Thursday Power Spin

One more spin session down in the books for this week.

It was a great class. I was a participant today and the goal was muscle endurance. Some parts were hard to get through! Te instructor went about 10 minutes over class time too--gotta love that!

I planned on lifting weights again today, but I had to be home by 7:30 AM to babysit my 2 month old niece! I could not pass up that opportunity. She is so sweet! She has been sleeping the whole time so far (2.5 hours!) WAKE UP!!

I am very sore from yesterdays boxing session. My upper back and abs are wondering what the heck I did to them!

Happy New Year!

Wednesday Spinning and..Boxing!!

The usual spin day today. It was fun. Some hills with a sprint added onto the end.

Moving on...

I went to a boxing class today! So much fun!!! I am sore already. Love it.

We hit the bag. We did jumping jacks, lunges, mountain climbers, Old Skool sit ups..not crunches! OUCH!! I was kind of glad we did not use the speed bag--those things scare me! Jump rope, more heavy bag combinations. It was CRAZY!! I might drop in from time to time just to change it up, but it was worth my $10! It was only 45 minutes or so, but my heart rate was through the roof for a long time. My arms and back are so sore..tomorrow they should feel even better (worse)

I must get to bed...4 AM will get here early....Power Spin @ 5:30!!

Tuesday-weights-cardio and core

I met a friend and we did a quick full body circuit training today. It was fun.

3x10

Squats
Pull ups

Step ups
DB Chest press

DB Shoulder Press
DB Bent over flyes

Core:
Roll ups 4 sets of 10
Planks with bosu 30s x4
Hip stuff 3 sets of 15

Cardio:
Elliptical
30 minutes steady state

That's all!!

Monday!

Race day spin was today. It was a full class (24) and the bikes got rearranged again so it seemed the front row was right in my face and the people were more tightly packed together too. It was a hot one. We did a continuous 9 minute loop 3 times and I added a little something special at the end! It went over well I think. I always think that when a few people clap at the end! Ha. I personally had my heart rate up to 170 bpm for the most part. During some of the tougher sprints and breakaways it got up to 180.
That's all for me today.

Sunday.....motivation????

I was not in the mood to go to the gym today. I was really tired and really full of sugar! Since more sleep was out of the question ( kids!) I sucked it up and went to the gym. I had to keep in mind that tomorrow's spin class will be a race day so I kept the cardio light and did not get my HR up to crazy high.
I began with a quick circuit:
3x10

Lat pull down (underhand grip)
Leg Extension
Chest Press
Lying ham curl

Short and sweet!

I ventured upstairs and actually used the rowing machine! I have not gotten on this thing in YEARS. It was fun and different. I might make a habit of it. I am not exactly sure how long I was on it. I did a program to travel 1000 meters I think. It might have taken me a bit over 10 minutes total. I did my own intervals on it. 10 strokes fast to 10 slow....a few times I upped the fast strokes ( 30x), but kept the slower ones at 10 no matter what. It was a nice change of pace.
I then found one of my running buddies and we got on the Arch Trainer next to each other for about 30 minutes. I lost track since we were yapping the whole time! I did not mind the chatting at all today since I had no intention of pushing myself too hard. It was nice to take it easy too. We talked about the upcoming race season and our goals and stuff. After that I did a bit of core work.

Pilates roll ups (10)
Planks on the stability ball ( 20 seconds x 4)
Pilates roll up holding the stability ball (10)]
Leg pushes ( 10/side)
Slow crunches ( 10)

That's all!

For a day that started out with not much motivation, I think I still got a dedcent workout in.

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Friday and Saturday recap

Friday~
I don't think Christmas is an excuse not to workout! If you can fit it in your day without making anybody mad..then do it! I was able to fit in a sweat session while Miles FINALLY napped and Amara was busy with everything!
I was at my in-laws house and they have a nice little gym area set up in their basement. I chose to spend my time on the elliptical doing a nice steady state cardio session with a few hard hills thrown in there every few minutes. I stayed on that thing for an hour. Ugh. I could not go out and run due to the freezing rain! This was the next best thing I guess. It was not so bad.... I had my new iPod and am still trying to figure things out....... I don't like to read instructions!
I figure I burned off calories to equal 7 of the 30 cookies I inhaled--better than nothing!!
Saturday~ So far I am making this my day off. The day is not over, but I am not seeing a workout in my future for today. That's cool though....

Thursday-Long cardio and weights

I was one of the crazies up and at the gym by 5 AM to take the 5:30 AM Power Spin class. It was all about muscle endurance this morning. It was fun! After class I ran on the treadmill for about 2 miles. Running is feeling good again (YAY!).
I did a quick upper body circuit with 30 second rest in between sets:
4x10
Push ups ( various types)
1 Arm Row (20#)
Triceps Ext. ( 20#)

I did straight sets for legs:
3x10
Romanian DL's ( 12lb weights + step)
Walking Lunges ( 12lb weights)
Squats ( 95#)

It went pretty well for going in with no real plan of action. I was not sure how I would feel or what. I felt great though!

Wednesday Spin Day....

Spin day again. Strength ride today.... hills, hills and more hills to climb. It went really well I think. That's really all I got today! I just got back from a whirl wind Christmas shopping trip. It was not that bad. Glad I am almost done... ha ha!

Wednsa

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Part II

The run was nice!! I think it was about 5 miles....and I think I ran it in 45 minutes or so..give or take! I took no splits and left the GPS at home!
The Christmas lights were only sub par in my professional opinion...I was hoping for a better display! It is the prominent part of town for goodness sakes--act like it! HA!
It was about 28* and I was dressed properly for once. It was kind of tricky maneuvering on the icy patches and snow covered holes, but I did pretty good and avoided wiping out.
It was a great turn out too. A lot more people than I expected. It was nice to see my running peeps and its getting me excited for next season to begin!!

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Tuesday-weights-cardio and core

Today I totally had no clue what to do, but sometimes those days I crank out my best workouts!
I started with my weight workout to make sure I got that in without feeling rushed.

3x8 including a warm up set of 10-12 reps

Lat pull down 75#
Leg Ext. machine 65 and 75#
Chest Press machine --??
Glute machine-- 75 and 85#
DB seated shoulder press-- 20#
DB step ups-- 20#

Arch Trainer- 8 minutes
( had to go a meet a client quick to give her something!)
Elliptical- 10 minutes increasing resistance

CORE-
2 sets
Hip Circles Right leg( both directions)
Fire Hydrant lifts
Plank Hold
Repeat on left side

2 sets
5 roll ups
lower body ext.
upper body ext.
full superman's
15 each
5 roll ups

Stretching for about 5 full minutes! ( that's good for me!)
I still plan on running later and will report back after the run.

Monday cardio and stuff

Spin class today. It was a mini pyramid. It was kind of deceptive I think by the description I gave the class....it went over well I think though. I was a sweaty mess by the end of class. I also let them know that next Monday will be a Race Day ride...Oh boy!
Today was also the last class of Totally Toned for the year! It will be a nice break for me as an instructor although many of the participants are not happy with the 2 week hiatus. As an instructor it is VERY easy to get burned out with teaching. It happens. I get through it, but I am still very thankful to have a job I love. I just need a break sometimes.

I am kind of sore from yesterdays gym training. My quads especially. Even when I take just a week off or so from using the squat rack I get super sore. I only lifted 95lbs for squats (3x10) and less (75 lbs) for lunges. I mean it was not easy, but still!
I plan to get to the gym early for lifting and a little bit of carido. There is a group run planned for tomorrow night to tour the ritzy side of the block to look at the extravagant Christmas lights! 4-5 miles I believe...should be fun!

Sunday.....weights and cardio!

