Wordless Wednesday (sort of)

It's not a very large picture, but you get the idea I think!

This was taken of me in my Cross Fit class on Monday.

The workout was:

Farmer's Walk (25# weights while walking across the gym floor and back)

Push Press( 25# weights/ 20 times) that's the picture

Squats (30)

Recap and the week ahead.

Friday- Spin instruction
Elliptical - 20 minutes
Treadmill incline walk- 10 minutes

Saturday- Road bike (YAY!) 9 miles
I ran .80 miles after riding. I can never get used to this feeling. Ugh. I was going at an 8 minute mile pace which is not bad..but it was for only less than 1 mile!

Sunday- Road bike ( YAY again!) 12+ miles. I had to hurry and beat the thunderstorm. Missison accomplished!

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Week in Review.

X-Fit classes: 2
Miles ran: about 7
Road bike miles: 21.5 ish
Spin classes: 3
Yoga: 2 times! ( 1 hour and 35 minutes total)
Pilates: 10 minutes worth!
Core: 20 minutes worth

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Next week:
I hope to do yoga 2x again.
Maybe shoot for 20 minutes of pilates this time!
Road bike at least 2x.
Run at least 2x ( possible 10 mile race on Sat.)
Clean up my nutrition -AGAIN! Starts Monday. I felt myself slowly falling off the wagon and getting comfortable ( well not really-blah!).
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Not a bad week.

Ouchie

Still sore from this weeks new stuff. I am sure the main culprit is the X-Fit class I am taking. It hurts to put on deodorant. Seriously.

It was hard to get out of bed today. When I was summonsed at 7:25 am ( thanks to Miles), I got up and promptly laid on the couch and slept. Miles was *lucky* enough to watch 2 days worth of TV in one hour today! Unfortunately that tiny cat nap did me no good!

I toughed it out and went to the 11:30 AM yoga class anyway. It was painful, but I am sure it helped-right!?!? We did a lot of shoulder things and I really felt it.

Needless to say, I did not do any cardio today. I thought about taking the kids for a walk after dinner-it's so beautiful out--but nope. Not happenin'--sorry kids!! Better luck tomorrow!

I do have to teach my usual 5:30 AM Spin class in the morning--hoping that loosens this body out or something. Ouchie!

I am sure what I need is a full body massage--ahhhhh!!!

I am 95% sure I am not doing the race this Saturday. My cough is still lingering and I just feel pooped. I do plan on getting up that morning and running and or riding my bike and then cheering on my running club while they race. It should be a fun morning as long as the weather cooperates!

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Recaps.........

Sunday-OFF
Monday- X-fit and Spin instruction
X-fit is at 5AM and it was HARD!
Today we performed a circuit of:
pull-ups
sit-ups
squats
push ups
4 rounds of each exercise (20 seconds per exercise with 10 second rest)
5 hours later I taught Spinning. It was a hard interval class.

Tuesday-yoga and hills
I was up super late Monday night due to tornado's and stuff. Looong night. I missed my regular morning cardio session because I slept in. I love sleep.
I opted to do a Jillian Michael's yoga session. It was called Yoga Meltdown. It was really good. Totally power yoga. I was a sweaty mess and it was only 35 minutes long. It was perfect for me..I am not so good at following yoga outside of a classroom setting.
Later on was running with my running club. It's been a while! I have to get back at it. I really did not feel up to going yet-I still have a cold, but kind of feel I need to get back in the habit-sick or not! It was hills today. I ran 6 + the warm up and cool down. It was HOT out. Ugh. I used to love running in the heat.

Wed-Spin and x-fit
X-fit at 5 am. Today we did something called HELEN.
440 meter run
dumbbell swings (21x)
pull ups (12)
Ugh...3 x through as fast as you can!
I did it in 10:50.
My lungs were on fire for a while.
It was the kind of thing I love/hate to do. I love good, clean competition though and this was it. It does not help that the X-fit instructor yelled " Marcia; you should be killing everyone!" Ummm- this dude does not even know me. But, I had to speed up after he said that. Dang him!!

In other news:
I am not sure I will run the 10k on Saturday. I don't feel so well still, but this might change by then. I can always sign up on Saturday morning if need be. My lungs and head are full of crap.
I have done this race 3 years in a row so I really want to do it. It's a good race!
I will be smart and listen to my body and play it by ear for now.

Wordless Wednesday

Saturday

I had big plans to do Power Spin at 10:15 and possibly something else after that. I was not able to run since Matt is out of town.
Well....Amara decided she did not want to go to the gym today. She shed tears and everything!! I felt bad making her go anyway--yup. I sure did make her go. And guess what? She went outside to play on a play structure that she had never been on before and " had the best time ever mom!!!!!!" Whew--I felt guilty up until then!! Ahhh...I am one mean momma.
Power Spin was tons of fun. I felt I really pushed myself today. I thought I was either suffering from allergies or have a cold. It's defiantly a cold. Booooo! I have it all in my head at the moment. I am pretty sure the kids are coming down with something as well. Awesome.

