Sunday was supposed to be a bike ride with Christine. Unfortunately, Saturday night I was in the ER with Drake (he's okay) and Sunday we had a follow up doctor's appointment, so bike riding was out of the question. Not to mention it was crazy hot that day. Sunday evening I did manage to go for a walk with Caden and it felt good to be out there although I felt guilty for just walking.
Monday was our usual a.m. session at the gym. I did NOT want to get up. The heat makes me feel lazy and my butt was dragging. If Christine wasn't there waiting for me, I probably would have gone back to sleep. But I managed to get there and was half asleep through the first circuit. By round 2 I was feeling alert and good. We did a cardio and leg circuit that kicked butt. Let me tell you, I am sore today.
This afternoon after work, I had made plans with Kristin to do some fartleks (speed play). We decided to go to Torrey Pines beach. The weather was amazingly beautiful with an awesome breeze. We both kept commenting on how gorgeous it was there. We started out by warming up with a jog on the flat stretch to the hill. We got to the hill and started our climb. Holy crap it was tough. We got part way up and walked the rest of the way up the hill that seemed to never end. At one point I had to stop and stretch my calf because it got very tight.
When we got to the top, we started our run which was flat for a bit and then we hit a gradual incline that seemed to go on forever. We maintained our pace and ran the whole way. I set goals for myself on that hill (make it to the sign, make it to the curve, etc.). We reached the top of that incline and turned around and headed back. We ran the whole way back to the car which was mostly downhill. This is where I started rambling to Kristin. I've realized when I'm starting to get tired, I just start spewing nonsense to whoever is with me to create a distraction. There was a flat part at the bottom and as soon as we reached that point, I realized how much running down hill requires little effort because my legs were like lead trying to push forward. It took a couple seconds to adjust, but then got back into a running groove. Our total run time was 55 minutes and then we stretched. As I've mentioned before Kristin is my stretching cheerleader. She drove us there so I had no choice but to stretch (just kidding. I would have stretched anyway because that's my goal this time). The stretching did feel good and after the hills, I'm sure it was more necessary than ever.
Running outdoors like this is so refreshing. Not only is the scenery amazing (the beach, sunset, the trees, etc.), the people exercising are so nice. It is like an unspoken bond with runners when you are out there. Every time we ran by someone running, they would wave and smile. I can't wait to go back and try this run again and see how I improve over time. They say hill running helps with long distance running and I can see why. It completely builds up your endurance. We didn't do speed play today, but the hills definitely were a challenge and worked me hard!
Tomorrow is our early morning gym session. We're doing a lot of cardio in our circuit and for the first time we're using kettlebells. Can't wait to try something new.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Sir Yes Sir
I didn't get a chance to write about our Friday morning workout. We did our ab workout and added the stationary bike at the end for about 30 minutes. Those workouts are always good and challenging especially when we are in the middle of them.
Today was the Bootcamp Challenge. It is a three mile course with about 50 obstacles which includes pushups, over/under crawls, tunnel crawls, wall climbs, and more. My first time doing this race was in 2008 as a five-person team. I hadn't been running or working out at the time so this course completely kicked my ass. I think my time was somewhere around 45 minutes and my whole team was waiting at the finish for me (you have to cross the finish line as a complete team). At that moment, I told myself I would NEVER do a five-person team again because I hated the feeling of holding everyone back.
Last year I did the course as an individual (my brother and Kristin did it too) and completed it in around 39 minutes (from what I recall). Around the half mile mark, I had to walk for a little bit. I wasn't running much last year, but I was doing cardio in the gym each morning. This course again kicked my butt. In fact, when I crossed the finish line, my heart rate monitor had stopped and I turned to Kristin and asked her if I had died.
This year my friend Cyndi was kind enough to have her work sponsor a five-person team so we got to do this for free and represent a really good organization; Project Not Forgotten. Our team was Cyndi, Christine, Kristin, Marcy (a last minute sub for us who Cyndi knew from work), and me. Being in a five-person team again made me nervous, but I knew I was doing this with some of my closest friends who wouldn't judge me.
The race started at 9:00 and they sent groups off in waves with the five-person teams going last. We didn't actually start the race until after 10:00. I hadn't given the run much thought. In fact, we were doing our photo shoot, hanging out, STRETCHING, and just enjoying our morning. The running part hadn't actually dawned on me until we were waiting at the start line. My thoughts were all over the place; would I be last again? It's hot out here, how will that affect me on the course? Can my foot handle the jumps? And then there was no more time to think about it. We were off.
When we were at the point on the course where I stopped and walked last year, Kristin said to me "remember you had to walk this part last year?" It felt so good to know I was already doing better than last year! My first mile was about a 10 minute mile which for me is FAST. It felt fast and with the heat I started dragging. Luckily, at mile 2 when we started the obstacle course, they had put sprinklers out for us to cool off. The downside to being sprayed off was then we had to crawl in the dirt which created some nice mud spots on my body. Mile 2 is all obstacles; most of which I did no problem. The first wall climb, I ran up the hay to the top of the wall and realized what a big jump it was (it seemed like it was 10 feet off the ground). I jumped, but was afraid I'd hurt my foot even more if I continued to do those. So the next couple wall climbs, I climbed to the top, but then climbed back down and ran around it. The one big thing I'm leaving out is all the drill instructors yelling at us as we were moving along the course. They were standing at the top of obstacles shouting, at the bottom of obstacles yelling, along the running stretches screaming. I learned that if I didn't make eye contact, they didn't focus on me.
As we came into the home stretch, I was running with Christine and needed a distraction. To take my mind and hers too off the run, I started talking about our day ahead and what we had planned after the race. At first I think she was confused because I just started talking about random things, but then she realized I was creating a distraction. We finally made it, met Kristin and Cyndi, and then we waited at the waiting spot for our final team member. We got to this point in just under 35 minutes!!!!! We were still about a minute from the actual finish line, but we couldn't cross until our final team member was with us. Once she joined us, we locked arms and ran across the finish line. I don't know what our final team time was, but I know I did the Bootcamp Challenge in my best time yet and I wasn't as tired as I have been in the past. Today was a huge accomplishment for me. It made me realize how hard I've been working in the gym and it feels really good!!!