Sunday is usually hit or miss with me and the gym. Today it was a hit. I needed it too.
I ran on the treadmill and i did not hate it entirely! I planned on going for 6 miles, but am happy with the 4 I put it. I have to get used to running on it again I guess. The good news is I had my new iPod Shuffle to use today!! Merry Christmas to me! Matt usually gives me my gift early. I am not complaining! It's sweet! After the 4 miles I did a funky weight workout. No rhyme or reason, just needed to lift something!
3 sets of 10:
Bent over flyes
DB Incline chest press
Squats
Lunges
Elliptical intervals for 20 minutes. Hard ones too. I was whooped!

pull ups at home: 5x1 ( yahoo...finally!!) 4x2, 3x1
I was pretty pumped since this was after lifting at the gym.
10 minute pilates abs. It always kills me.
Stretch.
Not too shabby today.

Saturday

I took Friday off.
I was not able to run today ( Boo!), but I got to the gym for a major sweat session. I started on the elliptical for about 25 mintues and then headed to Power Spin. I could only stay for 35 of the 60 minute class because I had to been home. I made the most of my time though. It was a great class even though I had to leave before it was over. I came home and did about 10 minutes of core work on the floor and stretched.
My plan for Sunday is weights and cardio.

I'm Baaack....for now!

Yea, so the Internet was out again last night! Ugh! So far we are back. For now!

Quick wrap up of last week of the things I actually remember.
Last week:
Tuesday: Uuuuh....
Wednesday: Spin and maybe something else...I can't recall. Oh..Totally Toned
Thursday: Spin (sub) Core and Yoga in my living room.
Friday: Canceled Totally Toned due to weather and went to the gym for cardio.
Saturday: 12 mile run! Woohoo..out in the cold. Loved mostly every minute of it too.
Sunday: OFF ( I know this for a fact--Booo!)
This week~
Monday: Spin/Totally Toned
Tuesday: Upper Body super sets ( ouch!!) Spin for 30 minutes.
Wednesday: Spin (AGAIN)
Thursday: Spin... sub. hmmmm

Ok, so it look like I did LOTS of Spin and little of anything else. I have not had time...... I love Spin and everything, but come on! I have slacked on my weight training for sure. Not sure my problem. I need to change up my routine I think. I kind of did with the core only days that included lots of hip stuff, pull-ups, planks and pilate-ab type movements. I was sore for 2 straight days. NICE.

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I'm Baaack!

I have no idea what people did without the Internet! I was without for about a week. Oh man. It sucked!!!
I won't even update my workouts until tomorrow. I have been working out...duh.
I have 3 email accounts and one of them had almost 1300 emails to sift through!!
SO glad to be back. Later!

Tired Tuesday...what the heck is going on with me?!?

Tuesday..... I am still feeling super exhausted for some reason. Maybe it's the weather?!?
I made it to the gym for cardio- cardiokickboxing was crazy. I wore my HR monitor or course and it was up to 177 at one point..woah! I hit the step mill for a quick 10 minutes after class and then called it a day. I planned on going back to hit legs, but just was not feeling it. I think it might be the whole packing the kids up etc. All these layers makes for a longer stay.... or maybe I just needed an excuse to stay home!!
I want to try to do legs tomorrow at some point. I am shooting for after I get Amara from school-- if she has school that is. We are getting dumped on as I type so there is no telling how much snow will be on the ground be morning.

Monday!

It was just a normal day for me today. I woke up extremely tired. I will blame it on the pizza and cookies from last night! That must be it.....
Spin was good. I did an interval profile today... short and long ones. Got a good sweat going on. HR was high too...woo!
Totally Toned was good too. I decided to not go to the gym and lift later on. I might get up and go early tomorrow...maybe. Or I might sleep in.....ahhhhh that sounds like a good choice.

Sunday Slacker....

So yea, no workout for me on Sunday. It started with good intentions, but then those went out the window.

I wanted to run and then I wanted to lift and then I wanted to do kickboxing.....and then Amara and I made Christmas cookies and we all went out for pizza. Ha! Take that workout!!

I snapped a picture of Amara (im) patiently waiting the 5 minutes for the cookies to be done! We had a blast!

Saturday

I was not sure what I was going to do this morning. I almost forgot to pack my shoes ( wore boots to the gym). I decided about 5 minutes before I left that I did NOT want to run on the treadmill or tiny indoor track.
I got on the elliptical machine and read a magazine from cover to cover. I don't know the last time I have done that!
I was not worried or interested in how long, how fast, how slow etc. I did things today. I was on that dang thing for over an hour! HA HA! The time went by very quickly with my magazine and tunes playing in my ears. It was not as boring as I thought it might be. It was a slow and steady pace for most of the duration. I may have pushed it a bit for the last 10 minutes... I think the read out stated that I "traveled" 6.75 miles. If time allows I might run tomorrow. I saw all my running club friends out in the winter wonderland this morning. I wanted to be there too!!! Waaaah!!

Friday!

I am not sure why I get so excited about Friday's......
Anyway....
I made it to the gym even in the 10 inches of snow that fell the night before.
I skipped a formal warm up ( who has the time?!?! ) and went right for those damn pull ups!
I was able to squeak out 2 sets of (practically) 5!! And then 2 sets of 4.
I used the triceps extension machine thing. Not a fan, but it was different and hopefully effective. I ended with some core work.
Spin was at 10 AM. Pretty good class even though it took me longer than normal to warm up and feel like pushing myself. There was plenty opportunity for that so I took advantage when I was good and ready! Overall it was a good class and I finished my upper body from Thursday.
I won't be able to run in the first snowfall of the year tomorrow! I am actually kind of bummed out about that. Oh well. I wonder what I will do......

Thursday

It was another late start today as far as the gym goes. I do much better when I get it out of the way! By late afternoon I am not wanting to go to the gym at all. I started my workout by 4:30 PM.
Upper body today. I skipped pull ups and triceps and WILL do them tomorrow.
3x8

Seated cable row (84#)
Lat pull down wide grip (75#)
SB seated shoulder press (15#) (20# x2 sets) (25# x 1 set)
Push ups 3 sets of different styles....

I had no idea what to do for cardio today.
I jumped on the treadmill for about 3 minutes. I jumped off because it was way too noisy!
My next stop was the step-mill for about 15 minutes of torture. After I was bored with that I hopped on a less noisy treadmill and ran for about 25 minutes. I topped out at a 7 minute mile pace. I called it a day after that. I need to get to the gym in the morning and that is that!

Wednesday Spin Day

Today was my first day taking over the Wednesday Spin class. There was only 1 open bike, and I think it was broken anyway !
It was a pretty good class...I have been borrowing the HR monitor still....I promise I will give it back ( if they notice it's "missing") I am loving it too. My only complaint is that I can't see the stop watch clearly enough during class as well as my HR and calorie burn numbers. There might be a way to at least see the stop watch and HR numbers, but I have not figured it out just yet. Maybe if I read the directions...... so I for sure would recommend this monitor and would buy it for myself ( am hoping somebody reads this and gets it for me for X-Mas)..just sayin'.
Anyways.....lots of hills, sprints and jumps ( which I don't really like!), but it was a nice sweat fest. That was my day! I might run and lift tomorrow...or do kickboxing. I have not decided so I will be back here to report!

Tuesday.. lower body, plyos and cardio. Oh my!

Today was lower body since I punked out last night!
I just did a quick 5 minute bike warm up and quick stretch.

3x10
squat (105#)
Plie squat (95#)
*really went slow and concentrated on form on both squat variations..OUCH!
DB Romanian deadlifts (30#)
Step ups (30#)
I forgot to do my alternating lunges....oooops!

Plyometrics:
Box Jumps 15 reps
Jump switch lunges 15/per leg
Box Jumps 15 reps

Core:
planks 3x30 seconds
sided planks 3x 30 seconds.

