86 Days!

Hard to believe we are down to the double digits until Ironman Louisville! This is a big week. It is week 12 meaning halfway through training. It is also a recovery week which happens every fourth week. The intensity and distances are slightly easier this week to give the body some time to recover.

Thanks to all my friends and family that continue to support me in this journey. You guys are amazing Ironsupporters! I'm realizing you guys are just as invested in this as myself whether you've sent encouraging messages, watched my kids, swam, ran, biked with me and your continual sharing of your excitement with me. It is all greatly appreciated and has helped immensely.

Picture highlights from this past month of training:

I have learned how to change a tire. After having a flat on a group ride, finally got my act together and did it. I practiced at Trikes for Tikes which repairs old bikes and gives them out to the needy.

I took this picture while waiting to join up with some fellow bikers from Louisville Landsharks. I rode 56 miles on the IM course and was so anxious anticipating the hills. I made it through and am looking forward to when I can ride the loop twice. It has been interesting to see how even though Ironman is a race, it is still a community of triathletes with a common goal to finish. There are always people looking for fellow riders to join them out on the course to train together.  

Running one of my favorite routes which has quite of bit of shade. My longest run so far has been 11 miles. I am running 4 minutes and walking a minute during the long runs. I am anticipating doing some form of that during the actual race. I am not looking to break any records, just looking to finish and have fun.

I just had my youngest with me one morning, so I took her on my 40 minute run that I was suppose to do some hill repeats. I thought pushing a stroller up the hills in my neighborhood was good enough! We ended up running to our library to return some books and check out some new ones. We lucked out for their storytime which they had the local firefighters there. Win. Win.

This month has been full of storms. Fortunately it has just interrupted a few training rides.

Glad I wasn't caught out in this hail storm.

My morning run after the hail storm. Perfect temperature and a beautiful sunrise.

Started storming during another training ride in which my dog thought it was best to lay under my bike. Not his best idea.

Took a trip up to visit my parents hoping to ride the country roads where  I grew up , only to have it rain, again. So I got to have another trainer ride in their garage.

Training while our family visited my brother. I almost need another bag with all my training gear when we visit family and friends.  At least  I had some dry sunny weather for a change

A trail run joined by my oldest for part of one of my longer runs. He ran almost 3.5miles with me and it was fun having him along. When he leads us through the trails we never know what we will find. This time we found some red raspberries and a waterfall that cooled us off.

My farthest ride to date - 60 miles. And as fate would have it, on the trainer because yet of another rainstorm this summer. I am okay with all the trainer rides. I have heard too many stories of close calls, accidents while riding the bike. Makes me anxious riding on the road with distracted drivers. Just be safe out there and watch for bicyclists.

 My youngest is helping herself to some of my lunch. A big part of training is nutrition and hydration. I am still trying to figure it out. A part of nutrition is figuring out what will work while running and biking, but also nutrition helps in recovery and preparing for the next workout. So far I like honey stinger chews and waffles along with Tailwind nutrition. But I will still need some real food on race day, but haven't narrowed it done yet. Work in this area is continuing.
 
 
 

 

 

So after 11 weeks of training I have hit over 1000 miles. Hard to believe in just over another 11 weeks I will be tapering, it will be fall and kids will have been back in school. I have found it much more challenging getting in the 2 a day workouts with kids home for the summer. I have learned I do not like working out in the evenings. I  am just too tired to give a good effort in the workouts. This will be interesting to see what happens in race day when I am still racing!

 

The next four  weeks I have three races. I am excited to give my training a test. First up is my first off road triathlon, followed by my first half ironman, and then an Olympic triathlon. The half ironman I just signed up for last week. My training does not call for one until end of August but this fit best into our schedule and nearby. I am hoping to have this as a trial run of my nutrition and clothes.

 

So there's the short and long of it for now. I am still enjoying the training although I do look forward when I can sleep in again. Last year this time a 20 mile bike ride and a 5 mile run were my long distances. Now these are just a warm-up. Slow and steady!

 

Thanks again for all your support. Looking forward to see what the next half of training brings!

