Tag Archives: training

Love My Abs Challenge, Week 3

Posted on by Run DMT
18

If you’re just hearing about February’s Love My Abs Challenge for the first time, it’s not too late to join in the fun.  Basically, we started with a 100 dally ab exercises and tweeted about our achievements.  (This week we move up to 160 exercises.)  Then, each Wednesday, I’ll host a linky party for you to link up and share your recap post or add your Twitter handle.

That’s it.  Now sit-up and take action!  Show your abs some love this February!



Although I raised my reps to 140 this week, I didn’t try any new exercises.  With a half marathon only a few days away and to avoid injuring myself, I wanted to keep things simple and routine.  This week may have been less adventurous as far as ab exercises were concerned, but the results were pretty staggering nonetheless.

I think I see some abs forming there.

Day 9

60 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

Day 10

60 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

Day 11

60 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

Day 12 (Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon)

60 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

On Day 13, I was recovering from the half marathon and suffering from a 24 hour stomach bug, but still managed to squeeze out some crunches.  It was not a pretty sight.

60 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

On Day 14, the Plank Police hunted me down on Twitter and shamed me into doing some long forgotten planks.  It was only fair to show my abs some extra love on Valentine’s Day.

60 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

2 x 30 second planks

Day 15 – I moved up to 160 reps.

80 crunches

40 bicycles

40 cross-over crunches

I am so impressed with #lovemyabs progress!  Are you loving your abs too?

Random Thoughts about Getting Physical and Rocking ‘n Rolling

Posted on by Run DMT
2

In the last two days, I’ve been inside three doctors’ offices.  First, I had a 6 month follow-up for Little Lion Man’s hip dysplasia.  According to the nurse practitioner, “Everything looks great”.  His hips are developing normally (excellently) and now our visits will occur once a year.   Honestly, as fast as little man has been running and climbing these days, I knew everything with his hips would be fine and I didn’t have any worries.

Then, today I had my annual physical.  My cholesterol is high again (240), but I think that might be related to my soft foods diet as I have been eating a lot of eggs.  Also, my vitamin D was low, which is so weird to me living in sunny Florida and all.

Apparently, a vitamin D deficiency is a typical diagnosis as people age, especially for someone with darker skin or someone who consumes a vegetarian diet.  I don’t eat enough fish or beef liver, but I’m sure it’s a combination of everything.  I have been prescribed a vitamin D supplement once a week but I prefer ten minutes in the sun as a prescription.

I also had a follow-up with my oral surgeon today for my wisdom teeth extraction.  When I mentioned to him that I am still have some pain, he said that’s to be expected for up to SIX WEEKS!   Oi vey.  At least I’m healing well and he seemed pleased about that, but I still need to stay on soft foods for a little while longer.   Ugh.  I really miss almonds and tortilla chips with salsa.

Speaking of my soft foods diet, I lost another 3 pounds for a total of 7.5 pounds.  I’m happy about the weight loss, because my clothes are fitting a bit better, but I’m not too thrilled about the way I’m losing weight.  Oh well.  At least I’m only 10 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight.

On a related note about my weight, my general practitioner said, “You don’t look like you weigh 135 pounds.” Um…thanks?  I’m all muscle, baby. Yeah, I hide my weight well since most of it is tucked away in my juiceful butt.

This Sunday is the St. Pete Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon and I feel pretty good about it.  Even though I haven’t really trained as much as I had hoped, I think I’ll do all right, especially since I threw in some resistance training last week.  Yes, every once in a while, I run with a stroller to remind myself how much I hate running with a stroller.

Last Sunday, I ran 10 miles and it felt good.

10 miles

Time 1:47:55

Ave Pace 10:48

Max Pace 8:07

 

Here are the rest of my runs:

2/2/12

4 miles

Time 41:04

Ave Pace 10:16

Max Pace 7:36

 

2/3/12 (stroller run)

3.1 miles

Time 34:07

Ave Pace 10:58

Max Pace 8:26

 

2/07/12

3.1 miles

Time 31:37

Ave Pace 10:12

Max Pace 8:05

 
And in case you haven’t heard…for the month of February, I’ve committed to showing my abs some love with my #lovemyabs challenge.  Every Wednesday, I’m hosting a linky party.  So, stop by tomorrow to link up and see everyone’s progress.  I’ve already noticed a difference, but I’ll fill y’all in tomorrow.

 *Proudly submitted to Stacy Uncorked, because when I blog about my training, it’s usually pretty random.*

Stacy

Run to Get a Good Feeling and Crash Your Party

Posted on by Run DMT
9

This Sunday is the long awaited St. Pete. Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon.  I’m not expecting any great PR (personal record) or PB (personal best) because I haven’t trained as hard as I would have liked.  I’m just going to get out there and run.

