Race Stats

NIKKI MINNEAPOLIS MN
Race: Get in Gear 10K (6.2 miles)
Time: 1:04:59
Pace: 10:28

It rained like cats and dogs and can I say for the record that it SUCKED!!! New shoes soaked and muddy and I was chilled to the bone. Thank god my hair was in two-strand twist because if my Fro was out there would have been no way in hell I would have been able to fit that Nike hat on my head...LMAO That damn hat saved my life...it was soaked...water was dripping off the brim during the race. But victory is mine...I did it...1 race down! I stayed on my grind and got through it. The picture above was posted on the Get in Gear site and it does not begin to illustrate the misery that was race day...lol It must have been taken during one of the few moments when the RAIN was reduced to a light drizzle.

Here's a pic of me in the sanctuary of my bathroom as I prepare to head out the door at 7am, the rest of the house is still fast asleep.

Half Marathon March Training Schedule

I'm still on track with my 1/2 marathon training. Here is my March training schedule for those of you who give a fuck...LMAO

Fit & 40 Half Marathon Training Schedule

As promised, here's my February half marathon training schedule.

Drum Roll Please...

Presenting my 2010 race schedule! I'm serious y'all...I am NOT playing games...I am gonna get my run on in 20-10. A girl ain't got time to train for a full marathon, but I can certainly squeeze in a few 1/2 marathons, 10K's and 10 mile races this year. For those of you who don't know, a 1/2 marathon is 13.1 miles.

I WILL be fit and 40!! I'm gonna be honest, running is the only thing that keeps my weight in check so I might as well have fun with it and collect a few new t-shirts along the way for running in these damn races. By the way, after each race I will be celebrating with cocktails...after I have showered and shined of course....LOL So here it is...my official race schedule for the spring/summer.

Get in Gear 10K, 5K, 2K & Half Marathon (I'll be running the 10K)
April 24, 2010

Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon
May 2, 2010

Red, White & Boom! Twin Cities Half Marathon
July 4, 2010

13.1 Minneapolis
August 22, 2010

I"ll be posting my training calendar each month leading up to my first half marathon. Stay tuned for my February training calendar.

If You Stay Ready...You Ain't Never Got to Get Ready

As the New Year quickly approaches, I have begun to reevaluate my health and fitness. I will turn the big 4-0 in 2010 and if I want to continue to look fabulous into my 50’s and 60’s I will need to take a good hard look at my health, nutrition and fitness. Don’t get me wrong it is not my goal to be a size 4, but I know what an acceptable weight is for me, where I fell and looks my best. The ideal number on the scale or jean size will be different for all of us, but it’s important that we all eat right, exercise, and take care of our skin and hair so that we can approach the next 40 years with fierceness!!

The comedienne Mo’nique has a saying “If you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready.” I have found these to be words to live by in recent months, and she is 100% correct. If you make fitness and health a priority you don’t have to scramble before that Hawaiian vacation to try and loose 20 pounds to be at the weight you know you should be. If you floss at least once a day you don’t have to freak out when you realize your dentist appoint is a month away and you haven’t flossed in the last three months. If you get off your butt and do some type of exercise 3 to 4 times a week for at least 20-30 minutes, you won’t feel so sluggish and run down.

We are all busy with work, friends and family, but we have to make sure to take care of ourselves or there will be none of us to share with other if we are spent. And speaking of friends…we have got to stay connected!! Spending time with your divas and divos is a MUST! Kicking back and laughing and having fun…hell just plain getting out of the house is what we need to do to recharge our batteries.

I say all of this because I have fallen into the same traps, but I am making a commitment to eating well, exercising, taking care of my skin, hair and nails, spending time with my girls! My goal is to “stay ready, so I ain’t never got to get ready!” Don’t get me wrong I like to indulge in meals out, cocktails, sweet treats, buttered popcorn at the movies…LOL I will still do all these thing, but moderation is key. If I eat well and exercise all week there is nothing wrong indulging 1 night. Now this is not carte blanche to eat yourself sick, but go ahead and have dessert or order that steak, because you have being doing everything all week to stay ready, so come Saturday night you ARE ready.