 

 

 
 
 

 

4 Months Until Ironman Update

Week 7 almost done -  47 days in training -  only 4 months left until the big test.
Since I've started training, I've swam over 12 miles, biked over 500 miles and ran just over 100 miles. That is over 600 miles logged with my body as the engine over those distances. It is crazy to think about that and to think how much more intense the training is yet to come - and I am only looking to finish - under the 17 hour deadline.

Since the last update, I had another practice swim in open water with my wetsuit. It was at the same place. My heart rate slowed down faster than last time, so slowly getting comfortable with open water swims in the wetsuit. I managed to swallow water during the swim making me cough which was good practice on staying calm until I was able to back going again. I still need to work on my sighting, but feeling good about my swim. Currently, I am swimming three times a week between 1-1.5miles each time with drills, warm-ups, cool-downs. Each workout is building my confidence up to enjoy swimming even more.

Constuction Zone at the Parklands

The bike is another story. When I started this journey, I was thinking swimming was going to be my weakest event. Now that I am in the journey, the bike needs alot more work. With the course being full of rolling hills and more hills, I need to continue to build up leg strength and endurance. My longest bike ride so far is 52 miles, but mostly flat. I even got a flat tire, plastic bag caught in the chain, and left my bag under the seat unzipped. Needless to say, I am slowly learning by mistakes on how to improve my biking. However, we saw deer, turtles, and a turkey along the route. The training for the bike has started to pick up some hill training and speed intensity workouts which will help me prepare for the hills. I have enjoyed the few group rides I have been able to go on - although I do not have a good track record - a minor wrecked and flat tire. (So who wants to join me on my next ride?) It has been fun meeting new people and getting to know who they are and how they got into biking - plus they helped me change my tire - and hopefully I can help them out in the near future. I am learning to break the bike into 15 minute sections to eat, drink, move around, and do a mental check to stay focus. Currently for biking I ride just over an hour for my foundations rides and between 3-4 hours on my long rides.

Recovery run with my kids and one of my best friends

The run. Nothing like saving the best for last. Running is my washing machine for my mind. It clears my head as I think about school ending for my oldest this week and summer beginning. I think about the whys of doing an ironman and the sacrifice my family has to do. Thinking about how all the training is going to be worth it when I cross the finish line in October.  The training has some fartleks added and hill training to continue to build base and strength. Currently, I run about 40-45 minutes a few times a week and the long run is 90-100minutes. Having been a runner for so long, these workouts are fun. I am slowly seeing improvement in my times. Plus the local Moms Run This Town group has monthly running challenges which have been a fun addition to my training.

About once a week I have a brick workout where I bike and then run immediately afterwards. These workouts are going well. The bike seems to warm up my legs for the run as I seem to have a slightly faster pace for these. These workouts have been around an hour ride followed by 30-40 minute run.

It is good to not always take training so seriously.

Overall I am still staying mostly injury free. I sliced my finger a few weeks back and opted to skip a swim workout which was my first workout I skipped. I replaced it with an insanity class to remind myself that I should be doing strength and core workouts too. A great workout to showcase my weaknesses.  With venturing into longer bike rides, I am having issues with my left wrist, hand, and fingers. It is similar to carpal tunnel - nothing major yet, but just aware of it. Just more time in the saddle and switching up the grip hopefully will help. 

In the weeks ahead, I will be figuring out how to balance all this with the three kids at home. I am thankful for friends and family who have offered to watch them for me. It is much appreciative. I have a friend who continues to be an excellent mentor along this journey - answering all my questions and has valuable tips and advice. My dad has been my partner in open water swimming  - taking turns in the kayak and swimming as he trains for his first Olympic triathlon.  It is starting to be the dog days of summer with the heat, so early mornings continue to be my best friend to get the workouts done. This makes for lazy afternoons which are always welcomed in my book.

Until next time, thanks again for the support. Don't forget about your dreams and goals - the time is going to pass anyways, might as well be shooting for something.

