Weekly Workouts 6/6-6/12

Monday: OMG, it was the last Monday of school with students! How did June get here already?! I was at school until after 7pm for our annual Sports Banquet. It was really kind of emotional this year because quite a few of my 8th graders have been on the team since 6th grade, and I had to say goodbye to them.

I ate dinner once I got home and barely had time for a workout, but I did fit in 15 minutes of core work via the Nike Training Club app. I figure 15 minutes at 9:30pm is better than none at all.

Also, despite the brevity of this workout, I was absolutely shaking and dripping by the end. This seems to be a pattern on ab days!

Tuesday: 8x.3 repeats on the park's "track". Between repeats we alternated bicep curls and Arnolds (15 reps). It was really humid and we ate a lot of gnats, but it felt good. My legs and breathing actually felt really strong; it was "easy" to keep the paces steadily in the low 8s and high 7s.

LOL...look at the gnats all over my face!

Wednesday: Rest...kind of. Does corralling 135 students at graduation, dancing in heels, and cleaning up the dance afterward (still in heels) count as rest or cross-training?

Thursday: I did the same NTC workout as Monday's. I was just exhausted and wanted to do something that wouldn't take much thought. I honestly didn't even want to workout Thursday, so I'm glad I got something in.

Friday: The last day of school with kiddos! It was emotionally charged and tough in a lot of ways; running twice made it easier. I met Kristin in the morning for two miles before work, which put me in the perfect mindset for the last day, then ran 4.2 with Elizabeth in the evening, which helped me get out some end-of-year frustrations and feelings.

I tried salt tabs for the first time on this run and I think I noticed a difference in my energy.

Saturday: Rest. Mega-rest. Sleeping in super late and lying around all day kind of rest. Well, that was the plan. But after sleeping in I ended up doing a brief core workout before meeting Elizabeth for shopping. I'm beginning to like doing multiple short core workouts throughout the week instead of a single big core workout once a week.

Sunday: 8 steamy miles with Elizabeth. We started at 5:30ish to avoid the sun, and it was cloudy for the duration of our workout, which was nice. I had killer heartburn the entire time. That's never happened to me before and it was brutal, but I focused on just moving steadily forward.

The rest of my body felt great - I took two salt tabs and I definitely noticed a difference this time, but they made me want to puke because of my acid reflux. I had to walk a couple times because of the burning. No more andouille sausage the night before a long run!

How was your week?
Do you use salt tabs?

ABK

Weekly Workouts 5/16-5/22

Monday: A very uninspired T25 workout. I just wasn't feeling it. I think I was suffering some burnout from four or five weeks of really strong training.

Tuesday: I had an after school meeting and then we had an art showcase until 7pm, so I only had time to squeeze in some yoga between 4:30 and 5pm, when parents began arriving. The yoga was...again, not great, but my legs felt good afterward and at least I put on workout clothes!

Wednesday: Best workout of the week! I think finally my burnout gave way. Because of scheduling, I had to run alone (although Matt joined me last minute) so I ended up getting a late start. I wanted to run the bridge four times; I did what felt like an easy warmup (2/3 mile) and was surprised to see a 9:19 pace! The bridge felt great; I saw some 8s on the ascents and descents on the first two repeats; then I wanted to quit. But I finished it off and did the entire workout.

Around mile 3.7, I let myself walk a tiny bit when I got to the top of the bridge for the last time. Even with that walk break, I kept my overall pace well under 10.

Because I crossed the street at the end of the bridge to run the opposite side, I was able to get the benefits of the different slopes. I also only climbed on two of the four slopes, and descended on the other two; in other words, I can look at my elevation map and my paces and know if I was ascending or descending, and it's kind of awesome to see 8s on the ascents!

This run gave me a huge confidence boost. Not only did I feel strong, but I didn't let myself quit when I wanted to. I ended up doing 5 miles and finished the last tenth at an 8:49 sprint. I thought, "I need to run Saturday's entire race at this pace" and felt a bit defeated because it felt so hard, but Matt pointed out that the sprint was at the tail end of a 5 mile bridge run, so I really shouldn't feel bad about how hard it felt.

