Tomorrow will be my first workout day of the crunch and pushup challenge I'm starting this week.
I'll do the following workouts (see how I put this in writing...more likely to do it, I'm hoping):
Crunches (Week 3)
Set 1: 21
Set 2: 27
Set 3: 21
Set 4: 21
Set 5: Max (minimum 30)
Pushups (Week 1)
Set 1: 2
Set 2: 3
Set 3: 2
Set 4: 2
Set 5: Max (minimum 3)
We'll see how this goes. My abs have been sore all day today after the initial test yesterday. I know I need to add in a "real" strength training program, but this is a start.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
New Season, New Challenge
So, this is my first real week of summer since I had so much school stuff going on last week. And I'm finally going to start a challenge I saw online a while back. Actually, I'm going to do two different challenges. The first is the 200 Crunch Challenge (yes, the website says situps, but then goes on to say they use crunches), and the second is the 100 Pushup Challenge. I figure this will at least jump start my core strenthening plan.
But, that's the point. I am going to follow the plan to get to 200 crunches and 100 pushups, hopefully by the end of summer.
I'm in the Excellent category for crunches, so I'll actually be starting at Week 3 of the plan. That means 3 "workouts" this week of 5 sets of 20+ crunches (depending on the day).
I'm in the lowest rank possible. Luckily, they didn't name these like they did the crunches. I'm afraid it would say something like "Weakling" or "How Pathetic." I'll be starting with 5 sets of 2-5 crunches. We'll see.
My plan is to start the workouts on Wednesday. I'll fit in Wednesday/Friday/Sunday workouts this week and switch to Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday the next week.
For both of these challenges, you complete an initial test just to see how many of each exercise you can currently do. So...my starting numbers for the Crunch Challenge is 100 (oh, yes, really!).
Ok, so I'm pleased with the number of crunches I can do. I'm attributing this to the fact that I run, and while I don't focus on my core enough, running does seem to keep it stronger than if I wasn't running.
But my pushups? My starting number is just 5. Man, I am weak!
But, that's the point. I am going to follow the plan to get to 200 crunches and 100 pushups, hopefully by the end of summer.
I'm in the Excellent category for crunches, so I'll actually be starting at Week 3 of the plan. That means 3 "workouts" this week of 5 sets of 20+ crunches (depending on the day).
I'm in the lowest rank possible. Luckily, they didn't name these like they did the crunches. I'm afraid it would say something like "Weakling" or "How Pathetic." I'll be starting with 5 sets of 2-5 crunches. We'll see.
My plan is to start the workouts on Wednesday. I'll fit in Wednesday/Friday/Sunday workouts this week and switch to Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday the next week.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Across the Miles
Because I know she likes to get up in the morning and check my blog to see if I’ve written anything, thispost is all about my BFF Chandra.
See, here’s the deal. Chandra and I met during freshmen orientation week at Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX (almost 14 years ago…yikes! When did that happen?!). I was a good 4 ½ hours from home, which is saying a lot, because even then, I was the biggest homebody ever. My roommate and I were headed out to one of the events they had planned for us, and out of the room at the end of the hall came Chandra and her roommate. And that, my friends, was that. We’ve been fast friends ever since. We even lived together in an apartment for a while, until I painfully made the decision to return home after 2 years in San Angelo. Oh, she's going to kill me for this one, but look what I found:
But our friendship survived the miles between us. Chandra was in my wedding in 2002, and my husband, daughter, parents and I flew out to Lake Tahoe so I could be in hers 2006. Chandra has lived in Nebraska, California and now Montana, but that hasn’t kept us from being the best of friends.
We don’t get to see each other nearly as much as we’d like, but we do keep up through phone calls, emails, and Facebook.
And while I don’t know her whole “running story,” I do know that she has fallen in love with the sport since the birth of her second daughter this past spring. And it’s just one more connection for us. We’re able to bounce ideas off of each other, commiserate the latest aches and pains, and celebrate our accomplishments together. We keep up with each other’s running life through DailyMile as well where we can motivate and encourage each other through our various workouts and runs.
We both follow the Run Like a Mother/Another Mother Runner blog and Facebook page, another tie that connects us. I think I recommended the book to her and now we're both Mother Runners :)
We’ve been virtual run or race buddies a couple of times now, knowing that the other was running the same day. It’s kind of cool that we can send out those running vibes to each other. I know I was sending them out to her during one of her recent races. I love this picture of her (and I hope she doesn't kill me for posting it!). This one is from a Race for the Cure:
We’re planning on being race partners in a couple of weeks for the Insanity Virtual 5K, part of the virtual race series being put on by Moms RUN This Town. Of course, "race partners" is relative in our case. She’ll be in my time zone for once (but not close enough for us to meet up), so we’ll actually run a 5K at the same time, just miles apart! How cool is that?!
