Miss Running in my Toe Shoes

As soon as I get home from work, I kick the shoes off and I put on my flip flops or just walk around barefoot. That right there must send some sort of signal to my brain, that it’s time to relax a bit. Sometimes I’ll change completely and throw on some shorts and a tank top.

During the weekend, I typically wear my flip flops. I’m not one to care about how I dress. Just ask anyone that knows me. I have a decent sized backyard. A couple of days ago I ran from one point in the backyard to the house. As I ran that short distance, it reminded me how much I miss minimalist/barefoot running. It felt good. It felt natural.

When I decided to enlist, I knew I had to give up this form of running and learn how to run again. I had to become….omg I don’t even want to say it….I had to become…a shod runner. (bows head in sadness)

It was quite a challenge. I really had to take it slow because I would trip over myself. I paid some bucks and went to a running store to purchase flat running shoes. Meaning, shoes that do not have any arch support. I know. I know. Some of you are probably cringing right now….but if you couldn’t tell, this is still a barefoot/minimalist running blog.

While at reception, they MADE us buy new shoes. We stepped on a light box and the SGT would tell us what type of shoe we needed to purchase. I knew right then and there that I was just gonna blow a hundred bucks out of my advanced pay. I put the shoes on and they hurt SO bad. I tried to break them in, but my feet would just cramp. I felt so bad for my poor footsies. They know what they like to run in.

Luckily when we finally reached actual basic, my drill sergeants let us use our own running shoes. That made the world of difference. In a place where most people referred to as Hell, I felt like I was in Heaven. I was so thankful to be able to wear my already broken in running shoes that I’ve been training in for 2 months prior.

So yep, I do. I do miss running barefoot and in minimalist shoes (Vibrams and sandals). I have yet to purchase a pair of huarachas. I’ve ran on my treadmill barefoot, but noticed that my feet got tore up pretty easily because it’s been so long since I’ve ran barefoot. So I sometimes run in socks. But I think it would be good to get out on a trail and bring the Vibrams out of hiding. When living in the suburbs I could easily run barefoot, but not here in the country. Way too many rocks and gravel….OUCH!

Move with a (BEEP) purpose soldiers!

I did a lot of running before leaving for basic combat training (BCT). I mean A LOT. If I only had time for one workout, it was to run. I ran in a hoodie on each time. I ran outdoors 3 times a week, in gravel, asphalt, cement. I ran uphill, downhill and on flat surfaces. I just ran. I still use Runmeter to keep track of my run times. Afterwards, I would run back to In-Shape Concord and do interval training on the elliptical for about 20 minutes. Then I would run again on the treadmill. I would do interval training on the treadmill with sprints and jogging for maybe another 20 minutes. Plus I used the incline feature for resistance. After, I might end with some weights or push-ups, but always completed with lots of stretching. That was my regimen after work, 3 days a week. I stayed focus and left for basic running 2 miles in about 21 minutes or less (outdoors that is). I can only improve from here right?

The first run at basic was for the drill sergeants, so they could properly place each one of us in the appropriate running group. Alpha, Bravo or Charlie, with Alpha being the group with the fastest runners. We ran on what they called the “pork chop” track. It was a gravel track with slight inclines and declines in the shape of a pork chop. I ran the 2 miles in 18 minutes. WOW! Right off the bat I was already excelling.  I guess all that torcher training was paying off.

As you probably would have guessed, I ended up in Charlie group. I didn’t mind that at all. I was already minutes away from the 50% score required to pass BCT. I was also minutes away from the 60% score. But I didn’t stop there. Throughout BCT, I continued to force myself to improve. I had to. I had to be able to keep up with all the faster runners. We had a couple company runs. It was a shame if you fell back. And you probably would get a good yelling, or even get smoked for it. We also had ruck marches (many started out in the dark), and you had to keep pace. We marched everywhere and ran everywhere. You always had to move with a purpose.