Now I'm hopeful that I'm ready for that 10k PR I'll be aiming for at Sanibel in October.

Thursday: More meetings. This time of year is insane. Rest day!

Friday: Other than some planks and foam-rolling, another rest day. I hydrated like a crazy person in preparation for Saturday's 5k...to the point that I had to lock my students out of my classroom briefly so I could use my bathroom in peace haha!

Saturday: The Sup & Run 5k! I'll post more about this Tuesday but let's just say...it went very well!

Stay tuned for a full report Tuesday!

Sunday: We drove to Orlando for Shane and Mark's baby shower/a college reunion of sorts, and I wasn't sure if I'd want to run or rest Sunday morning. I packed running clothes in case and played it by ear. After a long day and late night with friends, I decided to rest Sunday. 

What was your highlight workout for the week?

ABK

Weekly Workouts 5/9-5/15

Monday: This was not a good day. By the time I got to work, I was already cranky. There was no discernible reason - I was just in a bad mood. And it kept getting worse.

Some dance-cardio helped a little, and I was glad that I didn't just go home and lay on the couch like I wanted.

Tuesday: I was in a slightly better mood, but it seemed by Tuesday that this was just going to be one of those weeks that was hard every day. Elizabeth and I changed up our routine and ran bridge repeats. The local Fit2Run was doing their speed work group run on the bridge, so our plan to fully run it four times changed; we ran it fully once (two ascents, two descents) and then just ran up to the top and back down a couple more times. Our paces were solid (in the mid-9s), and our warmup and cool down were appropriately moderate. Overall, this was a good run that left me feeling exhausted in a good way!

After we got back to the car, we did a little upper body to cap it off.

Wednesday: I created a core circuit based on different exercises I've seen floating around Instagram. We did each move for 30 seconds and the circuit was a perfect 5-minute flow. We repeated it four times and I was surprised that I was literally dripping sweat! I guess good core work is a good full-body workout, too!

Our circuit consisted of 4 plank variations, 5 leg-raise type exercises, and jumping jacks.

Thursday: Rest. I was in the office all day working with our CRT Elisa, and that meant a lot of speed-walking around campus. My calves were really sore afterward!

Friday: 5.25 miles with Elizabeth in my new shoes. For the first couple miles my calves were like rocks; they warmed up eventually, but my legs were heavy and sore the entire time. I was impressed with our paces considering all that, and that we went over our planned distance despite it. I guess Thursday's office activities are to blame for my legs...and the fact that this whole week was just kind of blah.

Saturday: Much-needed rest. My left calf was absolutely killing me. I foam-rolled and had Matt massage it, but it was still sore all day.

Sunday: We set out for 8-10 miles and did 7.6. Although my calf warmed up and felt good by mile 2 (after we detoured into some construction to use the porta-potty), it was just so humid and hot that we decided to call it early. Neither of us is training for anything so we have the freedom to make our long runs fit our mood, and Sunday was one of those days that needed to be cut short.

After a nap, I met Matt and his paddling friends for brunch and refueled with ceviche and a Bloody Mary.

Next week is going to be weird. I'm tapering for a 5k (because I actually want to race it, and after this business with my calf I want to have very fresh legs) and we have some after-school things that will interfere with our plans. That's good, though. It gives us a chance to have a cutback week!

ABK

Weekly Workouts 4/25-5/1

Monday: Core work while I waited for a 5pm meeting to begin. I changed into workout clothes, did my stuff in my classroom alone, then wiped down with baby wipes and put my work clothes back on. Success!

I'm really pleased with how defined (for me) my arms are starting to look! (Forgive my TERRIBLE form in the bottom picture; this was near the end of my workout and I was tired!) Also, I can't get enough of the Free Love print from Skirt Sports.

Tuesday: .66 mile repeats. This was an increase day: more mileage per repeat and I upped my reps with the dumbbells to 15 from 12. I felt so strong. The paces felt almost easy and my breathing was awesome - just tired in my legs. Elizabeth was exhausted and I was going to cut it to 5 but she made us finish the last repeat. We make a good team.