Run, Kat, Run Goes Marathoning

Sometime in January 2015 the thought of switching my registration from mini to full marathon went through my head.  I got excited!  I got hopeful!  I got ampped up!

I kept that thought to myself for a few weeks and secretly increased my long runs to test the waters and see just how far I could go.  In January I think my long runs were 8-12 miles, which in my book is pretty much trained for a mini-marathon.  Around the end of January I mentioned my #bigdream to my running partner Jessica, who fully supported my idea but said she would stick with the mini and then come run with last mile or two with me.  I was good with that but scared for dear life.  I talked to my husband about it, he fully supported with the side bar that I was in fact crazy in his eyes!  He had no idea why I couldn’t be happy with a half marathon.  And in my head, “bigger, better, faster” kept playing over and over again.  

So I ran and I ran some more and some more.  My “I’ll do the mini” running partner, ran with me as well and soon changed her tune.  If she was going to train with me, she might as well earn the medal with me.  We decided on a Sunday Runday that we were marathon bound and that no matter what we would stick together during the race.  If one had to pee we both stopped, if one of us needed to walk, then we both walked.  Along the way we met a new friend who joined our #bigdream and made our runs entertaining and exciting.  Now we had a new person to talk too, Jessica and I had talked about as much as we could talk—we had said all there was to say on 18 mile runs.  

Training was fun and awful all wrapped up in one.  Weekday runs were getting longer and weekend runs were LONG!  I loved it all but complained a significant amount of the time.  I had read a lot about marathon training and how it will change every aspect of your life.  I had no idea how true that was until one Friday night  (preparing for a Saturday morning 20 mile run) when I told my daughter that she was spending the night at grandma’s house, her response to me was “why don’t you want us to spend the night at our house anymore?”  My heart broke into a thousand pieces.  I tried to explain to her that this was temporary and that mommy was having to run a whole lot to prepare for the BIG race and I apologized over and over again and I think I even cried a little.  Everything I had read was right, marathon training was all encompassing and had taken over my life! 
  
Marathon week came and nerves had fully set in.  I was on 10 (as my students would say)!  The week turned into a few days and then a few days turned into the night before.  And the forecast turned into rain, which made me nervous! But I had great friends that had coached me through the process and both of them said the rain is better than the sun!  We changed our outfit to accommodate for rain and drank a ton of water and went to bed with nerves going strong.  

Race morning was fantastic, we got up early, headed to race, met up with a few friends, wanted to vomit a few times, poncho’ed up, and toe’d the start line (well not really since we were in corral D but you get the point).  The exhilaration that came with crossing the start line is unreal!  I was running a marathon! FOR REAL!!!!

All along the course there were tons of people we knew, old friends, co-workers, husbands, moms and dads, kids, running community friends, and so many more.  It was great!  We left out of Churchill Downs and saw my mom and dad—who had plenty of snacks and waters for us.  They were our breaking off point, the mini people went one way and the marathon people went the other.  Mom had fixed us little baggies of butterscotch and jolly ranchers—so sweet and useful!  We made it to the park with little incident, just rain and more rain, my niece, nephew and brother cheered us at the entrance to the park.  Around the back of the Iroquois Park my in-laws, hubby, and kids were there.  I stopped and gave hugs, I needed hugs!  We were at the half way point and I was getting tired.  At the front of the park was Jessica’s family.  It was so uplifting to see people you knew.  If you aren’t running a race, be a spectator!  We just love to see people cheering us on, we need it!

Coming out of the park my hamstring was not feeling good.  About mile 17 my hamstring quit!  I stretched it, I walked it, I stretched it, I kept running. I was in pain!  My foot was not picking up, it was shuffling.  I was having to verbally say outloud “pick up your foot” because it was not.  Things got rough at miles 17-19.  I had a pity party, my leg hurt, I still had a significant ways to go, and I was spent!  I HIT THE WALL!!!!  

My folks had waited for me at mile 18 with drinks and snacks again.  I cried when I left them.  I knew I was in for a long, painful finish.  

