100 Things About Me

Thanks to Cindi for this idea!

1. I am 100% Greek.
2. I am 100% goddess. :)
3. I teach step aerobics.
4. And boot camp.
5. And lots of other classes.
6. I work in non-profit.
7. I wish I made more money.
8. Some days I really love running.
9. Sunday was one of those days.
10. I have a husband.
11. His name is Andrew.
12. He has lots of nicknames.
13. We have 5 pets.
14. Only one is male.
15. Only one is a dog.
16. The dog is not the male pet.
17. If I could, I'd adopt 10 more pets.
18. Or more.
19. I am a personal trainer.
20. I wish I could quit my job and just do fitness fulltime.
21. This is difficult.
22. And I'm only on #22.
23. Sometimes I think I'm much younger than my 41 years.
24. I certainly don't act my age.
25. I am tall.
26. I am thin.
27. I am muscular.
28. I like being tall, thin, and muscular.
29. In high school I was the least athletic person you'd ever met.
30. I wish my old coaches could see me now.
31. Lots of people call me a girlie girl.
32. I think I'm equal parts girlie and tomboyish.
33. Is that weird?
34. I'm good at keeping secrets.
35. I teach college English.
36. I'm worried that I haven't received my class assignment for the fall yet.
37. I'm a terrible procrastinator.
38. I miss my old coworkers.
39. I don't miss the stress of my old job.
40. Or the commute.
41. Or the negativity.
42. I love to read.
43. My favorite book is The Little Engine That Could.
44. I used to read it before every volleyball game in college.
45. I have lots of wonderful friends.
46. My closest friends are my husband, mother, and brother.
47. I am so lucky!
48. I am proud to be a runner.
49. I miss Iron Mike.
50. And Calvin. Oh boy, do I miss Calvin.
51. I have brown hair.
52. It's going gray.
53. I'm fighting it.
54. I will win.
55. I like wearing black.
56. The copy guy is here to fix our color copier.
57. I need to use said copier before the end of the day.
58. I have no artistic ability whatsoever.
59. I am a decent writer, though.
60. Maybe this could be called 60 Things About Me????
61. I am constantly hungry.
62. I think I have a tapeworm.
63. I am doing my first Olympic triathlon in August.
64. I am seriously terrified.
65. I am not 100% convinced I can do it!
66. I was born in 1966.
67. In October.
68. 2 days late on the 22nd.
69. At 2:22 p.m.
70. Isn't that ironic?
71. I hate that ironic song. Nothing in the song is actually ironic.
72. Makes me nuts.
73. It's weird to talk about myself so much.
74. I don't think I like it.
75. Theia means goddess in Greek.
76. It's not pronounced the way you think it is.
77. I'm not looking forward to marathon training.
78. Or the actual race in November.
79. I'm starting to remember how much I hated running when I trained for my first marathon.
80. Oh well, too late now. I've already told everyone I'm doing one.
81. I love the Philadelphia Flyers.
82. I've loved them since I was about 7 years old.
83. I love all hockey, actually.
84. I also am fanatical about U2.
85. Bono, in particular.
86. If I could meet one person, it would be him.
87. I almost did meet him in 2005.
88. I don't like to talk about that day.
89. My brother met him.
90. I was insanely jealous.
91. But happy for my brother.
92. I am eating a Rice Krispies treat. Yum!
93. As you can see, I'm not fanatical about nutrition. :)
94. That's why I have to exercise 6 days a week.
95. I like doing sudoku puzzles.
96. And crossword puzzles.
97. Hopefully they'll keep my brain working for a long time.
98. I wish I had another Rice Krispies treat.
99. Or a Theia brownie.
100. My hands are tired of typing. :)

Going for it

So, I think I'm taking the plunge. It's been nearly 3 years, but I'm going to do another marathon. Looks like Philly is the lucky race! :) (They were all vying for me, you know. I'm quite the in-demand runner... not!)

After doing San Diego Rock & Roll in June 2005, I remember thinking I could definitely break 4:30 in my second marathon. Well, I'll get my chance in November.


Speaking of marathons, here's a pic of IronHubby and me from the Delaware Marathon relay last weekend. The only thing I like about it is the fact that my legs look really defined. Oh, and the fact that IH looks totally HOT! Go me for snagging such a cutie. He was a sport and ran with me during my leg of the relay and really helped keep me on pace. Thanks, IH!

Pride

I am enormously proud of my Philadelphia Flyers. In the 2006-2007 season, they placed 30th. Out of 30 teams. Not good.

This year, they barely made it to the playoffs. Lots of folks didn't think they would.

They did.

No one expected them to get past Washington in the first round.

They did.

No one expected them to beat Montreal in the second round.

They did.

So they lost to Pittsburgh in 5 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. They still transitioned from absolute worst in the league to top four... in one season!

GO FLYERS!!!!!!! Is it October yet? :)

My boys!!!!

YEAH!!!!!!!!!

Steppin' and sweatin'

So after HEAT I always teach step. I'm a mess at the end of the two hours! Here's last night's step choreography... which probably won't make sense to anyone but me and the crazy regulars who come to my class. :)

Five parts, each 32 self-reversing counts.

