A Little Motivation...

As you may remember, last February I participated in a 2-day relay race called the Ragnar Relay Del Sol. It was a fantastic and challenging experience and I look forward to participating in it again next year. Not only was the race itself really fun, but the goal of running in the race was great motivation to get my butt running!

The time has come to get on a team and get registered for next years race (February 26-27, 2010) and before I commit to running with my old team, I thought I would see if we had enough interest to have a BAR Fitness team. The race is from Prescott to Mesa and each runner runs three legs over the two days. The entire event costs about $200 per person (including registration and van rental) and we need 12 runners to make up our team. Unfortunately, we don't have too much time to decide. I would like to have a co-ed team in place by Nov 1st. If you are interested, please email me ASAP and I can answer any questions to help you decide. drtracie@thebarfitness.com. If you want to learn more about the race, visit the website at http://www.ragnarrelay.com/.

After the race this year, I wrote a blog entry to share my experience. I have re-posted that entry here so you can learn a little more about this awesome event. I look forward to running this year with a BAR Fitness team!

The motto of the Ragnar Relay organization is: Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat. I think you will soon understand why. The Ragnar Arizona Del Sol Relay started on Friday, February 27th up in Prescott and the course ran 202 miles south out of Prescott through Wickenburg, across the Carefree highway, across Northern Phoenix down to Fountain Hills and down to the finish line in Mesa. Our team, #157, was made up of twelve women and we were appropriately named “Are We There Yet?” We had an 8:00am starting time (start times were determined by speed of team with the fastest teams starting later). All the teams were split into two vans with runners 1-6 in van 1 and runners 7-12 in van 2. I was runner #6 and our van was departing from North Phoenix at 5:00am on Friday.

My friend Mary (who got me involved in the event) and I doubted our sanity for agreeing to do this as we picked up another teammate at a hotel at 4:20am. Her name is Jody and she joined our team via the Ragnar website and flew in from California not knowing anyone! In fact, I only knew Mary and another friend Kerry (who was in van #2) out of the 12 women. In addition to Mary, Jody, and me, Lauren, Sarah, and Lindsay (the team organizer) made up van #1. What a remarkable group of women! We ranged in age from 19 to 39, five of us were married, two of us had children, and we had careers that included physician, investment banker, medical sales rep, student, professor, and mom! I was so inspired and impressed with each of the women’s determination to complete the race and to push themselves to the limit. Only Jody had previous experience with any type of distance race, so we were all in for a new adventure!

So, at 5am on Friday morning with introductions complete, we all loaded up in the van with plenty of water, sunscreen, Advil, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and snacks to last us for the two day event. We arrived in Prescott, got checked in and before we knew it, the race began. The first two legs were 3.6 mile legs, followed by an unbelievably challenging 6.6 mile uphill third leg. This was followed by 5 and 5.3 mile legs and then I rounded out our group with a 6 mile run through Skull Valley. Brad and I have spent a good deal of time driving around Arizona, but I had never been to this area. My run was spectacular. The scenery was beautiful, and the first couple of miles were on a country dirt road before I merged onto to the main road. I felt great and completed the run in 61 minutes (I never claimed to be fast!). At the exchange point, I handed the bracelet (the baton for this relay was a “slap” bracelet that we exchanged) off to Beth, the first runner in van #2.

We had about six hours to rest before our van was due to run again so we drove to our next exchange point, which was Congress, AZ. You would not believe the scene! A huge dirt lot filled with countless vans and runners sleeping/resting on their sleeping bags in the dirt! It was a great environment and we soon joined right in. After refueling with some lunch, we all tried to get some sleep on the dirt.

The afternoon went quickly and before we knew it, Kerry was bringing in leg 12 ready to hand off to Lindsay (our first runner). It was now 8pm and really dark. With only a sliver of the moon, we depended on headlamps, reflective vests, and a flashlight to keep us safe and on track. Our night runners did awesome! Sarah (our third runner) even had to run up a freeway off-ramp (we ran the entire race against traffic, which took some getting used to!). It was about 1:00am when I started my second leg, which was a 3.3 mile run down highway 60 out of Wickenburg to the Carefree highway (Lake Pleasant cutoff). I finished shortly after 1:30am and my body was hurting. We were all exhausted. While our van #2 runners spent the remainder of the night running absolutely brutal legs across the Carefree highway, we drove to Cactus Shadow high school to get some sleep. You would be surprised how well all six of us slept snuggled up in the van! I woke up shortly after 6am feeling very thirsty and stiff. I got out of the van to stretch out thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to run another leg!

