OMG I was a little workout queen Sunday, thanks to TurboFire! And no, I dont have any photos of this and yes, you should be thankful!
My "to-do" list for Saturday turned from a "today" into a "tonight" and then "tomorrow" list. Things like putting away the laundry that sat in the dryer for 4 days and had now been sitting in a hamper for 2 days :/ (Somehow, I still have days where I think I have no clothes! Not true. Valid point, however? Clothes that fit! The joy of losing 30 lbs and now not knowing what the dress code at the new job is! eep!!! sorry, back to your regularly scheduled programming...) Things like making food at home to eat with the roomie (at the same time!), shower, and, of course, work out!
I just winged it as to which of the TurboFire dvd's to do since I'd ignored the plan to do p90x last week. Sooo I started at the beginning! I was supposed to do the Fire 45 and then Stretch 10 one day and then the HIIT 20 and Stretch 10 sooo I had my game plan. Do the 45 min workout, and if I had it in me, the 20 min HIIT workout, and of course, the Stretch 10!
As usual, I got a bit lost on the choreography for the 3rd set of the Fire 45 and could feel my intensity was way down from the time I'd done the back to back fire drills. Chalene asked me to dig deep, and I said "k, fine! I'll do the HIIT workout!" I LOVED it because she walks you through it first (marking it) and then you do it 2 or 3 times. I totally stopped during the first HIIT session because I thought my tank was empty...and then I saw I had 9 seconds left, so I sucked it up and finished. No more stopping!
The post-workout stretch?! Gloooorious. It'd been about a week since I had done that video, so I'd forgotten just how much I loved it :) I was only a little sore today and I was walking down lots and looots of peanut rows, getting dirt in my shoes!
Here's to the next TV timeout!
-Syd
Monday, June 11, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
X Training
Hey,
I realize I might only run once or twice a week now days (yayyy 90*+ weather :/ ) but I'm actually working my butt out more because I don't have to think about saving energy for the tempo/long/fartlek run, I can do what I do now barefoot (less socks for laundry!) and pretty much anywhere with minimal planning.
Huck has p90x, and I'll do that with him a few afternoons a week when he comes home from work. There's some of the workouts I'm just not strong enough to do, like the chest and backs, mainly because that's almost exclusively pushup and pullup variations. When I did it last week, I got through the first half, then went to do something else. Huck pushed me this week to at least get to the next water break after the halfway point. I'm never going to build up the muscles to do a pullup if I don't keep trying, right?
Tony Horton's plyometrics X is KILLER! Lots of sweating and trying to land softly and quietly...like a CAT :) The first time I did this, you could hear the thunks from outside. This week, I got a fist bump and "nice!" from Huck :) We needed to get some other stuff done that night, so we cut it short, but I still smoked his butt for some of it.
I went to KR's house on Wednesday for girl time, which included getting my hair blonded up! While driving to her place, I got the call that I get to start my REAL JOB in July! There's so many other awesomely happy things about this, but when they said "July" I did the math and decided to follow in KR's footsteps and add some bright (bubble gum, to be precise) pink to my hair. That, and making dinner and a celebration red velvet cake, took so long KR and I did the Insanity Upper Body Strength DVD Thursday morning.
I'd made Huck promise to kick my butt on hills at Fleet Feet's social run on Thursday night, so within 12 hours of Insanity working my arms, I was pounding the pavement. Huck had done a 45 minute p90x in 30 minutes so we could be on time, and it cleeearly killed him. Don't get me wrong, it was still warm, and our 1 mile warmup and then killing Mount Leonard 4 times was... ouch. He would sprint up the hills way faster than me and I'd have to gasp out "keep moving" to him, but we were both just ready to collapse after that 4th time. We tried to catch a group of ladies who had run a 3 mile route but to no avail :/
So that's my story :) I'm officially signed up for Illinois' Toughest 15k next Saturday and I'm trying to gain 5 lbs any way possible to compete in the Athena category but this darn cardio mixup is thwarting my plans. I've never wanted to gain weight more in my life!
Here's to the next TV timeout!
