Uff Da Mud Run

At the end of this summer I competed in my community's first ever obstacle course race--The Uff-Da Mud Run. Over 700 people turned up to race plus volunteers. Behl's Photography was the photographer, I did not find many pics of me but posted what I had. Check out the event at www.endracing.com/uff-da Not knowing what to expect, I was ready to plunge in and start. The course had us climbing over hay bails, crawling under barbed wire, and swimming across the river. The race was 6K long although with over 26 obstacles to be completed this challenge was anything but dull.

One element that allowed me to survive the feat and be successful was teamwork. My teammates helped one another as well as the other runners. We all worked together and I could see the sense of community forming. The atmosphere was positive, energizing and exciting. Each participant was eager to see what the next challenge would bring. I found myself balancing across beams over a green smelly swamp, buried in mud and filth, and dunking to the bottom of a ice cold garbage bin full of water. 

The extraordinary tasks kept me energized and full of anticipation. I was having a blast with my team conquering each leg of the race together. Some people told me I was crazy swimming across the Red River--but I just thought that they were crazy to miss out on all the fun! I did have second thoughts when I was trudging across a swamp to look down and see a dead fish floating atop the water. Yuck! Even worse than that was the awful smell. However, that makes the finish line that much more rewarding. Another great component to this race was the vareity of levels of fitness it caters too. If any obstacle is too difficult (or disgusting) participants could skip the challenge and move forward. Although it may look or sound intimidating, I think this course is great for a large range of participants  Check back for future runs in the Greater Grand Forks Area. Next up is the Wild Hog Half Marathon September 27-28 at Choice Heath and Fitness followed by Extreme North Dakota Family Adventure Race October 5th in Lincoln Park. www.rungrandforks.org is another great website to check out for local runners. Check out all the action in this video: http://www.wdaz.com/event/article/id/19614/

Go Green, Be Fit!

Earth Day is a great time to be thinking about how we can reduce our carbon footprints. It is so important to treat our planet with care. Going green is a great epidemic that is sweeping the nation. Not only can we make a difference for the planet but also for our health and fitness!

Walk or Bike- This not only saves on gas, car maintenance, and parking costs but improves your cardiovascular health and reduces your risk of obesity. I do this everyday I go to work if the weather permits. It is a great way to start the workday.




Drink Tap Water- There are plenty of filtration systems out there that the need to buy plastic bottle water has dissolved. I use the PUR water pitcher so I always have cold fresh water on hand. I have a water bottle that I take with me to the gym and on my bike rides. I also keep another reusable bottle at work. There are so many different styles and options of refillable BPA free, earth friendly bottles. Plus, bottled water may actually be less pure than filtered tap water. Most gyms also have water foutains with a bottle refill option. Not to mention it is more cost effective. This one is a no brainer.

Use Reusable Shopping Bags-These are perfect for not only groceries but any shopping including clothes, electronics, and the kid's toys—bring them everywhere. I keep mine under the seat of my car so I always have them on hand. Buy a few so you will never be caught without them. Not to mention, If you are like me it will reduce the clutter of saving all those plastic bags.

Plant a Tree or Garden- Fun for the whole family. This gets you out and moving while beautifying the earth. Trees help with air pollution and water pollution reduction. Having a garden provides healthy foods without all the pesticides and preservatives while teaching your kids about good nutrition.

Eat Smart- Hit up the farmers market. Here is a great website to find a market near you. www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets Local and organic food benefits the environment and your health. In the summer we walk our dog down to the market. There are always lots of people, fun, crafts, activities, live entertainment, and healthy food.

And of course don't forget good old fashioned recycling and cleaning up the environment! Every little step counts from unplugging your toaster to washing clothes with cold water instead of hot.

A great phone app and website I found is Recyclebank. www.recyclebank.com The program rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from local and national businesses. You can win trips and earn points. Save money and save the earth—Win win!

Here is a cool website I found that calculates your footprint. www.earthday.org The results may be shocking. I needed 3-7 earths to support my lifestyle and I consider myself one of the greener people I know.

Stretching Routine Truth

When should I stretch?! Growing up when I was in gym and at sports it was always stressed that I needed to stretch before a work out or playing a game or else I was going to “pull a muscle”. This seemed to make sense and I did not question my coaches and teachers. So I stretched, bent, twisted, counted to 10 and did the other side. Didn't think twice about it. When I completed my workout I was done. I showered and carried on with my daily routine.

Then in college at age 21 was the first time I heard that I was doing it all wrong. I was told that I should stretch after my workout not before. This confused me. What do you mean? So I did my homework, researched, and listened to the lectures. Guess what? This stuff if for real. Science have moved on and what I learned back in grade school has changed. It is not that you don't stretch before a workout—it is just a different kind of stretching. No counting one, two, three...

