Beachbody Week- Meet James!

Are you wondering why this is Beachbody week??  May seem a bit random, even though you all know I love me some Shaun T and Insanity!  Well, in the spirit of full disclosure, I was contacted and asked if I was interested in doing a post that included links to some of Beachbody's newer products.  Like p90x2, Ultimate Cleanse, and becoming a p90x certified trainer. I will happily give some link love to a company like Beachbody.....but I would feel not right offering my opinions on products I have not tried. (posts this week will be a bit long as I found everything James said to be relevant and did not want to edit his opinions, so pace yourself, maybe grab a cup o coffee and settle in)
So, I want to start off  introducing you to the person you'll be hearing from a lot this week, James Allen. Brian and I have known James since we moved to CA from WA 13 years ago. Over the years, he has gotten married to a wonderful lady, Sandra, and has a daughter in kindergarten. I have never thought of James as being heavy, or fluffy, or overweight at all (or as 51 for that matter).  When I reached out to him about helping me this week, I was surprised to read some of  what I received from him, but it's a good reminder that we all have insecurities and things about ourselves we would like to improve.
I knew James had completed p90x, and that he had Insanity.  I thought it would be great to hear his perspective on the two programs, some comparison and contrast.  Come to find out, James has completed p90x 4 times, p90x2 once, and is doing Insanity for the second time!!  I think that puts some weight behind his thoughts on these programs and how they stack up against each other!
So, with that background, here is a little intro, in Jame's own words, as to why he began working out, and how he came upon p90x:

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James Allen:

"I believed at one time that working out was for other people and not me. I also believed that it was a huge waste of time and that while others would miraculously lose weight and get six pack abs (or whatever), it would never happen for me. I thought it was all a big scam to get $$$.

Sandra saw the p90x infomercial late one night a number of years ago. She woke me up and made me watch it. It looked interesting because it seemed to have "real" people doing it and not a bunch of buffed actors. Month after month went by and I would sit and occasionally watch the infomercial. I told myself that this program looks pretty tough and I would never be able to do even 10% of it. Finally though I pulled the moths out of my wallet and bought the program. You'd think that after spending the money I'd actually pull the discs out of the box and start doing it, right?..... but not me. They sat on my office desk for four years. FOUR years.

Sandra was getting after me to do something before I got too fat, keeled over or died. A few of my friends were telling me that I was gaining weight and getting a big tummy. Hearing comments like that made me feel great of course.

I remember taking a bike ride with a few of the brothers one day (10 miles) and I almost passed out at the 1 mile mark. They on the other hand were peddling and riding as though they were 20. I felt like an old man in my 80's compared to them.

Beachbody a year or so ago updated the original p90x infomercial. I saw a guy interviewed who basically looked and felt like me. He decided to buy the program and do it four times through (so about a year) and the changes in his body shape was dramatic because he took pictures during and after each 3 month period. I told myself that night that if this clown can do it, that I could get off my fat duff and do it too. He was a potato chip, beer boy and junk eater just like me. Reality was though, even he seemed in better shape that me. I hadn't worked out at all since I was in high school (so about 30 plus years of inactivity). Anyway, that next day I started. My wife almost fainted when I told her I was going to start. She believed that I didn't have it in me to maintain it because I've never done anything like this at all. I told her and some friends that I'm not doing this for them. I'm not sure why I'm doing it. I'm going to try this out and see what all the fuss is about. Maybe I wanted to prove to myself that this workout thing is a racket. So I began. I started on a Monday and went 7 days a week following the program to the letter. By the third day I was so sore I couldn't move. Picking up a glass of water was beyond difficult. I couldn't believe that my body could be so sore. But it was. The weeks passed and the soreness went away and I started to believe in the p90x muscle confusion concept. I work hard each day with the program improving and gaining strength as each week went by. I started to see my body take a little shape and weight slowly began to drop within three weeks. Now the weight didn't fall off in mass. I realized that it took 30 years to get it there and it was going to take some time to get it off, but I was impressed that the program was working. Of course I didn't know a good program from a bad one. I did know that this one was working every muscle in my body.

I've done the program for a full year now. Lost 25lbs or so. I've enjoyed it. I've also moved into Insanity and p90x2."

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So now that you know a little about James and how he went from zero workouts to becoming someone who does not miss a day of working out!


Tomorrow you will here his input on the p90x program.

San Fran Diva 5k (which is really in Burlingame)

We had a...a...well, Sophie and I had a good time.  Emma thought she had a good time while the race was going on, but realized afterwards that she had gone off course.  I guess I have mixed feelings about this one.

There were way too few potties.  Considering this was mostly a woman's race, this should be a no brainer.  You need extra, or at least the normal amount of potties.  The race also started late. Also, apparently they thought the first finishers would be coming in between 25 - 30 minutes (Brian said they announced this over the sound system after the race started).  Well...this should also be a no brainer.  Flat road 5k...your looking between 16 - 20 minutes for your first 5ker in a mostly ladies race, possibly 15 minutes if you have speedy men in there. Turned out that the finishing shoot was still blocked with a barricade when the first finisher came to it.  Brian watched her stop, look at it, and then continue running straight down the trail past it.  He took off after her and got her back to the shoot and Brian and some other dudes moved the barricade that was blocking the course.  I find this to be inexcusable.