-Sydney
Sunday, June 3, 2012
How to run your first 10k
I know, I'm going in a weird trajectory this year. First there was an 8k, then a half-marathon, and then the 10 miler, and the (utterly failed) 10k on Mother's Day weekend, but today, I successfully completed my first 10k!
I'd roped the roomie into this a few months ago when she stopped running and I figured a carrot at the end of the stick would get her back on track. She's eating amazingly well, so keeping up with exercise that she kicks butt at just means she looks even HOTTER while she's on the prowl for Mr. Right!
Her longest run (before today) was 6 miles, and I might have freaked her out by explaining that the hill we were running down at the beginning was the exact same one we'd be climbing up a the very bitter end...oops! But let's not worry about that! We took our pretty picture at the beginning (race day braids, ftw!) and watched the half-marathon'ers take off.
15 minutes later, we lined up and jostled around for prime starting spot. We should've jostled more, because we definitely got stuck behind first time 5k'ers who didn't realize people would be breezing past them instantly. Oh yeah, did I mention there was a 10 AND 5k component to this race? Anyway, once we got into our own happy pack, down the hill and onto the greenway, it was amazingly smooth sailing. There were mile markers, happy cheering volunteers, and lots of water stops and port-a-potties! <<deep sigh of happiness>>
The route went from "and now, we RACE!" to "lovely Sunday run on a greenway" after the 5k turnaround. All 3 distances were on the same path, they just turned you back at different points. So many of the distracting people- super bouncy, insane pronators, stiff legged- turned back at the 5k mark, thank heaven! You can only run behind them for so long, darnit!
After our very own turnaround, and by the world's most unenthusiastic spectators, I lost the roomie for a bit. I knew I had the fuel in me (or on me!) and that 6.2 was nada after 13.1, so I opened up a little, saving enough for the hill on the way back. Roomie and I ended up entertaining the bored spectators and she caught up to me about a mile after the turnaround. Seeing the mile markers for the half kept us motivated, we walked through the 2 water stops, and life was GRAND...until we got back to the hill.
I'm still not sure if she was there when I told her "slow and steady" or if I was just talking to myself, but I definitely cut wayyy back on pace, focused on keeping my steps tiny but still coming, and just stared at the asphalt in front of me. Hooray for roads with minimal cantor , so I could find a groove in the road and just stay in that to keep me on the most efficient path up the hill.
The heavy breathing woman that came up the hill beyond me knew the fine Raleigh police officers that were keeping cars from running over us, and we exchanged as many words as our out of breath bodies would let us- "great job!" "almost there!"- and I just. kept. moving. My goal was to NOT let any of the half marathoners pass me, which was a definite probability, given their 15 minute head start and my 10+ min pace. I heard the guy on the microphone that the end of all good races have, and was actually sad that the finish line was so hidden, because as soon as I saw it, sprinting to it was the easiest thing in the world! We estimate our finish time was around 1:07, since the clock started with the half marathoners and our "gun" was 15 min later-esque.
I was able to get my water and in position behind the finish gates in time to get out my phone and snap a picture of the roomie coming across the finish line. She was super excited, also sad the finish line was so hidden, but started spewing some nonsense about doing a half next :) Oh, and we totally were cooled down by the time the first half finisher came across the line, phew!
We asked some random person to take our "after" picture, walked back to the car, and generally reveled in our awesome Sunday morning. I can totally tell my right hamstring is going to be problematic if I don't baby it the next few days, based on how much its tightening.
Overall, GREAT race! Super excited to have my first 10k under my belt, and now its time to keep making hills my B**** before a very special race in 2 weekends :)
Here's to the next tv timeout!
-Syd
I'd roped the roomie into this a few months ago when she stopped running and I figured a carrot at the end of the stick would get her back on track. She's eating amazingly well, so keeping up with exercise that she kicks butt at just means she looks even HOTTER while she's on the prowl for Mr. Right!