I hope to post more about health, fitness and nutrition. The bottom line is, if we are eating well, exercising and drinking plenty of water, our hair skin and nails will look great because we are taking care of our bodies from the inside.

I don’t know about y’all but I’m gonna take Mo’nique’s advice and “stay ready!”

Friday Fitness...Run Nikki Run!!

I'm a lottery winner! I won a spot in the Twin Cities Marathon 10 mile run scheduled for October 4, 2009. I will officially start training for the run on Monday, so wish me luck! I am hoping to get fit, cross the finish line and reclaim all those size 8's in my closet.

I have decided to be honest and upfront with my battle against the baby weight and I will give updates about my weight loos, as well as progress on my training for the 10 miler, and yes I will include pictures of my fat ass and hopefully we can all watch it shrink...LMAO

My first update will be July 31...complete with pictures! My plan is to wear the same outfit each time I do a progress report so we can see the changes in my body better. Heck, I may even put on some of my "size 8"fitness gear...that way we can really, really see me shrink. Let me say ahead of time that these pictures will be foul (i will have to stuff myself in to a size 8 with muffin top and all spilling over) and only intended to humiliate myself into success and encourage others.

Again, let make the commitment to ourselves to be fit and the best that each of us can be.

Stay Tuned!
~Nikki

Friday Fitness!!

Let's all jump on the fitness band wagon. Hey if you don't like working out and sweating (yeah La Juana I'm talking about you) then find some other way to improve your health and fitness. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, trying a new exercise class like yoga or a pole (yes I mean pole as in stripper) fitness class.

I'm in detox mode for the next week in an attempt to get rid of some of the toxins in my body. I will be eating nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables for the next 7 days people...my skin and colon will thank me I'm sure. I am also considering doing the Master Cleanse for a week to 10 days after I finish my fruit and veggie detox, but I don't want to get to far ahead of myself..lol I just feel the need to really cleanse my system and start to eat cleaner, healthier and bring exercise (and for me that means sweating) back into my life's routine.

For the next two months Fridays will be dedicated to fitness...hence the term Fitness Friday! And who knows...we may keep this as a regular segment here on The Flirty 40's! Lets all try to live healthier lives...good luck with your individual journeys, cuz I sure as hell need luck and help with mine!

~Nikki

Commit to be Fit in 2009

I had my last child in April of 2008 and my body has not been the same since. Basically I’m fat. Now what is fat to one person may not be fat to another so I’m not talking about anyone but myself here, and to me I'm fat! I had always worked out in the past, to keep fit and stay in shape. I actually love food, so to maintain my weight, working out was a MUST for me.
Since having Kendall I just haven’t had the time or energy to get back in the swing of things with my workout routine…it always seems like something needs to be done and when nothing is on the agenda I just want to veg-out on the sofa.
I do not like thing to be out of order...maybe that makes me a control freak, but I like order in my life…it keeps me on the straight and narrow with all thinks, including fitness. I don’t like clutter in my home or in my life. I can’t stand no dirty ass house (I can’t relax in a mess) and lets just say there is a difference of opinion on what constitutes dirty between the adults in my home and one of those adults think they ain't gotta clean up…WTF?? I’m gonna go ahead and call the other adult out...he nasty y’all! His mama ain't raise him right…messy is one thing and nasty is another. I can deal with messy cuz I have 2 kids but nasty ain't ok. You can’t be sleeping on sheets for weeks on end or never cleaning up a bathroom to the point where black mildew is growing….we are getting a maid once a month from now on cuz I am not going to be the only person taking care of the household, but I digress and have gotten myself all worked up but I know some of y’all know what I’m talking about….now back to fitness.
I thrive on routine and when things are out of whack everything falls apart…hence part of the reason for my fatness. I’m not going to tell y’all exactly how much I weigh, but I sure ass hell can’t fit into all those size 8’s in my closet. So today I am making a commitment to get fit, to put myself first and my fitness first and stop worrying about other crap. Once a week I will check in with everyone and let you know how I am doing on my fitness journey. I promise at the end to tell you just how big my fat ass had gotten and share before and after pictures. If you want to join me feel free…I will need all the support I can get in an effort to get my butt up at 5am to work out, but I’m going to do it for ME!! Just trying to be the best I can be and I know I can do better than what I'm doing!

~Nikki