Accountability !

Well Jillian kicked my arse !  After three days of starting her 30 day shred I got sick with a naughty mystery spring/end of winter illness.  So after fever, coughing, and plenty of phlegm I had to take spring break week off for recovery.  So I will be starting that over tomorrow.
Today however I got back into the saddle with a much needed first training session with my Bliss Girl who is running with me in the marathon.  Saturday I took a trip down to Tanger in Branson and got my running shoes and a pair of Sketchers Shape Ups.   This year I am going to try running in a different shoe ... Saucony shoes seemed to fit me pretty good and after today's run I am pleased so far with their performance.
I have a narrow heel and I roll my right foot out when I run ... a leftover from that foot being turned in when I was born.  Supination  I believe is the term for that.  The Brooks shoes just didn't keep my heel locked in without me having to lace them so tight as to cause foot numbness.  I could post pictures of my nasty feet after the run last year, but we won't gross you out.
The Sacuony model I bought were the Grid series and they are a Neutral shoe. Saucony have a bit higher heel which has seemed to help with the cramping calf issue I had last year.  Today's run produced mild cramping but nothing so debilitating that I had to stop to release the cramp.  The outsides of my feet were mildly sore but the shoes did hold their own and keep my foot straight.  The arch support is awesome and I didn't get that "numb toe" effect on my outside little toes.  My heels also stayed where they were supposed to and so they didn't bang against the end of the shoe.  I have two pair of slightly different models that felt good on my feet that I will be breaking in and the ones that feel the best on my long run days will be my marathon shoes. 
It was a beautiful day to take a run today and I look forward to working on increasing my speed so that I can hopefully improve my time this year. 

Marathon Two ....Twin Cities

Yeah I know , what are you doing?  Well after the euphoric rush and epic crash after the MCM last year, I have decided to see if I can do it again.  So Minnesota here I come this October.  Training has started with me getting back into the groove of daily exercise and movement.  One recommendation from a co-worker was the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.  The shred consists of three workouts each increasing in intensity but the catch is that each workout is only 20 minutes long.
20 minutes of non-stop movement 3min cardio , 2 strength and 1 min abs in a set of circuits designed for maximum fat burning and muscle toning.  It is very similar to something I read on my friend Steve's advice Bill Phillips Body for Life.  Basically its several studies that show that 20 minutes of good hard circuit training will do just as well on fat burning as an hour of cardio.
Jillian turned me into Jell-o.  I am feeling this workout all over my body. She recommends you start off with 2lb weights. I now see why. After push-ups and arm raises and bicep curls with these weights my arms and chest are feeling it.  I am not uncomfortably sore but I do feel like I worked out.  So while the workouts may become repetitive for 9.99 not a bad video.  I plan on interspersing this with my runs and other activities to build my legs up for the run.
So to keep myself accountable ... I'll continue to document my journey.