Orangetheory Fitness Mayhem

Last week, Orangetheory's around the country hosted a Mayhem challenge where those who completed the official event received a hat and towel. Having missed out on most of hell week due to the great lung plague sickness, I knew I couldn't miss out on this one!

The basis of the challenge included six incredibly difficult classes over the course of a weeks time. Those who participated in four of those six classes completed the official challenge! The only twist to this challenge adventure is the fact that I'm a twice a week'er and not an unlimited monthly participant - however, since we are leaving for a cruise coming up here shortly, I knew it was my perfect opportunity to take those classes from my cruise week and push them to Mayhem week! With the stars aligning like that, how could I say no?

My first day to attend Mayhem was on Monday with a Bedlam workout and my favorite coach (the official challenge began on Sunday).  Honestly though, who am I kidding....I seriously love all of the coaches at our studio!!

Apparently the word bedlam means "crazy" and yes, this workout was crazy. Since it was my introduction to the Mayhem challenge, I wasn't sure what to expect. I loved this workout though, and it became one of my favorites of the week!

Tuesday's workout was another crazy one for the EPOCalypse! This was a triple partner workout and definitely my least favorite of the entire week. This workout resembled hell week the most (to me) because the only hell week class I attended was a partner workout and this one was very similar.

I decided to take a break on Wednesday to give my body a little rest period. This meme on instagram had me cracking up for sure because that's exactly how I felt!

Thursday's class was also known ans disturbance and this is the class I felt the absolute worst for. I didn't fuel properly during the day and literally had to stop mid-class for a gatorade. My heart rate also kept spiking into the orange/red zones for just the tiniest bit of exertion. This was definitely a warning flag for me and although I completed the class, I took it easier for the remainder of the time.

Friday's workout was by far my favorite of the entire week! I felt MUCH better on Friday morning and totally enjoyed this workout! Our coach told us that no one had made it off the rower on the final portion of the tread block in the 5 a.m. class, so I made it my mission to do so. Sadly, I didn't quite make it - I had about 200 m to row but I was definitely proud of the effort!

DONE!

I was so excited to complete my second official Orangetheory Fitness Challenge (the first being Marathon month)!

After class, I stopped by our local coffee shop for a cold brew which was delicious!

In all, I loved this challenge and the fact that I actually had the chance to participate made it so much more sweet! I seriously can't wait for the next one! :)

Have you ever participated in/completed an OTF challenge or challenge at your gym?

Changing It Up: GoRun Bridge & Boot Camp

Last night, I met up with my running group for a Bridge run and Boot Camp workout.

What followed was one of the toughest workouts I’ve had in a long time…and it felt great!

In the past, my coach has included weekly hill, track, and beach workouts depending on the training season. I really enjoyed the hill workout, then the city took our hill away for construction.

Looking back, I’m kind of glad they did – this bridge and boot camp workout far exceeded any hill run I’ve ever done! I’ve heard people say that hill workouts are a waste of time and don’t help improve anything – I say they are wrong. Several years ago, I achieved a 12 minute Half Marathon PR and at the time, I was doing weekly hill workouts with my group. That’s enough proof for me!

Our new “hill” is a giant bridge that we run over and back twice for a total of a mile – this is repeated again midway through for a total of 2 miles. If you’re really into it like a few of the runners there, you can run the bridge again a third time for a total of 3 miles. (We skipped that part…whoops!)

This workout consisted of:

• Warm-up of 1/2 mile
• 1 mile bridge run – over and back x 2

After the run, we jumped right into the boot camp stations:

• Ropes
• Tire Jumps/Step Ups
• Lots of Abs/Core
• Tire Flipping
• Lunges with Weights
• Squats with Sand
• Reverse Pushups
• More Abs/Core
• REPEAT bridge AND boot camp

This was one of my favorite parts of the workout. It reminded me of something I would see on the Biggest Loser – and I was secretly glad I didn’t have Jillian yelling at me in my ear!

Each station included instructions – this one was an overhead press with a 20 pound bar.

Tire flipping madness! 

Heather and I got a butt kicking – but it was a good kick and I definitely needed it. I’ll be back for this one! Thanks, Coach and Julie! 

I’m about to do reverse pushups…but first, lemme take a selfie.

Cheese, I know. :)

Do you like to cross-train? Have you ever done a boot camp type workout? What were your thoughts?

