Phazes Fitness

NEW LOCATION!

2012-02-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

We've Moved! I hope you can find out new Studio just fine. Phazes is now located in HURRICANE UTAH! 134 South Main Street (next to the WORLD Famous Main Street Cafe) Pop in and say Hi! This month we are offering a Grand Opening Special For our new Members: Sign up for a Year and Get a month free! Also all of our Current Clients get a FREE GIFT JUST FOR BRINGING IN A FIRST TIME FRIEND! This is for the Month of February ONLY! Finally Plan on a Fun Valentine's day Here at Phazes. ALL our classes are free that day! Try everything without having to pay a single penny! This our way to show you how much we appreciate YOU and Love YOU. 4 Phaze circuit at 6:00am, 6:30am, 8:45am, and 7:15pm GOLD Circuit at 9:15am Pilates at 10:00am Yoga at 11:00am Lunch and Learn at noon ZUMBA at 8:00pm Happy Valentine's day!

Phazes LaVerkin Studio is MOVING! (and there is a secret special right now)

2012-01-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

Phazes Studio in LaVerkin is currently located at 394 south state street in Laverkin utah. BUT... WILL BE MOVING INTO HURRICANE UTAH! (on main street right next door to main street cafe) I do not have the exact address, but it is something like 100 ish south main street in Hurricane. We will close the LaVerkin Studio on January 30th 2012 - Feb 3rd 2012 to move, paint and get things looking spiffy. (do people still use that word?) For all those that read this blog and get this information here... I have a secret special for you if you come in and sign up at Phazes BEFORE we move. Here it is: Get 50% off ANY punch pass OR get TWO months FREE on a 12 month contract!! seriously an AMAZING OFFER! but it will only be for those that come into the studio before January 28th, 2012 and are NEW clients (don't worry, I have a special for my loyal clients too. keep reading). For my loyal clients. I owe so much to all the work you do in keeping healthy and happy and telling your friends about Phazes. THANK YOU! There will be a special gift for you at the Open House that will happen in February after the move. ALSO... if any of your friend come in and get a 20 punch pass or a 12 month membership, you will be getting you pick of some fun items that will be in our new Goodie basket every month. You will want to check it out! Thanks again and we will see you! don't forget we are still open and love seeing you in the studio before we move over.

Baby, it's cold outside!

2011-12-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

I am the biggest wimp when it comes to cold weather workouts outdoors. I live in southern Utah where it rarely snows and the coldest it gets is sometimes in the tweens on SUPER cold January days. However, I grew up in Wyoming where it would start snowing in October and it would finally melt in June. In the winter months we were ecstatic when the temperature was over 0 so we could go outside and play. I remember donning shorts when it was 40 degrees and trying to get a tan. Man, I have become allergic to cold weather since I moved. In fact I am sitting next to a heater in my fitness studio while wearing 2 (make that 3) layers of clothes and gloves and a snow cap. it's about 30 degrees outside and about 50 in my studio. SO... I love working out - outdoors. But not when it's cold. I follow all the great fitness gurus of outdoor fitness. some dude runs barefoot in the snow in Colorado - seriously? I moved my outdoor bootcamp inside back in November and plan on keeping it indoors until March. The weather is nice here in southern Utah in comparison to Colorado, Wyoming and even Northern Utah and the rest of the northern States of the good ol USA. But I am wimpy. There I admitted it! I talk a big talk and encourage so much more from everyone. But let's get real... the biggest reason people gain weight in the winter months (besides all the fatty sugary foods and overeating binges) is that people stay indoors and eat next to the TV. RIGHT? Yes I am talking to YOU! SO... I was reading an article about how to work out outdoors in the winter months and the benefits of it. Did you know your body burns more calories when it's cold outside and you are active? it's true! In the attempt to keep your body temperature up, your systems work harder, burn more calories than you would if you did a workout in 75 degree weather. SO... go ahead and take that run. Bundle up with gloves and snow hat and 3 layers of pants and four sweaters and 2 pairs of socks and maybe some moon boots. and a scarf and whatever else you need to give you some insulation from sub zero degree weather (so glad I don't live in the snow right now as I write this). Here's the thing - you need to have some fun, right? life isn't as fun when all you do is watch TV and eat. It leads to depression and weight gain. Happy people get outdoors. it's as simple as that. I have been on a kick about trying to get people to do the right things - not for weight loss, but for joy and peace. weight loss comes when everything else is going right - sometimes slowly but IT'S OKAY! SO... You challenge this winter is to find a way to get outside daily and not just to get from your car to your house and vice verse. Talk a stroll with your dog at Lunchtime. Go to the park and play a round of basketball with your kids or old High school buddies. Or make some new friends and try a new sport. Ever tried Pickleball? me either. I'm going to learn though. Don't tell me kids but I am getting them a ball and rackets for Christmas and we are going to learn (they don't read my blog). Still don't want to go outside? do you really live in a place where you get frostbite on your nose when you step out the door? I get that. totally. How about this.... Do fun stuff - INDOORS. Yes, you have permission to wimp out on getting out in the blizzard to get a round of Tennis in. - Play wii dance party! or no wii - just do a dance party. - pull out the old game of twister and see if you still got it. - try Limbo? (don't hurt your back) - not into looking or acting silly like me? - get out your dusty workout videos and start your day with one (especially if you have kids hanging on you. It makes them even better!) What else? Oh put the chips down. Keep a dish of broccoli and celery and hummus out instead. Enjoy the Holidays. Enjoy your loved ones. smile. read a good book. Merry Christmas From Phazes!

Pepper's testimonial

2011-11-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Michelle,
I just wanted to stop and take the time to thank you for boot camp! I went in for four weeks with a goal of achieving a faster pace for running. With the strength training and speed work, I am excitingly stronger. You pushed me and challenged me to exceed my expectations of what my body could do there. Our group was diverse and we all encouraged each other every morning! That was big for me as I love feeling apart of a team! My husband went in with the goal of losing "baby weight" and came out stronger, fit, and lean! I think the one thing you showed him was that it wasn't about the scale! I would encourage anybody with weight or fitness challenges to take your class and see how far 4 weeks takes you. When I started your class I was an 8.5/min pace on a 5k; I just did my first 5k since your class and I had a 7:36/min pace and took 2nd place in my age group! Thanks Michelle!

Bootcamp - one week special!

2011-10-17T11:40:00.000-06:00

I am such a push over! This morning at Bootcamp I informed everyone that after this week there would be a 2 week break before the next round and everyone screamed "NOOOOOO!!!! I Can't wait that long for my Bootcamop I love so much! can't you give us just one week break? oh please oh please oh please!" Oh, ok fine! SO, the next round of Bootcamp will start November 7th - BUT, I am giving a week of bootcamp for $25 for anyone to try it at a pro-rated cost! 4 weeks of bootcamp is $100. But you now have the chance to "sample" it for a fraction of the cost and jump in with everyone else when they start November 7th too! It's a great opportunity! Bootcamp costs: 4 weeks monday - friday = $100 4 weeks 3 days a week = $80 SPECIAL OFFER: October 31st - November 5th = $25! or $20 for just 3 days a week! Call me now to register! 435-680-4025