6 x .66 miles at the following paces: 8:50; 9:00; 9:00; 8:55; 8:45; 8:35.

I keep telling Elizabeth we're aiming for 9:30s and then I keep holding us at sub-9s. Oops.

Wednesday: We tried something new with dance workouts! Elizabeth and I did three 10-minute videos from Keaira LaShae on YouTube. This one was great! Wednesday is usually leg day but we were really tired from Tuesday, so we looked for something different for total-body and core.

Thursday: I was supposed to rest on Thursday, and I told Elizabeth I couldn't wait to leave work and just do nothing. But the minute I got home, I didn't want to sit and do nothing. I wanted to move. So I convinced Elizabeth to come over and walk the golf course with me. We did ~1.9 miles at a leisurely pace and it was just what I needed.

I accidentally set a "goal" of 25 calories on my walking app, so our walk was 326% above our goal! Go us! haha

Friday: A brisk, moderate-effort run over the bridge. On the first ascent my quads were screaming, and they were fatigued the rest of the run, but I pushed through and we kept a really decent pace. I was proud of myself at the end of this run, and it felt good to feel genuinely tired after an "easy" run.

I celebrated this run with a reuben from Jason's Deli. The sauerkraut really hit the spot!

Saturday: Rest. For real this time! I laid out on the lanai and did laundry and dishes; that was the extent of my heavy-lifting!

Sunday: 8 miles with Elizabeth. This was actually a virtual 10k I was running, so I'll do a separate write-up on it this week, but the bottom line is that I felt awesome and my splits were crazily even. I could have done 10 if I'd felt so inclined. I haven't had such an effortless run in awhile, and it really boosted my confidence!

Overall, this was another fantastic week! I'm really beginning to feel like I'm reaping the benefits of consistent speed work and cross-training; it's the best I've felt in awhile, honestly.

Obviously all but one of my workouts this week were with a buddy; Elizabeth and I are "accountability partners" at work so we've been really taking advantage of that title and have been helping each other workout and eat healthfully. It's definitely keeping me on track, which is the whole point!

I'm looking forward to another great week to kick off May!

How was your week?
Do you truly rest on rest days, or do you do light exercise?

ABK

Back on the Horse...Slowly

It feels like I've taken ages off from running, but in reality it's really only been a couple weeks. I didn't run at all the week after A1A, and last week I got in one measly run and some stretching. But this week I'm finally feeling ready to push myself and begin "training". 

Can I call it training if there's not a goal race in mind?

I actually am running just one more race this month. Kristin has a love affair with hills and signed up for a very hilly half marathon in Marco Island on March 20. I personally kind of hate hills, and this race is literally a constant up-and-down. (They're manmade, I'm pretty sure.) She asked me to run it with her, and I couldn't let her down! It's going to be a new kind of challenge for me. We're planning to just take it slow and enjoy the run together; no PRs or goals of any kind on this one!

Anyway, this week I'm trying to get my butt moving again. I met Elizabeth at her house and we ran to the park while her stepdaughter scooted ahead of us; then we did a few sprint intervals, and ran back.

It felt good to be moving, but wow were my legs reluctant at first!

The first day of speed work in months was humbling, but we finished with a smile!

I also did some upper body T25 this week, and some sporadic squats, planks, and core work. Honestly, it's nothing to write home - or a blog post - about, but at least I'm moving again.

It was pretty pathetic how wobbly 8 pound weights left my arms.

I have no transition for this, but I have something cool to share. Last year, a friend of mine linked me up with the developers of this new gluten-tester called Nima. I just received my Nima to beta test and the first thing I tried it on was a bowl of Lucky Charms! They just recently got the gluten free label (I've been waiting since Cheerios went GF because they get their oats from the same place) so they felt like a great first test. 

All good! The Nima shows a frown if there's gluten detected.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting my groove back. It's been nice to take time off, but I miss being in a good workout routine. Once it becomes habit again, I know it will all be easier. Spring is never my strongest season, but I'm determined not to waste any time getting back in the saddle!

