was still raining and the wind was really blowing hard. Yes, we were frozen to the bone. Yes, our muscles were cold and cramping. However, we were determined to finish and to be honest, we couldn’t see the buses and we didn’t necessarily believe they were there waiting on us. It was too damn cold and wet to go with the unknown. I’d like to think that it was an educated decision on our part to go with what we knew and we knew that our hotel and car was at the finish. We knew our drop bags with warm clothes were at the finish. We knew that big ass medal was at the finish. What we didn’t know was that we had two massive hills to conquer in order to get there! But we made it. And the lipstick station was still open in the 25th mile, even if those poor ladies were frozen and shivering! Thanks, L’Oreal for the lipstick stain!

And it was an official finish. And we got that big ass medal. Done, baby!!! WhooooHooooo!

I can’t say that I’ve ever been so happy to finish a race! LOL! It was an amazing day. It was a great race. I’d definitely go back and not because of the medal but because of the event, the people, the town, the course, the fun. If you haven’t yet ran the Little Rock Marathon, I’d strongly suggest putting it on your list! So much fun!! And thanks to Julie & Judy for going with me because friends make any event so much better!

** Running For Fun, Cuz That’s What It’s All About ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Winner!! Sunburst Marathon Giveaway…

Posted on March 4, 2014 by tootallfritz

Everyone was super excited about the Sunburst Races giveaway! I hope you still join me on May 31st, even if you didn’t win!

Without further ado, the winner of the Sunburst Race giveaway is #37.

Number 37 is rl262

Congrats, Mr. rl262! I’m sorry I don’t know your name but please email me at amanda@tootallfritz.com and we will get you registered for the Sunburst race of your choice!

Everyone else who would like to run the 2014 event, please register HERE!

I’ll see YOU in South Bend on May 31st!

** Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

CrossFit Day 58 & 59

Posted on February 27, 2014 by tootallfritz

Good week at CrossFit. It’s one of those activities which can seem SO HARD one day, then not so bad the next. It’s all about the movements in the WOD and whether it hits your list of strengths verses weaknesses. This is the reason as to why it’s so important to KEEP GOING, even when you are feeling bad or as if you aren’t making any progress. The very next workout may be the one that YOU knock out of the park.

Day 58 – Push Press 5×3 – 73#

Tabatas for Total Reps – Keep track of your reps throughout each of the 8 sets of a movement.

Kettlebell Swings – 35#s – Dang that KB is soooo heavy. As indicated by my crazy face below.

Ball Slams – 20# – Another super heavy item!
Hand Release Push-Ups – Not a good move for my spaghetti arms.
Rowing for Calories (something to count for the total reps)

Day 59 – Back Squats – 5×3 – 83#s – Moved up in weight!!

5 Rounds

15 Front Squats with a 35# KettleBell – Yep, still heavy.
10 Sit-ups
5 Burpees – Dare I say these are almost manageable in increments of 5?

Then we stretched, rolled & worked on our Double-Unders! Good week!

** Keep Pushing, Even When Progress is Indiscernible ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Sunburst Marathon (or Half) Giveaway!!!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by tootallfritz

It’s no secret that one of my all time favorite race series is the Sunburst Races in South Bend, IN. This is a great location for me because it’s close to Chicagoland but also close to my parents home so that they can help with the kiddos. The timing is also good and avoids holiday conflict by running the weekend AFTER Memorial Day. There are multiple race distances to suit the entire family (Fitness Walk, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon & Full Marathon)! The course is scenic and relatively flat. And last but not least, the finish is inside the stadium on the 50 yard line of the Notre Dame Football Field.

Runners and football fans alike, love, Love, LOVE this event. One of my favorite aspects of the event is that it’s convenient for those of us who tend to “fly in and out” of races as well as those who like to stay for a while and enjoy the local atmosphere. Downtown South Bend offers an array of activities from the College Football Hall of Fame, to several restaurants/bars, to the Chocolate Café by the South Bend Chocolate Company, which is a favorite for my family.

I have ONE entry to the Sunburst Races to give away to one lucky person. The entry is to the race of your choosing! Join me in South Bend on May 31st and see why so many people love this race! Giveaway starts right now and will run until Tuesday, March 4th at 9am when I will draw the winner via a Random Number Generator.

To be eligible for the giveaway, you MUST comment below. You can earn a second entry to the giveaway by liking the Sunburst Races Facebook page HERE, just let me know that you did so in the comments section. Good luck!!

You can read last year’s race recap HERE if you want more Sunburst details.

Not required for this giveaway but please feel free to follow along via Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram for everything TooTallFritz!

**What’s Better Than a GREAT Race? Running that GREAT Race for FREE! ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

The Sun On My Face …..

Posted on February 24, 2014 by tootallfritz

Despite the warm up we had last week, the cold returned to the Midwest before any of us could even get used to any possible spring like conditions. It was nice while I lasted? Maybe. I’m not even sure at this point. However, I did decide to haul it up and out on Saturday morning to put in some real miles. On the road. Away from the safety of my treadmill. It was a balmy 20 something and while I wasn’t frozen, I was none to warm either BUT the sun was shining and that was a big win! It was a glorious day and I was happy to be outdoors and running with ~~the wind~~ some good friends! It was so much fun that I decided to go take a peak at the trail, hoping that the two spring like days we had last week started a massive thaw ~~cuz I want our trails back~~! Some thawing occurred, yes. But we have a long way to go as you can see below. That’s hard packed ice.