Red Rock 2011 - Phazed and Confused

2011-09-11T22:14:00.000-06:00

My husband asked me the point of paying $100 to ride in a van and spend 2 days running 186 miles with 11 other people on my relay team. I just finished one of those silly races yesterday. My team consisted of 12 people: me, my brother Steve and his daughter Madison (age 14) and my brother Robert and his 14 year old son Adam and my client and now friend Corey. In the other van was my friend Marquessa and a bunch of her friends I had never met before but I can now call friends. we weren't in it to win any awards - This was a first relay like this for most of the people in my van. There are 2 vans with 6 people in each - snow van and Sun van. The snow van starts the race in the mountains at Brian Head Ski resort and they trade of runners for about 30 miles then the Sun van takes over for about 30 miles and so forth until 186 miles and over 24 hours later we cross the finish line together in Zion canyon. This is my story: Our team name was decided "Phazed and Confused". Our team was selected - a bunch of ladies in one van that I hardly knew that were all great friends for the SNOW van and my van of mostly family and one client in the SUN van. The money was paid about $100/person. The day before the race started I was putting together final preparations - getting decorations for the van, printing maps, shopping for food... I was at Walmart when I got a call from a Police officer that they had my 3 year old child.... "what?!?!" I dropped everything and came home as fast as I could... the kid was fine - he is a crazy kid - I will write more about that in my personal blog with that story and carry on here with the red rock relay story... So... my stress level was high - off the charts... had a lot less time to do all the things I wanted to before going to the race the next day. The Snow van part of my team was coming in late and I would not be able to meet up with them before the race - SO I left their gear they needed with one of the team member's grandmother in Cedar City and HOPED they had it all together. Luckily they had run races like this together before and were well prepared. I still worried of course since I had not met most of them. The next day - I had to work in my Studio til I had things settled with a new staff member and Sub for my Zumba instructor. The Snow van had already started their legs of the race up in Brian head while my brother Steve and his daughter and Corey met up and we got ready to take off. By noon 4 of my 6 people for the Sun van were ready to get up the mountain and meet up with the other van and other team members we were missing (Robert and Adam). Robert had a teaching workshop he was in charge of and just could not leave as early as he hoped. Adam had a cross country track meet he was in and we would not see him until about 8pm in Cedar City. I let Robert and Adam figure out the solution to their problem with scheduling on their own. So they sent a friend "Burke" to cover Adam's first leg - technically you are not supposed to do this... but... I was OK with it since in reality Adam was running hard in a race over 3 miles under 7 minute miles and would be the equivalent of taking a good leg in the redrock. Problem one: no cell service in most of the mountains and we can't find Burke. On a fluke we run into him at van exchange on 3 hours after we had agreed to meet up and several miles away from the place we decided. I took a deep breathe and focused on looking for the people I had never met in the other van on our team. Snow van showed up in a flower theme. our van had chosen a Camouflage theme. Team Phazed and confused was living up to it's name. it was good to meet these ladies finally and cheer on their 6th runner coming in to finish the end of the first legs of their race. They said they had run through lightning storms and hail storms in the mountains and they were freezing! Legs 1-6 done! Our van's turn! Steve took leg #7 our first leg for our van. 5.8 miles of an tough uphill! considered very hard. Steve is one of the strongest runner when it comes to someone who can push hard - run long and take on any challenge. I purposely gave him the hardest legs of the race. Sorry - Steve - but congratulations - it means I have great faith in you and your ability to kick some serious butt! Steve finished leg #7 in 48 minutes. Leg #8 4.6 miles hard uphill battle again was assigned to Burke filling in for Adam. Burke is a funny guy and know my brother Robert from working in the School district as a principal. we still hadn't met up with my brother Robert yet... Leg #9 2.9 medium difficulty - uphill.I did it in 20 minutes. The hardest part was the lack of oxygen at over 10,000 feet. my lungs were bursting! 2 kills for me and no one passed me. (a kill refers to how many people you pass up) Leg #10 - 6.4 miles of a downhill now called "the quads must be crazy" I assigned that one to my client Corey - a new runner that had just started racing last year - mostly 5k's and a 10K. we had been working on training together and we were about equal in ability. when Corey finished he said the toughest part was his lungs struggling for air at that altitude. Corey did great and finished in 47 minutes. Leg #11 - 6.6 miles Medium - downhill. we Met up with Robert at the start of this leg. he was able to break away from his School district responsibilities and meet up with us finally. he started this leg at 10minutes to 8pm and finished in 40 minutes. a FAST timer for this distance. especially for our team. It was fun watching him meet up with another runner along the route and push together toward the end. #12 - The last of the first legs was for Madee - age 14. 5.4 miles of a fairly easy run into Cedar City. Madee did it in 50 minutes. Madison has never done a race like this and was in for a great learning experience. this was her warm up for some tough running coming up. In Cedar city we met up with our final runner Adam -my nephew also age 14. he had just finished his cross country meet and had run his 3.5 miles in 20 minutes! GREAT time. He has a LOT of untapped potential as a runner. we counted that as his first leg of the race since Burke had subbed for him on Leg 8 in the redrock. Met up with the Snow van again and it was their turn to take over legs 13-18. It was now dark outside and they would be running in the night from about 9pm til 2am - sometimes in the dirt. we wished them luck and parted ways. after hanging out with family in Cedar city, getting some food at Subway - running into friends, and visiting for a while, we headed out to the next van exchange site to get some rest and prepare for our running in the wee hours of the morning. The ladies in the Snow Van had given me a 2 way radio they would communicate on with us since there would be no cell service in Newcastle. we settled down to sleep in the van or on the church lawn and tried to block out the noise of other teams laughing and talking. I wrapped my sleeping bag around me and leaned the drivers seat in the van back and drifted off to sleep. I was in and out of sleep for less than an hour when our 2 way radio crackled with a message "HEY GUYS we are pulling into the church now! our runner is about a mile out!" CRAP! REALLY? that was A LOT faster than planned. So I woke Steve up and we paced up and down by the runner exchange looking for our other van. apparently, other people had 2 way radios on the same frequency.. Lots of teams were talking to each other and announcing their arrival to the exchange. nearly 2 hours later at 1:55am our runner came in. I had nearly NO sleep and it was time to get going again. Steve started out Leg #19 - 8.4 miles of a 2am run. he did it in 62 minutes = 7.3 minute miles. Leg #20 was a nice and easy 2.4 mile jog. I gave that to Corey to let his lungs recovery and prepare for his toughest run yet tomorrow... He finished in 25 minutes. Leg #21 - 3.6 mile hard uphill - MINE! As I started I wondered why I was silly enough to assign me all the uphill runs. BUT... I really enjoyed it! It was a steady climb, but it was only 3.6 miles. I knew I could do 30 minutes of a tough workout. it took me 39 minutes. I had 3 kills. and no one passed me. It was dark outside and I was running through Dixie National Forest - thoughts of bears and mountain lions were in my head. So I decided to make some noise and catch up to the runner in front of me. once I caught them I decided to push to the next runner. I knew if I was near someone I was less likely to get any wild beasts interested in me. I loved that run actually - it felt great. and my knees gave me no trouble. I passed several people and was feeling like I had given it everything I had til the very end. I wasn't sure If I could keep running uphill to the end, so I started goofing around and singing the "rocky theme" as I neared the end. I heard people cheering and realized it was for a woman behind me that I had passed once already and she kicked it in to try and pass me up. I turned and saw her and yelled "oh Hell No!" and kicked it in too! so we had a real race to the finish. (I won) we gave each other high fives and thank you's for the push. that was fun! Leg #22 - 5.2 miles past Mountain Meadows - Robert took this leg. Sometime before this leg he had shared with us about a time he was running and found out he was being watched by a mountain lion. - great.... thanks for sharing... Off He goes into the dark. He finished in 38 minutes. Leg #23 - Madee age 14 started her 4.5 mile run at 4:30 in the morning. It was pitch black outside. Madee's head was full of the stories of mountain lions. she was so scared... poor girl. Robert (her uncle) told our brother Steve (Madee's dad) that he could run with her if he wanted. Steve said Madee would be fine. we would keep her in our sight and let her push through. SO, that is what we did. She did awesome! what a trooper - she pushed through her fear. we could hear her whooping and yelling and clapping her hands. I told her at one of her water breaks that if she caught up to the people in front of her, she "would feel safer and be less likely to have any wild animals interested - at least that's what I did..." She listened - that girl picked up some serious speed! her normal pace is about 10 minute miles... but she finished off with 8 minute miles and had several "kills". WAY TO GO! Leg #24 - 7 miles - Adam also age 14. He asked us how serious we were about this run and if we needed him to run fast. He started off on a nice easy stride just taking it easy. Robert said Adam loved to run but only would run as fast as he felt. If we told him there were people in front of him - he would pass them. So we let him know there were 5 people ahead of him he could pass up. "OK... " and off he went. it was fun watching his stride pick up. He just kept going! He started by doing about 9 minutes miles and finished with 7 minutes miles. Adam brought us into Veyo where the Snow van was waiting to start their final legs of the race. They had not gotten as much sleep as they had hoped either and had to run their last legs of the race with very little sleep. they took legs 25-30 through Snow canyon park during sunrise - my favorite part of the race. we drove on ahead and went through Snow canyon park into Ivins to get some rest at Robert's house. we arrived around 7:30am and slept til about 8:30am. I crashed on my brother's couch. Steve and Madee got the guest house. Robert and Adam got their own beds. and Corey and I each had a different couch. waking up hurt... So, we were off again to meet our other team members at the Washington Community center and finish off the last part of the race. This was the final and most difficult stretch of the entire race. the sun was now up in the southern Utah desert in early September. None of us had run in heat like we were about to do. The Snow van arrived at the community center - gave us the water sprayer and some hugs and their runner came in about 10:17am. Corey was off for his final run leg 31 - 5 miles of HILLS!!! Ouchy... Corey was tired. his lungs burning... and he pushed hard. I was really proud of him pushing through the toughest part of his entire race. He finished in 55 minutes. I saw him looking ahead and trying to kill the next person in front. He worked hard and sweat hard. Great job buddy. Corey said this was just barely past his ability enough to just push him the right amount. I asked him if he would do the red rock again int he future and he said "ask me tomorrow or next week. that was painful. But my knees don't hurt. we'll have to see." My husband Bill was volunteering at the end of this exchange. it was good to see him longboarding around the parking lot. what a cutie. Corey's wife, Karyn was also there cheering her man along on his race. he gave a nasty sweaty hug. She LOVED it! Leg 32 - 6.8 miles mostly uphill was assigned to Robert. He was beat and this was tough. I think I am just repeating myself on the last legs of the race... it was hot, uphill and tough! Robert did awesome and finished in 56 minutes. It was awesome seeing my big brother who wasn't sure about doing this race originally - really do this well. He is a great guy, a strong runner and was a lot fo fun to have around on this race. I was so glad to have him on my team. Leg #33 - MINE 5 miles - LOTS of hills! I said I loved hills... well I did until about the 3rd one on this route. I handled the first 2 ok. then I was tired. really really tired and I still had 2 miles to go to the end. I had 3 kills and no one Killed me - so I felt good about what I had accomplished. a lot of people were walking by this point. I slowed down in a neighborhood near my fitness center when along came a breathe of fresh air... Thanks Cherie for showing up when I was exhausted and cheering me on. It's funny how much that means and what that bit of moral support can do to boost a person. I did take a couple of walking breaks to catch my breathe and pushed on to the end. I ended up with about 5 kills and almost caught the woman who finished right before me. she collapsed as she crossed. I didn't know if she was okay so I sped up my pace just to see if I could check on her. what a way to make a girl run harder - pretend you passed out... she was fine. But I sprinted in and felt good that I could pull that out of me. It was tough... and I was done! Leg #34 Madee - another tough up hill in the heat run for 6.2 miles. I had reminded Madee that her safety was first and if she ever felt like it was too much to let us know. She got her head band soaked with ice water and pushed on. She took several wat4r breaks, we sprayed her down often and she pushed on. Her mom, Ronnie and her siblings were there now cheering her on as well. we were all proud of her. She had NEVER done anything this hard before. she was tired, hot and pushing in 90 degree heat to do a final leg of this tough race. Robert hopped out when Madee had about a mile left and ran in the rest of the way with her. how awesome to see an uncle running in with his tired niece and help her finish off strong. I love seeing people do things they aren't sure they can do and do it anyway. after Madee finshed she kept saying over and over "I've never done anything like this before in my life!" i felt really connected to her accomplishments emotionally. Leg #35 - 7.5 miles - HARD uphill.( and repeat) Madee handed off the run to her dad Steve - a drill sergeant or he said his title changed to something else. He gave his daughter Madee a big hug said "I love you" and started his uphill run in the heat. Steve started feeling some pain halfway into his run and had to walk out a bit. He finished in 71 minutes and apologized to us for it. no apology needed. way to go my brother! So glad you were there with me. Leg #36 - the final leg 6.7miles - HARD another steady uphill. Adam took us into the finish line. the kid can run like a gazelle! I am sure his track coach loves this freshman runner that never tires. Adam finished this 6.7 mile uphill run in 41 minutes! not too shabby at all for a 3rd leg of this tough race! I have an awesome nephew! way to go buddy! he really is fun to watch run as he just effortlessly breezed passed everyone else. we met up with everyone just before the finish line and ran in as a team. we had to keep yelling at Adam to slow down so we really could run in together. That was really really hard for him. he kept slowing and it just was never slow enough for the rest of us behind him. we finished the race at 4:15pm.... about 30 hours after we started. I love this race! I love my team! I got to know my family better and met new friends in the other van. I can hardly wait for the next one. as I told Madee and the others in my van Saturday morning before the final stretch - "what I love about these kinds of races is that it pushes you to do more than you thought you could do and that translates to the rest of your life. being able to push past these hard challenges reminds you that you can do anything in life and no challenge God gives you is really too much. You can always do more than you thought your could." I can't wait for next year! I want to do more of these! Pictures to follow later...