Tomorrow is supposed to be our long run, but we are doing a bike ride outside instead. Should be a nice challenge in the heat...
Today was the Bootcamp Challenge. It is a three mile course with about 50 obstacles which includes pushups, over/under crawls, tunnel crawls, wall climbs, and more. My first time doing this race was in 2008 as a five-person team. I hadn't been running or working out at the time so this course completely kicked my ass. I think my time was somewhere around 45 minutes and my whole team was waiting at the finish for me (you have to cross the finish line as a complete team). At that moment, I told myself I would NEVER do a five-person team again because I hated the feeling of holding everyone back.
Last year I did the course as an individual (my brother and Kristin did it too) and completed it in around 39 minutes (from what I recall). Around the half mile mark, I had to walk for a little bit. I wasn't running much last year, but I was doing cardio in the gym each morning. This course again kicked my butt. In fact, when I crossed the finish line, my heart rate monitor had stopped and I turned to Kristin and asked her if I had died.
This year my friend Cyndi was kind enough to have her work sponsor a five-person team so we got to do this for free and represent a really good organization; Project Not Forgotten. Our team was Cyndi, Christine, Kristin, Marcy (a last minute sub for us who Cyndi knew from work), and me. Being in a five-person team again made me nervous, but I knew I was doing this with some of my closest friends who wouldn't judge me.
The race started at 9:00 and they sent groups off in waves with the five-person teams going last. We didn't actually start the race until after 10:00. I hadn't given the run much thought. In fact, we were doing our photo shoot, hanging out, STRETCHING, and just enjoying our morning. The running part hadn't actually dawned on me until we were waiting at the start line. My thoughts were all over the place; would I be last again? It's hot out here, how will that affect me on the course? Can my foot handle the jumps? And then there was no more time to think about it. We were off.
When we were at the point on the course where I stopped and walked last year, Kristin said to me "remember you had to walk this part last year?" It felt so good to know I was already doing better than last year! My first mile was about a 10 minute mile which for me is FAST. It felt fast and with the heat I started dragging. Luckily, at mile 2 when we started the obstacle course, they had put sprinklers out for us to cool off. The downside to being sprayed off was then we had to crawl in the dirt which created some nice mud spots on my body. Mile 2 is all obstacles; most of which I did no problem. The first wall climb, I ran up the hay to the top of the wall and realized what a big jump it was (it seemed like it was 10 feet off the ground). I jumped, but was afraid I'd hurt my foot even more if I continued to do those. So the next couple wall climbs, I climbed to the top, but then climbed back down and ran around it. The one big thing I'm leaving out is all the drill instructors yelling at us as we were moving along the course. They were standing at the top of obstacles shouting, at the bottom of obstacles yelling, along the running stretches screaming. I learned that if I didn't make eye contact, they didn't focus on me.
As we came into the home stretch, I was running with Christine and needed a distraction. To take my mind and hers too off the run, I started talking about our day ahead and what we had planned after the race. At first I think she was confused because I just started talking about random things, but then she realized I was creating a distraction. We finally made it, met Kristin and Cyndi, and then we waited at the waiting spot for our final team member. We got to this point in just under 35 minutes!!!!! We were still about a minute from the actual finish line, but we couldn't cross until our final team member was with us. Once she joined us, we locked arms and ran across the finish line. I don't know what our final team time was, but I know I did the Bootcamp Challenge in my best time yet and I wasn't as tired as I have been in the past. Today was a huge accomplishment for me. It made me realize how hard I've been working in the gym and it feels really good!!!
Tomorrow is supposed to be our long run, but we are doing a bike ride outside instead. Should be a nice challenge in the heat...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Up, But Not At 'Em
Tried getting out of bed this morning to go to the gym. Even had all my stuff laid out and ready to go. For some reason I just couldn't do it this morning. While I laid in bed awake, I spent the entire hour that I could have been at the gym planning when I could fit a workout in today. Seems silly now. Why didn't I just get up and go and get it over with?
So I packed up my workout clothes and took them to work with me. What I like about early morning workouts is that I don't have to think about exercising the rest of the day. Now I had the pressure of knowing I needed to do a workout sometime today. Since the ellipitical was on my workout agenda and we have one in our gym at work, I figured I could squeeze it in during my work day. The elliptical machine in this gym is different than the machines I use at 24. It allowed me to adjust my stride length, but I couldn't adjust the incline. I did intervals for 45 minutes and it was a decent workout. Definitely got my sweat on, but wasn't feeling overly exerted.
Tomorrow we're doing abs and riding the bike. Love our early morning workouts!
So I packed up my workout clothes and took them to work with me. What I like about early morning workouts is that I don't have to think about exercising the rest of the day. Now I had the pressure of knowing I needed to do a workout sometime today. Since the ellipitical was on my workout agenda and we have one in our gym at work, I figured I could squeeze it in during my work day. The elliptical machine in this gym is different than the machines I use at 24. It allowed me to adjust my stride length, but I couldn't adjust the incline. I did intervals for 45 minutes and it was a decent workout. Definitely got my sweat on, but wasn't feeling overly exerted.
Tomorrow we're doing abs and riding the bike. Love our early morning workouts!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
No Sweat
Coming up with today's workout was a challenge because I knew C and I couldn't put pressure on our feet. Since pretty much every sort of intense cardio workout involves weight bearing exercises, I thought we could focus on our arms and core. We tried a couple new things today including reverse planks which were much harder than I anticipated and our cardio consisted of the arm bike. These exercises combined with curls, overhead presses, triceps, pushups, and planks, made my arms jello by 6:00.
It definitely took more to work up a sweat since we weren't using our "big" muscles (legs and glutes). In fact, I don't even think I drank my whole bottle of water which is quite unusual for our morning workouts.
Rather than having another rest day tomorrow, I'm going to try to get my butt up and do the elliptical at the gym in the morning. A site that I'm a fan of on FB asked the question "Treadmill or elliptical?" Most people said elliptical as a good cross trainer machine. Someone responded elliptical and described the treadmill perfectly..soul sucking!
