Mahalo.

Thank you to all of my coaches and teachers who have helped me become a self-employed Coach.

To my husband, I love you.
To my stepdaughters, I love you.
To my parents, thank you for allowing me to experience life to its fullest and become the person I am today. I love you.
To my aunts and uncles, thank you for your guidance and unconditional love.
To my cousins, thank you for playing with me during family gatherings even though I may have been slightly different than the average bear.
To the non-blood family, thank you for sharing your French heritage and laughter.
To my extended family, thank you for spreading the joy of each day with the world.
To my fellow runners, just keep running.
To my athletes, there is no challenge that is too great and no idea that cannot be done. All you need is time, dedication and a little focus.
To my teammates, thank you for living the Olympic dream that I could not.
To Coach Jeff, thank you for exposing me to coaching and the joy of it and allowing me to spend time with your family.
To Coach Brint, thank you for giving me my first opportunity to lead.
To Coach Paul, thank you for not allowing to lead.
To Hodge, thank you for introducing me to JJK.
To Jay, thank you for letting me learn the lore of distance running through you and giving me the opportunity to coach with you for two great years.
To Tina, thank you for letting me coach with you and teaching me how to long jump.
To Lori, thank you for letting me learn the practical applications of kinesiology and teach in your lab.
To Dr. Kretchmar, thank you for teaching me Zen.
To Dr. Pawelczyk, thank you for exploiting my love of exercise physiology through teaching me two classes and letting me work in your lab to find the volumetric balance point.
To Dr. Kenney, thank you for your research that you have done for Gatorade.
To Dr. Williams, thank you for starting the Female Athlete Triad Coalition and letting me work for you before the Olympic trials.
To Coach Dayna, thank you for believing in me.
To Coach Sullivan, represent us well in Moscow.
To Coach Paterno, we live your legacy and protect the morality of any Penn State graduate and any American for that matter.

To Granpy and Grammie, thank you for letting me care for you in your last days.
To Nana, thank you for your LOVE of sports.

Please SHARE with your friends and thank those who have made you the person you are TODAY.

Dr. Dolittle

Hope that you got out and did something this morning.  Whether it was walking your dog, going to the gym or running with an old friend, you did something, so congratulations, you are a CHAMPION.

So I had an old friend, same old friend that did Donut delivery and same old friend that asked me to tryout for Legally Blonde with her, to go for a run, so me and RSManoa went out for a run.  She's got this sweet goal of doing 24 races before her 24th birthday and all I have to say is mad props to her.  I think that if I did that many races in a year I would be...tired.  I can handle about one a month and that's it because, well, for those of you who know me, I am a try hard.

So out we went and she had this grand scheme of a run about how we were going to go climb this almost mountain outside the confines of our community.  Then I asked RSManoa, "How far did you want to run?"

She replied, "Well about four miles."

I answered, "If you are planning on running to the top of that mountain and back its probably close to eight so let's stay in the neighborhood."

So out we went at her pace, so that we could catch up, chat and just see how things were going.  We talked nutrition, we talked Broadway and we talked animals and just had a great time.  By the time we got back to her house and almost five miles later, our faces were flushed and we were spent.

The run is not always about the speed.  Its about getting out there and doing it (whatever it is you like best) on a regular basis so that you have a constant IV flow of endorphins so that your mood stays stable and your energy high and the 2 pm blues that sometimes hit me, really don't seem that bad.

On another note, being Fit Friday, I did a quick little body weight circuit to get my arms looking good and just to help with overuse injuries I am working through so in honor of someone who is leaving our special community, I shall call it The Byrd.

The Byrd (2 sets less than 1 min rest between exercises, when you are in SHAPE...less than 15 seconds)

15 push-ups
30 seconds R/L side plank
30 seconds front plank
15 donkey kicks
15 fire hydrants
20 lunges (first set fwd, second set backward)
15 prisoner squats
20 stair calf raises

It takes less than 10 minutes to complete and with a little running, you'll be looking good in no time :-)

Take care and have a nice day.