Are you a fan of hilly races?

How do you get back into your routine after time off?

ABK

Plank Challenge

This past week, I've been participating in a plank-a-day challenge set up by my friend Michelle. Each day, beginning February 1, she posted a video or photo of a new kind of plank to complete.

At first I wasn't sure about joining because planks can get boring, but the challenge was really fun. I learned a bunch of different kinds of planks and watching everyone in the group complete them really kept me motivated to keep up.

One of the new kinds of planks I tried was this one, called the crouching panther. I was surprised that this stationary plank could work my abs and quads so much! I really felt the burn.

I also really liked this one, which was also new to me. It's called the dolphin plank:

And of course, there were some I'm familiar with and really enjoy, like the spiderman plank. (You can do this one low or high.)

You alternate sides and bring your knee in to touch your elbow, then return to starting position.

For each of the above planks, you complete two sets of 30-45 seconds. I chose to just do 1:30 straight through, which felt a little more challenging 

I'm pretty skeptical of the whole "beach body coaching" thing because so many of my friends who become coaches end up shoving their product and program down our throats. It ends up feeling like a pyramid scheme. But Michelle simply lives by example and makes you want to join in her journey because she's so positive and motivating. (It's how she is in real life, too; what you see on her Insta or Facebook is truly her.)

It was nice to have this plank challenge to work on while I was taking time off from running for this foot issue. It kept me feeling motivated and strong even while resting. I plan to repeat the challenge on my own now that it's over.

Do you like to participate in group fitness challenges?

What plank variations do you like?

ABK

Giving Yoga Another Try

I have a confession to make that I think most runners will identify with but fitness types might sneer at. I really don't like yoga.

I know it's good for me and would help improve my running, but I just get so bored! This week, though, I worked my legs pretty hard and my back, calves, and hamstrings have been knotted up. I pushed through the discomfort on my run Wednesday night (which was awesome and fast and chilly and perfect), but decided that the price I had to pay for pushing the pace was giving yoga another try.

Mile 3 was the bridge; I kept my pace peppy! I was playing around with my Apple watch and using it as a remote to take pictures after my run...What do we call this pose? Awkward lady in the park?

I googled Yoga for Runners and the first video I clicked ended up being the perfect one for me. I love the instructor's voice and the flow really focused on stretching your hamstrings and IT band and improving posture. And it was only 20 minutes! And at the end she was so soothing and all "stay in Savasana as long as you like, just lie there, just relax" and I am all about naps so I was all over that.

I liked that some of the poses were more like stretches - like the runner's lunge - instead of just poses. The instructor was easy to follow and not too over-the-top with the "feel the energy of your body and the entire world coming together" and all that jazz. So in short, maybe I can try yoga again now; maybe I didn't like it for so long because I never found an instructor I cared to listen to!

I think I usually get bored because I don't feel like yoga is a workout, but I need to wrap my head around the fact that stretching and resting are parts of any good training plan; not every workout needs to leave me sweaty and spent, right?

Guess which pose is my favorite.

So, as I aim to improve as an athlete and incorporate cross-training this year, I think I'll give yoga another try...at least once every other week to start, and I'll see where it goes from there!

Do you like yoga?
What's a popular style of fitness you don't like?

ABK

Last Week's Workouts

After a disappointing training week, I was happy to have one of my best weeks since May.

Monday, I used NTC to work on my core, glutes, hips, and abs. 

The alignment workout was much harder than I expected.

Wednesday I went for a run; I had to cut it short because I started to feel sick. I've been making a habit of stopping at the water stations on the golf course and running my wrists under to help cool me down; it's been helping, but Wednesday was not a good day.

I was aiming for 3.5, but called it a day at 30 minutes.

Friday I finally made it to four miles. I was so happy to be back up to four; I decided that no matter if I had to walk or take lots of water breaks, I would get the mileage done, and  I did.

I took it really easy, walked when I needed to, and generally just enjoyed myself on this one. After Wednesday's run I really wanted to finish no matter how long it took.