I dug in the archives to get a historical perspective of trail conditions around this time over the last couple years. Same trail, about 3 miles east on March 6, 2013 is pictured below. That’s a fresh dusting of snow. Runnable. Pretty safe. Beautiful. I remember last year being on the trails most of the year. I also remember calling the Village of Frankfort and the OPT committee to ask if we could get a section plowed. I’ll spare you the details and just let you know that the trail will not be plowed. Ever. They are committed to leaving the trail “natural” in whatever state the conditions provide so that it can be used for seasonal activities. Respectable.

Another section of the same trail, 1.25 miles east of the snowy black & white is pictured below on March 7, 2012. Now that looks like it was a good winter to run. Smile

I know that eventually the snow and ice will melt away on the trails but as for now, I’m dreaming of springtime. Not running in circles in a subdivision. Not running every single mile on the treadmill. Just long stretches of open trail that is clear and dry. Until then, I’ll just be thankful for the sun on my face and all of those amazing runners who run outside every week, no matter what. I even took Aby out to join them on Sunday so that she too could get an outdoor run under her belt in prep for the upcoming track season. It was only 11 degrees and the sun was hiding so wore our brightest outfit to make sure that traffic could see us at all times. Hehehehe!

** Dreaming of Spring ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Winner – Corn Fed Spartans Crucible Obstacle Course Race

Posted on February 21, 2014 by tootallfritz

Obstacles races and mud runs are currently all the rage and I have one entry to give away for the Corn Fed Crucible race on September 13th in Monterey, Indiana! This new OCR event promises to be fun & challenging. It offers prize $$ for those who are fast and strong and running to win. It offers two levels for each obstacle so that beginner and experienced participants alike will both be challenged without being overwhelmed. This sounds like an AMAZING event with an AMAZING after party which will go ALL DAY LONG. Plus it’s a Corn Fed Spartans race so you know it will be worth the trip.

Without further ado, the random number generator selected lucky #1! This is certainly the case where the early bird got the worm. So who was the very FIRST person to comment???

Looks to be Lynn S.! Congrats, Lynn! Please send me an email (amanda@tootallfritz.com) so that I can get you hooked up with the free entry! Congrats and take lots of pics for us!!

As for the rest of us, we can all go HERE to register for the Corn Fed Crucible Obstacle Course and Mud Run. See you there!

** Get Down, Get Dirty & Scale That Obstacle ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

CrossFit Day 56 & 57

Posted on February 20, 2014 by tootallfritz

This week at CrossFit was about the same as last week. Hard. But as someone mentioned yesterday, if it were easy then I wouldn’t actually be working at it so I’m just going to keep trying!

Day 56 – Push Press 5×5 (73#) – super tough this go round. Usually I can knock these out but this time my arms were struggling a bit.

21-15-9 Typical CF step-down type WOD. 21 of each move the first round, 15 the next, finishing with 9 of each. Between each round (or set), add in 100 single jump ropes (or 50 double unders). This was a tough one. The Burpees and the Pull-Ups are nemeses of mine. I actually laid on the floor after this one for a few seconds. Tough.

Burpees
Kettlebell Swings (26#)
Pull-Ups – Assisted with a two bands ~~and it was still hard~~
100 single jump ropes between each of the 3 sets.

Day 57 – Tabatas (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 8 rounds before moving to the next thing)

Ball Slams – 20#
Push-Ups – Yes, I still have spaghetti arms and could barely get 5 push-ups in the 20 seconds.
Lunges
Abmat Sit-Ups
Ring Rows

THEN we got to practice double unders (rope jumping but rotating the rope 2x before your feet hit the ground). I think it went well. I couldn’t string multiples together but I could jump a few singles, then do a double under, then a few more singles, then add in another double under. I managed to put 3-4 into one segment (a couple times) before getting caught up in the rope. I will note that it takes A LOT more energy to do a double under verses just single jumps.

Good week. I’m happy that I keep going even when ~~I don’t want to get up~~ I feel fatigued.

** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

CrossFit Day 54 & 55

Posted on February 19, 2014 by tootallfritz

I’ll be honest, this far into CrossFit, it shouldn’t seem so hard EVERY DAMN TIME. But it is hard. I’m not sure if that is good or bad. I want to be stronger but just don’t feel as if I am getting where I want to go. Maybe because I only go twice a week? Maybe because I’m in the middle of a pretty fast training cycle as I am trying to get these legs to start turning over QUICKLY again? Maybe because I’m overeating and have gained weight? Maybe because I’ll be 40 in a little over a month? Obviously, I’m not sure what the missing part of the equation is, for me, but I’m pretty sure I can put the blame on ~~the crap that I’m stuffing in my mouth~~ my food intake. I eat well 90% of the time. But apparently that 10% WEIGHS me down. I need to get it together!! I need to be more disciplined.