-HG

Cleaning

Keep your house clean.

Llama, Machu Picchu, 2010

A valuable lesson can be learned from llamas.  When going into UNESCO sites in Peru, my husband and I noticed something.  The llamas with shorter ropes were generally better behaved than those with longer ropes.  Those with longer ropes were more likely to run off and try to be wild again.  Anyway, the llamas at these sites like Machu Picchu have been a huge hit with tourists and well, who doesn't like llamas.

So you ask, what does this have to do with keeping your house clean?

Well, I cleaned my house today and I cleaned up my Facebook friend list and I like llamas therefore, it has to do with keeping your house clean.

When you meet people do you automatically tell them where you live and who your mother's father was and what his middle name is?   Be careful of phishy emails from people you don't know and people that try to friend you on Facebook who you have not met face to face.  Now granted if you have a few friends in common, you have common ground so being Facebook friends probably is not that far off base.

Be aware of your surroundings and be prepared for the good and the bad because resiliency is key in life success.  I watched the commencement speech that Oprah gave at Harvard this year and it is truly fantastic.  I have linked it on Pinterest for anyone who would like to view it.  It speaks more to cleaning and success than I can today.

Hope you all have had a pretty good day and if not, get outside and go for a walk, that's what Lucy and I are doing.

Take Care,

Heidi

It's not about the hills...

Workout Wednesday.

Today it was just us.  I posted the workout a little late last night for 6:15 start but whatever works.  VF and I were ready to tackle a 15 minute tempo through our community.  It started with a mile warm up around one of my favorite ponds and then we stretched and got ready to embark upon the hills.  The cool thing about this workout is that each hill you attack gets smaller and smaller so that you are working more on speed until the last rep where you are running on completely flat ground and its just you and the sidewalk.  You have no other barriers to hold you back.

We started with the first hill, man I was out of breath, granted I always start out fast but once I finished I  ran back to VF so that we could chill on the downhills and chat until it was time to tackle another then another.  By the time, got to the mailboxes for the last rep on the flat, it was a ONE MINUTE all out sprint to finalize the workout and WE DID IT.

Sometimes I think about why I run or why I started.  I was a hyperactive child and in between homework because I was the one and only my mom or dad would say, "Why don't you go out for a run, and then come back and finish your homework?"

If I had been born today and I had not had a very attentive mom, who let me do what I wanted and helped me when I asked for it.  I might have been labelled as ADD or ADHD. But I am not.  I learned that if I stay super busy and super engaged in everything and keep a list of the things that I am supposed to be getting done, it will be done.  Most importantly, as long as I workout most days of the week, I stay in a positive frame of mind and I can be a better person for my husband, my neighbors and my friends.

Just remember it's called being healthy and eating clean because its a lifestyle NOT A DIET.  So find a basic cookbook and start learning a few recipes, if you follow the directions you will be amazed at what  YOU CAN create.

Remember the people who got you to where you are today and thank them and give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.

Take Care,

-Coach G

Food for Thought

Try-it-On Tuesday

When I first got to Hawaii, I did not know what to do first.  I wanted to run.  I wanted to explore and I thought I wanted to be a traditional nurse.  There were so many things I wanted to do and I still wasn't happy.  Happiness is a journey not a destination and that's what I have found through my own exploration as a military spouse.

The first hike that I did with friends was up to the pillboxes and we hiked across the top and then scrambled down the side and ended up in someone's backyard.  The point is that the view was beautiful almost the whole time we did this hike.  Except for the short steep incline at the beginning and the steep descent, the ride on the top of the pillboxes was beautiful.  There may have been some challenges, quick drops and sheer cliff faces that just astounded most of us but we were okay.

We had each other and we had this experience that no one could take away from us.  We had conquered something and despite the high level of anxiety I had about doing a non-intense activity, I finished, we finished and we lived to be HERE in HAWAII another day.