I was planning to run Sunday morning but Matt and I had a family emergency Saturday and we didn't get back to town until pretty late. (Everything is okay for now.) So instead I ran in the evening. Kristin had done 8 in the morning, but she joined me for the second half of my run anyway. She really helped me push through. 

I chose a 2.6-mile shaded loop that I really like, and I ran it twice. I'm sure I would have quit early if Kristin hadn't been there. This was also the first run since April or early May that wasn't just a romp around the golf course; it felt really good to be back on an actual route. And I forgot what a difference shade makes!

It's funny how I can feel so accomplished after 5 miles...distance is all relative, I guess, depending on how we're feeling.

I completed the first half at an easy 11-minute pace, but then needed some walk breaks during the second half of the run.

As far as my runs go, I definitely earned an A this week. I played it safe but still boosted my mileage, and I'm feeling really accomplished. Overall, taking cross-training in mind as well, I'd say I get an A-/B+. This week I'm going to dedicate myself to two days of cross training along with my three or four runs.

How was your week?

What tricks do you use to keep cool in the summer during a run?

What's your favorite at-home cross-training activity?

ABK

This Week In Workouts

It feels really good to be active again! I mean, it feels sore, but good. A couple posts ago I reflected on my goals for the year and Janelle at Run With No Regrets brought up a great point - she grades herself weekly to kind of stay on top of how she's doing. That definitely goes along with the whole "timely feedback" thing we teachers are supposed to follow for student grades.

So I decided to grade this week, my first week fully back working out after my break, and see how it went.

Wednesday was my first run back. I worked Monday, and Tuesday we drove up to Orlando for dinner, so this was my first real chance to get out there. I did two painfully humid miles, but was totally happy to be RUNNING!

Thursday I used the Nike Training Club app to get in a full-body workout. I forgot how much I like the convenience of this app...but I do wish it worked on iPad so I would have a bigger screen to follow.

Yes, that medicine ball is 4lbs. Don't laugh at me!

Despite some major DOMS, I was determined to run Friday. I convinced Matt to run three with me. Again, the humidity was killer, but I already noticed some improvements in pace and breathing from Wednesday.

I stopped to take a runfie while Matt did pushups on this run! He caught video of us finishing, too, which you can watch here.

I rested Saturday, then dragged myself out of bed Sunday for my first morning run in a long time! (I can't call this a long run yet.) Kristin had 8ish miles to cover, so I met her for the last 3.3ish. Despite the cooler temperature (75), the humidity was no joke (92%!), so we took it nice and easy.

Runner milestone: a giant bug flew into my mouth and nearly down my throat! Luckily, I was able to hack it up. BLECH.

You have to start somewhere, and I'm very happy with this week. It set a good standard for my summer. I know my runs were painful and at times really slow, but that's just part of starting over. I'm still feeling confident that I'll be ready for marathon training in late July/August, and I feel like making progress slowly in the summer is best, so I'm really okay with keeping my runs short right now.

All things considered, I'd have to give this week an A! I fully completed every workout that I had planned and stayed positive despite the obstacles. I'd call that a success.

How is your summer starting out?

When do you officially begin training for your fall race season?

Would you rather run in heat or humidity? I prefer a dry, hot run to a super humid one!

ABK

Goodbye Contacts!

This week may have been really difficult work-wise, but training-wise it was on point!

Despite the craziness of work this week, or maybe because of it, I had the best workout week in a long time! 

I got in all my workouts and took one planned rest day this week. It was a great way to start the month!

Besides adding the plank workout to my weekly routine, I also added a short tabata-style workout.

Click here for the workout!

I love when an at-home workout takes 15 minutes and leaves you absolutely exhausted and covered in sweat.

Mmm, sweat!

On Saturday morning, I had my LASIK consultation. It was basically like any other eye appointment. I wasn't allowed to wear my contacts Friday to allow my eyes to rest and appear "au naturale" during the check-up.

This meant running my 8-miler with Kristin without any lenses. (My glasses are too loose to run in.) She was a very good guide; I didn't trip once.

