yes ladies and gentlemen, I am determined to succeed this time. (This time of what, I don't actually know.) But all I know is I MUST SUCCEED!
I ran 2.8 miles or so yesterday, with the final .8 done in intervals - one minute at about 8mph, then 30 seconds or so at 5mph and another 30 at 4mph. I did that six times. The 2.8 is the mileage for the running - I guess I got up to about 3.5 or so total, with the walk/jogs included. Even just the two miles was hard! I feel like there's something wrong with me. :P Really I think it's just laziness, and the afore-mentioned caloric deficiency; I'll just have to live with it for a while I guess. Oh, I also did the first two miles working on speed a little: the first 1/2 mile was at my usual pace of 6mph, then I did .5-1.5 at 7 mph and the final 1/2 back down at 6. So I suppose that probably helped too. :P
Today I finally did 3 miles nonstop again! The last time I did that was last Thursday, and I was *trying* to go for five, but I ran out of time (and I had a, um, potty break emergency). Oh, no wait! I'm totally lying! Out of guilt and shame after bungling it on Saturday at the race I went and ran four miles straight on the treadmill that afternoon. Self-flagellation hurrah! (Seriously though: it was not punishment, it was redemption, just to remind myself that I could. It felt great. I wanted to keep going but my knees were saying "Um, you ARE aware that you've run more htan 7 miles today right? STOP IT!")
So, point being: I did my three miles today, nothing fancy, no elevation and it was all straight 6mph the whole time. It was STILL really hard. :( Not really really really hard, but I had the laziness "I want to stoooopppp" kick in pretty early. Sigh. Yesterday and today I went on to use the elliptical once my run was done. Tomorrow I have a longer run, 4 miles plus some intervals, so I won't need to use the cursed elliptical machine. I have come to loathe that thing.
Push-ups update: MONDAY WAS HARD. I was supposed to do 80 push-ups, man! **80**! I did 70, filling the actual requirements until I got to the "max", which was "Minimum 20". HAHAHAHA. I did ten and THAT is an accomplishment. Today I was supposed to do 100 (why is that extra zero there? ...Oh, right) and I managed 85, which I must say is FREAKING FABULOUS. I'm still planning on repeating this week next week, hopefully I'll find the time on Monday between the baking, cleaning, and general hostessing. (It's Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday, dontcha know.) I am also doing small sets of push-ups on my "off" days, which I suppose I'm not recommended to do, but I think it's okay. I'm only doing about ten and I'm paying REALLY CRAZY attention to form, which I think is just enough to kinda "boost" my endurance for the next day. Also trying to work crunches back into my daily routine, instead of just "that thing that I do when I am following a DVD that tells me to do them". I have pretty good ab strength that is just wasting away underneath the drapes of stretched-out skin - don't tell me you guys don't like that imagery because we all know every body is beautiful :P - but at least *I* know they're there.
Showing posts with label arms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arms. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
What kind of foooool am Iiiiii
1) I didn't get to work out today because of an all-day meeting. I knew this would be the case at the beginning of this week, much as I knew that the meeting was catered and I would therefore overeat, AND I knew I'd be going out to dinner with my parents tonight and thus overeat some more. I decided not to care, because I did really well earlier this week and most of last week. And I'll do really well tomorrow and Friday. So dere.
2) I did Day 2, Week 1 of the push-up challenge even though I didn't work out! I got them done just about 45 minutes ago. Woo hoo. :) That's 12-12-10-10-10. I've started carrying the program in my workout bag so I will have it with me on Friday, it's just a matter of remembering to do it while I'm in the gym.
3) Next week I'm on vacation. The hotel we're staying at has a fitness room (did I mention this already? It feels like I did) so I'm a little less worried about getting exercise and mainly worried about keeping up with the pushups. I bet I'll forget to bring the dumb program with me. :P
4) Registered for my 8K on 9/21. *gnaws fingernails*
2) I did Day 2, Week 1 of the push-up challenge even though I didn't work out! I got them done just about 45 minutes ago. Woo hoo. :) That's 12-12-10-10-10. I've started carrying the program in my workout bag so I will have it with me on Friday, it's just a matter of remembering to do it while I'm in the gym.
3) Next week I'm on vacation. The hotel we're staying at has a fitness room (did I mention this already? It feels like I did) so I'm a little less worried about getting exercise and mainly worried about keeping up with the pushups. I bet I'll forget to bring the dumb program with me. :P
4) Registered for my 8K on 9/21. *gnaws fingernails*
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Return of ME!
The Return of the Push-Ups Challenge
I kept forgetting to do these and fell waaaay behind. Last week I did remember them midweek but thought that instead I'd just do an "exhaustion test" and see what my results were. Turns out I could do just about 19 before wanting to die. ^_^ Ackshully I probably could have squeaked out 20 if I'd really really really really really tried but I thought eh, 19 is okay to start with. So today I started up again, doing day 1 of week 1, which is 10-10-8-6-7. Lalala...
The Return of Talking About Running
I mentioned earlier that I was sort of pulling back from running so much b/c I don't want to overdo it. I was going back and forth on doing the 8K on 9/21, and I've ultimately decided to do it, but not competitively. I'm just going to try to run the five miles in 50 minutes or so, and then I'll have run an 8K! Yay! I think I can do it if I run slowly enough; I can do 6mph pace easily for 5 miles on the treadmill, and of course I know outdoor courses are harder, but I just need to remind myself I can go as slowly as I need.
In that vein I actually conquered the 3-mile run on the outdoor trail last week! :D For the firstest time EVER, I did it! I just made myself go sorta slower than usual for the whole thing. Plus it wasn't very humid at all, which helped a lot. I guess it's also helped that I've been doing well in the 5Ks lately; the second to last one I actually placed third in my age group! :D I won a PRIIIIZE! It was a great race, and I have my best official time from it (28:46 - it was a smallllll race and in a larger one I never would've placed but it's all good). The last one I did was on 8/31 and it was also rather small. It turns out it was not a full 5K - I don't know exactly how long it was but I heard something like 2.8 miles instead of 3.1. I still did extremely well, 25 minutes or so for the whole thing, so I guess you could estimate my time would have been around 28 minutes for an actual 5K. Wheeee!
Anyway, right now my "training" if you can call it that is to go ahead and run 5 miles once or twice a week, and have shorter runs two other days (generally it'll be Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays). I didn't, however, run yesterday because all weekend my hamstrings have been killing me. I guess it's because I used the elliptical for the first time on Friday but it's just... wow... they REALLY hurt. And don't seem to be getting much better. Well, I guess running "long distance" on Saturday didn't help 'em.
