In nine days I’m running a half marathon with my dear friend Lori.

Just in case you are wondering, this post is not about ME.

After a ridiculously wet 11 mile long run last week.

You may recall that Lori journeyed with me last year when I went to the Big Apple to run the New York Marathon with Katie. Because of that, and many, many, many other things … I have become her biggest fan.  Lori has lost over 105 pounds and one of her major goals in life is to conquer a distance race.

So here we go. This is HER race. And we’re gonna do it… together.

Can’t you just FEEL the excitement?

Having and conquering a goal is a powerful thing. The feeling of empowerment that comes from proving something to yourself is almost indescribable.

I can’t wait to see her face when they place that medal around her neck.

Truth be told, to me she is already a winner. She has battled so many odds and still she shines. She is my hero.

Next week ‘s race is just a formality.

“Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.” — T. Alan Armstrong

How about you? Do you have hero in your life?

Boy have I been off of my running game lately.

Last week I skipped my long run. I had so much to do and so many pressing commitments that I had to skip my run with the girls. Long story short, I never made up for it on my own. (Shocking, right?)

This week consisted of a four mile run, a two and a half mile run and an eight mile hill run.

Can I just say that the eight miler kicked my ever-lovin’ a$$? Those hills were brutal. Now, I admit that I deserve the punishment – I haven’t been eating properly and the time change is still wrecking havoc on my life. I should be sleeping more. I’m actually kind of worried about my overall exhaustion. I don’t know if I should see a doctor or if I just need a good ole fashioned kick in the pants.

Sigh.

I will be running  a 1/2 marathon on May 7th with my bestie Lori and although I know that I can do it, I just hate the physical shape that I am in. I need to drop some weight, tone up and find some energy – STAT. I really hate crossing the finish line spent.

I have seven weeks to get something done.

I’m sooooo not motivated.

Help? Anyone know a quick program to get me going?

MUD. FIRE. ROPES. WATER. TIRES. NETS. BEER.

What do all of these things have in common? They are all an integral part of the inaugural Mud Dog Run being held on Saturday, April 16th at the Ceresville Mansion in Frederick County, Maryland.

Wow.

Now, I’ve tackled a couple of intense things in my lifetime (182 mile Ragnar Relay, anyone?) but this just seems like some tough, insane FUN. With beer.

Folks who participate will get to tackle a 3.1-mile course and wind their way through 14 different obstacles including tires, cargo nets, wall climbs, rope walks,  not to mentionrunning through parts of the Monocacy River. Did I forget to mention the jumping over fire part?

(Those of you familiar with the Warrior Dash, should know that the creator of the Mud Dog Run, Jay Jeffrey, drew his inspiration from that very event.)

Many of you are probably wondering where the beer part comes in. (Bunch of lushes!) Flying Dog Brewery, fabulous brewery that it is,  will host the after-party for its mud-covered runners. Think: beer, food and music! (Note: Families and friends are encouraged join the party afterward.)

What makes this fun-fest even better is that proceeds from the race will benefit the new FISC Foundation aimed at bestowing college and summer sports camp scholarships to local athletes. The goal for the first race is to fund five college scholarships and five sports camp scholarships. (I love a good cause!)

THE DETAILS:

Registration is $55 until April 1st and $65 thereafter. Participants will receive a pint glass (classic!) and light lunch with their registration.  For more information or to register, visit www.muddogrun.com.

Disclosure: My company is helping raise awareness of this event in the area. That being said, I was not asked to share this information on my personal space. I did it because, obviously, I am a crazy runner and this is so right up my alley! Who is joining me? (Still trying to get my husband to commit to mucking in the mud. Jury is still out.)

My body and my brain are just not in sync these days.

My brain thinks that I am some kind of Deena Kastor. My body thinks that I am some kind of Roseanne Barr. The two just don’t jive.

