Motivation Monday and the Weekly Rundown

Monday:
45 minute spin class and chest and back exercises.

Tuesday:
Short walk on the treadmill followed by 20 minutes Yin yoga.

Wednesday:
My three part run!

8.25 solo miles

 1:07:39

8:12/mile

3 miles with Peyton 

20:53

6:57/mile

1 mile cool down walk with Augie.  20 minutes Yin yoga to round out the day!

Thursday:

Off!

Friday:

Off!  We had friends over for the Cubs game instead!

Saturday:

A solo half marathon!

13.1 miles

1:48:29

8:17/mile

Sunday:

Sunday Runday!

18 miles

2:35:06

8:37/mile

This was my longest run since May!

Total Miles: 42.35 miles

Strength Training: 1x

Spin: 1x

Yoga: 2x

Happy Monday!

Monday Motivation

Can you believe it's Monday again?

I took most of last week off of running.  I was feeling burnt out and was very unhappy anytime I attempted to start a run.  My exercise was walking the dogs and 14 miles total running for the week.  The is my lowest weekly mileage since May following the Chicagoland Spring Marathon and I am absolutely ok with that!

My body needed a break so I took one.

This week I will be back at it starting with my favorite spin class and back and chest routine!

Happy Monday!

How Spinning Can Help Your Running, aka I Love Spin!

I used to despise biking.  On my runner's legs, it was hard.  When I graduated grad school and had a real person job, I bought a bike that actually fit me and biking became a little better, but it was definitely not my favorite.

Enter one of my BFFs, Katie.  She gave me a free pass to join her at Lifetime and talked me into my first spin class.

It was love at first spin. (sight?)

The rest is history.  My spin class on Monday nights is something I look forward to every week.  For me, it is the perfect way to spend one of my days off from running.

Not only is spin class fun (the music is the best part), but it also can help your running!

Spinning can make you stronger without the impact! It is easier on the muscles and joints.  You can make it a strength workout by adding on the resistance.  Spinning also helps reduce your risk of injury as it works different muscles than running does.  Working out these muscles can help decreased muscle imbalances and make you a better overall runner.

Spinning is a great interval workout that activates both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers.  A typical spin class changes workouts by song.  One song could work on low resistance and high speed, another could be rolling hills, and the next could be sprints.  The constant changes in focus, speed and resistance makes me push and give it my all for that one song knowing a (very short) rest is coming up.

Spinning has been shown to improve 10K race times by 9% and 5K race times by 3%.   Those numbers are huge! They could mean the difference between a PR or a near miss.

Recent studies have shown a correlation between foot cadence when running and pedal strike cadence while spinning.  Higher pedal stroke may lead to a higher foot cadence.  With your feet turning over faster, there is less time spent in contact with the ground and lower chance for injury.

Spin class also comes in handy when the weather is miserable.  When it's rainy or cold and snowy, I don't feel guilty substituting a run for a tough spin class.  Spin class (or riding my spin bike at home) always makes me feel like I'd had a good workout.

Do you cross train? What do you like to do?

What is the longest you've been sore from spin class? 2 days! Ouch!

Motivation Monday and the Weekly Rundown

Monday:
Back and tricep strengthening exercises followed by a 45 minute spin class.  I wanted to keep my legs as fresh as possible for my track workout on Tuesday.

Tuesday:
Track Tuesday returned with 6 x 1 mile repeats.  Honestly, I loved this workout.  I was able to push my mile time knowing I'd have about 2 minutes to rest before doing it all over again.  My warm-up and cool down rounded out the workout for 12 total miles.

Wednesday:
My legs felt good about the tough workout on Tuesday and I wanted a medium distance run.  My goal for 8 miles and I ended up with 10.

10 miles

1:25:04

8:30/mile

Thursday:
Following car trouble in the morning (I'm apparently consuming lots of oil) I wanted something short and slow.

5 miles

44:32

8:54/mile

After my run I got my haircut and it's the shortest I've had my hair in about 3 years.  I love it.  The best part is no longer having long hair stick to the sweat on my back while running. 

Friday:
Rest!

Saturday:
We went to the dog park in the morning meaning I ran later than I had planned. It was a warm and humid run, but luckily I fell into a rhythm and this run flew by.

8 miles

1:07:40

8:27/mile

Sunday:
A family emergency came up and my long run and all other workouts were scrapped.

Total miles: 35
Strength Training: 1
Spin: 1

Time for Monday Motivation!

And in case you were wondering....

How was your weekend?

Did you have a race or a long run?

Weekend Round-Up

This week went by crazy fast and the weekend felt like it went by even faster!  Finding the time to blog this week was non-existent, but there's always time for workouts!

Monday:
I took one of the hardest spin classes I've ever been at.  We did a lot of hill climbing and a lot of sprints.  My calves were sore for two days after! After spin I used a few of the weight machines and did lat pull downs, rows, and cable tricep presses.

Tuesday:
Chris was home from work meaning I could run as soon as I got home! I fit in 6 miles while he watched the dogs.

6 miles

51:27

8:34/mile

Wednesday:

Wednesday was a rainy day so I stayed in and walked on the treadmill.  I fit in 3 miles while watching Orange is the New Black.  I also did bicep curls, shoulder presses, and tricep presses.  I'm trying to fit in strength training more consistently, so doing strength training twice this week is huge!