fast like a Gazelle...

2011-07-22T10:22:00.007-06:00

I have often used the example of rushing across a park to a child in danger as just one reason to be fit. I never thought I would have to put that into practice. 2 days ago while visiting family in Southern California, I took my kids to the beach. Put sunscreen and life jackets on my babies and began to set up our beach chairs and food. I turned to see how my kids were doing, there was my 3 year old... scariest moment in my life... rolling in the waves unable to get up or catch his breathe.

I have no idea how fast I was there, But it was the fastest I have ever moved in my life, jumping over other people on that crowded beach. We had picked an open spot further away from the water since the places closest to the water were all taken. So, there was some ground to cover to get to my child. The life guard stand was right next to us. The life guard got to me and my baby at full sprint right behind me.

My 3 and a half year old is fine. I was able to reach him quickly and I moved my beach chair closer to the water in front of some grumpy woman not happy about me moving closer to the beach and too close to her. (Oh well grumpy lady...)

Had this been 3 years ago, I wonder if my body could have moved like that without injury.

So, that hypothetical situation put out there to my clients, I put out there again to you.
If your child was in danger - across a park or a crowded beach, could you reach them in time to save their life (my question mark key is broken... grrrr)

It's just one of many reasons to get in shape. Do those sprints, love those lunges, enjoy every heart pounding moment of your workouts. I can't tell you how grateful I am for those challenging workouts.

What about Bob?

2011-06-10T07:44:00.005-06:00

I'll tell you about Bob...
Dude, I couldn't be happier right now. This guy has been one of the most dedicated clients here at Phazes. Today we did a fitness assessment after about a year of coming at least 3 times a week - week after week.

Before I tell you what he accomplished, let me tell you where he was when he came in...
Bob has not had a problem with obesity - just the opposite. Skinny and weak, no balance, no strength, no overall health at all. There is no way I can adequately say how sick he was from a lack of correct eating habits and proper fitness training.

Day one: we did his fitness assessment...
I wanted to cry to see this great guy at just 63 years old unable to stand on one leg or do knee pushups, or have any stamina at all.
Here is a guy that loves to golf but was having a difficult time enjoying his game with his balance and strength so out of whack.

Flash forward to today...
Bob is no longer doing knee pushups. He had 40 seconds to complete the following tasks and rest one minute in between. Here are his results:
- 2 pull-ups (the guy could barely hold himself up at all before and today was his first time we DARED trying pull ups - he did AMAZING for starting a workout program after age 60!)

- In-and-out crunches: 31 (it was 10 in that amount of time on day one)
- Switch kicks: 26 (he couldn't even DO them before since it required balance on on leg)
- Power jacks: 22 (before his legs were too weak to even risk trying)
- Power jumps: 18 (see Power Jacks)
- Squat thrust with jump: 11 (see above)
- Pushups: 22 on toes with perfect form (compare that to his poor form on his knees barely able to do 5 in the same amount of time)
Oblique climbers: 24 (he would have been too tired to try these before so we didn't dare back then.)
and he can now touch his toes, too, when he was about 4 inches away from being able to do that before.

SO yeah... today is one of those days that I get to rejoice with my client. Bob had some words to share too:

" I feel proud of myself for the first time in my life. It's a feeling I have never felt before. Thank you so much for basically saving my life. My golf game is better now than it was when I was in my 30's. I can hit the ball further than most of the big guys out there. I feel amazing. Of all the money I have spent in other places trying to get healthy and the very little I spend here at Phazes every month, this has done the most good for me. I can't thank you enough."

And Bob, I can't thank YOU enough for being willing to let me share you story and your thoughts. You continue to inspire and impress me with all you do.

Senior fitness - Gold Circuit

2011-06-07T07:05:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite classes at Phazes is the Gold Circuit!
It is ideal for seniors and those with special concerns including hip or joint issues, fibromyalgia, arthritis, or recovery from injury or surgery.

Clients that come to the Gold Circuit have LOVED it!
- Anna may says her posture and range of motion and energy is improved.
- Maryanne says she has more energy to deal with her fibromyalgia.
- Billie says her butt has gotten smaller. :) we LOVE that! and she is stronger!
- Helen has improved balance.

Issues that arise as we age tend to be limited range of motion, loss of balance and less strength and energy. although "just walking" is good for you - It's just as important to have a workout that includes strengthening and stretching your entire body. That is what you get in the Phazes Gold circuit - Strengthening and cardio all in one adjusted to YOUR fitness level. Your first visit is free. SO come in and check it out!

RELAY FOR LIFE!

2011-05-09T15:29:00.003-06:00

Good morning all!
SO it is that time of year that we get together on the Track and get to know the community while doing something good for ourselves and raise money for the American Cancer Society. It is NOT too late to join in any way you choose.

Here are the details:
This Friday and Saturday May 13-14th at the Hurricane Intermediate School.
Set up is at 2:30, and the event starts at 4pm on Friday the 13th. It ends at 10am on Saturday the 14th.

We will be running, walking, dancing, and skipping our way around a track - you can do it any way you want! No need to be a superstar athlete - all ages and fitness levels are on the track. There are moms pushing strollers, grandpas, and cancer survivors with walkers. So there are NO excuses!

We ask our team members to donate a minimum of $20 each (or more if you can) as our team's donation.

We will also be selling healthy goodies to raise even more money for the program.

Dress in hippie attire, bring any decorations that will help us make our campsite fun and full of "peace, Love, and whatever the 60's were about."

Call me if you have more questions. This should be a fun night of dancing, energy, joy and celebration as well as remembering those who are gone due to their battle with cancer. If you know someone that has lost their battle to cancer and you want their name on the track - get that information to the organizers at 435- 313-2476

We will see you there!

Ironman! a Volunteer story

2011-05-09T09:48:00.001-06:00

Ironman! a Volunteer story
Friday Night Bill and I camped out at Sand Hollow Resevoir so we could make it to the 4:30am meeting for the Swim support. We slept like crap - music echoing off the hills from those at the Bike racks keeping an eye on the security for millions of dollars of Bike equipment. So our alarm going off at 4:15am was like... pain... real pain. But I was excited to get in the water and be a part of this amazing day around so many amazing athletes.

at 6 ish we were loading our kayak into the water to go get in place. the sun was not yet up but just a tiny bit of light trying to peak over the hills. I was surprised to find out the water was warmer than I expected. in fact I was expecting to be freezing. I wasn't!

What a GORGEOUS morning. Blue Water, Blue skies, Red hills and sand...
Bill and I were situated in a 2 man kayak on the east side of the island about 3/4 of the way through the Water course. Bill was designated section leader of Section E on the swim. So we got to boss people around - another favorite pastime.

I was impressed as I watched the swimmers go by - first the Pros... speechless... amazing...

I suck at swimming.
so watching these guys hardly lifting their heads out of the water and going in a straight line...
A M A Z I N G...

cuz I suck at swimming.

Last time I tried to swim at Sand Hollow to "try and train for a triathlon".... I sucked. I basically got in the water and shivered and swam about 10 yards and got out. and I NEVER could get myself to put my head under water.

So, yeah... watching these guys swim this strong for 2.5 miles. I was impressed.
Not much to do on kayak support on the back side of the race for the pros and the people in the first half of the race. they are strong and steady and not needing much support.

it was the second half that things get exciting for water support - at least where we are placed in the water. I hear the Starting line area gets a lot of action with water support. but we don't get a lot of action until the ending half.

We only had to have one man hang onto our kayak and work out some cramps.
They are allowed to hang onto to the kayak as long as we don't go forward. If they come out of the water they are out of the race.

I know of about 7 people who ended up being pulled from the water. I heard Last year it was around 30 people pulled out of the water.
Some were just too cold, some too cramped up, some just exhausted already. It's a combination of the water temperature, the adrenaline and the exertion they put in that puts their lives in danger in the water.

I have OOODLES of respect for anyone who can finish even this much of the race.
In case you were wondering - the Ironman is a 2.5 mile swim, then a 112 mile bike ride then 26.2 mile run. - pretty stinking tough to do anyone one of these alone much less back to back.