The Return of The Other Stuff
And in between I'm tryin' to do the strength training stuff, or at least some form of non-running kind of thing. Friday and today both I did the elliptical (today mostly b/c I wanted to get some calorie burning done) for about 40 minutes and then followed it up with a portion of Minna Lessig's workout DVD... Friday I did the total body and today I just did the upper body workout. I also hope to keep doing the Winsor Pilates DVDs, and maybe some other workouts.
I don't know if there's anything else worth posting about right now... I'm going to try to keep up with workouts on our vacation next week. The hotel we're staying in has a fitness center so I intend to try and use it! Other than that... ummm... live long and prosper.
I kept forgetting to do these and fell waaaay behind. Last week I did remember them midweek but thought that instead I'd just do an "exhaustion test" and see what my results were. Turns out I could do just about 19 before wanting to die. ^_^ Ackshully I probably could have squeaked out 20 if I'd really really really really really tried but I thought eh, 19 is okay to start with. So today I started up again, doing day 1 of week 1, which is 10-10-8-6-7. Lalala...
The Return of Talking About Running
I mentioned earlier that I was sort of pulling back from running so much b/c I don't want to overdo it. I was going back and forth on doing the 8K on 9/21, and I've ultimately decided to do it, but not competitively. I'm just going to try to run the five miles in 50 minutes or so, and then I'll have run an 8K! Yay! I think I can do it if I run slowly enough; I can do 6mph pace easily for 5 miles on the treadmill, and of course I know outdoor courses are harder, but I just need to remind myself I can go as slowly as I need.
In that vein I actually conquered the 3-mile run on the outdoor trail last week! :D For the firstest time EVER, I did it! I just made myself go sorta slower than usual for the whole thing. Plus it wasn't very humid at all, which helped a lot. I guess it's also helped that I've been doing well in the 5Ks lately; the second to last one I actually placed third in my age group! :D I won a PRIIIIZE! It was a great race, and I have my best official time from it (28:46 - it was a smallllll race and in a larger one I never would've placed but it's all good). The last one I did was on 8/31 and it was also rather small. It turns out it was not a full 5K - I don't know exactly how long it was but I heard something like 2.8 miles instead of 3.1. I still did extremely well, 25 minutes or so for the whole thing, so I guess you could estimate my time would have been around 28 minutes for an actual 5K. Wheeee!
Anyway, right now my "training" if you can call it that is to go ahead and run 5 miles once or twice a week, and have shorter runs two other days (generally it'll be Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays). I didn't, however, run yesterday because all weekend my hamstrings have been killing me. I guess it's because I used the elliptical for the first time on Friday but it's just... wow... they REALLY hurt. And don't seem to be getting much better. Well, I guess running "long distance" on Saturday didn't help 'em.
The Return of The Other Stuff
And in between I'm tryin' to do the strength training stuff, or at least some form of non-running kind of thing. Friday and today both I did the elliptical (today mostly b/c I wanted to get some calorie burning done) for about 40 minutes and then followed it up with a portion of Minna Lessig's workout DVD... Friday I did the total body and today I just did the upper body workout. I also hope to keep doing the Winsor Pilates DVDs, and maybe some other workouts.
I don't know if there's anything else worth posting about right now... I'm going to try to keep up with workouts on our vacation next week. The hotel we're staying in has a fitness center so I intend to try and use it! Other than that... ummm... live long and prosper.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Just quickie mileage
I did basically what the Runner's World plan said to do today, so there's no real need to write a whole post on it. 4 miles with 3 "GPs"; they measure them in metres on the plan, and my treadmill only shows miles, so I sort of estimated 1200 metres to be around .075 miles and ended up doing them as .1 mile jumps, upping the pace until I got to 10.0 mph and then sprinting there for maybe 5-10 seconds. I dunno. I got the mileage anyway.
Today's mileage (run): 4.3 (approximately)
Today's mileage (total): 4.9
Total mileage this week (run): 11.95
Total this week (total): 16.25
Goal mileage for the week (run): ~17.5
Oh, forgot. I've been lax in the push-ups because I got so far behind, so today rather than try to move on to Day 2 of Week 2 I repeated Day 1. Next week I'm going to start Monday with Day 1, Week 2 again and try to do the whole week; this week I'm just going to try not to lose any more ground. *G* It was a struggle to do Day 1, actually! :P
Anyway, tomorrow is a Rest Day and then Saturday is a "long run"! By which I mean 4.5 miles straight, which isn't that long to many I guess, but it'll be a record for me. :) I hope I can fit it in; we have kind of a packed day...
Today's mileage (run): 4.3 (approximately)
Today's mileage (total): 4.9
Total mileage this week (run): 11.95
Total this week (total): 16.25
Goal mileage for the week (run): ~17.5
Oh, forgot. I've been lax in the push-ups because I got so far behind, so today rather than try to move on to Day 2 of Week 2 I repeated Day 1. Next week I'm going to start Monday with Day 1, Week 2 again and try to do the whole week; this week I'm just going to try not to lose any more ground. *G* It was a struggle to do Day 1, actually! :P
Anyway, tomorrow is a Rest Day and then Saturday is a "long run"! By which I mean 4.5 miles straight, which isn't that long to many I guess, but it'll be a record for me. :) I hope I can fit it in; we have kind of a packed day...
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The post I wanted to make LAST Tuesday
But first, thanks to Siobhan who works at Blogger, I got to see pictures of cute little babies when I logged in! Hey, it makes my day a little brighter. :D
Anyway, the announcement, dah-dah-dah-DAAAAAH! I ran 4 miles straight today! ^_^ I also did a total of 4.5 miles, but I've done that before with stops and starts. Today was my first straight-up 40 minutes (actually a TINY bit less; I ran a few minutes here and there at 6.2 instead of 6, so I shaved about ten seconds off my total time), 4-mile run! It was on a treadmill, I still have yet to equal even 3 miles straight outside on the trail out there... But I SHALL! I took a little mini-break, doing a little walking and also letting myself stop entirely to get some more water, for about three minutes before doing the last half-mile at varying speeds. I did it mainly between 6.0 and 8.0 with the bulk of it in the middle of that, and it took about 4:30. :)
It was especially nice after yesterday's workout, which was not BAD per se but was so disorganized that I really felt I got almost nothing accomplished. I just didn't have a real plan; I thought I would try one of the Winsor Pilates DVDs that EmLit gave me, but the first was outside my fitness range and the second was actually, believe it or not, a little too light for my liking. I also tried warming up with a Zumba DVD but I don't feel like it got me sufficiently "het up" to actually have burned many calories. But it did get the blood flowing, which was important. In the end I just did bits and pieces of different things, including around 15 minutes of the "Advanced" Winsor Pilates DVD - that is the easiest one of the three I got, the other two were Maximum Burn and I couldn't do 'em yet - that were challenging but I didn't have the time or patience to do the entire 50-minute workout.