I think my rough week made this run hard; I was dogging it the entire time, but at least we got it done. There was a time not too long ago that I would've thrown in the towel.

 Then it was off to my consultation!

Goodbye, glasses!

Matt came with me and was highly amused by my reading of the eye-chart. (I can't hate, though; his perfect vision is what earned me the chance to finally look into getting LASIK in the first place.) 

Anyway, I'm apparently a perfect candidate for LASIK. My corneas are really thick (which is a good thing) and my eyesight isn't so bad that it will cost an arm and a leg. My surgery date is set for April 2! I can't imagine waking up and not having to take the time to put contacts in, or deal with them during allergy season (which is really like 2/3 of the year for me). I've had glasses since I was in kindergarten!

After taking a nap to give my dilated eyes some time to recuperate, Matt and I headed down to the Fish House for Meg's birthday dinner! It was too dark outside by the time we ate to take any pictures of my meal, but it was the first time I had spaghetti squash and it was fantastic. I can't wait to make it at home!

Meg's mom took this photo before dinner.

Obviously losing an hour Sunday bites; it means less time to run errands and finish grading, but I'm glad that Saturday was a good, restful day reserved for friends. And I'm very thankful that the time change was this weekend and not next because that would mean running my next half after losing an hour of sleep!

The course map for the Sarasota Half.

 Miles 1-5 are up and over the huge Ringling bridge and then an immediate turn-around. That's going to burn my legs a lot, which is why I've been diligently running the bridge here at home (which is a baby compared to this monster).

But the medal will be worth it!

Pretty!

I'm looking forward to another successful week of training! I feel like I'm on a roll!

Where do you find your favorite at-home workouts?

 Did you find time for fun this weekend?

ABK

Dynamic Planks & Volleyball

As runners, we know that core strength is essential to avoiding injury. "Core" doesn't just refer to abs; it includes our glutes, hips, and back muscles as well. If you find yourself slouching forward during runs, especially during long runs, your core may be in need of strengthening.

I am definitely one of those slumpy runners.

Photo evidence: totally slumped over during the last mile at Spacecoast.

Many of us turn to planks as an easy go-to strengthening exercise, but planks are fairly static. Even as we increase our time (I'm always blown away by people who can hold a plank for over three minutes!), we're still just holding there.

Definitely check out the full routine here.

I found this set of dynamic planks a little while ago and finally began doing them recently. My first impression was that they were incredibly more difficult than I expected! I was dripping sweat and panting as I went through the moves.

I completed 5 of each plank (per side in the case of the side planks) and did the entire routine twice. I think I'll build up to completing it three times.

As with any body-weight exercise, purposeful movement is key. It's important not to rush so that you're truly targeting and engaging your muscles.

My form needs tons of work, but I know it will improve as I get stronger!

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the results of adding these planks a couple times a week to my usual workouts.

The rest of my weekend can be seen in the background: papers I graded and laundry I folded. I was very productive!

In other weekend workout news, we had our faculty volleyball tournament this weekend! Despite only practicing three times before the big day, our team held its own...

We didn't exactly win, or even place, but it was a ton of fun and we raised $1000 to send to a sister school of ours in Haiti.

I really want our team to keep meeting after school because I miss playing volleyball so much, but maybe I'll look for a Meet Up group to join if it doesn't interfere with weekend long runs.

(I took last week off from running because of all the travel/jury duty/classroom catch up/rest from Gasparilla weekend...but this week it's back to training as usual for my next half on March 15.)

 On a random note...I know quite a few of you liked Serial. Are you watching The Jinx on HBO? It's like Serial but about Robert Durst. I actually know one of the actresses who plays Kathie Durst in the reenactments (she's my best friend's sister), which is why I started watching, and now I'm hooked.

I had seen the movie All the Good Things about Robert Durst a couple years ago and find him really intriguing. This documentary is super creepy, and Durst himself sat for interviews throughout the series. He's a truly unsettling character.

How's this for a totally random post?

Do you do planks?

What is your favorite sport to play besides running? (Can you "play" running?)

Do you like the true-crime genre?

ABK