Cardio:
Elliptical for 20 minutes.
Easy intervals that pushed my HR for a little bit and then brought it back down.

Short and sweet. I would say like me, but I am tall and not so sweet!

Monday Madness

Today was Race Day in Spin class. I think I should do one at the end of the month from now on...maybe. It went over really well too. It was a packed class with people waiting to get in...it's that time of year! All the folks are coming in from the cold and into the classes now. Fine by me...these people motivate me to put on a good "show"
Totally Toned was in the afternoon. It went well too. I had a great idea of heading back tothe gym to do lower body. Well I got to the gym and sat down on the comfy couches and just sat. For about an hour. Not working out. HA!!
It was fine though. For one I was sore from Sunday. Not only my upper body, but I remembered I added the plyometrics to the end. Duh. Oh, and I just did a race day in Spin class in the morning. Not sure what I was thinking, but I had to stay. I had just dropped the kids off to play in the kid area and could not show up 15 minutes later to take them home. No way. It was nice to put my feet up, head phones in and cell phone in hand to text away and people watch. And oh the people that passed by........ that's a whole other blog entry!

Sunday..let the new schedule begin!

I started my new schedule today. I plan on hitting upper body 2 days a week and lower 1 day a week and then next week will be the opposite...lower 2x and upper 1x. We will see how that goes. I think I will like it and it should go by faster than my usual full body.
I also plan on doing a quick core workout and plyos at the end. I am pretty sore from the hills and mileage of yesterday. I knew I would be though. Yipee! I might be getting exited for the official running season to start up again (Jan. 2010). I hope to set some big PR's this season.......I don't like to say that out loud. Shhhhhh!

So today looked like this:
3x10 with 45 second rest in between sets.

lat pull down ( 75#)
Shoulder press ( 15#)
push ups
Up right rows ( 30 and 40# BB)
Triceps Bench Dips
1-arm rows (25#)

Plyometrics:
Jump squats - 15
Lunge jumps 10/leg
Jump squats- 15

Core:
Plank holds 3x30 seconds

Elliptical for 25 minutes. I kept my HR low....it was under 155 the whole time. I have a race day spin class planned for tomorrow so I tried to be smart and not to push my limits today.

Saturday Long Run and birth stories...

I am not sure if I missed running or not, or taught one too many Spin classes this week! Either way, I choose running over Spin today.

We ran 10 miles. 10 hilly miles I might add. Our pace was just over 9 minutes. Totally fine with that. It's usually slower than that! ha.... but as I always say this is a not a race. I don't see the need to do super fast miles for my long runs. I save my 7 minute miles for race day. Sometimes I like to go hard or faster for my long runs..but not often! Maybe if somebody was paying me to run....

Anyways...it was pretty chilly out this morning. A brisk 29 degrees when we started. So naturally my hands were frozen solid by mile 4. Love that. Ouch. I could barely move my hands to hold my cup of Gatorade. Can't wait until it's actually COLD out. I ordered new gloves that are supposedly the best of the best, but we will see. People are always recommend gloves for me, but they have NO IDEA.

The 10 miles was good though. I met a new friend and ran with people that I know, but don't normally run with so it was good to talk to "new" people. Somehow we got on the subject of childbirth and exercising while pregnant etc. So of course I had to retell my trauma/drama of Miles ( remember? He was a few oz. shy of 11 lbs. for a non c section birth). Most of the girls listening were young with no kids. I think I scared them. They cannot understand how someone so fit and little ( their words, NOT mine), could get so huge and have a huge baby. I told them to believe it! What they really can't believe is that I would do it all over again in a heartbeat and want to! I ain't scared!!

Anyway..it's always a fun story to share with unsuspecting people. I only tell that story when asked--usually! This made the last 3 miles of hills go by fast since I was doing most of the talking for once. I think my hands even thawed out naturally too. It was a great day for a run!

Friday Happy Hour Spin

I slept in until 9am today!! Not sure the last time that happened. It may have been the food induced food coma I had...maybe?!?!
I knew I was to teach Spin later in the day, but thought i might get to the gym for some weights. Did not happen.
I was still not feeling the want to workout later either. I had to though, because it's my job.
The class was a bit more than half full with a lot of new faces. I felt I was kind of tuned out for the first 10 minutes or so, but then I found my groove and it turned out to be a great session. WHEW. It was just what I needed.
Short and sweet cardio day.
Guess what? I am running tomorrow morning!!

Thursday Power Spin + Wish List Wendesday (a day late)

I was up and at the gym by 5 AM for the power spin. People were there before 5 AM to ensure they were able to get a bike. Man, it must have sucked for most of them as they did not get a bike. I got mine!! Sorry people. I am here for the same reason you are too.

Anyway.....

The class was speed drills. Kind of a love to hate kind of class. Super duper calorie burn for the impending pies and sides of the day, but it's also great for the sport of cycling. It was a great lactic acid inducer as well as leg endurance. Whew. It was rough at times. I borrowed a heart rate monitor again. I miss mine. It's busted! My HR got as high as 178 at times and when I was not working that hard..it was only at 154. Yea, so it was a great class for my heart as well!

We started off with 1 minute long semi " sprints" with a 30 second recovery..oh- we did 15 of those. UGH! Loved it though. I really pushed myself this morning and am glad I did. Not because I am afraid of Thanksgiving dinner and treats..that's lame. Eat and be thankful for goodness sake! After the sprints we had a nice gradual hill for 5 minutes and then it was off for more fun. Hill sprints, endurance runs, add the resistance etc. You name it we did it. The music was great which is so important.

I never added a wish list Wednesday so there it is! The Polar F 11. I loved having my HR monitor. I was sad when it busted! I love having immediate feedback. I think I get a little obsessive with it at times, but that's just how I operate. This watch is simple enough that I figured out how it works without the silly 10 page directions that make it more confusing if you ask me. You just plug in all your info and it's ready to go! It shows HR numbers or percentage, calories burned and tons more stuff that I might not ever use, but would try! I even like it in the Pink Fizz color. My last monitor was blue and gray and my GPS crappy watch now is black. I think it's time to add more pizazz to my accessories......

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had to go back into the archives for some of these! It's so funny to look back in time over that past few years through pictures! My kids were so small!! Matt and I looked so tired and young! Ha!

I threw the Figure Comp. picture in there because it was 5 days before Thanksgiving and probably oooh 6 days before I became pregnant with Miles!

I am thankful for my health and the health of my family! Do not ever take it for granted.

Tired.....but got it done!

Well I was still tired from last night's Race Day spin class.
I went to the gym with good intentions though.
I did a 5 minute warm up on the treadmill and then started with weights.
Unassisted pull ups 2x5
2x10
All machines next (yuck)
shoulder press
lat pull down
chest press
DB triceps ext.

I then went and did 5 minutes on the elliptical. Very fast paced with a decent amount of resistance. Lower body weights followed.

Barbell squats 125# today! 4x8
DB. Alt. Fwd Lunges 2x8 ( 25# each hand)
SLDL 2x8 ( 25# each)

I ended with 10 minutes on the elliptical at a fast pace.
I planned on going back to the gym to run a few miles, but then changed my mind. I am so out of running mode for some reason. No turkey trot for me either. I will be up and at it for the 5:30 AM power hour long spin though!

I am not sure if I mentioned that after I taught my class on Monday my clip-in shoes got stuck in the clips! Both of them! It was really funny. I need new screws or something in my shoes.
Anyway........eat lots tomorrow. I know I am!

Late start....