Wish me luck that I get out of bed in the morning. Actually, having some new music on my iPod and also knowing you will ask me if I went should motivate me. See ya on the flip side.
It definitely took more to work up a sweat since we weren't using our "big" muscles (legs and glutes). In fact, I don't even think I drank my whole bottle of water which is quite unusual for our morning workouts.
Rather than having another rest day tomorrow, I'm going to try to get my butt up and do the elliptical at the gym in the morning. A site that I'm a fan of on FB asked the question "Treadmill or elliptical?" Most people said elliptical as a good cross trainer machine. Someone responded elliptical and described the treadmill perfectly..soul sucking!
Wish me luck that I get out of bed in the morning. Actually, having some new music on my iPod and also knowing you will ask me if I went should motivate me. See ya on the flip side.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Results Are In....
Today seemed like the longest day ever. For some reason I expected the doctor to call me first thing this morning with the results of the x-rays. Didn't he know how stressed I was about this? When I didn't hear by noon, I called his office and left a message. How could he have patients other than me?
All last night and today I kept thinking of "what if" scenarios. What if my foot is fractured? What will I do to stay motivated? I was already looking into bike races as another option to take the place of running. What if I can't do squats and lunges at the gym? So I started researching non-weight bearing workouts for our M/W/F sessions. So many things went through my mind. But in all of my thoughts, it never once crossed my mind to stop working out. The workouts would just need to be more creative.
At 5:00p.m. I assumed I wouldn't hear from the doctor today, but I got the call at 5:30. The x-rays did not show a stress fracture, but they did show arthritis. His recommendation was to stop running permanently and to stop doing weight bearing exercises and start swimming and biking. Um, doc...I'm not putting on a bathing suit, yes my friends, that was my concern. I asked him what happens if I continue to run and he said it would cause me more pain. He did suggest getting some Dr. Scholl's inserts for my shoes, ice my foot, and take Advil. What happened to the good old days when they prescribed Vicodin? Just kidding...sort of.
Where do I go from here? My plan is to continue my M/W/F workouts with Christine and will make them a little more creative so there is a little less impact. The Silver Strand Half Marathon is in November so I will train for it, run in it, and hang up my long distance running shoes after that event.
Getting news that you have arthritis would normally be disappointing, but today it was the best thing I could have heard!! Thankfully Christine got good news today too and she only has to take one week off from running. Nothing will stop us! This last day would have been miserable if I didn't have all my friends and family checking in on me, texting me, emailing me, calling me, and laughing with me. Thank God for each one of you!
Tomorrow is our early morning Wednesday session. I have a fun workout surprise for C. This is an exercise I did with my brother when he was training me and I almost threw up!! Can't wait!!!!
All last night and today I kept thinking of "what if" scenarios. What if my foot is fractured? What will I do to stay motivated? I was already looking into bike races as another option to take the place of running. What if I can't do squats and lunges at the gym? So I started researching non-weight bearing workouts for our M/W/F sessions. So many things went through my mind. But in all of my thoughts, it never once crossed my mind to stop working out. The workouts would just need to be more creative.
At 5:00p.m. I assumed I wouldn't hear from the doctor today, but I got the call at 5:30. The x-rays did not show a stress fracture, but they did show arthritis. His recommendation was to stop running permanently and to stop doing weight bearing exercises and start swimming and biking. Um, doc...I'm not putting on a bathing suit, yes my friends, that was my concern. I asked him what happens if I continue to run and he said it would cause me more pain. He did suggest getting some Dr. Scholl's inserts for my shoes, ice my foot, and take Advil. What happened to the good old days when they prescribed Vicodin? Just kidding...sort of.
Where do I go from here? My plan is to continue my M/W/F workouts with Christine and will make them a little more creative so there is a little less impact. The Silver Strand Half Marathon is in November so I will train for it, run in it, and hang up my long distance running shoes after that event.
Getting news that you have arthritis would normally be disappointing, but today it was the best thing I could have heard!! Thankfully Christine got good news today too and she only has to take one week off from running. Nothing will stop us! This last day would have been miserable if I didn't have all my friends and family checking in on me, texting me, emailing me, calling me, and laughing with me. Thank God for each one of you!
Tomorrow is our early morning Wednesday session. I have a fun workout surprise for C. This is an exercise I did with my brother when he was training me and I almost threw up!! Can't wait!!!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Foot Pain
When I put the workout together last night I was very aware that both Christine and I were having foot pain and I didn't want us hopping or jumping a lot. So I created a little bit of a different workout. Getting to the gym was no problem for me this morning and couldn't wait to get right to it. I was feeling good aside from the throbbing pain in my right foot.
We incorporated some bands and worked out our arms. We did squats, lunges, some cardio and abs, but no jumping jacks today. It was a good workout and we were both sweating like crazy. Not to mention, we had some good laughs too!
After I got home and started getting ready for work, my foot was aching. Let me give you some history with this....we were in Vegas in August and you all know you walk A LOT in Vegas. On our drive home, I couldn't get my foot comfortable. I tried elevating it, taking my shoe off, massaging it, but nothing was helping. It was this horrible ache on the top of my foot from my ankle to my big toe; almost felt like it was bruised or something. Since I have my foot issues, I chalked it up to that and didn't think much else of the pain. When we got home, Kristin kept telling me to go to the doctor and I just ignored her (sorry Kristin). Each time after the M/W/F circuit workouts the pain would start again and nothing seemed to help. This past week it was worse and I'm assuming it is because I've increased my running miles.
Last night I was in so much pain after the 7 mile run/hill climb, I was hobbling around the house. Scott told me I might have a stress fracture and to go to the doctor. Again, I brushed it off because how in the world would I have a fracture?? At the gym this morning, Christine mentioned the stress fracture to me too because she was doing some online research for her foot. She agreed to see the doctor for her pain if I went to the doctor for mine.
