Another week where I find myself playing catch up on workouts. Saturday and Sunday were worthless as I was the victim of some sort of food poisoning (I'm claiming it was salmonella from a granola bar that had peanut oil in it). It was not fun. On top of being sick, it was rainy, rainy, rainy here.
Monday: 90-minute ride using the trainer since it was pouring outside (plus workout 1 of push up challenge)
Tuesday: Woke up late and too tired after work.
Wednesday: 30 min run in the morning, 1750 swim workout in the evening (500 swim, 100 kick, 400s, 100k, 300s, 100k, 200s, 50k)
Thursday: 50 min on the bike trainer (14 w/u, 26 hard, 10 c/d), plus workout 2 of push up challenge)
It depresses me a little when I mess up my workout routine but I'm glad to be facing these catch up weeks now so that I figure out how to deal with them (read: avoid them) before I get into HIM training.
2.19.2009
2.13.2009
The 100 Push Up and 200 Sit Up Challenges
One of my goals for February is to start incorporating more core work, so I am officially taking on the 100 Push Up Challenge and the 200 Sit Up Challenge.
Today I did my initial push up test: I can do 21 push ups in a row before my form starts to suffer. If I follow the "progressive push up training program" sets 3 times a week, in 6 weeks I'll be able to do 100 in a row. Or so they claim... stay tuned!
Tomorrow I'll do my initial sit up test.
Today I did my initial push up test: I can do 21 push ups in a row before my form starts to suffer. If I follow the "progressive push up training program" sets 3 times a week, in 6 weeks I'll be able to do 100 in a row. Or so they claim... stay tuned!
Tomorrow I'll do my initial sit up test.
I love treadmills.
I should qualify the above statement. I love treadmills when it's my choice to be on one (not forced because it's too icy or cold outside in MN) and I love good treadmills, particularly Woodways. If you've never been on a Woodway, find one and try it. It will change your outlook on treadmills.
I think I also really like treadmills because everything is so cut and dry -- it tells you your speed, your distance, your time, it's all right there. And I can push myself a lot harder on a treadmill than on the road because I am not interested in falling off of a treadmill (knock on wood) whereas on the road I'm not going to fall off anything if I don't hold a pace.
Thursday morning I went to RSF before work to get a good speed workout in on the treadmill (they have 2 Woodways). 15 minute warm up, 2.4 miles at 7:30 pace, 5 minute cool down. It felt great to be forced to run faster than stuck-in-a-rut 9s.
I think I also really like treadmills because everything is so cut and dry -- it tells you your speed, your distance, your time, it's all right there. And I can push myself a lot harder on a treadmill than on the road because I am not interested in falling off of a treadmill (knock on wood) whereas on the road I'm not going to fall off anything if I don't hold a pace.
Thursday morning I went to RSF before work to get a good speed workout in on the treadmill (they have 2 Woodways). 15 minute warm up, 2.4 miles at 7:30 pace, 5 minute cool down. It felt great to be forced to run faster than stuck-in-a-rut 9s.
Recapping my lameness
It's been a while since I've posted and that's because I had a lame weekend and didn't have much to post about. So I wanted to wait until I was feeling a little better about myself before recapping my lameness.
Last Saturday, I didn't workout. Bad Kelly! Sunday I did a 45-minute ride followed followed by a 10-minute transition run. Good workout, but I didn't plan my ride well enough so I ended up meandering a bit which takes away from the focus of the workout. Monday, I didn't work out. Bad Kelly again.
Tuesday I started to get back into the swing of things with a 3-mile run in the morning and a plan to swim after work. But when we got to the pool Tuesday night, it was packed, so we bagged the swim.
Finally, Wednesday I made some progress with two workouts. In the morning, a ride using the trainer - 15 minute warm up, 25 minutes hard, 10 minute cool down. In the evening, a 1500 swim (500 warm up, 100 kick, 6x100s, 300 cool down) - it was supposed to be an 1800 workout but we forgot the pool closes earlier on Wednesdays so that was all we could squeeze in before they kicked us out.
Feeling back into it, so now I can start posting again.
Last Saturday, I didn't workout. Bad Kelly! Sunday I did a 45-minute ride followed followed by a 10-minute transition run. Good workout, but I didn't plan my ride well enough so I ended up meandering a bit which takes away from the focus of the workout. Monday, I didn't work out. Bad Kelly again.
Tuesday I started to get back into the swing of things with a 3-mile run in the morning and a plan to swim after work. But when we got to the pool Tuesday night, it was packed, so we bagged the swim.
Finally, Wednesday I made some progress with two workouts. In the morning, a ride using the trainer - 15 minute warm up, 25 minutes hard, 10 minute cool down. In the evening, a 1500 swim (500 warm up, 100 kick, 6x100s, 300 cool down) - it was supposed to be an 1800 workout but we forgot the pool closes earlier on Wednesdays so that was all we could squeeze in before they kicked us out.
Feeling back into it, so now I can start posting again.
2.06.2009
The other 5 percent of the time
The problem with the weather in California is that 95% of the time, it's great for working out. So unlike planning a week of workouts in Minnesota or Wisconsin based on forecasted wind speed and wind chill or heat and humidity and adjusting when I can work out outdoors or when I need to plan to be inside, I simply assume here that it's going to be nice outside.
And 95% of the time, that ignorance of the weather forecast works. The other 5% of time I get stuck running in the rain. I biked using the trainer yesterday because it was dark and raining. Yet I didn't connect that experience to the likelihood that it might be raining today, too. I planned on a run and didn't wake up early enough to run at the gym, and thus had to crank out a soggy 40-minute run. Boo.