Today was a weird day. Well not really. I did not make it to he gym until after 5pm.
Miles decided to take at least 60 minutes to eat half a waffle and 4 orange segments this morning and I was not going to give in. I am a Taurus. I am bull. Hear me roar. So I missed out on the class that I wanted to take. Oh well. There was a 5:30 pm spin class that I decided to take. It was with a great instructor and guess what? It was a Race Day. OY! It was a very simple format ( pretty sure I will use it for my Monday Race Day). It was really fun and challenging and all that good stuff. I actually had it in my head that I might tack on another 15 minutes of cardio. Ha. Nope. I was out of there with the quickness. That's how a race day should make you feel. As if you just participated in a race( hence the name!)
If I would have had anything left, then shame on me for slacking during class!
I had plans to spin in the morning, but I am not so sure i will even be recovered by then. We shall see. I must go drink some water since I left most of my bodily fluids under my bike. It was a hot one.

Monday Madness

Spin class was packed today. The big industrial fan is still busted. It was mighty hot in the room today. It had to be the day I decided to do some crazy speed drills too. I think the class enjoyed the ride....clapping and good comments after class is usually a good sign.
I planned on going back to the gym to lift weights. I did just that. It was not my normal full body routine by any stretch of the imagination either. that's ok though...I did a small circuit using some weight machines ( which I hate!). But I know it is good for me to change things up and I will probably be sore tomorrow due to the change so I will welcome that. I feel I push harder and get a more balanced workout when using dumbbells and barbells. Might be a myth, but I like how it sounds!

My first circuit was:
3x10
Lat pull downs
push ups
DB shoulder press
Bicep curls

My second circuit was:
3x10
Alternating Fwd. lunges on the BOSU
Leg Ext.
Lying ham curl
Squats on BOSU

That's it!
It went by so fast too....I might do another one like this later in the week and then come up with a new full body routine to start after Thanksgiving.

After that I hopped on the elliptical for no particular reason other than to read Fit Pregnancy ( probably started some rumors tonight) and to listen to my music.
So that's what I did for a quick 20 minute stint on the thing.
I need to stretch and do yoga. I have REALLY slacked on this one.
New Year's Resolution maybe??? I can start it early.....

Sunday Slacker....

I took Sunday off completely. Not by choice, but life happens ya know?!?
The GOOD news is I spent some time with my newest niece Sophie!! I love me some babies!!
She is soo cute and tiny and perfect.
Time off is good especially when you are doing something like spending time with family.

Friday and Saturday recap

Friday- It started off great. I got up nice and early and made it to the gym. 1 mile warm up on the recumbent bike. Hit the weights hard for a full body. I was only able to eek out 1x3 of unassisted pull ups and 1x4.5. Poop! I tried too. Oh well....I will get there. My goal is 3x5 by year's end.
I ended with 15 minutes on the step-mill and then called it a day.
My plan was to get to the 10am Spin class. I heard I missed a good one too! Dang. I was tired. My body was not tired, just my brain I think!!
So I set my sights on the 5:30 PM Happy Hour spin. Nope. Onto Zumba at 6:30 PM....NOPE!
Not sure what my problem was, but so glad Friday is over!
Saturday- Power Spin at 7:45 AM for one hour. Awesome class this morning. Sprints, climbs and endurance runs. Loved it. I will be borrowing some of these ideas for my future classes. Afterwards I did the elliptical for 20 minutes and walked on an incline for 10 minutes. The only reason I did the "extra" was because I had my babysitter until 10 AM...I have to take advantage of that!!!

I forgot to mention that after the completion of my 24 Day Challenge I dropped 6.5 lbs total. I am really happy with the results as most of the fat was on my abs. Ugh. But anyhow. It's gone now! It got my eating habits back to where they should be...I know my body responds best to a bit more protein and fat and less refined carbs!

No running today. I am still in mourning over the finality of no Boston Marathon! I am kidding ( mostly). But I can take it easy on the mileage knowing that my BIG RACE is not until May of 2010. So I can chill out until January for the most part. I am still undecided about the Turkey Trot still. There is a 5:30 AM Power Spin that I want to go to. Of course I can always do Spin at 5:30 AM and then race at 8 AM.....does not sound too smart though. I will decide soon...I think.

Thursday!

I thought about getting up early to hit the weights, but then picked sleep instead!I love my sleep.
I did make it to the early step-class though. It was great as usual. I usually duck out early to skip the abs segment to eitherd o my own or get some extra cardio in.
I choose cardio today. I ran on the treadmill for exactly 15 minutes. I can't remember my ending pace, but I did top out at 9 miles an hour. Ugh. I figure I need to get my legs used to running fast again before the Turkey Trot in exactly one week! It will be a 5k and I hope I am not trotting!
So now I must get myself out of bed early tomorrow to hit the weights and then probably head back for the 10am Spin class.

Wednesday/Spin/Boston Marathon

I think it's safe to post up already! I have no plans of doing anymore exercise today!
I made it to the gym for a spin session....the fan was BUSTED! Man, I think I take that big industrial fan for granted. I was a mess!! It's a lot easier to push myself even harder when there is a slight breeze! I pushed hard today, but there was a nice puddle of sweat underneath the bike..(gross). It was a good class though.
In 2 weeks it will be MY class! My boss ( the instructor) just asked me today and I said sure.
I am there practically every Wednesday as it is so why not get paid to teach it?!?! No brainer if ya ask me!
SO that's my day today...

Ohhhhhh....on another note
I was told today that registration for The Boston Marathon is CLOSED!!! Not that I was going to run it, but still. It makes it more final now.... OK..I have to go and cry now!

Cardio-overload and loving it...DUH

Well as the title might suggest I went a bit nut-so on the cardio today. I am a bit stressed and workouts in general seem to take it away even for just a little bit.
I started the morning with the kick butt killer cardio kickboxing class I LOVE. Awesome as usual, I even broke it down( get low low low...) and sang opera when asked to do so....yea stress will do that do a gal!
After getting my girl off to school I actually did 20 whole minutes of a Power Yoga workout!! Go me! It felt great and I find that for at home workouts--20 minutes is all I can do!
I decided to go back to the gym after getting the girl from school. I had no plan in mind, but ended up doing 15 minutes of the stepper ( loathe this machine), 15 minutes of the Stair mill ( love/hate relationship) and 15 minutes on the elliptical ( I love you!). All cardio was some sort of interval..long, short, medium..you name it; I did it. It felt really good to zone out to my music tonight! Stress and anxiety reared it's FUGLY head and I am doing well at beating it up! Might as well torch a few HUNDRED calories in the process. I guess it's better than eating them!??! Well, if I had a box of Hot Tamales in front of me next to the elliptical I a not sure what I would choose. Let's just hope that never happens--EVER!

Monday...I'm baaaaack!

Today was a great day in terms of my workouts.

Spin was at 10am..I taught it pyramid style while having the last pyramid climb Race Day Style. The "Race Day" portion was only about 15 minutes, but TOUGH. The class loved it and requested a full Race Day format soon. I will do that after Thanksgiving I think. As soon as I catch my breath.....

Totally Toned was at noon. Pretty good class.

I went back to the gym for my Full Body session.

It went mostly well. I went to my gym ( the one I instruct at) and was surprised at how busy it was. After doing a quick 5 minute incline walk warm up I headed to the squat rack to get those over with and before it got occupied. I did 3 sets of 8 topping out 125#..I think I will go heavier next time as I felt really strong during these. I don't even know any of my PR's for lifts because I never write anything down...maybe I should start. The rest of the workout was fine, but it was so busy that some of the weights I needed were not there! That makes me so annoyed. It either forces me to lift heavier then planned ( Arnold presses at 20#) or lighter than I want ( lateral raises at 10#). The 15# had all but vanished--must be a popular poundage! It's funny how I don't want anyone to see me lifting those baby weights at such low reps!

I am also going to advise my single friends to get to the gym pronto--total meat market. Holy smokes!

Sunday Slacker....ahhhhh feels good too!