I called the doctor and they got me in this afternoon. The doctor took a look at both my feet and asked how important running is to me. I told him right now it is important because I'm trying to run my second half marathon and want to do it in better time. He said it could be a stress fracture which would mean no running for several months. He said I should take up biking if that's the case. Gee, thanks doc. If it isn't a fracture, he said I needed to get Dr. Scholl's arch supports for my shoes and take Aleve. Down to radiology I marched or more like limped. They took x-rays of both my feet and I learned I have two screws in my right foot. Who knew? And no, they aren't loose. HA! Radiology is supposed to send my x-rays to the doc tonight.
Now it is the waiting game to get the results. Let me tell you though, if my foot is broken, I'm telling the world that I ran 7 miles uphill with a broken foot! Hahahaha! BTW - Christine's appt is tomorrow.
Stay tuned...
We incorporated some bands and worked out our arms. We did squats, lunges, some cardio and abs, but no jumping jacks today. It was a good workout and we were both sweating like crazy. Not to mention, we had some good laughs too!
After I got home and started getting ready for work, my foot was aching. Let me give you some history with this....we were in Vegas in August and you all know you walk A LOT in Vegas. On our drive home, I couldn't get my foot comfortable. I tried elevating it, taking my shoe off, massaging it, but nothing was helping. It was this horrible ache on the top of my foot from my ankle to my big toe; almost felt like it was bruised or something. Since I have my foot issues, I chalked it up to that and didn't think much else of the pain. When we got home, Kristin kept telling me to go to the doctor and I just ignored her (sorry Kristin). Each time after the M/W/F circuit workouts the pain would start again and nothing seemed to help. This past week it was worse and I'm assuming it is because I've increased my running miles.
Last night I was in so much pain after the 7 mile run/hill climb, I was hobbling around the house. Scott told me I might have a stress fracture and to go to the doctor. Again, I brushed it off because how in the world would I have a fracture?? At the gym this morning, Christine mentioned the stress fracture to me too because she was doing some online research for her foot. She agreed to see the doctor for her pain if I went to the doctor for mine.
I called the doctor and they got me in this afternoon. The doctor took a look at both my feet and asked how important running is to me. I told him right now it is important because I'm trying to run my second half marathon and want to do it in better time. He said it could be a stress fracture which would mean no running for several months. He said I should take up biking if that's the case. Gee, thanks doc. If it isn't a fracture, he said I needed to get Dr. Scholl's arch supports for my shoes and take Aleve. Down to radiology I marched or more like limped. They took x-rays of both my feet and I learned I have two screws in my right foot. Who knew? And no, they aren't loose. HA! Radiology is supposed to send my x-rays to the doc tonight.
Now it is the waiting game to get the results. Let me tell you though, if my foot is broken, I'm telling the world that I ran 7 miles uphill with a broken foot! Hahahaha! BTW - Christine's appt is tomorrow.
Stay tuned...
Sunday, September 19, 2010
7 Miles - What?
Today was a 7 mile day. Christine and I had agreed to run at 6:30, but there was a change of plans and we were able to meet at 8:00 instead. Mentally 8:00 is easier to absorb than going at the butt crack of dawn on a Sunday. Our course today had us going up one side of Borden, out to the Twin Oaks trail for a couple miles and back to conquer the backside of Borden.
We started out up the hill. We were both commenting about how tired we already were. Oh no. How were we going to run 7 miles if we were already tired? So we started talking about our Saturday events and it distracted us enough to make it up the hill. Success! We kept running until we got to the 3.5 mark. At that point, I had to walk. Not sure why. I wasn't tired. But my brain told me I needed to walk. So, we walked for about 2 minutes. We started running again and my motivator was knowing I would get to Borden and would probably get to walk because there was no way I would make it up the backside of Borden running.
We got to Borden and Christine reminded me that as soon as we turn onto Borden it is an incline. There is no easing into it. She asked "are you ready? you can do this." So, we started our climb.
It was brutal. I'm not going to lie. At one point I started to sing "did you think I'd lay down and die. oh no not I, I will survive." We tried talking part of the way, but then agreed to listen to music instead. My iPod died on me so I had to reset it. That's when I told C I might just sing the whole way up. She seemed very interested in me resetting my iPod. LOL. Once I got the music going, it motivated me to move my body. Several times on the climb, I told myself I might need to walk, but I kept pushing and did it! We made it to the top without walking!!! WHAT???? We gave each other high fives at the top. It is so nice having someone to share in those successes.
Thankfully the last part of the run was all downhill. We got to the school, STRETCHED, and cooled down. We ran 7 miles today and did two hills in there. It felt so good to accomplish that today. Now I sit here icing my foot. My smaller foot (the right foot) has been giving me problems for a few weeks. Thankfully it doesn't hurt while I'm running, it only hurts after. But I don't care. I ran 7 miles today and climbed a hill I never thought I could.
We started out up the hill. We were both commenting about how tired we already were. Oh no. How were we going to run 7 miles if we were already tired? So we started talking about our Saturday events and it distracted us enough to make it up the hill. Success! We kept running until we got to the 3.5 mark. At that point, I had to walk. Not sure why. I wasn't tired. But my brain told me I needed to walk. So, we walked for about 2 minutes. We started running again and my motivator was knowing I would get to Borden and would probably get to walk because there was no way I would make it up the backside of Borden running.
We got to Borden and Christine reminded me that as soon as we turn onto Borden it is an incline. There is no easing into it. She asked "are you ready? you can do this." So, we started our climb.
It was brutal. I'm not going to lie. At one point I started to sing "did you think I'd lay down and die. oh no not I, I will survive." We tried talking part of the way, but then agreed to listen to music instead. My iPod died on me so I had to reset it. That's when I told C I might just sing the whole way up. She seemed very interested in me resetting my iPod. LOL. Once I got the music going, it motivated me to move my body. Several times on the climb, I told myself I might need to walk, but I kept pushing and did it! We made it to the top without walking!!! WHAT???? We gave each other high fives at the top. It is so nice having someone to share in those successes.
