08/13/12

Chevy Go For The Gold Challenge

Sunday was awesome. I had been waiting for this event for a while now, ever since Caroline posted the information on Facebook. I jumped on the opportunity because it really sounded like something that could be a blast!

There were 4 teams and our team was made out of some of my pals and members of the Tampa Bay Lady Bloggers group. Caroline, Genna, Jennifer, Kat and I made up team #TBLB. These ladies are pretty awesome, making this little adventure so much fun. Aside from the details above, we didn’t have a clue what to expect. We did, however, decide to do a sort of “uniform? for our little bloggers team and ended up wearing these, an awesome find by Caroline. Socks rule.

We ended up hitting 3 different locations, each with their own Olympic sport-centered challenge. The best part? We got a sweet ride to take us from place to place (which included a 30 minute drive to Pinellas!)

Oh yes, that’s a Cadillac Escalade. Fully loaded. Ready for the bloggers!

When we got to the starting location, Cinco Soccer, we took some pics, got acquainted, then hit the field for a match up against the other teams that were participating in the challenge as well.

From left to right: Kat, Caroline, Genna, Me & Jenn!

I had never, ever played soccer before, and pretty much just tried to keep the ball moving. It was hard, hot and fun! I have a new appreciation for the game, that’s for sure. 😉 After came lunch sponsored by Fitlife foods. I had the performance chicken wrap with orange wedges that helped to cool me down. Seriously, we were melting out there! Oh, and can’t thank them enough for the ice cold water bottles!

Once we wrapped up lunch, we jumped in the Caddy and hit the road to destination #2. We were totally Big Pimpin’ through the streets of Tampa Bay in this sweet ride. My favorite? The cooling cup holders! Oh, and let’s not forget all the room in the way, way back row. 😉

After lots of Cadillac shenanigans, including wayyy too much social networking (just search #ChevyGoForTheGold hash tag on twitter and get ready to do some eye rolling! Hey, they were giving extra points for it! We had to push it!) we got to location #2 which turned out to be a beach bar equipped with volleyball sand courts for us to get our volley on.

I hadn’t played volleyball probably since 10th grade, which was 5 years ago, so let’s just say I have a few finger bruises to show for my lack of skill. We totally didn’t get creamed though. 21-17! Woot!

We hopped back in the ride, and made our way back across the bridge (tweeting and facebooking all the way) until we arrived at our 3rd location, Stars Gymnastics! I had NO idea what kind of shenanigans we would get into, and I hoped it wouldn’t turn into having trade the caddy for an ambulance.

Once they busted out the ribbons, we knew it was on: floor routines!

We rocked it. Gold medal performance, fo sho.

Our last destination was back at Cinco, where we had to give up our sweet wheels. 🙁 So sad to see it go! Maybe I can convince the man to buy me one for Christmas? 😉

Awards were given out for MVPs of the day (go Caroline for getting the social media MVP prize!).

Oh, and guess which team won 2nd place? Yup. We did. We rule. (well, so does the other team that got 2nd, but hooray for ties!).

I had a BLAST at this event, and can’t wait to do more! Go Chevy! Go Fitlife foods! Go team Tampa Bay Lady Bloggers! Wanna see more? Like GM in the Southeast on Facebook for pics and videos of all of our adventures! Hot damn, I hope they made my bootie look good!

-Steph

07/25/12

Just roll with it

When Chris sent us the ins and outs of the Modelfit workout program, including suggested equipment, a foam roller was on the list. Now when I initially looked at this “thing”, I pictured myself using it as a swim toy. You know, like one of these babies:

Source

Little did I know I’d look a little more like this:

Source

Oh darn.
But all joking aside, I had NO idea what a foam roller was, what it’s used for or even how to start using it. Chris had provided some foam rolling basics, but I’m a visual and kinesthetic learner. I need to see and manipulate something new until I fully grasp the activity. So together, with Chris’s instructions, online demos, 100’s of Youtube videos, and a little playing of my own, I was able to start using the roller successfully! Of course, I’m still learning, but I feel a lot more confident than I was when I first laid eyes on this “thing”. Check out a few of Chris’s workout videos on how he has suggested I use the foam roller:

Mobility routine

Step #1: Foam rolling– Perform 30 full rolls up and down the muscle. Front of leg Side of leg Foot Calf Hip

So what IS foam rolling? Here’s the downlow from Fitsugar.com: Wouldn’t it be nice to end every active week with an intense deep-tissue massage to help ease your muscles? But since we can’t always spring for a trip to the spa, here’s what we can do — use the foam roll at the gym. You may have seen people in the gym foam rolling and think it’s just for serious athletes or gym rats, but that’s not the case. But there are many reasons why massaging out the tight knots in muscles is an important part of your workout routine, even if you already stretch regularly. Why? Because no matter how much you stretch, the build up of fascia that creates muscle knots that won’t go away, which can lead to many different problems. (Read the rest of the article here).