But, the pinnacle of our virtual running will be in December when we meet up in Las Vegas to run the Rock’N’Roll Half Marathon down the Strip at night together! It’s going to be amazing! It will be Chandra's first half marathon and my second. These virtual running buddies can't wait to cross that finish line together! And when that happens, I'll post the picture of us running together!
See, here’s the deal. Chandra and I met during freshmen orientation week at Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX (almost 14 years ago…yikes! When did that happen?!). I was a good 4 ½ hours from home, which is saying a lot, because even then, I was the biggest homebody ever. My roommate and I were headed out to one of the events they had planned for us, and out of the room at the end of the hall came Chandra and her roommate. And that, my friends, was that. We’ve been fast friends ever since. We even lived together in an apartment for a while, until I painfully made the decision to return home after 2 years in San Angelo. Oh, she's going to kill me for this one, but look what I found:
But our friendship survived the miles between us. Chandra was in my wedding in 2002, and my husband, daughter, parents and I flew out to Lake Tahoe so I could be in hers 2006. Chandra has lived in Nebraska, California and now Montana, but that hasn’t kept us from being the best of friends.
We don’t get to see each other nearly as much as we’d like, but we do keep up through phone calls, emails, and Facebook.
And while I don’t know her whole “running story,” I do know that she has fallen in love with the sport since the birth of her second daughter this past spring. And it’s just one more connection for us. We’re able to bounce ideas off of each other, commiserate the latest aches and pains, and celebrate our accomplishments together. We keep up with each other’s running life through DailyMile as well where we can motivate and encourage each other through our various workouts and runs.
We both follow the Run Like a Mother/Another Mother Runner blog and Facebook page, another tie that connects us. I think I recommended the book to her and now we're both Mother Runners :)
We’ve been virtual run or race buddies a couple of times now, knowing that the other was running the same day. It’s kind of cool that we can send out those running vibes to each other. I know I was sending them out to her during one of her recent races. I love this picture of her (and I hope she doesn't kill me for posting it!). This one is from a Race for the Cure:
But, the pinnacle of our virtual running will be in December when we meet up in Las Vegas to run the Rock’N’Roll Half Marathon down the Strip at night together! It’s going to be amazing! It will be Chandra's first half marathon and my second. These virtual running buddies can't wait to cross that finish line together! And when that happens, I'll post the picture of us running together!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
One More Mile
I first got a shirt from One More Mile as an encouragement gift during a rough week of my half marathon training from my parents. It said "13.1...'cause I am only half crazy." And here it is...
I was afraid to wear it until after I'd actually run that distance (didn't want to jinx anything), and because it was a tank, it worked out better to wait anyway. But once I did? I loved it! It fits perfectly, snug enough to stay put but loose enough to stay cool. The fabric breathes really nicely as well. You can see me wearing this top here:
Ok, so you can barely see me, but I'm in the white visor toward the center of the picture. I don't know why I didn't take pictures at this race. Well, I know why I didn't take them afterwards since I didn't meet my time goal, but you would think I'd have taken one beforehand.
So, when OMM offered a Running Day discount this past Wednesday, I took advantage of it. I had a really hard time choosing from all of their slogans...it was a toss-up between "Running is a mental sport, and we are all insane" and "It's funner with a runner" (funny because I'm an English teacher). I knew I wanted a non-race connected one to train in, but there are tons of great ones for races..."If you see me collapse, pause my Garmin" or "Dear God, Please let there be someone behind me to read this" and those are just a couple of them!
I finally decided on a green tank that says One Bad Mother Runner. I also decided to give their running skirt a try. At $29 before the discount, it was worth a try. I'm picky about my skirts, especially the short length underneath, but I thought at that price, I could wear it around town this summer, if nothing else.
One neat thing about getting new stuff in the mail is that it comes like this:
And here's what was inside those sweetly wrapped gifts (with a magnet attached and a personal thank you)...
My picture doesn't do them justice! The green is a much brighter green.
I tried them on...the shirt, as expected, fits perfectly. I love the way the skirt fits...it's light and airy and I love the velcro pockets on both sides. I'll have to give it a test run soon to give you a real verdict on the skirt though. I think I'll wear it for my Insanity Virtual 5K later this week :)
Moms Run This Town Virtual 5K
While I'm not new to the idea of a virtual run, I'm really liking this one! It's a ladies-only virtual 5K, meaning you can run where you want, when you want (and as fast...or slow...as you want). It's being hosted by Moms RUN This Town. And it's free!