As long as I finish around 2:15 (my last half marathon time) and before 10:00 a.m. to see Flo Rida perform at the finish line, then I’ll be happy.  I’ll get a good feeling.  Yeah.

If I don’t make it to the finish line in time, then I’ll be sure to crash the after race party.



Visit Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

Janathon 2012 – Day 30

Posted on by Run DMT
1

PhotobucketThis morning I woke up and I felt nothing.  I had no jaw pain.  So I jumped out of bed, threw on some running clothes and ran out the door.  It was a chilly, crisp Florida morning, but I felt warm all over because I WAS RUNNING!

And it felt so good.

I only did three miles and took it easy.  I worried about injuring myself if I pushed too hard after 3 weeks of forced rest.  Then, about halfway into the run, I felt my jaw throbbing.  It didn’t hurt too badly, just more annoying than anything else.

It wasn’t a great run.  It wasn’t a bad run.  For me it was just right, because I got out there again.

3.1 Miles

Time 31:19

Ave Pace 10:06

Max Pace 7:06

Only one day left of the Janathon!  I need to make tomorrow a good one!

Janathon 2012 – Day 11

Posted on by Run DMT
1

PhotobucketLast night was not a good night.  Typically, I fall asleep around 9-ish because I wake-up so early (around 5:00).  But last night I couldn’t sleep and I was awake until 10:30.  I don’t know if I was nervous about my dental surgery on Thursday or if I was nervous about this bible study group I started attending on Wednesday mornings.  Whatever the reason, I couldn’t fall asleep and when I finally did, I woke up at 2:00.  I fell back to sleep but only for an hour and a half and then I laid there staring at the ceiling for another hour.

This weekend would be a step back week and I wasn’t sure if I would be up for a 6 mile run after surgery.  So, I ran the miles today.  I strapped on my Garmin and hit play on my MP3 player, but my player was dead.  Oh good Lord!  Six miles with no music?  Oh well.  It has to be done.

I opened the door to begin my music free stride.  Oh good Lord!  It’s raining!  And it’s windy!  Oh well.  It has to be done.

But man, that wind was tough!  My legs were not happy and told me every step of the way.  I tortured them yesterday for speed work and now my legs underwent some unplanned resistance training.

After 3.1 miles, I hit a lap so I could judge my 5K pace.

3.1 miles

32:35

Ave Pace 10:31

Max Pace 8:19

So, it wasn’t as good as Monday’s 3.1 mile, but then there was some serious wind today!  And Oh Law, my legs were hurting!

About 4 miles into the run, I experienced a cramp in my side, which was so ironic since @LocalAdventures referenced me and my hydration techniques on his Janathon report yesterday.  In the comments section, I stated how hydration is such a difficult balance for me.  If I drink too little water, I cramp.  If I drink too much water, I cramp and then I need to pee.  So which was it today? 

I only drank about 10 oz of water and I peed twice before my run, but I must have been soaking up every drop of rain water to feel a cramp and a need to urinate.

And that wind! UGH!  At four miles, I was so done and my legs forced me complain out loud in the dark.  I’m sure if I had music, I would just sing away the pain to distract myself.  Instead, I cried out, “Oh Law.  My leggggs huuurrt!”  Plus, having no music caused me to startle and panic over every little rustle I heard.  What was that? A rat? A lizard? A rabbit crazed lepus?

But, when I hit the 6 mile mark, it felt good great but oh Law, my legs hurt!

6.20 miles

Time 1:08:24

Ave Pace 11:02

Max Pace 9:08

Random Thoughts about Mii and Janathon Days 8, 9 and 10

Posted on by Run DMT
6

PhotobucketBasically, the Janathon is a commitment to run or do something every day in January and so far the second week of the Janathon is going better than the first.

Although Day 8 (Sunday) was a bust because I didn’t do much of anything except “recover” from my long and horrible head cold I caught. I had hoped to do some Wii Fit and yoga, but my bed won that battle.

Speaking of the Wii Fit, I was not happy what the Wii Fit trainer did to my Mii!

Just look at the junk in my trunk!  Obviously, my Mii needs to stop throwing back the beers is in desperate need of some Pilates!  Apparently, the Wii has no appreciation for juiceful butts.

Actually, the Wii Fit does not account for muscle.  At least that’s what I’m telling convincing myself and it’s nothing a few hula hoops sessions can’t fix.  My Mii is still smiling, though.  So it can’t be all that bad.

Thankfully, the weather has been more like a typical Florida winter and I’m loving it because it gets me outside running instead of staring at my big-bottomed Mii.

For Day 9 of the Janathon, I ran 3.1 miles.  I was a second faster than last Monday.  Hey, one second is one second and I’ll take it!

Janathon Day 9

3.1 miles

Time 32:11

Ave Pace 10:24

Max Pace 7:58

Today was my sprint day.  Yay.  I’m not sure if the sarcasm in my tone is evident, but I really hate sprint work.  No, really sprints suck and they hurt, but it’s a necessary work-out to get faster.  So, I suck it up and do sprints and for the most part, I feel really good afterwards.

