Not So Hot

Not feeling to hot today.

Took a rest day yesterday because I just had too many things to get done and I was feeling sore. Caught up on this week's True Blood and just vegged out. Sometimes you need that.

Today I'm all packed up to head to the gym after work and have a challenge set to do.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

A Notch on My Belt

Last night, Band Practice went outstandingly well.


I got to practice alot and realized I'm doing better than I thought (I hadn't played in almost a month because I had gotten a little demoralized but Mr. Boyfriend made me jump in there and remember how much I truly enjoy playing bass and guitar :)

Also, Mrs. Fireman told me I was looking great (always a nice thing to hear) and I looked down and noticed I had tighten my belt a notch tighter :)

What a great way to start the week!

Since I did my strength training last night, debating pushing my entire week up a day to prepare for the 5K this weekend.

Have a great Monday!

Sleepy Sunday

Well, I slept in till no for no other good reason than I had adsolutely nothing to do, which of course ended in me getting a migraine.

Finally started to feel better in the afternoon and hit the deck for my challenge tests:

100 Push-Up Challenge Test:

Score: 22 Push-Ups

Leaving me well into Week 3 Column 2 (right where I wanted to be and very pleasantly surprised I might add! :)

Then I rested for 5 minutes and did the:

200 Sit-Up Challenge Test:

Score: 31 Sit-Ups

Leaving me well into Week 3 Column 2 (but to be honest, they stopped being good form Sit-ups at about 24 so I am demoting myself to Column 1).

Again I rested for 5 minutes and did the:

200 Squat Challenge Test:

Score: 75 Squats

Leaving me at Week 5 Column 3 (more than I expected and thought about skipping ahead but changed my mind and keeping it right where it is)

I am currently passing the Push-Ups portion of the PFTs but not the Sit-Ups so still got some work to do.

Afterward, I hit the P90x but was only able to do 30 minutes before I had to go. Band practice called :}

Have a Sunday!

Lazy Saturday

Woke up late feeling very lazy. Didn't get to my workout till 2pm.

Decided to forego the my 30min Fartlek due to an achy knee and did 45 min of Billy Blanks Tae-Bo II Advanced then hit the deck for my challenges.

Set 1: 12 Push Ups, 18 Sit-Ups, 31 Squats
Set 2: 13 Push Ups, 20 Sit-Ups, 38 Squats
Set 3: 10 Push Ups, 15 Sit-Ups, 31 Squats
Set 4: 10 Push Ups, 15 Sit-Ups, 31 Squats
Set 5: 15+ Push Ups (did 17), 23+ Sit-Ups (did 25), 45+ Squats (did 50)

I was pleasantly surprised and did all my Push-up sets quite well. It may have helped that used my stop watch and had 60 seconds of rest time between each set (presrcibed is actually 90 sec ... I will follow this more in the future). Very encouraged and may not need to do a repeat week after all.

Tomorrow I do my Progress Tests and see where I stand.

Have a great day!

Homemade Ice Cream

Well, last week we had gone to visit with some friends whom I shall call Mr. & Mrs. Fireman :) As you may note from the name both he and she are employeed as Firemen (and Fire(wo)men) and are both very physically fit.

As a treat Mr. Fireman made me a Mango Ice Cream in his Magic Bullet Blender. It was soooo good I had to try to make some myself but I forgot to get the recipe :\ but I did remember that he said it was made with Frozen Fruit and Evaporated Milk so I did a little research online and came up with my own version.

Homemade Ice Cream Recipe

4 oz. Carnation Fat Free Evaporated Milk

2/3 cup frozen Strawberries

2 tsb Splenda Granulated Sweetener

• Cut up Frozen Strawberries into small pieces.


• Add Milk (should be cold if possible) and Sugar.


• Put it all in Magic Bullet with whipping blade (or Food Processor should do the same thing).


• Whip until smooth.

Yields about a 1 cup of ice cream.

Cal 150
Total Fat 0g
Sat Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0g
Total Carb 29g
Total Protein 9g

It tasted sooo great and did you notice how low calorie it is!?!



Definately a new staple in my diet! I just couldn't wait to share.

