New Lily

Why I Love Fall Fitness… Three of My Favorite Fall Workouts

imagesWhat is there not to like about fall? Cooler weather (it’s not hot anymore…but it’s not cold yet either).  Beautiful colors (a glorious time to be outside).  Change (something we all relate to ….the change on the outside usually reflects a change on the inside as well).  Like I said, what’s not to like about this season?

Here are three of my go-to fall workouts that are also three more reasons I love fall.

1.”Run Spot Squat Run”.  Tired of the same-old same old run?  Add some squats/push-ups/lunges smack dab in the middle of your same old-same old.  If you are going out for 5 miles, for instance, stop after the first 2.5 and do the following quick and dirty mini workout: 3X 20 squats/ 20 push ups/ 20 lunges (you can drop this to 10 if 20 is too much at first).  Take a few much needed breaths at this point and ready yourself for the second 2.5 miles of your run.  Two things I like about this workout… 1) You won’t believe how much you want to run after you’ve done the squat – push up fun, and 2) You’ll find five miles goes much faster when you break it up this way. The cooler fall climate makes this a great time to try to change up workout…

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Born to Row…the Intimate Details of My Love Affair

rowing meFullSizeRenderI’m in love.  It’s finally time to come clean. I’ve been keeping things quiet (you can understand why).  But I don’t think there is any going back now.  The guilt has been killing me, so it’s time to confess. I’ve decided to just lay it all out here… I’m exposing the intimate details (this is hard for me too, you know). [Read more…]

Hoka One One: The Newest Running Shoe Bandwagon?

hoka one oneimagesI first heard the name Hoka One One when my husband showed me an article about the new running shoes.  He asked me how I thought you pronounced it, “Hoka 1..1.., of course”.  Actually, no.  It’s pronounced Hoka One (oh-nay) One (oh-nay).  I read the article, and I couldn’t help thinking about the plight of butter (butter good….no, butter bad…no, butter good).  Or maybe just the fickleness of us humans.

We love a bandwagon.  Especially when it’s backed up by sound research and personal experience.  I am not saying, necessarily that the new Hoka One One shoes are the newest wagon to hop onto. It’s simply an observation.  Just like my observation at the running shoe store that my daughter (#5) works for.  I noticed a few months ago when she first started working and I came in to pick her up, not one “Five Finger” shoe could be found.  Hmmm, interesting. [Read more…]

Why I am Thankful for “The Run”…and Why I Regret Never Telling my Dad

running womanI was going to call this post, “9 Reasons I am Thankful for ‘The Run'”.  As I pulled up my chair to my computer and began to type, I realized that it would not be a post I could whip out in 9 neat reasons.  My first reason was more profound than I thought upon initial reflection.  So I bagged the title.  And I just started to write…

I was running the other day on a trail nearby with #7 (John).  John is 11.  He will be fast one day.  So I realize I won’t always be able to keep up with him.  I love running with John because he talks the whole time.  Which means I don’t have to.  It was a fun run.  Six miles.  As we were beginning the last mile, John had run out of things to talk about (or he was too tired), so I started to talk.  I try not to philosophize too much with my kids while we run but it was a particularly beautiful fall day and I couldn’t help but to tell John to look around and to be grateful for “the run”.  “Be grateful for your legs and offer your run for those who can’t” (we know a young man who is paralyzed and cannot use his), “be grateful for your ability”  (many kids John’s age can’t run one mile, let alone six), “be grateful for the desire” (he was happy to run that morning), “be grateful for the trail” (we are lucky to have such a great place to run nearby). “John, don’t ever forget to be grateful for running.  It just might get you through a lot one day”. [Read more…]

These Are a Few Of My Favorite Things…Three Fitness Picks for 2014

There are so many ways to do a push up....a great body weight exercise!

There are so many ways to do a push up….a great body weight exercise!

These are a few of my favorite things that I will be doing lots more of in 2014…

1.Body Weight exercises

What it is: Body weight exercises are strength training exercises that do not require equipment; your own weight provides the resistance for the movement. Movements such as the push-up, the pull-up, and the sit-up are some of the most common bodyweight exercises.