After Spin we all just went home. I almost did core. I almost did yoga. I am glad I was able to just do something!

Plans for tomorrow:
Road bike!
Wish me luck.......

Friday stuff.....it's getting hot in heeere!

What a HOT day! I have been to the gym for something in the 5 am hour 3 days in a row and it is catching up with me. I used to get to the gym every morning by 5 AM a few years and a baby ago. I am not used to it anymore and need to be in bed by 10 PM and not after 11 PM if this is going to work!

Today was Spin class..I taught the same format as Wednesday. It was good and hard!!
After that I planned on an 8 mile run. Not happenin' today! I cut it to 3 miles. After the first 1.5 miles I turned it around. The humidity was so so so thick. I was soaked. It looked as if I ran 8 miles though. I had about an 8 minute per mile pace. I felt pretty good considering. YAY!
I am super sore from this weeks events. I still blame yoga!!

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If the kids cooperate tonight..they are still awake--afraid of the thunder!
On tap for Saturday:
Power Spin
maybe lift
maybe run a few miles
Adios!

Lots of stuff going on in here....

2 posts in 1 day!
I won't post up everything from this past week. Well maybe, but I will make it quick!

Spins this week= 3
Cross Fit class= 1 (ouch)
Power Train class=1 (ouch ouch)
Yoga= 1
Running miles thus far = 5
Crosstainer elliptical = 25 minutes
strength training = 0 times
intentional core workouts=1
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Lots of new stuff for me this week!
Cross Fit--- loved/hated every minute of it ( 5 whole minutes of HARD work)
Power Train---- plyometrics/sport drills etc. hard and fun.
yoga--- nothing to explain..just stretchin! I need it..I think I can fit this in as a weekly thing since Amara is out of school.
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Plans for the rest of the week:
Friday- spin and run
Saturday spin and lift weights
Sunday-- rode bike
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What I am up to:
I am trying to write up more articles for Examiner.com and also about to start (tomorrow..it's always tomorrow) testing out shoes for Fitness Magazine. How cool is that?!?! They sent me 4 pair of different running shoes (Asics, Saucony, Brooks and Kahru). My mission is to wear each for at least 20 miles before forming an opinion. Can't wait...

Better late than never--June 12th race recap

Summer is here and I seem to need more hours in my day to get stuff done. I can't believe I did not even give a race recap!
My half marathon went really well!! In the end, I knew I could have given a bit more, but I am still pleased with my performance! My first half marathon to date: 1:51:48. Not too far off from my *secret* goal of 1:45! Almost...ha!
I quick recap of the day.
Almost perfect weather (compared to last year)
No allergic reaction to my in-laws house ( HUGE)
No breathing issues ( HUGER)

Miles 1-2
8:10 and 8:13
I wanted to keep my pace here for the duration.
Mile 3
7:32
Umm-what?!? So not my fault...this little chick in green decided to race me. I think she thought I was in my 20's ( seeing i look young for my age....haha!!) She was in her 20's and wanted to beat me. I finally slowed my pace after seeing how fast I was going! I think she beat me. Who cares though..not me!
Miles 4-5
8:20 avg.
Must have been too tired from racing the girl in green.
Miles 6-7
9:40
9:03
Ugh....who threw in 2 miles of trial and sand dunes?!?! It was a fun challenge...I will be sooo ready for this for next year
Miles 8-12
8:34 (slowest mile) 8:21 ( quickest)
I never got back into my pace that I wanted. I think it was mainly my mind not my body. Need to work on this.
Mile 13
8:00 flat
Of course!
I had a lot of fun doing this race. I think it gave me a lot of confidence over my breathing/anxiety issues as well.
Next up:
Reed's Lake 5k or 10k OR both races (June 26th)

Recaps and a new gig!

Monday~ Spin. I can't even remember exactly what kind of class I taught it was sooo long ago. I will say it was an interval class.
Tuesday~ I went for a little run. One of my friends that hates to run went with me. I will make a runner out of her if it's the last thing I do!!! She did great. I think I ended up running about 5.5 miles or so. I had planned on taking the bike on the road ( finally), BUT it was raining so I hit up a spin class instead. It was pretty good. Lots of fast paced intervals and resistance loading on the flat road.
Wednesday~ I woke up feeling like I got hit by a bus. I was super tired and the more I think about it I was probably dehydrated. I felt really dried out if that makes any sense. I ( thanks Matt) was able to sleep in an extra almost hour! That helped a lot.
I taught a strength style spin today. It went well I hear. I think I will repeat this format on Friday morning.
The race is coming up! The weather should be nice and way too hot, but I still plan on signing up ( yep, still have to do that) for the half marathon. I have a goal in my head, but I am not going to share it yet. I have to keep in mind that my breathing sucks and I am allergic to my in -laws house. I might wake up Saturday morning without my lungs ( just as I did last year). I will be armed with my allergy medication and inhaler though- oh, and good old benadryl. I am such a mess.

