Guess Who's Back?!

Ok, Ok, Ok!
Its been THREE MONTHS since I've posted and I promise to NEVER leave you guys hanging for sooo long!! Starting a new job (in another state) and planning my DrEaM WeDdInG has kept this little woman BUSY BUSY BUSY. Only 55 Days until I become a MRS and I am sooo freaking excited!! Check him out! My sexy muscle man =)

SOOOOO lets get to it! I have to get you guys caught up with whats been going on in my fitness world! Let us start with the St. Jude Marathon!
 So I am proud to announce that I finished the race!! Here is a shot of me and Nicole at the start up line and YES I was about to Pee my pants. Figuratively AND literally. The restroom lines were about 20 people long so I had to wait until about mile 2 to grab a free potty. I never saw Nicole again. I was in a sea of runners..allll alone. Haha! But really- it was an awesome experience. I actually hurt my IT band at mile 17 and I had to limp/skip/jog/walk/cry to the finish line but I was NOT about to let a stupid injury keep me from that shiny gold medal. MARATHON NUMBER 1...CHECK!




I'm actually signed up to run the Little Rock 1/2 marathon this March (a week before the wedding- yup, I'm a dummy) but I havent run since the marathon. I'm kinda scared. I did a few physical therapy sessions and I might go back to get a little more therapy in just to be safe. Will keep yall posted.

Me, my medal and my homemade knee brace. LOL!!

 

 

So after the race... I took off for two weeks and just rested. It seriously drove me crazy. I felt like I was getting fatter by the minute! On Dec 18, my dear Ashley convinced me to sign up for BIKRAM YOGA. I thought she lost her mind. No way in HELL was I gunna get in a room of 30 sweaty funky people..with the door closed and the heat turned up to 105. First, I sweat like a man..Second..I sweat like a man.. Third, so does my weave. Judge away..lol. I agreed to give it a shot. I figured that all that stretching would do me some good- and at least give my knee a good workout.

So this is me and Ash on our first day. It was HELL. But now I am SOOO ADDICTED. After only a little less than a month, I've dropped weight, I'm more flexible, and less stressed. I would reccommend Bikram to anyone!If you can get past the heat, you will do fine! You have to remember to hydrate often, eat well and get adequate rest.. and the rumors are true. They will not let you leave the room during class (the sessions are 90 minutes long). You can't drink water until after the 4th pose (about 15 minutes in). No talking, no watches, no looking at anyone else but yourself..I think thats it. There are 26 poses and you do each pose twice. You listen to the instructor and watch yourself in the mirror. Everyone is so focused and in tune with their own practice. I love it. I love challenging myself to get better- I mean seriously when I first went, I had to sit down for half the class. Now I can get through the entire session without taking a seat! Now I'm just trying to work on my postures- some are difficult but most of them are pretty easy. Its just the perfecting part.I encourage anyone and EVERYONE to try it out!

And believe me-- he AINT lying. I love that everyone is comfortable with their bodies in class but MAN. Seriously.

Haha-- one other thing that me and my immature friend can't deal with in Bikram is the pooting. I kid you not, these yogis break wind and keep it moving like it never happened. Half moon pose, let er rip, change. Namaste.

You should have seen the looks on our faces when we heard the first human machine gun. Gahhh. I looked around with wild eyes wondering who did it and Ashley was trying to hold her laugh down. There is one lady who poots at least three times without hesitation. And nobody says excuse me!! I guess because you arent allowed to speak. But still! The room is BURNING UP..and the DOOR IS CLOSED! Hold your gas until its time to leave. lol..I'm kidding- kinda. I know youre supposed to let all the wind go and its part of the process..blah blah blah. It's still disturbing me while I try to hold my poses. Put your poots on silent. Well- nevermind. Those are the killer ones. Ok, ok..I'm done.

So I'm gunna leave you guys for now but I will post another one tomorrow. We have SOOO much to talk about. And I've got a WHOLE MESS of healthy recipes to share! Excited!!

 

Until tomorrow,

Namaste =)

Court





What the HELL is she Wearing??

So last night I was INSPIRED by my friend Brittany. She texts me and says "could your next blog post be a lesson on what to wear when in the gym?"... PERFECT!

I don't know what some people are thinking when they dress to head to the gym or out on a run. If you are pleasinly plump or even a skinny-mini, wearing "up your butt" shorts and a sports bra to a public place is NOT OKAY. Its distracting- and not in a good way. This goes for guys too!! I know the buff dudes wanna look good FOR THE LADIES but seriously, wearing those itty bitty spandex shorts and crop tops (or t-shirts you have ripped to shreds so that you only have a piece of cloth in the front and a piece in the back) doesn't do it for us. Unless you are in the comfort of your own home, Put on some damn clothes. Thank you! So lets do a BEST DRESSED and a WORST DRESSED rundown.