And 95% of the time, that ignorance of the weather forecast works. The other 5% of time I get stuck running in the rain. I biked using the trainer yesterday because it was dark and raining. Yet I didn't connect that experience to the likelihood that it might be raining today, too. I planned on a run and didn't wake up early enough to run at the gym, and thus had to crank out a soggy 40-minute run. Boo.
2.05.2009
Nice try, Wine!
On Wednesday, I decided to go to the gym and run after work. Seriously, Kelly? Just typing that, I'm embarassed. I have openly admitted that I do not like to run at night and that it rarely turns out well. Why, oh why, would I set myself up for failure like that?
So gym bag packed and yet at the end of the day, I found myself getting on the bus that takes me home, not the bus to take me to the gym. I started trying to convince myself that I didn't need to run... maybe I'm still trying to fight off sickness? No, I needed to run but now I was on the bus home. Now I've made it even harder for myself.
Maybe Kyle would run with me when I got home? Sure, yeah, I'd rely on him to motivate me. And then the bus broke down. Half an hour later, I was on another bus home and pitying myself because my commute had stretched to an hour and a half. Surely, I deserve to just relax when I get home after that commute.
When I finally made it home the dogs were begging me to take them to the dog park (and they really wanted me to take a glass of wine along). So I called Kyle to see when he'd be home but he was finishing a paper which meant there was no hope left that he'd get me out the door on the run.
There was nothing left to do but concede to the dogs and go to the park with a glass of wine. So I grabbed a bottle of wine and the corkscrew, twisted the corkscrew in, the cork was almost out of the bottle, and out of nowhere (divine intervention? self-discipline?), I stopped, left a note for Kyle, changed into running clothes, and went out the door for a run. Where the motivation came from, I have no idea. This was quite funny to me after the run, so I took a picture:
Not only did I do a night run, but I did a workout! 15 minute warm-up, 2 miles hard, 5 minute cool down AND some sit ups and push ups.
Then, I finished uncorking the bottle and drank a glass of wine or three with a clear conscience.
This morning I did a 45-minute ride on the trainer: 10 minute warm-up, 10 minutes hard, 5 minutes easy, 10 minutes hard, 10 minute cool down. Can't say enough about the trainer, especially on a rainy day like today.
So gym bag packed and yet at the end of the day, I found myself getting on the bus that takes me home, not the bus to take me to the gym. I started trying to convince myself that I didn't need to run... maybe I'm still trying to fight off sickness? No, I needed to run but now I was on the bus home. Now I've made it even harder for myself.
Maybe Kyle would run with me when I got home? Sure, yeah, I'd rely on him to motivate me. And then the bus broke down. Half an hour later, I was on another bus home and pitying myself because my commute had stretched to an hour and a half. Surely, I deserve to just relax when I get home after that commute.
When I finally made it home the dogs were begging me to take them to the dog park (and they really wanted me to take a glass of wine along). So I called Kyle to see when he'd be home but he was finishing a paper which meant there was no hope left that he'd get me out the door on the run.
There was nothing left to do but concede to the dogs and go to the park with a glass of wine. So I grabbed a bottle of wine and the corkscrew, twisted the corkscrew in, the cork was almost out of the bottle, and out of nowhere (divine intervention? self-discipline?), I stopped, left a note for Kyle, changed into running clothes, and went out the door for a run. Where the motivation came from, I have no idea. This was quite funny to me after the run, so I took a picture:
Not only did I do a night run, but I did a workout! 15 minute warm-up, 2 miles hard, 5 minute cool down AND some sit ups and push ups.
Then, I finished uncorking the bottle and drank a glass of wine or three with a clear conscience.
This morning I did a 45-minute ride on the trainer: 10 minute warm-up, 10 minutes hard, 5 minutes easy, 10 minutes hard, 10 minute cool down. Can't say enough about the trainer, especially on a rainy day like today.
2.04.2009
I love Zicam
On Sunday morning, I squeezed in an hour ride with some fast flats and some hard hills, before cleaning and cooking for the Super Bowl party (which starts early on the West Coast!).
The ride was good and the party was good, but by Sunday night, I was starting to feel a cold coming on. I decided to take Monday off and push my Tuesday workout to the evening and dedicate the block of 48 hours off from working out to religiously taking Zicam every 3 hours.
By Tuesday evening, Zicam and I officially declared mission accomplished: avoiding sickness without derailing my workouts for the week (I have used up my one day off though, so there's no flexibility for the rest of the week).
So last night, Kyle and I swam 1600. He's been rewriting our workouts to be a bit harder than the training book, including making the warmup a continuous 500 instead of just 250. That seemed pretty daunting to me but after about 325, the endurance athlete kicked in and I actually enjoyed the longer warmup. Some moderate 100s, faster 50s, more moderate 100s and a cool down, and the 1600 workout flew by.
The ride was good and the party was good, but by Sunday night, I was starting to feel a cold coming on. I decided to take Monday off and push my Tuesday workout to the evening and dedicate the block of 48 hours off from working out to religiously taking Zicam every 3 hours.
By Tuesday evening, Zicam and I officially declared mission accomplished: avoiding sickness without derailing my workouts for the week (I have used up my one day off though, so there's no flexibility for the rest of the week).
So last night, Kyle and I swam 1600. He's been rewriting our workouts to be a bit harder than the training book, including making the warmup a continuous 500 instead of just 250. That seemed pretty daunting to me but after about 325, the endurance athlete kicked in and I actually enjoyed the longer warmup. Some moderate 100s, faster 50s, more moderate 100s and a cool down, and the 1600 workout flew by.
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