Friday and Saturday ( Spin class #8 and #9 for the week) DONE!

Friday~ Spin in the AM-what else?!??! I had an almost full class. According to the bike computer we rode almost 13.5 miles To be honest, I have no idea what style of class I taught--being that it was class #8 for the week--they all seemed to get lumped together. I do remember feeling extremely dry and exhausted when I woke up. I was so dehydrated from the night before. I drank lots before bed too, but apparently it was not enough. My legs were pretty much shot too.
Totally Toned at noon. I had 2 new people and I usually join in when this happens- not today though. I was too tired and sore for that! They both did perfectly well too. I was able to demonstrate the moves and help them when necessary. I was too pooped for much else.

Saturday~ Power Spin at 7:45am.....or make that 7:30am! Great. I had a FULL class and the instructor I was subbing for ALWAYS ( so I was told) starts class at 7:30--even though the schedule clearly states 7:45. So I waltz in at 7:28am....they are already on the bikes ( my friend opened the door as she was getting nervous that I was not going to show up). I started the music and they were off. I excused myself of my tardiness and they were fine with it ( to my face anyways). Class was pretty darn awesome. I "borrowed" the workout from an online site to get the idea. I changed it slightly but not much. The borrowed profile was a tad more difficult than what I was looking for ( maybe if this was class #2 of the week and not #9 I would have done the tougher version). On a good note- I taught off the bike for a moment...it was breif, but I did it! It will get easier the more I do it I am sure. It was a nice little break. I was able to coach the class and walk around and look at form from a different angle. Did I mention that it was a nice little break?? We road about 25 miles in class today. So glad to be done with my craaaazy week!
I know my butt should take a full day of rest tomorrow, but so far I plan to do very light cardio ( my only excuse is that I have not been able to do my own thing at all this week, so tomorrow is my chance!) I got a new library book and I can read that or a magazine or watch TV while keeping my HR in Zone 1 ( recovery baby!!). There is the yoga that I NEED to do weekly as well. Hopefully I get to do something though.

Sunday----Metabolic Test.

Sunday~ Kind of a rest day for me...maybe closer to an active rest day.
I took a test today. 2 metabolic tests to be exact. In a nutshell I found out my true resting heart rate as well as my active metabolic performance training zones as it relates to my cycling.
I got all my correct heart rate zones and stuff. I can't wait to use my Zone 3 ( 154-167 bpm) during my race day spin tomorrow! ( I was on the bike for about 10 minutes with a horrible face mask on-- huffing and puffing away....)
I found out that when I am active that 80% of my calorie expenditure is through FAT! Woohoo!! And 20% is through carbs. Apparently this is really good news according to my tester. The test showed that I am very well conditioned and have a pretty decent aerobic base. I just need to maintain it. I received a boatload of information too. Even a training schedule of when to be in what Zone, for how long etc. Lots to learn!
I asked my tester (Ryan) if it was realistic for me to want to fit i weights on my own. He basically said that when I teach it does not count as my own workout! I actually knew this already, but it was nice ( or not!???! depends...) to hear it from a true expert!
Sooooo, my program calls for2 days of strength training. Tomorrow might be my first crack at this, with Ryan! He's pretty tough and I have never had a trainer before, so this might be fun. Oh, it will be. I hope it all works out and I am able make the appointment.
So, it was kind of an easy day exercise wise for me even though I worked hard for a short period of time.

Recaps.........

Saturday- Elliptical for about 15 minutes and then off to Power Spin. I pretty much kept it low key in Spin. I am liking using it for a long non-Power Spin day. I still get the exercise that I NEED and can do it at a lower intensity if I choose. I think I averaged a 150 heart rate.
Saturday was also Amara's Kid's Marathon! She ran the whole thing which was her goal! YAY! She was so proud of herself...I was proud of her too. She appeared to have a lot of fun and even said, " That was a lot easier than I thought!" She had a nervous tummy before the race and even hit the bathroom (#1) at least 3 times in 3o minutes before the race! She is an athlete folks! Ha ha! After the race we stayed at the YMCA for the Harvest Fest they were putting on. While there she ( done by yours truly) got her nails painted, face painted and played a few games. It was a nice afternoon.