Thankfully the last part of the run was all downhill. We got to the school, STRETCHED, and cooled down. We ran 7 miles today and did two hills in there. It felt so good to accomplish that today. Now I sit here icing my foot. My smaller foot (the right foot) has been giving me problems for a few weeks. Thankfully it doesn't hurt while I'm running, it only hurts after. But I don't care. I ran 7 miles today and climbed a hill I never thought I could.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Rest Day
Today is my day off to rest and I'm trying not to feel guilty about it. I managed to workout every day this week and now I need to give my body a break to recover. When I woke up, what a pleasant surprise to feel my abs and my triceps reminding me that those areas were worked out hard on Thursday and Friday!!! Love that feeling.
Bob posted a new core challenge today. Can't wait to try that next week.
Sunday is a 7 mile run at 6:30a.m. C and I are going to try to mix up the course a bit to alleviate boredom setting in. Don't worry, you'll hear from me after the run. Oh, my new favorite show is Thintervention. Thanks Cyndi and Melissa for telling me about it. Diggin' Jackie the trainer.
Have a great Saturday!!!
Bob posted a new core challenge today. Can't wait to try that next week.
Sunday is a 7 mile run at 6:30a.m. C and I are going to try to mix up the course a bit to alleviate boredom setting in. Don't worry, you'll hear from me after the run. Oh, my new favorite show is Thintervention. Thanks Cyndi and Melissa for telling me about it. Diggin' Jackie the trainer.
Have a great Saturday!!!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Treadmill Running Sucks
Waking up at 4:30 this morning was easier than expected. Sleep was not my friend last night and it was a long sleepless night. Not sure why exactly. Maybe it was from working out late, but that usually isn't a problem for me or it was my mind telling me not to oversleep in the morning. Whatever it was that kept me up helped me make it to the gym bright and early.
Our workout today was a core/ab workout followed by our 2 mile treadmill run. We warmed up on the AMT machine for about 6 minutes and then started our ab workout. The ab workout was good and Bob's Core Challenge was killer. At one point I just started laughing because it seemed almost impossible what he expected us to do. We did about 20 minutes of abs and then headed to the cardio room.
Christine forgot her headphones so she wasn't going to be listening to music during the run. I couldn't leave her alone to suffer so I didn't listen to music either. Besides, we were only running 2 miles; how hard could that be? It was dreadful, not the lack of music part, but the treadmill. On a treadmill, you don't go anywhere. I've really come to love running outdoors.
The first 1/4 mile I thought I would have to walk, but I continued on. My pace was pretty slow (12:00min/mile), but I was worn out. Watching the mileage increase slowly was killing me. Finally, I put a towel over the distance so I wouldn't focus on that so much. C was great and tried talking to me, but I wasn't having it today. I was sweating like crazy so eventually I had to remove the towel from covering up the panel so I saw the distance again. 1.6 miles done. I can do this I told myself. So, I visually imagined running down Las Posas on the trail. When I got to 1.8, I told C I had to put my music on to make it through. So I put my headphones on, increased the pace to 10 min/mile and booked it to get to 2 miles. When I got to the "finish" I was out of breath, sweating, red faced, and beat.
Don't make me run on that thing again. Running on the treadmill sucks. On the brightside, I have a free night to hang with my family and Saturday is a rest day. Long run on Sunday with C!
Our workout today was a core/ab workout followed by our 2 mile treadmill run. We warmed up on the AMT machine for about 6 minutes and then started our ab workout. The ab workout was good and Bob's Core Challenge was killer. At one point I just started laughing because it seemed almost impossible what he expected us to do. We did about 20 minutes of abs and then headed to the cardio room.
Christine forgot her headphones so she wasn't going to be listening to music during the run. I couldn't leave her alone to suffer so I didn't listen to music either. Besides, we were only running 2 miles; how hard could that be? It was dreadful, not the lack of music part, but the treadmill. On a treadmill, you don't go anywhere. I've really come to love running outdoors.
The first 1/4 mile I thought I would have to walk, but I continued on. My pace was pretty slow (12:00min/mile), but I was worn out. Watching the mileage increase slowly was killing me. Finally, I put a towel over the distance so I wouldn't focus on that so much. C was great and tried talking to me, but I wasn't having it today. I was sweating like crazy so eventually I had to remove the towel from covering up the panel so I saw the distance again. 1.6 miles done. I can do this I told myself. So, I visually imagined running down Las Posas on the trail. When I got to 1.8, I told C I had to put my music on to make it through. So I put my headphones on, increased the pace to 10 min/mile and booked it to get to 2 miles. When I got to the "finish" I was out of breath, sweating, red faced, and beat.
Don't make me run on that thing again. Running on the treadmill sucks. On the brightside, I have a free night to hang with my family and Saturday is a rest day. Long run on Sunday with C!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Bootcamp
Many times I've taken the Turbo Kickboxing (TKB) class at 24 Hour Fitness. One of my favorite instructors is Liesa. I facebooked Liesa after a couple TKB classes and discovered she also has her own bootcamp. My schedule is crazy with the boys' activities so I haven't been able to try her bootcamp, but I've been wanting to do it. Finally, the stars were aligned this week and Kristin agreed to check it out with me. The bootcamp was about 10 minutes from work so we changed at the office and headed to the park.
We got there about 30 minutes early so we went for a jog before it began. And then the magic or was it torture? happened at 6:30. We got warmed up by doing high knees for a minute, skips for a minute, and then jacks for a minute in a clockwise circle. I happened to be at the front of the group and I was slow so I was stressing a bit. Not to mention, this was the warm up and I was already sweating! We did this one more time around and then went to arms. We paired up and used resistance bands to do biceps and triceps. Let me tell you, my arms were on fire!
From there we did cardio and I struggled with the burpees and mountain climbers. Why am I struggling? I kept asking myself. We did toe taps and high knees for one minute then moved right to burpees for a minute and then mountain climbers for a minute. Those minutes felt like an eternity. I had to modify my mountain climbers and take the run out of them. After the cardio circuit (we did it twice), we moved to legs. The legs were squats and lunges and then we ended with cardio sprints and lateral squats. Just when I thought we were done she threw in some abs. Thank you very much. Not sure I'll be able to move my arms or legs tomorrow and hopefully I won't have to sneeze.
