Well, WE DID IT!!! The Granite Girls and Bear completed the YMCA triathlon!!  Kick off to the summer!

It was a beautiful sunny day, and we all meet at our transition areas.  It is quite a science getting everything in the right order, for the swim,bike and run.  You want to have your towel all ready to dry your feet off, baby power in your shoes and sox’s and your shirt to quickly through on. Having this all set up perfectly makes for a smooth and fast transition!

 I was in the 3^rd wave, DK was in the 13^th and Bear in the 12^th for the swim.  The water was 70 degrees which made jumping in without a wet suit no problem at all! The swim is the shortest time…it took the three of us anywhere between 10 minutes to 13 minutes to complete.  After getting out of the water we had to run about .25 miles to our transition area! This was a bit of an unwelcomed surprise.  I had finished my swim in 10 minutes and didn’t want people now passing me on this “run”.  Fortunately no one did!!

The first transition was great…thanks to the baby powder that DK shared with me! My feet were perfectly dry in my sox’s and shoes. 

Then we were off!! The bike was 15 miles.  It took all of us less than an hour to complete this…Bear’s time being the fastest! No one was passing him on the bike!  The loop had a nice mixture of flats and small hills, unfortunately some road kill from the night before…which we all could have done without!

Then the last leg…the run! It was a 3.1 miles.  The transition from bike to run is pretty simple.  Just unclip, put your bike back on the rack, take off your helmet, change shoes and off you go! At this point, we were all pretty tired and the sun was showing no mercy! Thankfully it was relatively flat but still really HOT!! However, knowing that in less than about 30 minutes you would be done, made the run bearable. 

All in all it was a great tri.  The size was perfect…not too many people and they did a great job organizing it!  And we had an awesome cheer leader, Timmy! He was unfortunately unable to compete this year but did a great job encouraging all of us!!

  It is important to remember throughout this whole thing no matter how much pain you’re in, we are thankful to be able to complete something like this. What an accomplishment!

Final times:

DK: 1:46min 

Bear:  1:50min 

Lauren: 1:42 min

Xoxo

Granite Girls

Granite Girl Victory photo!!

Lauren running out of the water

group photo!! Lauren, Bear, DK, Karla and Rita!! What a crew 🙂

As the Granite Girls prepare for a triathlon this Sunday we have been training the past several days. It is a sprint distance, so 1/3 mile swim, 15 mile bike and a 5k run! This is a great way to kick off the summer. 

Today I biked for about 7 miles and then ran a mile.  I am hoping my previous workouts and keeping in shape will provide enough of a base training for the tri. My goal is to do the entire tri under 1 hour and 45 minutes!!

We will be sure to take some pictures with our 365 shirts!!

Xoxo

Granite Girls

This week I had the opportunity to try out a new, trendy workout called Surf Set.  To give you a little idea, picture a surf board with three small bosu balls under it.  You can stand, sit or lay on the board depending on the exercise.  The workout emulates surfing!

The class I took was in NYC.  It was about 40 minutes of intense balance/ core work.  Going from a laying position and “paddling” and then quickly jumping up when you were ready to “ride the wave”.  We did squats, push-up, sit –ups,  one legged balancing moves as well as some yoga moves  all on the board.  Needless to say I have not sweat that much in a while and my lower abdomen is quite sore today!!

Our friends from the lake are the creators and founders of this company.  It has really taken off in the past year.  You can look at their website for more information. (http://www.surfsetfitness.com/)

I highly recommend this workout.  Not only was it fun and different but also just a fabulous workout!  If there is one near you…DO IT!!

xoxo

Granite Girls

Today’s Blog is a very special guest! He is Donna’s official work out buddy!!

Today started like most other weekdays at 6:20am with my workout buddy, Donna.  We meet in the parking lot at the Y for our daily workout… Either swim, bike or run!  Today was a swim day and we weren’t the only ones… the pool was packed, but we found our lane and got in a quick 30 minute swim before we had to get to what we call “Body by Scotty”! Today is Tuesday, so we had our appointment with our trainer Scott.  He knows how to leave us feeling our workout!  Lots of legs, plenty of planks and some stirring the pot….all in all a great sweat and great way to start the day.

xoxo

Granite Girls

There’s nothing like a great swim in the morning to really “wake up!”  That’s where we were today @ 6:30 before we met with Scott for our bi-weekly body sculpting.  The pool was very crowded for some reason so we had to double up in the lanes…..not my favorite but I made it work.  I was feeling strong and remembering the tips a fellow swimmer had given me about  “not letting go of the water”….a concept that took a little practice.  He frequently tells me to gliiiiiiiiiide through the water and use my torso to turn & move swiftly.  He introduced us to short flippers which are great for a little more intensity with the legs.  After a half hour swim we jumped out & met up with Scott for some very difficult one legged squats; russian body twists; planks with a knee to elbow movement; lat pull downs & some strange squatting punching motion with one of the machines to name a few.  Our legs hurt before the 2nd set of squats!