When I was at the grocery store getting some food to pack for the campout, the checker asked me if I was doing the Ironman. "Oh yeah, I am SOOOO doing the ironman!" hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhhhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaa ha haaaa ahhhhhhh....
well not this year or the next anyway.
I just want to LOOK like I could. :)

One of the Hardest parts of the Ironman on the Swim support side for me was the very very tail end. there were about 4 swimmers at the end we were worried would not make it.
At this point there is enough kayak support for each swimmer to have a full support fleet for them. so Bill and I and another 2 man kayak teamed up to keep "Joe" (don't know his real name) going the right direction and motivated. It's pretty easy to get going completely off course and course correcting takes a lot out of a swimmer if they have to do it over and over. some swimmers actually swim twice as far as they others because of the distance they spend going off course and having to correct.
so "joe" had a kayak on either side of him keeping him pointed in the right direction. He was shivering and struggling. There was a moment when I really thought he would give up and ask to be pulled out. But he didn't he kept trying. His mind kept telling his body he could do this. At one point he was so weak his swimming form had him moving backward instead of forward! I have no idea why. (but then again - did I tell you I suck at swimming and would not make a great swim coach?)

When I saw the look of frustration and renewed determination in this guy's face, I realized he was not going to ask to be pulled out of the race and it was now our job to give him as much support and encouragement as we could. so I pulled out my bootcamp trainer hat (not really - it's a metaphore) and we all started cheering this guy on - counting down the time - telling him how much further he had - yelling at the top of our lungs:
"COME ON"
"YOU'VE TRAINED FOR THIS"
"YOU CAN DO IT"
"PUSH HARDER"
and all the other stuff you tell a woman in labor... :)

Once again my 4 years of High School Cheerleading were useful.

I was emotionally invested in this guy's success.

We were about 100 meters from the finish line and their was 2 minutes left. His pace was going to have him just missing the cutoff time. I wanted to cry.

It was all I could do to keep from jumping in the water next to him and swimming to the finish with him. (but then they would have had to pull me from the water and waste the kayak support on me instead.)

When "joe" finally made it out - he had missed the cuttoff by a minute. right along side him was a woman and they were told at the same time as they were wrapped in a blanket that there were not going to be able to continue the race.

I wanted to hug him. so I did.

He looked dissapointed and relieved at the same time. I imagine he must have felt proud that he pushed through a tough swim that at midpoint none of us (and maybe him too) thought he would finish. I also imagine he must have been happy that he wasn't going to have to get on that bike and ride over 100 miles and then run a marathon. He looked exhausted. I was proud of him. I didn't know his name or where he was from or anything about him. But I felt like I knew him. And I was proud of him.

This portion of the race and my volunteering was over.
So we got on some SUP (Stand Up Paddle Boards) and played around for a few minutes before we headed back to our tent to warm up and nap before the second round of volunteering/playtime at the Ironman.

I went home for a few hours to play with my kids and kiss them all before I headed out the door at 5:30pm to got to run aid station support from 6pm - midnight. I was so excited for this portion of the race. I knew that the elite/professional athletes were done before I got there. The winner finished before 3:30pm.

(a side note: it's so weird differentiating the athletes as elite/non-elite. They are all amazing and elite in comparison to me. BUT - I have no idea what to call the FREAKS - I say that lovingly- who are in the first 50-100 or so finishers. other than superhuman elite. so I will just call them the "elite" to make it easier.)

For those of you who have to deal with St. George traffic on race day every yea all day or all weekend - I pity you. It took me FOREVER to try and get to the area of town I needed to be in to park and then walk over to the aid station. so many detours and roads closed all over the place. I thought I could cut over here - nope. try this route - nope.
I finally had to give in and follow the traffic to Bluff Street and then went to the church parking lot before walking to the aid station.

I went by myself this time. Bill decided to stay home with the kids and recover from no sleep. Me? I am a freak when it comes to a good party. I was ready to be up all night dancing with a crowd. - that is where my "eliteness" kicks in. I outlasted Bill and I was ready for a second round.

Apparently the aid station I had signed up for had been moved.
I walked over to where it was supposed to be.
I had signed up for aid station #11 - the theme they chose was HIPPIES - you know, Peace, love, beads etc... So I was all dressed the part and ready for some hippie love.

I found aid station #6,7,8,9,10 and then 12? what? where was 11? I walked back up the hill to number 6- they said go back down and told me where it should have been - between numbers 10 and 12. NOPE. I walk up the side street where all the runners were going up a hill and was hoping for an aid station there. NOPE. I walked back down the hill. I was really feeling for the Ironmen at this point. I was in a pair of sandals - I took them off since they were hurting my feet and now I was barefoot walking alongside the ironman athletes who for the most part were walking at this point as well. I had not swam 2.5 mile or rode a bike 112 miles. I had walked only a couple of miles (barefoot) up and down this hillside in the 90 degree weather and I was starting to get tired. I could see why this St. George Course was considered a tough ironman course - lots of Hills... I got to walk them barefoot.

I finally decided to settle onto aid station 12. I was done looking for my people. They would just have to miss me. SO - I was dressed in Hippie attire and hanging out with the Cowboys at the western themed aid station. They had country music playing when I got there - not my faves from the 60's and 70's. so... I was a little sad.
But I jumped right in. This group did have free dinner for me - grilled on the spot hamburgers. Yeah! I was freaking STARVING!
So this is where I stayed for most of the night. I didn't know a soul at this aid station. This is the first Ironman aid station I had ever volunteered at. I had done other aid stations elsewhere - but this was awesome! what a party. I am not a huge fan of the country western theme - But these guys knew how to make it a PARTY!
We handout out water, ice, cola, wet sponges, etc...
I have a thing about music - it has to be right. the right speed is critical especially when you need some energy to keep moving.
So - this guy - older guy - nice guy - at the aid station decided he didn't like the hard thumping rythyms of Kid Rock and "I'm a cowboy" and other Hard rock Style country music. So he puts on "Hey Jude" like 5 times... uh.... yeah.... nice guy... not a great running song.
I jokingly said something about it to him.
Me - "do you ever go running with music?"
Him - "Hey Jude is a great song."
Me - "I'm not saying it isn't, it just doesn't have good running beat. I love this song but it doesn't really pump you up."
Him - "well most of them are walking right now anyway."
Me - "yeah... well..."
I think I lost. He played it 5 more times. Maybe he didn't like me more than he liked the song. Not sure. I needed some hard thumping dance tunes.

Around 10pm I was chatting with some guy in a golf cart about my aid station dilema and he tell me aid station number 11 was moved and he could take me there.
YAY!
I would get to see my Friend Michelle Sullivan and her crew. so I quietly ditched aid station 11 and "Hey Jude" and went up the hill to the Hippies.

NOW the party could start!
Enter the dance party til midnight...

Ok...
so we were dancing and singing and the music was loud and hard - they way I like it.
I was with an old friend and finished off an evening having a great time. AND my outift was right finally!

Around 11:30 the runners were few and far between. but we would have one here and one there still struggling to finish this race.

We would cheer and High Five all of them as they passed our aid station.
midnight - still 4 runners out there and the race was called. they would not even make it to aid station 11. I am not sure how many other runners were passed our aid station and in town trying to finish. One was 2 miles away from our aid station. I was torn up about having to turn off the music and leave when one more person was out there and needing all the support they could get. But technically - the race organizers wanted them to get off the streets. I did decide to leave. I got in my car and drove into downtown St. George to see the finish line. I actually had never seen it before. most everyone was gone when I pulled into town. There was the clean up crew and few devoted friends of runner still trying to finish the race they started. I saw a couple of guys standing next to the finish line. I asked if they were waiting for a runner they knew. nope. they were just there at the end to cheer on the last of the last of the athletes and this was their favorite part of the race. ME TOO! It is those who have persevered through unbelievable trials along the course and finished even when they are told they do not get honored by the crowd, press, medals, and accolades - they finish anyway. These are my heroes! So I stood on the finish line with these 4 other guys as the clean up crew were tearing down the archway. we saw someone coming in and we cheered as loud as we could. His pace picked up just a tad and he crossed that half torn down archway with the cheers of just 5 people. I wanted to cry. I am that way.
I chatted with these guys for a few minutes and then there was another runner - these people were alone. No family, no other support and no crowds. but they finished!
I think one of them was foreign and must have come a great distance to be here as he spoke very little Enlgish and looked like he wanted to say something to us there - but instead just in an accent I couldn't place said "thank you." It meant the world to me. I told these men I was cheering with I wanted to cry. They laughed and said "Ya, I know huh?"

It was nearly 1:00am I had a family and husband at home. I hated leaving but knew I had to. The race day was over for me. and I loaded up on Mountain Dew and Chocolate at Maverick and pumped up the music for my 30 minute drive home alone in the dark.
It was good to be home with my husband who had waited up for me.

Some things that impressed me while volunteering - ages - sizes and types of athletes.
There is a "type" that you expect to do this race. The majority fit that type - strong - lean - tough warriors - men and women = ages 20-40

But the others were refreshing - The older athletes some looked like they may have been pushing 70 or more!
The Larger athletes - I saw 2 at least that my judgmental mind would have never EVER placed them as capable of doing this event - way to prove me wrong you animals!

The Person with the artificial leg - wow.

And so many many many stories for each of them.

If you are like me you may have said "I could never do something like this." But what I love about this is that these people have proven so many people wrong. Because they did do this. Many of the athletes were older than me - by 10 years or more!
I know my friends that did this had once struggled with weight issues and trained hard to lose weight THEN started Triathlon training and THEN decided - WHY NOT?

They remind me - NEVER RULE ANYTHING OUT!

I was able to give my friend Missy (Hyde) Payne a Hug at aid station 12. She looked amazing and left a sweaty mark on my shirt.