Bootcamp was challenging. The difference between this and the M/W/F workouts Christine and I do is the timing of everything. Rather than doing cardio for a minute and then moving to strength, this was 3 minutes of cardio, 3 minutes of strength training, etc. Can't wait to mix things up for C next week.
Tomorrow C and I are doing abs/core at the gym using another one of Bob's challenges (check out his website for the core challenge) and then we are doing our 2 mile training run on the treadmill to free up our evening! I'll let you know tomorrow if I'm able to move. My arms are tired just from typing this. Pretty sure it will be a struggle to get up at 4:30a.m., but I can do it!
We got there about 30 minutes early so we went for a jog before it began. And then the magic or was it torture? happened at 6:30. We got warmed up by doing high knees for a minute, skips for a minute, and then jacks for a minute in a clockwise circle. I happened to be at the front of the group and I was slow so I was stressing a bit. Not to mention, this was the warm up and I was already sweating! We did this one more time around and then went to arms. We paired up and used resistance bands to do biceps and triceps. Let me tell you, my arms were on fire!
From there we did cardio and I struggled with the burpees and mountain climbers. Why am I struggling? I kept asking myself. We did toe taps and high knees for one minute then moved right to burpees for a minute and then mountain climbers for a minute. Those minutes felt like an eternity. I had to modify my mountain climbers and take the run out of them. After the cardio circuit (we did it twice), we moved to legs. The legs were squats and lunges and then we ended with cardio sprints and lateral squats. Just when I thought we were done she threw in some abs. Thank you very much. Not sure I'll be able to move my arms or legs tomorrow and hopefully I won't have to sneeze.
Bootcamp was challenging. The difference between this and the M/W/F workouts Christine and I do is the timing of everything. Rather than doing cardio for a minute and then moving to strength, this was 3 minutes of cardio, 3 minutes of strength training, etc. Can't wait to mix things up for C next week.
Tomorrow C and I are doing abs/core at the gym using another one of Bob's challenges (check out his website for the core challenge) and then we are doing our 2 mile training run on the treadmill to free up our evening! I'll let you know tomorrow if I'm able to move. My arms are tired just from typing this. Pretty sure it will be a struggle to get up at 4:30a.m., but I can do it!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Round 3
Boy was it tough waking up this morning at 4:30 after running last night. How did I manage to drag my butt to the gym? It was knowing my workout partner would be there waiting for me. I always create the workout the night before and I have this habit of making it really tough and then in the morning when it comes time to do it, I dread it. Round 1 is usually the longest round because we're figuring out the flow and the exercises and I think we're still waking up. Rounds 2 and 3 always go much quicker and usually by round 2 I've come to terms with what we are doing!
This morning's workout was good. We did step ups, dumbbell curls on the Bosu ball (thanks C for helping me up on the Bosu...I have balance issues), running the stairs, dead lifts on the Bosu, burpee planks on the step with weights, medicine ball squats, and more. On round 3 of the stairs, thankfully C said to me "you can do this. Let's race." That got me through it because by then my legs were t-i-r-e-d.
Thursday is supposed to be a running day, but I'm deviating from the schedule to try a new bootcamp with Kristin. I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to incorporate what I learn into the M/W/F workouts!
This morning's workout was good. We did step ups, dumbbell curls on the Bosu ball (thanks C for helping me up on the Bosu...I have balance issues), running the stairs, dead lifts on the Bosu, burpee planks on the step with weights, medicine ball squats, and more. On round 3 of the stairs, thankfully C said to me "you can do this. Let's race." That got me through it because by then my legs were t-i-r-e-d.
Thursday is supposed to be a running day, but I'm deviating from the schedule to try a new bootcamp with Kristin. I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to incorporate what I learn into the M/W/F workouts!
A New Goal
Tuesday morning I got a text from Christine telling me she did her three mile run. I was happy she got it done and at the same time dreading having to run at the end of the day by myself. Work was crazy busy and exhausting. At the end of my work day, Christine sent me a text asking if I wanted company on my run. Really? She had already run her three miles and she was going to run with me again?! Of course I said yes!!!
We met at the elementary school, our usual meeting place. We took off down Borden to Las Posas, and then to the rail trail on Mission. It was hard to run. I was tired mentally and it affected me physically. We didn't walk at all, but I considered it. It baffles me that I can run five miles one day without thinking about it, but then the next time struggle with three miles. It shows what an affect your day can have on you. As much as I could have talked myself out of running, I knew it was important to alleviate my stress and it is part of the training plan. I read in a magazine once that you never regret doing a workout, but you will feel guilty for not doing one. That sticks with me because it is so true.
We finished our run. I was tired and can't imagine how C was feeling since this was her second run of the day. But I was so grateful she joined me; I needed the motivation. After this run, I did something I haven't done before but Kristin has been nagging me to do. STRETCH! To me stretching seems so time consuming and unnecessary. But I promised Kristin I would try it. During my RnR training I didn't stretch at all and maybe that would have helped me do better. After reading this, all my runner friends are probably saying "I can't believe she didn't stretch...shame on her." So, my new goal is to stretch before/after each run. It felt good and it didn't take THAT much more time.
Got home after our run and immediately started planning our workout for Wednesday morning.
We met at the elementary school, our usual meeting place. We took off down Borden to Las Posas, and then to the rail trail on Mission. It was hard to run. I was tired mentally and it affected me physically. We didn't walk at all, but I considered it. It baffles me that I can run five miles one day without thinking about it, but then the next time struggle with three miles. It shows what an affect your day can have on you. As much as I could have talked myself out of running, I knew it was important to alleviate my stress and it is part of the training plan. I read in a magazine once that you never regret doing a workout, but you will feel guilty for not doing one. That sticks with me because it is so true.
We finished our run. I was tired and can't imagine how C was feeling since this was her second run of the day. But I was so grateful she joined me; I needed the motivation. After this run, I did something I haven't done before but Kristin has been nagging me to do. STRETCH! To me stretching seems so time consuming and unnecessary. But I promised Kristin I would try it. During my RnR training I didn't stretch at all and maybe that would have helped me do better. After reading this, all my runner friends are probably saying "I can't believe she didn't stretch...shame on her." So, my new goal is to stretch before/after each run. It felt good and it didn't take THAT much more time.
