the 1st of the month brings a new goal..

It's September 1st! How is that even possible? Fall is my favorite time of year, by far. I grew up in Ohio so that means changing leaves, apple picking in jackets, comfortable outdoor running, lots and lots of pumpkin and of course FOOTBALL! 

I have A LOT going on this month, so I wanted to set myself a fitness goal that I feel is slightly unattainable. I know sounds funny, right? But, my whole fitness journey has been about me surpassing goals that I NEVER thought were possible. I push myself because I love proving myself wrong. 

I am currently signed up for two races this month. Pink Strides (5k trail race) and Dances with Dirt, the relay trail race that started it all for me. I am so excited for that weekend, it is an amazing time and a chance to be with family while running! 

Dances with Dirt - Hell (2014)

Dances with Dirt - Hell (2014)

 I thought I would do a monthly total mileage goal. I have never done one of these, but have seen many people conquer their personal goal and thought this was the perfect month. Finding time to run this month will be challenging for me, and 85% of my runs will be with Luke in the stroller, but those are the best! 

Personally, I think 50 miles would be safe. So, naturally I am going for 75 miles in the month of September. Now, last winter this would have been an easier goal for me, but I have really been focusing on sculpting, group classes and lifting this summer and not doing too much running (averaging 8 miles a week). I have a bit of a head start since I will be doing 12-14 miles the weekend of Dances with Dirt, but that is at the end of month. 

I started my month with a bang. I have wanted to try PortaPT running workouts for awhile now. I saw one of my running friends, Emily, post about purchasing one and knew that now was the time.  I opted for the Crazy Sprints workout, I have been wanting to improve my time, so I thought this was perfect. 

Whew, it was a doozie! I am proud that I made it through, and really only did about 3 minutes of walking recovery throughout, while maintaining my jogging recovery. I totaled 3.5 miles, not too shabby since I haven't ran since my Texas visit. 

Make sure to check out some of her treadmill workouts, use code  sbmrunchall for 25% off!! She coaches you and gives you some great motivational support throughout the entire run. I loved them and can't wait to purchase more!


I am amazed I was able to smile after that workout!

Who wants to join me? 
Do less miles than me, do more miles than me, try a walking goal, whatever you want let's just do it together! I am doing this to hold myself accountable, so will be happy to check in and do random posts to make sure we are all hitting our goals. 

If you are wanting to join, comment below and I will make sure to check in and include you on posts regarding the goal! Let's make it super easy to track and use hashtag #SBMrunchallenge! Or if you want a more personal approach, shoot me an email and we can hold you accountable that way!
Get moving!! 

Happy running, 

buns of speed!

Happy Monday ya'll! I hope your coffee was strong and your "to do" list short! 

 Which one to choose? Who else loves a near empty gym? I find myself singing and dancing along to my music, and with no one else in the treadmill area, it means I can let loose!

I am not sure how I have not shared this treadmill workout. I like to call this workout, "Buns of Speed"! It is a good calorie burner and in a perfect world it would be 3 miles, instead of just short, but when I am on the treadmill I am really going for time, not distance. 35 minutes is the perfect amount for me, because it gives me enough time to stretch and visit the weight room, but still feel like I got in a good cardio workout.

Buns of Speed!

Here is my recap! If you must hit that 3 mile mark, than add on 5 minutes which would add on roughly 1/2 a mile, or extend your warm up by a minute! Also, remember the idea is to get the incline so you choose the speeds that work for you. 

I think it may be time to share some of my favorite workout tunes with you. Here is a link to my go to running mix, it is quite the mix. 

http://open.spotify.com/user/rnye1/playlist/4aiwZHQj0hofE7wqXyMNyb

You will notice a good amount of Britney on this list, she is amazing and will forever be my Work B*tch! 

What's your running jam?!

Happy running, 

Meredith 

praise for the incline!

Running in the desert during the summer, is similar to running on a treadmill in the sauna. You feel wore out way before you hit your high, and your legs are just jello. It is rough! Ryan, Luke and I went for a 4.5 mile run Sunday morning, and while I felt a bit better this run than I have the past few, it is just so hard to have an enjoyable run in July. So, I am back to the treadmill grind this week, maybe we will try a bit earlier next weekend, or maybe not!

Luke fell asleep on our run, which he has not done in over a year. I blame it on early wake up, due to him discovering he can get out of his crib! I think we will be transitioning to the big boy bed soon, be on the look out for updates on that! 

 In other big news, Ryan and I have decided to run the Phoenix Rising Half Marathon in November (now that I have announced it to the masses, you are for sure doing it, Ryan)! Ryan has been running more and more, and we think it will be fun to train together and accomplish something that large, together! 