Mr. Boyfriend is even coming up with new fun variations like using frozen raspberries and adding a drizzle of chocolate for Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream. Definately going to have to try to make that and I will keep ya'll posted on my future Ice Cream flavor tests :)

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Friday's Workout

Today's workout was moderate.


I completed 6.33M on the eliptical in 60 min and then jumped right off to do some strength sets. I had spent most of my lunch break researching Inner Thigh exercises so I stuck mostly to those.


I did 5 sets of 25 each:

• Sumo Dead Lift Squats (with 25 pound weight)



• Under-The-Leg Lifts



• Crunches



• Scissor Kicks

I tried to do a single set of 10 Push-ups. I found it hard but was able to get through it. Makes me think that depending on how tomorrow goes, I may want to go back a week on my challenge sets.

Have a great day!

Happy Friday

Started my day off by reading a great quote I had to share:

"The marathon is kind of like the Ph.D. of public fitness accomplishments. There are very few times as an adult that you can go out and do something that's authentically difficult and be publicly lauded for it."
-Marcy in Cate Terwilliger's "Marathon Woman"

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog post :)

Yesterday afternoon, I wasn't feeling so hot.

At about 3pm my blood sugar went down and my vision got blurry (I suspect the cause to be Mother Nature's monthly gift). I had some crackers with Peanut Butter and felt alot better.

Went to the gym as expected and started with my challenges again. I was still alittle low on energy but got through it.

I decided to jump back into my challenges schedules because doing the same number of reps each set is a great way to pigeon-hole yourself into that amount and not let yourself do more. So I jumped back on the bandwagon and found a place to pick up seamlessly. :)

Push Ups : Week 2 Day 2
Sit Ups: Week 2 Day 2
Squats: Week 4 Day 2

So my sets looked something like this:

Set 1: 10 Push Ups, 15 Sit-Ups, 27 Squats & Hold for 10 Sec
Set 2: 12 Push Ups, 18 Sit-Ups, 34 Squats & Hold for 10 Sec
Set 3: 9 Push Ups, 14 Sit-Ups, 27 Squats & Hold for 10 Sec
Set 4: 9 Push Ups, 14 Sit-Ups, 27 Squats & Hold for 10 Sec
Set 5: 13+ Push Ups (did 15), 20+ Sit-Ups (did 25), 28+ Squats (did 30) & Hold for 10 Sec

I pulled through it (I did very well I might add) and hit the treadmill which is where my workout went slightly a rye. My left knee was achy (nothing bad but being that I've had injuries to it before it makes me nervous) and figuring I'd had two good GREAT run's this week I had no intention of pushing it too far and walked my 3 miles.

When I got home I iced it and took some of Mr. Boyfriend's prescription of Chocolate Ice Cream ;) and I'm feeling much better today, hehehe.

Today I am hitting the elliptical for some cross training or possibly some Billy Blanks ... not sure how the evening will transpire yet.

Have an Outstanding Friday!

Thankful Thursday

I was blogging around and I decided to make a list of Three Things I'm Thankful for in honor of Thankful Thursday (inspired by B.O.B.)

1. I am thankful that I can run and push-my-self exercise (without having to run to the doctor and ask permission)
2. I am thankful for my wonderful Mother (who did the best she could on her own ... and did pretty damn great :)
3. I am thankful for Mr. Boyfriend (who although we argue sometimes ... he is one of my biggest supporters in all the crazy-things-I-try-on-any-given-day)

This exercise really helps to put things into perspective.

I think I'm going to try to do this every Thursday and three new things to the list.

Have a great Thursday!

Tired Thursday

Yesterday was quite a hectic day!