Around mile 22 my work BFF was there and she jumped in and ran a mile with us, really she probably just walked fast with us because at that point we were at a 13 min mile.  But a new person to talk to, to keep my mind off the pain, to tell us stories, or just be there was awesome!  Again, I cried when she left.

We pushed through and continued on stopping occasionally to pee or walk or stretch.  At mile 24 I got my 2nd wind.  Now let’s be clear my 2nd wind wasn’t a fast 2nd wind my 2nd wind was I could go on and I truly could finish it.  In my head I was repeating over and over “24 to 25, 24 to 25” and once I reached mile 25 that changed to “25 to 26, 25 to 26”.  For whatever reason that helped to just run one mile at a time.  

I saw the 26 mile flag and I punched Jessica in the arm!  I was so excited!!!  And then I saw my BFF, my kids, hubby, and in-laws!  I slowly made the turn to complete my .2 of the marathon and was smiling through immense hamstring pain.  But I didn’t care at all, I was finishing a marathon!  The best feeling is having someone put a medal around your neck for a race that you trained so hard for.  It was amazing!  

I can hardly remember all the details of the after, my BFF and daughter, met me all the way at the end of the finish line and walked SUPER slow with me.  I was slow, hurt, crying, proud, and over joyed all at the same time.  My emotions got the best of me.  I do remember saying “I never have to do that again.”  We walked a lot, met back up with my friends and made our way to the truck where I had to be hoisted into the truck—hamstring was DONE!  

The days following the marathon were rough but about 3 days after the race I was walking correctly again, able to sit on the toilet again, and pretty much a fully functioning person again.  The day after the race our new friend that we met during training sent us a text about “the next time”, I told her to never speak to me again.  I really didn’t mean it.  

About a week or two later my head went to ‘maybe next time we can get in under 5 hours’.  I quickly dismissed those thoughts but in my heart I’m certain that I will run another marathon.  My hamstring was still hurt but with a lot of ice, foam rolling, and ibuprofen it got better in about a month.  Life is back to normal now.  I took a few weeks off from running and got a new pair of shoes and hit the pavement again.  It felt good, I loved every minute of it!  

Everything I read is right: marathon training is all consuming of your life BUT for the rest of my life I can say that I ran a marathon!  I did it!!! WE DID IT!!!!!!!

5 Months until IRONMAN!

19 days. Yup that is it. That is the number of days I have 'officially' been training for my first Ironman. Of those 19 days, I have had 2 days off (tomorrow will be number 3) and covering over 250 miles between the three disciplines. Only 5 more months to go.
 

training plan

I have liked the training plan I've picked so far. It is from Matt Fitzgerald's book, Essential Week by Week Training Guide. It is pretty intense compared to what I am use to, but the Ironman race is more an intense race than I am use to.  It gives me one day complete rest, swim 3 days, run and bike 4 days. This equates to doing multiple disciplines almost everyday except one.  My goal is to just finish in the time allotted so I feel this plan will get me there. Since I opted not to get a coach, the workouts are detailed enough in that every time I finish one, I always feel like I accomplish something helping me  reach closer to my goal. For example the swim spells out the length of warm-ups, cool-downs, drill sets, fartleks, etc. The bike has the intensity of the ride, length of the ride, and what type of ride: foundation, power intervals, speed intervals etc. The run is similar to the bike with having length of run, type of run, and intensity. I have adjusted quickly to running and biking to time versus distance. It is nice to know exactly how early I need to get up in the morning to get my workout completed.

 Each week I look at my workouts and what is schedule for everyone so I know how I can fit them in. Each day my goals are to finish my workouts, hang out (play, homework etc) with the kids, and get dinner on the table. After that I find myself pretty tired and ready for bed. While the kids are in school, I have been getting my workouts completed early. Typically getting up before 6am to either have my bike or run completed before my husband leaves for work. By then, my oldest is also at school and I get my younger kids ready for the day. Depending on the day, the other two go to preschool and I get my second workout completed. Once summer comes around, I will have to figure out the best way to get my workouts completed without the kids feeling they are spending all day at the YMCA.

first crash bruise

One of the hills that defeated me today.