 

BEST DRESSED...

 

 

And although I wouldn't wear it out in public (James would shoot me)..an occasional runner does the sports bra/running shorts combo. If you MUST wear only a sports bra..make sure your shorts/pants arent clinging to your skin.. like so...

 

But seriously, most of my readers live in Memphis..do you REALLY want to run around the streets of M-town barely dressed? If so- I hope you got your pepper spray.

 

NOW FOR THE NO-NO LIST...

 

Put some clothes on people. Seriously.

 

Now for our HEALTHY RECIPE OF THE WEEK!!!

 

 



NO BAKE ENERGY BITES!!

I found these on Pinterest and might I say, they are YUMMY!!

 

All you need to make them is...

 

1. A cup of dry oatmeal

2. 2/3 cup of toasted coconut flakes

3. 1/2 cup of peanut butter

4. 1/2 cup of wheat germ

5.1/2 cup of chocolate chips

6. 1/3 cup of honey

7. 1 teaspoon of vanilla

 * I didnt have any coconut flakes and they were fine*

 

MIX IT ALL TOGETHER AND STICK IN THE FRIDGE FOR 30 MINUTES THEN ROLL EM INTO BALLS! YUM!

 

I hope you guys give the balls a try. Heehee.

 

I ran 5 miles today in the hot sun...and I felt like this..

ENOUGH SAID

 

Okay!! I gotta go park my tush in front of the tv..

GREYS ANATOMY COMES ON TONIGHT!!!

HORRAAAYYY!!



 

Peace Out!

Court

"Watch Out for the Running Lady"

6 am came around waaayyy too fast. This is me at 6am..(hold on to your hats)..

Omg, I cant believe I just posted that. Haha, I seriously couldn't open one eye. But imagine waking up with this face in your face...

James was up bright and early to train his clients so I went ahead and jumped up to prepare for my 9-miler! It was kinda hard pumping myself up for the run but when I took Mykee out for his morning walk, I saw a few marathon trainers out there hitting the pavement and it pushed me to go ahead inside and prepare for my own run.
 Here are a few things I packed for the trip..

My jelly beans! You guys, THESE THINGS ARE AMAZEBALLS!!

I seriously ran this 9 mile route nonstop and when I made it back to my apartment, I was ready to clean the entire house! What you do is eat one pack of beans (the ones with the caffeine) to get you going 30 minutes before your run. Then you pack a bag of beans for the trip..I only needed half a bag during my trip so I can use the remaining beans next run. I chewed a few during mile 5 and mile 7 and I was good to go! Now just because these beans work for me doesnt mean they will work for everyone but they are seriously worth a try. Like I said before, there is no way I can do GU. Just thinking about trying to swallow that slop makes my stomach turn. Beans, Beans..they're good for your--run.

So here is my special fanny pack- I turn it backwards so the bag is on my backside and I dont look as goofy. These bags are small but I managed to fit my phone, a bag of beans, my keys and my pepper spray (that I decided to pull out and run with around mile 2). Trust no one!

Remember that water bottle that I thought was gunna get on my nerves?? LOVED IT!! Its not annoying at all because it fits so snuggly around your hand so you don't actually have to worry about holding it. And the sloshing water didnt bother me at all. WIN!

 

So down to the running business...

I mapped out a 3 mile route that I was kinda nervous about- 1) because it's a 3 mile route- that will have to be repeated two more times. How boring. I don't know how I did it- but I did (i bet it was the beans, lol).

2) I knew my route would take me right past the Salvation Army in the crummy part of downtown- I know, I know.."why in the heck are you running in the crummy part of downtown Little Rock".. I don't know- there are a million runners in the area during this time- no excuse, I know but I was so prepared...

This picture was taken after my run, but i literally had my finger on the trigger the entire time. Anywho, I ran right past the Salvation Army- 3 times. And I am telling you, those homeless men were SOO encouraging!! All I heard when I ran past was "YOU CAN DO IT" and "KEEP GOING" and "I LOVE YOU" and of course, "CAN I HAVE A DOLLA?".. haha I am totally serious! They seriously made my running a bit easier. I mean the run wasnt bad at all, but my legs were about to fall off. It hurts more when you start to slow down- thats why I try to keep my pace steady. I didnt run as fast as I want to during the marathon but I didn't walk. Baby steps =)

Towards the end of my run, there was a little grumpy old lady and her friend in the middle of the sidewalk. I was heading straight for them and I heard the friend say to old grumps "watch out for the running lady".  Little miss thing replied "the running lady better watch out for ME".

