[Mandy] Well, we’ve gone and done it again: we’re switching gears! With Christopher still lifting heavy but training to be in half marathon shape, I’ve also toned down my running and have allowed myself to focus on my other love: weightlifting. For a short time during my early 20s I focused solely on lifting heavy and putting on size…I was actually trying to gain weight! I got my bench press max up to 150lbs and was able to squat 185lb. I loved the feeling of moving heavy weight and feeling strong!  After my last marathon in October, it took me a little while to adjust to the idea of not running as much and to allow myself the freedom to try new things and to return to old loves. Christopher has been a great partner and has supported me and pushed me to venture back out and to take some time to devote to other forms of exercise. We’ve been lifting, running, cross-training on the elliptical, hitting abs pretty hard, biking, throwing in some crossfit exercises, and researching and experimenting new weight-lifting moves. We’ve been pretty impressed with ourselves in keeping things new and exciting and pushing ourselves to new levels…which brings me to my topic

I feel a little lost without goals, so I’ve set a few weightlifting goals that I would like to reach by the end of June.  I want to bench press 135 lbs, squat 185 lbs, dead lift 185 lbs, and do 12 unassisted pull ups. I have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time, but I’ve been feeling so motivated and having so much fun with our workout routines, I’m hoping my drive will get me there! I have the best workout partner who knows when to push me and when to taunt me with a pacifier when I’m being a baby We signed up for the Hospital Hill Half Marathon in June, which will be Christopher’s first official half marathon! We’re doing our best to keep up our running as much as possible while still pushing ourselves in other areas. We’ll keep you posted on the race, but I’m sure we’ll only have good things to relay!

Mandy had a bit of spill on the sidewalk on our late night 12 miler.

On a quick side note, I am very happy to report that I just got new shoes! I’ve been running in my Saucony Kinvaras and have loved them, but I’ve been itching to drop down to more of a minimalist shoe. I’d love to be able to eventually run in Vibrams, but I think my body requires more of a transition. The Saucony Hattori is the lightest and most minimal running shoe that they offer; and after ordering them last week I was able to run the first 8 miles of our 12 mile run in them on Saturday night. I didn’t want to do too much in them too soon and risk injuring myself, but it was so hard to take them off after only 8 miles. I think I’m really going to love running in them. They are extremely light weight and don’t have much to them at all. It’s pretty close to the feeling of running barefoot!

[Christopher] The original idea was to just sign up for the Waddell and Reed Kansas City Half Marathon in October, but we were already putting in the miles now, so I figured what the hell. Why not, right? I’m looking forward to it. I’m not really setting a goal for time. I just want to finish it and know that I can without any issues (i.e. endurance, injury, etc.). We are still going to do the Kansas City Half as well. Hey, this is my big year of turning 4 – 0. Why not bring it in with a bang of all sorts of events?

I got a new pair of Vibram’s just a couple of days ago. They are the KomodoSports. These are my third pair of Vibram’s and they are all a bit different than the next; but so far these are my favorite. They have an extra adjustment on the side to make them a bit more snug. I took them to the test on Saturday night and they worked well! I’m looking forward to taking them to the trails to see how they feel there as well.

As I said, we have ton of events coming up that we are looking forward to doing. This month especially is our most favorite since we will be celebrating our one year anniversary on the Katy Trail again for the Pedaler’s Jamboree! Bike month starts this month, and national Bike Week is May 14 through the 20th. Lots of things coming. We really need to step up our game. Mandy has to make sure and show off those BAD ASS socks I got her as a gift whenever she can!

As always, if anybody ever wants to join us, please feel free to ask or just show up! We always welcome everyone; the more the merrier.

