Today West Seattlites awoke to 3-4" of snow on the ground. Anyone in the NW knows that anything over an inch brings the city to standstill, so today became a snow day for most people taking it easy and staying off the streets for safety. However, we did have a few people maek it in for their workouts. Hats off to BJ, Marilyn, Heidi, and Rich who made it in despite the weather.
Consistency, perserverance, and some luck is what it took to win this contest. Clients had to complete 4 cardio workouts during the week, complete one nutrition assignment, and one exercise bonus in order to achieve bingo. Those that completed those assignments each week were entered into a weekly prize drawing. If you completed full Blackout Bingo, you were entered into the grand Prize drawing. 
After weeks of training, our event was finally here. While we lucked out with dry weather during all of our training sessions, Mother Nature decided to play a little trick on us. With 1" - 3" of snow the night before and falling mercury in the morning, she was going to give us a real test.
So with extra layers on and dressed in the spirit of the holiday season (some wore reindeer antlers while others wore elf hats - thanks BJ) the FT Running Group braved the icy roads and wind chill of 19 degrees to run the streets of Seattle. After trips to the porty-a-potty and waiting for our wave to start, we headed south on 5th Ave and ascended the first hill while fighting the bone chilling head wind as our warm-up. With thousands of people on the streets, there was a collective warmth and the mass acted as a shield from the wind.
With the toes and fingers starting to warm-up, we dropped down and entered the express lane on-ramp where the chorus of holiday songs could be heard echoing through the tunnel. As things opened up on the freeway, the runners were able to hit there stride, albeit, dodging a few strollers and walkers now and then. 
The course continued on the express lanes then made a u-turn so we could keep an eye out and cheer for other team members along the route. After a long incline taking us off the highway it was downhill for the last 5 blocks as we returned to the starting location with throngs of supporters lining the streets to usher the racers/walkers into the finish. With so much support, it was easy for teh adrenaline to kick in for a strong push to the finish.
Congratulations to everyone in the Running Group for braving the conditions to complete this annual event and support a good cause in the process. Next up - the St. Patricks Day Dash.
We've had a number of clients recently achieve their personal goals by completing specific events indoors and out. Here is a shout out to their recent accomplishments.
Crank it out was the theme for November with this month's contest consisting of a time trial on the recumbent bike. How far can you go in 15 minutes at the highest resistance level? It was a heated battle with each day some one upping the ante. In the end, B.J. (Level 12 for 5.96 mi) and Verne (Level 11 for 5.74 mi) crossed the finish line with the furthest distances. Congrats for your hand work.
With a week off for the Turkey holiday, we finished up with our last training session before our big run. We timed all of the sessions perfectly as the rain did not start until after our workout.
Despite the demands of her job, Antoinette has persevered in making many changes to her exercise routine. Our staff voted her Client of the Month for her hard work in the Blackout Cardio Bingo contest (she is on track for Blackout) and for joining the running group. Keep up the great work Antoinette! You are on your way. 