“Move with a f@cking purpose soldiers!” 

is what my drill sergeant would say. (Is it crazy that I miss DS Johnson?)

We did PT (physical training) every morning except for Sunday. We ran every other day. Some were group runs, while other times we did sprints. And sometimes after the sprints we would run in the sand. OMG that was brutal. Talk about having a heart attack. We formed about 30 lines with about 7 soldiers in each line. We each had to run back and forth 6 times in the sand. I have no idea how far it was, but it was far. Often times you would run towards another line because it was practically impossible to run a straight line. You just had to run towards the buddies in your line. We would cheer each other on, wave and yell to the runners to guide them in the right direction.

I remember going for a nice run on the beach in Oceanside. But running in the sand in boot camp is insane. There is a lot of resistance and you feel like you're constantly sinking. They would have drill sergeants at the other end to make sure you were going far enough down before turning back. One drill sergeant asked me if I was dying. Of course you would never admit it, but I was dying. It was all I could do to keep going. Legs weighed a ton. It felt like someone strapped cinder blocks to my feet.

But would you know that after doing these run drills in the sand, I actually got better at it. Of course I was still tired, but I wasn’t completely dying. I realized this during the 3^rd or 4^th iteration. Once you get passed half way, you feel like you’re home free. Six times back and forth is a lot, but it felt more achievable.

By the 3^rd APFT, I ran my fastest 2 miles ever…. 17 minutes and 14 seconds. I was FREAKING STOKED! You don't understand. I was SO happy I wanted to cry. Til this day I have yet to beat that time. The closest was 17:19, but I’ll get there. I just have to remember those famous words that will always stay with me....“Move with a f@cking purpose soldiers!”

How I Safely Lost 30 Pounds in 3 Months

When I first went to meet with a recruiter, I knew I was overweight. But I had already been running for well over a year, as I have completed the Couch to 5k program and have completed two 5k’s. I figured I had a chance, but I received QUITE an awakening.

I didn’t own a scale. I haven’t owned one for a while. I don’t judge my weight loss by pounds, but by how my clothes fit. I met my recruiter at CampParks to get weighed. That was scary. I got weighed and taped (where they measure your body fat). I failed both tests miserably. It was depressing to hear the facts. But you can’t argue with facts. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t want them to see it.

I could have quit right then and there, and I really did consider it. To lose about 25 pounds (safely) in such a short amount of time was going to take a lot. It was February of 2012 and I had to enlist before my 35^th birthday in early June. That was less than 4 months. A lot of determination, a lot of scheduling around my already busy life – it was going to take a lot of WORK. I wasn’t sure if I was up for the challenge, but I also didn’t want to live with regret. I decided to go for it.

I started out with the Atkins diet once again. It had worked several times before. But then I learned about the Paleo diet. That made more sense to me. Similar to the Atkins diet in the sense that it is low/no carb. But with the Paleo diet, you eat REAL food. You don’t eat processed Atkins boxed snacks. Don’t get me wrong. On the Atkins diet you do eat real food. But, you also have an option to eat processed boxed foods under the Atkins label.

I felt it was easier because we sort of already ate that way at home. I just had to remove the carbs; wheat bread, brown rice, etc. And for a while, I removed fruit due to its (although good) sugar content. I ate eggs every morning, and I pretty much still do. The rest of my meals consisted of a protein and veggies, lots of water and green tea.

I found a Paleo hack for coffee at Starbucks. Til this day, my favorite drink is a tall Americano with a splash of heavy whipping cream. It does not contain any sugar, but it does contain fat, which is OK on the Paleo diet. If I went to a store that I didn’t frequent, I would have to watch and make sure that they were adding heavy whipping cream instead of a large amount of whipped cream.

(image from www.hyphenet.com)

 

I switched from peanut butter to almond butter. I removed carbs completely. I drank a lot of water and green tea. I did not drink any juice due to its sugar content. I tried my best to adhere to the strict rules of the diet. And honestly…..I felt GREAT! I was slimming down, my complexion was clearer than it’s been in a long time, and I just felt awesome.