Today I started with a 1 mile warm-up followed by a 6×400 attempt with a 1 mile cool down.  For someone who hates sprints, I think I did all right.

Janathon Day 10

1.7 miles

Time 11:46

Ave Pace 10:05

Max Pace 8:36

 

Lap 1 – 0.25

Time 1:55

Ave Pace 7:42

Max Pace 6:02

 

Lap 2 – 0.25

Time 1:59

Ave Pace 7:58

Max Pace 6:10

 

Lap 3 – 0.25

Time 2:02

Ave Pace 8:10

Max Pace 6:50

 

Lap 4 – 0.25

Time

Ave Pace

Max Pace

 

Lap 5 – 0.25

Time 1:59

Ave Pace 8:04

Max Pace 6:22

 

Lap 6 – 0.25

Time 2:06

Ave Pace 8:20

Max Pace 6:41

 

1 mile

Time 10:09

Max Pace 8:06

Now, I just to add some hills to my training.  Yay.

I forgot to mention that I am having four wisdom teeth extracted on Thursday morning (yay) which means I’ll miss a few training days and Janathon days while I heal.  Here’s hoping the soft food diet I will be forced to endure will help thin Mii down.

*Proudly submitted to Stacy Uncorked, because when I blog about my training, it’s usually pretty random.*

Stacy

Janathon 2012 – Day 7

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1

I made it to 9 miles.  I was a little worried about my heel, but it didn’t give me trouble until about mile 8.  Before my run, I walked about 0.5 mile and stretched.  I also stretched through the run so I guess all that helped.  Although hours later now, my heel is giving me some trouble, so it’s time for the frozen water bottle trick.

Speaking of water bottles, I left my water bottle at the 1 mile mark, so there weren’t many water breaks during this run.  I actually ran about 7 miles without water, which I think is pretty amazing.  Granted not the smartest move, because I usually get pretty thirsty throughout the course, however, I was surprised at how far I could go with a water break.

9 miles

Time 1:41:40

Ave Pace 11:18

Max Pace 8:51

Just to do something different, I decided to run the Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K this year instead of the half.  Out of curiosity, I looked up my stats from the Minnie Marathon 15K to compare my past time today’s run.

 Minnie Marathon Chip Time  1:28:12

Yep, I got my work cut-out for me this year.

Janathon 2012 – Day 6

Posted on by Run DMT
1

PhotobucketThe meteorologist lied was mistaken.  He said the overnight lows would be in the 50s. Well, the overnight low in these parts was in the 40s or maybe even lower.  I can’t honestly say that I know for sure, because I didn’t check the forecast until after my run.

But I can say with confidence that when I stepped out the door this morning for my 4 mile run at 6 a.m., it felt much colder than 50 degrees and the fog didn’t help at all.  Sure enough, when I checked after my run, weather.com stated the temperature to be 41 degrees at 7 a.m.

But it’s no big deal, because I will willingly run in temps above 40 degrees and my 4 mile run proved to be a happy, somewhat chilly little run.  I’ll take a 40 degrees run outside in the fog over a treadmill any day.

4 miles

Time 42:22

Ave Pace 10:36

Max Pace 8:14

To keep with my Intermediate/advanced half marathon training, I plan to run 8-9 miles tomorrow morning.

It Keeps Getting Better Because I Got Sole

Posted on by Run DMT
10

This is the year.

I can feel it.

This will be the year that I shave 10 20 minutes off my half marathon time to finish under two hours again.

I see a lot of speed training, hill training, intervals and strength training in my future.

And it started yesterday starts today.

Step back.  Gonna come at you fast.

Hold on.

It keeps getting better.


 
The online application for the NYC Marathon opens at noon today.  I’m keeping my fingers, toes and laces crossed again until April when the lottery selection starts.  I believe 2012 is my year to run it.

I can feel it.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.

I got soul sole, but I’m not a soldier.


Visit Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

Janathon 2012 – Day 1

Posted on by Run DMT
4

PhotobucketI don’t know why I thought I could actually start the Janathon running on Day 1, the very day after New Year’s Eve.  How did I ever think I would be in any condition to run after a late night of binge drinking with my friends?

Not a very realistic goal and definitely not my brightest moments.

So here I am Day 1 of the Janathon with nothing but a few pushups and sit-ups to show for myself.  But it’s something, right?   And that’s the whole point of the Janathon.  Do something every day and blog about it.

Well, here’s my something.

100 sit-ups

30 pushups

There you have it, folks.  My very sad start to the Janathon and here I am embarrassing myself blogging about it.

Hopefully, in 30 days, I will be a little bit stronger so that I can do a few more than I started.  If anything, I’d like to be a bit stronger and a tad bit faster than I started and core training can only help.