I’m training along with Katie (running partner) for the London Marathon. Before you get all excited… SHE is running the London Marathon, I am accompanying her on her training runs. Which means that I am out there doing stupid long distances for no really good reason. Except for the fact that Katie is awesomesauce and I want to grow up and be just like her. (And everyone deserves to have a friend on their long run.)

We did a 14 mile run on Sunday and I admit it… I was tired. Muscle-ache tired. Take-a-nap tired. I don’t know what was wrong with me. I’m beginning to wonder if I might be anemic again? Because really, the training shouldn’t be that exhausting.

On Tuesday I ran four miles of intervals on the treadmill and I felt pretty strong on that run. But this morning the exhaustion once again returned and I skipped my run. I’m hoping to make up for it tonight. (You can follow my training using the Daily Mile widget on the side of my blog.) Each day I do not run I lift weights. So I get some cross-training in. But I have a feeling that I need to incorporate some more cardio on top of that to break through this exhaustion. Or I could get more sleep. It’s a toss up. Heh.

Allow me to digress a moment to show you a great  TED video I found with Christopher McDougall speaking. In this video, titled Born to Run, he explores the mysteries of the human desire to run. As part of the talk he shares the story of the marathoner with a compassionate spirit, an unlikely ultra-runner, and a hidden tribe in Mexico that runs to live. I really enjoyed it and hope that you do too!

Post 2 in the Resolution Report series

This weekly report is my accountability to the world as well as a way to help others stay motivated on their own journey to fitness or ahem, a bikini body. I’ll share what I am learning along the way in the tips, techniques, resources & trends section of the posts.

Before I give you some actionable ideas, let me just report that I have lost four pounds in three weeks. YAY! Now, the critic in me thinks I should have lost at least six but hey, I’ll take it!  I’m trying train my brain to get over weighing my success in POUNDS and instead focus on STRENGTH  and BODY FAT loss. Not as easy as it sounds. (I’m half tempted to chuck my scale to avoid the temptation.)

At this moment, my body fat is at 28.2% and my BMI is 24.5.  My goal is to hit 21-22% body fat. I have a way to go, as you can tell.

My upcoming week focus and action items: Hitting my daily water goal and taking those before pictures

TIPS, TECHNIQUES, RESOURCES & TRENDS:

PULL OUT THE CAMERA: You know, a couple of years ago when my husband and I were really focused and on a roll, we took pictures every week of ourselves in bathing suits so we could see the changes that we were making in our bodies. As mortifying (MORTIFYING!) as those pictures were in the beginning, boy did they motivate us to keep our focus. It was thrilling to see visible changes. I have to admit, I’ve been avoiding the camera since January 1. I know that it is time to take that dreaded “before” picture. Sigh. I encourage you to pull out the camera and document your journey. It will keep you motivated and accountable.

FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER: Finding someone to keep you accountable and in essence act as a “cheerleader” is a priceless resource. In this case, tough love can be a blessing.  My partner is Lori. I just emailed her all of my measurements. Talk about vulnerability! Couple that with the fact that she herself has lost over 100+ pounds (not to mention the fact that she is my running partner) and you can imagine how she will help keep me on the straight and narrow.

HIT THE HEAVY WEIGHTS: Obviously I am a cardio girl. I would rather run than do most any other kind of exercise. But there is no denying how rapidly I see results when I hit the weights. (No wimpy weights either. That is just wasting your time, ladies.) I’ll be reporting more on this in my journey but let me just leave you with this little factoid: for each pound of muscle you have, you burn 50 extra calories per day.

EXPERIMENT: Now, obviously I am not a trainer or dietitian so remember these are my own trial and error recommendations… Protein supplements and shakes are very helpful when  you embark on a fitness and weight loss program. I’m a big fan of Myoplex Light (20 g of protein) and Slim Fast High Protein ( 15 g of protein) shakes. I try to substitute a meal with a shake a couple of times a week. Taste wise, I must admit that I prefer the Slim Fast products. They make me feel like I am “cheating” a bit more. Plus, mmmm… chocolate.  And their snack bars really satisfy when I need a sweet fix.