I kept looking for my friend Cathy Ford but never saw her. I had decided she must have been one of those FREAKS that finished earlier in the day. I later read on her Facebook thread she had to drop out at mile 70 on the bike course due to heat exhaustion. bummer - but she had a great attitude and plans on trying again next year.

Next year - the whole family will be doing it with me too. It's too good of a party and inspiring event to not be a part of in some small way.

True health is not just thin!

2011-04-21T09:27:00.002-06:00

I love the outdoors! yesterday I was on the balcony at my studio and I watched a Hawk circling overhead for several minutes. I forgot about my stresses and my worries and just... let myself relax. The sun was shining, the canyon was below me,the hawk overhead. I felt blessed. I took a deep breath of the clean air and felt a wave of inspiration and clear thoughts come over me.

A big part of my job is to help people find ways to enjoy their journey to a healthy and fit lifestyle. Often that involves things like taking fitness classes and weight lifting or bootcamp. One of the areas that is MOST critical and MOST neglected in the fitnes journey is finding time to breathe deep, enjoy the outdoors and find JOY!

My 13 year old son reminded me of that a few weeks ago. He is not the kind of kid that has a competitive bone in his body. Playing sports is fun for him, but he has no desire to join a football team or a soccer team. PE is a must and he does good, But... he has no desire to run with me or work harder than he needs to to just get by. I kind of got on his case a little and was trying to find ways to get him more active and involved in sports. I really wanted him to just be active and was trying to force my ideas of active lifestyle for a school kid onto him. Finally he said: "Mom, I really want to go hiking and rock climbing more often."
I couldn't argue with it.
While I do believe that sports taught me a lot about hard work and success, I also know people who believe that some kids thrive better without being forced into a competitive sport. (However, rock climbing has their competitions too.... hmmmm....)

My goal was to get my son doing something active.
He didn't like what I offered and he told me what he wanted. I listened.
Our goal is to find a place to climb every Saturday and to Kayak on Fridays. That works for both of us.

I thought about my clients
How many have been TOLD what kind of activities they HAVE to be doing to be healthy? how many have been told how much they should weigh? How many have let go of the joy of the journey toward their end goal just to make others happy?

We need to bring the joy of it all back into play. we have an unhealthy nation. Not because their aren't enough gyms, diet plans, weight loss books, fitness gurus and doctors working on getting everyone trim and slim.
The problem is the lack of joy in the journey.
we have all bought into trying to join the school football team when some of you would rather be climbing rocks.
Some of us are so desperate to be slim that we are doing crazy diet plans to get skinny while our joy diminishes.

Health is a full well-rounded balanced plan that includes a joyful journey there.
It includes sunshine.
EVERY healthy individual I know gets outside! PERIOD!
They are biking or rock climbing or swimming or playing soccer at the park or running with friends.
They are social.
They love sunshine.
Some are competitive and some like my buddy Dan just climbs rocks for the joy of the journey.

They eat healthy "most of the time" because it feels good. Not because they are trying to lose weight. But because it is good for the environment, good for them, and good for the way they feel during their run/climb/swim/bike/hike adventures.

I feel like I am on some sort of weird crusade. A big part of me wants everyone to throw out the scale and enjoy being a person on a lifetime journey toward health. the other part of me was trained as a personal trainer to use that scale and count calories.

Here is what I choose:
- Getting outdoors for something active 3-5 times a week. Breathe the fresh air, watch the sunrise or set, enjoy refreshing cool water and breathtaking views.
- Love what you eat! learn about health for the joy it will bring you for the rest of your life. No longer eat for the temporary "full" feeling.
- Do what you LOVE to do! EXPLORE all fitness journeys and find something for YOU!

This Friday I am going kayaking with friends, running at sunrise with my clients. Saturday I hope to take my kids hiking. This is the joy of an active life!

My workouts I do in my studio help me to better do those other things. BUT spending 4 hours a day in the gym?.... come on! Get over it! go do stuff!

To weigh or not to weigh? THAT is the question

2011-03-07T08:14:00.002-07:00

I have had a major "aha" moment - to throw out a cliche'd term.
But here it is:
MOST of my OBESE clients weigh themselves daily and are obsessed with weight.
They also have a difficult time with weight loss and have tried more fad diets than my other clients.

I was speaking with a client of mine the other day that has joined Weight Watcher's. For the most part I think Weight Watcher's is a decent program. I have a couple of issues about using leftover points and processed packaged foods - but... overall - eh - decent enough if you need a weekly support group.

SO I asked my client "how often do you weigh yourself?"
- Daily
Me: "why?"
her: to see if I lost weight
Me: Why?
Her: what do you mean why? I need to lose weight.

Me: do you get weighed at the weight watchers meeting weekly?
Her: Yes.
Me: then why do you weigh yourself at home too? weight fluctuates all the time between a 5 pound range. it can be very depressing to weigh yourself and see you have gained 2 pounds one day after you thought you lost a couple of pounds. right?
Her: yes, it gets very depressing.
Me: and if you are not losing weight at all then you should quit exercising and eating right?
her: well... no... but, something has got to change.
Me: try this - change how often you weigh yourself. and just stop then in a few months after developing habits for 3months THEN weigh yourself and see what has happened just for fun.

Here is my theory. and I know I am right.
Stress creates cortisol levels to rise creating belly fat and weight gain. right? Most everyone that has done any research on weight loss and dieting knows this.

and so - we are surrounded by ad and billboards and articles about how out of shape and overweight everyone is (guilty here too - sorry).
Those that don't fit the "ideal" weight feel stress, guilt - whatever. It causes more weight gain - no really it does! Stressing about your weight causes more weight gain!

So - quit stressing!

I have several clients that have admitted to me that all they can think about is how FAT they are and how badly they want to lose weight and they WEIGH themselves all the time!!!! Hoping for weight loss - not getting it fast enough - trying a fad diet - losing weight quickly - getting excited about their weight loss - rewarding themselves with Fatty foods they missed during the fad diet - and EXPLODING back up past the weight they were before - getting depressed - stressed - more weight gain and the cycle starts over.

It is a COMMON problem.

I would challenge everyone that is struggling with weight loss to try this for 6 months:
1 - throw out the scale
2 - throw out the processed foods and sugary fatty foods in your house
3 - EAT all the time! (veggies and fruits mostly) don't starve! ever! starving lowers your metabolism
4- exercise! Try fun forms of exercise and try a variety of different KINDS of workouts. try Zumba - try Yoga - Try Bootcamp - Try Biking - Try Hiking. Try something different ALL THE TIME! Get adventurous!
5 - do theses exercises DAILY! fit people workout daily - not 3 times a week. So if you want to be fit - act fit! "Act as if". You may have to rest more often in some of the workouts you try - BUT you are developing a habit of daily exercise!

6 - Keep it up! Just keep going and don't weigh yourself! Eat right - have fun exercising and keep going because that is what fit people do! Don't think about it as a diet or weight loss plan. Do it because it brings you joy!

7 - if you happen to have a weak moment - don't stop trying!

I had a breakdown the other day and had to have my cookie dough and donuts and chocolate. BUT - the next day I went back to eating right again and feeling better about my health.
To me it is NEVER about my weight. It is ALWAYS about my energy levels, depression, and overall health. I feel GREAT when I eat right. I feel like CRAP when I don't.

SO, if you quit weighing yourself and only do these things because they create a healthier you - you WILL get to the weight you are supposed to be. There are ways to lose weight faster through little eating and exercising tricks we personal trainers know. BUT - if you want to do it yourself and are frustrated with past results - try this for 6 months to a life time and see what happens. If nothing else, you will at least have less weight related stress.

what do you think?
To weigh or not to weigh?

Another fun night at Phazes studio

2011-02-18T12:11:00.007-07:00

Just wanted to post a few pics and videos of a typical night at Phazes!
Jessica was teaching. Michelle (me)was behind the camera.

and a few stills: Check out the amazing faces!

Afterward Meri got on the pull up station and did a couple of sets before I started taking video. CHALLENGE!
She was already worn out after doing 3 sets of FULL pull ups. so these are 1/2's

Go Cherie! doing her 1/2 pull ups

OK, so mine suck! I am considering this my "before" video. By the end of the year my pull-ups had better be a lot deeper than a few inches. ah well, it's a start. mere are my "minis"

Time to teach the kids!

2011-02-18T06:52:00.008-07:00

When I teach people how to feed their kids healthy foods, I have often heard the excuse that kids won't eat healthy food and so they are "stuck" buying unhealthy food for their kids.
It took our family about 6 months to adjust to the fact that dinners were no longer going to be
- boxed Mac and cheese
- Top Ramen
- Hot dogs
- Pizza
- Hamburger helper
- boxed processed prepared foods with loads of additives
- etc...
That was typical meals in a week.

We've worked hard on teaching our kids and here is where they are now:

As my kids adjusted to Zucchini, asparagus, spinach and no more crap on the table, they learned to try new things. Meal times are a great time to educate your children on healthy eating habits. and talk about what different foods do for your body.
My 6 year old Dane didn't want any spinach until I told him that eating green foods helps him to live longer. Evan age 13 said to him "It's like being a super hero" and he took a big bite of his spinach wrap.

I love the muscle man pose. Thanks Gabe!

KIDS WILL EAT GOOD FOOD - when we eat good food ourselves and encourage them to make good choices.

transition food that I used while they got used to spinach and no more overly processed foods:
I always made sure I had 2 options I knew they would eat
- Raw carrots
- steamed Broccoli with a little cheese on top (don't overdo it and cut back on the cheese a little at a time until they can eat it without any cheese
- Whole grain toast with hardly any butter.

My daughter Ilia age 9 makes her own lunch for school days when she thinks the meals provided are not good for her (sometimes - so she isn't perfect and enjoys a school lunch here and there) The point is - she is learning to make healthy choices.