The cool thing about foam rolling is you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started. Something as simple as a tennis ball can get you on the right track. Amazon.com has great deals on foam rollers of all shapes and sizes if you decide to try your hand at this “new to me” flexibility workout. Beware, however, if you have pets at home. Foam rollers and tennis balls may become toys to the little darlings.

Here are a few other great foam rolling resources to read through:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/equipment/id/14/equipment/foam-roll
http://www.nationalthrowscoachesassociation.com/Forms/FoamRoller.pdf
http://www.livestrong.com/physical-therapy-foam-roller/
http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/self-myofascial-release.html
http://fitknitchick.com/2011/06/11/hurt-so-good-adventures-in-foam-rolling/
http://www.bradgouthrofitness.com/my-stretching-routine/
http://running-tall.com/home/2012/4/19/why-you-should-be-foam-rolling.html

Do you foam roll? Any advice or success stories you’d like to share? Oh, and would you like to WIN a foam roller of your own? Check out my recipe contest later today for details!

-Steph

*I am not a fitness professional. I just blog about my own fitness adventures! Please chat with your doctor before starting anything physical.

06/9/12

Race Recap: Spring into summer 5k 2012

And I raaaaaaan, I ran so far a-wa-ay.
And I raaaaaaan, I ran the whole damn thiiiii-iii-ing.

Yup. I actually ran the entire race this morning! I guess I got a little inspired from writing my 2010 Gasparilla 5k recap last night. I know, I know. A little late on the pickup, but I guess back in 2010 blogging wasn’t big on my 2-do list. Gasparilla was my first official 5k race, and the first time I truly felt like a runner. It wasn’t the bling (although I wore it proudly for weeks after), and it wasn’t my finish time. It was the fact that I had run the entire thing without stopping to walk until I had crossed that finish line. Remember, no matter how slow you start off, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch, so be proud of your speed, whatever it is!

I met a few people from my Beginner’s 5k Group for a pre-race dinner at Chipotle. We talked about goals, experiences and had a great time chatting up all things 5k (and dating websites, but that’s for a different post)! We parted ways with the intentions of meeting up at Al Lopez Park; rain or shine!

The alarm went off around 6, but I physically didn’t get out of bed until 6:30. Luckily, we don’t live far from the park, so we made it there only a few minutes passed the time I had scheduled everyone to meet. Eight members of the 5k group committed to doing the race, and all 8 of us showed up ready to cross that finish line! Alyssa, Anna, Brian, Jennifer, Kaley, Nicole, Sarah, and I spent the 45 minutes before the race stretching, warming up and just enjoying the rain-free morning (the first in 4 days!). Some members of the group had never completed a 5k prior to this morning’s race and some of us had a few under our belt already. Even with those differences, we were all there for the same purpose- to say that we did it, to improve our health, and to inspire others into realizing that they can do it too!

We lined up at the (very) small finish line and waited for the gun airhorn. The race only had about 300-400 participants which made for a really nice experience. No major crowds, lots of space on the course, and awesome goodie bags (hello yummy!).

We all started off strong, but eventually I stopped focusing on the group and started concentrating on MY race. I lined up the morning’s goals in my mind and focused on my game plan:
Goal 1- finish (this is ALWAYS goal 1 for me in any race.)
Goal 2- pay attention to my form, my footing, and breathing (and give those Asics out for a real spin!)
Goal 3- cross the finish line in time to cheer on at least 1 of the group members. I feel like I’m always on the other end of the cheering (although there’s nothing wrong with being dead last, I wanted to experience being able to do the cheering for once!)

I had a tinge of calf tightness as I rolled into mile 1, but by mile 1.5, I was loose, feeling good and had a pretty good pace. Occasionally I’d catch up with Brian (who I can hear snoring as I type this) 😉 and then he’d push a little harder and gain some speed, pretty much leaving me in the dust until the next time. I lost sight of most of the girls along the way, but at around mile 2, a woman caught up to my side and began chatting it up about what a great job I was doing, how many races had I done, etc. etc. She literally stayed by my side until the last quarter mile and we talked about everything from Weight Watchers to dog parks- basically keeping my mind occupied through the last leg and really pushing me to finish strong! I don’t know why I always end up talking to people, but sometimes the “luck” comes in handy!

As I crossed the finish line, I had an enormous smile on my face. Not because of my finish time (which wasn’t a PR, but that wasn’t today’s goal anyway), but because I met every single one of my goals:
I finished, I really listened to my body, and I cheered 2 of my meetup members across their own finish lines.

What an amazing group of people! I’m so proud of each and every one of them. Creating this 5k group has created opportunities for new friendships, has given me a way to monitor and motivate me into new fitness adventures, and most important of all, it has been an inspiration to so many people who thought they would never be able to call themselves a 5k finisher!

So- NOW will you be joining us? Don’t put YOUR wellness, YOUR goals and YOUR life on hold any longer. Come and see what we’re all about! 🙂

Steph