Tag Archives: Robyn

My First O Course!

So on Saturday, October 20th I decided to push myself out of a comfort zone. I’ve blogged about obstacle racing before; training for the Warrior Dash and doing my first Warrior Dash this summer with my fitness blogger friends (or blends as we refer to each other in the “blogging world”).

So I got up nice and early, made myself some protein pumpkin pancakes, packed a plastic bag for wet clothes, my Magnum Serum, Acid & Heat and booked it down to Cherry Street for a 9am start time.

The course starts in the Soccer Dome at the Docks and then the race course runs along Cherry Beach and ends back at the Docks. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

As you enter the Dome you are handed a big block of wood which is lovingly refered to as a “rifle”. Yup I’m in Army territory. You then are ushered into rows and the yelling starts. Oh and the holding of the rifle over your head. Let me just say it’s so much fun. But I’d be joking. It’s definitely a test of concentration and determination. Can you not tell that’s my determined face below? It was slight hell to be honest but after getting through it you feel stronger and great about pushing through a test of muscle power and will.

So after an hour or holding this rifle above your head with both arms and at times one arm they lead you outside. Oh wait. I almost forgot the army of staff that walk up and down the rows yelling “motivational” sayings or just plain yelling at you. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but then again I was pushing my comfort zones. I avoided eye contact in the hopes that the yelling wouldn’t happen in my ear 😉

Ok back to outside. We still have our rifles and now it’s time for a 5K run. I’m franticly trying to figure out how I’m going to run with this rifle. At times I ran with it under one arm like a loaf of bread. But as warned the other side that was free would start to cramp. So I would either run holding onto it with both arms (see picture below) until I realized I was going to bruise up my hips royally (which I did) to grasping one end higher almost like a baby and holding the other end a bit lower.

Ok so the run portion wouldn’t be that bad on it’s own. The course was a mix of road, sand and then a bike path. It was running with the darn block of wood that killed me. I almost forgot, it was also the stations of plyo fun along the way. If I remember correctly (it was a bit of a haze) there were sit ups, jump squats (x 2), kneeling to standing (x2) and pushups along the way. Ok back to home base and a glass of water. Oh and then back at it. We then had to complete a series of obstacles. Started off by the water dragging huge tires on a chain out of the water and throwing them back in 3 times, then off to hop a good sized wall, climbing over a wood obstacle and then a mud pit (my hardcore self bypassed it – I just was trying to avoid the cold water) and then came an over and under wood obstacle and then it was monkey bar fun (my rotator cuffs suck so I opted for 25 burpees instead – I’m determined to conquer it next time), hammer throws in the sand, then it was time to climb a rope (which I sucked at so I did rope pull ups instead – it was a gym class nightmare all over again), then it was tire runs to the volleyball courts where it feels like the obstacles never end. First up was throwing a cinder block on your shoulder and running down to one end. This became walking quite quickly. Throw it on the other shoulder and back. Then it was the worst obstacle for me. The sand bag. That darn thing just didn’t want to budge. I had a crappy bag with a broken strap but I wasn’t going to complain. In the process I almost gave up and cut up a finger 🙂 The war wounds were posted on instagram. It may look like I’m laughing below. Which I probably am as I tend to do that when I can’t do something in fitness. Don’t ask me why lol.

I finally finished this horrible obstacle and it was onto the orange buckets. I swear they were filled with lead. It was hard to hold them on the outside of your body so I managed to bruise my legs and cut up my ankles really well. More war wounds posted on instagram. Then it was off to put a sand filled backpack on and crawl through the sand. Then drag a cinder block on a chain back and forth. Then hop over more wood and then plyo pushups on more wood. Oh and then… shut up I’m done!!! I completed the race portion in 1:39! Please note I completed Warrior Dash in less than an hour so I’m now seeing that race as a walk in the park, despite the heat and hills. This O Course was a butt kicker literally.

I found out this week I placed 14 which means I made the top 20 females. I have no clue how good it is but I feel amazing and so proud. I pushed myself out of a comfort zone. I did this all on my own not knowing anyone there and can be proud of checking off something cool off a fitness bucket list that I didn’t even know was on it. As they say at O Course. Uh Rah 🙂

Why Alpha Female?

So I feel the need to explain the term Alpha Female. Yesterday I experienced some negative comments on two of my posts. I chose not to approve them and just deleted but it got me thinking. If I have a “hater” so be it, but I never ever want anyone to misunderstand me.

Why do I call myself an Alpha Female?

I was having coffee one day with one of my girls. She out of the blue called me an Alpha Female in reference to all that I do in my life and how I attack goals and dreams. So I adopted this brand personality for myself and my blog. I’d like to think anyone can be an Alpha Female and I started my blog to share my experiences, tips and tricks so that other woman can tackle being an Alpha Female. In no way shape or form do I think I’m better than other women who may not be Alpha Females. I am simply me, going about my life journey and sharing bits about me along the way on this public forum.

My Definition of Alpha Female.

A Woman who attacks a full time career and several passions while finding balance with fitness and healthy nutrition.

I believe that anyone can be an Alpha Female. It has nothing to do with being the leader of the pack or competitive with other women. It’s about being competitive with yourself and striving for better and balance in your life everyday.