Fitness Friday–4/18

Happy Good Friday! It’s a three day weekend for me – I plan on spending time on Friday and Saturday outside and getting work done around the house followed by Church and dinner with family on Sunday.

Saturday – Six mile run with Heather
Sunday – Rest Day/travel home day
Monday –  20 lunges, 10 pushups (5 rounds) 100 jumping jacks Tuesday – 3 mile run with Madalynn 
Wednesday – After work dinner/rest day 
Thursday – Accidental rest day – loooooooong day at work, came home and fell asleep on the couch
Friday – 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 air squats (5 rounds); 3 minute jump rope

This past week was a fun week, despite long days at work (what is it about holiday weeks, seriously?).

I had SO much fun at Relay for Life in Terrebone Parish last weekend and have so many ideas to bring back to our committee! (Their luminaria ceremony ends with FIREWORKS! What?!)  Can’t wait to share with you guys next week!

Madalynn and I took advantage of the beautiful weather on Tuesday and went for a run. It was her first run in a while but she enjoyed it! I could tell she was tiring out after the first two miles so I brought her back inside and finished the last mile on my own.

Roses are in full bloom!

My Wednesday night work dinner led me to a location with a beautiful rose garden! I literally took time to “stop and smell the roses”! :0)

Tomorrow, my running group is holding their annual “GoHunt” – an Easter egg hunt and run combined!

Check out the video below for a vlog of last year’s GoHunt! We had a TON of fun!!  Guess I need to find those bunny ears!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend! Any plans?

Fitness Friday–4/4

Finally…another Fitness Friday!

I’ll admit, I’ve felt out of my “groove” these past few weeks. I haven’t had motivation to exercise or workout apart from my daily routine. The stress of our recent Bark for Life event probably didn’t help much, either. Thankfully, that’s all behind me now.

This week, I began a new workout routine that I have fallen in love with! It really gave me a swift kick in the rear – which is exactly what I needed to get moving again! Each day is a different workout, which helps keep things exciting and moving right along.

Saturday – Bark for Life, several hours of walking 
Sunday – Rest Day, recuperating from Saturday
Monday –  10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 squats (5 rounds); 100 jump ropes
Tuesday – Run 1/2 mile, 50 squats (3 rounds) 
Wednesday – 20 forward walking lunges, 10 push-ups (5 rounds)
Thursday – After-work meeting and dinner with parents – turned into a “rest day” 
Friday – 25 squats, 20 push-ups (3 rounds); 100 jumping jacks

Tomorrow, I’m going for a run – not sure yet on the distance. It’s been a while since I’ve actually done a long run, so I don’t want to push myself too hard…we shall see, I guess!

Saturday afternoon, Bethany Hamilton (the original Soul Surfer) is going to be in town and I can’t wait to hear her speak! I’m really looking forward to a great and uplifting afternoon!

Here’s a few scenes from this week’s workouts:

The weather was gorgeous – I was able to do most of my workouts outside! Yay!

Sure wish I could bottle up days like this and keep them forever!

From Tuesday’s workout – I was trying to keep it in the 12 minute range. By the third round of squats/running, I was worn out!

Also, a new badge popped up on my sidebar a few weeks ago – I’m excited to officially announce that I have been accepted into the Fit Fluential community and am now a Fit Fluential Ambassador!! I’m honored to be a part of such an elite group of fitness-minded individuals!

I hope everyone made it through April Fools Day unscathed! I did…which completely surprises me! After the way my family “fooled” me in Disney World, I was ready for anything!

Speaking of fooling, did anyone see this “prank” that was played on a waitress in LA on April Fools Day? This is a different kind of prank, called Prank it Forward. Trust me, this video is worth the 6 minutes of the time it takes to watch!

How was your week? What are your weekend plans? Anything exciting happening in your corner of the world?

Fitness Friday–3/7

Currently training for…..

Nothing in particular?

Now I find myself at that awkward place where I’m not training for a long-distance race, just a few 5K’s and shorter races here and there.

I need a new goal and a focus. This week, I’m going to work on finding it! :0)

Here’s how this past week looked:

Saturday – Rest Day due to sickness
Sunday – Rest Day due to sickness
Monday – Squats/Lunges/Resistance Bands leg work 
Tuesday – Biggest Loser Power X-Train; 25 minutes
Wednesday – 3 miles with Jason
Thursday – 2 mile walk with Jason/puppies
Friday – Rest Day

I’m planning on running tomorrow and Sunday, hence the rest day on Friday. I usually take Sunday as my rest day but I’m changing it around this week.