I have had time to update occasionally on facebook which you probably saw I survived my first group ride and wreck. It was good to get out of my comfortzone on the bike to ride with others I did not know. I rode my longest distance to date - 40miles. It was mostly flat, so I felt pretty good.  I am hoping to connect up with the other riders soon.  Today I did my first solo long bike ride since training started. Two hills beat me up. I only made it about 1/3-1/2 way up - meaning I had to walk the rest of the way up.  I am hoping each time I get a little bit farther. I biked out Mayo Lane looking onward to 42 where the course takes us and I am pretty sure those hills got a lot bigger.  I know hills are my weakness, so this just confirmed it. I will need to practice hills and prepare myself mentally for them as well.  I can't let this get to me. Fortunately these hills were not on the course. I will be visiting them again soon. 

Feeling like a superhero in the wetsuit

My dad supporting me in open water swims

On Mother's Day, I had my first open water swim in my wetsuit. I was so nervous. It was the first time ever swimming in a wetsuit. Fortunately, I was able to try it out with my dad in a kayak (his first time in a kayak, haha) at my friend's parents' house. The water was so quiet and peaceful. The water was warmer than I expected so my feet, hands, and head felt fine swimming. The test swim in the wetstuit went well. I still need to practice sighting as training goes along. I feel like my swimming has come a long way, but still have a ways to go. I look forward to doing some more open swims soon. My dad is training for his first Olympic distance triathlon this summer so I know we have some more training sessions together in the future. We trained together for our first marathons over 15 years ago, so I am excited to go through this training with him as well.

Pedestrian bridge run to Indiana

My running continues to go well. It is the one discipline I am most comfort and look forward to those workouts.I find myself ready for bed shortly after I put my kids to bed, so there is always laundry, grass to be cut among other things to do, but they get done eventually.

Overall, I continue to enjoy the training and thankful for all the support from my husband and friends. I know the next 5 months will continue to test my endurance, strength, and mental toughness.

Until next update....

Race Report: Mission Lite 2015

Looking for a different type of racing? Something that involves canoeing, mountain biking, running, and orienteering? This is what the  Mission Lite is all about - geared toward the beginner. It seemed this year there were about a third of the participants were new to this type of racing.

 

This was my second adventure race - having done this race last year. This year, it was held at Whitewater Memorial State Park in east central Indiana. It is in the middle of nowhere really.
Mission Lite is a 4 hour race. There was also an 18 hour race going that had started 2 hours prior to ours. You can race solo or in 2 or 3-person teams. My husband (Ryan) and I were a team calling ourselves "The D Team". Our last name begins with D and I am also a fan of the old TV show, "The A Team" so it fit us.

gear list

This year we decided last minute (as in 2:30pm on Friday as we were packing up to leave) to camp at the park since it was quite a drive and getting up at 4am to arrive there by 6:30am did not sound like a fun time. I was glad we did. We ended up camping by 2 other teams that were competing in the lite, so we were able to make some new friends who enjoy doing these races.

some of the gear

With adventure racing, there is certain gear you have to carry with you at all times, some just when on a bike, and some when canoeing. Fortunately, my camelpack is smaller than Ryan's, so he carried most of the loot. Everyone had to carry food, water, and a whistle. One person on each team had to carry a pen, knife, compass, first aid kit, map, passport (paper that you stamp at the checkpoints). When riding bikes, everyone had to have a helmet and bike tire. One person on each team had to carry a bike pump and multi-tools. For the canoe, just the life jacket and paddle which were pretty obvious why everyone had to have one. 

 

Map for the race

As for what to wear for adventure races, it is a personal choice. Since you often cut through woods, I wear tights to avoid the stinging nettles and sticker bushes.Typically just a dry wicking shirt and trail shoes round out the rest of the clothes. I also spray myself with bug spray to prevent ticks and mosquitoes. I like wearing gloves when I mountain bike, but again it is just a personal preference.

