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?

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?

Happy Birthday Peyton and Friday's Run

Today Peyton is celebrating her second birthday.

 Since day one, owning a dog has been a huge learning experience.

 Don't bite off more than you can chew.

Take extra rest when needed.

Apologize when you're in the wrong.

And above all, live life and love to the fullest everyday.

Peyton will be celebrating today by taking extra naps, getting extra treats, and running with her friends at the dog park.


Yesterday I finished off my day with upper body strengthening.  I think weight lifting had helped make me a stronger runner than I was without lifting weights.

Today was a non-attendance day for the students.  I had a professional development course to attend and I was out of work by noon. Talk about the best way to start the weekend!

I saved my run for the middle of the day so I could practice running in some heat.  Today's high was 69 and it was one of the warmest days of the year so far.

6 miles

46:46

The last 4 miles of this run were a moderate pace: 7:31, 7:34, 7:37, 7:37

I definitely noticed a difference with the warmer weather.  With my marathon in May you never know what the temperature may be like when we're running.  I'm trying my best to get myself as ready as I can for this race! I'm really looking forward to it!

Tomorrow is my rest day and it's supposed to be gorgeous outside.  78 and sunny.  We will be sure to do lots of outdoors activities!

ps. I fixed all the broken picture links from previous posts.  Sorry about that....

 
What are your plans for Saturday?

 Do you run before or after work?


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Sweaty Thursday Run

It has been pouring on and off here today.  

The room that I worked in today have pipes running down in one corner.  You could hear the water rushing through them.  And of course fourth grade boys think it's funny to bang on them.  That gave me visions of the them bursting and water gushing everywhere.  No thank you.

I was looking forward to today's run as it is the shortest one of the week and I'm starting to feel the mileage.

4 miles

34:02

10 x 8 second hill sprints on treadmill

(8.0% incline, 9.3 mph)

Those hill sprints were tough but over before I knew it.

I ran around the neighborhood on the streets to avoid the mushy and wet trails.  I somehow manged to find flooded areas and my shoes came back soaked.

My socks are soaking wet.

The thunderstorms today also brought the humidity.  It was HOT while I was running and I was sweating like crazy.  On top of that, the wind would blow every so often and it moved the sweat into my eyeballs.  That stings. 

I found 26 cents while out today.  Next best thing to a sponsorship, right? 

I managed to find the perfect time to run between thunderstorms. Once I finished the hill sprints on the treadmill it was pouring again.

I finished up my workout with about an hour of weights.  I focused on shoulder, bicep, and tricep exercises.

Does anyone else pick up change while running?