So Parents, don't wait for the school to teach your kids about nutrition. somewhere (not from me) my daughter learned that corn dogs are part of the wheat and protein food groups. In my house corn dogs are part of the processed foods group.

Have fun with the process.
On Valentine's day we had a Strawberry themed dinner:
Spinach salad with strawberries
Fresh Strawberries added to our cranberry juice
and a frozen organic yogurt with strawberries over a homemade granola crust without any added sugar - topped with fresh strawberries a few crushed pieces of dark chocolate
We talked about how strawberries help to use the iron found in spinach and how valentine's day doesn't have to mean lots of candy. Dinner can be a time to teach. Meals do not have to be difficult and time consuming to be healthy. But we will have more on that later...

What are you teaching your kids?
How do you lead your home in the fight against childhood obesity?
What are you doing to make a difference?

Enjoyed the sunrise this morning.

2011-01-22T11:16:00.003-07:00

Many of my friends ran the St. George 1/2 marathon this morning. Me? well - All I did was a 3 mile run this morning with 2 of my clients that I now consider friends. But it was awesome!

Strange how joining someone on their fitness journey changes a relationship from pure business to being personally invested in their success on the journey and then friends.

We decided to take our run along the La Verkin Overlook - a dirt road just outside of the little town I live in. Very pretty countryside. It's a place where you can watch the sunrise over Zion Canyon and see the reflection of the light hitting Pine Valley's snow-capped peaks to the west Horizon line. GORGEOUS!

I reflected on the how I felt about 3 years ago when I started my journey back into fitness.

My first real steps back to finding me was on this road. It's a symbolic road for me. It symbolizes where I've been and where I am going.

3 years ago I was depressed and out of shape and so miserable. I knew I had hit bottom when I took a walk around my block and passed out, so I decided to start walking on my own with my dog. I also needed a little reflection time for me to just get out of the house and re-charge my soul.

My first day out on La Verkin overlook: I took a trail at the end of the road for nice little hike. This is what was once something I would have considered the easiest hike in the world for me. I got down to the bottom of the first stretch - not even a quarter of a mile. It was time for me to turn around and head back up the hill. I started back up and realized there was no way this out-of-shape lady would make it back up the hill on my own. I called my dogs back over, put them on their leashes, and had them pull me up this "nice easy climb". It scared me. I had gone a long way off from where I was. I LOVED hiking and was not able to do it anymore!

Such a sad place for me.
That's the real beginning of my journey - a hike on La Verkin Overlook.

After that, I began taking daily walks along the dirt road near La Verkin Overlook. I would let my dog run and I would take a slow-paced walk and watch the sunrise over the canyon to the east. I literally felt re-charged by the sunrise. I would take time to reflect and re-charge every morning. Then I started taking an easy little jogging spurt here and there. Once in a while my husband would join in the run/walk and push me a little. I did NOT want to be pushed back then. It only made me more aware of what I was lacking. I could hardly run/walk the 1.5 miles of the road one way.

Today the 3 miles back and forth jog along the road felt like a light and easy workout. Corey and his wife Karyn made the journey fun. We talked and laughed and encouraged each other. I wished my husband was there with us to see the difference in where I had been and where I was now.

Karyn is amazing! Such a powerhouse of a woman pushing herself to keep up with more "seasoned runners". (funny I can say that - sort of). While Cory and I talked about the possibility of future races like the red rock relay and where we want to push in the future.

Karyn amazed me. Way to push girlfriend!

A while after I came home some Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on my door and saw me in my cold weather running gear and we started talking about running. They asked me how far I had run, and I told them, "Just three miles today."

One guy laughed and said, "Just? You must be a serious runner."

I laughed back and said, "I hope to be one day. Three miles is no sweat, but it is not a distance run for me anymore."

It felt great to say that. I then reflected once again on the day I couldn't walk around the block or do a short easy hike on that hill.

To steal from a famous quote, "You've come a LOOONG way baby."

Thank you friends and other runners out there who keep me motivated to keep being more than I was. I appreciate you!

I am doing the 5 mile dam-to-dam in Feb. at Sand Hollow. I know I can finish it just fine. That's something I could not have said just a few years ago.

I HOPE that others starting their fitness journey can learn that it is not about being as fast as the other runners that are years ahead in their training. It is only about YOU. I am not fast, I have not done a marathon (yet). I can't beat TyAnn or Cherie or Liz or Amie - BUT I am not passing out anymore. I am stronger. and ANYONE can do that. that is what is exciting to me!

If you are reading this as a newbie in the running world, I hope you will not get frustrated as you run with others that might be faster than you. Just stick with it and keep track of where you've been. Then in a year take a look at how far you have come! Then in 2 years, and 3 years - where will you be?

My friend Cathy is doing her first Iron Man race at age 40. She lost LOADS of weight and had an amazing YEARS-long fitness journey as well. She inspires me to keep up the journey. I may never compete in an Iron man competition - but I am not ruling it out. Who knows what age 45 or 50 will be like for me? Or who knows where YOU will be in 5-10 years as you continue you fitness journey. Never rule ANYTHING out.

I will be doing the St. George Marathon on my 40th birthday in 2013 since it will be on the same day. I thought that would be a great birthday present to myself. Maybe I will do a marathon before that - who knows. I am not ruling it out. But for SURE on my 40th birthday in 2013 - who wants to party with me along the Marathon route?

What about you?
How will you celebrate your next big Birthday?
It's not too late to start a journey toward a more fit, and happy YOU!
40 is not too late, neither is 60!
Just get up - get out with the sunrise and get moving with the rest of us and all those other crazies!
See you on the road.

- Michelle

Hostess Half Marathon review.... was it worth it?

2010-12-18T15:25:00.003-07:00

First of all it was a 13 mile race for only $10, so yeah. so worth it.
To let you in on a little secret: I am not a hardcore runner in real life. I just play like one when I make my bootcampers run.
I don't run when it's cold or wet or rainy or snowy. I don't run when I haven't had proper nutrition. I haven't even ran a race over 3.5 miles (except the Red Rock relay which was actually easier than the 1/2 marathon for me). and I HATE hostess Products in general.

the Hostess Half Marathon is a 13 mile race where every 2 miles you are required to eat a Hostess Product. I saw this and thought " I can't run 13 miles, I hate twinkies, that is SOOOO gross. I am SOOO gonna do this!"

Now normally I ban the word hostess from my vocabulary and would tell my clients to stay far away from the stuff. But this was different. this was the kind of stupid that is stupid fun and encourages a crazy active lifestyle. And I am ALL about getting out and doing stuff that is outdoors, makes you laugh and gets you active. SO I say GO FOR IT.

I woke up to the sound of rain this morning. It was Cold! I have no rainy day running gear and I was about to run the longest I have ever run in the rain while loading my body up with Sugar. I grabbed some oranges and some vitamin C's as part of my breakfast to ward off the effects of this really stupid race I was about to do.

There were mostly "serious" runners there - you know - people who run marathons all the time and qualified for the Boston. Me... I was planning on a pace of about 12 minute mile and would be toward the back. I was not here to win and prizes - just laugh, eat some garbage, and puke and say I did it.

I found a good pacing partner whose friend left her in the dust and we were about evenly matched. It is a lot easier to keep it up when you find someone about the same pace and rythym as you.
I did fine, even ate 1/2 a chocolate covered Donette at each station. did fine on the uphill and the turn around point. then at Mile 8.8 that is when my knee started killing me. and my running partner Megan's arches were giving her a hard time. This was further than I had ever run straight and I was starting to feel my joints. we decided that we could make it the 1.2 miles to the dog pound and then take a walking break. We made it 10 miles without stopping - so I feel pretty good about myself. I had to take 2 short walking breaks to rest and stretch out my knee.
It's SOOOO frustrating to know you can do it aerobically but to have your body say - uh sorry not gonna happen like you hoped!

as far as the sugary mess of Hostess goes... YUCKY! I only would eat half a donette and throw the other half to the birds and squirrels. I stuck with what I knew used to be my favorite. But at one aid station I saw Raspberry Zingers. I had never had one before and decided to give one a try. Oh my goodness. YUM! I hate half and then... UGH - the Sugary mess hit me hard. YUCK! gross! First bite was awesome but after that I couldn't handle it any more. I was nearly 9 miles and my body could not take any more of this crap. So I wrapped it back up and put it in my pocket instead of tossing it to the squirrels. hahahahahaha.... gross.

I was glad I had Megan to run with. I don't think I would have pushed through quite as hard if I was on my own.

It felt awesome to open up in the end and cross the finish line hard and strong.
13 miles about 1 mile of it was walking breaks due to knee troubles. but the last stretch ended in a good hard fast open run. My knee actually felt better when I opened up in the last stretch. I think I need more training.

what injuries teach me is where I am weak. I now know I need to work a little harder at strengthening the muscles around my right knee and doing some biking will really help with it.
So I learned. I also wonder if I could have done any better at this run without all that sugar? hmmmm... maybe?

This next year is going to be the year of the Bike and Swim and 10K's.
the Marathon will have to wait until I am stronger. I am too competitive to walk as much as I should have on this run. I hope I am not seriously injured. I have Zumba Parties to attend!

Would I do this again? YOU BET! It was a great party!

Workout of the week

2010-12-06T12:00:00.002-07:00

this week's featured workout

2010-11-10T06:28:00.004-07:00

This workout features 3 variations of bridges. I want you to really work it. Push through your heels and squeeze your butt.
If you aren't getting enough from this workout, then jump rope for a minute or 2 in between rounds or do jumping jacks.
Have fun!