After work I went straight to the gym and hit the treadmill. I had penciled in a 3 X Hills workout which means I was supposed to:

Hill Training: Hill training is scheduled for the first six weeks of this program on Wednesdays. The speed benefits of hill training are similar to those for interval training on the track (below), but in the early spring it may be easier doing this workout on the road than doing repeat 200s or 400s at the track. Select a hill about a quarter-mile long, but don't worry about pitch or the exact distance. Run up hard, as hard as you might doing a 200 or 400 repeat. Then turn and jog back down, repeating the uphill sprints until finished. Be sure to warm up by jogging a mile or two before and cool down with the same distance after.

but rather I did:

Mile 1: Warm-up at 4.0 mph
Mile 2: Kept the speed between 4.0-4.3 and played with the incline (from 5.0 to 10.0 - rose .5 incline every .5 mile, then back down
Mile 3: Repeat
Mile 4: Repeat
Mile 5: Cool-down ... I wanted to keep going and to speed up but knew I shouldn't :)

I think I'm going to have to find a better place to do this workout because when the incline is high it makes it uncomfortable to go fast. We'll see.

After that I rushed home to cook, do some work I have to take care of at 6pm every Wednesday and then get ready to head out to the Sandbar in Kendall to watch Mr. Boyfriend play. It was a full night and I didn't get to bed till 1:30am :\

In two weeks I might go up there and get my JAM on ;)

Today, I'm not as sleepy as I thought I'd be. My triceps and back are sore, probably from my challenges on Tuesday ... I have the same to look forward to today :)

Wishing everyone a Happy Thursday!

Happy Hump Day!

Last night's workout has been my best to date.

I decided to start with my challenges for a change this time (like I used to in my ROTC days). It always seemed to work then so why not give it a shot.

I also decided to give up the training wheels and put the Bosu Balance Trainer away. I had been using it as a crutch to do my Push-ups and Sit-ups for the last week and a half or so. I am still using the Fitness Ball for squats though. I haven't decided if that makes the exercise easier or harder (I think I need to ask a Personal Trainer that question).

Challenges went like this:

Set 1: 10 push-up, 20 Sit-ups, 30 Squats + hold for 10 sec
Set 2: 10 push-up, 20 Sit-ups, 30 Squats + hold for 10 sec
Set 3: 10 push-up, 20 Sit-ups, 30 Squats + hold for 10 sec
Set 4: 10 push-up, 20 Sit-ups, 30 Squats + hold for 10 sec
Set 5: Maxed 15 push-up, Maxed 22 Sit-ups (needed Bosu for assist), Maxed 35 Squats + hold for 15 sec

After that, I felt a mild nausea but still had to do my run. So I started off easy and warmed up for for a half mile (instead of usual .25M) then jumped right in. Pushed myself to keep at least a 5.6 (my PR which I reached last week) and decided to up it at least one to 5.7 ... was able to keep it there about 90% of the time (kept moving from 5.6 to 5.7 to 5.8 and back again).

I forgot to stretch after and boy am I paying for it today :\

But I reached another PR for a 5K in 32:38 (although my 5M time from Sunday is still a little better on the pace).

Today I have Hills scheduled and am actually excited about it. I seems that every time I do variable inclines I get a speed boost :) Can't wait!

Have a Happy Hump day!

Temptuous Tuesday

It's looking rather bleak outside.

Currently, we are under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. (Woah Mama! That storm looks huge!)


No worries though because I already planned to hit the gym this afternoon and I have come to terms with the fact that for June, July and August most of my workouts will be taking place there which I can live (hey, people up north have to treadmill-it in winter ... it's only fair) and because I am keeping my Sunday runs at the Rickenbacker :)

Also ... I am now the proud owner of a slightly used 1991 GT Tequesta 21-Speed (I have no idea what that means and know absolutely nothing about bicycle so any tips or book recommendations would be greatly appreciated) and I will start with undertaking my goal of learning to ride a bicycle this week :)

Stay safe and out of the storm!

Ploting and Scheming

I've been plotting and scheming today.

It's something I like to do on Monday's.

This week I adjusted my workout schedule. I will be working on Hal Higdon's Marathon Training -- Personal Best Schedule for the next 30 weeks. I hope to keep my running and my strength training balanced and hope to start learning to ride a bicycle.

I found a great used bike on Craig's list. Going to see it tonight after my workout ... wish me luck :)

Tonight's workout is P90x Back & Legs plus something for my Abs ... not sure what yet.

Have a great Monday!

Sunday Morning Disaster Becomes A Pleasant Surprise!