When we arrived to the race area, we checked in and were given a map. There is only one map per team. We marked our points from the Master map which had about 9 check points on it. The race started at 8am so about 7:50am, Brian (the race director), gave instructions on the race. He handed out a piece a paper with our first couple of checkpoints which was the same for everyone. We had to do these checkpoints in order. The first segment we started on the bike. We were at the back of the pack starting off. The first check point was only a few minutes away and it was clogged up. The next checkpoint was down a horse trail and was still congested with all the competitors. Fortunately on the way back it was uphill and everyone was starting to space out. The next stop was the canoe where there were 2 checkpoints. We had to paddle across the lake, get out, find the checkpoint and get back into the canoe. Fortunately, this year I did not see any canoes tip over. The lake was fairly calm. 

After the canoe we had one more bike checkpoint before heading back to the transition area to drop off the bike and start the run portion. On the run portion we met up with some of our camping neighbors which was fun to see some people we knew out there. We decided to not try to get the very last checkpoint as I had run out of gas because I had poorly fueled and hydrated. I still had over half of my hydration left in my pack which is not a good thing.

 

All cleaned up - post race

 We finished finding 10 of the 11 checkpoints in 3 hours 17 minutes. We ended up 3rd overall and first in 2 person co-ed. The last point was a good run from the last checkpoint and the finish line. You get penalized for arriving after the 4 hour cutoff time so there is a bit of a strategy and need to play to your strengths. Having grown up stomping through woods, it was fun to get to do that again while hunting down the checkpoints. I also liked the strategy aspect of how are you going to get from one checkpoint to another. 

 

The Dino race was well run. Everyone was friendly and encouraging. The race even provided a bbq sandwich, fruit, and veggie tray after the race for lunch. This gave us time to talk with the other racers about the course and hear their strategies.  

 

 If you are interested in orienteering or adventure racing check out OLOU or Flying Squirrel Adventure for more information.

Tennessee Waterfall Springbreak - 2015

April has quickly led us into May without blogging any monthly updates on the ironman training. That will have to wait for another day, even though this week is my first 'official' week of my 24 week training plan for my first ironman..... As will the race recap of the Kentucky Derby half marathon that was last week have to wait.....
This post is about our recent family springbreak trip - exploring waterfalls in Tennessee and doing exactly what Barefit Adventures promotes - "The world as your playground." I am always on the look out for some fun, family friendly places to hike, so thought I would share our trip to inspire more families to get out into the great outdoors.

Over fall break, we visited Cumberland Falls area, so I was excited to have another opportunity to see even more waterfalls in a reasonable driving distance. Hiking is a favorite pasttime for our family of 5. Our kids (2-7 year olds) prefer hiking the rugged trails and get bored with paved paths, so I was looking forward to see what the trails had in store for us.

Burgess Falls

Our first stop was Burgess Falls State Park in Tennessee. This is about 4 hours from Louisville, KY, so an easy drive with kids. The hike was about 1.5 miles roundtrip seeing 4 waterfalls along the way. There is a playground and bathhouse at the trailhead along with some picnic tables. It was misty and windy the day we were there. The hike past the overlook down to the Burgess Falls was rugged, but my 7 and 5 year olds had no issues climbing down or up. At the bottom of the falls we were able to have our snack and climb on some rocks. A nice break from being in the car for 4 hours.

Fall Creek Falls

Suspension bridge

After a few hours playing here, we drove about 50 minutes to Fall Creek  Falls State Park where we would be staying for a few nights. It is home to the tallest free falling waterfall this side of the Mississippi - 256 feet - along with 4 other waterfalls. There were 2 suspension bridges that we crossed that the kids loved. We stayed for 3 days and 2 nights and had plenty of time to enjoy all the waterfalls.  Our cabin along the lake had a paved trail nearby that you could bike/run/hike to the waterfalls. It worked out great. We had picnic lunches by the waterfalls and then had the naptime in the cabin for our 2 year old while the older ones played on the playground or went by the lake.