While Sophie and I were running with the majority of the crowd and knowing where to go was just a matter of following the herd in front of you, Emma was much closer to the front of the pack, where the runners were more spread out.  She and quiet a few others missed a key turn that took you to the one and only aid station, and directed you off the road and onto a trail right along the bay.  So Sophie and I were running a really beautiful, bay side trail past hotels and over a wooden bridge, while Emma was a few blocks over running back down the road that we had ran out on. Eventually the road meets back up with the trail, and when she saw runners on the trail, she cut over and got on the trail.  She didn't realize what had happened as she thought the 5k's were on the road and the 13.1's must have been on the trail (they weren't).  She managed to lengthen her course to 3.2, but at least the cut back over in time to not miss the boas and tiara station.  She finished around the 29 minute mark, official results are not posted yet.

So...those are a few areas they really need to improve as these are not miner things as far as races go.  Those are actually pretty significant problems that should not be reoccurring!

There were a lot of things I really liked about the race, though.  The expo was pretty decent for a 13.1/5k.  For the price of this run ($35 for the 5k) you really get a lot!!  We got nice  re-usable bags, nice v-neck tech shirts, tiaras, pink feather boas, roses at the finish, nice, heavy, glittery medals handed to you by half naked firemen, plastic flutes of champagne or ginger ale w/the race logo on them, the normal post race food, and a large finisher area.

While the race was happening, Sophie and I had a really good time!  She set the pace and we ran the first half with our friend Diane (Mrs. NotTHATLucas), and her granddaughter, Darci, who is Sophie's age.   It was pretty much a sea of pink and tutus, lots of sun, and running. The second half was just Sophie and I and it was also a much prettier half than the first.  We were on a trail right along the water for most of it and it was really pretty. The aid station was large and there was plenty of liquids and volunteers.  Near the finish we hit the tiara and boa station and got our goods, then we were at the finish shoot.  Sophie kicked in like nobodies business, passing nearly every person in the shoot, it was pretty awesome! : ) Right after the finish we were handed roses, and then our medals....why can't every race end like this??  After that was food, and then the drinks.  We hung around for a bit and then had to get going as Brian had a talk in Pleasanton to give at noon.  So, yeah.  I really enjoyed running with Sophie and we had a good time....but there are some pretty major things that need fixed that were going on while I was having fun w/Sophie...so that leaves me feeling sort of "meh" about this race.
(I'm going to go ahead and post this now while I put together a picture post, which I will post date so that it will be under this post....gimme about 20 minutes and it'll be up)

Here's a Few More -

From the Diva 5k FB page

From NTL, great shots of Em. She runs so hard!

Diva 5k in Pictures

 I blinged out our bibs.

 Somehow Diane managed to find us in this ocean of pink fluff, I really didn't think we would find each other!!

I need to remind myself next time Diane wants to run a race together - she disrobes at the most random times and throws her clothes at strange men!! So embarrassing!

And....she will remember if she strips down to her bra and makes the mistake of handing me her shirt, I will run away with it. : )

(she was hot and trying to take off her long-sleeved black shirt that's under the pink one, so she just took it all off)

 If you make the above pic bigger you can see Emma in black/light pink tutu, and NLT standing in jeans on the median taking pictures. She was way way ahead of us, and the majority of people, heading back.

 she's getting hot, wondering where the aid station is.....

 So Emma missed everything (including aid station) from this picture until the boa station, she was a few blocks over on the road, while we were on this pretty trail : (

 Below is her finish shoot kick!!

 I vote for every race finishing like this!! I wonder if you can rent them for events : )

 Mostly good times!!

Get Ready For It....

Next week is going to be Beachbody week here on the blog!!

Get ready to learn all about p90x, p90x2, and a bit more about Insanity.

You will be hearing first hand reviews from someone who has completed p90x 4 times, p90x2 once, and is currently in his second round of Insanity.  I could not have tapped into a better source for input on these programs!

I'll also have some links up to other great Beachbody products, as well as info on how to become a p90x certified instructor.

Should be an exciting week here on the blog!!

15 Years Ago.....

I was so young, nervous, deciding what to wear.....I had a feeling it was going to be a life changing day!!
Brian had spent a lot of time planning out the perfect evening.
It involved dinner, a carefully planned carriage ride (picking the horse and the street we would come down at just the right time to see the sunset), roses...very special roses, and a merry-go-round ride.
Turns out the roses he bought me from some random guy on the street in Seattle....they were not just roses, and he was not some random guy. The roses that I had been carrying around all night were carefully concealing a ring.

I love you, honey.
If you asked me again, I would still say 'yes'.

Back to Running w/the Beast!!

The dust is finally settling from the haze that was the past 2 months.  Between weeks of sickness rotating between our combined 6 kids, injuries, and round 2 of unemployment woes, the Beast and I have not seen much of each other.  We've gotten a few workouts together in, and she was all set to crew for us at Diablo (we know how that went), but that is about it!

Tomorrow, we run again!!  Moms gone wild on the trail! Her youngest is now on a bike, so she is jogger stroller free these days.  Mine is in training wheels and not trail ready.  I am only a TAD envious of her hands free running.  I can only imagine how much MORE speedy she will be.  I was already taking a beating, so it should be interesting : )

I am so excited to get back to our routine.  Having a running friend is really a special thing, they just "get it".  I can say things like "another toe nail came off yesterday, it was really cool", or "my right butt cheek has been spasming" and I don't get the strange looks I get when I share the same thoughts with non runner friends. Strange. In return, I do not bat an eye when she drops down to the sidewalk in the middle of the park to show me a new push-up variation she has learned. Just another morning with my running friend. To each other, we are totally normal : )

Looking forward to a 'normal' Thursday morning run.