Sweat from all pores

Today I did Stage 2 A2 of NRoLfW after warming up for 50 calories on the elliptical. I had to change up the order of exercises because someone else was using the squat rack. Things went well. Not much to comment on there. I used 25# dumbbells for the one point rows. That's getting close to my grip strength!

Instead of doing the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with the last B workout, I did it today. I'm not sure why he put that on the longer of the two workouts for this stage. I hope there is not a problem with that. It starts out by warming up then alternating 1 minute intense with 2 minutes less intense. I warmed up at 5.0mph and 5.3 mph with intense being 6.8 mph and 5.0mph for the rests. I finished it fine, but I was pretty wasted at the end. I broke out into an all-over sweat and my heart rate stayed elevated for quite a while! It worked, I guess! During those 14 minutes, I covered 1.3 miles.

Just the weights...

Today was the first day of Stage 2, workout B. This has 8 exercises with 2 sets each, 75 seconds between sets. That made for a long workout even without cardio. I warmed up for 3 minutes or so on the elliptical.

I didn't have a step to use, so I made due. Not very well. Not sure what to do about that. I used dumbbells, which are a poor substitute.

Swiss ball crunches are still annoyingly easy.

Yesterday was yoga. Felt good! We did lots of back twists. I felt that afterward!

The Envi-run 5k!

This morning was a dreary morning. It was lightly raining with some distant thunder. About 44degF (7Cdeg). Not a beautiful day. However, it turned out to be wonderful weather to run a 5k in! They had a short little run for the kids, but my husband and kids decided not to go to that. So, I went alone. I was running late and my husband had thrown away the entry form I had filled out and had not made it to sending it. I was just going to hand it to them. Not a big deal, but it seemed so at the time, since I was running late anyway. As it turns out, I made it there with enough time, filled out a registration, and got my number, number 42. (Isn't that the meaning of life?) I jumped and jogged in place a lot to keep warm. It was a pretty informal race with around 50 participants. Unfortunately, a lot of them were young, fit grad students at the local university. That's ok. I enter for me, not to win!

At the start there were a few sprinkles, but they stopped and it was dry the rest of the run. The first km was a bit faster than normal for me. But, I evened out and settled into a comfortable pace. I picked it up a bit in the last km, but mostly towards the last half km, since the first half was into the wind. I kicked it towards the end and finished with something around 32:40. I don't know the official time yet. It took me a few seconds to cross the start line, so the official time wouldn't be that accurate, either. I did forget to look at my watch right as I crossed, though. I looked at it a bit later and it said 32:53.

All in all, it was a good race. Afterward, as usual, I felt like I could have tried harder, but the truth is I was over 180bpm for a decent portion of the run. I tried to keep the flats under 180bpm.

I'm ok with the time. I haven't been able to run longish distances in the past several months due to my knee. I think those two 3 mile runs in the past week or two were the only runs over 1 mile, but I'll have to go back and check.

I brought my music equipment with me, not knowing whether I would actually use it. After seeing the small size of the run and the althetic appearance of most of them, I decided the tunes would be fine. After the first 1km or so, I was mostly on my own, so it was good that I had my beats. I used a 157bpm Podrunner podcast called Native Suns.

Let's go Stage 2~

Today, I started off with a mile on the treadmill. This time, after a short warm-up walk, I played with the speed by doing some increasing intervals. I started at 5.5mph, then did some at 6.0, then 5.7, then 6.2, then 5.9... etc . Or something very similar. I'm not sure about the exact number I used, but the pattern was up 0.5mph, down 0.3mph. That had me finishing the last 0.2 miles at 6.5mph! Finished the mile at 1% incline in 10:10min. I like that was of inching up to the higher speed. I might have to try that again!

Weights were 2A1 today from NRoLfW. It went well. The squat presses were hard, but I knew they would be. I did do it fine with the Olympic bar. For 8 reps of the second set, I added 5#, but removed it for the last 2. I did push-ups on the bench, but didn't get down quite as far as I wanted, so I may move back to the Smith machine. Static lunges were hard after the previous exercises. I used a 65# dumbbell on the floor instead of a step. I actually finished the 60sec planks fine. Woo hoo!

The Bunny Count is Back!!

