Skip to main content

Happy Monday / St. Patty's Day!

\
Happy St. Patty's Day! Its a beautiful day to run stairs right? Riiiight? 
I mean, what else would you be doing? Apparently, you'd be flashed by a leprechaun, that's what, and probably much worse. Nobody has time to be flashed by a leprechaun. Here's a suggestion. Run stairs!

I woke up Monday with an urge to run--specifically, to do stair sprints. I wanted to run stairs to completely exhaust myself and empty the tank and finally fulfill this nagging feeling I have had. I felt like my little inner child was tugging at me saying, "can we run stairs today please? Its so nice out, and you had a rest day yesterday, can we please". No kid in their right mind would ask to run stairs, but today it seems like playing outside is more of a rare privilege than an expectation--so of course I gave in. Monday was an absolutely gorgeous day and perfect for an outdoor workout at Mt. Bonnell in Austin, TX (with a later workout at the Golds Gym downtown). If you don't want to run stairs (first of all why not?) you can just walk. Its just a short climb to the top and for those looking for a spot to chill out and watch the sunset, Mt. Bonnell is the best spot in Austin. 
Here's the starting line: 

After a quick stretch, I hit the stairs, sprinting full speed ahead, two at a time when I could. Careful though, its a bit rocky. Which I love! I absolutely love running full speed down a rocky trail...call me crazy. Ok, we're about half way there, just a few more stairs past the top curve and we're done with round 1.

We made it! Mt. Bonnell is definitely worth the climb. I burst up the stairs, already panting and breathing heavy to find couples and families soaking up the scenery and enjoying the view. I jogged around to check out the view and avoid breaking the relaxing atmosphere with my gasps for air. Here's a birds eye view of downtown Austin. 
 


One down, 7 more to go. After a few more rounds, I was more winded than I expected. Sprinting steep stairs is a killer workout. I took a few minutes to fully recover between runs, then hit the stairs again. Then finally, 1 more picture for the road. Look! I can see Russia from here! Oh, no wait that's just the 360 bridge. See it? Its the little arch just past the curve in the river.
I'll definitely be back for more stairs, but for now, some St. Patty's Day Grub and Green Beer with the girls. Looks like a heart rite? Ciao! Stay fit my friends!



Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

How to deal with hitting a plateau--stay the course or say Fuck It?

Easier said than done. After 2 years on my fitness journey, I finally reached a breaking point. Yes,I had come face to face with the dreaded wall and found myself firmly stuck on a plateau and seriously questioning my motivation to carry on another day, week, year of grueling workouts. After countless hours in the gym, forcing myself to eat clean, and constantly feeling tired and sore, I was seriously wondering, "Why do I put myself through this?". I wanted to just jump to the after picture already! By this point, I was mentally exhausted, hangry and about to drop off that plateau!!I felt more and more like a hamster spinning my wheel full force to nowhere and I was ready for a break. I started to talk myself out of my workouts and summer fitness plans. I kept thinking, "Do I really give a shit if I’m ‘bikini ready’? Why should I give a damn about having a flat 6 pack??" Oh I was in deep and my mind was trying to talk me out of my all the
Read on for more goodness

Motivation Monday, Push Yourself

Hey everyone, I’ve been thinking a lot about fitness motivation especially in the critical moments when you’re digging deep to make it through. Here are my thoughts on it. How do you stay motivated and energized through the grind? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Its the end of your run and your legs are burning , you’re out of breath, and you’re starting to wonder if you’ll ever make it through .  You’re in deep, and the only way to the finish line, up that hill, or through that last rep is through pure will. This is the moment that counts. When you feel like you just can’t take another step, somehow you manage to move forward, shaky, but still going. This is where the transformation happens. This is where the real change occurs. That bit of grit that comes from your inner driving force, some thought telling you, yes you can, that instant is when your inner athlete is born. We’re all athletes regardless of physique—it’s all in the mindset. If you bring one
Read on for more goodness

Pump Day: Visualize Your Goals

              Happy Pump Day everyone! We are half way through the week and still going strong. This pump day is my last night with Andrew until he takes off for a wedding in Chicago so I will be doing an early evening run with him rather than hitting the weights today, but I'm still here to offer motivation and support for you all. For that extra bit of motivation and intensity, I have found that visualizing my workouts long before I hit the gym has helped me stay focused and alert during my workouts. By visualizing myself working hard and going for the burn, I can draw on that image and feeling and use it to drive my intensity during a workout when I feel I'm starting to fade. Visualizing and planning my workout ahead of time also helps me stay accountable to shorter rest periods, doing drop sets at the end of the last set, or any other lifting strategies I choose to focus on that day to keep me focused and working hard. It always helps to imagine my 'after' p
Read on for more goodness