Her longest run (before today) was 6 miles, and I might have freaked her out by explaining that the hill we were running down at the beginning was the exact same one we'd be climbing up a the very bitter end...oops! But let's not worry about that! We took our pretty picture at the beginning (race day braids, ftw!) and watched the half-marathon'ers take off.
15 minutes later, we lined up and jostled around for prime starting spot. We should've jostled more, because we definitely got stuck behind first time 5k'ers who didn't realize people would be breezing past them instantly. Oh yeah, did I mention there was a 10 AND 5k component to this race? Anyway, once we got into our own happy pack, down the hill and onto the greenway, it was amazingly smooth sailing. There were mile markers, happy cheering volunteers, and lots of water stops and port-a-potties! <<deep sigh of happiness>>
The route went from "and now, we RACE!" to "lovely Sunday run on a greenway" after the 5k turnaround. All 3 distances were on the same path, they just turned you back at different points. So many of the distracting people- super bouncy, insane pronators, stiff legged- turned back at the 5k mark, thank heaven! You can only run behind them for so long, darnit!
After our very own turnaround, and by the world's most unenthusiastic spectators, I lost the roomie for a bit. I knew I had the fuel in me (or on me!) and that 6.2 was nada after 13.1, so I opened up a little, saving enough for the hill on the way back. Roomie and I ended up entertaining the bored spectators and she caught up to me about a mile after the turnaround. Seeing the mile markers for the half kept us motivated, we walked through the 2 water stops, and life was GRAND...until we got back to the hill.
I'm still not sure if she was there when I told her "slow and steady" or if I was just talking to myself, but I definitely cut wayyy back on pace, focused on keeping my steps tiny but still coming, and just stared at the asphalt in front of me. Hooray for roads with minimal cantor , so I could find a groove in the road and just stay in that to keep me on the most efficient path up the hill.
The heavy breathing woman that came up the hill beyond me knew the fine Raleigh police officers that were keeping cars from running over us, and we exchanged as many words as our out of breath bodies would let us- "great job!" "almost there!"- and I just. kept. moving. My goal was to NOT let any of the half marathoners pass me, which was a definite probability, given their 15 minute head start and my 10+ min pace. I heard the guy on the microphone that the end of all good races have, and was actually sad that the finish line was so hidden, because as soon as I saw it, sprinting to it was the easiest thing in the world! We estimate our finish time was around 1:07, since the clock started with the half marathoners and our "gun" was 15 min later-esque.
I was able to get my water and in position behind the finish gates in time to get out my phone and snap a picture of the roomie coming across the finish line. She was super excited, also sad the finish line was so hidden, but started spewing some nonsense about doing a half next :) Oh, and we totally were cooled down by the time the first half finisher came across the line, phew!We asked some random person to take our "after" picture, walked back to the car, and generally reveled in our awesome Sunday morning. I can totally tell my right hamstring is going to be problematic if I don't baby it the next few days, based on how much its tightening.
Overall, GREAT race! Super excited to have my first 10k under my belt, and now its time to keep making hills my B**** before a very special race in 2 weekends :)
Here's to the next tv timeout!
-Syd
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Sweet and Sour
Why yes, I had Chinese for dinner, why do you ask?!
This is the story of a "sweet" run and a very "sour" run! My sour run was Tuesday morning with KR. The tl;dr story? Flippin' heat. Almost 2 miles in, when we stopped to talk to the scandalous roomie, my head tried to explode, which my brain and ears didn't appreciate. I at least got up the major part of the hill, after I didn't start attacking it until 1.3 miles into the run, so yay for small victories.
\ <-- sorry about that! to hear from the culprit, go here : http://bit.ly/K5aYcj
Okay, so, on to my "sweet" run...a friend from my gladiator training days posted on facebook yesterday, asking if anyone would go do a 3 mile run with her on Saturday morning. I know her pace, and I can go that speed talking all day now. Serious signs of improvement for me, considering 11:30 pace used to mean concentrating :)
Heather told me it might end up only being 2, not 3, and considering the Roomie and I are doing a hilly 10k tomorrow morning, I was totally okay with that. I figured this run would just be a good "hey, legs, remember what its like to run? ok, then great, we have to do more of this tomorrow!" loosening up.
