Day 9: December 6

Each and every day you've got three choices...give up, give in, or 

GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT.

We are in such a different place then we were a week ago. And today we are at PB (personal best, not peanut butter). My goal this week was to run on the treadmill...well today I was sprinting 6.5 mph for 1 whole minute. And Betty ... ran at 4.8 for 1 whole minute. WHO ARE WE? I personally have to thank Courtney Crozier (Season 11) she got on the treadmill next to me and as we were getting instructions for our sprints, she looks at me and says you can do 6.0, I said no way, she said yes you can, it is one minute and you can do it. So I did. She is an awesome motivator. There is a huge aspect here at the Resort that plays such an important role and that is working as a group. In the same class that we did two 1 minute sprints we had half the group behind us cheering us on. The "atta girls" and "you can do this" and "you got this" was so what we needed to really get ourselves through the sprint. This, by the way was after our 2 hour hike!

0600 Stretch w/ Cameron

0700 Breakfast: Peach muffins, I opted for the granola cereal w/ almond milk, Betty had eggs & toast

0745 Hike Descriptions & Departure

0800 Hike: Bark Park about 5 miles

1115 Stretch w/ Tina

1225 Lunch: Quinoa Wraps and Tortilla Soup

1345 Open Gym

1430 Cardio Intervals w/ John

1530 Total Toning w/ Carine and Tonia

1630 H2O Intervals w/ John

1730 Dinner: Shepard's Pie w/ spinach and dessert was a chocolate parfait made w/ greek yogurt

This is hard. Be Strong. There are so many emotions that have started to come through and I think about what I have done in my past that was considered hard and I am taping into those experiences. I think about working for City Year, that was challenging and super rewarding. I think about carrying two children for 9 months, 27 hours of labor with one and an emergency C-section with the other. I think about being a mom and a wife and a daughter and a friend and a sister. All of those things have their challenges, but I got through them. Some were short term, some had pain killers involved, and some will be part of my entire life. But what I am learning here is that the pain of training and the pain of getting stronger really is only temporary. (Thanks, Tonia) I repeat this to myself when I think I just cannot go another step, the tightness in my muscles the pain in all of it is temporary. And you know 1200 calories a day is plenty, if it tastes good, and here it all tastes SO GOOD.

I am using this week to plan my return to reality. I will miss this place. I will miss the trainers, my new friends and the food and the house keeping services (there is nothing better than coming in to a made bed). But most of all I think I will miss the investment in myself. I need to have a plan for my return. I need to have a shopping list complete and I will need my workouts planned for Monday. I think this is my new challenge this week. I know what I need to do with my body this week, I don't know what I will be doing next week.

I look forward to this journey and I am ready to do this for life. And I am so thankful for Betty and all of the people that are supporting us. This will not be easy, we will need all the help and support we can get.