I thought then that I would do the Crunch Pilates workout again, and put the DVD in, only to decide instead to do Day 3 of the 100 Push-ups challenge (that's right, I hadn't done it yet... well, they did say "at least" 1 day in between, so no rule said I *couldn't* do it four days after Day 2) and what with the 120-seconds in between each level I realized I wouldn't have time to do the Crunch.
But, you know, I do usually work out 7 days a week, and I don't HAVE to. So having a relatively light workout, while not entirely satisfying to me, isn't going to push my fitness level into the crapper or anything. ;)
I also want to add that I was very pleased with myself on Sunday! Due to a visit to my grandmother I didn't have time earlier in the day to work out, and later on I felt tired and just lay down and read for a while. Later, though, I felt bad; I *want* to work out both days of the weekend, especially because I know this weekend will be touchy on Friday and Saturday (due to the wedding I'm in). It occurred to me that I could potentially go at night, after putting the kid down to bed... so I did. AND? Best part? Wait for it... I decided, since the night was cooling off, to run the parking lot outside. It's just about a mile all the way around, with some really good hills. I did a full three times around! :D
So I just want everyone to know that I'm awesome.
Okay, seriously though, in the face of my last outdoor run where I couldn't even manage 2 miles, this was terrific. I wasn't worrying about speed but I did fine anyway (about 9:30 or so to get a full way around; I honestly don't know the exact distance but since part of it is downhill I think that accounts for some of the speed) and the hills did NOT kill me. In fact, on the half that wasn't uphill I was even able to regain a slower breathing pace! I am in so much better shape than I thought I was after last week's Bad Run.
I know I sound really braggy. But you know, it's just a real accomplishment for me, and I'm really proud of it. I am working hard and I love seeing it pay off. And since I have no idea what the future may hold, and this might be the extent of my achievement for a while, I'm going to celebrate it. :)
For the record, I totalled 5 miles, walking and running, today with a time (not including the 2 minutes or so when I got off the treadmill) of 52:25.
Oh, and also for the record, I did manage those 63 pushups for Day 3. And now I hurt. :P
Anyway, the announcement, dah-dah-dah-DAAAAAH! I ran 4 miles straight today! ^_^ I also did a total of 4.5 miles, but I've done that before with stops and starts. Today was my first straight-up 40 minutes (actually a TINY bit less; I ran a few minutes here and there at 6.2 instead of 6, so I shaved about ten seconds off my total time), 4-mile run! It was on a treadmill, I still have yet to equal even 3 miles straight outside on the trail out there... But I SHALL! I took a little mini-break, doing a little walking and also letting myself stop entirely to get some more water, for about three minutes before doing the last half-mile at varying speeds. I did it mainly between 6.0 and 8.0 with the bulk of it in the middle of that, and it took about 4:30. :)
It was especially nice after yesterday's workout, which was not BAD per se but was so disorganized that I really felt I got almost nothing accomplished. I just didn't have a real plan; I thought I would try one of the Winsor Pilates DVDs that EmLit gave me, but the first was outside my fitness range and the second was actually, believe it or not, a little too light for my liking. I also tried warming up with a Zumba DVD but I don't feel like it got me sufficiently "het up" to actually have burned many calories. But it did get the blood flowing, which was important. In the end I just did bits and pieces of different things, including around 15 minutes of the "Advanced" Winsor Pilates DVD - that is the easiest one of the three I got, the other two were Maximum Burn and I couldn't do 'em yet - that were challenging but I didn't have the time or patience to do the entire 50-minute workout.
I thought then that I would do the Crunch Pilates workout again, and put the DVD in, only to decide instead to do Day 3 of the 100 Push-ups challenge (that's right, I hadn't done it yet... well, they did say "at least" 1 day in between, so no rule said I *couldn't* do it four days after Day 2) and what with the 120-seconds in between each level I realized I wouldn't have time to do the Crunch.
But, you know, I do usually work out 7 days a week, and I don't HAVE to. So having a relatively light workout, while not entirely satisfying to me, isn't going to push my fitness level into the crapper or anything. ;)
I also want to add that I was very pleased with myself on Sunday! Due to a visit to my grandmother I didn't have time earlier in the day to work out, and later on I felt tired and just lay down and read for a while. Later, though, I felt bad; I *want* to work out both days of the weekend, especially because I know this weekend will be touchy on Friday and Saturday (due to the wedding I'm in). It occurred to me that I could potentially go at night, after putting the kid down to bed... so I did. AND? Best part? Wait for it... I decided, since the night was cooling off, to run the parking lot outside. It's just about a mile all the way around, with some really good hills. I did a full three times around! :D
So I just want everyone to know that I'm awesome.
Okay, seriously though, in the face of my last outdoor run where I couldn't even manage 2 miles, this was terrific. I wasn't worrying about speed but I did fine anyway (about 9:30 or so to get a full way around; I honestly don't know the exact distance but since part of it is downhill I think that accounts for some of the speed) and the hills did NOT kill me. In fact, on the half that wasn't uphill I was even able to regain a slower breathing pace! I am in so much better shape than I thought I was after last week's Bad Run.
I know I sound really braggy. But you know, it's just a real accomplishment for me, and I'm really proud of it. I am working hard and I love seeing it pay off. And since I have no idea what the future may hold, and this might be the extent of my achievement for a while, I'm going to celebrate it. :)
For the record, I totalled 5 miles, walking and running, today with a time (not including the 2 minutes or so when I got off the treadmill) of 52:25.
Oh, and also for the record, I did manage those 63 pushups for Day 3. And now I hurt. :P
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tomorrow's gonna hurt
that might be a clever reference to Smashmouth, or it might just be a very true statement for my future.
Another title for this post could easily be "Ow! Pilates!"
I got the Crunch Fat Burning Pilates DVD today (well technically, last night) from Netflix and used it today. HOLY JABLONSKI!! I will say that I am able to keep up with the pace of the cardio part quite well, and that I actually did finish the workout - both the cardio blend, and the mat portion. I was really surprised each time one workout ended: I honestly thought I was only about halfway through. So, go me!
On the other hand, I have NONE of the "control" that the instructor talks about for Pilates. I just toss my limbs out all over the place. And the entire first ten minutes at least (probably more) focuses on squats! NOOO! That's just MEAN.
I also find it funny that they do exercise modifications for those of us who suck (er, I mean, who are just starting out) - which is great, don't get me wrong - but those modifications are led by a woman who, I kid you not, I thought was a very buff man with long hair at the start of the video. She's that ripped. YEAH, lady, YOU really need modified poses. Oh well, thanks for letting me slack off. ;D
The mat stuff is the most interesting to me. I did most of the exercises with modifications but I think in another week or so I will be ready to try them without modding (key word: TRY). I like the "Hundred" one - I've tried that before and I suck but seeing it demonstrated made me understand it a bit easier. Also, boys I was drippin' sweat at this point and my legs were all slippery. Not an easy workout!