As we got to running, my running buddy explained her feet have been going numb around the 2 mile mark of her runs, no matter the shoes she wears and no, her laces aren't tight, tyvm. We talked the entire time, and it was weird being the fast one! If I talked, we sped up. If she talked, we slowed down. The first 2.38 miles, we did an 11:30 pace, but we stopped to let her feet get un-numb.
After the remnants of the tropical depression and other high/low pressure system mixtures hit NC, we've gotten lots of rain, which means lots of puddles on greenways. There was one that is obviously a continual problem, because off to the side, someone had placed 2 planks of wood for a makeshift bridge over a washed out creekbed next to a long puddle on the asphalt. This very high tech bad@$$ guy came and splashed in the puddle, couldn't get over it. I backed up a couple steps, hit the last high point on the puddle's edge, and made it across, no big :) Heather saw it and just laughed. You know how you race against people on the treadmills in the gym? I puddle jump competitively, apparently ;)
I've been trying to keep up the general fitness with the help of Beachbody :) Huck has p90x and I did a few workouts with him, and I wake up at 5am now to do TurboFire by myself. Its not as intense- its as intense as you make it, all body weight cardio stuff so far- but the cardio gets your heart rate up and turns you into a sweaty mess. INSIDE! Totally better than running when its 70, or 80 or even the 90 it likes hitting now!
We'll see how well the crosstraining is working after the 10k tomorrow. Recap and pictures tomorrow :)
Here's to the next TV timeout
-Syd
This is the story of a "sweet" run and a very "sour" run! My sour run was Tuesday morning with KR. The tl;dr story? Flippin' heat. Almost 2 miles in, when we stopped to talk to the scandalous roomie, my head tried to explode, which my brain and ears didn't appreciate. I at least got up the major part of the hill, after I didn't start attacking it until 1.3 miles into the run, so yay for small victories.
\ <-- sorry about that! to hear from the culprit, go here : http://bit.ly/K5aYcj
Okay, so, on to my "sweet" run...a friend from my gladiator training days posted on facebook yesterday, asking if anyone would go do a 3 mile run with her on Saturday morning. I know her pace, and I can go that speed talking all day now. Serious signs of improvement for me, considering 11:30 pace used to mean concentrating :)
Heather told me it might end up only being 2, not 3, and considering the Roomie and I are doing a hilly 10k tomorrow morning, I was totally okay with that. I figured this run would just be a good "hey, legs, remember what its like to run? ok, then great, we have to do more of this tomorrow!" loosening up.
As we got to running, my running buddy explained her feet have been going numb around the 2 mile mark of her runs, no matter the shoes she wears and no, her laces aren't tight, tyvm. We talked the entire time, and it was weird being the fast one! If I talked, we sped up. If she talked, we slowed down. The first 2.38 miles, we did an 11:30 pace, but we stopped to let her feet get un-numb.
After the remnants of the tropical depression and other high/low pressure system mixtures hit NC, we've gotten lots of rain, which means lots of puddles on greenways. There was one that is obviously a continual problem, because off to the side, someone had placed 2 planks of wood for a makeshift bridge over a washed out creekbed next to a long puddle on the asphalt. This very high tech bad@$$ guy came and splashed in the puddle, couldn't get over it. I backed up a couple steps, hit the last high point on the puddle's edge, and made it across, no big :) Heather saw it and just laughed. You know how you race against people on the treadmills in the gym? I puddle jump competitively, apparently ;)
I've been trying to keep up the general fitness with the help of Beachbody :) Huck has p90x and I did a few workouts with him, and I wake up at 5am now to do TurboFire by myself. Its not as intense- its as intense as you make it, all body weight cardio stuff so far- but the cardio gets your heart rate up and turns you into a sweaty mess. INSIDE! Totally better than running when its 70, or 80 or even the 90 it likes hitting now!
We'll see how well the crosstraining is working after the 10k tomorrow. Recap and pictures tomorrow :)
Here's to the next TV timeout
-Syd
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