Three-A-Days

So this Thursday, I inadvertently committed to three workouts.  And I'm definitely paying for it today (Saturday), two days later.

Thursday morning started out with "Leg Day" at the gym with my weight training girl.  This was our last week of day time gym meet-ups because we're both back to school next week.  We did four leg exercises, most of which focused on the back of the legs with one that worked the inside and outside.
We did 4 rounds of 10-12 reps for each exercise-dead lifts, hamstring curls, calf extensions, and side squats off a step with a leg lift.  These were actually really good for me, because I seem to end up focusing on the quads and front of my leg and need more work developing the back muscles to even it out.

Here's our post-Leg Day selfie.

My friend always comments about how much she sweats on leg day.  Any leg work is going to activate some cardio because the legs are such a big muscle group.  Bonus!

I did my normal Thursday routine-3 miles of hill repeats after walking the dogs to loosen up the legs a bit.  Then I headed to the beach to catch as many rays as possible before school starts.

I ended the day with Form by Force bootcamp.  Holy cow, what an amazing workout.  I love that it's super varied every time and the coaches really push/motivate you.  For Hampton Roads locals, you can find out more details and register for a session here.  

The coaches are always snapping pictures and taking videos during the session.  Nothing like some potential camera time to make you tighten up and keep moving.  Well, I made their Instagram feed this week.

Too bad my butt was WAY high up in the air, showing off some bad plank form.  My friend who also went did point out that this was my 2nd or 3rd trip through the obstacle course and I was clearly tired.  I was also my THIRD workout of the day.  YIKES?!

Anyone else out there ever done a three-a-day?

Cross training and selfies

So, what do you all do for the whole cross training thing?  Apparently just running 5 days a week isn't enough.  Even when your runs are varied, etc.  I can actually attest to this fact.  When I make time for cross training (which for me is usually a Les Mills class), my running improves.  Bonus!

Tonight I was slated to go to bootcamp with friends, but they all started back to work today and lost their mojo.  I am sore from yesterday's Body Pump, so I was okay with chillaxin' on the couch, but I figured that I should use the time I'd already blocked out for some sort of exercise.

I settled on a Spin class at 7:30.  NOT my favorite workout time (too late!), but I like the instructor and the bikes at this gym.  These spin bikes have a lever that you use to increase the resistance and screens that show a number.  So you can increase to level 10, 12, etc. instead of arbitrary quarter turns, half turns and what not that regular bikes have.  Some folks don't like them, but I do!

I got this "Get Sparked" T and rocked it today to do some work at school and then to Spin class.

I do love me some Spark!  You can learn more about it here.  I am a distributor so I have instant access to all the products and get them at a discounted price.  I'm currently in love with the pink lemonade and fruit punch.

So I meant to take a selfie once I was on the spin bike, but I forgot.  Being new to blogging=I need to step up my selfie game!  How else will you know every inane detail of my life?!

Do you take gym selfies?  Regular selfies?  Any selfie stick user out there?

Chasing that elusive sub 30 min 5K and fuel (aka food)

So this morning I had a 10k race on the schedule as part of my half marathon training plan.  I couldn't find a 10K, but it happened to be the East Coast Surfing Championship weekend here at the beach and they have a 5K race.  In fact, I ran the race last year so it was familiar.

My initial plan was to get down there early, run the first 5K before the race, and then do the final miles in the race.  Well, I accidentally overslept and so that plan was foiled.  So I decided that I would run the race and then add on the extra 3 miles.

The course was different from last year.  The year before, we ran down Atlantic Ave. and then back down the Boardwalk.  This year the race was an out and back on the Boardwalk.  Both years were quite windy and it definitely made the "out" part tough, but gave an extra push on the return I guess.

Anyhow, last year I finished in 33:04.  And this year...

So, so, so close to that sub 30 minute 5k!  Shaved 2 min and 30 seconds off of my time from last year, but still not quite there.  I'm mad at myself because I walked at the mid-point turn around and two more times during the last mile.  I need to work on slowing down my running instead of walking.

Also, this is what I had for lunch.  Does anyone else make meals from whatever is laying around in the kitchen/fridge?  I knew that my lunch needed the following components: healthy carb, fat, fruit, and protein. And this is what I landed on.

It was totally delicious and I'd do it again!