So my initial response: if you are looking for a home workout and you really want to start Pilates, start with something easier! If you've got some background with Pilates, or you just REALLY want to push yourself, this is pretty good - the pace is good, and like I said it went more quickly than I thought it would, but it is definitely going to take me a while to learn to isolate my muscles etc etc. I got no rhythm, either.
Also! Today was day 2 of the Hundred Push-ups challenge! I forgot to check the chart to see what I was supposed to do, so I just did this: 12, 12, 10, 10, 8. I think that's right, and if not, it's really close. Total is 52! Ay caramba!
Listen folks I'm guaranteed to have my ass in a sling tomorrow I'll be so sore. And I claimed I was going to run sprints! We'll see, friends and family (mostly if not entirely the latter). We'll see.
Oh for the record though, I did start the workout with a mile at 2% elevation. Hooray! It showed me one thing: I will NOT be able to run the same at 6.5 mph on Friday. Instead I'm going to try to do that speed at 1% and if that's too hard I'll drop it down to 0 after a half mile. I'm sticking to the speedy though. It is in the cards! (I miss Magic 8 Balls.)
Quickie edit: I checked and I was wrong on the very last set of the push-ups, it was meant to be 10 again. So I should've done 54. Fie on that, though, I'm pleased with 52 (and 8 really was my max). Friday I'm supposed to do 15, 13, 10, 10, 15... I don't know about that. :P (63 total! Last week the highest I got was like 45 and at the end of this week I'm supposed to be up to 63! That's just special.
Another title for this post could easily be "Ow! Pilates!"
I got the Crunch Fat Burning Pilates DVD today (well technically, last night) from Netflix and used it today. HOLY JABLONSKI!! I will say that I am able to keep up with the pace of the cardio part quite well, and that I actually did finish the workout - both the cardio blend, and the mat portion. I was really surprised each time one workout ended: I honestly thought I was only about halfway through. So, go me!
On the other hand, I have NONE of the "control" that the instructor talks about for Pilates. I just toss my limbs out all over the place. And the entire first ten minutes at least (probably more) focuses on squats! NOOO! That's just MEAN.
I also find it funny that they do exercise modifications for those of us who suck (er, I mean, who are just starting out) - which is great, don't get me wrong - but those modifications are led by a woman who, I kid you not, I thought was a very buff man with long hair at the start of the video. She's that ripped. YEAH, lady, YOU really need modified poses. Oh well, thanks for letting me slack off. ;D
The mat stuff is the most interesting to me. I did most of the exercises with modifications but I think in another week or so I will be ready to try them without modding (key word: TRY). I like the "Hundred" one - I've tried that before and I suck but seeing it demonstrated made me understand it a bit easier. Also, boys I was drippin' sweat at this point and my legs were all slippery. Not an easy workout!
So my initial response: if you are looking for a home workout and you really want to start Pilates, start with something easier! If you've got some background with Pilates, or you just REALLY want to push yourself, this is pretty good - the pace is good, and like I said it went more quickly than I thought it would, but it is definitely going to take me a while to learn to isolate my muscles etc etc. I got no rhythm, either.
Also! Today was day 2 of the Hundred Push-ups challenge! I forgot to check the chart to see what I was supposed to do, so I just did this: 12, 12, 10, 10, 8. I think that's right, and if not, it's really close. Total is 52! Ay caramba!
Listen folks I'm guaranteed to have my ass in a sling tomorrow I'll be so sore. And I claimed I was going to run sprints! We'll see, friends and family (mostly if not entirely the latter). We'll see.
Oh for the record though, I did start the workout with a mile at 2% elevation. Hooray! It showed me one thing: I will NOT be able to run the same at 6.5 mph on Friday. Instead I'm going to try to do that speed at 1% and if that's too hard I'll drop it down to 0 after a half mile. I'm sticking to the speedy though. It is in the cards! (I miss Magic 8 Balls.)
Quickie edit: I checked and I was wrong on the very last set of the push-ups, it was meant to be 10 again. So I should've done 54. Fie on that, though, I'm pleased with 52 (and 8 really was my max). Friday I'm supposed to do 15, 13, 10, 10, 15... I don't know about that. :P (63 total! Last week the highest I got was like 45 and at the end of this week I'm supposed to be up to 63! That's just special.
Monday, July 28, 2008
In the evening, by the moonlight
Recap of workouts from weekend. I will make it brief. :)
I did a long run on Saturday, increased my mileage to 4.2 total - 3.7 straight, then a minute and a half of walking, and another half mile run.
I also walked to the grocery store that morning. Because I am fabulous.
Saturday night was a bachelorette party, in Richmond, which involved the consumption of a great deal of sushi (of all things) and a sudden craving for french fries at 2 am, but also a lot of walking around and some dancing. In high heels! You barely would have known me, I tell you.
I did, however, have to skip my workout yesterday. I really had to. Not only was I uninspired in terms of what to do but also I just was truly, truly exhausted. I got to bed at 4 am and felt guilty sleeping in past 8, since I was crashing in a living room, and Dorothy was weird about naps yesterday so there was no real chance to relax (although Dan did watch her and keep her mostly quiet for about an hour in the afternoon, but still, it was a tiny little hour of dozing). I hope I can make that lost sleep up, because I think I might need it, and it's SO hard to feel rested right now... Long gone, those days when I could stay in bed until noon! Boy.
I did end up surprisingly NOT over-done on Saturday night, I thought, and as a result while driving back I gave myself permission to have a "splurge" day. This is different from a "binge" day because it's not non-stop uncontrolled eating, it's just going ahead and eating the things I know are really bad for me that I don't have very often. That means it was mostly carbs - not that I stay away from carbs, but I try to balance usually, and stick with the "good" ones. Yesterday we're talking about donut, convenience store cupcakes, zucchini bread (I made this!), and a Slimfast meal bar that was NOT for a meal! (I have such a weakness for "nutrition" bars. It's like if it's in bar form I want it.) Anyway unlike the days last week where I totally failed on controlled eating, I felt like yesterday was okay. I hopefully won't feel a need to do it again for a while though. ;)
Today has been okay so far. For a workout I did a Raquel Welch exercise video - the portion that focused on a lower-body workout - which is weird because she does a handful of easy yoga stretches, some leg lift kind of things, and in between these tells you to "do five minutes of aerobic activity of your choice". Um what? Then she hops on an exercise bike. I mean, it's okay, because I have a room full of equipment so I just step on the elliptical, but I'm all used to Jane Fonda and her trippy bounce-around-the-room choreographed workouts... not "figure it out for yourself"! Anyway Raquel's workout is alright, I did it mainly because I wanted to do something that had even a tiny bit of strength training in it. My pilates video did not come over the weekend and is now scheduled to show its face on Tuesday. Bah.
