My Marathon To Christmas - Mile 2

So I got my 2nd run of my Marathon to Christmas in just a few minutes ago! I pushed myself a little faster and finished 7 seconds better than yesterday! Its not much, but its an improvement! I remembered to bring my HRM today, so I have a more accurate calorie burn for my runs too! Woot!

Now that I'm wearing my BodyBugg too, I noticed that yesterday my calorie burn was HUGE (like 400 more calories!) simply because of the little 15 minute boost I got from running! It was amazing and just reinforces one of the many reasons why I enjoy running so much - its one of the only things that I can push myself as hard as I can and get an amazing calorie burn that keeps my metabolism pumping all day!

Didn't get a Zumba workout in yesterday, but am hoping to today. The weather has been REALLY cold here and I have been struggling to stay warm - but working out regularly seems to do the trick. I have clients coming tonight, so hopefully I can find some time to get a Zumba DVD in - even if its only the 20 min one!

My Marathon To Christmas - Mile 2
Total Time: 11:45
Total Calories Burned: 161
Speed: 5.0 MPH-6.0 MPH on treadmill

LONG Overdue Update!!!

Wow - its been over a month since I updated this thing! Woops! haha! Been busy, but in a good way! Started teaching classes at Rhino's Gym in Albuquerque which has been an amazing experience! Getting myself trained up for Zumba certification on December 17th and came up with a great plan to stay in shape between now and Christmas.

Initially it started out as the "24 Miles of Christmas" - where I would walk, jog or run 1 mile each day from December 1st through Christmas. However, I was so antsy to get it started, that I started it today - which will add an extra 2 miles to the overall plan - so thus "My Marathon to Christmas" plan was created! I am going to keep my Zumba workouts up, but I figured that any extra movement, even if its only 15 minutes a day, is better than nothing!

Got today's mile in during my lunch break at work - with NO stopping to walk! Not too shabby for someone who hasn't ran in a few months! Woot! I'm really looking forward to my run tomorrow and am going to try to get a Zumba workout in when I get home today as well!

My Marathon to Christmas - Mile 1
Time: 11:52
Speed: 5.0-5.5 MPH on Treadmill
Total Calorie Burn: 125 (off Treadmill since I wasn't wearing HRM, but its usually close)

Hope things are well with everyone and I will keep this thing updated with my daily runs. I'm hoping to maybe get myself up to a sub 10 minute mile by the end of this thing - that would be amazing! We'll just have to see how it goes!

Workout Updates

So I didn't get any workouts in this past weekend, but I got back on track first thing yesterday morning! I stayed up entirely too late the past two nights since I've been reading more (its nice being able to read for pleasure now that I'm done with school!). However, even though I've gotten less than 6 hours of sleep each night, I still feel rested - I think that's a perk to working out in the mornings again.

I am slowly getting back into the groove of working out and getting conditioned for running again. Its definitely a good feeling. I was getting really tired of feeling yucky and squishy so I'm enjoying feeling my body positively react to its running workouts again.

So here's my workouts from yesterday & this morning. Mileage is a guess, since I left my workout sheets at home this morning

Monday's Workout - Sprint Intervals on Treadmill
Warm Up
Interval 1: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 2: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 3: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 4: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 5: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 6: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 7: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 8: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 9: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 10: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Cool Down

Total Distance: 1.89 miles
Total Calories Burned: 246
Total Time: 28 mins

Today's Workout - Running Intervals on Treadmill
Warm Up
Interval Run - 4 minutes (2 minutes at 5.0 MPH and 2 mins at 5.5 MPH)
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval Run - 4 minutes at 5.5 MPH
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval Run - 4 minutes (1 min at 5.0 MPH, 3 mins at 5.5 MPH)
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval Run - 4 minutes (1 min at 5.0, 1 min at 5.5, 2 minutes at 6.0 MPH)
Cool Down

Total Time 28 Minutes
Total Calories Burned: 310
Total Distance: 2.05 miles

My Workouts This Week!