Also, I became sick after the Princess Half Marathon (apparently so did many others) and it’s still lingering on – aka the “Florida Plague”. I’m hoping it clears up soon because I’m tired of coughing and blowing my nose. I’m a vitamin/pro-biotics regular and I added AirBorne into my regime last week. I’m trying to avoid an antibiotic so we shall see…keeping my fingers crossed!

Tuesday was a dreary/nasty/super cold day, so I decided to do something I hadn’t done in a really shamefully long time - crosstrain…really, put effort into it, build up a sweat, crosstrain. Can we say OUCH?! I’m embarrassed to say, but it still hurt to walk last night (hence the reason I didn’t push myself this other workouts this week). I’m really hoping I feel better this weekend because I need to RUN. It’s been far too long! I also really need to add a cross train routine of some sort to my weekly training regime (a fact that has become painfully obvious to me – literally).

Family out for an afternoon stroll…a quick one at that!

In other news:

This happened this week!

So did Mardi Gras! I enjoyed a slice of strawberry cream cheese King Cake and a nice cup of tea – yes sir! It was delicious! :0)

I hope you all had a wonderful week!

What’s your favorite way to cross train and how do you work it into your weekly regime? How do you stay motivated when there’s not a long distance race in your immediate future? I need some ideas! Have a wonderful weekend!!

Week In Review–2/14

This week has been a busy one, filled with a wedding, catching up on sleep, meetings, and after work dinners. Despite my lack of running this week, I still made time to cross train. I even added an exercise back into my leg routine that I think will help my IT Band(s) even more. This weekend, I plan on running with my running group (not sure how far yet, this will be a test on my knee) and I will just go from there. I am pretty confident all will be fine, I just don’t want to push my luck after the marathon and so close to the Princess Half (Glass Slipper Challenge).

Here’s how my week looked!

It began with a wedding, where I was the coordinator. What an adrenaline rush, I tell ya! Thankfully, the wedding started right on time! Whew.

Last night, my husband and I celebrated Valentines Day! We ate dinner at a local fine dining restaurant (we only go on special occasions) and it was delicious! I had the Roasted Duck and Jason had Steak/Lobster. We also shared a dessert of Bananas Foster Sauce drizzled over ice cream. Y’all. This stuff is GOOD. Reminds me of Ohana…and speaking of Ohana, guess what? This time next week I’ll be in Disney World, enjoying a dinner at my favorite Disney restaurant! Wahoo!

This week, my mom and I also began working on my costume for the Princess Half. Late to the party, I know. Whoops. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!!

Funny story. On Monday, I checked twitter as I was leaving work and this countdown photo from runDisney popped up in my twitter timeline. I thought it was a cute picture but I didn’t really pay much attention to it. I favorited it, retweeted it, and went on my merry little way. Not long after, I received a tweet from Pam saying “Isn’t that you?” I quickly did a double take and sure enough, it WAS me!

This photo was taken at the 2012 Princess Half. I could not believe it!

Last but not least, Happy Valentines Day!! This Valentine is especially for my fellow NSYNC nerds! :D  Have a wonderful day!!

How are you celebrating Valentines Day?

Cross-train via Pinterest

Ever felt the need to take a day off from running, but not a complete rest day?

That was so me yesterday!

Yeah yeah, I know. However, not running yesterday actually worked out in the long run - I ended up in a time crunch before church, so I had to postpone my workout until I returned home.

My options after dark?

• Run on the treadmill. No thank you.
• Run outside. Definitely no.
• Workout with Jillian/Dolvett/Bob (via DVD). Not feeling it.

Instead, I chose to turn to Pinterest and the various cross-training routines I’ve pinned over the past few years!

Here’s a few of my favorites:

I like these workouts because I can do them at home while catching up on my DVR’d items! :0)

I absolutely love that this one has workouts for every day of the week! Nothing like a little variety to mix things up!

Tone It Up…anyone used their workouts/meal plans before? I’ve heard awesome things! With the Holidays coming up, I wonder if they will repeat a similar series this year?

After my Pinterest inspired cross-training workout, I felt better and ready to tackle a new day!

Interested in more cross-training workouts? Check out my Pinterest Fitness/Running board! There’s lots of great workouts out there, just search and see what you come up with!

Do you like to mix things up? How often do you include cross-training in your running regime? (I’ll be the first to admit I don’t cross-train as often as I should!)