I have a favor to ask. I took on a new gig as the Grand Rapids Women's Fitness Examiner. My success is based on how many people actually read my articles! I hope to publish at least 3 a week. SO my favor is to request that you subscribe to my articles and possibly read them as well! Thanks!

Saturday- cardio overlaod training!

Saturday~ I actually woke up to run! I was lucky that my CamelBack was not all moldy from the last time I used it ( months and months ago). I filled it up with Gatorade and was hitting the pavement before 6 am. I think it was already in the mid 60's with high humidity. Awesome. I actually used to love running in the heat. I still might like it; I will have to let you know.

It was a great day for running too! Besides the fact that I was all alone and then my awesome iPod earphones decided to cut out on me. I somehow survived the rest of the 7.5 miles without tunes.

My goal was after the first mile (9:09) not to fall under a 9 minute mile. I did it! I averaged 8:47/mile with my fastest mile at 8:39. Fine by me! My goal was to run 6 miles and I had enough time to do 2 more--so I did.

After that it was on to Power Spin class. This class is 60 minutes, but she ALWAYS starts it 15 minutes early--sweet. I was able to eat a Luna Protein Bar in cookie dough flavor about 10 minutes before class. It was ok--you could tell it was a protein bar in my opinion! I needed the energy for the class for sure, and this bar served it's purpose!

I was able to hang tough for the first hour and then kind of puttered out. I was exhausted-in a good way of course! It was a great training day. I took a good 20 minutes after class and stretched. Apparently-not enough. My hip flexors and IT bands are TIGHT !

I am training for a duathlon so I need to practice my run-bike-run thang! Ugh. This particular class is a preparation for a 4 hour Half Iron-Man ( Spin style!) in the fall. If I am able to do it (family, races etc.) I will for sure be there! 4 hours! Dang.

Sunday~ I took the day off...not intentional. I was all set to go to a 1 hour HOT YOGA (ahhhh) class, but their new summer hours started today-no more classes on Sunday until Sept. Phooey! I was so ready! I then thought about either going to the gym or take the bike out (it's been too long) and get some "real" road miles in. Well--none of those things took place. I have had a raging headache mostly all day. I am sure it has something to do with me not getting my normal Sunday grocery shop specialty coffee this morning. It's nope that I am dehydrated from losing 10 lbs of sweat yesterday-nope. It's caffeine withdrawal. Yep.

Thursday class and Friday spin

Thursday~ Instead of teaching 3-2-1 today I called it Cardio Sculpt. That basically means I can teach whatever I want! It was still lots of cardio and core. It was fun and a change from the normal class. That's all I did today!

Friday~ Spinning instruction in the morning. Hill interval class today. After class I did about 20 minutes of core work. I need to do more of this! I think I mentioned that I am kind of bored with lifting weights ( gasp). I love weights. I am just in a rut I guess.

Tomorrow will be lots of cardio for me. Running in the early hours followed by a power spin class. This is the plan anyway! I STILL plan on running a half marathon next weekend. Eeek!

Race Day that never was, tempo run and NO breathing issues. Yahoo.

Monday~ I made up my mind and drove about 20 minutes to do a 5k. I intended on pushing myself to the brink and hopefully (eeek!!) making myself have an "episode". I was determined. So was the thunder and lightening. The race was canceled. BUMMER DUDE!!! I paid my entry fee and everything! At least it all goes to charity. Whateva.
SO I was pretty P.O.d' to say the least. I drove home and picked up the family and we all headed to the gym. I did a 30 minute "buffet" workout. A bit of running on the tread/elliptical/step-mill and track running. Done.
Tuesday~ Cardio and weights. More elliptical intervals. When in doubt I grab a magazine and do one of their workouts. The elliptical one was pretty good actually. I followed it up with a weight circuit from the same magazine (www.oxygenmag.net). It was the bikini ready by July or something crazy like that. Good enough!
Since running club is off for 2 weeks I emailed the coach for a workout to prepare for June 12th half marathon. My running workout was to be 3-4 miles at tempo pace. For me, this means 8:00- 8:10 miles being my goal for the half. Tuesday was HOT, but not as hot as it has been. I started my run a little after 6pm. I actually did the usual 2 mile warm up first. A 9:10 pace: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35477885
I then did 3 miles at tempo: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35477879
1st mile: 8:05
2nd: 8:08
3rd: 7:46
No breathing issues either!!! SCORE!
Hopefully this is a breakthrough...I am getting about tired of writing about it!
I did a mile cool down after that.
I did not stretch. Oops and ouch.

Wednesday~ Spinning today. Hill intervals. Hot.