2010-10-16T21:49:00.001-06:00

Due to company re-structuring, Stephany Llewellyn and Phazes are sadly parting ways. We will miss her terribly. She was a great asset to Phazes and a wonderful trainer. Thanks also to her husband, Jason, for his time and efforts in making improvements to our location.

We wish to bid Stephany Llewellyn a fond farewell as she leaves Phazes. We wish her the best on her pregnancy and hope she has a safe and wonderful delivery when the time comes.

You will notice a few other adjustments in the next few months. We hope you will continue to enjoy your time with Phazes and our great trainers, Cherie (bootcamp, phaze to 5K and studio), Peggy (Studio), Michelle (Studio, Bootcamp and Zumba), Jessica and Britany (Zumba), and Kim, Cathy, and Shandi (bootcamp). We will provide you with excellent service and assist you in your fitness needs and goals.

Changes that you will see soon: New Circuit Classes, New structure for Remote Accountability Tracking, New Bootcamp workouts and setup, New Weekly Workouts and menus revamped, renergized and re-done! I am SOOO excited to be bringing these changes. Sit tight! It will take a couple of months to get everything in place. Hope you enjoy!

_ Michelle

Happy Birthday to ME!

2010-09-30T07:43:00.004-06:00

My birthday is coming up October 2nd. (and yes, a new Garmin is on my wish list by the way, so is workout gear and a new sports bra and a bike, and serious cash to put into my business...but let's get back to the point now.)

I am turning 37 this year. Remember when you were 18 and you thought people my age were old? I no longer think 37 is old. I don't think 40 is old. I am reconsidering 50 and 60 and 70 and 80 and even 90 and 100 too because someday I will be there if things go as I plan them. Okay, 80,90 and 100 are old even if I do make it there, I will admit I will be old then.

Here's the point. We live and we age and we can either improve our quality of life as we age or we can just give in to the fact that it's all over and let our body give out quicker than it normally would.

When I was 18 I ate garbage - ramen, mac and cheese, hot dogs, loads of caffeine and soda and chips and crap. But my body was young and I was extremely active dancing, playing sports, running...

Fast forward to my 37 birthday:
I have given birth to 6 large babies, nearly 20 years has passed, my metabolism is different, I have struggled with weight, depression, stresses of all sorts. I am not the same person. Physically, emotionally, spiritually I am an entirely different human than I was then so I have to feed and treat me differently. It only makes sense.
Babies start with mother's milk only then add bananas and rice cereral and are introduced one food at a time. Nutrition changes as we age. Our needs changes slightly. You are not eating the same food you ate when you were 6 months old (probably not anyway - right?)
As you become more in tune to your bodies needs you get to make the choices for yourself. Have you discovered what it is that makes you feel tired? Have you introduced new kinds of vegetables that increase energy or help your hair and skin? Are you learning to listen to YOU? Not the chemical dependence to things you were introduced to as like a kid at a Fair: fruit roll ups, Pudding cups, white bread, Soda and chips, processed boxed foods - Processed foods, high fat and sugar items that get you chemically addicted.

NOW you are most likely reading this as an adult and if you are like me you are remembering the days when you USED to be able to run up the hills or ride you bike all day or Play soccer without getting tired and ate what I wanted. Today I can't...? and IF you are like most people you MIGHT be chalking it up to age... "I could do those things when I was younger, but I'm too old for that now..."

I challenge you to surprise yourself this next year. YOU CAN reverse a LOT of that kind of aging effect! YOU REALLY REALLY REALLY CAN! (Do I sound convincing yet?)

I am looking at one of my friends in her 40's who had 8 kids gained a TON of weight and then finally decided to get healthy. she is now training for an Ironman race! One of my Idols is Tosca Reno: www.Tosca Reno.com

at 50 years old she is a fitness model that started her fitness journey at 40!
another one of my idols is one of my clients, Helen. She is 70 and came to me, not overweight, just slightly unfit and needing some changes made. Today She can out work several of my 30 year old clients. The improvements on her posture, her strength and endurance are astounding! She looks younger today!

I often have made the mistake of expecting younger clients to keep up with her NEW level of fitness due to age. BUT. this 70 year old woman is PHYSICALLY YOUNGER than some of my new younger (age wise) clients that have allowed lack of exercise and improper nutrition age them faster.

Today I am doing things I never tried as an 18 year old. I can dance all night again if I want to! I ran a race all night! I never did those things before. I am 37 years young this Saturday and am getting younger an younger all the time! I can't wait to see what I am doing at 50!

If you eat right and take care of yourself you increase the likelihood of living a productive life into your 90's and even past 100! You are less likely to be bedridden or have Alzheimer's or cancer or diabetes or other age related illnesses and ailments or even fall and break your hip. You are MORE likely to continue to be able to bathe yourself, remember the your own name, get up and down on your own and keep on going on those long walks and hikes with people you love!

So for now I am going to celebrate my birthday with a long run with friends, eat well, live, pray, laugh, love, hike, bike, run, play - whatever! aging means experience! It means I am learning more and getting closer to becoming the kind of person I hope to be (I hope).
What have you gained from aging? or what can you do today that you couldn't do before?

Let us know!

this week's featured workout

2010-09-27T09:15:00.002-06:00

Challenge yourself!
If you need ideas to modify workouts either to make them more challenging or simpler to suit specific needs and concerns, email us at phazesfitness@gmail.com and we will assist you in making those changes.

this week's featured workout

2010-09-20T15:16:00.001-06:00

enjoy the workout we are working on in the studio this week.

2010-09-14T10:39:00.003-06:00

Here's my review of my first time running in part of 186 mile relay team...

The Red Rock Relay is a 186 mile foot race. Each relay team has 12 members that switch off running so you average about 15.5 miles each during the course of the race. some team members run a little more, some a little less. The terrain is mountainous, cold, hot, dusty, dark, all depending on the time of day and where you are.
Our Team name we chose was "WTF" for: Witness the Fitness!
There are 2 vans on each team. I was in the Snow van or van 1. Van 2 was called the sun Van. The Sun Van consisted of:
Mark Thornton and his wife Holly, Randi (Sanderson was her maiden name - forgot the married name - sorry), Elizbeth Killian, Marlene and another Kim.

In van 1 were: Me, Kim mower, Wendy Smart, Erica, Sheila and Connie. the latter 3 I just met on this event. Van one drove up to Cedar City and Met up with Robin Sanderson and her daughter Randi. Randi was running on our team but in Van 2 and Robin was going to be following in her support vehicle with food and love and picture taking! yeah! These ladies are good friends of mine and I was happy to have them on the same team as I was on.
the 8 of us shared a room at a resort hotel in Brian Head and tried to get some sleep before the big day. I don't sleep well in a hotel with a bunch of silly girls. Kim Mower seemed like she wanted to stay up and giggle and chat. Go To BED KIM! She even made cookies at 11:00pm - really? I love you Kim - BUT GO TO BED!

We started off at 8:10am in Brian Head from the top of a mountain on a bike trail. Our team rode the ski lift to the top to wish our first runner good luck.

Erica twisted her ankle right away as she jumped off the ski lift in 30 degrees Freezing cold without warming up or stretching and slipped on a rock on the bike trail. She kept running and nearly beat us back down the hill on her 3 mile trail run.

we were taking pictures at the bottom of the hill when one of our racer said "here's Erica!" ALREADY? crap! Kim was next and the slap bracelet/baton was handed off. Kim's run was titled "Diablo" for good reason - all of it uphill! not a nice gentle slope but a mean climb in the mountainous terrain of Brian Head.

The bracelet kept switching runners a couple more times after each runner on our team finished their miles. Then it was going to be my turn. I was nervous. My training had been minimal to none and I was unsure about my ability to keep up with my team and their running efforts. I did not want to disappoint them. As I saw my relay team member climbing up her last stretch of her run "coach Michelle" kicked in. "Run Sheila! don't let that guy beat you! Kick his trash!" We were laughing alongside a team of police officers also cheering on their man "Get her! don't let a girl beat you!" It was all in good fun. We were all laughing as we were competing with this group of men.

I felt great starting my run. then the altitude problems kicked in. Breathing that high up was hard. I was focusing on my breath and forgot my form. I never felt like I could completely catch my breath. I saw the police officer ahead of me several yards and knew I could "kill" (pass) him. I felt amazing overtaking him until I notice the taped knee. I no longer felt as cool as I had before. Yeah, passing an older man with an injured knee...

I passed a couple of people and a couple of people passed me. I think I am an average runner. not great, not bad.
Here I was in the woods and I couldn't see any other runners around. My team had gone up ahead with the van to give me support a couple of miles later so I could have some water. But it was mostly just me, the wilderness, the road and my thoughts. (Oh and some Beastie Boys music blaring through my ipod)
My thoughts became "what if a bear attacks me? who will find me first?" I was happy to see other vehicles occasionally as they waited for their runners.

I felt amazing coming to the homestretch of my first leg. I was happy to see my van, my team and the switch off point. I loved running through the dirt portion of just a few yards. Dirt running loves my legs much more than road running.
I handed the bracelet off to Wendy Smart and she started her leg. It would be several more hours before my second leg of the race. Now I could eat some real food and relax and stretch. I felt awesome! I beat my estimated time by a LONG shot and was feeling on top of the world. No sweat! 3.9 miles down and feeling good!
no problem - yet... 2 more legs to go.

Wendy was running now. I LOVE Wendy. Her story is awesome. She is one of my first bootcamp clients. A year and a bit ago, she came to me at 166 pounds and WAY out of shape. She would be winded when running around a playground - not even 1/4 mile! Now she is doing the red rock and down to 130 pounds and is amazing!

Anyway...
Back to the Redrock. so Wendy is on her way.
After She finishes it will be time to switch to the other Van (the Sun van) to do their legs of the race. We met up with them at the switch off point and their first runner took the bracelet from Wendy and headed off. We also went to the next transition point after that to see the switch off to the next runner and to See Mark finish his first killer leg of his race. The cop team was way ahead of us now and we wouldn't see them much from here on out.