Why I like it:  Using my own body strength, this kind of workout engages the core, utilizes many different muscle groups, and can be done basically anywhere.  From push-ups and squats, to lunges and planks, there is really no end to the variations I can do.  Sometimes I do the workout on its own, and sometimes I will stick a few body weight exercises in at the end of a run.  Here’s my favorite quickie (source:crossfit): [Read more…]

Fall 5Ks are Great Family Fun!

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My husband snapped this picture of us after the 5K last Saturday…there are seven of us (#5 is cut off – but is also smiling)…

Last weekend my family did the Big South 5K in Charlotte.  Well, not the whole family.  #1, #2, and #3 are not home, and my husband and #9 (Sam – who is 4) didn’t run but came to cheer the rest of us on.  I ran with #7 (C.C.) who is 8.  She was trying to break 27:50 which was her last 5K time.  We came in a little over that at 28.30 but I was impressed with her mighty effort! She never stopped to walk except to get water.  By the last 1/2  mile she was tired and I asked her if she wanted to walk a little. But then as she recognized her surroundings and knew it wasn’t too far to finish…she got a second wind! [Read more…]

Music and Miles…a Sublime Run

A sublime run on the trail... Today I chose to "plug in", and it was worth it!

A sublime run on the trail… Today I chose to “plug in”, and it was worth it!

I have been suffering from a lack of motivation lately, so this morning I wasn’t expecting much.  #4 (Peter) was meeting a friend for a long run (11 miles) on the trail so I decided to come along and run on my own. It’s been a while since I have run long alone (I went 10), so I took my phone and some headphones to keep me company.  I ran the first three with #6 (Grace) who was only running six, and then said goodbye, turned on the iphone music, and kept going. [Read more…]

What Do You Do When Your Running Partner is Injured?

Here I am with #9 (Sam). I know…I’m not running.

I am officially pitiful.  I can’t believe how fast I have become unmotivated!  My running partner, Susan (the one I run with the most), is injured.  She broke her toe when a mannequin at work fell on her foot.  OUCH.  That was a month ago.  Since then I have suffered from a serious lack of motivation (it wasn’t my toe, I know – guess I am a very empathetic friend). I used to meet Susan at 5:30 am about three times a week, but now I have basically almost stopped even setting my alarm for an early morning run.  Thank God for the other Susan in my life…my twin sister.  She and I run together at least once a week, usually around 6:15 am from her house.  I am grateful for her and for that run once a week!  But she is training to run the Savannah Half Marathon in November and is therefore in much better shape than me at the moment. With every week I notice how much slower I seem in comparison. [Read more…]

It’s Cross Country Season at my House..Just Watch the Laundry Pile Up!

Just a few of the running shoes around our house these days!

Just a few of the running shoes around our house these days!

It isn’t hard to figure out what season we are in.  It isn’t summer or fall…it’s XC season (at least at the Hetzel house it is)!  As the coach of the Grace Academy cross country team, I am running with the athletes about four days a week…and my kids are running too (#8 and #7 – C.C. and John-run with our group and even # 9 hops out of the baby jogger often).  #4 (Peter), #5 (Annie), and #6 (Grace) also run for my team as high school and middle school runners.  That’s a lot of shoes lying around…especially when you consider the additional spikes, too.

Death by laundry...

Death by laundry…

Many people think of football when they think of fall and the start of the school year…not me.  Cross country practices, meets, and invitationals fill our fall days. Tempo runs, stride outs, Indian runs, Kenyan outbacks, track workouts, ladders…this is our language. Unfortunately for me, it means a lot more laundry too. What are your fall days filled with?

Fitting in a Workout Means Sometimes It Isn’t Pretty…

A parking lot run is still better than no run at all!

I ran it today for 5 miles. …the parking lot, that is. Sometimes you just do what you have to do.  I am in Greensboro, NC, for a swim meet for #6 (Grace), and her warm ups started at 7 am this morning. With four kids along, it was too difficult to fit an early morning workout in and get her there on time!.   Instead I dropped Grace off and #5 (Annie) watched #8 and #9 (C.C. and Sam) while I ran in the nearby paved paradise.

 

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