Thursday:

This was my fourth day of working and really wanted to run right after work.  I walked the dogs around the neighborhood and trustingly left them while I ran.

5 miles

40:37

8:07/mile

When I got home the dogs had barely moved from the carpet.  While leaving them loose in the house will not happen again for some time, it's good to know they can behave while unsupervised!  Peyton and I took a short walk about the neighborhood after dinner, as well.

Flurries or snow showers? I think the Weather Channel was a little drunk on Thursday....

Friday:

In between corraling two dogs and cleaning the house I managed to fit in a good run.

6 miles

51:51

8:38/mile

After my run I spent the majority of the day on the couch watching True Blood on HBO Go with these two ladies.

Puppy cuddles are the best.

Saturday:

Peyton and I took advantage of the nice day and took a long walk.  We ended up walking just over 5 miles.  Chris and I went to one of our all time favorite restaurants for dinner: Rock Bottom.  I ordered my first ever stout! I love all different varieties of beers, though have never been a fan of stouts.  One of the best things about Rock Bottom is that they left you taste a beer before ordering a full glass.  The menu listed the stout with chocolate and coconut flavors and I had to have it.  Anything with coconut is good in my book!  I may have to try more stouts and darker beers in the future.

Sunday:

I really wanted to get a long run in today.  I went on my favorite 12 mile out and back path and committed to taking my time to make sure I finished the route.  My legs felt better than I had thought and I ended up only stopping for water breaks. Fun fact: that route has 4 water fountains. 4!

12 miles

1:39:59

8:20/mile

Nothing like running past a farmer tending to his corn to make you feel like you live in the middle of nowhere.

 

I came home to this.

 

They love each other.

Last, but not least, a picture from the dog beach last weekend.  Peyton loved running in the sand and we will be going back soon!

How was your weekend?

What's Been Happening: A New Puppy!!

It's very strange not posting since Wednesday, but things have been crazy in my household!

Meet Augie.

She is a 2 month old lab mix.

That face.

She seems to be very smart and wants to learn, but puppies are always getting into something.  And we have to take her outside every 30 minutes.  We've been up every morning between 5 and 5:30 and she is full of energy.  I'm exhausted.  I was so glad to get to work yesterday at my acute rehab facility.

Fortunately, her and Peyton have been getting along great.  Chris and I have a huge sigh of relief the first day they played together. 

There has been very little running lately.  Peyton and I went out for a few short runs early in the week, and I was also able to get in 7 miles Thursday morning.  We are working on crate training Augie, so hopefully this week I'll get in more miles.

Without running, my workouts have been 45 minute spin classes and long walks on the trails with Peyton.  

Having a new puppy in the house is like having a new baby (me saying this while never having had a child), and my meals have been as sporadic as my running.  I've even been skipping meals, and that is definitely not like me! I like to eat constantly! Simple meals have been my best bet despite wanting to try out new recipes.  I'm trying to be conscious of not eating out as much, and using what we already have in the house.  I ended up making my own version of Chiptole's Burrito Bowl and it was reaaaalllyyyy good!

Chicken taco meat in the crockpot, black beans, lettuce, shredded cheese, avocado, and greek yogurt all over a baked sweet potato.  Delicious!

Today we are having our Sunday night family dinner so they can meet our Augie.  Hamburgers on the grill and these Salted Caramel Butter Bars are making an appearance! Make them.  You can't go wrong (and you also can't stop eating them).

Have a great Sunday!


What's for dinner at your house tonight?

What do you order at Chiptole?

Cross Training for Runners

Chris and I joined a gym this past weekend! We signed up for the recreation center in our town.  It’s a new facility that was built last year and it is fantastic! There’s an indoor walking and running track, a lap pool, classes, and tons of cardio and strength training equipment.

My goal for this year was to be more consistent with strength training and trying to throw in cross training when I could.  

And that hasn't really happened.

I’ve been able to take a long walk with Peyton 1-2 times a week and occasionally I will hop on the spin bike at home.  I’ve only been strength training 1 time a week. Oops.

I'm hoping this gym membership will rekindle my love for cross training, lifting weights, and, most of all, SPIN CLASS.

Yesterday I completed 30 minutes on the elliptical and then headed over to the weights to do a few back exercises.  My posture has been slacking lately after sitting in front of a computer completing all my end of the school year paperwork.  Yesterday I did lat pull downs, assisted pull-ups, and assisted tricep dips.  I finished up my workout with 13 minutes on the stair climber.  I climbed 157 flights of stairs!

What a horribly blurry picture.

Today my lats are super sore from yesterday's workout.

Today Peyton and I went outside to enjoy the nice weather and ended up walking 6 miles!

Seriously. It was beautiful outside!

I quickly ate dinner and then headed to spin. Holy crap was my butt kicked.  17.2 miles in 45 minutes.  Our resistance ranged from 11-16.  I think there was a puddle of sweat underneath my bike.

Did you know cycling is one of the best cross training for runners? It works the quadriceps which are not heavily worked during running.  It also targets the outer hips and the glutes to help keep your hips from going outwards as you run.

One the biggest ways to help avoid injuries is by working on muscle imbalances.  Cross training allows us to strength not worked (or over worked) by running.

Do you cross train? What do you do? How often?