I'm sure the whole world was missing my bunny count. Well, folks, it's back. And with full force!
Bunnies: 9 (all alive)
Dead squirrels: 1

I had a relatively easy run this morning. It was nice. Windy, but not crazy windy. It was 42F when I left, so not bad. I had on a long-sleeved running shirt, a water-proof windbreaker, and a (drum roll please) new reflective vest! At 5am in the dark, I'm always worried that cars won't see me. Also, I wear headphones. Although, I don't have the music up loud, sometimes it's hard to tell if the noises are coming from the music or not.

The running portion of my outing was right at 3 miles, which took me 33 minutes and 40 seconds. Not bad for a somewhat hilly, easy run. I'm going to only do shorter runs before the 5k this weekend. I used a 152bpm Podrunner podcast called Power Trip. The combo of running outside and listing to the electronic beats of Podrunner is so relaxing. It's almost meditative. Ohmmmm....

It was, of course, dark when I set out this morning, but by the time I got to a path that is nice to run on, it was getting a little light. I don't run on the path in the dark, because it is completely unlit. Not only is it a bit scary, because of the trees, it gets so dark, it's hard to tell what's on the path and the condition of the asphalt. As I was crossing the street to where I would need to decide to go down the path or not, there was a dead squirrel in the street. It probably sounds completely crazy, but I took that as a hint not to go down the path!

During the run, I could feel an odd stiffness in my knee toward the back of it. Toward the end of the run, I started cramping a bit in the foot on that side. Probably due to worrying about my knee. Anyway, I think it will be ok. I might wear my brace today to help with it. I didn't run with the brace. I'm not sure the (second) one I got would be good for the repetitive motion of a long-ish run.

I so missed running outside. I sure hope this knee thing rectifies itself, so that I can continue running.

AMRAP done, sub 10 minute mile!

Today started out with a mile, which I ran in 9:55! Of course, now that I sit down and type it out, I realize I forgot to dial in my 1% incline. Doh! That kind of takes some of the excitement out of it. This time, I started at 5.7mph and after about every 0.1 mile, I increased the speed 0.1mph. So, in the end I was running at 6.6 or 6.7 mph, which is pretty darn fast for me.

I did the AMRAP B workout today. I forgot my log at home, I had to wing it. I'm glad AMRAP is done. I did get sore muscles from it, but I don't feel like I did as much. Strange. I don't feel as exercised.

I will restrain myself and not complain about the person who left 45# weights on the bar today. Oops, I guess I just did. They have a sign up requesting that you unload the bar when done. I thought about making my own and taping it to the squat rack rather than on the wall.

I want to get in a 3 mile run tomorrow. I hope it's a tad warmer. It was super windy and just above freezing this morning. Not exactly what I want to run in. Unless it's raining, I'm going to have to force myself out the door for a run, since I want a little recovery time before Saturday.

This morning, as I got on the treadmill, my mind started playing tricks with me and was telling my that this mile was going to be hard (it wasn't, probably the lack of incline helped with that) and that I wouldn't be able to make it through the 5k this weekend. Darn brain! I know it's wrong, but I thought I had tamed that mental crap more.

I'm even more sure that my HRM transmitter is on the way out. My max heart rate was 205 today, which I know isn't true. After that, it sank to ~90bpm, which was also not true. I'm going to try running without it a bit, I think. Maybe I can get by without one for a while. Save money... for the Garmin 305... LOL!

Another day, another mile... and AMRAP

I was thinking about not running this morning and just doing a few minutes on the elliptical again to warm up. But, then I realized that it's already Friday and I won't be running tomorrow, probably. So, I ran a mile in 10:33 on the treadmill at 1% incline. It seemed a bit harder than normal. During the run, it seemed like my HRM was getting a little squirrelly. I wonder if my transmitter is starting to loose battery power. I think a new one is around $46 (a coded Polar T31). I guess I've had it a while now. It has served me very well. That's still a lot cheaper than buying a new Garmin that I'm drooling over after hearing all about them on the c25k.com forums. I just love gadgets, though. That's kind of the ultimate fitness gadget right now!