So I am WAY proud of myself - I have gotten up at 4am every day this week before work and gotten a workout in! Go me! Its taken some adjustment, but I'm really enjoying getting my runs in before work - I like feeling like I've accomplished something already before I go in. Plus - if I have a rough day at work and just wanna be lazy after, I can! I am going to keep this up for sure - however once my runs get longer I'll have to figure something else out instead, since I don't wanna be getting up at 2am just to go running (but I just might be that crazy if it means I can get the run in for sure!)

I heard a great quote today and I just had to post it here too! Its on my Sparkpage as well, but its just fabulous (especially when referring to runners!)

Obsessed is the word the lazy use to describe the dedicated!

Totally fitting right???

Anyways, nutrition has been good. Went over yesterday since the hubby wanted to go out to eat with a friend of ours, but it balanced out to be under maintenance with the workout I got in last night. Since I'm only burning 200-300 cals a workout each morning, I've been keeping calories around 1600 a day to help balance the deficit. When my workouts start burning 500-600 cals a workout, then I'll bump it back up to maintenance.

I've decided to scrap my "photo food blog" for now - it just became too much of a hassle to photograph everything and upload it daily. I'm still tracking my food every day online to make sure I'm hitting cals, but that's about it. I'd rather be obsessive about my workouts - not my nutrition trackers or any other number.

So here's my workouts for this week so far - Monday Thru Friday:

Monday - Running on Treadmill
Warm Up for 400 yards
Running Intervals for 1.50 miles
Cool Down for 400 yards

Total Distance: 2 miles
Total Calories Burned: 245 Calories
Total Time: 28 Minutes

Tuesday - Elliptical "Endurance" workout
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Total Calories: 240 Calories

Wednesday - Treadmill Run
Warm Up for 5 minutes
Interval 1: 4 minute run at 5.5 MPH
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 2: 4 minute run at 5.0 MPH
Recovery for 60 seconds at 3.5 MPH
Interval 3: 4 minute run at 5.0 MPH
Recovery for 60 seconds at 3.5 MPH
Interval 4: 4 minute run at 5.5 MPH
Cool Down for 5 minutes

Total Calories Burned: 300 Calories
Total Distance Covered: 1.95 miles
Total Time: 26 minutes

Thursday - Treadmill Run
Warm Up for 5 minutes
Interval 1: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 2: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 3: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 4: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 5: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 6: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 7: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 8: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 9: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 10: Sprint at 6.0 MPH for 60 Seconds
Cool Down for 5 minutes

Total Time: 26 mins
Total Distance: 2.03 miles
Total Calories Burned: 292 Calories

Friday - Treadmill Run
Warm Up for 5 minutes
Interval 1: 4 minute run at 5.5 MPH
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 2: 4 minute run at 5.0 MPH
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 3: 4 minute run at 5.0 MPH
Recovery for 60 seconds at 4.0 MPH
Interval 4: 4 minute run at 5.5 MPH
Cool Down for 5 Minutes

Total Time: 26 minutes
Total Distance: 2.13 miles
Total Calories Burned: 294 Calories

Not a bad week so far! I'll update again after I get some more workouts done!

Training Update!

So its about time I bust out this thing again. I took a few weeks off training and had an amazing anniversary vacation with my husband. Once we got back, we found we had some extra cash, so we went down to Sears and picked up a new treadmill and elliptical for our home gym! They are so awesome! They both have speakers that connect to our ipods so we don't have to worry about getting tangled in headphone wires anymore! Monday night was spent buying them, Tuesday night was spent building them (it too 4 hours to put them both together!) And yesterday I only had about 20 mins to play around on them. So today was the first chance I had to really test out the treadmill - and it whooped my ass! Not working out for about 4 weeks, recovering from 2 injuries, eating poorly on vacation and smoking the occasional celebratory cigar really took its toll on my fitness levels! I got in a decent workout today, but am really looking forward to getting back to where I was pre-injury & vacation.

Here's my workout from today - not the greatest, but gotta start somewhere right?

warm up: 400 yards brisk walk
Run for 1200 yards at 5.0 mph
Walk for 400 yards for recovery
Run for 1200 yards at 5.0 mph
Cool Down Walk for 400 yards

Total Workout Time: 34 mins
Total Distance: 2.25 miles
Total Calories Burned: 340

Might try to start running at different times of the day too. Ran at around 6pm tonight and was already wiped from a full work day, lack of sleep this week and running errands after work with the hubby. Nutrition is back on track and I'm feeling good. Keeping things around 1600 cals until I can sustain the longer endurance workouts and can maintain a burn of 500+ calories a workout 6 days a week. I really don't wanna have to get up any earlier than I already do, but might have to in order to get an optimal workout. I'll play around with times this week and see how it all works out.