Part 1
up up and switch on top, exit front
crossover
over quick 2x
corner box step
cha cha front and back on the front side of the step
chasse around to the back of the step
1 ham curl

Part 2
tie the knot 2x
rock on top, straddle down
stomp and exit front
triple switch
stomp the corners 2x

Part 3
rhythm stomp
revolve over to the front of the step
stomp straddle
front/back repeater
cha cha box step 2x
1 ham curl

Part 4
hop spin into a mambo cha cha on the floor, front side of the step
spin 2 around the end to the back of the step
1 stomp
1 kick
lunge around the world

Part 5
cha cha reverse turn
1/2 of an Elvis
double knee
rock off the tip
stomp straddle or crossover
rock off the tip
stomp straddle or crossover

:)

Can you handle the HEAT?

Here's last night's HEAT class. It was a toughie! Sweat galore!

Equipment needed: stability ball, body bar, mat. Each set is a cardio burst, then legs, then upper body, then core.

jacks (hold the ball and move it up and down as you do each jack OR add 1 bounce per jack)
plie holding the ball overhead, then plie with a side bend
bentover row standing on 1 leg and kneeling into the ball, holding the bar in one hand
back extensions on the ball

shuffles side to side
curtsey lunges taking the ball overhead and down to the floor with each lunge
pushups on the ball
plank on the ball

lunges (quick ones behind and to the sides)
split squat with a twist (down, twist right, center, up, down, twist left, center, up, etc.)
dips on the ball
plank tuck on the ball

mountain climber (push the ball against the wall for this one)
ham curl (heels on the ball, lift hips up, roll ball in toward butt)
upright row/overhead press with the bar
bridge with heels on the ball

military jog (hold ball or bar overhead)
plyo lunges (lunge position, down and up a few times, jump and switch, repeat repeat repeat)
bicep curls
crunches on the ball

x-country ski
side squats
skullcrushers
Russian twist with the ball

FLYERS!!!!!

I may not have time to post this tomorrow, so...


LET'S GO, FLYERS!!!!!!!!!!

Fun with Plyometrics

Last night's HEAT class was a toughie! After a longer-than-normal warmup, we did a higher intensity movement followed by a similar lower intensity/impact version, one minute each. After 5 different pairings, we recovered by doing 2 minutes of bicycles for abs. Then 5 more pairings and 2 minutes of bicycles again.

SET 1
squat jump 1 minute
squat 1 minute

skater's leap 1 minute
alternate side lunges 1 minute

power jacks 1 minute
jumping jacks 1 minute

high knees 1 minute
jog in place 1 minute

mountain climber 1 minute
pushups 1 minute

2 minute bicycle

SET 2
football feet 1 minute
jog in place 1 minute

plyometric lunges 1 minute
alternate rear lunges 1 minute

suicides 1 minute
stair run 1 minute

walking plank + 2 pushups 1 minute
plank 1 minute

crazy jacks 1 minute
jog in place 1 minute

2 minutes bicycle

Then we went to the mats and did some leg extensions and abductor/glute work. Then more abs and core and a big stretch.

Broad Street Run Race Report - Vengeance Now

Background
2003 - Ran the Broad Street Run with a friend who failed to tell me (a) she was on the Atkins Diet, and (b) she had done the fat fast the entire week prior to the race. It became the Broad Street Walk when she couldn't even make it to the first mile marker. Broad Street 1, Theia 0.

2006 - Ran the Broad Street Run with two friends, got separated pretty quickly, and got to about the 10K mark before I went up on the sidewalk to pass after getting boxed in by the crowd, rolled my ankle off said sidewalk, and went down in a heap. Sprained ankle, sprained Achilles tendon, and two torn ligaments in my foot. Broad Street 2, Theia 0.

2007 - Started to train for the Broad Street Run until my doctor strongly advised against doing any distance running. He was a fertility doctor. I was in my second round of (unsuccessful) fertility treatments, so I promptly dropped out of my training. Broad Street 3, Theia 0.

2008 - My revenge race.

I followed my coach's training plan of 4 runs per week and added all my usual cross-training and classes -- anywhere from 3-8 fitness classes (indoor and outdoor boot camp, step aerobics, Spinning) and 1-3 days of weights each week. When race day arrived, I felt pretty good. I was confident I could finish in 1:27 but hoped I'd be closer to 1:25. My stretch goal was 1:23, but I knew that'd be challenging.

Clock time = 1:31:55
Chip time = 1:27:16
Actual running time (subtracting a 1 minute pee break behind a dumpster) = 1:26:15

Lots of lessons learned yesterday.

Bad
1. I'm not nearly sore enough today, which clearly tells me I had more to give yesterday. I could have and should have pushed harder.

2. My nutrition was Teh Suck. I felt hungry and weak at about Mile 6. Must work on better nutrition the day/night before and the morning of a big race.

3. Cherry caffeinated sport beans apparently upset my stomach. :(

Good
1. For once, my pacing was pretty much spot on. I'm very pleased.
8:49 (so crowded! plus I wanted to start easy)
8:39
8:41
9:44 (aforementioned pee break)
8:32 (water)
8:37
8:39 (water)
8:35 (Gatorade)
8:29
8:28

2. I got a 5+ minute PR over my only other 10-mile race this past January.

3. I actually finished and stayed upright the entire 10 miles!

Best of all

Biron for President!

'Nuff said.

Let's go, Flyers! (eh eh eheheh) (again)

I. Love. The. Flyers.