I have the Polar F6 heart rate monitor. It has a way to figure out heart rate zones to target. But, it always wants me down below something like 150bpm. That's just not feasible for me if I'm going to break a sweat. I should look back through the features to see what I'm forgetting to use. I like the diary it keeps of zones and times and files them away each week. I can wirelessly download to my computer. Works great.

Today, I did the A workout of AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) after Stage 1 of NRoLfW. I don't know if I particularly like this. The idea of lower reps - higher weights is one I like. I wasn't able to do a crazy amount of reps, since I used the weights from about session 2 or 3. When I got there to run, a guy was using the squat rack and of course did not unload it. I even saw him sitting there when he was ready to leave watching the news. And they were the 45# weights. Grrrr.

I started reading the Stage 2 exercises. One problem I see coming up is the lack of step available at my gym. Not sure how I'm going to solve that one. I could bring my own fitness step, but that would be a pain in the butt. Hmm....

Three Miles Then Last Stage 1 Workout!

Yesterday, I got up early to work out, but it was 31F (~ -0.5C) so I did a 45 minute yoga tape instead. But, I ended up working from home and wanted to meet someone after work, so I mapped how far away that would be on gmap-pedometer.com and noticed that depending on how I went it would be 2.5-3 miles to get there. Bingo! Much nicer weather than in the wee hours of the morning. AND I got to see some sunshine. I chose the 3 mile route and finished in 34 minutes. Considering the few pretty decent hills on the route and my reduction in mileage lately, I thought that worked pretty well. I didn't go all out, but my heart rate did get up to 185bpm up one hill. It was that type of hill where I just stop thinking about making any kind of real progress and focus on keeping the feet going. I could have walked that fast! But, eventually, the road evened out and I was up! That is one of those hills that challenges drivers in the winter. Sometimes four wheel drive trucks even have a problem.

My husband encouraged me to go ahead and sign up for the 5k run on the 25th. So, I can't back out now! I need to send off the entry form so I can save $5.

After the run, I felt good. Although, I do notice a bit of oddness with my knee. That is kind of scary. I'm going to see if I can locate a good brace for running. I don't know what else to do.

This morning, I did one more repeat of Stage 1 workout B of New Rules of Lifting for Women. I warmed up with 50 calories on the elliptical. LOL, I think it took about 5 minutes or so, but I used the calorie count as my goal. I guess I was in a weird mood.

I was able to twice up the weights on the deadlifts to 55lb plus the 45 lb bar. One nice thing about the bar in the gym is that the surface is smoothed where your legs are. The knurling that helps you hold the bar is stopped there so you don't scrape up your shins doing deadlifts. I think I held good form for the lifts.

I tried upping the shoulder press weights, but a five pound jump from 20# to 25# was just too much. I got through 6 of 8 reps before I had to drop back down.

I finally got the Swiss ball situps to kind of show a little challenge. I held a 35# bar weight above my head. It was extra challenging because where I was doing the exercise had a surprisingly slippery floor. So, I had to stabilize and keep myself from slipping.

Lunges still weren't easy and I was on the verge of muscle failure. The other guy in the weight room was also keeping a log and did some lunges. I don't often see people with logs or lunges. I think some people think lunges aren't masculine enough or something. All I know is they kick my butt and I don't think I'm alone in that.

Now onto the AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) workouts. I think I'll pick weights from a few weeks in, rather than what I started with. We'll see.

Last Stage 1 workout A

Today, I did a mile in about 10:17minutes. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to get up to 5k by the 25th, when I would like to do a run. That would mean I NEED to start getting out to run. NOW. This morning it was 43F when I went to the gym. I should be able to run in that temperature, but it has given me problems in the past. It will be a bit colder tonight, I think.

After the "measly mile" I hit the weights. There was someone using the squat rack, so I started with the B exercises. That was the first time I had to re-order the lifts. Of course, when he was done, he left the bar loaded. *grumble* I guess he could have forgotten. I probably have at one time or another. It is annoying, though. And it's usually people who are lifting rather heavy. Sure, taking 35# or 45# weights off the barbell is not beyond me, but it's the principle of it.