There are two kinds of stretches. Dynamic stretching and static stretching. Static stretching is holding the muscle in a fixed elongated position. This is what I always did at the beginning of my workout. No, no! This should be completed during the cool down phase of the workout after your body has had a chance to warm up and the muscles are loose. It can actually hurt performance if done before a workout. Static stretching is important for every muscle group. You can always be working on your flexibility. It is recommended to hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds and repeat three times. So complete this after the workout for maximum results.

Dynamic stretching uses a fluid motion. Now, this is the type of steatching that I learned should be completed before the workout. It loosens up your muscles and increases your heart rate, blood flow, and body temperature. Unlike static stretching this will help you complete your workout more efficiently. Start slow and focus on form. When you got it down you can pick up the pace and range of motion. Some examples of dynamic stretches are as follows.

Walking Lunges-Step forward lowering your body with keeping the knee just behind your toes.

Butt Kickers-Walk forward bending and lifting your foot to your bum.

Skipping-Be a kid again! Move by hopping on one foot and then the other.

High Knees-In a marching motion lift one leg with a bent knee followed by alternating the opposite leg.

Swinging Leg Lifts-Lift one leg up to the side and swing it to the other side across the front of your body.

Strait Kicks-Walk forward keeping your limbs strait alternate lifting your legs out in front of your body with the opposite arm.

*There is still some controversy on the topic of stretching but there is always have room to learn and grow.

Fire Up With Biking

Today I started my first official bike ride of the season. I live in North Dakota so by season I mean there is no longer snow on the ground and we can begin to enjoy the sunny outdoors more. Biking is a great way to keep me motivated toward my fitness goals. I started getting into biking last summer volunteering through a program with my work. I work at a residential treatment center for adolescents 12-17. The program is developed to help the kids set and achieve goals, build self-confidence, and be healthy. I rode bike with the kids throughout the summer and our reward at the end was a camping/biking trip.

The group started training with 8 miles a day and we worked our way up to over 20 miles a day! Each member of the group completed over 400 miles of training total. We rode on the greenway witch is a path along the river filled with people working on their own fitness. I had a lot of excitement but some days were challenging. Having a big group and being a role model for the kids kept me accountable to keep going. It is so impactful to have layers of accountability and this was a perfect system for my accountability. Not to mention if the kids could do it I better too.

We rode on the Paul Bunyan Trail in Minnesota for our trip. It was so awesome to bike and then stop to camp, swim, play volleyball, and sit around the fire. We stayed at several different sights. If you are not into camping the area offers resorts and hotels. But why not go all out and stake down a tent! We became pros setting up and taking down camp by the end of the trip!

I highly recommend checking out this trail if you ever stumble over to MN. The terrain ranges from hilly and scenic to flat and open. At some points we were the only ones on the long stretches and other times when we were close to the towns we were surrounded by people getting fit just like us. Watch out for the hilly parts! Training in flat ND we had a crash or two--yikes! Not to worry, everyone was okay. It was a blast working my butt off to get to the top of the hill and having the gradification of making it without putting my feet down followed by a smooth coast down the hill with the wind cooling me down. Note: Don't forget the breaks!
Its trail spans 112 paved miles long full of beautiful scenery, friendly healthy people, adventure, and wild life. Just watch out for the bugs. They are constructing an addition to expand the trial to 120 miles long the summer of 2012.

Feel welcome to hike, jog, and rollerblade on the trail as well. If you are not traveling with a bike don't worry. Rental bicycles are available at many of the 15 connecting towns. I recommend stopping by Nisswa—it is a great little town with fun shops and lots of happy people. I love the idea of having so many small towns to rest at or explore. Folks, don't forget your swimsuit and camera. The trial parallels many Northern Minnesota lakes. A great part about this community is that they offer many trail events throughout the year. There is something to curb every adventure.

The trail ends/starts at Bemidji, where we camped at the State Park. It has very clean showers and changing rooms—the best on our trip. It had a large lake shore, playground, and sand volleyball court. The park also contains trails throughout. Furthermore, Bemidji offers a trail circling the circumference of the lake distancing about 16 miles long. Also, stop by the visitor center right off the trail and take a photo shoot with the giant Paul and Babe the Blue Ox. Lots of fun for the kids!

Over 650,000 people a year have visited the Paul Bunyan Trail. Talk about a movement to becoming healthy and getting outdoors. You got to check it out for yourself. Lots of fun and smiles for the whole family!