Crazy Cold

When I catch a cold, it really only affects me at night.  During the daytime, I’m fine! I can go for a run, workout, etc…. I’m good. No coughing, sneezing, nothing, maybe a little congestion.   At night it’s a completely different story.  Hacking cough, sneezing, watery eyes – the whole. 9. yards.  The worse part is poor Dr. B.  My coughing keeps him up all night.  So, he has to start his week off sleepy and tired at work

Before I went to bed last night, I drank the bottle of Nyquil.  Then three hours later I was back up hacking.  So, I drank more Nyquil, took some Delsym, Alka-Seltzer cold, and sucked on a cough drop.  That combo of drugs allowed me a few more hours of sleep.  Needless to say I’m very, very drowsy right now. Last year, the doctor gave me steroids to stop the coughing.  I thought that was a little extreme.  I’m out of ideas…Anybody have any suggestions?

Natasha

Billy Blanks 24/7

Ya’ll know I am a Billy Blanks follower. I’m now the proud owner of about 15 Billy Blanks workout DVDs since YouTube deleted several of the uploaded videos because of copyright infringement.  But Amazon sells many of his old and new workouts for much less than retail, so I racked up.  Tae Bo is a great cross training workout for the days that I don’t run.  Billy has released a new workout series called Billy Blanks PT 24/7.  PT 24/7 comes with gloves, and a set of bands that attach to the gloves and your feet.

Now, as much as I know for a fact that his workouts are really work, I cannot see myself paying 3 easy payments of $29.95.  That’s almost $100!  For Billy Blanks?  I’m going to need him to come down on the price. I wonder if he has a lifetime-follower discount?  Probably not?  Oh, well, I’ll just wait.  Come January people ditch their new year’s resolutions to lose weight and I bet I can find PT 24/7 for $20, on Amazon  What’s the most you have paid for the a fitness craze?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Natasha

Glutton For Punishment

I woke up this morning not wanting to get out of bed.  It took everything in me not to go back to sleep.  Not good, considering I went to bed around 10:00 and had almost 9 hours of sleep.  To me that was a telltale sign of what my day could end up being like if I did not shake myself out of this rut.  What better way to head off laziness than to go for a run? But, not my average 3-4 mile run, but a 6 miles!  With anticipation of going on a long run, I felt more energized and I put on my running gear and laced up my Adidas.

Once I was out on the road, it felt great.  I took a new route and ran through neighborhood that I haven’t run through before.  The change of scenery was nice, coupled with the crisp morning weather made for a fantastic run.

How do you jump-start your day when your feeling sluggish?

Natasha

My 96 Year-Old Running Inspiration

So… I’m flipping through the November issue of Vogue magazine when I came across the ‘letters from the readers’ section and a picture of two African-American women running catches my attention.  Not because they are running on the beach (which I love to do), but because there is an older woman who looks to be around 70 right in stride with the younger woman.  I read the caption: “Ida Keeling with her daughter Shelly”, which make me even more interested to find out more about her.  So I continue to the reader’s letters, and apparently Mrs. Keeling is 96 years old!!! Yep, 96, AND a world record holder in the 60 meter sprint.

The Vogue Article, Runs in the The Family features Mrs. Keeling who, coached by her 60 year-old-daughter, started running at the great age of 67.  I have always prayed and asked God to give me the strength to continue running until the day that I die.  I have blogged several times before about my love, enjoyment, and need to run.  I cannot imagine how my life would be if I could not run.  Ida Keeling is a true testament to what anyone can do regardless of age, physicality, or obstacles when they truly set their mind to it.

Do you have an Ida Keeling that inspires or motivates you?

Natasha

Marriage is Like Running

As long as I can remember I’ve been a runner.  As a child I loved running and racing, and now as an adult I couldn’t imagine enjoying anything more except for being married.  Running is hard, very hard a times.  It’s much more mental for me than most would believe.  The night before, I mentally set precedence for the mileage I will run the next day.  If I’m feeling tired, then I mentally calculate how I will feel the next day during my run, and thus set a mileage goal.  The same goes with being married.  I decide if I want to get an attitude about something, or if I want to approach my husband as an adult and tell him what’s bothering me…it’s all mental.

Sometimes, I will have my mind-set on something, like what I think we should or shouldn’t do as a couple.  Then a funny thing will happen, just like during a run I realize, I have sold myself short.  Instead of only doing 3 miles, I feel good enough to continue and push through to 5 miles.  Instead of being one tracked and thinking I know best all the time, I realize I have actually limited our growth as a couple because I was too stubborn to see past me.  During those times, I reset my thinking to that which is essential to our goals as a couple and my growth as a wife.

So you see, for me running/marriage are both very similar.   They are repetitive, pleasurable, and with practice you get better over time.  Running/marriage feel great on good days, sometimes painful on those occasional ‘not so good’ days, and just right on those ‘in between’ days.  But I stay focused and continue to progress as a wife and as a runner, because they are a part of who I am, what I love, and what I believe in.

What aspect of your life do you believe is similar to marriage?

R.I.P. Billy Blanks YouTube Videos

Image via Wikipedia

Remember back in December when I reignited my love for Billy Blanks workouts?  Yep, he kicked my arse so bad, but good, that I  incorporated two days of Billy B into my weekly workout routine.  Now, I run 5 miles on Mon, Wed, and Fri; then I submit to Billy on Tue and Wed; and bike on Saturdays.  Those two days give my legs a much-needed rest from running, but also an opportunity for me to cross train.  I’ve lost a few pounds, and I have toned up all over (those side kicks worked miracles on my abs).   But my biggest reward is that I’m running stronger and better.  My legs no longer feel like lead during mile 5.

With all that being said, I was horrified on Tuesday when I went on Youtube to queue a couple of BB workouts and I got this:

Billy Blanks has left the building

Say it ain’t so, No!  Can you believe this ish?  Some of those Billy B videos have been posted on YouTube for over two years.  Why take them off now?  Talk about throwing a wrinkle in my daily routine.  I have grown really fond of Billy B’s Boot Camp Live video.  He incorporated the resistance bands into the routine, which have my arms, and legs ripped (if I must say so myself .  I was only able to find a few videos from different YouTube users, which I used to piece together for a 60 min workout, but of course it just wasn’t the same.  I knew I was going to have to shell out some money If I wanted to keep my love for Billy B going strong.

Reluctantly, I went to Walmart and found two of Billy B’s videos and I also ordered two more from Amazon.  I’m so disappointed in Billy, I thought we had the start of a good “free” relationship. LOL!

Related articles

• Review of Billy Blanks Cardio Tae Bo Videos (brighthub.com)
• Day 78 – A Date With Billy (givethanx.wordpress.com)
• Billy Blanks Kicked my Arse (natashawilliams.wordpress.com)