Great job Gems!

Tell us your plans now that the Turkey race is over. What do you plan to do next?

Our Sunday group has shrunk......... a lot. Tell us if you plan to rejoin the gaggle. THat will help me decide how to reorganize my Sunday schedule.

rah rah rah

Gobble Gobble...

It's almost Turkey Day! Here are the questions....

1. What are you doing over the holiday? Are you traveling?
2. What are your exercise plans?
3. Who is doing the thanksgiving race?
4. If you're in the race, what are you gonna wear? Gonna be chilly!
5. Will you totally blow your diet over the holiday?
6. Which snacks will be most tempting?
7. Do you need us to send you text messages to remind you not to blow it?

Happy Happy day! Tell us your Thanksgiving plans...

Jamfest sent a little note to the coaches and send a small banner to hang in the gym to get the teams ready for Indy. Well I thought it may be just the right thing to post out there for you as well.

Tell us what you've been doing. You are too quiet. Have you fallen off the exericise wagon? Do you need help getting back on?

Constance?
Katie?
Debra?
Amber?
Vickie?
Julie V?
Julie Y?
Abigail?
Elaine?
Bob?
Stuart?
Jenny?
Sue?
Chrissy?

Tell us what you've been up to so we can butt into your business.

I'll be there on Sunday with bells on. We'll lift at 5:05 and then we'll head outside at 5:30.

Y'all have been quiet! I hope you've recovered from Trot for Tots. Let's keep the energy flowing this winter.

Kids aren't meeting until 3:00 on Saturday so we have time to go for a run/walk. I'm free from 8 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Suggested meeting spots:

• Antrim
• Sharon Woods
• Highbanks

Let me know if you are interested. And shoot us post so that we know y'all are okay. Surely Julie Moss inspired you. Go Gems!

Great job Gems! Keep training this week - it's important to spend time outside this winter!

Stuff to know:

1. We compete this weekend so we will not meet for our training on Sunday.
2. We will do group training on Sunday, Nov. 23. Lift at 5:05. Run/walk at 5:30
3. We will do group training on Sunday Nov 30 (I'll be in town so I might as well do group training with y'all!)
4. Thanks for all the advice Bob -you're the group running guru.
5. Thanks for the great photos Stu - we'll enjoy having a record of our accomplishments!
6. A few of you have expressed an interest in nutrition/meal plans. Would you like me to invite a person to come to the gym and give a presentation on nutrition?

I thought this clip might help continue to inspire you. Julie Moss crawled over the finish line - this is certainly enough to get you motivated to get off the couch! After 2.4 miles in the water, 112 miles on the bike and 26.2 on the run....she wasn't going to be carried over that line. She crawled - by herself. "I am woman, hear me roar!"

Zoom!

Great job at the race! Let us know how you're feeling today!

1. Did you wear the right stuff? Were you too cold/too hot? Right socks? Right shoes?

2. Besides being tired, were you in physical pain during the race?

3. Does anything on your body hurt today?

4. Are you glad that you did it?

5. Will you do it again?

Go Gems!

Trot for Tots - November 9!

Sunday is the big day! The race starts on the track (Dublin Coffman High School).


1. Meet at the track at 12:15 on Sunday, November 9. (You can arrive earlier is you prefer but we'll plan to meet as a group at 12:15)

2. Julie Young has picked up the packets for everyone. Thank you Julie.

3. Dress for the weather. It's better to have too much stuff with you than not enough. You can leave extra stuff in the car. Remember that your body will warm up as you get started so you might be a little cold when you start but you'll warm up.

4. We'll plan to wait for everyone at the finish line.

5. Best of luck everyone! This is very special that so many Panthers and Gems are participating in this great event to benefit Children's Hospital. That's what MPA is all about - "where friends become your family" and doing what we can for each other and for our community.

Expected Gems:
Emily, Elaine, Amber, Julie V., Jenny, Julie Young, Vickie, Bob, Debra, Abi, Adam

Expected Panthers:

Buzzy, Erica, Taylor, Nicole, Kaitlyn, Kenn

Updates

Updates from Vickie regarding race!

Julie Young picked up everyone's race packets at CRC today. She will bring them for all on Sunday. Thanks Julie!

What are you all about?

Spending this time with my mother has prompted me to rethink my values. Maybe my own self reflection can help you figure out "what you're all about."

Thoughts on exercise and nutrition
I sometimes contradict myself with what I try to teach Buzzy. I want her to eat healthy yet I'm a major stress eater. I might go for a 3 mile run but when I'm stressed, I might eat 7 Snicker bars. That's a big contradiction and I have been working hard to make my behavior match my words.

So think about this a bit:

- What are your values with regard to health and exercise?
- Do you exercise so that you fit into your jeans? Do you do it because you want to live longer? Do you like to socialize with the group?
- What do you hope for your children's fitness?
- What do you hope to accomplish with your nutrition plans this year?
- Are you happy with your chidren's nutition and their accountability for their own health?

These are tough ones...but worth thinking about. Share your ideas - let's work it out together.

We're looking good!

Sue, Amber, Vickie and Katie met for weight lifting. That was fun. Thanks ladies!

Several people turned in forms for Trot for Tots. Vickie will you give us the update on how many folks signed up?

I'm definately interested to meet for a run on Friday evening (after work) or Saturday afternoon. We should take it easy since we're racing on Sunday but we can go for an easy weekend jog. Anyone interested in Friday evening or Saturday a.m.?

Does anyone know if the zoo stays open later for walkers/joggers? or any of the malls? There will be times this winter that there will be too much ice and we can't run outside. Anyone have suggestions on where we can go (with the exception of a treadmill)?

Go Gems!

Several Gems met at Antrim this a.m. (Constance, Elaine, Amber, Em, Stuart and Buzzy). It was a great day to be outside. Em, Elaine, Constance and Avery grabbed a snack at Northstar afterwards. Delish!

Sunday 11.01.08 training plan:
* Meet upstairs at 5:05 for weight training
* Meet outside at 5:30 for run/walk (if you don't want to weight train, you can just meet us outside for running/walking)

If you need inspiration - take a look at this video of this man and his son. The son is unable to participate in sports so the father put him in a raft and swam 2.4 miles for the Ironman race, then carried him from the boat to the bike (112 miles on the bike), then ran 26.2 miles for the marathon. All in the name of love - simply because the father can and his son cannot. Together, they can do anything.

It's hard to stay motivate with our busy lives. How do get off the couch and hit the pavement when we're so tired. Let this video be your inspiration. Sometimes, we should run just because we "can". What must it be light to be unable to run? And worse, what must it be like if our child can't? So we do what we "can" to celebrate living. Let this father/son duo be your inspiration this week.

CAN