By 9am, Kerry was once again approaching the exchange point after a long night and a long run. Once again, Lindsay was off, marking the start of the final legs for our van. She had an 8.7 mile run and she was awesome! At this point in the race, we all needed some extra support, so we ended up dancing on the side of the road as our runners went by; doing everything we could to provide motivation and support! Not only were our bodies tired and sore, but it was hot! Finally, at 1:30pm on Saturday afternoon, I started my final leg. It was 6.4 miles into Fountain Hills. Shortly after I started, Brad drove by with Kate and Taylor in the car. I was so happy to see them! They parked on the side of the rode and cheered with my team as I ran by. My course was tough, mostly uphill, but my teammates were great. They kept me running and all I could think about was handing off that bracelet. At last, I saw the exchange point ahead and I ran with every last ounce of energy. As soon as I handed off the bracelet to Beth, the other girls in my van and I celebrated our accomplishment. The next thing I knew, Kate and Taylor came running up and tackled me on the grass! It was so great to see them after a tough, but fun, couple of days!

After getting some food and a much deserved beer, Brad and I and the girls and Mary and her husband Joe headed down to Mesa to the actual race finish line. Kerry crossed the finish line just before 7:00pm; finishing the race that team #157 had started 34 hours, 58 minutes and 49 seconds earlier. We were far from being the fastest team on the course, in fact we finished 201st out of 214 teams. I should note that most of the teams were coed and a lot were made up of competitive runners. Nevertheless, we finished and we finished with a lot of determination and sweat as we had battled narrow highway shoulders, pounding sun, gusting crosswinds, road kill, very little sleep, treacherous hills, and a really dark night.

I learned a lot in my two days. I have never been so proud of a group of women in my life. For most all of us, this was a new experience. For some of us, it was a time to do something for ourselves. I am a busy mom who for the last three years has done very few things just for me. Mary is a new doctor who spent the last eight years in medical school and residency, rarely finding time for herself, and Kerry, who also turned 32 the day before the race, is a very busy working mom to six month old Parker. For each of us, we took time away from our families and jobs for us. We pushed ourselves to the limit and then some more. We committed to training for the race and we committed to running the race. We allowed ourselves the time to experience true accomplishment, and in the end, we were all surrounded by our families who support everything we do. I also learned something new about one of my closest friends. At about midnight in Wickenburg, AZ, I learned that Mary, who has been my dear friend for the last 13 years, is a fierce competitor. Not only did she keep track of her pace during all of her legs, but she was angry when race officials told her that the van would have to shuttle her for ¾ of a mile during her 7.5 mile leg because the road wasn’t safe to run on. She wanted to run the full 7.5 miles and she let it be known. At that moment, she became a runner and I became so proud of my long-time friend!

I hope that my race story inspires you to take the time to achieve something for yourself. Don’t underestimate your ability or the power of your determination. I am not a runner. Trust me, I saw runners on this course and I am not one of them. I would have never thought I would run 15.7 miles in a 35 hour race. I would never have thought that I would thoroughly enjoy spending two days in a van of women. But I did, and that is my lesson.

I feel lucky to have been part of team #157. I am inspired by each of my teammates and will never forget this experience. I made new friends and we will be forever bonded by this challenging race. I already received an email from one teammate wanting to run in another Ragnar Relay…who knows, maybe my racing days aren’t over. Maybe next year, some of you will join me on a BAR Fitness team…any takers? Until then, go for it: you never know what you might accomplish!

The Early Bird...

For the last 3 1/2 years (since Kate was born), I have struggled to find a time to get into the gym on a regular schedule. No excuses, I have just had a lot of factors that make getting into a workout routine difficult. Last winter, I spent a good amount of time running outside and it was great because I could take the girls with me and hit the road. The problem was that I had to stop when it got too hot to have the kiddos in the stroller for an hour or so and I didn't get into another program. I am active in my everyday life, but I lacked a regular exercise routine. It was time. My body was asking for it, my mind needed, and I knew that I had to figure something out. I wanted to be able to make a regular commitment that was consistent from week to week and that didn't interfere with my many other commitments....so after looking at our schedules, I quickly realized that the only time that really worked was 6am. Yikes!

