Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Wednesday Workout Update

Well, it was bound to happen - the bad run.  We set out to do 10 miles on Saturday morning, and we accomplished it, but not without some struggle.  We ran in a group of five, and started out too fast for me.  No one's fault, really - we were all pretty pepped up and excited and just took off.  But I have to run my first mile, sometimes two, really slow in order to get myself situated for the long haul.  Otherwise, I don't get my breathing calmed down, and I end up chasing my running groove the entire time.  And that's what happened on Saturday - I never settled in, struggled through too many miles, and was not a happy camper right around mile 9.  However, I did my intervals exactly as the Gymboss beeped - I ran when I was supposed to, and I walked when I was supposed to - and this was a vast improvement over the long runs in the past where I struggled and ended up walking most of them.  So the bummed feelings were there, but the body cooperated, and I finished.

And afterward?  One of our runners, who had been out for the entire month of January and therefore only (only!) ran 4 miles, went to Starbucks after she came in and brought back a coffee Traveler for us - oooh, that hit the spot on a cold morning!  I was alternating sips of coffee and Gatorade and felt like a new woman after that!

Much later, Jeff and I went out for our weekly frozen yogurt treat.  I had Kona coffee yogurt with carob chips and it was delicious!  I meant to take a picture of my pretty creation before I started to eat it, but I didn't even make it to the table before I had my first bite!
 Ten fingers for 10 miles!  I complained about the bags under my eyes when I saw this shot, but Jeff reminded me that I'd been up since 4:30 that morning...oh, and had run 10 miles.  Have I mentioned that? ;)

This coming Saturday we're only (only!) running 3.1 miles - yes, a 5K - the first one of our short racing season.  I'm really looking forward to this distance!

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Here's a funny motivational poster that made me laugh - I identified with it because my brain turns to mush on long runs and have had some very disjointed thoughts similar to these:
I DO like pancakes...

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Exercise bike has been going well - Monday I bumped it up to 30 minutes and I'll do the same today.  Slowly but surely, I'm making my way toward 45 minutes on it!  I've also discovered that if I put on my workout clothes right away instead of lounging around in my pajamas as I drink my coffee, I'm much quicker to get on the bike once the caffeine hits my system. 

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Changing up my planks to two 45-second ones seems pretty easy - I guess I need to add a third one?  Somewhere in my mind, it's decreed that planks must be difficult.  Am I alone in this thinking, or does anyone else have these random "musts" associated with certain exercises?

26 comments:

  1. I totally agree with putting on the workout clothes. It makes all the difference in the world.

    Yesterday was national pancake day. I wanted pancakes all the day long!

    Ten miles is super awesome. Bags? I don't see no stinkin' bags - you look great.

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  2. oooh I LOVE THE PHRASE chasing my groove.
    thats what Im doing in oakland.
    metaphorically.

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  3. That poster is so funny.

    Bad runs happen, you know they do and you handled this one very well. You sticked to your plan and that worked for you. Great job!

    I always put on my workout or running clothes first thing when I get out of bed before I have my coffee. It does help that we sleep on the first floor and my clothes are there and the coffee maker is downstairs :)

    Must feel good to do "just a short run" on Saturday. Do you remember when we started running and 3.1 miles sounded like something we could never do? LOL How far we have come since then right?

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    1. I know, it's so odd to think of 3.1 as a short run now, when not too long ago, it might as well have been a half marathon, I was so far from running it!

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  4. Can't be too bad if you did ten. That would be the yogurt flavor I chose.

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  5. Shelley you look beautiful in that picture, love your hair!!

    bad runs teach us so much, and you know exactly what to do, you've come so far keep up the great work!

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    1. Thank you Syl. :)

      You are right about bad runs teaching us stuff. It's just a lesson I don't always want to learn, lol!

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  6. You've been running long enough to know, the bad ones still keep the legs going round and round - and make the good ones spectacular!

    I didn't realize you were using a Gymboss for your intervals. Why on earth aren't you using your Garmin?

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    1. I use my Garmin for the miles, but the Gymboss is much simpler to program, or even change mid-run, than the Garmin. Plus the beeps are a lot louder.

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    2. Huh. Interesting. I've never had an issue with the beeps but then again I don't listen to music when I run so maybe that's it.

      You missed Pancake Day? IHOP was giving away FREE short stacks of buttermilk pancakes all day yesterday.

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    3. I don't listen to music, but Ricky Bobby is pretty quiet.

      Just as well I missed IHOP's promo - anytime there's a free food giveaway, you won't find me near that. I hate crowds. Yogurtland had free frozen yogurt a couple days ago - no way was I going there. Shoot, I won't even shop on Tax-free weekend!

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  7. Yeah, I think that 'no pain, no gain' was drilled into us for a lot of exercises. I have to tell myself a LOT that the exercise I do is worthy, even if it is not to the point of exhaustion or failure.

    You are so disciplined! You mean I am supposed to get dressed before noon???

    Okay, you know me. The ONLY good ten mile run would be one with a vat of froyo at the end of it! But congratulations on making it that far anyway! Plus, that really is a very pretty picture of you.

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    1. That must be it, the "no pain, no gain" mentality...amazing how it sticks with us!

      Thank you for the compliment. Makes me feel good as I almost deleted the picture!

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  8. I am the same way with running longer distances - I don't start to feel comfy for at least a good mile in, but then again, I don't do 10 milers - I am the 5k queen! Your run on Saturday is going to be so quick!

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    1. I don't know about quick, pace-wise, but at least I know I won't be out there for hours, lol!

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  9. I'm not a runner so "bad runs" mean something VERY VERY different to me! OMG...I did NOT say that. Yes, apparently I did...and have chosen to hit "publish" instead of deleting. I am officially childish. BUT...on a more adult note, I saw no bags in the photo at all, I saw a healthy happy woman with great hair and a warm smile!!! Have a great day Shelley!

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    1. LOL Roz - I'd expect no less from you...and the 12-year-old boy in me giggled at that, too!

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  10. I feel certain musts about running. I still feel like I must keep running to really be fit. Like my biking doesn't count or something. It seems like all fitness people talk about running or yoga as "the" sport.

    I had to laugh at that poster because my mind is like that just in general a lot of the time LOL! Then I start talking out loud and John is all "where did that come from?" :D

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    1. I know what you mean about certain sports being THE one...silly, really, but I get it.

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  11. I think it is the burning at the end of the plank that makes it really hard and fires the muscles. You could take less time between the 45 seconds, or make it two one-minute planks...

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  12. I love that poster! That's me at the gym, especially during planks, which I have also decided are unbearable for some reason. But I still do them. :)

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  13. Love that poster - so true! I was the same way with running - I had to start super slow and after like 10-15 minutes, my breathing was better and I could run a long time... Yeah for frozen yogurt, you deserved it after that long run!

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  14. Rolling in weeks later to say OMG your hair looks SPECTACULAR in that yogurt shot! I love the curl and volume you normally have, but it is super-pretty straightened too.

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