Spartan Kids

Tomorrow would have been my last Spartan Race of 2015. I say would have been because I am not racing tomorrow. My knee just won't hold up. I want to race the strongest 2016 I can, so I am resting, recovering, and plotting. Lots of plotting. 

My boys will still run though and I am so excited to cheer them on from the side lines. The last time Oliver ran a Spartan course he hated me. I mean, literally. There were tears. And temper tantrums. Threats of running away. But in the end, we put him on that course, reminded him that he CAN do anything, and then we walked away from him. And guess what? He did it. And then he wrote this in class: 

  "A time I felt excited about something was when I did the spartan race. To begin with I started running through mud pits! They were deep and not so deep. In this case I ran with wet shoes, shirt, and pants that all slowed me down. I then had to jump through and over a fence like structure. I climbed over the  fences on the sides. I put a foot here and a foot there and, well, you get it. Then I had to climb a towering mountain. I had no gear on and I was next to a quarry so it was hard. I made it up there and then I had to go down! That took me longer to do but I made it finally! I saw the finish line! I bolted toward it! And the I put on my medal and I finished! I did come in last but I didn't care!"

This weekend in Castaic, I am predicting the same show from Oliver pre-race. He'll hate me all over again. He'll cry, then I will walk him to the Start Line and I will leave him there. And he will race, because he knows he can.

 A very proud mom,
Jess.
@paperback_lifter

Tuesday Weigh In Day

Friends,

I don't much care for today.

I am in pain. My shoulder and knee are killing me. But mostly, my shoulder. It's throbbing up, and down, and laterally. Everything hurts. My knee sucks. I go back to the sports therapist tomorrow, so today I am going to just wallow in it and be a big ole baby. Humor me, Internets. Okay?

Here it is- Tuesday Weigh In:

151.1 pounds
67.2 SMM
19.7 Body Fat

So, up up and up. Stoked on the weight and the SMM, not on the Body Fat. But, it is what it is.

Frustrated,
Jess.
@paperback_lifter

Change of Perspective

 Hey Internets!

Manuel is back with another motivating post for us! This one is solid. Manny reminds me ALL THE TIME to keep my head in the game, and I hope he does that for you too. Here we go!

xx,
Jess
@paperback_lifter


     So I started writing this couple days ago and was not happy with it. The title kept ringing

in my head but I just couldn’t get it done. Until today that I read these quotes

“remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go” and “you may not be

where you want, but not where you were.”

     We’ve all heard these before or some sort of variation; like the cup half full or half

empty kind’ a thing - which I still get confused. But to me it resounds truer than ever

especially on the ever-elusive quest of personal fitness. Side note - had to make sure

‘truer’ is right just in case Professor Danger got on my case. (Prof. D. here: He's right.)

     See, I love working out because it’s a parallel of life – you get what you put into it. Same

with our bodies, we feel and perform according to what we eat. So it’s all connected –

ok, got sidetracked, ADD is kicking in. My point is… If you’re like me that am too hard on

myself, ease off some of the pressure. Now don’t slack off, keep pressing – literally.

     Even if you’re “back to square one” – I was playing monopoly recently – (gosh this ADD

thing). My… point… is… Every major change takes time and perseverance and there are

no shortcuts. But you can focus on what you have left or how much you have

accomplished. So far it’s working well.

     Hope you’re having a great week. If not, change your perspective 

Let’s go!

Manuel.

How Bad Do You Want It?

 Hey Internets!
Today we have a nice little gem of a post from one of my teamates, Manuel. Here's a little sneak peek into what goes on in that head of his when we train together. He's an awesome training partner and I am so excited to share this post with you.

xx,
Jess.
@paperback_lifter



Defeat disappointment, annihilate weakness, and punish the competition… Those words

kept ringing in my ear throughout a nice workout this morning. Who is the competition?

For me, it is myself… I don’t worry about the next person. That takes care of itself. If I

keep pushing I know eventually I’ll get to a point where I can pick a “rabbit” to go after.


Today was one of those workouts that you’re like “Shit, I don’t know if I’m gonna finish

this.” You look left and right, back and forth for an excuse. Oooh, my hands hurt, I’m out

of breath, my legs are sore, etc. But trust me, when you keep those words in your head,

you keep yourself in check. You don’t have to be the strongest or the fastest; God knows

I’m not. Go lighter in weight if you have to, there’s no shame on that. I did today, and do

often. Just make sure it is something that gets you out of a comfort zone safely and is

one more step towards being the best version of you.


By the way, those words: “defeat disappointment, annihilate weakness, and punish the

competition” are not my own. I encourage you to watch this video every so often and

tell me what you think in the comments.

How Bad Do You Want It?

Let’s go!

Manuel

p.s. sorry about the ads on the video.

We Did It!

Look! Cory completed his first Obstacle Course Race!

He loved it! The second we crossed the start line he was on fire! I knew we were on to something when he snapped at the people walking in front of us on the stairs. I was like, "Dang! Here comes the competitive side!" It was SO. MUCH. FUN.

And! And! And!

There was a partner carry obstacle. Yup. I did it. I carried him on my back for the second half. SURE AS HELL DID.

And then, to top it all off, at the end of the day we had a nice little Team Building Experiment. On the side of the 405.

The team "Magic Bus" broke down. Here's my husband, my training partner Manny, and my Coach Gregg. Our final obstacle of the day took hours, but we had a great time even on the side of the road.

Speaking of Manny, make sure you come back tomorrow! He is guest blogging and it is SOLID. You'll want to read it. You really will.

Happy Sunday All,

Jess.

@paperback_lifter

Stomach Flu of DEATH

Well. I've already let you down. No post in what, ten days? The stomach flu hit our house like a hurricane. Our youngest brought it home first, then it quickly worked to fell the remainder. I ate nothing for three days except pretzels and San Pellegrino sparkling orange drink. Neither of those are paleo. Not at all. Not even a smidge....

Yesterday I completed the Spartan Sprint in Temecula, Ca. I was shoveling things in my mouth the entire distance of the course to keep me going. Cliff Shot Blocks. Honey Stinger Waffles. Mustard for cramping. (Sooooo much mustard and still sooooo much cramping!) And at the end of the 5.6 mile long 104 degree course an angel of mercy appeared in front of me and handed me a FitAid drink. And you better believe I drank it. And then, at the bottom of the can, I read: PALEO FRIENDLY.

Oh shit.

Thats rigggghhhhht.

I have this Paleo thing coming up.

So, here we are. It is September 28th. Two more days in which I can drink wine and eat chocolate and not bat an eye. Two more days, people!

Two. Days.

xx,
Jess.
@paperback_lifter