Hill Repeats

So I'm running THIS RACE in October.  I am so excited.  I love all the things involved-Nike, Tiffany & Co, San Fran (granted I've never been there, but I'm pumped to go!). I'm obsessed with all things Tiffany and LOVE that the finisher medal is a necklace from there.  I literally have not taken off the one I get after the DC half in April of 2014.  I wear it under all my other necklaces.

I also love Nike apparel and shoes.  Sadly, I haven't been able to run in any Nike shoes-see here about the shoe thing.  I have created a Nike/Tiffany inspired race outfit that I will share closer to the day.  Yes, I've had it for about a month now and the race is in October.  I'm THAT excited.

Anyhow, I have read about a million reviews on the race, the course, etc.  I know that it's hilly and at approximately mile 9 or 10ish I will be running uphill for a mile straight.  Dear God help me.  In order to not die there and miss out on another Tiffany finisher medal, I have been trying to incorporate some hill work into my runs.

Unfortunately, actually fortunately for this runner usually, I live in a very flat area.  Like you have to actively seek out hills and they are usually found on bridges over water or at Mt. Trashmore.  So for the past three weeks, my Thursday run has consisted of three up and over repetitions of this bridge.

So this might not look like a big hill from this view point.  Confession, I had already walked back to my car and cooled down and wasn't trying to walk any further back towards it :)  One full up, over, and back rep is a little under 1 mile.  So three attempts gets me to the 3 miles I need on the book for Thursdays.  My goal has been to 1. Run more/as much as possible each week, and/or 2. Get faster, i.e. log a faster overall pace.

Any other ideas on how to prep for this SF course?

Finally a good run!

So I've been struggling with my runs the past twoish weeks.  Like most of them have been major suckage, with wayyyyy too much walking.

I think I might have broken through that awful trend today! Woot woot!  I have a great 4 mile run this morning that involved enjoying a nice sunrise.

So what do I think made today's run better?  First of all, I got my a$$ out of bed and was running before 6 am.  This made for a MUCH cooler experience over all.  Also, I was reflecting on said craptastic week of runs and noticed that I had not had a day off from working out in 9 days.  I usually participate in a speed work running group on Monday nights, but I took this week off.  I just did my usual Body Pump and otherwise rested.  Let's hope tomorrow feels just as good.

Off to bootcamp...

How have your runs been?  Ever suffered through a slump?!

How much do you glisten?

Okay, let's be real, it's sweat folks!  I'm not sure I'm down with the glisten analogy.  Especially with the volume that pours out of me within minutes of beginning any type of workout!

Exhibit A.  My LEGS after this morning's Barre class.

I have always been a sweater (Haha, not the wool kind! Ironically I tend to avoid those due to the perspiration factor.), especially in the summer.  Well since I've gotten into running, I have learned more than I probably care to about sweat.  I know that I am a salty sweater (I guess more than normal?!  I thought sweat burned everyone's eyes and dried on their skin/clothes post long run) and that means I have to work hard to replace the lost electrolytes.  Thank goodness for Smartwater and the Kroger brand equivalent!

Anyhow, I am currently on Day 13 of the Advocare 24 Day Challenge.  Full post about that experience to come after day 24!  But so far, after the cleanse day, I'm down 12.6 lbs.  Woot woot!  Back to sweat.  One of the supplements in the challenge is Catalyst, which protects and helps build muscle and burn fat.  I swear it makes me sweat 3 times what I normally do.  But I guess that helps the toxins and what not come out.  Right?!

Gym Etiquette

Is it just me, or is wiping down cardio machines after you're done something that folks just don't seem to be doing much of these days?!

Maybe I'm a little OCD when it comes to germs, but I ALWAYS wipe down my machine with the spray and rag (admittedly, I'm not 100% sure that the rag is super clean), but still.  Even if I've just hopped on for a 10 minute cardio warmup before hitting weights, I'm going to wipe down that machine.  I wipe down weigh machines, benches, mats, etc. after I use them too.



I'm a sweater, so maybe that contributes to my hyper awareness of the need to wipe, and the lack thereof that seems prevalent at my gym.

PSA-Wipe down your machines folks!

Shoe Graveyard

As I previously mentioned, I am ALL about some running gear.  My #1 running expense is most definitely running shoes.  I don't even want to think about the money that I've dropped over the past two years since I became a runner (runner defined as running multiple times/week).

Here's the current situation.