Robin Sanderson busted out the goodies - chicken salad, fruit, yummies of all kinds. she took good care of us.
Then we Drove off to SUU in Cedar where we were hoping to get some sleep before running our 2nd legs of the race. The view on the drive was amazing! the pictures I took could not do the justice of capturing the scenery we were enjoying on this amazing adventure.
So we got to SUU and tried to rest.
Yeah... sleep... Great concept... didn't really happen. There was this LOUD band playing... and people all over... and well... adrenaline... just really tough to sleep when you need it. I was also starting to feel my calves a little and needed to keep my legs stretch and pliable.
We did however, giggle, visit and have a great time getting to know each other. I think I closed my eyes for all of 30 minutes? if I was lucky. Some of our team was able to shower. I didn't want to clean up just to get out and run again. So I rested as much as my mind and the noise would let me.

Van 2 caught up with us at SUU a few hours later and it was our team's turn. the sun was starting to set by now. Connie was the first runner on the 2nd leg of this portion of the race. She would run from SUU to somewhere west of there about 5 miles later where I would start my portion. It was now time for head lamps and reflector vests and it was dark!
I hate running in the dark. It was nice and cool but not cold so I felt good still. My music was on, and I was off! This was the longest leg for me. 4.9 miles. not too long but long enough that it was about the extent of my training I had done so far. But in my other "training" I had had plenty of rest and hadn't run 3.9 miles before that. So... yeah... I didn't do as well as I planned to do. I did take my walking breaks and tried pacing with some really good runner that caught up to me... bad idea. Trying to keep up with her exhausted me a little too quickly so I held back a little more and kept a pace of about 9-10 minute miles. I only took a couple of walking breaks and then the hill showed up. I didn't think there was that much of a hill in the outline they gave us - but there it was on the last portion of my dark long leg of my race. I think this was when I forgot to watch my form once again. I was yelling and swearing at the hill but I ran most of it and only took a short walking rest. I had to dig deep a little and swore that next time I would do some hill training. I kept pretending I was at Bootcamp and Kim was making me do hill sprints. It was what helped pull me through. Thank goodness for Hill sprints at bootcamp. I enjoyed the pain of that hill when I went to that place in my mind.

I didn't take anymore pictures during the night since it was dark and I wasn't used to Bill's camera. But we had a LOT of fun during the evening portion of this race. we blared the music, got out and danced like fools, sang loudly, and laughed til we cried. I hope someone got some pictures that I can use later...
This late night portion of the race was on a dirt road. The van was kept to around 10 mph to avoid stirring up dust for runners. Most other vans honored that same code of trust. But there were a couple of Vans that sped by and kicked up a bunch of dust leaving the runner with a cloud of crap to breathe in. nice. Kim and Sheila and Erica got the worst of the dusty dirt road. The rest of us had mostly pavement.

Our 2nd legs were up around 1am and we went to a church in Newcastle to meet up with the other van as they started their 2nd legs and we were able to get some... sleep... ?... we hoped...
It seemed like forever before we could settle down into our beds. Erica and Connie slept outside, Wendy's hubby had volunteered at this site and Wendy was able to sleep in her own vehicle and Kim, Sheila and I attempted to sleep in my van.

Every sound kept me up. People talking outside our van, other vehicles starting up to drive off to their next leg of the race. my legs were now starting to really hurt. not my knees or joints or shins, but it was my calves.
We had set our alarms for about 5:15am to drive off to Veyo for the next van transition. Wendy was concerned about being late and woke us up about 30 minutes early. A good nights sleep was not to be had. So we were off again. As we started driving out of Newcastle I heard this weird crunchy rasping sound and we realized our bike rack had fallen down! what the ... (WTF?)

To go off on a little side note here - MOST of the people we met were amazing people. MOST of the teams that were competing were really really cool people. MOST of them...
BUT... there were a few - very few that I would not choose to spend a minute with outside of the race. One team had a few people that gave us dirty looks. They had the same team initials as we did and when someone on our team mentioned it excitedly to them - they gave dirty looks - hello Junior HIGH!
THEN - there were the Jerks that were speeding along the dirt road as they ran that dusty length of road.

So, when we got out to take a look at the bike rack I realized that the ONLY WAY it could have fallen was if someone had pulled out the pin. It took us several minuted to get the bike rack back up and get thing lined up and adjusted in the dark. we missed our next runner by about 15 minutes. It makes me wonder... who would have been that dishonest and downright filthy. we weren't in the race to win - just have fun. we were not a threat to anyone. kind of creepy.

I was the next runner. it was my 3rd leg (which reminds me of a funny story...)
I met my hand off runner in Veyo and started up a hill toward Dameron Valley. Most of my first push was uphill. I actually enjoyed it. I was able to run most of it. There were a LOT of people training for the marathon on this strip of road since it is part of the St. George Marathon route. It was 6:00am and perfect running time. This was my time to run normally and it was back in the desert I am familiar with. I LOVED being familiar with the run. My legs were sore from earlier running, but once I got started, my legs were warm and I felt good once again. It's funny that it's when you STOP running that it hurts. as long as I was running my legs felt fine.
I met up with a runner that seemed to have a similar running pace and started chatting with her. She would be doing the Marathon next month and was training for it. She was keeping a 9 minute mile pace with walking breaks - perfect! My loaner garmin battery had run out so I paced with her and took a walking break with her.

after a while she was taking more walking breaks than I needed so I moved on and passed her and thanked her for assisting me. I was able to get up the hill fine, and move on to the nice more even terrain. I had several "kills" which surprised me. I really didn't think I would even survive the 3rd leg. But I felt great! The sun was rising over the hills and it was getting to be a gorgeous morning. my ipod battery had also died. so it was just me - the road and the sunrise. It was spiritual. In a way I was glad to have no Beastie Boys blaring in my ears. But when it got tough, I wished I had some music going to pump me up a little. There was the transition point in the distance. I was able to "open up" and run a little harder and make a couple more "kills" as I came in - that always feels good. Then it was Erica's turn. Erica and Connie had the prettiest and best places and times to run - sunrise from somewhere around Dameron valley into Snow Canyon Park and then Snow canyon Park into Ivins... Gorgeous! Perfect temperature - perfect places!

I was done and able to rest in the van and watch my team members. NOW my legs hurt! I had thought I could handle another leg if needed. I had heard a rumor that Randi (in van 2) was in too much pain to continue. previous to my 3rd leg I felt like I could take her leg on as well if needed... but not anymore. Now I had stopped running and I new I was done! my 3rd leg was over and my legs were finished!
I was glad to be done. Now it was time to support my team and cheer them on.
Sheila picked up the race in Ivins and was going to run toward Skyline drive. On paper it didn't look all that hard. But then there was this hill and the sun - her last stretch was rough! The sun was now out and our team was running in the southern Utah desert with the sun starting to get full force and we still had to get to Zion National Park.

Sheila finished her uphill transistion and met up with Kim Mower.
Kim got Skyline Drive into Middleton and her Husband met her halfway through her race and ran with her (with his cigarette hanging out of his mouth the whole time - nice). Then Wendy picked it up in middleton and finished off the last 2.1 miles into the Washington rec center. Her last leg was rolling hills all the way in - but she did great.
Our VAN was NOW officially done - but our TEAM still had about 36 miles to go... in the heat of the day through the desert up to ZION. We were not finished.
Our van took advantage of the hours we had until we would see the rest of the team. some went with nearby family - most of us went to IHOP for breakfast/lunch. I was SO HUNGRY! It seemed like I couldn't get enough food. I seriously could not make up my mind what to eat. I was soooo tired of cliff bars,cheese sticks, jerky and trail mix for the past 2 days.

After Breakfast we took Erica home, Connnie had already been dropped off with her family and then Wendy went home with her family. It was down to just me, Sheila and Kim in the Van. we went to my house and showered and then headed up the hill toward Zion where we hoped we could rest once again while we waited for the rest of the team in Van 2 to cross the finish line. This was the hardest stretch of the trip for the runners - uphill to Zion in the mid afternoon in the desert. It was cool for this time of year: 90 degrees. very hot when you are used to running in the early mornings when its 60 degrees out still. We saw our team member Holly on the road looking red and flushed. we had no idea how far away the van was for her support so we stopped and gave her some gatorade and cheered her on. She was grateful and swearing she would never do this again. we drove on looking for the support van #2. Kim got in touch with them and found out that a number of them were too exhausted or in too much pain to last an entire 3rd leg. So they were piggy backing each other or leap frogging to finish it up. One runner would run a mile and then switch with another runner from our team. It was a tough stretch! I learned later that we weren't the only team that had to resort to that. apparently a lot of teams were hitting that exhaustion point. this is where the real test of the teams stamina and endurance kicks in. I was glad I was done and in van 1. I guess that's why I want to do it again next year. I don't know if I would feel the same if I was in van 2.

The entire team (minus Erica) ran across the finish line with Mark around 5:15pm on Saturday. We were DONE!
It felt so good to cross that finish line and call it a day. The sun was hitting the hills. the scenery was beautiful and we had accomplished a great thing. It felt good to be able to say that I was a part of the Red Rock Relay.

My kids and my husband came to Zion Canyon to hug me and congratulate me.

Bill asked me if I wanted to do something fun like hike...
I limped toward the playground and said "let's let the kids play, and I will just lay here... and sleep."

My family went home from Zion after 7:30pm. On our way through Springdale, we still saw a handful of runner still finishing up the race. wow! What a fun party!

Everything BUTT!

2010-09-05T16:41:00.002-06:00

Strong Legs - the key to a stong body that can carry into a longer, better quality of life. Enjoy this one: