The Adventure Continues...
In August we announced that we would be climbing Brasstown Bald Mountain in Georgia as part of the Climb to Beat Breast Cancer Team. And not long after the blogs stopped!
No, we didn’t fall off the mountain (at least not yet!). However, we have decided to increase our success rate and plan to actually train for this adventure.
See, a few years ago, Maura and I decided we wanted to complete the Princess Half Marathon in Walt Disney World. For those that have yet to meet us, we are both Disney obsessed and if there was anywhere some middle-aged, overweight girls could complete a 13.1 mile race and feel like a princess, it was the most magical place on earth, right?
And we even had intentions of a training plan. And what’s more amazing is that we actually started (that really is the hardest part!). We took a Couch to 5k class, completed several 5ks and adopted a running mantra of, “We’re not last!” And even though we joke about it we also knew that even if we were last, we were still ahead of all the people sitting on their couches.
Then winter hit and it started to snow. We feared that with the ice we would break something. And we didn’t really consider an alternative to running outside. I had an exercise bike and Maura used an elliptical. But it really isn’t the same.
The race was in February, so that was a lot of months with very little training. We had one warm day in December, so I went out and walked/ran four miles and came back and messaged Maura something along the lines of, “I just did 4 miles and I’m not even that tired. So I think we’ll be fine.”
Because 4 miles, 13.1 miles…. It’s similar, right? This might illustrate why I had to take my one math class in college three times.
The day of the race came and it was so exciting. However, within a few miles we discovered the error of our training plan. But we didn’t die (we thought we might have at one point, because there was a church choir singing). And we didn’t get caught by the balloon lady (she determines who is under the required pace) but that was because there were a lot of people slower than us (See?!? We’re not last!).
Flash forward to last August when I decided to join Maura on the Climb to Beat Breast Cancer. To climb the highest peak in Georgia while raising funds for the St John Providence Breast Care Program seemed like an inspirational journey, so I knew right away I wanted to be a part of it.
And then, only a few weeks later, I was at a water park with my kids and I got winded climbing to the top of a water slide. Like, to the point that I couldn’t speak.
Our friend Mike owns Twyfit, a gym in Clawson, Michigan. He has a passion for helping people not just get in shape, but get healthy. My 10-year-old son has been doing a sports conditioning program at his gym since the summer. So while dropping him off one day I mentioned the mountain climb, and the experience at the water park. Concerned, he suggested I look into some training.
I knew he was right. Most of my money was reserved for my kids’ activities, but I knew it was time to invest in me (cue sappy music here). So Operation Don't Have a Heart Attack began!
The exciting part here is that Twyfit offers a program called “Girls that Curl”. A group of 4 women work with one trainer over a 12 week period, so it is more affordable than one-on-one sessions. This was just the type of program I needed so I could really work on not only getting in shape but building the strength I need to climb mountain.
I have already seen results from training at Twyfit with my son. He is a soccer player but can get sloppy on the field. We have seen a big improvement in his agility and stamina this fall after spending the summer training at Twyfit. In fact, will be joining us on the mountain climb and I am confident he will make the whole climb.
Maura and I wanted to make sure he didn’t finish too far before us so this week we will be starting our Girls that Curl training! Over the next few weeks we will be updating you with our progress (I envision some days I might simply post the word “Ow.”)
So wish us luck, or laugh along with us. Or join us! Visit Twyfit on facebook or on their website to join our team (or to find a team that works with your schedule).
Here goes nothing!!