Got home after our run and immediately started planning our workout for Wednesday morning.
Bob Harper's Challenges
On Monday at 5:00a.m. Christine and I met at the gym. Our usual place to rendezvous on Mon/Wed/Fri mornings. We decided to incorporate some of Bob Harper's workout challenges into our circuit. For those that don't know, Bob is one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser. He posted a couple challenges on his website last week that were intriguing.
Our circuit training workouts consist of about 8-9 exercises alternating cardio (i.e. step ups, jumping jacks, jump rope) with strength training (dumbbell curls, overhead press, squats, lunges, etc.) and we go through the circuit three times for an hour workout. Bob's challenges were a shoulder and lunge workout. We did both on Monday. They were tough at the time and I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to lift my arms on Tuesday. Surprisingly, my arms/shoulders weren't sore, but my butt was feeling it from the lunges. If you want to check out his challenges go to his website (mytrainerbob.com). He has some great ideas!
Every time we complete a workout, I feel so strong. Amazing what we can do before 6:00a.m.
Tuesday is a three mile run day...
Our circuit training workouts consist of about 8-9 exercises alternating cardio (i.e. step ups, jumping jacks, jump rope) with strength training (dumbbell curls, overhead press, squats, lunges, etc.) and we go through the circuit three times for an hour workout. Bob's challenges were a shoulder and lunge workout. We did both on Monday. They were tough at the time and I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to lift my arms on Tuesday. Surprisingly, my arms/shoulders weren't sore, but my butt was feeling it from the lunges. If you want to check out his challenges go to his website (mytrainerbob.com). He has some great ideas!
Every time we complete a workout, I feel so strong. Amazing what we can do before 6:00a.m.
Tuesday is a three mile run day...
Five Miles Flew By
Christine and I had planned to run seven miles Sunday morning at 6:30. We were going out on Saturday night, but neither of us really drink so we knew we could probably get up and run that early. Dancing the night away at Belly Up, I get a call from my mom at midnight that Caden isn't feeling well. We load up the minivan and go get him. As soon as I knew I had to pick him up, I knew our early morning run was not a possibility since Scott was still out of town. The first thing Christine asked Caden is "did your mom bribe you to pretend to get sick?"
Thankfully Caden was fine the next day and then there I was trying to figure out how to squeeze in a run. Scott and Drake were headed home from Vegas and on target for late afternoon arrival. Christine asked me if I wanted to run with her in the evening. YES!
When Scott got home, we headed out for a 5 mile run. I had told C it had been awhile since I ran any distance and would probably have to walk some of it. We started out from the elementary school and went up Borden. I've NEVER been able to run up that hill without stopping to walk. Today was different. I didn't think about it. C and I talked and next thing I knew, I was at the top of the hill. A small accomplishment in just the first five minutes. We kept running on Borden, turned on Twin Oaks towards Mission, and then to Las Posas for the five mile loop. We talked about life, our kids, our workouts and before we knew it we had gone the whole way without stopping. How did it fly by like that?
This was one time I can remember that I wasn't focused on the running part of what I was doing. Running is a mental activity and if it gets in my head that I need to walk, then I tell myself I need to walk. It is a crazy thing. I was so focused on our conversation that the running was just something we were doing as an aside. I can't explain it really, but all I know is I hope it is that way on November 14th.
Thankfully Caden was fine the next day and then there I was trying to figure out how to squeeze in a run. Scott and Drake were headed home from Vegas and on target for late afternoon arrival. Christine asked me if I wanted to run with her in the evening. YES!
When Scott got home, we headed out for a 5 mile run. I had told C it had been awhile since I ran any distance and would probably have to walk some of it. We started out from the elementary school and went up Borden. I've NEVER been able to run up that hill without stopping to walk. Today was different. I didn't think about it. C and I talked and next thing I knew, I was at the top of the hill. A small accomplishment in just the first five minutes. We kept running on Borden, turned on Twin Oaks towards Mission, and then to Las Posas for the five mile loop. We talked about life, our kids, our workouts and before we knew it we had gone the whole way without stopping. How did it fly by like that?
This was one time I can remember that I wasn't focused on the running part of what I was doing. Running is a mental activity and if it gets in my head that I need to walk, then I tell myself I need to walk. It is a crazy thing. I was so focused on our conversation that the running was just something we were doing as an aside. I can't explain it really, but all I know is I hope it is that way on November 14th.
Training Begins
My training for the Silver Strand was supposed to start the week of 9/6. I ran a couple two or three milers that week, but knew I needed to run 5 miles on Friday. Unfortunately, Scott and Drake were out of town so I knew I needed to bring Caden along with me. He was so excited at the chance to ride his bike along the rail trail while I ran. That's a treat in our house, getting to go with mom on a run.
Friday evening (9/10) I picked Caden up from school and he says "don't forget Mom, we're doing the 5 miles tonight." So even if I didn't feel like running, he was holding me accountable. Awesome! We head out on the run and not five minutes into it he tells me he has to go to the bathroom. So we stop at Chevron. We get back out on the course and as we start the run/ride on the rail trail, Caden says to me "how much longer?" Really? We've been out here for a total of 10 minutes with a few of those minutes in the bathroom. The whole time we're going he's telling me how he joined the running club at school. I was so proud of him for joining the club and felt a little like he was trying to be like Mom. Very cool.
We get about a mile and half out on the rail trail and Caden tells me he is tired. So we start to head back, but he's too tired to ride and needs to walk his bike. That's about where my run stopped. He kept apologizing to me telling me he was tired from the running club. I thought in my head "well at least one of us ran today." As we're walking along, we see a bench and I kid you not, that kid laid down on it!!! He said he needed to rest. All I could do was laugh and think Christine had offered to watch Caden while I ran. Why didn't I take her up on that?! After his rest, we were almost home when he said he couldn't walk his bike anymore so I put my butt on that bike and rode it down the hill. Let me tell you, riding a little boy's bike is not an easy task. Our total miles for that "run" was 3.5, but it wasn't pretty. I love my boys and love having them with me so I won't stop taking them out on runs. From now on, I will know that if I am running with Caden, that it needs to be on one of my scheduled easy run days and I'll need to be flexible.