I did much better push-ups this time. I did them without winging my arms out. I'm not sure exactly why. I did lift the bar I do the push-ups on one notch. Yesterday at yoga, I realized I could lower into chaturanga from a plank and hold it for a while. I guess my hands were a little far forward, though, which makes it easier. These "yoga push-ups" have you keep your elbows in, too. I guess the only difference between this time and last was the one notch on the Smith machine. I had done some on counter edges here and there over the weekend, but nothing intense. Maybe that was all I needed. Weird.

Squat continue to improve, but still seem to get better as the set progress. I tried adding an extra 5# and didn't feel it was right, so I went back. I feel weird squatting with only 10# total on the Olympic bar, but that's where I am. That still adds up to 55#. That sounds better! My son is 45#, so maybe I should practice squatting with him on my back! I think these will help my running, though.

Step-ups went well. I was able to increase the weights to 15# each dumbbell. For the last set, I thought about trying 20# dumbbells, but as I prepared to start, I could just tell it wasn't going to work before I even stepped up. As it happened, my left leg was right at the point of failure as I finished the eight reps with 15# weights. So, it worked out!

The jackknives continue to challenge me. 12-13 reps seem to be a comfortable finishing place each set, and those last three or so reps are torture. I fell off the ball at rep 14 on one set today and had to get back on to complete it! ha! These seems to challenge me so much more than the Swill ball crunches. Sorry, I'm repeating myself.

I think I'll stick with one repeat of the 8th week. I should move on. There are so many stages to get through, although I think stage one is by far the longest.

Pathetic pushups

Today, I started off by running my measly mile in about 10:30 on the treadmill at 1% incline. I'm not sure why my time went up a bit. I guess I accidentally started off a little slow. Monday, when doing yoga, I felt a little bit of the odd feeling in my knee. But, today on the treadmill, I didn't notice anything. That's good! The temperature when I run should be starting to get above freezing pretty soon, so hopefully some outdoor runs are in my future.

Weights went well. I did 1A8 of NRoLfW. This should be my last day of stage one, workout A. I might add on another time or two, though. I'm definitely noticing some progression. I'm still upping the weights pretty much every time. I've been trying to increase the weights for at least the third set. If that third set is still not hitting my max, I make a note to increase the weights next time.

Squats went better today. I don't think I was having as many problems with lifting my upper and lower body separately. I am still doing them from a full squat. I had to pause a lot during my first couple sets. I would get a little dizzy when I stood up. My heart rate gets decently high, too, up into the 150s, maybe even to the 160s, but since my wrist is behind my shoulders, I can't actually see my watch. The odd thing is that they go better as I went through the sets. I'm not sure why. Maybe warming up by doing some non-weighted sets would be a good idea! I always thought it would wear me out. By the way, I mention warming up with non-weighted sets rather than reduced-weight sets, because I'm only using 10# on the 45# bar. 10# worth of weight on a 45# Olympic bar looks really funny. But, that's where I am and it's going to stay like that until my ability increases!

My push-ups are rather pathetic when I try to do them by the book. If I let me elbows out when I lower, I can do lots of push-ups on a low setting on the Smith machine. But, if I try to do them with my elbows in, I hit an angle where I just can't support myself. It's kind of like the point on my squats just around or below horizontal, where the muscle just doesn't want to fire. (That's why I started doing them from a full squat. Moving through that point seems to work ok.) So, I wonder if there is a way to move through this weak point with push-ups. It seems like I would fall flat on my nose. I wonder what different muscles are being used between the two styles. It would seem like the elbows-in version would focus more on triceps and the elbows-out style might recruit more biceps? Hmmm....

The Swiss ball jackknives were hard again. It seems that 10-12 are about the sweet spot. Doing 15 is hard!! But, my form was a lot better this time. I kept my toes more pointed rather than flexing my feet. That way is more challenging to stay balanced on the ball.

Step-ups went better. I still get my heart rate up pretty high with these. I use a weight bench, so the step is pretty high. I have to pause to get my heart rate down between legs. I think at one point, I got up to 174bpm. But, I guess this is a rather dynamic exercise.

Faster mile, better deadlifts

Today, I ran my measly mile in 10:22. Not horrible, but not great. I used a 1% incline and ran at 5.5mph with some 6.2mph intervals. This weekend, we are supposed to get hit by a big snowstorm, so I likely won't be running outside, unfortunately. Maybe I'll get lucky and I'll find a break in the weather. Luckily, this weather has to be on the way out and spring will arrive. I hope to add two or three days of running a week to alternate with my lifting days.