M&C

[Mandy] Saturday’s long run was the best run I’ve had in a long time! I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by the distance. I haven’t run 12 miles in MONTHS, and I was a little worried it would’t go as well as I was hoping. Christopher had the genius idea of sleeping in just a little that morning, and it was exactly what we needed!  I ate my usual protein shake in the morning for breakfast and added a small protein bar before I stepped onto the treadmill. Sipping on my energy drink (my beloved Ephedra Tea) helped wake me up and get my body warmed up.  We got to the gym a little later than we planned, but it allowed us to wake up a little more and get our bodies warmed up before starting our run.  I was excited for Christopher to complete his first ever 12 mile run; there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to own this workout!  I took the first 6 miles fairly easy and eased into it by slowly accelerating as I ran along. I can’t believe how quickly the first half went by!  When the treadmill shut down at 60 minutes, I had completed 6.5 miles. I stretched my legs, sucked down my carb gel with caffeine, took a swig of water, and hopped back on to finish up the next 5.5 miles. I found a good song, settled back in, and pounded out the last 6 miles effortlessly.  I ran the 2nd 6 miles faster than the first, and I actually finished up with a total of 12.5 miles! I was smiling and exhausted, and it was a great reminder of why I love running. I was so impressed with Christopher who was flying right along beside me.  Here was a guy who had never run anything longer than 2-3 miles, and he was tackling a 12 mile run.  I’ll let him tell you about it

[Christopher] My cheesy song title will have to be “You’re the Best” from the Karate Kid movie, because that’s exactly what I listened to for the last few miles. I had downloaded a bunch of songs from movies that were motivational back in the day, and I thought I would give it a try. Hey, 2 hours on a treadmill is a long time to stay in one place. I might as well make it fun. 12 miles is exactly what I cranked out, and I did it in 1 hour and 49 minutes. It’s certainly not a “fast” run but fast for me. AND, I still had enough to keep going another mile and a half. I felt really good and was not wiped out like I thought I would be. The best thing about this whole training is that I have been able to keep up my heavy lifting like I wanted to. In fact, I think I have actually gained some strength by letting my muscles rest a little longer than usual. If I had started to lose strength, I probably would have given up on the running. I’m starting to like running a little, but it certainly will not affect my heavy lifting. I also think that the crossfit that we have incorporated into our workouts have helped improve our running and workouts tremendously. One thing Mandy did not mention is that she has improved a LOT with her workouts and lifting. That little girl is strong. I am super impressed with her ability to push heavy weight. Not only have I mentioned this to her, but people throughout the gym have mentioned it as well. She definitely makes for a great workout partner and she’s all mine.

The next long I have schedule will be the half marathon distance. I’m super excited to see how it goes. Stay tuned!

[Christopher] 10 mile = Complete. That’s what was on schedule for our Saturday run. When I said to Mandy, “after mile 9, I was feeling pretty good” she asked me to repeat it. I admit I was a little skeptical about the 10 mile run. Yes, I had run it once before a few weeks back, but I also remember that it wasn’t all that effortless. This time I felt as if I could keep going. I did in fact run almost another half mile before I started thinking about what was in store for the next weekend; my longest run yet of 12 miles. I hit stop on the treadmill and stamped it good. I felt pretty good and still had plenty of stamina.

A couple of weeks ago, our friend Tom gave me his compression shin sleeves to try out and see if they would help out with the shin splints. I like them so much that I went out and bought another pair, Zensah Compression Leg Sleeves. Both sleeves are really helping my healing time with my shins, which allows the blood flow to improve healing time. The Zensah’s are really helpful because I can wear these to work, to bed or while working out. The material is specially knitted to help provide optimal support throughout the calf and cool enough to wear all the time. I highly recommend them and they run about $40 for the pair.

I have also invested in a pair of compression pants by 2XU. I felt like my legs were not healing quick enough before I had to run again, lift weights or the crosstraining. I also believe this is causing my shins splints pain. So I figured if the shin sleeves work that well, why not invest in some pants? These did not come all that cheap at $160, but well worth it if they help. I will try them out on Tuesday for my 8 mile Tempo run and see. I’m crossing my fingers that this is really gonna improve the healing time. Stay tuned!