Friday evening (9/10) I picked Caden up from school and he says "don't forget Mom, we're doing the 5 miles tonight." So even if I didn't feel like running, he was holding me accountable. Awesome! We head out on the run and not five minutes into it he tells me he has to go to the bathroom. So we stop at Chevron. We get back out on the course and as we start the run/ride on the rail trail, Caden says to me "how much longer?" Really? We've been out here for a total of 10 minutes with a few of those minutes in the bathroom. The whole time we're going he's telling me how he joined the running club at school. I was so proud of him for joining the club and felt a little like he was trying to be like Mom. Very cool.
We get about a mile and half out on the rail trail and Caden tells me he is tired. So we start to head back, but he's too tired to ride and needs to walk his bike. That's about where my run stopped. He kept apologizing to me telling me he was tired from the running club. I thought in my head "well at least one of us ran today." As we're walking along, we see a bench and I kid you not, that kid laid down on it!!! He said he needed to rest. All I could do was laugh and think Christine had offered to watch Caden while I ran. Why didn't I take her up on that?! After his rest, we were almost home when he said he couldn't walk his bike anymore so I put my butt on that bike and rode it down the hill. Let me tell you, riding a little boy's bike is not an easy task. Our total miles for that "run" was 3.5, but it wasn't pretty. I love my boys and love having them with me so I won't stop taking them out on runs. From now on, I will know that if I am running with Caden, that it needs to be on one of my scheduled easy run days and I'll need to be flexible.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
How I Got Here
I'm not a runner. That's been my stance my whole life. I'm really bad at running. My feet and legs aren't cut out for it. My right leg is at least two inches shorter than my left and my right foot is two sizes smaller than my left. This naturally causes some physical issues with running. Because of that, I see running as a challenge.
February this year my friend, Kristin, and I ran in the Race for Literacy. It is a 5 mile course through Balboa Park and Downtown San Diego. I remember being nervous about the run and thinking "how in the world will I run 5 miles?" The most I had ever run was a 5k. My goal that day was to run the whole thing. My pace and finish time didn't matter to me. It was pouring rain on race day and we were drenched, which I think was a distraction from running. We did it! We finished those 5 miles without stopping to walk and I was so proud of myself. Even did a happy dance at the finish line.
After that race, Kristin and I were talking and somehow she convinced me to train for and run in the Rock and Roll (RnR) Half Marathon which was in June. Running a half marathon was never a goal of mine. There was never an interest in running 13.1 miles. But once I agreed to try it, I was consumed with the training schedule and also with finding the right equipment, gadgets, GU, menus, clothes, etc. We did Shoe Dog at RoadRunner. We ran in a couple running groups. We researched things online. We read running magazines. I bought all kinds of running socks and running shoes. Preparing for the RnR took over my life. I told myself once this was over, I would be proud of myself for the accomplishment and then move on with my life. NO MORE HALF MARATHONS! So, the RnR came around. Ran most and walked some. Had horrible blisters. But overall, the run was good. I was disappointed with my time and thought "I can do better." Must have been the next day when I said I wanted to try another half marathon. What was I thinking????
Having heard that the Silver Strand Half Marathon is a nice flat run, we decided that was the half marathon for us. The run is November 14th and two of my bestest friends are signed up to run it too. You will see their names a lot throughout this journey; Kristin and Christine. This will be Christine's first half marathon and I'm excited to train with her.
This time my training will be different. I'm not going to let it consume me or at least that's my goal. Many of the books and magazines suggest journaling your runs so I thought why not try it this time around. Whenever I'm out running, I learn something new about people or myself and I see and hear funny things along the way. Rather than post a status update on Facebook, I thought this would be a more productive outlet and it would be a way for me to go back and see what worked for a particularly good run and what I was feeling on the days that my runs weren't so good. Wanna come on the journey with me?
February this year my friend, Kristin, and I ran in the Race for Literacy. It is a 5 mile course through Balboa Park and Downtown San Diego. I remember being nervous about the run and thinking "how in the world will I run 5 miles?" The most I had ever run was a 5k. My goal that day was to run the whole thing. My pace and finish time didn't matter to me. It was pouring rain on race day and we were drenched, which I think was a distraction from running. We did it! We finished those 5 miles without stopping to walk and I was so proud of myself. Even did a happy dance at the finish line.
After that race, Kristin and I were talking and somehow she convinced me to train for and run in the Rock and Roll (RnR) Half Marathon which was in June. Running a half marathon was never a goal of mine. There was never an interest in running 13.1 miles. But once I agreed to try it, I was consumed with the training schedule and also with finding the right equipment, gadgets, GU, menus, clothes, etc. We did Shoe Dog at RoadRunner. We ran in a couple running groups. We researched things online. We read running magazines. I bought all kinds of running socks and running shoes. Preparing for the RnR took over my life. I told myself once this was over, I would be proud of myself for the accomplishment and then move on with my life. NO MORE HALF MARATHONS! So, the RnR came around. Ran most and walked some. Had horrible blisters. But overall, the run was good. I was disappointed with my time and thought "I can do better." Must have been the next day when I said I wanted to try another half marathon. What was I thinking????
Having heard that the Silver Strand Half Marathon is a nice flat run, we decided that was the half marathon for us. The run is November 14th and two of my bestest friends are signed up to run it too. You will see their names a lot throughout this journey; Kristin and Christine. This will be Christine's first half marathon and I'm excited to train with her.
This time my training will be different. I'm not going to let it consume me or at least that's my goal. Many of the books and magazines suggest journaling your runs so I thought why not try it this time around. Whenever I'm out running, I learn something new about people or myself and I see and hear funny things along the way. Rather than post a status update on Facebook, I thought this would be a more productive outlet and it would be a way for me to go back and see what worked for a particularly good run and what I was feeling on the days that my runs weren't so good. Wanna come on the journey with me?
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