I did, meanwhile, start the 100-pushups challenge today. I did day 1! Lucky me, right? :P 10, 10, 8, 6, and then another 8. 42 total today! We'll see if I can do day two on Wednesday.
I have nothing more to say that is the slightest bit interesting.
I did a long run on Saturday, increased my mileage to 4.2 total - 3.7 straight, then a minute and a half of walking, and another half mile run.
I also walked to the grocery store that morning. Because I am fabulous.
Saturday night was a bachelorette party, in Richmond, which involved the consumption of a great deal of sushi (of all things) and a sudden craving for french fries at 2 am, but also a lot of walking around and some dancing. In high heels! You barely would have known me, I tell you.
I did, however, have to skip my workout yesterday. I really had to. Not only was I uninspired in terms of what to do but also I just was truly, truly exhausted. I got to bed at 4 am and felt guilty sleeping in past 8, since I was crashing in a living room, and Dorothy was weird about naps yesterday so there was no real chance to relax (although Dan did watch her and keep her mostly quiet for about an hour in the afternoon, but still, it was a tiny little hour of dozing). I hope I can make that lost sleep up, because I think I might need it, and it's SO hard to feel rested right now... Long gone, those days when I could stay in bed until noon! Boy.
I did end up surprisingly NOT over-done on Saturday night, I thought, and as a result while driving back I gave myself permission to have a "splurge" day. This is different from a "binge" day because it's not non-stop uncontrolled eating, it's just going ahead and eating the things I know are really bad for me that I don't have very often. That means it was mostly carbs - not that I stay away from carbs, but I try to balance usually, and stick with the "good" ones. Yesterday we're talking about donut, convenience store cupcakes, zucchini bread (I made this!), and a Slimfast meal bar that was NOT for a meal! (I have such a weakness for "nutrition" bars. It's like if it's in bar form I want it.) Anyway unlike the days last week where I totally failed on controlled eating, I felt like yesterday was okay. I hopefully won't feel a need to do it again for a while though. ;)
Today has been okay so far. For a workout I did a Raquel Welch exercise video - the portion that focused on a lower-body workout - which is weird because she does a handful of easy yoga stretches, some leg lift kind of things, and in between these tells you to "do five minutes of aerobic activity of your choice". Um what? Then she hops on an exercise bike. I mean, it's okay, because I have a room full of equipment so I just step on the elliptical, but I'm all used to Jane Fonda and her trippy bounce-around-the-room choreographed workouts... not "figure it out for yourself"! Anyway Raquel's workout is alright, I did it mainly because I wanted to do something that had even a tiny bit of strength training in it. My pilates video did not come over the weekend and is now scheduled to show its face on Tuesday. Bah.
I did, meanwhile, start the 100-pushups challenge today. I did day 1! Lucky me, right? :P 10, 10, 8, 6, and then another 8. 42 total today! We'll see if I can do day two on Wednesday.
I have nothing more to say that is the slightest bit interesting.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Boring?
Well, I know I haven't updated here since Thursday; it's mostly because i don't have all that much to say that is news and I think I'm getting a little repetitive and boring. :P
But I'll sum up from my weekend!
Friday I didn't do anything interesting, just another 1-mile run and then elliptical. I *did* try to start the workout, like an idiot, with some yoga while I was not warmed up - I only did it because Wai Lana was on public access when I first got there! I was fine when she was doing neck stretches and forward bends. All was well then. But then she gets down and goes into Plow pose and I'm like "My feet are supposed to go WHERE?!" To my credit, I tried it. I got them over my head and even onto the ground. And then I listened to my body, and my body told me "NO WAY, you FOOL!" and my feet came right back up. ;D I was able to more or less do the Shoulder Stand in between returns to Plow... but my back did not like. I'm probably lucky I didn't tear something. ^_^;;
Anyway, I did also do pushups, no crunches though. I forget the break down but nobody really cares anyway; my total was, I believe, either 43 or 44.
Saturday I did a long run in the afternoon, since earlier in the day Dorothy had a friend over (hee!) and when she went down for a nap so did I. It was 4 pm before I got out to the gym. I did another 4-mile run, this time going up to 3.6 miles before walking for three minutes and finishing out another .4 miles at 7 mph. When I returned I was DRENCHED I can tell that; I was literally wringing out my shirt in the bathtub.
Sunday I decided to try some cross-training on all the cardio equipment in the gym. I did another 1-mile run on the treadmill - I forget but I think I worked some sprints in, I *think* it was .8 miles at 6.0 and then the final .2 at 8mph. Then I did ten minutes on the step machine, and I take back what I've said about ellipticals; TRUE evil wears the face of the step machine. :P Going ten minutes on that is a triumph! Then ten minutes on the elliptical and ten on the exercise bike. Since I knew I wouldn't be getting in a workout on Monday (staying home to watch the kid don'tcha know), I tacked on another ten minutes on the treadmill with the elevation up high, though I just walked.
And like I said, no workout yesterday, though the day was full of walking and I have the sunburn to prove it. ...Yes, I know that sunburn proves nothing. Shut up. I also would have done reasonably well in terms of eating habits if I hadn't pigged out on tortilla chips at lunch. Boy! I did do okay mostly on the weekend though. Not "diet" okay but I didn't overdo anything at all. :)
So that's my weekend roundup! In a few minutes maybe I can come back and post about today.
But I'll sum up from my weekend!
Friday I didn't do anything interesting, just another 1-mile run and then elliptical. I *did* try to start the workout, like an idiot, with some yoga while I was not warmed up - I only did it because Wai Lana was on public access when I first got there! I was fine when she was doing neck stretches and forward bends. All was well then. But then she gets down and goes into Plow pose and I'm like "My feet are supposed to go WHERE?!" To my credit, I tried it. I got them over my head and even onto the ground. And then I listened to my body, and my body told me "NO WAY, you FOOL!" and my feet came right back up. ;D I was able to more or less do the Shoulder Stand in between returns to Plow... but my back did not like. I'm probably lucky I didn't tear something. ^_^;;
Anyway, I did also do pushups, no crunches though. I forget the break down but nobody really cares anyway; my total was, I believe, either 43 or 44.
Saturday I did a long run in the afternoon, since earlier in the day Dorothy had a friend over (hee!) and when she went down for a nap so did I. It was 4 pm before I got out to the gym. I did another 4-mile run, this time going up to 3.6 miles before walking for three minutes and finishing out another .4 miles at 7 mph. When I returned I was DRENCHED I can tell that; I was literally wringing out my shirt in the bathtub.