So I’m taking a break to go fill my water bottle and peel my banana ………

Now onto the WODs from last week. I’m still going. I’m still trying. And when I get tried, I tell myself that I need to keep pushing because that’s what will make me stronger.

CrossFit Day 54 – Push Press 5×3 (73#s) & Tabatas

Tabatas – As you probably know by now, this is the 8 sets of each movement with 20 seconds on and then 10 seconds off (rest) between sets.

Ring Dips – Super hard. My spaghetti arms aren’t showing much improvement, plus I’m not coordinated enough for the ring dips. I’m very shaky and even with the assistance of the band, this is a difficult move for me.
Ball Slams – 20# ball. We’ve recently moved up in weight in all our “balls”, and even the kettle bells. I know this is a positive thing but it makes everything SO tough.
Sit-ups – Actually something I can do. Yay me!
Wall Balls – 14# ball
Rowing

CrossFit Day 55 – Front Squats 5×3 – (73#s)

Partners – Each person does half of the prescribed WOD (workout of the day). Items can be divided in any way you choose (sometimes we just do half each, sometimes we have to break it down more. EX – burpees we did 10 each x2, then 5 each). Timed workout, so please bust it so your partner isn’t waiting on you for too long!

50 Burpees
100 Sit-ups
50 Box Jumps – Super tall box this time!! I normally use the 18” and this was maybe 24”, I could definitely tell and had to be careful to make it up and not misstep.
100 Kettlebell Swings – 35#
50 Wall Balls – 14#
100 Ball Slams – 20#

Last week was a tough week. I was tired. But I still went. If I go into every workout “fresh” and ready to rumble then I’m not pushing myself or improving. While it’s important to know my body and know when I NEED to rest, it’s just as important to realize when I get to the mid to 3/4s point of a tough training cycle, everything will be tired. And this is the most integral point of the cycle when I need to keep pushing so that I can make the most progress. I “get it” but that doesn’t mean that I don’t feel ~~like crying sometimes~~ tired.

** Keep Pushing, the Results Will Be Worth the Effort ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

P.S. – The giveaway for the FREE Entry to the Corn Fed Spartan Crucible obstacle course, mud run is still going on! Enter HERE.

Corn Fed Crucible Race Experience Giveaway!

Posted on February 17, 2014 by tootallfritz

As someone who has been in the sport for years, I love to see the new direction that running and racing has taken. We are now seeing variety in the sport with the addition of obstacle racing, mud runs, color runs, long distance relays and the addition of all things neon and sparkly. While purists may feel that certain new additions devalue the sport of running itself, I believe the opposite to be true. Variety brings a VARIETY of athletes to our sport who may not think running alone is that exciting. The addition of mud, obstacles, color and AMAZING after parties really sweetens the pot for some. It flushes out hard core athletes and Couch to 5Kers alike. Now THAT makes me happy. The more people moving, the better!

Today, I want to introduce a new race experience to you called the Corn Fed Crucible running and obstacle event in Monterey, IN on September 13, 2014. This is one to add to your calendar NOW!

The Cruicible is a 4-5 mile obstacle course race that’s not for the faint of heart. Looking for something new? Something fun? Something that will challenge you? Then this might be the next best thing. According to the website ~~and my inside source~~:

The Crucible is the ultimate race experience that combines 5+ miles of rugged terrain with unique and challenging obstacles. It is the greatest test of stamina, mental determination, fitness, and camaraderie.

The 5 miles of rugged terrain will also encompass 20 obstacles for you and your friends. Each obstacle will offer a beginner and experienced option. So, please don’t worry if your BFF is the obstacle course queen and you just came for the after party cuz BOTH OF YOU will be challenged at your individualized ability level and still make to the finish for the free beer!

Are you fast? Are you strong? And I mean really fast and really strong?!?! If so, then enter the elite division and fight for the prize money! Showcase your inner ~~and outer~~ badass and bring home the cash! There will be cash and prizes offered to the top 3 individual men and the top 3 individual women, PLUS the top team of 4 that crosses the finish line TOGETHER with all 4 teammates in tow.

Now let’s be honest, some of us just go thru all that “fun” to get our butts to the after party as quickly as possible. The Cruicible is boasting an ALL DAY after party that will knock your socks off ~~if you didn’t already lose them in the mud~~. There will be food, beer, games, music and contests. Oh, and if I forgot to mention it, the party will go on ALL DAY LONG. WhooooHooooo!

I have one FREE entry to GIVE AWAY to this amazing event. How to enter? Please comment below and tell me if you have done any of these new events which offer obstacles, mud, color or team participation and most importantly, did you like it? You can earn a second entry to the drawing by liking the Corn Fed Spartans FB page HERE, where you can get updated info about the Crucible event at all times. And you can earn a third and final entry by sharing this giveaway with all your friends via any social media outlet of your choosing. Let me know, in the comments below, what you did and how many entries to assign you! Good luck! Giveaway will run from now until Friday, February 21st at 9am. On Friday, I will select one winner for the FREE Crucible entry, a $65 value.

My first mud run back in 2006 with Aby! Super fun!!