 

My WBFF Worlds 2011 Experience

This was my 3rd WBFF Worlds. I guess you could say I’m a veteran at this point. What I loved about this show is that I combiined the drive I had in 2009 (first show fire) with my 2010 mindset (networking and meeting new competitors & photographers) with my 2011 goal setting and confidence. In January 2011, I decided I wanted to place top 10 in at least one WBFF show. I’ve also had a great year being published in Inside Fitness and Fit & Firm. Being named the Fitness Editor for the Broken Heel Diaries and landing an amazing sponsorship with Magnum Neutraceuticals.

This is the blog post that started my goal setting.

https://robynpineault.com/2011/01/01/11-goals-2011

 After spending a ridiculously long evening standing in registration, I rushed home for some beauty sleep before the big day. Had the pleasure of Sara Scotford glamming my hair up in the morning and topped the early morning off by doing my own makeup before the show started. Hair and makeup was probably one of the funniest parts of my day. Seriously someone should have taped the convos going on between Andrea Smith, Julie Bonnett, Bree Lind, Karen Mullarkey, Caithleen Hefernan and moi. After 2 years of this I knew the bikini girls wouldn’t be going until well into the afternoon. Plopped my suitcase down in a changeroom and said hello to some familiar and not so familiar faces. Then I found the comfiest leather couch backstage, grabbed my book and put my feet up for the morning.

The following ladies made my experience perfect. I met up with Lauren Dempsey & Carrie Hensman (my new Magnum family members) and had a great time bonding. Carrie is my new superhero and I was singing her praises left, right and centre. Not only did she just pop out a baby but she is an amazing suit and costume designer as well. The lady however who I bonded with quite tightly was Ms. Rita Catolino. She is a class act. Super hot. Super down to earth. The kind of mom I can only dream of being one day. She gets me and if you walked past that couch backstage then we were plastered to it for the remainder of the day laughing and chatting.

When I wasn’t stuck to the couch I was rocking the stage, smiling and having the best time on stage. I love competing with the WBFF because your stage experience is always top class. Having already surpassed my top 10 goal when I placed 3rd in the Diva Bikini Model Tall Division at the WBFF Quebec show in April I had high expectations but realistic ones for this show. Going into the Worlds I know how competitive the category is so I was going to be ecstatic even getting top call outs at the Worlds. Morning Show… top call outs… 13 girls… woot woot… Evening Show… top 10. Score!!!

Thank you to the ladies backstage who smiled and just shone positivity. Thank you to Claire Rae for coaching me for this show. Thank you Andrea Smith for the pose fun backstage. Thank you to Lyzabeth Lopez for smiling up at us from the judges table. Thank you to Chady Dunmore my mentor, friend and motivator backstage. Noone can say “Get Excited” quite like you.  Thank you Magnum for believing in me to consider me one of your athletes. Thank you Arthur Arsenik for an amazing shoot pre-show (I can’t wait to see the images) and thank you many times over Paul & Allison Dillett for welcoming me into your organization. I’m proud to be a WBFF athlete.

Mid Month Motivation Granola Recipe

Dry Ingredients
5 cups of quick oats
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cardamon

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Wet Ingredients
1 Motts Unsweetened Apple & Pomegranate Snack Cup
2 Tblsp Raw Honey
2 Tblsp Coconut Oil

1 tsp or Tblsp pure vanilla extract!

Mix all wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. You might have to microwave the honey and coconut oil for 20-30s to liquify.

Mix wet ingredients in with dry. Pour out onto two large non-stick baking sheets.

Set oven at 300F. Bake 30-40 mins. Take out and stir every 10 mins.

Store in an air tight container in the fridge for a week.

You can also add goji berries for extra antioxidants or other dried fruit to make it sweeter. Pour some unsweetened almond milk over the granola 10 mins before eating and enjoy!

My WBFF 2010 Mindset

I just competed at the 2010 WBFF World Championships in Toronto on September 18th, 2010. Last year I competed and was completely overwhelmed with the experience. This year not only did I prepare physically but I put myself in a completely different mindset. I went into the weekend with 3 goals; 1. Have fun 2. Network with photographers 3. Introduce myself to other models who I haven’t connected with before through social media.

You may have noticed I didn’t put a placing goal in the mix. I would have loved to place top 10, top 5, hell to even win. But I’m more realistic in my approach. I know where my body needs to be and what needs improving. So since I know I was lacking in some areas I took this chance to expose myself even more into the world of fitness. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t walk out onto that stage with complete confidence. I’ve got stage presence down pat. The years of ballet and musical theatre have definitely paid off. I’ve also worked my butt off this year training. If you look below at the pics of me side by side I’ve increased my muscle mass, developed my abs a bit more and you can see more muscle definition on my legs! So for me I see it as a  success.

But what I’m really proud of…. is a bigger butt!! Growing the shelf!

I accomplished my goal of having fun. I smiled and chatted with people backstage and listened to pump up music when the negative comments in the changeroom got too much. I introduced myself to Kris Josef, David Ford and GW Burns for the first time. Three amazing photographers that I admire and would love to work with. I also ran around chatting with Chady Dunmore, Bree Lind and Claire Rae who I had never got the chance to meet in person yet. And even got some time with a Twitter friend Mindy Karuk. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and want to thank Paul & Alison Dillett for providing a great show in Toronto where I can showcase my hard work. I love the WBFF because I’m able to meet great friends in the industry and they provide a stage where I am completely challenged to better my physique year after year so that I can chase after that pro card.

Here’s to another great year and already looking forward to 2011!