Sunday I decided to try some cross-training on all the cardio equipment in the gym. I did another 1-mile run on the treadmill - I forget but I think I worked some sprints in, I *think* it was .8 miles at 6.0 and then the final .2 at 8mph. Then I did ten minutes on the step machine, and I take back what I've said about ellipticals; TRUE evil wears the face of the step machine. :P Going ten minutes on that is a triumph! Then ten minutes on the elliptical and ten on the exercise bike. Since I knew I wouldn't be getting in a workout on Monday (staying home to watch the kid don'tcha know), I tacked on another ten minutes on the treadmill with the elevation up high, though I just walked.
And like I said, no workout yesterday, though the day was full of walking and I have the sunburn to prove it. ...Yes, I know that sunburn proves nothing. Shut up. I also would have done reasonably well in terms of eating habits if I hadn't pigged out on tortilla chips at lunch. Boy! I did do okay mostly on the weekend though. Not "diet" okay but I didn't overdo anything at all. :)
So that's my weekend roundup! In a few minutes maybe I can come back and post about today.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I almost didn't make it but then I did
Had so many meetings and stuff this morning (I confess: one was a book club meeting) that I wasn't sure I would get to work out. I was determined, though! ...One unfortunate side effect is that I didn't get to go on my extra walk either yesterday or today, so that's too bad. But I had that huge run yesterday so that's okay. And I bet it's hot outside. And I wouldn't have been able to watch TV.
Real quick, today's workout:
Walked 3 minutes to warm up
Ran 1 mile at 7.0 mph (total time: 8m40s)
Push-ups and crunches
15 minutes on elliptical, with five minutes "warm up" and five minutes "cool down" warmly sandwiching five minutes of an interval routine that I detest but which is relatively easy: do 8 seconds all-out pushing as hard as possible, then 12 seconds recovery, over and over and over for five minutes. Yikes!
And finish off with ten minutes on the treadmill at varying speeds and elevations, doing fun things with hand weights. "Varying" means I spent about half of it at 3.0 mph on 3% elevation, first just carrying the weights and pumping my arms for about 2 1/2 minutes, then 30 to a minute each of bicep curls, lateral raises, and upright rows. I stopped when my arms told me to. ;) Then I hit the elevation up higher and went to 4.0 mph for most of the remaining time.
Finally cooled down with about five minutes of stretches - not actual yoga, just stretchin' out the legs.
As for the push-ups, since I didn't start the 100 challenge on Monday I'm putting it off until next week and seeing what I can do on my own. Today I did one set of 15, then a set of 10, and then a set of 8 followed by a knee-set of 7. So I totalled 40! Not bad! Crunches were far less inspiring: 50 regular but only 20 bike abs. But so what!
The problem is I don't really know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I guess I'll just spend more time on the elliptical.
Real quick, today's workout:
Walked 3 minutes to warm up
Ran 1 mile at 7.0 mph (total time: 8m40s)
Push-ups and crunches
15 minutes on elliptical, with five minutes "warm up" and five minutes "cool down" warmly sandwiching five minutes of an interval routine that I detest but which is relatively easy: do 8 seconds all-out pushing as hard as possible, then 12 seconds recovery, over and over and over for five minutes. Yikes!
And finish off with ten minutes on the treadmill at varying speeds and elevations, doing fun things with hand weights. "Varying" means I spent about half of it at 3.0 mph on 3% elevation, first just carrying the weights and pumping my arms for about 2 1/2 minutes, then 30 to a minute each of bicep curls, lateral raises, and upright rows. I stopped when my arms told me to. ;) Then I hit the elevation up higher and went to 4.0 mph for most of the remaining time.
Finally cooled down with about five minutes of stretches - not actual yoga, just stretchin' out the legs.
As for the push-ups, since I didn't start the 100 challenge on Monday I'm putting it off until next week and seeing what I can do on my own. Today I did one set of 15, then a set of 10, and then a set of 8 followed by a knee-set of 7. So I totalled 40! Not bad! Crunches were far less inspiring: 50 regular but only 20 bike abs. But so what!
The problem is I don't really know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I guess I'll just spend more time on the elliptical.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Long Live the 80s!
Man, I keep forgetting how SILLY Jane Fonda's workouts are. :P I always fail to finish a workout and that is in part because of how quick-paced they are - I don't have problems getting out of breath but I do lack the coordination to keep up with them so I usually just end up hopping and looking kind of disgusted with them - and also the routines are just so... weird! 60s Dances, Irish Jigs, WTH???
She does do a strength training workout before and after the aerobics though - specifically, upper body before and lower body afterwards. You're supposed to do one each day and the aerobics in between on both days. Meh. I find her lower body routine uninspiring (unfortunately I feel that way about most lower body routines) so I usually ignore the second half of hte tape, around when I lose interest in the aerobics. Instead, afterwards I did a few moderate lower body moves on my own, not a whole lot but they made my legs ache so I think it's enough. Just about two minutes worth of wall-squats - you know, where you "sit" against the wall and let your thighs screma at you in agony? That one. :P I did a minute, then stood, then 45 seconds, then stood, then about 40 seconds before I nearly fell down. Then I did some lunges and now I have jelly legs.
I forgot I was going to try the 100 pushups challenge today so I didn't check it in advance, and thus had no idea what I was supposed to do if I tried it. That's okay though because I wore myself out doing lateral raises and bicep curls and so on. I did do pushups but only like 16. But after doing the weight stuff it felt pretty hard. :P
So to compensate and make me feel better about myself, instead I did some extra crunches. This is actually pretty meaningless but at least I feel like I did something. ;) Two sets of 25 regular, then two sets of 25 bicycle abs! (meaning in all, not per leg) So in a way I did 100 crunches today. ^_^ I think it's really more like 75 but that's still impressive! I wish I could say I am definitely doing the bike abs right. I feel it but I might be cheating and doing it just halfway, because I don't feel it THAT much. Well, I'm trying anyway.
I finished by doing a few yoga poses that I remembered, mainly a couple of seated poses and then Triangle pose and Proud Warrior. Just enough to open the hips. So I suppose today wasn't a loss, and I'm still going out for a walk, but man I want my Minna Lessig video back. >:P Those moves were so easy to follow and it never felt like I was actually doing 20 minutes worth of lower body work.