Our cabin: 2 bedroom, 1 bath

Stairs to Greeter Falls

After our stay here, we ventured on to Georgia to visit Legoland Discovery Center for the boys (couldn't stay out in nature the whole time, I suppose), but along the way we stopped at 2 more waterfalls: Greeter Falls and Foster Falls.

Greeter Falls

Greeter Falls has two falls with one having a spiral staircase (one of the main reasons I wanted to check it out too) leading down to the falls. This hike was a bit rugged with less guard rails so we kept our kids close.  The Broadtree Falls trail was the most rugged that we encountered and harder to follow - mainly climbing on rocks. My husband saw a copperhead snake along this hike that was still sleeping. Fortunately, that was the only wildlife we encountered. I am not a fan of snakes to say the least.

Broadtree Falls

Foster Falls seems to be a swimming hole during the warmer months and a place for some rock climbing. It had a beautiful overlook,  an easy hike to the waterfall,
and a nice way to finish our waterfall adventure vacation.

Foster Falls from the overlook

 Tennessee has lots more waterfalls I hope to explore such as the Virgin Falls. The waterfalls comes out of one cave into another. It is about an 8 mile hike, so looking forward to it when the kids are a bit older and we can practice some backpacking too.

You don't have to travel far for vacations or spend lots of money to make memories with your family. Hiking, climbing rocks, playing in the water is fun for kids of all ages. Where are your favorite places to hike within a half a day's drive?

BAREfit Adventure Training

BARE - /ber/ - without addition; basic and simple (google dictionary)

Pretty much sums up BAREfit Adventure Training which I recently had a chance to check out.  Even though it may be basic in equipment and in a simple garage like setting, it is definitely not easy and that  is the 'fit' part, my friends.  They are making the world your playground.

BAREfit is located near downtown at 1217 Logan St. It is neighbors to Falls City Community Bikeworks (with a review coming soon!). There is a parking lot off Logan St. that is fenced in with BAREfit at the back of the parking lot. The place is more of a garage setting. Be prepared to get a little dirty, but - hey, you are working out, so who cares? Some of the workout equipment includes tires, sledge hammers, homemade equipment such as rings and sleds. There is even an obstacle course for the upper body - something you might see on Ninja Warrior.

A tire for everyone's fitness ability

BAREfit is currently offering 1 day free to try them. Upon arriving, I saw Curtis leading a class and met up with Rob to fill out some paperwork,  so they could get a little bit of background on me and my fitness goals. The first Mondays and Tuesdays of the month they have testing. So I just happened to check out a testing class. Otherwise, their week is divided into push, pull, and whim days, so muscle groups have time to recoup. After a warmup on test days, you complete your test. Beside the body composition, you do burpees, push-ups, and planks for the tests. These are recorded so next month you can see how you improved. This is a great way to see progress and keep motivating yourself to work hard. After the testing, we did 4 exercises for 45 seconds with a 15 second rest. Then repeated this 2 more times. Throughout these sets, Curtis let us know how much longer we had and was encouraging. Once this was over, Curtis led us in stretching. At the beginning, he mentioned to let him know if at the end of stretching if you needed something specific stretched, he would be more than happy to help. I thought this was great. The last thing anyone wants is an injury! There were plenty of drink breaks and there was some water if you forgot your water bottle. There was also some lockers to put your keys and what not in them while you workout.

The week's workouts - Push, Pull, Whim

If you are looking for a place to workout that is unconventional, but still gets the job done, check out BAREfit. If you like Tough Mudder, Rugged Maniac, or Waterfront Challenge, this place can help you prepare for these events. Or maybe you are planning an adventure vacation. They can help get you in shape for that! If you are looking to get fit, lose weight, they can help with that too! Grab a friend and take advantage of the free class to see if this is a good fit for you! It is not your typical boot camp gym or gym for that matter. They offer group classes Monday through Saturday. All you have to do is show up. They demonstrate the exercise for all fitness levels. Check out their website for more information.

And be sure on the lookout for future Earn Your Beer Challenges - they are free and open to the public.

*For more first time is free classes check out this post.

**Know of another place that you love that I should check out or wondering about a place? Let me know: fitinlou@gmail.com