Sunday's mom and I have a standing tradition of going to the Rickenbacker Causeway to run. It's a great place to run because it's on the water and your surrounded by the ocean. But lately we had been arriving at 7:30am and running 6.2 miles. The problem with that was that by the time we finished it was too hot and uncomfortable and we ended up not feeling so hot and taking too much sun.

But I didn't want to give up on the Sunday runs. I really like them and for a few weeks there ... they were the only day I was actually running (rather than using machines, i.e. Eliptical, CrossTrack, Treadmill, Stationary Bike, etc) so I really wanted to keep them going.

Not to be defeated I convinced mom to give it one more shot and convinced her to give my theory that we needed to arrive at the Causeway by 6am a try. She agreed (mostly to appease me but I will take what I can get :)

We ended up arriving at 6:30am (which made me nervous because I really did not want my theory to be proven wrong) and got to our stretching. The mosquitoes were out in full force, something we will definitely prepare better for in the future and not a deal breaker in this case. I tightened my FuelBelt Crush Bottle Carrier (which I used for the first time ... another fact that made me nervous). And to add insult to injury, both mom and I forgot our Ipods (which I have never run without, not since my ROTC days anyway.)

By this point I started to feel like Murphy's Law had it out for me!

Well ... the result was pleasantly surprising!

Splits:
Warm-up .25M (didn't time)
Mile 1 9:43 -- THIS IS MY FIRST SUB-10 MINUTE MILE!
Mile 2 12:03 -- This was while runninig up that huge bridge/hill and the turn around
Mile 3 12:29 -- Running back over that bridge/hill
Mile 4 10:28 -- Still one of my better times
Mile 5 10:17 -- My first Negative split
Cool Down .15M (didn't time)

I am so happy with the result!

The FuelBelt helped so much! I was able to drink water when ever I needed it. Also, I didn't have to stop at the nasty water fountains on the way (stopping is not a good thing once I get going). Plus I didn't stop to walk ... I ran the whole way!?! Also, I noticed that because I forgot my Ipod I could hear my watch and the little bells at each mile and I payed more attention to the speed I was running at. I ended up singing little cadances to myself about running which I made up as I went along :) Over all it was terrific!

Next week I may add another mile to bring it back up to my 6.2 being that when we finished our run it was still very pleasant out.

Mom enjoyed her run too :) although I think her speed is frustrating her ... I told her I was feeling exactly that 3 months ago and to look at me now :)

Can't wait till my next run on Tuesday!?!

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Blisters and Dreams

I woke up even more sore this morning (that will teach me not to stretch after running) but I am still feeling great about yesterday's workout which may explain the dream I had last night.

Normally, when I run in my dreams I am sluggish, slow and usually dragging one of my limbs (don't ask me why) ... but last night in my dream I was running on a trail away from some people who wanted to hurt me and not only did my dreams move at normal speed ... when I ran I ran fast (not cheetah fast but normal fast as you would like to when you are running away from something chasing you). When I woke up I felt like I had won the chase and gotten away :) until I felt the soreness from yesterday's workout :) hehe

Today's workout will be an easy day ... hitting the elliptical for 60 min and then the bike for 20min.

I am nursing my blister. I finally feel like a real runner (in my head only real runners get blisters). Last night I used some Vitamin A&D ointment (left over from my last tattoo) and it seems to be working wonders. That stuff is so great for the skin. :)

Then today on my way in to work, I had an epiphany. I realized (two and a half years later) that I realized my dream of working at a software company (based on watching Hackers and Anti-Trust too many times). It took me a while to realize that ... but knock one more off the bucket list (131 of 311 currently completed :)

Oh, what a happy Friday!

Improving

I had such a great workout I couldn't wait to write.

Today, I went straight to the gym after work today and the first thing I did was bee-line for the treadmill. I was not going to let my fear of running get the best of me today. After a 5min warm-up I set the treadmill at 5.6 pace and kept it going for a whole 3.1 miles. I ran a whole 5K with no walking breaks. I think that is the longest distance I've ever run straight (well, other than the 7 mile bridge where I was motivated by the fear of the bus chasing behind us).

I reached a new PR.

5K in 33:30.

Doesn't sound like much but it's a vast improvement for me.