Although many just stay true to the diet, I wanted to help speed up the process. I needed to. I was on a time crunch. And I also needed to increase my endurance and perform the exercises they perform in the Army. The Army has an APFT; Army Physical Fitness Test. This is based on your gender and age group. In BCT, the requirement to pass is 50%. For AIT, the requirement is 60%. I worked my butt off to make sure that when I left for BCT, I could pass the APFT with a 60% score.

(image from armyrotc.smugmug.com)

 

I ran a lot. And I mean A LOT. At the time, I was able to run outdoors more often, so I ran outdoors 3days/wk. This helped a lot because I ran on pavement, dirt, gravel, on level ground and hills. It was getting warmer as the days went by. Knowing that I was going to ship out somewhere humid, I also wore a hoodie during my runs. Yeah, that added weight, as well as bumped up the sweat factor by a bunch. But it was working. I was getting stronger, running faster (for me at least) and losing weight. At times I could not believe this was really happening.

I also dropped weights altogether. No dumbbells, no machines. I just used my body weight while exercising. I was doing planks, push-ups, sit-ups, a couple hundred jumping jacks, squats, lunges and I’d throw in some mountain climbers every so often. I would perform some sort of workout at least twice a day. Sometimes I’d add in another workout just for the heck of it. If I had any free time, I was doing push-ups or jumping jacks; something. I’d often sneak into a quiet room at work and pop out about 30 push-ups. I made myself do 100push-ups every day. And it paid off BIG time in BCT!

(image from cielitolindoranch.org )

 

For me, there was no secret pill or shake. No false cream that melts fat away. No timing when to eat meals. My weight loss was based on good ol' fashion clean eating and exercise.. which is what we are supposed to be doing in the first place.

Joining the Army National Guard at 34

CRAZY! 

Completely out of your mind, Insane! 

Midlife crisis?!

Heck, I’d say “all of the above”.

Back in January of 2012, I found this awesome opportunity on craigslist. (I’m not the huge craigslist fiend I used to be, but I still visit it from time to time. Don’t judge me.) Wait, wait, wait……hold up. CUT! Let me back up here.

Take 2!

Ever since my late teens/early 20’s I have wanted to either join the military or get into law enforcement. The closest thing to that was working security jobs. My last security job was at the Sleep Train Pavilion, which will always be called the Concord Pavilion to me. This was back in 1997. 

Going to school full time, working out 5 days a week, and working security at night; that was the life. My fellow security guard friend, Summer, got lucky one night and worked back stage security. Although, she wasn't really working because.... she was eating Digiorno pizza with Vince Gill (eek!), while I was securing a section in 200. This was an awesome chapter in my life. I met some awesome people and just enjoyed living.

Fast forward to January 2012 and the awesome ad I saw. I thought it would pass, but one thing in the ad kept probing at me. “Ages between 17 and 35”

Oh CRAP! There’s an age cut off…..duh! I’m 34 and if I don’t take advantage of this now, I may regret it. I quickly began my research. I was NOT in the best of shape. I was running and have done two 5k’s so far, but this was the military. The Army. I was getting overwhelmed with the info and wanted to give up researching about it. Spoke to my husband about it and he said that he would support any decision I made. Now it was just up to me.

I had a lot of weight to lose, and I needed to get in awesome physical shape to endure the torture they put you through. I decided to do it! I didn't have much time, so I had to be dedicated in meeting this goal.

I lost the weight by adapting to the Paleo diet and doing lots and lots and lots of running. I was in the zone.

calguard.ca.gov

On May 21, 2012...I went to the Sacramento MEPS and walked out with a ship date for BCT (basic combat training). I wanted to cry. I was tired, but drove home with a smile on my face and complete excitement. 

I DID IT! 

I'm in!