Yesterday’s treadmill run: 4.75 miles, 51:26

Ok, so at the moment I am running as slow as molasses. But ah don’ cayre :)! 

I listened to Born to Run on the treadmill, and yesterday moved on to The Widow Clicquot, about the female founder of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin champagne (it’s my favorite; in fact we’re using their trademark yellow as one of our wedding colors this summer) in the early 1800s. So far, seems pretty interesting. And

audio books on the treadmill? AWESOME.

Unlike outside running, I have trouble focusing/getting in the zone on a treadmill, and listening to a book makes it soooo much easier. Now I just have a favorite spot I stare at on the wall opposite in the gym, and go in to zen-zone-out for like five minutes at a time.

And it’s like it was Christmas.

Things that arrived via FedEx today:

  • Tosca Reno’s “The Eat-Clean Diet Stripped: Peel Off Those Last Ten Pounds”
  • New teapot
  • TWO pairs of barefoot running shoes that were each $100 OFF (Thanks The Clymb!)
  • Valentine’s Day box from my future mother-in-law
  • New makeup from Sephora

The first three are excellent boosts to my current goals. The last one… not so much :). Although, knowing that we’re working on being healthy, she did only send one small box of six chocolates, a box of shortbread cookies, and hot cocoa mix. And I’m totally excited for my new eyeshadow + freebies!

Now, having done such an excellent job following my food plan for three days, I decided to swap part a part of my dinner for three 64-calorie chocolate hearts. Necessary? No. Helpful? No. Harmful? Also no. I think it was a good little mid-week reward.

Today, we did Angie at the box. 100 each pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups and squats (shouldn’t they be “squat-ups”?). I did jumping pull-ups, and knee push-ups. This evening when I was done with classes, I went to the gym, ran for 30 minutes and then lounged in the steam room for a bit. Not much of a workout, but better than just the steam room :).

Oh my GOD. I can finally locomote faster than walking again!

When I got back from winter break, I began hitting the treadmill for half marathon training the week before I headed back to CrossFit. While it was reeeaal slow, I was able to check off a 35 minute ‘easy run’ no problem at all.

Then I started the Cross-Fit/paleo challenge.

<NNNNNNEEEEeeeeeeee-rrrrrrrrrrmmmmmm PACHEW!> (that’s the sound of a missile spiraling down to earth and exploding)

All of a sudden, I couldn’t manage 10 minutes on the treadmill without my heart rate spiking to 180. I tried after rest days, I tried in the morning, I tried after a carb-heavy day, I tried after extra sleep and less sleep. Wasn’t. Happening.

Week 2 rolled around, and here I was, still unable to even jog a mile. I came pretty close to having a total holy-shit-I’m-never-ever-going-to-be-able-to-run-13-miles-by-April-at-this-rate freak out, but reined it in with the knowledge that I was still CrossFitting.

Then: Saturday. HALLELUJAH! Somehow, things came together and I was able to run for 30 minutes without difficulty. Yesterday I ran for 40. Still slow, but I’m relieved.

Barefoot running.  It&#8217;s the latest and greatest. Or, the oldest and greatest, depending on how you look at it.  When I visited my parents for winter break, I downloaded a few of my dad&#8217;s hundreds of audio books onto my new iPod before we left. On the drive back to Colorado we listened to The Inside of a Dog (awesome!), and when that was done we started listening to Born to Run. It was near the end of the drive, so we only got through a few chapters. I&#8217;ve continued to listen to it on the treadmill though, instead of my usual workout playlist. And it has convinced me, as it clearly has many others, that I should try out a minimalist shoe, and see what I think. I&#8217;m lucky in that I&#8217;m not generally plagued by running injuries and have a decent natural stride (ok, for a recreational runner). I&#8217;m looking for a new shoe to use for CrossFit anyway though, and pretty much everyone I know who&#8217;s tried CrossFitting in a minimalist has raved about it. Is it because they paid the same amount of money for a quarter of the shoe? Who knows, but I&#8217;d like to try&#8230; It&#8217;s also encouraging that the additional research that has come out since the &#8220;craze&#8221; started continues to add support to the benefits of it.
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Barefoot running. 

It’s the latest and greatest. Or, the oldest and greatest, depending on how you look at it. 

When I visited my parents for winter break, I downloaded a few of my dad’s hundreds of audio books onto my new iPod before we left. On the drive back to Colorado we listened to The Inside of a Dog (awesome!), and when that was done we started listening to Born to Run. It was near the end of the drive, so we only got through a few chapters. I’ve continued to listen to it on the treadmill though, instead of my usual workout playlist. And it has convinced me, as it clearly has many others, that I should try out a minimalist shoe, and see what I think. I’m lucky in that I’m not generally plagued by running injuries and have a decent natural stride (ok, for a recreational runner). I’m looking for a new shoe to use for CrossFit anyway though, and pretty much everyone I know who’s tried CrossFitting in a minimalist has raved about it. Is it because they paid the same amount of money for a quarter of the shoe? Who knows, but I’d like to try…

It’s also encouraging that the additional research that has come out since the “craze” started continues to add support to the benefits of it.

Dynamic Stretching routine

From Florida State study, referenced in Sweat Science:

Ten movements, each 2 sets of 4 reps. Done in 15 minutes.

(a) Toe and Heel Walks: Walk on your toes toes for 4 steps, then walk on your heels for 4 steps to stretch the entire calf complex.

(b) Hip Series: Dynamically stretch the hip flexors and extensors by placing your hands on a wall with your arms fully extended so that your body is at a 45 angle (feet behind shoulders). In this position, lift one off the ground while bringing the knee to the chest and kick to the side before returning to the starting position. Alternate legs.