I am a morning person and on most all days, I am already awake by six, however, being awake, and being at the gym ready to workout are two different things! Like I said, I was ready to make this commitment, so I did the hardest part. I started. That was two weeks ago and I feel fantastic. I go to HYBRID every MWF and absolutely love walking through those doors. To see my fellow early bird HYBRID and training pals (Andrea, Nick, Linda, Amy, Jenny, Alaina, Brian, Darlene, Jaci, Shane, Patsy and others) ready to work so early in the morning is truly inspiring. We sweat, swear, laugh, and give Ryan and Kevin a run for their money every chance we get. But, mostly we succeed. We accomplish. We conquer. And then we leave. We start our hectic days of meeting expectations, deadlines, and demands from other people. But no matter what happens during the day, all of us have all ready achieved something for ourselves. This is what I love the most.

I walk through the door at home shortly after seven and Brad is ready to head out to start his day. My girls are just waking up and are super excited to see me. And then it begins. Breakfast, clean, shower, dressed, childcare, work, work, work, karate, ballet, dinner, clean, play, books, bed, clean, wine, talk to Brad, sleep. No matter what happens in my crazy life, my HYBRID workouts give me time for me. I am so thankful for that. I am thankful for the support of my awesome workout team and trainer. I am thankful for the laughs, for the motivation, and for the butt-kicking. I am thankful for the dark, quiet, and still early morning drive watching the sun rise in my rear view mirror. I am thankful for the music in the gym, for the sweat on my face, and for the burn in my body. Most of all, I am thankful that I started.

The Exercise Gimmick

Part of what makes working in the fitness industry so exciting is that most everyone is interested in something that deals with working out, losing weight, or getting fit. Not that everyone wants to do it, but people typically have a lot of questions and more specifically want a lot of answers. Whenever I speak, I am always asked my opinion on some technique, program, or fad. This always makes me smile. The fitness industry makes billions of dollars each year selling quick fixes and short lived fads. I hear all the time about so and so's neighbor who lost 15 lbs. following this program, or using that video, or going to this facility. As I said before, this makes me smile. Why? Well, the best part of exercise is that it is not rocket science. Being healthy and fit and losing weight all require movement. That is it. It doesn't matter (for the most part) what you do or where or how you do it. Just move. If your neighbor lost weight using a new exercise video then the reason it worked is because she did it! There is no trick, no gimmic, or no quick fix. The only thing you need to do to change the way you look and feel is to find what you will do. That's it. If it is a home based program that you will stick to, then do it. If it is an outdoor bootcamp, then enroll. If it is a big gym, then go. The only trick to changing your body is movement. Consistent, moderate-high intensity movement. The first step is making the choice to make a change. Once you are committed, finding an environment or program that makes you feel good and keeps you motivated is the only gimmick you need. As soon as we stop looking everywhere else for answers on how to be healthy and start looking within and holding ourselves accountable for the choices we make, change will happen. Believe in yourself and your ability to succeed and conquer and then....MOVE that BODY!!!

Catching Up

First, of all, I have to apologize for not updating my blog more often. I am new to blogging and need to get in the routine of updating on a regular basis. Speaking of routine, I think all of us are feeling a little stretched and out of whack as we adjust to our new fall schedules. There is nothing like school starting to get you whipped back into reality! Even though we are busy and working hard to figure out where everything fits into our schedules, this is the absolutely perfect time to recommit yourself to an exercise/activity routine. Create a new habit, start putting your exercise time on your calendar, and set some new goals for the fall. Summer is a time full of travel which tends to make our exercise routines less regular, so in the hustle and bustle of getting everyone else on track, don’t forget about you!