Today I slacked. That's 2 whole days off in 7 days. Totally normal for someone else, but not this chick. I feel great though. It was a long weekend. I had an awesome run yesterday, not to mention a great week of workouts. No big deal. I planned on going to the gym for a full body workout and cardio. A dear friend called and wanted to meet up at a nearby park for a play-date. There won't be many more nice days as there were today so I felt I had to take advantage. We went to the park and played Duck Duck Goose and a bunch of made of games. I guess I was kind of active--running around with a 5 year old and (2) 2 year olds! It was a lot of fun.
I also racked 4 piles of leaves....I only have about 94 to go!!
All in all it was a great day!

The hills are alive for 10

I set out today to do at least around 8 miles. Well I did 10. I felt fine though so I am OK with it!
I do not like to run alone and my buddies were going for 9, but then well, ,we did 10. It was a rolling hill kind of thing going on. It took me more than my usual 1 mile to warm up due to the hills.
It was a good run though. I am glad my buddies were there to push me along the course! We kept a perfect 9:00 mile pace. It felt nice and comfortable.
The weather was awesome which always makes for a great run. Sun was shining, minimal wind and great company too!

Friday Fitness Fun!

Today was a nice gym day. I used the treadmill to walk for 10 minutes on an incline, run an 8:20 mile and walked on an incline again. I was on it for exactly 30 minutes ( I am anal that way).
Spin class was up next. It was a fun class. He called it "Guitar Hero" class. I have never played the game let alone even seen it being played, but I think he was impressed that I at least knew more than half of the bands he chose for the spin journey. Granted, I did not know any of the "guitar heroes", but I know my bands!! I may have enjoyed the music better than the actual ride! It was a good class though, perhaps I just did not push myself as much as i could have. Although, I was a sweaty mess and out of breath a lot. I must have been distracted by the tunes!
After that I taught Totally Toned. I walked around more today than usual. I am sore/stiff from my workout yesterday. It's been a while since I lifted my legs heavy and I can tell today. Especially my inner thighs which never are sore. Thanks to the sumo squats in the squat rack for that!! Love it!
My lats are sore too, I will guess from my pull ups!
I am getting ready for my longish run tomorrow. I guess I am running the Turkey Trot this Thanksgiving. I guess!

Thursday again..and copy cats at the gym

Sooo, I went back to the gym for a cardio kickboxing class. My favorite class that I have been missing for a bit. I had to. It was fun too so I am glad I did.

I forgot to mention in an earlier post about this woman at the gym. I swear she has been copying my workouts in the gym! I know it might be a coincidence, but it has happened more than once (twice that I noticed). I saw her watching me last week and she proceeded to do the next 3 exercises that I did all in the same order too. Hmmmm. It happened again today. It was a different workout then the one she copied the last time too. I only notice because the weight room is not that big and there were 2 other women besides myself and I know we all checking each other out! Copy cat! Maybe I should be flattered, but I'm not yet! I think because it's so obvious. I see you lady! Maybe next week I will something really crazy and she if she does it. Any ideas on what I should do??

Thursday...rocked it.

My daughter had the day off today! That meant I could take my time and NOT rush through my workout at the gym. Love that. Oh and the kids LOVE to be there for longer than 45 minutes! Amara would actually cry when it was time to leave the gym play area!

I started with a nice 1 mile run on the treadmill. It was about a 8:15 mile or so. It felt good. I almost ran 2, but had to go potty-ha!

I did a nice full body workout with heavier weights today-- 3 sets of 8 reps!

I did 2 sets of 5 unassisted pull ups and 1 set of 4.5!! I am on my way! Feeling great and feeling strong!

BB squats

1 arm rows

BB stiff leg deads

biceps curl

BB sumo squats

shoulder press

lunges

Felt awesome!!!

I finished with a 10 minute RUN on that stupid, dreadful Step-Mill!! Topped out at level 16. Holy cow I love/hate that beast!

Wish List Wednesday!

Boston Marathon 2010

All expense paid trip(for 2-- haha)!!

That's what I want!

Waaah!

The good thing is I am eligible to run it in 2011 since i won't be doing it in 2010.

The bad news is, who knows if I will want to. I am motivated to do it in 2010--dang it!

Wonderful Wednesday--I got my cardio fix.

No more Y Power X!! Today's last class was a good one.
Over and out.
I was able to get in a short but effective cardio session. I hopped on the upright bike and did a quick 3 minute warm up ( since I was already warm from teaching class) and did 17 minutes of intervals at a 20:40 ratio. I also did steady state on the elliptical for 15 minutes --My goal was to keep a higher heart rate ( in the 150's and beyond) the entire time and too keep the resolutions at 185 or higher. Done. It was hard. Loved it.
I might go back later tonight to lift weights and get my 2nd session out of the way. It depends on how I feel.
So far I have not reached my goal of yoga last week or this week. Booo! I am stretching more on my own, but I really need YOGA!

Tuesday..Rest Day!!

Well today was a day off for me. I feel kind of sluggish for not doing anything physically intentional, but I made the choice to skip out on today-well kind of!
Baby boy slept in pat 8am which is not normal. So after he was fed and changed it was close to 9am already. The class I like to take at the gym starts at 9:30am so we would not be there on time. I am already rushing to leave the gym before 11am ( to get the girl fed and off to school on time), so I decided not to go.
The only other time I could go to the gym was after 6pm. My daughter had parent teacher conference tonight. By the time I got home and settled it was close to 7pm. I have to get up all early on Wednesday for my LAST Y Power X class!! Yahoo!!
So anyway..that's my excuse as to why I slacked today!

Monday Madness

This will be my last hectic Monday for a while! So happy about that.
I am glad I have a job that I LOVE, but sometimes a girl needs a break!!
Y power X was first up...Plyometrics today! I really stuck to format today with not a lot of rest periods as I have given in the past. It's the last week and last day of Plyo's so I wanted them to see how far they have come! They did really well. It was noticeable harder, but they were a lot stronger than they were 8 weeks ago at this..that's for sure. Mission Accomplished!

Next was Spin. Today's class was at capacity!! Woo Hoo! Good thing I taught a n awesome class...haha. It was chock full of sprints. A lot. I normally limit it to just a few--but not today!
It was great though. The class did really well from what I could tell. I was a bit more vocal then usual because I did not want to lose them! I was sure to give long recoveries between sprints so they could really push themselves to their full potential. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

The third and final class of the day was Totally Toned. Lots of reps today. The class was moaning......MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

I am glad my exhausting day is over. Now I get to do it all over again tomorrow!
ha..not really. I can do my OWN thing tomorrow! Yahooo!!

Sunday.....weights and cardio!

I can't believe today is Sunday. The end of fun! :(
It's also 70 degrees outside...in November! Is it global warming or typical Michigan?!?! Probably a bit of both. Unfortunately I was not able to get out in this awesomeness and run! Boo! It's hunting season and Matt had the morning in a tree stand. My running friends ran at 9am.
Anyways....I was able to get to the gym not really wanting to do any cardio! What the heck?!?!
I started with a 10 minute warm up on the recumbent bike and then went onto my full body weight workout. I am still sore from Friday! I did 2 sets of 15 reps today. Light weights.
I then felt the cardio junky take over. I hopped on the elliptical for about 15 minutes. I did not put forth much effort until the last half. I then went on the up right bike and did 12 minutes of intervals. 20 seconds hard and 40 seconds to recover. It was pretty grueling. I like when I get my act together and push myself!

Saturday Long Run

Good morning!
Let me first start by saying I was talking crap about my 30# not being heavy yesterday...well I was wrong!! It did not seem too challenging at the time, but when I woke up this morning my back was telling me something different!! OUCH...in a good way though!

So on to today's LONG run. 7 miles baby!! It felt great. I am sure 6 miles would have been fine and a smarter distance at this time, but at 3 miles out we felt so great we decided to extend it .5 longer before turning back.