It's so easy. Just head to their website, and register for the Virtual Insanity 5K. They'll email you a nifty bib you can print on your own. When you complete your 5K, just go back to the website and click on the Finisher's link. They are doing one a month...what a great way to stay motivated during the summer!
And...there are prizes! This month's includes a SPIbelt (which I love!) and a few other great prizes.
You and also find this group on Facebook and can even earn more entries to the giveaways by sharing about the Virtual Insanity 5K on your page...just be sure to include @Moms RUN This Town in your post.
Saturday
Well, that long run ended up not being so long. I made 2.5 and walked the rest of the way home. I had wanted to do 6 so that my weekly total would be 20, but I could not convince myself to get out of bed early. In fact, I had convinced myself I didn't need to run at all. But then I got up...and heard the birds chirping...and saw the sunlight coming in...and I got myself out the door before the kids could wake up. I put on my socks, shoes, hat, SPIbelt and Garmin on the porch and ate my banana as I started off down the street. The run was hard, but I really enjoyed walking home...I needed that!
I tried Pink Lemonade nuun this morning in my water bottle based on its rave reviews from RLAM. I picked up a tube of them at Luke's Locker in Dallas Thursday evening. I made it to the store with just 15 minutes to spare, but they were nice enough to work with me anyway to get me a new pair of running shoes. I've been in my current Asics for about 10 months. The first few months they shared the running duty with my Saucony pair, but from January to now, they have been my only shoes (and I know that they have 300+ miles just since then). Since I wasn't just crazy about my Asics when I first got them, I really thought I'd walk away with some other brand. And while I really liked a pair of Brooks I tried on, the arch support felt awkward on my right foot. So...I ended up with these, the Asics Gel-Cumulus 13:
I gave them a test run this morning. My right third and fourth toes went to sleep, but I think I need to work on the lacing of the shoes. Just like my others, I'm sure once they are broken in, they'll be my faves.
I put in a lot of miles this week. I had 5+ Monday and then again Wednesday for National Running Day. I posted a picture of myself post-run on the NRD Facebook page and won a Headsweats hat! I have no idea exactly which hat I won, but I'm excited anyway. It doesn't take much, does it?
Then Thursday I had to travel to Dallas for work stuff, so I hit the treadmill for 3 more miles while I was waiting for rush hour traffic to calm down enough for me to venture to Luke's (hence why I barely made it in time).
I've been having a weird crampish-like feeling in my calves. It all started a couple of weeks ago when a charlie horse woke me up in the middle of the night and stayed with me all day. Since then, I have what feels like the beginnings of a charlie horse a lot of the time. I'm taking my magnesium and eating bananas for potassium, even drinking a G2 every once in a while. It's like my muscles are fatigued. I'm going to work on them with the Stick later and see if that helps.
So, the mileage report:
Weekly: 17.3 miles
YTD: 337.2 miles
Maybe I'll hop on the treadmill for 3 or 4 this evening to put me at 20 for the week and almost halfway for the year :)
I tried Pink Lemonade nuun this morning in my water bottle based on its rave reviews from RLAM. I picked up a tube of them at Luke's Locker in Dallas Thursday evening. I made it to the store with just 15 minutes to spare, but they were nice enough to work with me anyway to get me a new pair of running shoes. I've been in my current Asics for about 10 months. The first few months they shared the running duty with my Saucony pair, but from January to now, they have been my only shoes (and I know that they have 300+ miles just since then). Since I wasn't just crazy about my Asics when I first got them, I really thought I'd walk away with some other brand. And while I really liked a pair of Brooks I tried on, the arch support felt awkward on my right foot. So...I ended up with these, the Asics Gel-Cumulus 13:
I put in a lot of miles this week. I had 5+ Monday and then again Wednesday for National Running Day. I posted a picture of myself post-run on the NRD Facebook page and won a Headsweats hat! I have no idea exactly which hat I won, but I'm excited anyway. It doesn't take much, does it?
Then Thursday I had to travel to Dallas for work stuff, so I hit the treadmill for 3 more miles while I was waiting for rush hour traffic to calm down enough for me to venture to Luke's (hence why I barely made it in time).
I've been having a weird crampish-like feeling in my calves. It all started a couple of weeks ago when a charlie horse woke me up in the middle of the night and stayed with me all day. Since then, I have what feels like the beginnings of a charlie horse a lot of the time. I'm taking my magnesium and eating bananas for potassium, even drinking a G2 every once in a while. It's like my muscles are fatigued. I'm going to work on them with the Stick later and see if that helps.
