2014 Spartan Beast Recap: The Heatwave from Hell

On Saturday Dave, myself and our trainer friend Eric set out on a little road trip to Temecula for the Spartan Beast, a 12+ mile obstacle course through some major hills in Southern California.

Our race time was 11:45, which originally we thought nothing of, until we saw the forecast for the weekend. Over 100° on Saturday. So... essentially we were racing during the peak heat hours of the day.

Perfect.

We all decided a few days earlier to buy 50 oz camelbaks, hats and cooling towels to soak in water and wear around our necks to keep us cool. Lifesaving ideas... literally.

^^ This was where I was emotionally as we waited in traffic to park before the race. I looked at the temperature outside and it was already 101° at 10:30 am. I was a little nervous about racing in that heat!!

As we started the course we all kind of decided that running it was a bad idea... so when we hit the first steep hill (I'd like to call it a cliff, that's how steep it felt), we decided to walk up nice and easy. When we got to the top of that monstrous hill, we knew the heat was already really bad. Racers were dropping left and right from heat exhaustion. A little after mile 1 there was a poor girl struggling to stay conscious as emergency staff tried to tap her face to keep her awake.

The heat was getting serious.

We made it through a few obstacles and took good long breaks at all of the water stations to make sure we were staying hydrated, and also eating gel packs to get carbohydrates and electrolytes back in our bodies. By mile 6 my calfs and legs were beginning to cramp pretty badly, but I knew I could work through it. The water and gel packs were definitely helping.

As we passed mile 7, we walked down a small hill to what looked like a river crossing, where we would cross and hike through another set of hills and obstacles to finish the final 5 miles of the race.... except, there was a man on an ATV blocking the road.

He was turning all the racers around telling us to head to the finish line. They had cancelled the remainder of the race due to the heat. So that is exactly what we did. We headed to the finish line, completing about 7.5 miles of the 12 mile race.

I understand their decision completely and in all honesty it probably should have happened sooner. There were so many athletes looking pale, cramping, puking and collapsing on the course - I felt like we were in a war zone.

The good news: Spartan decided to give all racers another chance to race for free at the same location in January!! So it looks like we have 4 months to train until our second chance race. ALSO - they are offering a special 2-hour workout in Temecula called the Hurricane Heatwave, where we get a custom t-shirt and dog tags.... now that is a company that will do just about ANYTHING to make right of a situation!! Dave and I are actually considering going back down this weekend for the Hurricane Heatwave workout. It sounds too fun to pass up!

Spartan Beast Jitters...

This photo say everything about my emotions today.

Tomorrow I will be running the Spartan Beast Race with Dave, and our trainer friend Eric. I am one crazy girl... entering a 12+ mile obstacle course a month before my wedding, with 2 incredibly athletic boys. Don't get me wrong... I am excited, and I know I will have a blast once I'm in the race and crushing the obstacles (or doing hundreds of burpees)... but the leading up to the race always has me with a belly full of butterflies. 

I still haven't fully figured out what is going on with my ankle... and part of me worries about a potential injury during the race, then another part of me is like "screw it... it's not that bad. Limping across the finish line is still finishing!"

I also worry about not being able to complete an obstacle. This is purely a competitive mindset that I can't seem to shake. Who cares if I can't climb that rope? Who cares if I miss the spear throw or fall off one of the horizontal wall climbs? I'll do burpees and move on. 

But it still makes me nervous. 

I guess I am just anxious to start the race and see where my endurance is at. I did an 8 miler back in January, and did just fine. I am in better shape now than I was then, so there shouldn't be a problem!

I'm so ready! I just want to be at the starting line... oh who am I kidding, I just want to be at the finish line!!! Then I'll just have a 3 miles Sprint race to complete before I earn my trifecta medal!!

Stay tuned.

The last 10 lbs...