During the run, my HRM freaked out and popped up to something like 213bpm. I know that wasn't right. It went back down to 163bpm, which was in line what I was feeling. Both the treadmill and my wristband registered the heart rate, so it must have been my transmitter that was having issues. If this equipment poops out, I might consider going overboard with one of the Garmins. I've proven that I'll actually consistently use the HRM over a long period of time, so it wouldn't be a huge leap to think I would actually use an even fancier toy. Although, I don't use my Polar F6 "Own Zone" calculated heart rate ranges. If I did, I would be over it all the time! I think it wants be to max out at something like 150bpm, which just isn't reasonable for me. Maybe I should set my own limits and have it try to keep me below something like 175bpm. Otherwise, I love my Polar F6.

Today was 1B7 of NRoLfW. I increased my weights on every set. That was a good feeling, but I was definitely pushing my limits on some of them. I tried to pay close attention to my form on the deadlifts. Looking straight ahead and squatting deeper than before seemed to help.

During the second set of lunges, I picked the wrong set of weights (20# dumbbells rather than 15# dumbbells) and my body told me. On a couple of the reps, I was at the point of muscle failure. (This isn't necessarily as bad as it sounds.) When I finished the set, I looked at my notes and realized my mistake. At least that tells me I'm picking the right weights! I normally don't want to train to failure, but rather somewhat close to it. For the 3rd set, I went back to 15# dumbbells and that set went as good or better than the first! For the previous workout I had used 12# dumbbells, although the rep count was 10 for that workout rather than 8 this time.

I'm still not feeling the burn for the Swiss ball crunches. This time I used a 25# or 30# dumbbell held over my head to increase the intensity. The reps increased from 12 to 15, but that still wasn't enough. I think I get more ab work out of the prone jackknives, which also use the Swiss ball.

My hips feel well worked today. It's a good feeling, not an alarming one. I wonder if the deeper squatting is helping that? I just hope it means my hips are getting stronger. That would be a good thing.

I've started looking at 5k races coming up. There is one in a couple weeks. I don't think I'm going to participate in that one. I'd have to drive about an hour to get to it. There is one on the 25th of April that I'm seriously considering. They even have a 200m fun run for kids. I think my son would enjoy that. So, the question becomes, will I be ready for a 5k in three weeks?? I'll have to look into that. The positive about that one is that I know the route and I know it's pretty flat. I ran a 4k race there last year before I finished C25K.

Nearing the end of stage 1

This morning, I ran a mile. A bit faster this time with a few speed intervals. I think I'll try upping the intervals next time.

After the run, I did 1A7, which is the second to last time to do this A workout. I'm thinking I might repeat stage 1 a couple more times, since I had so much off time. I peeked ahead and things don't get any easier! That's just fine, though! If I'm going to ever achieve a chin-up, I need to have my butt kicked!

Today, I really tried hard to get full motion on the squat. The weird thing is I can't seem to squat with any extra weight and stop right when my legs are parallel or a little below. So, I went all the way down to where my thighs and calves are in contact. This week I was a bit obsessed about improving my squats, so I read up on them on the internet. One person mentioned that kids do them all the time. So, I observed my kids, and it is so true. They squat all the way down for lengths of time and also stand up without a problem. Doing these full squats was difficult. I did manage to complete the sets, but I needed to pause some between some of the reps because I got a little light headed. I could really feel it in my hips afterward. I understand why many experts think the squat is the ultimate lift. I think it uses just about every muscle. One thing I noticed myself sometimes doing was extending my legs faster than my back when standing up. Not a good idea. With more weight on the bar than I currently have, that could spell back injury.

For the push-ups, I noticed that my elbows move out rather than stay close to my body. I tried on my 2nd or 3rd set to correct this, but was too weak to do that. I guess I need more work on that. I'm not really sure how close to the body the elbows really need to be.

The jump up to 15 prone jackknives per set was tough. I barely finished the last one of the last set.

I finished off with a good stretch. I feel really good today.