Summer Recap II: Triathlon Results

It's time to get a new race on my calendar! I signed up for the She Rocks all women sprint triathlon last year to celebrate turning 60. I surprised even myself when I signed up again this year [now called Iron Goddesses]. Training for the tri this past spring kept me motivated and created opportunities for some great workouts with my training buddies and de facto coaches. Here's one of my favorite shots of Lisa and me working on our cores:


Last year my splits were 27:53 [swim] 40:58 [bike] and 31:34 [run] for a total of 1 hr and 44 mins. My times this year were 23:49 [swim] 40:45 [bike] and 31:34 [run] for a total of 1h and 40 mins. That's 4 minutes faster than my 2009 times! I think a lot of it was mental - being ready for that big pack of thrashing arms and legs in the water and not letting the anxiety steal my breath. It's nice to see I didn't lose any speed on the run, even though that's the toughest leg for "well-seasoned" joints like mine. And where would I be without spinning class!

How were your races this summer? I'd be happy to post your pictures if you want to submit them!

Today is the first day of fall and you'll find my new schedule posted on the calendar at the bottom on the blog. See you in class!

Summer Recap I: FLIP at Dartmouth

A fit and healthy lifestyle gives you increased flexibility, energy, and strength. That's enough to make me do flips!

Establishing the Fitness and Lifestyle Improvement Program, or FLIP, at Dartmouth College was part of my first job in the U.S. My role was to create a fitness program for employees, students and the community in Hanover. Dartmouth had become a co-educational institution about 8 years before my arrival and the female students were calling for aerobics (it was the 80s after all!). Starting with just me as an instructor and then building to four instructors, we offered aerobics and stretch and tone in the gym and the “White Church”.

Dartmouth Gymnasium image from Lavallee/Brensinger Architects


On our visit to New Hampshire for the Dartmouth reunion (we have proud members of Class of '70 and '05 in the family), I was happy to learn that FLIP is alive, well, and growing. Many classes are still held in the same brick gym, but with a bright, modern interior thanks to a recent renovation. My daughter and I checked in with current director Hugh Mellert for a bit of "then and now".

Mr. Mellert filled us in on the growth and changes of FLIP over the past 20-odd years. The program now includes over 54 classes ranging from high-energy spinning classes to slow, soulful yoga and courses like nutrition and self-defense. The demand for courses offered has changed through the years. Whereas 8 Step Aerobics classes would fill quickly in previous decades, now 2 seem to suffice. Following what seems to be a national trend in popularity, yoga and spinning classes are now plentiful.

Founder Nancy Meier and Current Director

Hugh Mellert: the then and now of FLIP

About 1/4 of FLIP participants are staff and another 1/4 are community members. The remaining half is made up of students who can receive one credit for participation in FLIP. The recently upgraded fitness facilities are state of the art while still being housed in the original building.

Walking through the big arched doors and up the ancient staircase felt quite the same as it did in the early 80s, except instead of heading to class with my daughter in utero, there she was last week at my side, excitedly telling me "We should get a picture of this for the blog!".

Change and continuity engaged in their endless dance: Hats off to FLIP!

The Last Days of Summer

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been posting regularly this summer. It's hard to reach the keyboard from my downward dog.

I'll be posting on our reunion trip back to my first fitness job and the summer's triathlon season. If you have any photos from summer fitness, please send them with an anecdote and I'll include them in the post! I'm always happy to hear about your outdoor adventures via the comments section as well. Check back soon!

A dog is a walk's best friend

Even as summer blooms around us, in our busy lives it's not always easy to heed to the call of the great outdoors. But there are members of our families who are deeply dedicated to daily outdoor romps: our dogs!

For the decade that our family dog Max lived with us, he was an avid part of my fitness classes. He adapted readily from the hilly, rural route in Pennsylvania to the circuitous neighborhood loop here in Ann Arbor and even the occasional lakeside park trail on our trips to Windsor. One thing was constant though: every day he wanted to walk. Max was a great workout buddy. He was both the stick of accountability that got me out the door because he was depending on me, and the carrot of companionship that brought variety and enjoyment to our fitness routine.

Is a pet part of your exercise routine? Is your pet a committed walker or a cross trainer who dabbles in frisbee catching, swimming, or hiking as well? Don't have a furry friend of your own? Offer to 'help' your friend walk her dog, balancing out the foot to paw ratio and jazzing up your walking routine to boot. From fitness classes and reformer duets to family walks and tri training clubs, there's no reason to be lonely in the pursuit of your personal best. And sometimes the best companionship is canine!



Our dog models: Link likes to workout at the park in Bellevue, WA while Roomba does her cross-training on the beach in San Diego, CA.

Spring Time Trials

Spring is a time to set new goals and milestones to motivate you towards your best self. Maybe that's stepping up your Pilates to have a strong back for a summer of gardening or sweating it out on the spinning cycle to be race-ready by June. Set your sights on your next goal, then set your stopwatches: it's time for time-trials.


Time trials are a little competition between you and your toughest competitor: yourself. Just as Olympians demonstrate the fruits of their training in a qualifying round before the big race, you can demonstrate to yourself how far your training has brought you and how far you want to go. Perhaps you're working up to a 5K or from 2 Pilates pushups (I mean, elbow bends!) to 10. Step up to the block for a time trial this week and log your results here. Remember, the road to the perfect Teaser starts with a Modified Rollback!



Thanks to Miss Tan and That Edit Girl on Flickr for the great photos.

Health and ReformER in the Capital

D.C. was action packed! I attended the National Marathon to cheer on two Pilates clients and good friends, spinning instructor Eleanor Decker and triathlete Jenny Cotton as they completed the 1/2 marathon a beautiful warm morning. Great job, ladies! Jenny and I later buddied up to sample a private Reformer session at Quantum Fitness near Dupont Circle. It's good for the teacher to sometimes be the student. I've been fortunate to sample classes in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, and Boulder.

I will see everyone after my April 12 return from Spain. Keep up your workouts even if in small doses each day. Spring is on the way!

photo courtesy of: acefitness.org/blog

Spring Travel

I'll be globetrotting this spring - which will put to a test how well I take my training to the road. I've got coverage for my WCC classes, but mark your calendars for the following dates if you take classes from the home studio. There's also the calendar at the bottom of the blog, though that's a long way to scroll. If anyone knows a good widget to embed calendar information in the side bar, drop me note.

NO CLASS March 22 and 23

NO CLASS April 5-12

Much credit to staceyviera and Kiki J from flickr for the beautiful photos