Also considering that at the end of mile two I started to develop my first blister (which I consider a badge of honor! :)

I tried to fix my shoe once I did 5K but had no success so I jumped off the treadmill and hit the stationary bike where I logged 7.2 miles in 20min. I am trying to strengthen my bicycling muscles for when I finally get my bicycle and venture to learn to ride it (yes, you heard that right, I don't know how to ride a bicycle ... YET! :)

I had some time left so I started my 10-20-30 sets. I do 10 Push-ups, 20 Sit-ups and 30 Squats. I got through 4 sets before my agoraphobia beat out my OCD and I couldn't deal with the crowd that developed in the calisthenics area of the gym.

Overall a great workout, except that I forgot to stretch :\ and now I'm sore.

Oh, well ... still a great workout :)

Times, They are a changing

Well, first things first ... I finally got to the gym yesterday and I was feeling good. Kept it simple and as planned jumped on the Elliptical and did my 10k in 62min ... not bad. I still had a little time and energy left and wasn't quite feeling like doing squats and crunches so I hopped on the bicycle instead. Need to get those bicycling muscles into shape and I did 7.2 miles in 20 min.

On to other things:

One of my other many other hobbies is photography ... and in one of my informative articles this morning I saw a video about how photography stills are changing.

Living Movie Poster - Students Have No Class from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.

My first thought was "Very cool!?!" But then I thought "A little freaky!?!". Reminds me of that movie Minority Report (if you haven't seen it, it's a good flick). Very exciting and scary at the same time.

Kinda makes me miss the my childhood in the mountains of Puerto Rico ... now, mind you I am very much an American City Girl ... but Times, they are a changing ... and the past always seems like a safer place.

But the past is no place to place your better days! (paraphrasing a lyric from a DMB song :)

Happy Thursday (or as I lovingly know it: one-day till Friday!)

Better-for-the-wear

Yesterday got worse before it got better and I ended up having to work from home in the afternoon but I think I'm better-for-the-wear and today I feel like I'm almost at 100%.

I think I am finally shaking off this flu.

I am really looking forward to getting to the gym today although I already told myself I am taking it easy and doing the CrossTrack rather than jump right back into running. I miss it (never thought I'd say that) but I don't want to be bullish and risk getting injured.

Hoping to do a 10K on the CrossTrack this afternoon which I consider a Moderate workout.

The heat is getting so bad here.

Yesterday it hit the high 90s.

I think I am going to have to either shift all runs to the AM or do them all on the treadmill. Not sure how it will turn out yet but I'm really hoping to shift to the AM ... which is what I really want.

Happy Hump day!

A Day of Rest

Yesterday, I woke up feeling like I had gotten into a bar fight and lost.

I worked from home and even missed my strength training (my favorite-est workout) yesterday because the FLU finally caught up with me and gave me a beating ... but I fought back in good fashion.

Thankfully, today I woke up feeling much better ... not 100% but still a solid 92.5% :) I am even feeling up for a work out but I may still postpone to give myself one more recovery day. No sense in pushing myself and just getting sick all over again.

Plans for today include lots of Vitamin C and some TLC from Mr. Boyfriend and maybe something not tooo demanding like a stretch or easy yoga video ... and only if I still feel up to it after work.

Happy Tuesday!

Sunday Run (well most of it)

I haven't workout out in two days and before I let it slip into three I decided to fight back with a run on the Rickenbacker Causeway.

The last two weeks I had done the 10k route but walking keeping pace for mom but today I broke off and ran. AND BOY DID I RUN!

I started off at a 6.5mph/9:14min pace which shocked me ... I blew it off as showing off and figured I wouldn't be able to maintain the pace untl I made it to the Bridge (almost a mile in) and I was still right around that pace. The bridge did slow me down considerably but when I looked at my garmin I was still in the 5.5mph/10:55min pace ... I was shocked. Then on the down slope I hit 8.1mph/7:24pace. I stopped at the end of the slope at about 1.02 miles which balanced out to 10:09 (A NEW PR).

I was able to run the next mile but after that dehydration and heat got to me and I had to walk the rest of the 10K.