It was very warm on the way out too. I was roasting ( except for my hands and I had gloves on!). But on the way back the wind was in our faces and made it a bit more challenging, but at least I was not hot.

After the run I went to the farmer's market to stock up on some pizza crusts and veggies!
What a great Saturday morning!

It's Friday!

I figured I should probably lay low on the cardio today since Extreme Spinning was not completed until after 8pm. I did 20 minutes of 30:30 elliptical intervals. Short and sweet, but effective!
I followed up with my full body weight workout that include 3 set of pull ups in the beginning. I did 4.5 for all sets. I will be at 5 unassisted before he year is over..MARK MY WORDS!!! I have some work to do. Matt put the pull up bar in the house ( finally..he he) so I better start using it consistently again.
I also did squats, 1 arm rows, dead lifts, shoulder press, biceps curls and incline chest press. All ( except pull ups) were for 3 sets of 8 reps. For most of the exercises I went up with poundage with each set. I am still easing my way up to lifting heavier. I got a few looks when I busted out my pull ups and also when I used 30# for my 1 arm rows....that really was not that heavy guys!! Ha ha. I rounded out the workout with an easy 10 minute incline walk on the treadmill.
I am happy to announce that I will be running tomorrow!! Wooohoo!
Wish me luck...

Thursday

Today was a good day. I got my cardio fix in. I made it to my girls step class mostly on time!
It was a last minute kind of thing as I decided that I was not wanting to lift weights today. I did this even though I KNEW that I was to teach Extreme Spinning at 6:30pm. It was over 12 hours between workouts so that OK--right?!?!
Anyway--Extreme Spinning is 90 minutes and today was a race day. My very first one ( teaching) and I have been teaching spin for 7 years! So I figured it was about time!
It was a pretty awesome class. After the warm up the race day heart rates were held between 80%-92% of max heart rate for 70 minutes! Woah. At times I felt light headed ( not often!), but that is how it feels to physically exert yourself during a race. It was nuts. I used lots of fast paced music with driving beats ( went back in the archives!) that the class appreciated.
I won't be teaching this class next time around. Matt's basketball games start up again. That's OK with me though. I might burn out on Spinning if I had to continue and I don't want to do that.

Wednesday

Y Power X was this morning...legs and back! Lots of lunges and pull ups. It was a good one.

Before that though....I ran 3.5 miles today! Woohoo. It was indoors on the treadmill, but it felt great and I wished I could have run longer, but I had to go teach! Booo!

Totally Toned was at noon. The class is so full ( 12-15) that I can only do part of the workout as I am walking around the room correcting form and whatnot. That's ok-safety first and I would rather do my own workout anyway! I asked that they cap the class at 10 people, but I know it's hard to turn people away......it just gets crowded.
I thought about going back to the gym to get my cardio fix, but I refrained. I am getting ready to teach my 90 minute race day spin tomorrow night. It should be fun, but I still have to plan it. I work better under pressure ( I think so anyway), so I might work on it tonight or at least tomorrow afternoon!

Herbal Cleanse: Day 6-10

I have not been posting about this because there is nothing really new to say!
It has been going really well. I forgot to weigh in for the past few days so I will do that tomorrow morning. I also start a 14 day metabolic nutrition system tomorrow as well.
I might as well fess up. I am now a distributor for a sports nutrition company and I am using their products so I can at least know what the heck I am talking about..and to know if I still want to sell them! So far so good.
If you want to know more..just email me at: OnTheSpotHealth@gmail.com
The 10 days was pretty painless.

Monday and Tuesday Recap

Monday
I had my usual busy Monday...Y Power X, Spin and Totally Toned!
This day exhausts me and I will be happy when Y Power X is over and out. It does not help that I was up way too late with an allergy attack!!
Spin was awesome!!

Tuesday
Due to missing weights on Sunday ( and Monday for that matter!) I went to the gym with the intention of getting my full body weights out of the way. I first decided on doing a quick 20 minute session of intervals. I the dang Step-Mill. The rotating steps of doom. It always kicks my butt. Today was no different. After a 5 minute warm up on Level 8, I proceeded to do 30:30 intervals.... first at level 8 to 10. I increased the "work" period every few minutes until I was up to level 13 and the topped out at 14 for the last 50 seconds. Yes, I said 50 seconds and not 60. Couldn't ( or chose not to) do it. I was avoiding the risk of FALLING down the steps!
After that I went and did my full body weights session.
I also went back to the gym later that day. I normally don't, but felt the need to finish my cardio session from earlier. My main goal was to strength train and I did, but since I am a cardioaholic I felt the need. I kept it short and simple this time around. 20 minutes at a faster steady pace on the elliptical and an incline walk on the treadmill.
What I have not done this week is core or yoga. I need to try and fit both in or at least yoga!

Sunday.....

I took a forced day off today! Booooo! Oh well, things happen and I just have to adjust even if I don't want to.
I was going to do some intervals; probably on the treadmill and step-mill plus full body weight workout.
The question is do I go to the gym today even though I am tired out of my mind or do I try and do it tomorrow and skip out on cardio again??? I will report back later on that.

Herbal Cleanse: Day 5

Not much to report.....things are still going GREAT and I still feel GREAT!!
No drop in pounds, but that's just fine by me.
Half way mark--5 more days!

Saturday workouts and Boston on my mind.

Today was the 60 minute spin class. It was a great one too. Endurance + lactic acid bur class she called it. She was right! What you do it take it to a level that is challenging, but not impossible and keep it there for a certain amount of time. The longest was about 2 minutes which was long enough! Doing this for 60 minutes is tough, but I know how good it is for me. Especially since I take some time off form running long runs ( or at all), things will really help my cardiovascular fitness and leg endurance.

I am still figuring out the whole Boston Marathon thing! I am in need of a sponsor, but not sure how to go about it and quickly!!
I would loooooove to run Boston in 2010, but don't have the means to be able to do it. I knew this going into trying to qualify, but did it anyway and am not regretting it, but still...I want to run Boston dammit! I know that I can do it in 2011 ( save $$ now etc.) but I am not sure where my life will be at the time. I know i will be free this April though!
So if anyone has any thoughts or ideas on how to get FAST sponsorship(s)--please email me:
OnTheSpotHealth@gmail.com

Friday--I ran today..a whole mile!!

I was not sure I would be able to make it to the gym on Friday, but I did!
I was able to take a friends kickboxing class. It was lots of fun too. I left when the strength training section started so I could get in a bit more cardio.
I ran!! I ran a whole mile and did it in a little over 7 minutes!! I'm baaaaack!
It felt really good too even though it was on the indoor track. I did not even plan to run. I just went for it since I did not have much more time to spend at the gym.
I will see how my schedule is for next week and try and get some more running in. Yay!

Totally Toned was at noon and that was my day!

Herbal Cleanse: Day 4

So today I woke up 5 lbs down. I was/am surprised about that. Happy, but not expecting it at all. I'll take it though!
6 more days!

Thursday..day off..kind of.

Today I did full body workout #2 for the week.
I did it circuit style and got done in 25 minutes or so. I did this circuit 3 times:

Un-assited pull ups ( I did 4 every set.) It has been w while since I tried too. I will get 5 full ones soon!!

12/10/8 rep scheme with increasing weight
Squats
1 arm row
Dead lifts
seated shoulder press
Lunge with rear leg lift
Seated biceps curls
It felt really great to lift a bit heavier again. I will go heavier next week.

I decided to take the day off from cardio...that equates to a 20 minutes treadmill hill walk! That is totally a day off for me though. I needed it.

Herbal Cleanse: Day 3

I forgot to post last night!
Not much to post that has not been posted already about it though.
Day 3 went well. I had an awesome dinner! Baked salmon and green beans. I snuck some of the Thai Lime Rice Pilaf the others had and it was AMAZING! I will be eating it for lunch though for my complex carb.
I will say that I still feel great. The morning of day 4 I am 5 lbs. down. Not too shabby.