Sunday~ Sunday was the Grand Rapids Marathon! Lots of people from my running group were there and did a great job. My husband's fishing buddies sister ( does that make sense???) won the over all female marathon (2:45 and some change) She is set to go to the Olympic Trials now. It was so awesome to see her running to the finish-I can't fathom running that fast--ever!
The weather was perfect and I had fun taking pics and watching friends qualify for The Boston Marathon. A friend of mine squeaked by with 40 seconds to spare! Talk about a nail biter!
With that being said, today is the first day of signs ups for the race....I have gotten multiple emails/texts/ and Face Book messages asking/telling/ exclaiming about this. Ugh! I am happy for my friends ( really, I am.) This is harder than I thought though!! I think it's because it's such a fun group going that has me down. Not so much the race itself ( who am I kidding??), but the company and the fact that they think this will be there last marathon ever too ( we all say that though....).
My brother knows of my wallowing in self pity today and brought over a wine cooler! Ha ha. My cycling buddy gave me homemade baked goods--pumpkin cookies and some pumpkin bread!! The baked goods are easing the sadness a bit I must admit! It's too early for the wine cooler! I still have to pick Amara up from school!

Saturday- Recovery Spin

Shhhh! Don't tell the instructor! The name of the class was Power Spin. That means POWER for 90 minutes! My average heart rate was 140 bpm. Power? Not so much. I am totally fine with that too. I needed to move today, but I also needed to be smart about it. It has been a long week for me and this morning was really just what I needed. I still knocked out 600 calories- not too bad for a recovery day. The class itself was a very good endurance profile. Those are tough classes and to make it 90 minutes is torture! The kind I usually embrace. Not today though. That is what makes Spinning such a great class. You can make each and every class your own and get out of if what you want. No pressure!
After Spin class I actually stretched in the warm pool area for at least 10 straight minutes! It felt really good. I think a massage and a nap would fit in nicely today too. It's not going to happen, but it would be nice nonetheless!
Happy Saturday!

Recaps.........

Thursday~ No running! I am ok with it. I think. Maybe not now that I thought of it a bit harder!
I took a Spin class. I decided to go a little bit earlier to warm up. This did the trick-- I was ready when class started and it did not take me the usual 10+ minutes to feel warmed up. I was able to keep my heart rate up higher too. It was a great class.

Friday - Spin instruction. It was a weird morning. I teach spin at 5:30 am on Friday and I average 8 or so people. Today there were 21! I am not sure if it was due to the crappy weather ( super windy although it was 81* at 5 am). For some reason it made me nervous too! I had only 3-4 of my "regulars" and the rest were strangers!! I think the class went well though. I had a good mix of music and the workout was a toughie. It was a 3:1 work rest ratio--that 60 second rest went by fast too!
After class I met my friend to workout a bit more. This is what we did:
20 reps for 2 rounds and 15 reps for the last round...

*jumping jacks with a body bar
*chest press with body bar
*bicep curls
* front raise
* up and downs on the step bench for speed ( 40 reps total)
* squats off the side of bench ( 40 total)
*push ups
*hip circles
*crunches
*bicycle
*plank variations

It was a good one!
I hope to do something like this every Friday for a while until I get back into running and lifting again!
I am sore today of course!

Saturday- Power Spin. 1 hour class. Good stuff!

Saturday spin and that is ALL.

Well the weight training from yesterday settled in nicely today. OUCH! I am a sucker for pain.
I got up early to teach Power Spin- this time I taught Stage 16 of the Tour de France. It was basically one ginormous hill climb. It was a beast. It was tough, hard and fun. It was a 75 minute long class. I had big plans for myself today too--I had planned to run in the 8k this evening. After waiting around all day ( not literally--I mean I have a husband and 2 kids here), I decided at around 3 pm or so that I was not going to do the race. Letting the weeks workouts settle in after teaching spin so early- racing about 10 hours later did not seem like a great idea. I was slightly bummed, but I felt I best rest since my body is tired and so am I. I don't think I will regret my decision in the morning. I know that this week's training (class, workouts, running and hopefully getting the bike on the road) will be jam packed. I also need to make sure my nutrition and sleep are on the up and up this week as well.

