Weekly Workouts: 4/24-4/30

Monday: Rest.

Tuesday: Unplanned rest. We had a family emergency and I had to skip out on my planned run.

Wednesday: Arms/shoulders/back lifting workout. Elizabeth and I made a quick weight routine and it was brutal. I could barely get through two repetitions! I know you're supposed to "lift to failure" so I guess we succeeded in that. I need some lighter weights for when we target shoulders!

I still don't know how to name some of these moves. Someday I'll get action shots, I swear.

After the weights, I took advantage of the late sunset and close golf course and got in a run! I did run/walk with 4::45 intervals. I felt amazing, as I wrote about on Friday.

So sweaty and so happy!

Thursday: Stacey, Elizabeth, and I did two Blogilates leg videos. Going back to these videos has been a good way to keep our routine going when we're pressed for time...as we usually are during the last weeks of school!

Friday: The KBC completed my favorite dynamic plank circuit. (Seriously, do yourself a favor and click that link. It's such a good workout.) We did each move 5 times and completed the circuit 3 times. It doesn't look like much, but this one always leaves me super sweaty and shaky.

I saw two beautiful woodpeckers on this run! I ran 1 mile @ 9:30.

After this workout, I went out and ran a mile. I decided to forgo run/walk because I didn't plan to be out there long and I wanted to see if I could get a mile in without stopping. The run was a success, but I did have some knee and shin aches in my left leg in the first few minutes.

Saturday: I was totally feeling those planks! My obliques and hips were pretty sore. I happily took a rest day.

Sunday: 2.5 miles around the golf course using 4:45 intervals again. I had definite stiffness in my right ankle that crept up to my knee as the run progressed. I am anxious to see if the stiffness and tightness I felt this week dissipates or gets worse as I continue to test the waters.

This week was solid and I am over the moon that I got to run! I ran fewer than six miles this week altogether, but I feel heartened and happy that, after weeks and weeks of nothing, I'm doing something, even if my symptoms still seem to be just below the surface.

ABK

Weekly Workouts 5/2-5/8

Is it weird that I start my workout recaps on Mondays? I guess I just consider the long run my last workout of the week, not my first, because everything builds toward it. A different perspective could be that the long run starts the week and everything else is just recovery from it...

Anyway...

Monday: Elizabeth and I did a Blogilates video and then did some dynamic planks. Blogilates is no joke, but we were laughing at how little we could keep up. But at least we're trying new things and strengthening our cores! The plank workout is one of my favorites; by the end, my shoulders and core were burning!

Tuesday: 8x.3 repeats in the park with Elizabeth. The summer heat is definitely here - it was in the 90s and super humid during our run - so we thought we may just do 6 repeats if things got hairy. We did tricep dip-kicks and bicep curls during recovery and ended up doing all 8 repeats, so we felt pretty awesome afterward.

Dying...but happy about it. (Right, Ron?)

We had free PDQ (teachers ate free that day!) afterward...the perfect reward for a hard workout!

Wednesday: Rest. Usually we rest Thursdays, but this week we just felt we needed it early.

Thursday: We created a leg circuit that was absolutely killer. We were going to do it three times, but decided to go for four. My quads were on fire!

Mm...apples and melted PB is the best post-workout snack!

The circuit was 30 seconds each of: walking lunges>squats>pulsing squats>jumping jacks>right-lunge-squat-left-lunge (a rotation from T25)>wall sits (these hurt SO badly)>jumping jacks>low squat walks>adductor twists>squat kicks>jumping jacks. We rested for one minute between each round and did four rounds.

Friday: Five miles at an easy pace. The weather cooled down a little and I felt unstoppable. I tried cocoa UCAN for the first time and mixed in some coffee, too; it seemed to do the trick - I was so energetic and the run felt effortless! My quads hurt from Thursday's workout but my energy and breathing were perfect. I did keep the pace a little easier for Elizabeth, but I'm feeling really confident lately about what my "easy effort" pace looks like.

So consistent! We dropped the pace in the last half mile to the 9:30s.

I can't say enough about this run. I felt like I was flying!

Saturday: Rest! My left calf cramped up a little in my sleep and my quads were sore, so I finally broke out the foam roller for the first time in months. I guess you could count the heels I wore to a friend's Derby party as cross training!

Sunday: Elizabeth and I met up early despite Saturday's party for "8-10" miles. It turned out to be 10! I was really pleased with the pace and consistency (that seems to be the word of the week), and I felt really good. Florida gave us a sunny, 58-degree morning to start with, and so it felt like we shouldn't waste the last cool-weather long run we'll have for months. 

10:30s and negative splits at the end? I can't complain about that!

I hope you had a great week...and of course, I hope you mother-runners out there have a fabulous Mother's Day!

What's your favorite workout video?

Has your weather been nice lately?

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

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

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