A Long Overdue Update!!!

Hey there - I know its been a few weeks since I've updated, so I figured I'd post an update of my workout adventures! I ran my 5K and my leg held up beautifully! It was truly an amazing experience! I hit the time I wanted to (around 35 mins) and ran it with my grandpa - which was incredible! After that, my ankle started to bug me a little bit so I took a week off from running. A week after my 5K, the hubby and I did a 5K walk (and sometimes jog since we wanted a better workout) to support ALS - which was another amazing experience. After the ALS walk, my ankle was a little sore again - which means that I still need to rest it before I jump back into running.

SO - with that, I have planned my next fitness adventures!! I am going to begin training for my first endurance race! Woot!! In Mid-October, after my 1 year anniversary, I am going to begin a 26 week running program to build endurance and speed and cut excess body fat. I am waiting until this time for a few reasons, I don't want any nutrition restrictions for our anniversary & I want sufficient time to allow my ankle and knee to get stronger after their injuries.

I have also picked up a book specifically designed for nutrition for endurance athletes - which is going to be amazing! I have started eating at maintenance as of yesterday and plan on sticking with that through my training program (as per the book) so I am eating 1900 calories a day! EEK that's a lot! haha! It should definitely be awesome once my body adapts to it! I wanted to adapt to eating to that now so that the jump in calories didn't impact me when I started my new running program.

So now I am going to enjoy a few weeks of downtime, maybe throw in the occasional workout - but main focus is to get nutrition in line now - so that I don't need to worry about it later. Photo blog will be updated regularly with my 1900 goals in hopes that I can start eating "by eye" and not have to count everything I eat.

Anyways - that's about it for now. I probably won't be updating much until I start the new plan, since I'm not working out a whole lot. But if I do - I'll post it!

Today's Run

So today's run was a tough one. I think that today was a culmination of weeks worth of bottled up stress & fatigue. I haven't been sleeping well this week, but that was partially my fault - Monday night got hit with insomnia, Tuesday was America's Got Talent and I didn't get to bed until after 10 and last night I fell into a good book and didn't get to bed until 10. For a normal person, this wouldn't be late at all - but I have to be at work by 6am and the alarm goes off at 4am. 3 nights in a row of less than 6 hours of sleep doesn't do good things for me.

Being a hypothyroid, I'm naturally tired almost all the time and the lack of sleep didn't help much - so I've been drinking more caffeine and energy drinks than I usually do to get through the past few days, which means I haven't had as much water as I probably should. Work has been a little stressful which hasn't helped matters either. Tonight, we have friends coming over for the football game so I have been rationing out my calories so that I can eat the yummy turkey burgers that the hubby is grilling tonight - meaning I didn't have as much calorie fuel as I normally have for my runs.

Oh - and the air conditioning went out at the gym today - so I was running in a nasty hot room with no air circulation!

All of this stuff added up to a fun run on the treadmill today. I found that I was struggling more than normal and my knees were bugging me more than usual. I've got the left one wrapped and iced it earlier to prevent any possible swelling, and I can't afford to injure it prior to my race - so I'm going to take it easy for the next 2 days.

Anyways - now that I've ranted enough about my crappy afternoon - here's my run today. I didn't do bad at all, considering the circumstances - still made a quick time and am averaging an 11 min mile for the whole run. Hopefully a few days of rest and relaxation will make for a better run on Sunday

Warm Up: 5 mins brisk walk
Run for 3.1 miles (between 5.3 and 6.5 miles per hour) in 33 mins 37 seconds
Cool Down: 7 mins of walking to lower heart rate and slow stretching after

Total Workout time: 49 mins
Total Calories Burned: 500
Total Distance Covered (with warm up and cool down): 3.74 miles
Average Heart Rate: 79%
Max Heart Rate: 94%