I need to hydrate more and start running earlier. :)

Have a great day!

Focus Friday

Actually, I should call it RE-Focus Friday.

For the last two days, I've kinda been beating myself up a little bit (I'm a Black Belt in Put-Your-Self-Down-Kun Do). I think it has to do but the energy-low I've been having the last couple of days since the FLU has been trying to catch up to me that caused me to slip this time.

I have a really bad habit of as soon as I get things in order (i.e. workout consistently for more than a couple of days, lose a couple of pounds, get organized) of doing something totally off the wall or unexpected to break my streak.

Hello, My name is Eliza and I'm a self-sabotage-er.

This always bothers me.

It's a weakness and I really don't like weakness in myself ... I feel like I have something to prove and I have to prove it 10x better than anyone else would have to.

Normally, I would let it get me so down I completely break what ever streak of good things I'm currently working on and veg out in front of the TV for a couple of days before I get fed up and try again. It's a bit of a vicious cycle.

NOT THIS TIME! I am not going to allow a little bump in my road to get me off this path.

Currently I am on a 12 day Exercise streak (i.e. I have worked out every day for the last 12 days for at least 1 hour or good worth while sweat-soaked-t-shirt exercise and I will not allow anything to break my streak :)

I have cheated though.

Out of those 12 days, I have run only once, which is shameful being that I am training to run. But I think I need to get it into my Thick-Taurean skull that I need to get in shape to get in shape.

I am caught in a catch-22 situation. I am a little too over-weight to be running (at least, the distances and times a week I want to run are in fact too much and this has lead me to suffer from Runner's Knee in the very recent past). So I need all the other "frilly" sweat-soaked-t-shirt workout to get my muscles strong enough to take my runs ... But I will admit I have been doing a little too much frill.

So today, I will re-hash my work out schedule with balance in mind and set a new goal of not beating myself up if I have a "frilly" workout because I need it to get me ready for the hard stuff :)

P.S. Thanks to the people who sent me comments ... they helped me shake off this funk :)

Have a great day!

Ups & Downs

Well, the last 24 hours have been filled with ups and downs.

• UP: Yesterday, I went to the gym (as planned) and got in 90 minutes totaling 6.81 miles on the CrossTrack.
• DOWN: I was supposed to do 3 miles on the CrossTrack and 3 miles run on the treadmill ... I was not able to overcome my fear of running as I did the day before.

• UP: I got home in time to make dinner for Mr. Boyfriend and I before the JAM session.
• DOWN: I forgot I had to finish some work and had to make a choice ... Cooking lost!

• UP: We had a healthy sub sandwich at Subrageous which was delicious!
• DOWN: I was STARVING by the time we finally had dinner so instead of having a 6" ... I had a 12" sandwich

• UP: The JAM was great and Mr. Boyfriend and the guys have been asked to come back every Wednesday.
• DOWN: We didn't get to bed till 2am ... and it looks like it's going to happen at least every other week.

• UP: Even though I was working from home till noon I still got up at my usual time and was able to squeeze in a session of P90x Legs & Back and 20 minutes of Billy Blanks Boot Camp ABs.
• DOWN: I WANTED TO LOG MILES TODAY!

Oh, Pooh!

Have a great day!

I SHOULD all over myself

I couldn't wake up this morning.

The alarm rang at 5:15am but I couldn't muster up the strength to get up and get going. It just felt so good to be a lazy pants (at that moment) and lay and daydream in bed. Now, a whole 3 hours later, I feel kinda crappy for not getting up.

Should-a, Could-a, Would-a.

Is there a magic trick for getting to bed early and getting up early?

I think I used to know but somehow the trick fell out of my head. I know that consistency is key ... but with our Friday Midnight Jams and unexpected events: like tonight the guys are going to be jamming in Kendall and I have been outright begged by Mr. Boyfriend to show my support and capture the photography (not that I mind :). Hence I'm having a little trouble with that consistency part.

I may be over reaching too. I am trying to get up a whole hour and a half early. Maybe I should shoot for a half hour first or even 45 min first and build up.

Hummm ... that's a thought.

But on another note, last night I had a pretty great workout.