Weekly wrap up:
Miles ran: 6
Road bike: 0
Yoga: 0
Spin classes: 4
Cardio machines: 90 minutes
weight training sessions: 3
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I am still not making much progress on the biking mileage or yoga. Dangit!
And my mileage this week for running is pretty piss poor to say the least. It's a good thing I got up and ran the little 3 miles on Monday morning or it would have been even worse!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Goals for upcoming Sunday to Saturday.
I have to be realistic here. My husband and I are planning to be out of town Friday to Saturday evening. That means I will be skipping another long run with the group and somehow need to do it on my own.

Miles to run: 20

Yoga: 60 minutes total

Weight Training: 3

Road bike mileage: 20

I hope I am not getting too cocky with these goals! I think it will help me to get it done though.

Friday and getting back into running....for now.

Friday~ Early Spin class! It was a fun interval style today. A few big hills that got progressively steeper as the climb progressed. After that I lifted weights! Yay! Full body lifting.

3x10
Chest Press (apparently my shoulder still hurts)
Squats ( in the rack!)
Dead lifts ( Free motion-first time using this)
Bicep 21's (body bar 15#)

Short and sweet. I met my goal of lifting for this week! I hope to keep it up!

Saturday~ 11.5 mile run. Was supposed to do 12, but the route was off for some reason. It was a tough run and I did not feel the need to run the last half mile. It's been a while since I actually did a long run ( 10 mile race, spin class, duathlon, spin class....), so yeah, it was tough today.
It was humid and I got a mean tan (even though I used sunscreen!) but the good news is I looked fashionable in my running skirt and green Adidas top. I got many compliments on my *outfit*. It had me laughing! Another tie in to my Examiner Article on being Fit and Fashionable! I guess I thought I had to try and look cute since I knew I was going to struggle during today's run! Although, by 3 miles in most of us in the group looked as if we had run a 10 mile race--the humidity was awful and we were drenched. I actually wrung my skirt out during the 9th mile it was so heavy with sweat-gross.

Weekly wrap up:
Miles: 18
Spin classes: 3
Weights: 3
Yoga: 0
Road bike miles:0
Other: 1 (TurboKick class)
Gym cardio: 20 minutes on elliptical

After looking at my wrap up, I hope to run more miles, bike more miles, do yoga and maintain the rest. We shall see! With that being said, I am pretty sure I am teaching Power Spin next weekend and then going out of town the next! I need to figure out when to fit in my long runs.

And even more spinning...and weights!

Sunday~ I decided on this day to start lifting weights again. I know, I know..who cares??? I do!
It;s been a while since I was lifting regularly, so I figured Sunday was a good day to start. I usually start everything on Monday....so this is new for me!
I made it to the gym and did a light cardio warm up for 15 minutes on the elliptical.
I chose to only do my upper body because. I went in without much of a plan but hit every upper body muscle at least once.
I did 3x10:
Chest Press
Biceps Curl
Triceps Ext.
Shoulder Press
Rows

I used 15 lbs dumbbells for everything. I could have gone heavier, but I am being smart about it and easing my way back into that!
I thought for sure I would be sore today. It might come tomorrow though!

Easy tie in for soreness: My Examiner article about DOMS If you want, you can subscribe and also comment on the site. If ya want! Thanks!

Monday~ Spin (duh). haha. I think I need to enter more bike races (indoor spin races???) I do more Spinning than running these days.....It was another tough class. I used a portion of the spin race I did on Saturday- I just modified it a bit.
I probably lost 3 lbs in sweat alone. Awesome.

Spin, spin and more spin!

Friday~ Early Spin class. That was all I did! (well Totally Toned was at noon and all I did was bark orders and I did the side planks-slacker!)


Saturday~ No running for me today. I was able to sub the Power Spin today. I was sad to miss the run until I woke up...to rain! I was GLAD to be indoors working hard instead of outside in the rain. It was a race day too. 1:15 minutes to be exact. I did a Spin class rendition of The Tour De France Stage 15. It was bananas. So very hard. I get caught up in the excitement of some of the yelpers in class and really pushed myself to utter wooziness on the bike. Good thing I did not fall off. One Stage 5 hill was about 12 minutes long. Ugh. The class did awesome though!! It can be intimidating subbing a class that everybody loves. I will say it was nice to know that they requested me as the sub--I guess they like my music! I'll take it!
I was so hungry after class. I am still doing the cleanse and wanted so badly to veer from the specifics of the diet, but I held strong and followed the rules. I feel good!
*If I am lucky, I hope to get in some running miles on Sunday....I sometimes forget that is why I am here! ;-)

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!