When I initially started to dabble in running, about 10 years ago, I went to a local running store and was fitted for shoes.  I learned that I'm a neutral runner without any real shoe needs-except that they have to feel right.  Up until I started half marathon training in 2013, I would say I probably purchased 4 or 5 pairs of running shoes.

Since I started running half marathons, I've probably purchased 10-15 pairs of running shoes.  Now, each shoe should last for 300-500 miles of pavement pounding.  Clearly I have a problem.  I have not run enough miles to justify the excessive shoe purchases.  But they're just so fun!  And sadly some have not worked out well for running and they get relegated to the gym workout shoes rotation.  As do old running shoes.

Really all of this is to say.....

What had happened was, our local Fleet Feet had a clearance sale on shoes.  They were either $30, $60, or $90.  Of course the pair that I liked the best fell into the $90 range (isn't that ALWAYS the way); however, I believe that I'm saving money in the long run because they retail for close to $150.  

Also, I'm working on curtailing my shoe purchasing frenzy and will not start wearing these until mid-September or October.  Help me stick with this.  Check my pix for what shoes I'm sporting!

Do you run with anything in your ears?

So as I was sweating out a run today on the treadmill, I was wondering what everyone out there does to keep from quitting at minute 7?  Side note-this was harder than normal for me today...although most treadmill runs are full of "let's quit" moments, I prefer to run outside.

Anyhow, when I run outside, I rock my iPod shuffle and some great playlists.  I used to do the same when I ran inside and would occasionally mix that up with a great audio book.  Enter Serial.  This podcast changed my life.  Serially.  I mean, seriously.

I love a good crime mystery and the fact that this one is real and the main players are my age just sucked me right in.  I started listening about halfway through the first season (two more are in the works!!) and was left eagerly awaiting the release of each week's ep.  Since it seems like I'm always training for a half marathon, I decided to listen to the Serial episodes when I had to run on the treadmill because of weather (which ended up being a lot this winter.  Boo.) or for speedwork sessions.

I was super sad when the story ended and craved more discussion.  I jumped far down the rabbit hole and found myself listening to podcasts about the podcast.  Yup.  Some were better than others, but they all fed my need to continue reflecting on the case.

Enter Undisclosed.  This podcast is put on by three attorneys who are delving further into the case.  I highly recommend it.  They have biweekly episodes with an addendum that usually drops on the off weeks.

And in case that's still not enough for you (it wasn't for me!) you can also listen to Serial Dynasty.  It's a wonderful podcast that compliments Undisclosed and references Serial.

So this is what got me through my time on the treadmill today.  Just a 35 minute tempo run (during which I wanted to quit like 18 times) with some food for thought to distract me.  

Oh, and I totally rock some old school behind the head, foam covered headphones.  Old school style, yo.  Earbuds don't stay in my teeny, tiny ears.  

What do you listen to while you run?  Nothing?  I can't understand that...hearing myself pant is awful!  How do you drown that out?

Getting My Feet Wet

So this is my first attempt at blogging.  I've been religiously following a growing number of blogs for the past few years and decided I'd try my luck with it.  I don't take myself too seriously, which will become increasingly obvious through the exploits I will post about on this little space.

Let me introduce the "runner" aspect of me first.  In 2013 I made a New Year's resolution to run one race a month for the year.  By the summer of that year, I had signed up for my first half marathon.  This was huge for me because I'd started off as the "I'll only run if someone is chasing me" and "I'll never run a half marathon" girl.  I had watched and cheered on numerous friends as they chased their running goals.  It was a tough first half; however, within a month I'd signed up for my second.  And now I guess I'm a runner.

I am currently training for my 6th half marathon and recently rolled into the gym after a full day of leadership training.  I headed to the bathroom to do my thing and change into the workout gear that I'd packed that morning.  A post on my insane amount of workout clothing will undoubtedly appear shortly.  Anyhow, after putting on my capris and two sports bras, I realized that I'd forgotten my tank top.  Knowing that I only had 6 .25 mile sets of speedwork to do, going home and getting my top was not an option.  That would have resulted in me arriving home and promptly crashing on the couch.

So I did what any dedicated, mildly secure runner would do.

I used my hair rubberband and tied up that dress into a shirt.  A fluffy, awkward looking shirt that only came untied once during my 20 minutes on the treadmill.  Then of course, I did what any self-respecting person would do and promptly called myself out on social media.  Just in case anyone happened to see this hot mess on the treadmill in her dress.

Did I mention that I don't take myself seriously?!