HAHA!!

That isnt a picture of the old bag, but when I googled "grumpy old lady" thats what popped up.

 

OH YEAH,

One thing you must remember when going on long runs is SOCKS! They can make or break you. Here is a picture of my foot when I did the Germantown Half Marathon with normal socks..

BLISTER CITY!! I quickly learned that you MUST wear good running socks that will wick away all the moisture and prevent blisters. I got that blister around mile seven with my normal socks- well I wore my new Feetures socks and I was blister free!

 

 

Make sure you have a recovery formula to replenish with after your workouts. I love the Wheybolic protein from GNC. Strawberry is awesome! I dont have a picture of the bag for you but you can purchase that at GNC so your body won't be so fatigued for your next workout!

 

NoW FoR mY TrEaT....

 

James decided that we needed a trip to Wally World to get NECESSARY ITEMS ONLY..

Okay, I can dig it. I asked our favorite friend Aaron if he wanted to tag along. He agreed because he knew it would be a show. I am a shopper and James is a saver..

Welp we traveled with our little buggy down the wine aisle..and I spotted my "Great Job Running This Morning" treat...

 

MADDDD HOUSEWIFE WINE!!!

 

 

Yes Yes Yes!! I knew James would say "hell no, put it back" so I told Aaron to hide it at the bottom of the basket and sneak it on the little checkout scanner while James wasnt paying attention. I mean Aaron was moving like a sneaky cat!! James didnt even notice!!

Thats Aaron bagging the groceries while my sweet bottle of wine sits hidden on the scanner. Welp the goofy checkout guy holds up the bottle of wine to James and says "SIR I HAVE TO CHECK THIS OUT LAST"...James looks up and says "whats that?".. I say "geee how did that get in there?" and Aaron dies laughing. Damn! Caught!

Thanks Mr. Checkout Guy..

 

 

Well,

Thats all for today guys!! Tomorrow is a cross training day! I think I'll do some functional training but I'll take lots of pictures and tell you all about it!

 

Love and Light,

Court

 



 

You Run for Fun?

 

Well Hello there..

And WELCOME TO MY VERY FIRST BLOG!! I'm so excited! Can you tell??
I'm Courtney Powell and I'm coming to you live from my bed- in Little Rock, AR. I created this blog because I wanted to share my passion for fitness with other freaks out there in internet land. I get so pumped about working out and I need somewhere to channell all of this excitement. So, I should be sleeping right now (I'm training for the St. Jude Marathon and I have a 9-miler- supposed to be 13-miler) in the morning. I am a bit behind on my running but now that I have this cool blog, I have something (hopefully soon to be someones) to be accountable to. There are so many events that are forth-coming that I am sooooo excited about! For example: the St Jude Marathon- December 1 2012 in Memphis, TN (my hometown, whoop whoop), MY WEDDING (yup, you see that handsome man carrying me on his back? thats my sweetie, James) in March of 2013 (www.powelldavis.ourwedding.com)  and the TOUGH MUDDER May 2013! I cant freaking WAIT for the tough mudder. check out their website! www.toughmudder.com Seriously, you watch the opening video and it will make you want to take on the world!

So this afternoon, I stopped by GO RUNNING in the heights today to pick up a few things for my long runs. There is no way I will be able to survive 9 (13- wink,wink) miles tomorrow without water. So I purchased this nifty water bottle that fits perfectly in your hand. See? It even has a cute little pocket for all of your neccessary items (pepper spray, keys, license..etc). I am a bit nervous that holding something in my hands for so long will get on my nerves. I can hear the water slushing around already, lol. Hopefully I won't mind it- I need the water. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow. I plan on heading out at 6am! I need to check my route before I turn in for the night .. (runningmap.com is an awesome tool to plan running routes, by the way).
I also purchased some sport beans just in case I run out of energy tomorrow. I am NOT a gu person. Unless you wanna see me puke on the pavement..no thank you. Gimme something that tastes/feels like candy and I'm golden. I don't have the strength to grab the bean package and snap a photo but I promise I will do that tomorrow!

Yeah, this pic has no significance, just throwing it in there for a little AAAHH! =)
Okay, I think it's time to hit the hay, now. That pavement will be calling my name bright and early in the morning!
Love and Light (yeah, im hitting ya with the yogi-speak),
Court