Monday-Spin and a few miles on the tread.

Spinning Monday. I got my inspiration for today's class from the Power Spin class I took on Saturday. It's a good thing because the class loved it. Whew! It was a muscle tension ride. LOADS of endurance today. 1 minute steep hill followed by 1 minute of endurance-3 times total-recover and repeat!! I added a 4 minute endurance segment to the end with added resistance every minute. Talk about hard. It was good though. I enjoyed it and so did my class. I think it will be one of those love/hate classes ( it was for me anyway).
Totally Toned was at noon. Lots of abs today and core in general.
I made a hasty decision and went back to the gym later today too. I felt I had to "make up" some of the miles I did not do yesterday. I was not feeling guilty about the missed miles. I just feel I NEED to get my mileage up if I think I have a chance at meeting my goal. As I stated before I just don't feel as in shape this time around and that STINKS!! I ended up warming up for a half mile with a 9MM pace and then I did my goal pace of 7:45 for 2.5 miles. It felt good. I tried to pay attention to my breathing and it did get a bit erratic for a minute or 5..BUT I am still not convinced it's not all in my head. I plan on taking a puff on my inhaler ( for allergies) before tomorrows speed session ( 1000 meter repeats-kill me now) and see if that makes any difference at all. I hope so. I also have the OK for the race this Saturday. I still need to sign up! Procastination. Love it.

Giveaway WInners, Thursday, Friday and Saturday recap

It's been a while!

First the winners of the Stuffitts giveaway were contacted already: comment 5 and 3! Thanks for entering!
I have still been feeling a little bit off since my Hyper Tuesday run. It might be all in my head, but I think tomorrow will tell me for sure. I have not run since that incident. I have done 3 Spinning classes though and I felt fine-for the most past. A little tightness in my chest for a little bit, but nothing major.
Thursday: I thought it was my day off, but I remember that I taught my newest class at 4:15.
I won't have any real days off this week either. Booo! It's my own doing. I could have taken today off....but Nooo!
Friday: Spin instruction. I repeated the class I taught on Wednesday. It was still hard! I stretched for 25 full minutes after class too--ahhhh!
Saturday: Spin class participant. The class is 60 minutes, but the crazy instructor was able to start early and class ended up being 80 minutes long. It was HARD. It was great. Really. I pushed myself after the first 15-20 minutes. I had a hard time getting going for some reason, but after I did..I really got going!

Sun: 50 minutes cardio (easy)

Mon: Spin instruction/Totally Toned instruction/ easy weight circuit @ home

Tue: Run 3.5 miles/Power Yoga

Wed: Spin instruction/Totally Toned instruction

Thur: 3*2*1 class instruction

Fri: Spin instruction/25 minutes of stretching

Sat: Power Spin- 80 minutes

I hope to get back into my weights next week. I might change my program after I do some research on running and weight training. I know it's good for running (even if it was not--I would NOT give it up), but I glanced at an article that stated lifting 1 set of 20 reps?!?! Eeek. Ha. I will try and research it this weekend with all the time I have ( yea right).

Friday and Saturday...all spun out!!

Friday- early morning spin class. 5:30 AM sure comes fast! Interval class recycled from Monday's class. It was fun-again!
Saturday was Power Spin. I was a participant today. I think I get such a different kind of workout when I am not the instructor. Not necessarily better-just different. It was a strength interval class. Hard climbs-8 minutes worth followed up with a very short recovery and then a brief endurance section. We repeated that for a total of 4 intervals plus some nonsense fun stuff at the end! It was actually a 70 minute class this morning because the instructor is fun crazy like that! I will admit that I missed my long run today, but I am glad that I was able to get it in earlier this week. And I am in the midst of potty training the little man, so I wanted to be home doing the work and not making my babysitter ( big brother or my dad do the work!) Click for a good laugh!
I have a race on the 20th. My first 5k of the season. Why am I nervous?? I think the shorter distance races are more painful then the longer ones. That's why! I want to do well!!!
Today was a great day!

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!

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!

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.

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......

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.

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!