(c) Hand Walks: Stretch calves and hamstrings by beginning in a pushup position and walking your feet as close to your hands as possible with straight legs. As soon as knees bend significantly or feet meet hands, walk your hands back to a pushup position.

After the hand walks, do series of walking lunges, including (d) rear lunges, (e) side lunges, (f ) forward lunges, (g) a knee pull to the chest into a lunge, and (h) an ankle pull back to a lunge to focus on the quadriceps and gluteus maximus.

(i) Walking Groiners: Begin this movement in a pushup position and then bring one foot next to the same side hand or as close as possible. Instead of holding it- walk hands forward, bringing back foot to meet first foot, until you’re again in plank. Repeat with opposite foot.

(j) Frankensteins: Stand with your feet together and your arms extended straight out in front of you so that their arms are parallel to the ground. While walking, kick 1 leg up to touch the opposite hand to focus on the hamstrings. Alternate legs. You can also begin with arms down, and raise opposite arm straight out along with the kick.

&#8220;So the basic conclusion: if you’re really into stretching before a run, dynamic stretching will allow you to work on your flexibility without hurting your running performance.&#8221; I was introduced to dynamic stretching (hold stretch JUST to the point of feeling it, then release and repeat) by a great triathlete coach, and absolutely LOVE it. Really interesting to read a little science behind it. Glad to know that, unlike static stretching, it won&#8217;t hinder my performance, but will still improve my flexibility. Also lists and explains a dynamic stretching routine that I like :)  Click on the photo to link to the Sweat Science post.
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“So the basic conclusion: if you’re really into stretching before a run, dynamic stretching will allow you to work on your flexibility without hurting your running performance.”

I was introduced to dynamic stretching (hold stretch JUST to the point of feeling it, then release and repeat) by a great triathlete coach, and absolutely LOVE it. Really interesting to read a little science behind it. Glad to know that, unlike static stretching, it won’t hinder my performance, but will still improve my flexibility. Also lists and explains a dynamic stretching routine that I like :) 

Click on the photo to link to the Sweat Science post.

Whew. What a frickin’ rollercoaster!!

So, at the beginning of the week: super excited about the challenge, super excited about classes, super excited about running. 

Then, things got harder. This was compounded by wonderful judgement-clouding, emotion-wrecking hormones (thanks, womanhood!), and from about 6pm Thursday through 4pm today, I was convinced I am a doomed failure with no chance of progress, much less success. I cried, I wallowed, I drowned my sorrows in too much Sunbutter (the most “comfort food” available to a paleo diet). I went to the gym today to run 60 minutes, and conked out before 20, which only served as proof of my shortcomings and lack of potential.

Then, reality confronted me.

I talked to my professor after class today, and realized I wasn’t set up to fail as I had convinced myself. And my fiance reminded me that not finishing today’s workout isn’t failing- that I run because I WANT to, because I love it. 

So I’m relaxing, looking forward happily again, and stoked for tomorrow’s CrossFit challenge goal setting seminar!!


Urrrrrgh!! Set my alarm this morning to go run at the gym before class today&#8230; and totally used all four of these to stay in bed just long enough that I wouldn&#8217;t have time. Buuuh. Oh well, still have WOD today, and should use this morning as extra motivation to get to the treadmill this evening.
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Urrrrrgh!!

Set my alarm this morning to go run at the gym before class today… and totally used all four of these to stay in bed just long enough that I wouldn’t have time. Buuuh. Oh well, still have WOD today, and should use this morning as extra motivation to get to the treadmill this evening.

(via holistic-health-and-fitness)

Source: losingitall

Day one: Check!

Monday’s WOD: Very modified “Nate”

20 min AMRAP of 2 pull-ups (strict that degraded into kipping that degraded into jumping, all w/ slow negatives), 4 strict press w/ 20# KBs, 8 KB swings w/ 35#.

THEN, even though I wasn’t feeling it, I drove 20 minutes to the gym right after to do my run training. It was slow, and shorter than it should have been (20 instead of 30 min), but getting there was the real accomplishment for my first day back at CrossFit.

45 minutes easy run- check!

So, in an attempt to be at least close to the low heart rates where I should be doing aerobic base training for the half, I ran the slowest 45 minutes of my life yesterday. Ok, jogged. Like 11 min/mile. Now I’m doing some research to try to determine the affects of cardiac/CV drift (as you exercise, increases in body temp and dehydration raise HR). Is it better for me to slow down as my HR increases, or should I continue at the effort where it first stabilized where I want it? Right now I’m sort of splitting the difference.

Tomorrow begins the 6 week challenge!!!!!

I haven’t crossfitted in a month. So tomorrow is going to huuuuuurt. As will Tuesday. And Wednesday. And Thursday… etc. But I’m more excited than nervous :). Ready, antsy- despite the impending embarrassment of weigh in (up 6 lbs from end of three-week challenge weigh-in in November) and “before” photos. Going shopping today for paleo-ness.

Some real women to look up to:

Lisa Schlenker- Former LW World Record holder for 2k erg (rowing machine). Didn’t start rowing until her late 20s, competitive international rower until about 41.

Yelena Isinbayeva- World Record holder in pole vault, first woman to break 5m.

Kasie Enman- First US female World Mountain Running Champion, 2011

Natalie Burgener- Team USA weightlifter, 2008 (and probably 2012) Olympian (also a CrossFit athlete [video of her doing ‘Grace’] :) )

AWESOME PLAYLIST! DJ Scott Melker + Jillian

Always looking for new music to workout to. And I loooove remixes/mashups!!!

The extra-long mix includes a 45-minute seamless track for a Flywheel class taught by Jillian Michaels, which the celeb trainer picked with DJ Scott. So get ready to stream a music marathon!

Downloading all of these now! (Just click the arrow pointing down -fitting, right?- on the right side or the bar for a particular track) Did I mention they are free?

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