First, I jumped on the CrossTrack to build up courage "warm-up" because the treadmill and the thought of running were a little daunting at first. Took me a whole three miles to finally switch machines and only with the intention of doing 1 mile and probably slow ... but instead I did 2.2 miles in 25 min which rounds out at an 12 min pace (which if you you've been following my pace is decent for me ... at the moment). I felt so good about it I ran upstairs to do my Challenge Workout but there were 6 people in an area no bigger then 8ft by 8ft which the gym has set aside for stretching and calisthenic exercises so I decided to forgo that and instead did the P90X Extreme Home Fitness AB Ripper. Overall a good day.

Today, I have an interval workout of 7X400 and P90x: Shoulder & Arms + Ab Ripper workout penciled in but being that my afternoon is highly coveted I may change that up a bit.

Happy Hump day!

How dare you not be the best you can be!?!

So great I had to share!

--

Our Deepest Fear -- by Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Monday Blues Going Buh Bye!?!

I hate Mondays.

But yesterday wasn't half bad.

Monday's have now become my strength training days (which has alot to do with the reason I am beginning to like Mondays :).

So for the last 3 weeks I've been doing P90X Extreme Home Fitness Legs & Back workout.

Now I've heard that the more fit you are the more you sweat but this was ridiculous. I don't know if it was because I am finally honing in on how to do the exercises correctly and to the full extend of their strengthening power or if it was hot as all-heck in my apartment with the AC turned off but I have sweat more than I ever have before.

I felt so Gung-Ho and empowered by my increased sweating that instead of doing the 20 min P90X Extreme Home Fitness AB Ripper workout I decided to go for the gold and try my hand at the 60 min P90X Extreme Home Fitness Core Synergistics.

Unfortunately I had cut my pre-workout snack short (i.e. I had one Peanut Butter and Maria Cookie mini sandwich instead of my usual two which means I had 140 calories instead of my usual 280 pre-workout) so I started feeling woosie and sick about 20 minutes into the workout.

Oh, well ... there is always next week.

No luck with the morning run today. Got to bed by 10pm but didn't get to sleep till midnight so no-go. I may need to try taking some Melatonin (i.e. the natural occurring hormone that makes you sleepy at night) before bedtime for a little while so I can fall asleep by 10pm and hence wake up earlier. Tomorrow there is a Spinning Class I really want to do at 6am at the Gym. I'm hoping having to be somewhere at a certain time will help with the wake up issues.

Today, I have a 3 miler penciled in (which we all know will end up as a 4 miler) which I plan to do at the Gym on the Dread-mill ... I mean Treadmill :) for various reasons including: Ipod issues, Wardrobe dysfunctions and Weather factors:
i.e.

• Left my shuffle at my mom's
• Only have long black pants and a black t-shirt to workout in ... which isn't going to happen on a Miami Summer day.
• Every afternoon it's been raining cats and dogs.
  

My consolation is that I can squeeze in a Challenge Day being that there is a higher possibility of me doing it at the gym than anywhere else :)

Have a great Tuesday!

Sunday Morning

I dragged myself out of bed this morning and wasn't feeling so hot. Last night, Mr. Boyfriend and I went to a friends house to socialize with some friends and we had a few too many drinks of Coconut Rum and Pineapple juice. That and the fact that a cold is trying to catch up with me didn't help the situation either.

But I managed to get up at 6:30am and met up with my running partner crime (a.k.a my mom) got out to the Rickenbacker Causeway for a nice morning run.

Now I fully intended today to be at leaset a long distance jog but Mom forgot her Ipod (and trust me to find any excuse to not push myself) I offered to pace her so it wouldn't be so bad.

Luckily, the weather was absolutely wonderful. It looked like rain was on it's way from off in the distance but it stayed far enough away that the day was pleasantly cloudy with a fresh breeze coming off the water. You couldn't have asked for better weather.

We managed to do a whole 10K (6.2M) but Mom's pace is slower than mine so I know I should have pushed myself harder than that today ... but overall it was a very pleasant Mother-Daughter bonding walk (which is always worth it).