So here's my Monday top five:
5. Having the secretary call me and say a class that starts next week say hope that I made it this week.  I called her back and clarified that she was wrong..Silly Sharon.
4. Walking Lucy on the beach and having a new record set.
3. Attempting to have a girls night before being interrupted by #5.
2. Arts and crafts projects thanks to Ben Franklin
1. Watching LOST with my husband on Netflix and learning about said named top five.

I CHALLENGE you to find your TOP FIVE today.

Thank you for what you have already done and what you are about to do,

-The Rh Factor
runhappyheidi.com

"Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way," -Navajo blessing

Miracle Monday.

So you live in Hawaii...congratulations!  You have just won the lottery of places to live when your spouse is sent somewhere because of the military.

So I have heard about this case of the Mondays, mumbo jumbo and quite frankly, I just don't believe it. I woke up just like a few of my friends did feeling good.  Feeling ready to start the day.  Feeling excited that it is the beginning of a new week.  Feeling sore because I ran 20 miles of trails with my better half. Heck, I think most of us would be sore if we covered 20 miles of ground in just under seven hours.

I have been living in Hawaii for almost a year now and I can say..I LOVE HAWAII.  There is so much to do and there are so many fun activities to try that I know now that with my slightly indecisive nature moving here initially put me into shock because there were so many things to do, so many new foods and FISH to try and so many people to SHARE this life with its just INCREDIBLE.

At first when I got here, I was tired.sore.dehydrated.andbeingsomeonethatIknowIamnot.  I was running but not because I enjoyed it, because I thought I had to run in order to stay thin and look good and fit into my clothes.  Well my clothes were baggy and yes, I could do quite a few pull-ups but I had no gluteals to show off in a bikini, I drank water instead of eating when I am hungry and I could barely prepare meals for my husband which I normally LOVE doing.

So after much time and TOFWR (Time on Feet While Running), I figured out that I needed to LEAD by EXAMPLE and LOVE MYSELF first before I could LOVE anyone else.  It started small by volunteering at the Hawaiian Humane Society and walking dogs, then helping teach classes, then coaching and then just doing nice things for my neighbors because all I wanted to say was,      "THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME LIVE IN HAWAII!"

I got involved in activities I love doing and I put everything I have into helping others whether it is for donuts, health/fitness, or making my house a HOME.

We live a crazy life at times as military spouses but its not about what we don't have in our life, its about what we do have and that's what matters the most.

Take care and Run Happy!

Workout Wednesday

So its Wednesday, hump day...did you go run hard with your friends?

I woke up at 6:00 to FK calling and saying, "ARE YOU READY?"

Hell no.  I was still sleeping so fifteen minutes to eat, go to the bathroom, feed the Lucy and tell KG, "Have a nice day!"

Thank goodness for good friends and not judging the crazy-I-just-got-out-of-bed look as you walk out the door to say, "Welcome to my humble abode."

Well, if I was more awake, I so would have said that. Anyway...

KBRC was pumping arms at 6:15 this morning.  With FK on the sidelines, she coached us through a killer workout 12 minute warm up/stretch, 4x4 min hard (finish the mile loop as a recovery) and then 12 minute cool down.  Now let me tell you, if I didn't have my friends there with me or Baldwin Basketball breathing down my neck at the top of the the hill I might have stopped and called it quits.  And if it wasn't for VF, with her supermom powers, those recoveries just would not be the same.

So is it about some special formula. No.

It's about finding what works for you and how YOU can HELP yourself.  No one can change your world for you.  You have to fully embrace it for you and not for anyone else.

I believe that we are all connected and that we are all here to HELP each other grow and become better people.  Ask your neighbor if you are in despair.  Call a friend if you have a question.  Be supportive of your family by giving them the resources they need to succeed ON THEIR OWN.

It is not your job to change the world, just to live in it, do your own thing to the best of your ability and as you are walking down the street smile and don't forget to tell someone else, "Have a nice day!"

-HG

If you want to be a part of the team in Kailua, e-mail KBRCHi@gmail.com.
If you want to be a part of something bigger, check out www.f3.com and join a local running club near you.