Wednesday

Y Power X at 6 am
Spin at 10 am
Totally Toned at 12 pm
Jam packed day again...today I taught the same classes as on Monday. I filled in for the Spin instructor today. It was a super class. I actually found some old notes and changed a few things about the ride. It was nice not to have to make up a whole class this morning. All I did was pick out some new tunes. There was not an empty bike in site. My Monday class is rarely at capacity! ha-ha....but there were quite a few faces that I have never seen before and 3 people wanted to know what other days and times I taught...so I guess that helps!
I hope to at least get my second lifting session in tomorrow. I might skip out on the cardio ( probably not-I am a cardio junky).

Herbal Cleanse: Day 2

The herbal cleanse is going well. I like it so far and really do have enough energy to get through the day. I was mostly worried about that.
I checked and I am "down" a little over a pound from yesterday morning. So whatever. ha.
8 more days left..let's see if I can make it!
I am a vegetable eating fool! It makes me realize how little I was eating before this when I thought I was eating enough. I guess not. Hopefully it will be another new habit I pick up from the cleanse.

Yoga and Cardio Tuesday.

I did yoga today!
I suck at it. I have said it before, but I am actually certified to instruct it. I just have not in almost 6 years and I can tell.
It hurts to do it. This lady had hold those darn downward dogs forever! It's good for me and I am going to try very hard to practice it in a class setting once a week if not more.
Before yoga I did a very easy 20 minutes on the elliptical trainer.
I hit the gym up again a few hours later for cardio kickboxing class. I walked on an incline for about 20 minutes before class too.
Class was fun- it never disappoints.
Good day today!

Herbal Cleanse: Day 1

I started my 10 day herbal cleanse today.
So far so good. I was a bit scared to do it, but I am sure I will be just fine!
I had to drink the fiber drink this morning which was interesting. It was kind of like drinking not so strong creamy orange juice with the pulp. I am not sure if you can imagine that, but it was not terribly gross. It was not something I would crave, but whatever. I can do it.
I still eat food which is a good thing. I have herd of cleanses that you barely eat. I do not feel hungry either. I have had lots of raw veggies and I will have some more fruit for a snack later tonight.
So far so good......

Monday!

Today was core day in Y Power X. Good I needed it!
It was a great session. The ONE person that showed up told me so! Too bad for the others-- they really missed out!
After that I taught Spinning at 10am. I did a sort of repeating loop...sort of. 19 minutes of hills and a few fast runs rounded out the class. I threw in some resisted endurance flats for fun.
My last class of the day was Totally Toned at noon. It starts a new 8 week session today and I had a few new faces. I did not plan a class because I was unsure of how many people would show up. I did a lot of reps which is not a usual thing for me. It was a good change of pace I thought. Sometimes I can get stuck teaching a certain way and it's nice to change it up every now and then. I am sure a few people noticed, but most don't even pay attention!
I forgot to mention how sore I am today! Mostly my chest and quads just a little bit. I am glad I did not lift heavy yesterday, but I did not think I would hurt this bad today! Hurts so good...
I am on track to do cardio and yoga tomorrow..I hope I get out of bed for yoga!

Sunday..let the new schdule begin!

I made it to the gym today for my first structured full body session in a while.
It was pretty low key for me. I did about 10 exercises i think ( I left the workout in my car ad don't want to go get it!) but I was smart and did not use my super heavy weights..as much as it sucked! I want to be smart about starting up again. I did add a bit of core at the end. I only did planks, but those always kick me in the rear when I slack on them for so long. I did a 20 second, 30 second, 45 and 1 minute and did 2 sets. This was harder then the weight workout I did!
It was all good though.
After that I took a 50 minute cardio kick boxing class. It's always awesome. The instructor is intense but loads of fun. She makes you want to work hard. I hope that is the vibe I give off in my classes!
So tomorrow starts Day 1 of my back on the wagon eating habits.
I just got back from the grocery store and loaded up of lots of good eats.
Tomorrow is actually the start of a 10 day cleanse I am doing. Kind of excited about it. Kind of not. I have never done one before, but I can't eat dairy on this particular cleanse. Boooo! Cottage cheese is just kind of a staple in MY LIFE!! But I will get through it. Oh, and no Halloween candy for me either. I am not mad about that. Even though I am a bit of a candy whore, but I don't need it so whatever!

"Off Season" Plan

I will just say I am off season for the time being. I am not sure what is in store for Boston. I am not sure I will be running it. I have to figure it out very very soon though. So with that being said here is my new weekly workout. It allows for TONS of flexibility as to each day might hold some surprises. With 2 small kids and hunting season here I have to be flexible!

Sunday:
Full Body training
Cardio

Monday:
Spin

Tuesday:
Yoga OR
Full Body training
Run OR
other cardio

Wednesday:
Cardio OR
Off OR
Yoga or Pilates

Thursday:
Yoga OR
Full Body training
Cardio Or
Running

Friday:
Spin or Kbox

Saturday:
Power Spin OR
Long run

So as you can see that looks like a lot, but with all the OR's included it's a normal load for me!
My plan is to get in 2 full body trainings a week as well as at least 1 yoga session and a possible pilates class. I am incorporating core in my full body trainings already, but I know how much good an actual class did for me. Lots of good! My babies did a number on my core. Have I mentioned that Miles was 10 lbs. 10 oz.? I forget if I ever said that ( ha ha!)
I am trying to take more group exercise classes and run less until I know for sure about Boston. I love running, but I am so paranoid about getting injured that I never run all the time. Even this season I only ran 3 times a week which is not a lot considering. The break from running always does me good. It makes me miss it. I was so over running about 3 weeks before the marathon! I think that is normal though. I was at my peek so that means the coach did his job!

Saturday

I think I am back to normal!
I took the Power Spin class this morning and did it at 90% capacity! I am sure I could have gone 100%, but just want to be sure.....
It was a fun yet challenging class. Lots of endurance type runs with a few tough hill climbs. Loved it! I got a round of applause from the class for qualifying for Boston too. Pretty cool. Some good looking guy/stranger ( he actually reminded me of my good looking husband!) came and shook my hand after class and said he was proud of me! Totally random, flattering and weird all at the same time!
That's my Saturday! I am looking forward to starting fresh on Monday!
That includes eating like an athlete again and not like some crazed animal!

Friday......

Today I did a spin class and was able to push myself a lot more than I did on Wednesday's effort. Like a lot more. It felt great and I can't wait to get back on with my workouts next week.
We did 3 hill climbs today-- a 5 minute, 7 and 9 minute hills today. Steady long runs in between and a few jumps and sprints. It made for a well rounded class. I even didn't mind the 2 Phil Collins ( Genesis?) songs she played. Her music choices are not always something I would choose, but today was one of her better ones as few as music goes!
Depending on what Matt does tomorrow morning ( to hunt or not to hunt) I plan on Spinning for an hour. I plan on stretching afterwards too.
I taught Totally Toned again today and this will be the last time for a while that i just sit on the sidelines watching. I really want to recover fully before diving back in. My class is awesome and don't seem to mind too much ( I hope). I still give them a great workout--sometimes I think it's better when I can observe and walk around more checking form and giving more direction. That's my opinion anyway!

Kicboxing to recover???