Being a part of this team & reflecting on the military families has definitely made me more aware of how I get through each day whether it’s getting up the first time the alarm goes off, complaining alot less or simply  smiling at a stranger,  I feel so blessed & privileged to be a part of a group of people who want to make a difference in their small corner of the world.  Thanks to all who have to get up early every every day & don’t have the wonderful choices that glide them through their days.

xoxo

Granite girls

Well today was a rarity…the Granite Girls worked out together! We had a minor ankle injury due to a wedding dress mishap but regardless DK prevailed!!!

She and I met at the new YMCA in Nashua during my lunch break. DK took it easy on her ankle but definitely gave her core a nice workout by doing several different strength building core exercises.

I have found pinterest to be extremely helpful in finding a few new full body workouts.  I ran a 5.6 mile road race on Sunday  with my husband so I decided to do a shorter sprint/ interval workout today combined with the full body work out.   

The full body exercises are awesome!!! Jumping jacks, triceps dips, squats, sit ups etc really make you work hard for a shorter period of time but still getting in a great workout.  I posted the total body work out as well as the interval routine. Both of which can be modified accordingly or done as many times as you would like.

Have a great rest of the week!

xoxo Granite Girls

ps: DK’s ankle is feeling much better and she will be back at it by next week for sure 🙂

Body by Scotty began @ 7:00 am today which was a welcome treat from the normal 6:00 am time.  Jay & I decided to meet @ 6:30 to do a half hour of eliptical before we met with Scott….great way to break a sweat and then jump right into a roll out of all body parts with those wonderful cylindrical styrofoam rollers!  I especially like to roll out my back.

 Scott began with some side step squats with weights, some core work along with arm exercises on the machines.  The time goes by quickly when you do 3 sets of everything.  Another good one is using a 20lb weight to balance on one leg while the other leg is extended.  Makes me stay really focused & not talk so as not to lose my balance. 

The Merrimack Y services over 9,000 children every year with their preschool, after school & weekend programs for kids of all ages.  I like being a part of an organization that caters to so many.  The seniors are a huge part of the population as well.

 So many choices under one roof~thanks to the troops & their families for their sacrifices. Their commitment  to our country and our well being is appreciated and admired by  all here at WeAre365!  

xoxo Grante State Girls

Hello We are One 356!

Spring is upon us! WOOHOO!!

 Last week I spent everyday working out in a hotel gym.  However, today was such a treat as my workout was a long walk on a beautiful NH beach, in 85 degree weather with my new husband! This walk was followed by another walk into town to get an ice cream! First one of the season 🙂

Although this was not a  hard core, sweaty, “feel like you’re going to die” workout, sometimes your body needs a little break and to remember its the simple things in life. 

xoxo

Granite Girls

Today was a cardio day! I was able to get to the gym before and after work.  This morning I was in Harrisonburg VA and ran intervals on the treadmill for 15 min and then went on the elliptical for another 15.

Today I flew on the smallest commercial aircraft I think exists. There was SO much turbulence and I got incredibly motion sick, it was not a great experience and doesn’t bode well for my husband who would some day like to get his pilots licence and a small plane like that! But none the less we landed in Philly, PA! I figured I was lucky to be alive so it could hurt to work out again. 

The gym at the hotel in Philly is awesome!! I walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes at an incline of 6 and a speed of 4 with 5lb weights in my hands.  For any of you who do not like to run, this was a great sweat and my arms felt as though they might fall off!!

Have a great week!

xoxo

Granite Girls

Well, I am back traveling again and at the mercy of hotel fitness centers.  Luckily the Newark Hilton is pretty good!!   I did a combination of cardio and weights today. It was a decent work out however doesn’t compare to last week when my husband and I went spring skiing at Loon Mountain in NH.  It was a beautiful 80 degree day in Lincoln.   We were literally skiing in tee shirts and shorts.  Tim was even shirtless on the chairlift at one point.  I got sunburned!

We are very fortunate to be able to relish in New Hampshire’s out door playground but we must remember the men and women in our military.  Hopeful that someday they will also be able to enjoy the simple pleasure’s Mother Nature has to offer on a spring day in March.

Xoxo

Granite Girls