Tomorrow's my long run day! I always hate the days when I don't run because I don't really know what to do. Blah. Then again this means tomorrow I have to go outside and sweat and possibly vomit. Why am I so pessimistic? I LOVE running outside. Well, that's enough out of me. ^_^
She does do a strength training workout before and after the aerobics though - specifically, upper body before and lower body afterwards. You're supposed to do one each day and the aerobics in between on both days. Meh. I find her lower body routine uninspiring (unfortunately I feel that way about most lower body routines) so I usually ignore the second half of hte tape, around when I lose interest in the aerobics. Instead, afterwards I did a few moderate lower body moves on my own, not a whole lot but they made my legs ache so I think it's enough. Just about two minutes worth of wall-squats - you know, where you "sit" against the wall and let your thighs screma at you in agony? That one. :P I did a minute, then stood, then 45 seconds, then stood, then about 40 seconds before I nearly fell down. Then I did some lunges and now I have jelly legs.
I forgot I was going to try the 100 pushups challenge today so I didn't check it in advance, and thus had no idea what I was supposed to do if I tried it. That's okay though because I wore myself out doing lateral raises and bicep curls and so on. I did do pushups but only like 16. But after doing the weight stuff it felt pretty hard. :P
So to compensate and make me feel better about myself, instead I did some extra crunches. This is actually pretty meaningless but at least I feel like I did something. ;) Two sets of 25 regular, then two sets of 25 bicycle abs! (meaning in all, not per leg) So in a way I did 100 crunches today. ^_^ I think it's really more like 75 but that's still impressive! I wish I could say I am definitely doing the bike abs right. I feel it but I might be cheating and doing it just halfway, because I don't feel it THAT much. Well, I'm trying anyway.
I finished by doing a few yoga poses that I remembered, mainly a couple of seated poses and then Triangle pose and Proud Warrior. Just enough to open the hips. So I suppose today wasn't a loss, and I'm still going out for a walk, but man I want my Minna Lessig video back. >:P Those moves were so easy to follow and it never felt like I was actually doing 20 minutes worth of lower body work.
Tomorrow's my long run day! I always hate the days when I don't run because I don't really know what to do. Blah. Then again this means tomorrow I have to go outside and sweat and possibly vomit. Why am I so pessimistic? I LOVE running outside. Well, that's enough out of me. ^_^
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Today, and In the Future
Today's workout!
I did the sprints I said I would do, and then after doing some crunches and push-ups I finished on the elliptical for about 20 minutes. Those sprint suckers are hard, though. I've done them about five or six times now and sometimes I can complete them without stopping... but usually not.
It's a routine I got from FitSugar which apparently was created by a celebrity personal trainer just for use on the treadmill. Since, especially at this time of year, I think it's easier to do timed sprints on a treadmill indoors, I have been trying to do this once a week. I do usually work some sprints into the latter part of my outdoor runs, though (the part after I've recovered from the long steady distance run).
Anyway, the routine is:
5m @ 5mph
1m @ 8mph; 1m @ 5mph. repeat 3 times
45s @ 9mph; 1m @ 5mph. repeat 3 times
30s @ 10mph; 1m @ 5mph. repeat 3 times.
5m @ 3.5mph
So obviously it's that last set, the 10mph one, that kind of... kills you. XD I enjoy these, in part because it's relatively brief, and in part because I know I can do it. But today I did have to stop after the first two reps of the 10 mph set. I'm also not sure I timed it all correctly today. Still though, it comes out to about 2.05 miles from start to finish (not including the walking at the end) and that's a good workout! The intervals are really good for fat burning and metabolism too, or at least that's what I've read.
After that I did more crunches and push-ups. Same crunch total as yesterday on both moves. Push-ups I added to slightly, still three sets, still 13 on the first, 10 on the second, but I managed 7 on the third and then 7 on the modified/girly position. So I totaled 37 today! My mother has prodded me to try the 100 Push-ups Challenge which I suppose I will give in and do starting on Monday. I'll see if I can stick with it. I've been really good at going gung-ho with push-ups for a few weeks and then forgetting about them entirely for a few more weeks. So we'll see. *G* The aspect I like of that challenge is where you only do them 3 days a week; part of what tires me out with push-ups is that I do try to do them each day and some days I'm terribly sore from other workouts.
*****
Now for something completely different yet still connected to running! For months now - even well before I was doing 5Ks or could run for a full mile - I've been eyeing the Walt Disney World marathon/half-marathon. (If anyone reading this doesn't know me personally yet, here's a secret everyone knows: I'm fanatical about Disney World. I can go back and forth on Disney products as a whole but the WDW fixation has just grown over the past four years.) You get to run through the parks. The characters come out and cheer you on. OH. MY. GOD. If I could actually run that far, I thought to myself, and actually ENJOY it, doing that THROUGH Disney World would be like... heaven. :O Just looking at the course map made me giddy.
Well. I'm not committing to doing it yet, because once I commit to it I will actually DO IT and I'm not sure I CAN do it. Getting there will be hard, more so because I would absolutely have to bring my family and it's just a matter of coordinating etc. But I've looked at the races they actually have available and it turns out there are a ton more than just the official Marathon and Half. They have a bunch of race weekends spread throughout the year and have been adding more lately.
In addition to the Half Marathon (or... perhaps... dare I say... the Marathon itself? I've thought maybe for my 35th birthday... assuming I could get the training time in by then... NO COMMITMENTS) I would love to run the Tower of Terror 13K. This just started last year and is a twilight run around Hollywood Studios, beginning and ending, as I understand, near the Tower of Terror ride. In addition to starting off with fireworks and taking the runners up to a "VIP" area inside the ride for the post-race party, you get gimmicky stuff like a glow-in-the-dark bib (well... I suppose, since it's a twilight race, that's actually very useful) and a medal shaped like the hotel, with MOVING ELEVATORS. I kid you not. XD
Tell me that doesn't sound like a hoot! An 8-mile run at dusk in October. I sincerely doubt I'll ever manage it, unless I give up entirely on running the marathon or the half (I just don't think my husband would be completely kosher with me spending a buttload on running in WDW races and paying to get everyone down there, etc), but what fun!
I did the sprints I said I would do, and then after doing some crunches and push-ups I finished on the elliptical for about 20 minutes. Those sprint suckers are hard, though. I've done them about five or six times now and sometimes I can complete them without stopping... but usually not.
It's a routine I got from FitSugar which apparently was created by a celebrity personal trainer just for use on the treadmill. Since, especially at this time of year, I think it's easier to do timed sprints on a treadmill indoors, I have been trying to do this once a week. I do usually work some sprints into the latter part of my outdoor runs, though (the part after I've recovered from the long steady distance run).
Anyway, the routine is:
5m @ 5mph
1m @ 8mph; 1m @ 5mph. repeat 3 times
45s @ 9mph; 1m @ 5mph. repeat 3 times
30s @ 10mph; 1m @ 5mph. repeat 3 times.
5m @ 3.5mph
So obviously it's that last set, the 10mph one, that kind of... kills you. XD I enjoy these, in part because it's relatively brief, and in part because I know I can do it. But today I did have to stop after the first two reps of the 10 mph set. I'm also not sure I timed it all correctly today. Still though, it comes out to about 2.05 miles from start to finish (not including the walking at the end) and that's a good workout! The intervals are really good for fat burning and metabolism too, or at least that's what I've read.