I thought i might make it to the gym early thins morning with the kids, but Miles decided to sleep in past 9am! I thought he was sick since he gets up at 7:15 am everyday. I think he is teething and or growing. So we missed the gym this morning.
I was not sure if I would go later in the evening, but I ended up going to my favorite 5:30 pm cardio kickboxing class.
I noticed that I was not going all out during class. I probably still need more recovery. Oh well. I still consider this class my recovery even though it can be really intense ( between every song * there are 6* we were instructed to do 20 jump squats-OY!) That's the kind of recovery I am talking about! Ha....
I stretched for about 5-8 minutes after class and called it a day. The instructor noticed I have been MIA for a few weeks ( or was it months?!?!). I told her I had been training for the GR Marathon (again..pay attention people). I told her I would be back for a few weeks so I would please like to have my front row spot back!
I might try to spin tomorrow morning if Miles decides to get up at a decent our!

Recovering Wednesday.......

I might be almost back to my normal self. I took it easy in my 6am class. It was push up, shoulder and triceps day. I did a lot of observing! The class is a lot stronger and my girl's are attempting push ups on their toes too!! Woohoo!!
At 10 am I took a spinning class. It was a good one. I took it easy here too and pushed myself on a few of the 5 minute hills just to see what my legs could do! They were talking back a bit, ,but not too badly.
I then taught Totally Toned at noon and took it easy again, although I did many lunges and squats. I don't think my IT bands are supposed to hurt while doing those are they?? Oops.....
I plan to be back at it on Monday...full speed ahead!!
I had a personal training client at 6pm. Busy day today fo sho!

Wish List Wednesday!

Today's item is a running vest!
I have admired many from afar, but have never even tried one on!
I have had my eye on this sweet thang from Nike all last week. It would be perfect on top of a long sleeve shirt. I tend to over dress in the fall weather and end up way too hot, but feel this would get the job done.
I was also shown this nice vest from a friend. They are both very nice pieces of goodness!

More recovery!

I made it to the gym today!
Nothing too crazy..trust me.
I did a nice easy walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes, stopped to yak with some friends for 15 minutes and then hopped on the elliptical for another easy 15 minutes.
I even stretched for at lest 10 whole minutes after that.
It felt really good to get the blood flowing again. I am sure it will aide in my recovery as well instead of just doing nothing. I am not sure who I was kidding when I said I would take an entire week off. Ha! I will at some point, but I'm just not ready yet!

I do plan on taking a spin class in the morning so we will see how that goes!

The day after......

After the marathon I tried to take a nap. Not so successful with that. It was nice to "rest", but there was no sleeping for this gal.
My friend Mary and I (and later TJ) went out for a pitcher of margarita's and a huge ass burrito. I ate the whole thing along with the chips and salsa. Yum Yum! We had a great time reminiscing (ha) about the days events and about who hurt more. I am sure it was me......
I slept from 10:30 pm until almost 9 am. NICE. I find it very difficult to sleep past 7 am usually.
It's kind of hard to walk. My calves, shins, hamstrings, quads and everything else hurts like hell.
I was lucky enough to get a massage today (thanks Matt!) I had no idea how sore my hips were until the therapist worked on them. Oh, it hurt so good!
I am pretty sure I won't be exercising on Tuesday either, but I might try to Spin on Wednesday. We will see though. I plan on stretching and letting my body recover this entire week before easing back into things tomorrow. I am not sure of my game plan for training for Boston yet, but I will come up with something for sure before next month!

Grand Rapids Marathon Recap

I will do my best to give a recap of the marathon!

I actually slept quite well on Saturday night. I was in bed before 10:30pm and I think I was sleeping before 11 That's really good for me.

I slept pretty soundly until around 3:30am or so and then I was up every 15 minutes or so. I finally got out of bed at 4:45, this was about 30 minutes sooner than my alarm was set for.

I went through my usual routine of eating, caffeinating and getting dressed and was out the door by 6:50am.

My running club met at a Burger King about 45 minutes before the race stated.

It was freezing cold!! To me anyway-- it was in the low 30's with some frost action going on too. I had my cheap gloves on with my hand warmers inside.

Anyway....the race started promptly at 8am and my running partner Elsa and I started behind the pace group time of 3:44. This was George Dubya's marathon time so we had to look at his ugly mug for a while. And for the record, this pace group started out way too fast. Elsa and I were to run 8:23 minute miles and we were running 8 minute pace or better the first 3 miles and Georgie's face was still at least 100 meters in front of us!

SO the first few miles were pure excited adrenaline. It was cold. It was crowded and we were on a mission.

We finally hit our pace and got into a good groove. We were both feeling excellent.

Right around mile 6 we met a new friend; Em. Super nice and cute girl that shared our same goal = 3:40. She was keeping a faster pace then us so she took off ahead of us.

It was around mile 11 or 12 that things started falling apart. Not for me but for my buddy. She was expecting some IT trouble around mile 16 or so, but her calf decided to cramp instead. It was bad enough that she had to stop for a bit to stretch. She made me leave her. I hated to do it. Really I did. She caught back up to me though. We ran together for about 2 more miles before she had to stop again. That was the last I saw of Elsa for a while. She was kind enough to tell me to pick up my pace enough before she fell back ( you have to remember that I am not so great at figuring out what my mile splits are etc. Elsa is awesome at that). So I was totally freaked out and worried. Worried for her and for myself! I felt really good. My legs were behaving and so were my lungs..it was my mind and mental state that started playing tricks on me!

Things got better for me after I saw my family on the sideline! This always gives me more pep in my step! I saw Matt and the kids, my running coach and other members of the club that were not running. They were all very encouraging on the sidelines.

I also saw my new friend Em. I spotted her around mile 16 or so. I had to pick up my pace to catch her. She seemed very happy to see me again, I know I was happy to see her! She said she was starting to get tired, but would keep us on pace. We found our groove and by her calculations we were headed for a 3:30 marathon! What?!??! I was so happy and shocked to hear this. I just wanted to remain calm and keep running strong.

We ran together for 4 more miles when both of her IT bands started bothering her. She told me to go on. So I did. Again, I felt like I abandoned yet another friend on this course. She helped me so much. I went ahead and was even able to calculate my own pace. Who would have thought! Must be because I was delirious. I must get smarter while dehydrated and in pain......

I was on my way. I was running 8:00, 8:10 and 8:15 mile pace. I was feeling AWESOME.

Mile 22 came and I still felt AWESOME.

Then came mile 22.5. Crap. There's that dang wall. MOVE outta my way please. I did the best I could, but I also somehow figured out in my delirium that I could run 10:00 miles from here until the end and still qualify for Boston. I ran a 9:00 mile and then with a 5k left I turned it back up to at least an 8:30 if not better pace.

I started getting emotional when I knew I would make it. I saw my coach with less than a mile to go. He came and ran with me and congratulated me on making it to Boston! I had the biggest smile on my face. I still had about .5 or so to go. I was racing to the finish with all that I had left which was not much. I heard the crowd, Matt and a few friends cheering for me and sped to the finish. I crossed the finish line and just kind of hugged whoever was near me. It was the guy handing out the medals! I am not much of a crier and I did not shed a tear..until I saw my new friend Em cross the time--she did it! She ran right into my arms as if we were old friends and we both bawled like babies; thanking each other for helping one another meet our goal! Oh I love this sport!

Elsa came in a few minutes later. She crossed the finish in 3:44. She did not make it. I feel for her. We hugged and cried and all that too. Total mush fest. Mary came in next. 3:56! She did it..she beat her goal too! I knew she could do it! She collapsed in my arms. Another cry fest over here. So much emotions on this day. It's hard to explain. You're crying because you are happy, excited, in pain, sad, mad you name it!

So this experience was such a good one. The race was hard, but I had the proper training. It could have been worse!

Boston here I come!

Mission Accomplished!

The Mission is accomplished!

With much success too!

I did it. I qualified for The Boston Marathon!! I ran a 3:34:44!! Woohooo!!

I am in so much pain, but it's OK. It's totally worth it.

I will try my best to recap this all..TOMORROW! :)

I took the day off from teaching my 3 classes...I would be not be any good to anyone!

Thanks for your support!