With that said, our family is adjusting to new schedules, too. Kate started preschool last week and is doing really well. She is getting used to listening to her teachers and sharing with her classmates, and seems to be having a lot of fun. She is extremely strong-willed and independent, so I have a feeling we have many years of learning to listen to her teachers ahead! She also started Karate last week. If you have read my articles before, you know that I am a huge fan of small business and we try to support other small business owners every chance we get. When Kate expressed interest in Karate, we knew just where to turn. Joshua Chilton is the son of long time BAR clients (and friends) Mike and Cindy Chilton. Josh owns the Black Belt Academy located on Chandler Blvd and Kyrene. I have to say that I am so impressed with the business he runs. He is incredible with the little kiddos and with getting them to engage and listen. It is a serious operation with all the students being called by their last name (yes, Kate goes by Miss Rogers) and they reply to their instructors with “Yes, Sir!” They are also constantly rewarded for good listening and performance. As a mom, I so appreciate the attention and care he puts into his children’s programs and as a business owner, I appreciate the hard work and dedication he puts into growing his business. Who knows, he might even get Brad in there for some classes!

I had a great summer professionally and personally. I had an opportunity to meet, teach, and help fitness professionals from around the country who are striving to help people be active and healthy. I have been teaching a lot and am speaking at a large conference in November to continue to educate working fitness professionals on inspiring change in their clients. I truly believe in the work that I do and am hopeful that we will be able to transform the fitness industry into something that helps people be healthy, active and fit. One step at a time, I guess. I also had several opportunities to talk to regular people about incorporating a lasting activity program into their lives. We hear so much trickery and quick fixes that sometimes we forget that it all starts with us. As much as I work with fitness professionals, it has been really refreshing to work with the general population, as well. I hope that we can continue to make the BAR a place where people can succeed (and have fun, too).

One last quick story…Brad and I are always looking for ways to be active with our girls in our free time. It is tough to do when it is so hot. However, last Sunday we decided to take them to the zoo, which is one of our favorite cool weather destinations. We took our bikes to ride around the zoo and Brad pulled the girls in the buggy behind his bike (yes, you can take your own bikes into the zoo). We had a great time. The Phoenix Zoo has done a great job at becoming a place to spend the day with your family all year round. There is a big water area for the kids to run around and get wet with slides, waterfalls, caves, and a splash pad. The zoo has also done a good job at promoting physical activity. There are pull up bars, a speedometer to measure how fast you can run and lots of other things for kids to do that include education about the strength or speed of a certain animal. Now, it was really hot and we were all exhausted when we left, but it was a great day and good reminder that even in August, you can find things to do outside in Arizona!

I promise to update more often, and until then, keep moving!

Is anybody listening?

Since Brad and I first opened the BAR in 2004, I have made a great effort to get to know each and every member who works out with us. Over the last year, I have not been as effective at meeting and talking with you all as I would like, and that is mostly because I have a couple of people, Kate (age 3) and Taylor (age 2), who keep me very busy and out of the gym. This winter, I also took a full-time faculty position at the Arizona School of Health Sciences where I teach in the Human Movement MS program.

Even though I am not in the gym as much as I used to be, I am more active than ever in the fitness industry and my passion for making a difference and getting people moving continues to grow. I work on daily basis creating programming and developing curriculum to teach fitness professionals to be more effective at what they do. Personal trainers tend to have a bit of a bad reputation, mostly because there are so many terrible trainers out there. As a result, we have to constantly work to demonstrate our compassion, knowledge, and ability to be effective at what we do. But, what is it exactly that a fitness professional should or does do? This is a great question. A lot of people would say (including those who work in this industry) that a fitness professional's job is to develop exercise programs to help people get in shape. What I teach fitness professionals is that their job is much more important than that. I work to get personal trainers to understand that they are responsible for inspiring people to change their lives.

Of course personal training is about fitness, that is obvious. But, a good personal trainer is going to teach you more than that. A good trainer is going to listen, encourage, challenge, build confidence, teach indepence, believe, and support. A good trainer will help you expect more from yourself.

The true skill at being effective is not in how much the trainer knows about exercise (while this is important), the true skill is in connecting and communicating with people. The more professionals I work with and teach, the more I am amazed about how few people actually focus on building relationships and making connections in their businesses. I absolutely believe that those of us in the fitness industry have a unique opportunity to help teach and inspire people to be healthy, active and fit and this is empowering people to live! Our health is ultimately the most important thing that we have and it is about so much more than sets and reps and body fat percentages.

I will continue to work, to speak, to write, and to teach in hopes that one person at a time who works in this important industry changes his/her philosphy and starts focusing on the people and the power to inspire change. In the meantime, let's keep moving!

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