[Mandy] Much like Christopher, I had a great 10 mile run on Saturday as well!  I made sure to eat a big dinner the night before and added some extra carbs to my breakfast that morning. It was just what I needed!  I could tell my body was still tight and sore from the workouts the preceding week, but the added fuel gave me the energy I needed to knock out those 10 miles with relative ease. I felt strong, confident, and like I could run forever. I made myself stop at 10 miles even though it felt like I could have ran farther; I knew mileage increased the next week and didn’t want to overdo it. I’ve been lucky that I haven’t had any injuries or problems while switching up our workouts.  My body is adjusting to the change, and I am LOVING feeling stronger than ever. I think I found a happy medium between running as much as I am and still getting in strong lifts and some fun cross-training. I think I might keep this up for a while!  If Christopher’s compression pants do wonders for him, I’m thinking of trying some out as well. I deal with some lower back and hip problems, and I would love if something as simple as that could help remedy the issue.  Until then I’m focused on stretching and recovering on my own as much as possible. I’m really looking forward to our 12 mile run this weekend!

M&C

[Mandy]  With Christopher being out of town all last week for work, my workouts were a little bit lonely.  It was motivating to know that he was working out at the same time in Arizona, and we did our best to follow our routine as much as possible, even without my PIC next to me.  I was able to squeeze in an extra day of rest due to some family time, and my body was especially grateful!  I kept my two runs during the week at a strict 6.25 miles but made sure I did them both all out.  I felt strong, rested, and like I was running effortlessly.  In short, I felt like I was “back.”  By Saturday morning I was feeling pretty solid, having had a few great workouts under my belt.  Since Christopher got back into town Friday evening, we took the night off and opted for rest instead. The scheduled 10 mile run on Saturday went off without a hitch. I allowed myself the first 2-3 miles to warm up, and by the time I settled in I was moving at a pretty good clip.  I knocked out the last 4 miles in under 8 minute mile pace; by the time I hit 10 miles I was exhausted! I left every ounce of energy on the treadmill (along with every ounce of sweat) and was thoroughly surprised and impressed to see Christopher hammering it out next to me.  I’ll let him tell you all about his week and his 10 mile run, but the man never ceases to amaze me.  He looked strong, focused, and downright angry as he flew along next to me.  I have never doubted his ability to run like this, but I’ve been so impressed that he’s taken to this as quickly and as easily as he has!  He’s proving that he can do anything he puts his mind to! I couldn’t be more proud of his work effort and his ability to push himself farther than he ever thought possible. I know this half marathon will have nothing on him

[Christopher] Yup, 10 miles of running. Had someone told me that I would be running 10 miles a few years ago, I would have smirked and let it go in one ear and out the other.

All last week I had to take a business trip to Scottsdale Arizona. The weather was supposed to be nice and sunny with the highs of 65°, so I did my research so I could plan to run while out of town. I was determined to keep up my training no matter were I was. I found out that there was an area not far from my hotel that I could run called the Greenbelt and leads up to Chaparral Lake Park. As much as I was not looking forward to being without my PIC for a week, the change of scenery would help with the distraction. I couldn’t believe how effortless the run felt on Monday and that I was excited to get back out on Tuesday and then again on Wednesday. I was a little nervous that I was going to have shin splint pain, but it was never an issue. Monday I got in 7 miles, Tuesday I was able to get in 6.5 miles, and Wednesday I got in another 7 miles. I did experience some soreness that I have never felt before, but that was going to be a given with a newbie running that much three days in a row. I’m not really sure how I ran that much? Any normal week I would be wanting to take a break in between a 7 mile run.  Although I was very determined, running in a unfamiliar area helped the time fly by. It kept my mind off every step I made and more about enjoying the moment and taking it all in.