With this walk I rounded out the week with a total of just over 28 miles. If I can keep my weekly average around that or above that I will make my mileage goals for this year without any problems. :)

Tonight, I plan to do a P90X Extreme Home Fitness Yoga session while Mr. Boyfriend goes to practice with the band this evening and tomorrow I hope to start a week of Double-Up Workouts where I do a session in the AM and a session in the PM in hopes of breaking through and starting to do my routines in the mornings instead of at night. Not sure how well that will go though being that the covers seem to be crazy-glued to me in the mornings but here's to wishful thinking :)

Wish me luck!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Calibrating The Run

Yesterday, after work I drove straight to the park and got out for a run. I had penciled in a 3 miler but I knew from the moment I arrived that I would do 4 miles. Time was limited but I also wanted to do one of my challenge sets (5 sets of 10 Push-ups/20 Sit-ups/30 Squats).

I also decided that since I found the ARMY Run lines (where the ARMY folks had marked off the 1 and 2 mile loops at thel park I go to) that I would calibrate my Garmin Forerunner 50. I started out with my first lap and found that I didn't set it to CALIB and thus it had not been set up to program ... so I set off on another loop and found that the distance was off by +.2 per quarter mile so I shifted it down and went out for another loop. This time the distance was off by -.5 per quater mile ... frustrated, I adjusted it again and set out for a 4th mile. This time it distance was right on (or close enough for government work ... +.02 per quarter mile). I suspect that the way you run also has alot to do with it so I will run the loop fresh some time next week to finish off the programing and see how it goes and make a HOPEFULLY final adjustment.

Now, by the time I got it all programed ... I was running late for dinner with Mr.Boyfriend's family so I ran off without even stretching and OH BOY! do I regret that today. I recently discovered the importance of the POST-RUN Stretch and am now quite spoiled by big difference it makes.

Remind me not to make evening plans on my running days in the future.

Today I have a date with Mr. Eliptical and Mr. Stair Machine planned with a Challenge Set to boot and Tomorrow I start shifting all runs to the morning. Wish me luck! :)

I hope everyone is having an outstanding day!

Eliptical Saves The Day

I had been suffering from an unknown soreness in my left knee and some sporadic lightening pain in the right front of my foot. I googled around for a bit and found that the pain on my right foot may have been caused by not tying my shoes correctly thus being too tight ... I wasn't convinced but was willing to keep an open mind so I decided that rather than do Intervals I would stick with the Elliptical and take it relatively easy.

I tried to keep my pace up there (between 6.5 and 7.0 MPH) being that the workout was a little less intense than I'm used to. I also tried increasing the length of my workout instead of 50min I did 60min and I was going to jump on the stair machine for another 10min but none were available ... oh, pooh ... but figured that it wasn't meant to be today and was pretty ok with my workout. Although, In hind sight I could have done a challenge set ... oh, well.

I forgot how much I truly enjoy the elliptical and how it tends to tighten all the right muscles groups to make you feel slimmer. It didn't hurt that I was able to wear a blouse I haven't worn in about a year today ... and didn't even need a cami underneath :) That always makes me smile.

Today, I have a 3 miler in the park (that will probably become a 4 miler) penciled in and a challenge set of 10-20-30.

Temp: 85
Feels like: 91
Humidity: 74%
Comfort Index: 5

Have an Outstanding day!

Almost didn't make it ... but I did!

Last night, I had some things that needed to get done and dinner needed to be cooked so I kinda kept pushing my workout towards the back burner. I was suffering from a mild case of the Monday blues and I just did not feel like it but around 8pm, I managed to muster up enough strength to get up and get going.

For last night, I had scheduled P90X Extreme Home Fitness Back & Legs plus the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Ab-Ripper with no running/walking at all. I am having trouble with running too much at the moment (which is what caused my knee to go out). Since I am still a beginner I need to give my muscles (in the case of my knee injury my quadriceps) a chance to catch up with me before pushing myself further.

I was able to do the Back & Legs but it was already too late to start the Ab-Ripper so I cleaned up and settled in with my book. I don't like late workouts because they usually mean you stay up even later but I didn't really notice much of an energy difference last night ... go figure!

Have a wonderful day!