Inclines are my best friend on the treadmill. There are days where sprinting just isn't on the books for me, and those days I typically focus on the incline buttons! According to Self Magazine, incline work targets your thighs, calves and booty. Who doesn't need to work their booty?  Also, since I have started to do incline work, I have noticed a huge difference in my pace as well as less shin splints. Clearly, I am a big advocate of adding incline! 

This is my "go to" workout for days where I feel like spending a big chunk of my gym time on the treadmill, but I am not in the mood to just run. It burns a lot of calories and gives me a good solid distance. 

Here is my workout recap! 

I feel the same as every average American, treadmill running is not fun, but I hope my last few treadmill posts have helped you to change up the monotony! Tweak them how you need, maybe you start faster, maybe you start slower, whatever you do just START! 

Happy running, 

Meredith 

why the gym is my happy place (plus a really fun treadmill workout)

Vacation is officially over! Look for a vaca recap in the next few days, but until then Luke and I are back to our daily grind. Considering Luke is still on east coast time, and is waking up around 5:30AM, this morning was exactly what I needed. Today's workout was perfect, I got in some best friend time (thanks for the breathless chat, Briana), along with a great workout!!

My cowboy and I walking into the gym! This is his gym attire, he insists on wearing his boots and hat everyday!

The gym is my happy place, there are very few days that I have to force myself to go to the gym. It took a few months for me to feel this way, but it has become a habit for me. Saying this, I will admit that I am semi addicted to the gym because I am also addicted to "me" time. 

Gasp!! I know, a mom that is admitting to loving time to herself. I'm human enough to admit that not all days are easy around the Nye household, some days are downright hard. The gym is a place for me to not worry about what is for dinner, not think about how long it has been since Luke went #2, and most importantly not worry about cleaning the kitchen for the 19th time that day. Luke is safe and happy playing in the child watch with his best buddies and I am happily sweating out the stress and thinking about ME! 

Here is another one of my favorite treadmill workouts. It is a pyramid workout, your up tempo speeds start at a certain point, you work your way up and than come back down to the original speed. 

Start where you are comfortable, even if that means doing a walking speed. If you opt for walking always add in some incline, it is amazing how much more effective it will be. This is a short 25 minute program, but you will be sweating quickly and feeling amazing by the end. 

Here is my workout summary! Woo hoo to 256 calories burned, that is like 1/4 a cup of chardonnay, right?

Happy running, 

Meredith 

oh so you love the treadmill too?

First of all happy #nationaldonutday! We don't celebrate every holiday, I mean come on, tomorrow is "National Gardening Exercise Day"? But, today we had to indulge, because we LOVE donuts. 

Here is Luke at Queen's Donuts, picking out his favorite (always vanilla topping with sprinkle)! 

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If you are like me you loathe the idea of a treadmill. 

I know you are all thinking, "She lives in Arizona, come on, why is she even on a treadmill!" Most of you are planting flowers, basking in the spring sun, and overall breathing a huge sigh of relief that the "white stuff" is gone for a few months. While us Arizonians, are preparing for hibernation. No, seriously have you ever tried to run in 110 degree dry heat? The summer is our treadmill season, unless you enjoy waking up at 4AM and going for a jog, which I do not. 

Way back (about a year and a half ago) when I started my fitness journey, I spent a lot of time on the treadmill. It was my safe place, the gym I went to was not too busy and my son was happily playing in the child watch. I searched Pinterest and found quite a few different workouts that started out incredibly hard, but after months of usage, they became quite monotonous. I signed up for my first big race, Ragnar - Del Sol, and I needed to work on inclines, endurance and speed. I started to fine tune some of the workouts and eventually came up with a few really effective treadmill series. 

Ragnar - Del Sol, 2015

I want to share these with you, but keep in mind that I am not a certified trainer or fitness professional (yet, eeeek). These work for me and I have found that when something works for me I may be able to share and reach just one person who ends up loving it as much as me.  

I typically run three times a week, two of these times will be on a treadmill doing speed or incline intervals, with the third being my long outdoor run. The following workout is one that I do quite often. What I have listed, are my speeds and my inclines. This by no means has to be what you run, change it up, make it fit your running (or walking) style. For a lot of you, 7.5 may be your comfortable pace, more power to you, but it is my sprinting pace for now. The idea is to be sweating and out of breathe after the "up" minutes. 

The entire workout is roughly 2.4 miles of awesome! It is one of my shorter workouts, but guaranteed to make you sweat and feel it the next day!

 On a final note, I want to let you know that this workout would have killed me a year and a half ago! You must start somewhere, and you must stick with goals to see improvement. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would label myself a runner, it has become a passion and something that I need in my daily life. 

Happy running,

Meredith