Saturday came and I was finally back with my PIC. 10 miles was on the schedule. I tried not to think about it, but honestly, I was a little intimidated. The longest I had gone was 8 miles. Sure it was only 2 more miles, but 2 more miles after already being exhausted can seem like 10 miles. “Just take it slow and easy and see how it goes”, is what I kept telling myself over and over again. Keep my head focused on what is important; no injuries and don’t gas out too soon. The first 5 miles I kept the pace at around 6 mph. I was surprised that I had no real pain issues, and I really wasn’t out of breath. Mandy had told me once, “you should be able to carry a conversation throughout the whole run,” which sounded like a lot of malarkey to me. Now after mile 5, I was feeling like a conversation would be easy. I got to 6 miles and pressed stop since the treadmill quits at 60 minutes. I took a short break to fill up my water bottle and a quick stretch and got back to it. Only 4 more miles. This should be cake. My iPod was fixed to only play A Perfect Circle, and the treadmill was set to 6.5 mph. I have always heard about the “autopilot” thing but never understood what that meant until I reached mile 8. With my music blaring in my ears and my eyes staring at the television, I hit that sweet spot or the “autopilot.” Everything around me got quiet. No sound of my breathing, no stomping on the treadmill, no television noise; I was lost in the music and floating on air. Is this the runners high that I was in? Feeling no pain or exhaustion, I bumped up the speed to 7.5 mph. I really felt like I was gliding along. After finding the song “Judith” on my iPod, the last mile went quickly with a 8.5 mph pace. It’s crazy how a song can give me that extra boost.  I finished my 10 mile run at 1:33:45 and a wave of emotion came over me that I cannot explain: it was the longest I have run yet and it felt pretty good. I definitely felt like I could have kept up on another 3.1 miles, but for now, I will settle for 10 and save the next big achievement for a later date.

M&C

P.S. If you are asking why we named this blog the way we did, well.. it’s a Slipknot thing and we thought it was appropriate for this blog.

Christopher: Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over (thankfully!), we are getting things back in line and into workout mode. But instead of our usual weights/running routine, we are changing it up. Since I have decided to run the Kansas City half marathon this year, I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and pretend that I was training for one now. That way, I can see how my body reacts to the change of pace. This way when I go to actually train for the half marathon, I will be somewhat prepared for it. The training schedule I have prepared for myself is going to be pretty intense and not very forgiving as I am already experiencing. My schedule will go as follows;

-Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday will be the running days.

-Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will stick with my usual heavy lifting.

-Tuesday and Thursday dedicated to cross training for more explosive exercises to work on the fast twitch muscles and improve our agility.

Here it is only Thursday and my legs are screaming at me. As I laid in bed last night looking up at the ceiling, I had the heating pad under my hamstrings and I can still smell Bengay from when I applied it on my quads earlier that day; I wondered, why do I do this to myself? Why do I put my body through this stress when the rest of the world sitting down in front of the television, keeping up on world events, watching “Dancing with the Stars,” and enjoying their favorite dinner? I can say that I like the way it makes me feel, and that is mostly true, but more importantly I never want to say to myself, “I wish I would have done that.” I do what I want and I do what I love. It’s my life and I don’t get a second chance at it. Carpe diem!

Mandy:  I have been anxiously awaiting the beginning of training! I feel lost when I don’t have something to work towards, and I kind of felt like I was floundering for a while after I completed my marathon in October.  Since Christopher committed to his first half marathon next October and wanted to begin training for it now, I was more than happy to join in and train with him! My goal is to be in constant half marathon shape year round.  That way I can spontaneously run races here and there when I want to, and it won’t take much for me to train for something a little longer.  I’m also looking forward to adding more cross-training to my workouts such as total body cross-fit exercises and other forms of cardio such as biking, stair-climbing, and the elliptical, in addition to my weights.  My workout program is looking the same as Christopher’s; I’m still holding to my 3x a week running plan with a longer run over the weekends.  The mind and body have such a strong connection, and I know I just don’t feel like myself when I’m not running as much. As of right now I have not committed to any other races, but I know it won’t be long before I feel that itch again.  I’m ecstatic to be back on track with our workouts and diet again!  This year is off to a great start

We’ll see you out there! Where? Yes, there.

M&C