After that I did more crunches and push-ups. Same crunch total as yesterday on both moves. Push-ups I added to slightly, still three sets, still 13 on the first, 10 on the second, but I managed 7 on the third and then 7 on the modified/girly position. So I totaled 37 today! My mother has prodded me to try the 100 Push-ups Challenge which I suppose I will give in and do starting on Monday. I'll see if I can stick with it. I've been really good at going gung-ho with push-ups for a few weeks and then forgetting about them entirely for a few more weeks. So we'll see. *G* The aspect I like of that challenge is where you only do them 3 days a week; part of what tires me out with push-ups is that I do try to do them each day and some days I'm terribly sore from other workouts.
*****
Now for something completely different yet still connected to running! For months now - even well before I was doing 5Ks or could run for a full mile - I've been eyeing the Walt Disney World marathon/half-marathon. (If anyone reading this doesn't know me personally yet, here's a secret everyone knows: I'm fanatical about Disney World. I can go back and forth on Disney products as a whole but the WDW fixation has just grown over the past four years.) You get to run through the parks. The characters come out and cheer you on. OH. MY. GOD. If I could actually run that far, I thought to myself, and actually ENJOY it, doing that THROUGH Disney World would be like... heaven. :O Just looking at the course map made me giddy.
Well. I'm not committing to doing it yet, because once I commit to it I will actually DO IT and I'm not sure I CAN do it. Getting there will be hard, more so because I would absolutely have to bring my family and it's just a matter of coordinating etc. But I've looked at the races they actually have available and it turns out there are a ton more than just the official Marathon and Half. They have a bunch of race weekends spread throughout the year and have been adding more lately.
In addition to the Half Marathon (or... perhaps... dare I say... the Marathon itself? I've thought maybe for my 35th birthday... assuming I could get the training time in by then... NO COMMITMENTS) I would love to run the Tower of Terror 13K. This just started last year and is a twilight run around Hollywood Studios, beginning and ending, as I understand, near the Tower of Terror ride. In addition to starting off with fireworks and taking the runners up to a "VIP" area inside the ride for the post-race party, you get gimmicky stuff like a glow-in-the-dark bib (well... I suppose, since it's a twilight race, that's actually very useful) and a medal shaped like the hotel, with MOVING ELEVATORS. I kid you not. XD
Tell me that doesn't sound like a hoot! An 8-mile run at dusk in October. I sincerely doubt I'll ever manage it, unless I give up entirely on running the marathon or the half (I just don't think my husband would be completely kosher with me spending a buttload on running in WDW races and paying to get everyone down there, etc), but what fun!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Today's results
Forgot to mention today's results.
I had an indoor run on treadmill. Nothing fancy, just two miles. I've been trying to increase my pace a little so even though I do longer runs at 6 mph I've been essaying my shorter ones at 6.5 or even more if I feel I can do it. I did the first mile at 6.5, dropped to 6 for .2, got back up for .5, and did the last .3 at 6 mph. I finished in just about 19 minutes, which is quite good for me!
I think I'll try Friday's 1-mile at 7.0 if I can manage it. Then again maybe I shouldn't... I do need some recovery time and I'm sandwiching it in between sprint intervals and a long run. I guess I'll just do a nice quickie.
Today I also did some yoga from the "Beginner's" DVD, and where I'd found the "general" poses quite simple and easy to follow today I did a full workout that's on the DVD as a special feature. HI I CAN'T FOLLOW YOU LADY. Nothing to make you FEEL like a beginner quite like watching your instructor pull her foot down over her head while you struggle to get it as close to your body as possible: and that is perpendicular to the floor. Oh well. At least I can do forward bends. Backbends? Another story again. :P
And, last but not least, I vowed yet again to put some real effort into committing to stomach crunches and push-ups, because I suck and I just don't do them regularly. Confessing here whether I've done them or not will help, I'm sure.
Today I did 20 crunches, rested, then did another 20. Then I did 20 bicycle ab crunches (20 as in ten on each side), rested, and did another 20. So that's my starting point, 40 of each, but I'm terribly inconsistent with crunches because I always change what moves I want to do.
In terms of push-ups I did 13, rested, did 10, rested, then did 6 before dropping to the modified position and doing another 6. So 29 full push-ups, and 35 total (including girly-style), that's my starting point. I do try to do sets of three and I can see I'm getting better for doing that. Even though I'm inconsistent a little while ago a total of 25, including girly-style, was a strain.
I really need a workout for strength training! The problem is that I hate following anything that isn't on TV because it's static, boring, and I know I'm not doing it right. We'll see what Netflix brings in the future!
I had an indoor run on treadmill. Nothing fancy, just two miles. I've been trying to increase my pace a little so even though I do longer runs at 6 mph I've been essaying my shorter ones at 6.5 or even more if I feel I can do it. I did the first mile at 6.5, dropped to 6 for .2, got back up for .5, and did the last .3 at 6 mph. I finished in just about 19 minutes, which is quite good for me!
I think I'll try Friday's 1-mile at 7.0 if I can manage it. Then again maybe I shouldn't... I do need some recovery time and I'm sandwiching it in between sprint intervals and a long run. I guess I'll just do a nice quickie.
Today I also did some yoga from the "Beginner's" DVD, and where I'd found the "general" poses quite simple and easy to follow today I did a full workout that's on the DVD as a special feature. HI I CAN'T FOLLOW YOU LADY. Nothing to make you FEEL like a beginner quite like watching your instructor pull her foot down over her head while you struggle to get it as close to your body as possible: and that is perpendicular to the floor. Oh well. At least I can do forward bends. Backbends? Another story again. :P
And, last but not least, I vowed yet again to put some real effort into committing to stomach crunches and push-ups, because I suck and I just don't do them regularly. Confessing here whether I've done them or not will help, I'm sure.
Today I did 20 crunches, rested, then did another 20. Then I did 20 bicycle ab crunches (20 as in ten on each side), rested, and did another 20. So that's my starting point, 40 of each, but I'm terribly inconsistent with crunches because I always change what moves I want to do.
In terms of push-ups I did 13, rested, did 10, rested, then did 6 before dropping to the modified position and doing another 6. So 29 full push-ups, and 35 total (including girly-style), that's my starting point. I do try to do sets of three and I can see I'm getting better for doing that. Even though I'm inconsistent a little while ago a total of 25, including girly-style, was a strain.
I really need a workout for strength training! The problem is that I hate following anything that isn't on TV because it's static, boring, and I know I'm not doing it right. We'll see what Netflix brings in the future!
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