Minneapolis Taste Buds

I finished my last LIIFT4 workout! For me, finishing a Beachbody program brings up all the feels that marathons do. All of the time, sweat, and hard work paid off in gains in confidence, strength and mobility, and loss of inches. 8 weeks flew by, and I'm stronger than ever. I wanted to share some thoughts for anyone thinking about LIIFT4 . Shorter workouts LIIFT4 workouts are 30 to 40 minutes. It's fast-paced and you're done before you know it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED 80 Day Obsession . It was my first Beachbody program, and I never minded that a lot of the workouts were 60 minutes. But, when I started LIIFT4, my work life and personal life were hectic. I was juggling too many projects, my husband was traveling regularly, and we changed up routines when our daughter started Kindergarten. Fewer days LIIFT4 is only four workouts a week for eight weeks. I tried to stick to Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. The program is designed with rest days Wednesday, Satu...

I love Twin Cities Marathon Sunday! When I'm not participating, I like to get the dog out for a walk early, bring her home and head out for a solo out-and-back long run on Minnehaha Parkway and West River Road. It's so quiet on race morning. The only cars are the Park Police getting the ready for the leaders. Once I turn around to head south, there's a lot of activity at the water stops. People start arriving at their favorite places to cheer. I haven't logged many long runs these days, since I'm mainly focusing on strengthening with LIIFT4, but I had to get out today. It smelled like fall with fires and bacon wafting through the air. The trees along my favorite spots are just starting to turn. I tried to take it all in before the leads started coming through. After a little run/cheering I headed home to clean up. I'm not in great running shape at the moment, but felt proud I could still crank out 7.5 miles. I collected my husband, daughter, dog, and 3 cow...

Today I visited my physical therapist for a check-up. I hadn't been there since May, right before the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon. I kept meaning to check-in, but life really happens sometimes, and we put off some of our favorite and most productive forms of self care for 4+months. Oopsie. I was a little nervous, but excited to see the results of my hard work this summer. I know I'm the strongest I've been since my 20s, thanks to 80 Day Obsession, my PT exercises that I'm still very dedicated to fitting in, and now LIIFT4. But I wasn't sure how the healing and strength were in the hamstring that had hurt so badly after an injury in March. My PT confirmed that my hard work paid off, and I felt pretty proud. No dry needling or lasers needed today. There was no need for "therapy," and we could finally start adding exercises just focused on isolating the hamstrings. I think I should always have some sort of a coach in my life, whatever form they take - o...

So, my last post was seven years ago? A lot has happened since then. I had my daughter in 2012. I changed jobs a couple of times, threw in a couple more marathons, and here we are. I'm ready to start writing again. I ran my 10th marathon in May, which was my fourth fastest. I was really proud of that accomplishment after a brutal winter of training, and a weather-related injury. My TC Orthopedics physical therapists never doubted that I'd get to the finish line. One of them even ran the same marathon! They helped ease the hamstring pain and and taught me exercises to strengthen the weak runner's butt. I felt great on race day and was blessed with perfect weather. For me finishing a marathon is followed by a honeymoon phase filled with pride and excitement. But, it also brings up questions like, when will I do all of that great creative thinking I do on my mid-week runs? How can I possibly justify three hours to myself on Saturday mornings now? And, inevitably, will I do...