Since early June I've been diligently counting my macros with the IIFYM calculator, and have had a lot of success with this method. In the last 3 months, I've been able to shed approximately 8 lbs, and have reached 142 lbs. My goal was 140 by the wedding. I think my ultimate goal is 135 lbs. I think that is where I would be happy with my body, while also maintaining a healthy amount of fat and muscle for my 5'4" frame. Although that is my ultimate goal, I know I won't reach that goal in just 45 days by the wedding date. That goal is for after the wedding. It's extremely unhealthy to set extreme expectations like that in such a short amount of time.

A lot of people ask me what my secret is for losing the weight. I find the answer to this question to be incredibly convoluted, and in all honesty it isn't just one thing. My success in losing over 45 lbs doesn't get credited to ONE diet or ONE exercise. I tried a cleanse, then I tried eating clean until I hit a plateau, then I tried going full paleo until I hit a plateau, and finally at my last plateau in the final stretch of my weight loss I tried counting Macros - which is by far the most difficult method, but one that if you follow the rules you will find the most success.

Plateaus are a part of the process. It's one of those ways your body shows you how incredible it is at adapting to new changes in lifestyle. In order to continue with progress, change is necessary.

So I guess you could say the secret to my weight loss was my ability to change my routine in order to further my progress. Try things that you think you can handle. Baby steps will get you further than giant leaps in this case.

Currently with only about 7 lbs to go, I find myself at an interesting emotional state of mind. I'm not obsessing over those 7 lbs. I have a goal, and I will reach it eventually, but right now I am just enjoying where I am, versus where I used to be. I am so incredibly thankful I was able to start eating healthier and exercising when I did. I am almost exactly where I want to be for my wedding, and I can genuinely say I love the way I look in my dress. I was able to pick a style of dress that I never would have dreamed of wearing just 2 years ago.

Sure I still have my insecurities. Those will always be there, but instead of those insecurities telling me I CAN'T wear something, I simply look and add that to my goals. "At my next dress fitting, I will make sure my arms are more toned. I will work on more back exercises.... "

Positive thoughts.

Positive thoughts are one of the biggest rewards I've been able to enjoy with this new life. I can see a challenge, accept it, and work on bettering myself - rather than beating myself up.

The main thing I'm taking away from being in "The last 10 lbs stage" is that not matter how long those lbs take, I'm happy with myself. I am proud of my progress and sticking to it. I'm happy with my wrinkly skin that hasn't quite sprung back from the excess weight. It's a reminder of where I came from.

Beach Day

Sunday was the first beach day of summer. It was a glorious day.

It was perfect weather, and the water was actually warm enough to swim in without having to "get used to it" – if you know what I mean.

It was wonderful, but all that time in the sun sure takes it out of you. I swam a lot yesterday and bodysurfed in the waves, which were absolutely HUGE, and it took a lot out of me.

In all honesty I'm exhausted, but in a great way. Monday is getting better, the further along it goes. I'm slowly regaining my energy back.

Friday Favorites...

So there are a few new discoveries I've made during this lovely IIFYM  macro-counting adventure. Amongst all the chicken-and-broccoli eating fests, I've found a few go-to treats that really have been keeping me sane and feeling like i'm getting something truly delicious, without throwing my progress out the window.

You see, coffee and chocolate are the two things you will NEVER see me give up. Okay, when I am pregnant someday I know I know, no coffee... but until then, don't even try to take it away from me!

My newest obsession is this little coffee place down the street from my work called lucky llama. They have almond milk (major kudos to them for having that!!!) AND they have coconut syrup. Um, coconut latte with almond milk every day please!!!!

And then there's the chocolate. Oh the chocolate...

Every now and then my typical veggie and egg white scramble can get a little boring. Just like anyone else, sometimes I need something sweet for breakfast, but I just can't bring myself to eat a donut, so this little concoction was what I came up with: Black bean brownie granola bowl!!

Holy moly is it good.

Basically I use trader joes honey greek yogurt (about 75-100grams), 1-2 black bean brownies, 1/4 cup granola, and 1-2 tsp almond butter.

mix that baby up with a spoon and you've got yourself dessert for breakfast!!

I've been using these two little treats as my go-to sweet fixes or the past couple of weeks and have still been seeing major results in my fat loss progress. I can have my chocolate cake and eat it too? and still lose weight? score!!!

xoxo

IIFYM - 4 week progress

It's been about 4 weeks since I started counting my macros. I have to say this system really does work when you take it seriously and do what you're supposed to. I'd say about 5 our of 7 days a week I am hitting my macros within 3 grams - just like I was told to. I am also able to drink water like nobody's business.... and you know what? I'm down 4.7 lbs in 4 weeks. That is more than I could have ever expected. I thought for sure it was going to be about 1/2 lb a week... this has been an excellent experience.

Not to say it hasn't been difficult. I went to a summer solstice parade over the weekend and while everyone else ate pizza, popcorn, sandwiches and funnel cake... I was eating chicken, broccoli and a quest bar out of my tupperware.

But I currently weigh 144.8 lbs.

I used to weigh 185.

BOOM.

I don't care about the pizza, or the funnel cake. Once my lunch was eaten, I went right back to ejoying myself and forgetting that I was any different than the rest of my friends.

Food doesn't own you. Yes it is delicious, but good food is delicious too. You just have to teach yourself to think that way.

Only 5-6 lbs to go, 109 days until the wedding.

If It Fits Your Macros....

For some time now I have been following some women on instagram that have lost a significant amount of weight and managed to seriously reduce their body fat % by counting macros. When I first saw the hashtag #IIFYM - my only thought was, what the heck are macros anyway? After some research I found a lot of useful information on this site: www.iifym.com, and realized that I was doing a pretty similar thing to counting macros, but not quite. After some general guidance and customizing of my macros, I decided to give this macro counting a solid try.

I started 10 days ago at 149.8 lbs and weighed in this morning at 146.2 lbs!! I think it's safe to say this is working. Though I do believe the initial 3.5 lbs is probably mostly water weight... but still.

Here is my one week progress picture.

I realize the lighting is different and I am wearing different clothing, but I can see a difference in definition in my abs, and my clothes are starting to loosen up as well.


Lessons learned from week 1 of counting my macros:

1. Drinking 1 gallon of water a day changes everything!!! I sweat more during my workouts, meaning I am able to flush out more toxins from my body, and I am more hydrated. I haven't touched my chap stick in 3 days!!!

2. Measuring cups work well with liquids, but with veggies and other awkwardly shaped items, weigh them. It is WAY more accurate.

3. There are days where I feel like I'm a little deprived, and then there are days where I feel like I am eating SO MUCH FOOD.... and it's awesome. I find that days where I try to keep the fatty foods (like almond butter and cooking oils) to a minimum, I have a lot more leeway with meals and how much I can eat.

4. Eggs, chicken and sweet potatoes are your BEST friend! Also, anything green!!

5. Carbs are NOT the enemy. This is probably my biggest eye opener. I was clearly not eating enough carbs... and I mean the good kind. I am still trying to eat mostly gluten and grain free, but I will have the occasional quinoa and brown rice pasta or whole wheat tortilla for my breakfast wrap. My workouts are so much better now that I am getting an adequate amount of carbs.

6. Cheats aren't the end of the world. If I go over my calories... I don't beat myself up. I log it and move on. I wake up the next morning like it's a fresh start.

7. 1 serving of 65% Cacao Chocolate chips in the evenings is my saving grace.

* * * * * * * * * *

I will warn any of you thinking that this is easy, it is definitely not. I had to buy a food scale and weigh all of my proteins and veggies.... I am supposed to weigh everything, but I'm still getting there. I've learned so much about how much something weighs and realized just how off I was when I was just eyeballing it before I got my scale. It's hard to weigh certain things, and I am still getting used to preparing ALL of my food, including snacks, coffee and dessert. Also, drinking that much water takes some serious thought for me... sometimes I forget and I end up chugging to catch up with where I should be for the day. It is so much to keep track of, but it's all going to be worth it. I can already tell it is going to be worth it.