Michelle Bridges, Week 3 and the JSRC Train Run

Week 3 of the Michelle Bridges 12 week Body Transformation was rough for me in more ways than one. I received a chance to participate in a 5 week preview of the 12WBT as a member of Girls Gone Sporty, and will be posting about it weekly.
Each week, Mish posts a video for motivation on a variety of topics. This week she talked about Motivation and Body Image. Yikes.

I love this! I always look to everyone else to motivate me. I feel as if I need a challenge, or a series of DVDs, or other people to motivate me. Mish points out that we nosed to motivate ourselves and gives us some tools to help keep motivated on our own!

Body Image. Another yikes! I definitely have a problem with Body Image. Most of the time, I can point out my smallish waist, my defined calves from running, my arms are always fairly toned. On a bad day, though? Watch out. My stomach isn't flat enough, the cellulite above my knees screams at me, and I just feel like crap. Mish points out that what we see in the mirror doesn't necessarily reflect what other people see when they look at us. She gave some great tips on how to change your opinion of how you really look.

These boots did help my body image this weekend. The hubs brought me to the mall to buy some jeans made for my curves, because he knew that I was feeling negative, and my Levis were not helping. I got a pair of Lucky jeans, and they look amazing. I walked out feeling fabulous. Next, we went to DSW to get some boots. Even the ones that were made for wider calves did not fit! I was devastated. Body image shattered. Because of boots. For real?
I was getting ready for the Train Run the next day and was taping my knee. I noticed how strong my calves were looking, and realized that the boots lie. My calves are awesome, and I will still look great in the ankle boots I bought instead.

My favorite part of week 3 was the burpees!

No, wait, that's not right. I hate burpees. Truly. BUT MIsh challenged us to do 100 burpees during the week and I was determined to do it! I got up during commercial breaks and did them 10 at a time, and managed to finish all 100 within 2 days. Woot! Challenge met! Week 4 starts today, and I am very nervous about the next weekly challenge! What could it be??

My real favorite part of week 3? The Core and Flexibility workout. I stuck to Cardio and Toning during weeks 1 and 2, so this was my first time doing her Yoga workout. IT.WAS.AMAZING. I managed to hold Crow Pose for 5 whole seconds and I felt like a boss! I cannot wait to see how I improve  in the weeks to come! At the end of the workout, we did relaxation techniques. This was my favorite part. There was a lot of this:

What's not to love?
I ended my week with the JSRC Train Run. The Jersey Shore Running Club hold several of these each year. It is a simple concept. You meet up at Johnny Mac's in Asbury Park NJ, and board the train across the street. You get off of the train at one of 3 stops, depending on the distance you want to run. We chose 6.5 miles so we got off at the last stop.

still laughing about the hand dryer in the ladies' room

Eileen and I were taking it very easy, and the rest of the runners took off, and we never saw them again after that first mile. Dave the Trumpeter joined us, though, and ran the whole way with us. He was the JSRC caboose, and sent his birthday (Happy Birthday!!!) regaling us with story after story about races he had run and people he had met. If you read my blog frequently you know how much I LOVE this guy! He usually sets up at races and plays his trumpet and shouts out encouragement as you run by. Such an amazing guy! Everybody sang Happy Birthday to him before we left for the run:

Since this wasn't a face, it was not timed, which was great. We ended up finishing in about 1:16 for the 6.5 miles, and what a hot, sweaty mess we were! It was very humid, and there wasn't much of a breeze, even though most of the run was on the boardwalk along the ocean!

the last stretch was Cookman Ave in Asbury Park

photo op in front of Johnny Mac's with Eileen and Dave

We collected our long sleeved tee (a lovely deep green, and mine was XL since we finished last, but it is SO comfy!) and our beer ticket. The hubs drank the beer. I hate beer. We also got free personal pizza, and Eileen let the hubs eat hers, and I ate half of mine. We made our obligatory stop to Confections of a Rockstar and headed home.

What a week! Not as much running as I would like, because I was still feeling droopy, but not too bad either!
I am feeling 100% better today, and I am glad to be back on the workout wagon, and eating well. I know that I made things worse by resting too much and not eating as well as I could, but all I can do is pick up, brush off, and move on!

What did you do this weekend to keep your body moving?