So, the mileage report:
Weekly: 17.3 miles
YTD: 337.2 miles
Maybe I'll hop on the treadmill for 3 or 4 this evening to put me at 20 for the week and almost halfway for the year :)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
It's summer!
Since I had a meeting yesterday at school, today is my first "real" day of summer! And it's wonderful for so many reasons.
1. It's National Running Day today, and I ran 5 miles outside before Chad had to leave for work.
And I'm wearing a few of my favorite things...my new Super Mom BondiBand, my favorite running shirt from One More Mile, and even though you can't see them, my Garmin and my Road ID.
A lot of places are giving out good deals for National Running Day today. I know that you can use the code RUC1326 for 15% off One More Mile. I love their shirts...the fabric is light and airy and their sayings are awesome!
I definitely felt like Super Mom when I returned, and not just because I ran 5 miles. I came in to find my little guy getting up for the morning, so I got him settled with breakfast and Sprout. Then I folded a load of laundry and took out all the trashes, including pulling the trash to the curb. A mom's job is never done :)
The run itself was good...overcast skies, not too hot (but it was still hot), and outside! I was slow, but that's ok. I haven't been eating or hydrating well or taking care of my IT bands. It's not an excuse, just an admitting of my mistakes here lately.
2. I registered for my second half marathon, the Rock'n'Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon yesterday morning, if you could call it morning yet. My son woke me up at 1:20 that morning, so I stayed up to register at 2 a.m. our time. It was cool because I was able to Facebook chat with my friend Chandra who was also up to register for the race. She and I will be meeting up in Vegas to run our first race together!
3. We finished our first t-ball season for our daugther last night. It was a long season, but I think she enjoyed the experience. Poor thing was a magnet for the balls and got hit in several games, including last night's. But she's a tough girl and after a few tears, she got right back to playing ball.
We also enjoyed some time after the trophy presentations with good friends, pizza and a swimming pool (and a Mavs game on TV). It was really nice to be able to kick back and relax, but that's summer, right?
4. Did I mention it's summer? My son is playing the Wii, my daughter is coloring and making me pictures...life is good. The house is a wreck, but life is good :)
5. I got to try out my new Running II WrightSock that I won from Running Diva Mom's blog a few weeks ago. I've worn a different WrightSock for a while now (since before the 3-Day) and love them. Of course, this morning was more of a need since all my others were in the wash. I love this style even more! It still has the double layer but doesn't feel as heavy or thick. Plus, the ankle is a little lower than my other ones. Defintely worth a try!
1. It's National Running Day today, and I ran 5 miles outside before Chad had to leave for work.
And I'm wearing a few of my favorite things...my new Super Mom BondiBand, my favorite running shirt from One More Mile, and even though you can't see them, my Garmin and my Road ID.
A lot of places are giving out good deals for National Running Day today. I know that you can use the code RUC1326 for 15% off One More Mile. I love their shirts...the fabric is light and airy and their sayings are awesome!
I definitely felt like Super Mom when I returned, and not just because I ran 5 miles. I came in to find my little guy getting up for the morning, so I got him settled with breakfast and Sprout. Then I folded a load of laundry and took out all the trashes, including pulling the trash to the curb. A mom's job is never done :)
The run itself was good...overcast skies, not too hot (but it was still hot), and outside! I was slow, but that's ok. I haven't been eating or hydrating well or taking care of my IT bands. It's not an excuse, just an admitting of my mistakes here lately.
2. I registered for my second half marathon, the Rock'n'Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon yesterday morning, if you could call it morning yet. My son woke me up at 1:20 that morning, so I stayed up to register at 2 a.m. our time. It was cool because I was able to Facebook chat with my friend Chandra who was also up to register for the race. She and I will be meeting up in Vegas to run our first race together!
3. We finished our first t-ball season for our daugther last night. It was a long season, but I think she enjoyed the experience. Poor thing was a magnet for the balls and got hit in several games, including last night's. But she's a tough girl and after a few tears, she got right back to playing ball.
We also enjoyed some time after the trophy presentations with good friends, pizza and a swimming pool (and a Mavs game on TV). It was really nice to be able to kick back and relax, but that's summer, right?
4. Did I mention it's summer? My son is playing the Wii, my daughter is coloring and making me pictures...life is good. The house is a wreck, but life is good :)
5. I got to try out my new Running II WrightSock that I won from Running Diva Mom's blog a few weeks ago. I've worn a different WrightSock for a while now (since before the 3-Day) and love them. Of course, this morning was more of a need since all my others were in the wash. I love this style even more! It still has the double layer but doesn't feel as heavy or thick. Plus, the ankle is a little lower than my other ones. Defintely worth a try!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)