Treadmills aren't half bad

Once again, the wonderfully unpredictable Miami rainy season has sent me scurrying to the shelter of the gym.

I started my run on the treadmill with warm up creeping up from 3.0 to 4.0 for about 9 minutes before I went all out and hiked it up to a 5.4 pace which I maintained for almost the entire time. I was only penciled in for a 3-miler but finished it in 36:00 min and I could not resist finishing my silent goal of 50 minutes and squeaked out the 4th mile (double bonus :)

I was hoping to do Day 2 of my Push-Up/Sit-up/Squat Challenge but the gym was packed (due to the weather) and I was running on time for dinner with friends so decided to cut it short.

I'm not one for always running on the treadmill but the occasional treadmill workout isn't half bad :)

Have a great day!

Tough Wednesdays

Last night, I did my first Interval run.

I was looking for a 400M (.25M) course and found that my block is 500M (.31M) around, so I decided that was close enough and rather convenient being that it's right outside my front door.

I decided to do my P90X Extreme Home Fitness Chest and Back workout first and then do my 5 X 500 intervals run followed by the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Ab-Ripper the finish it all off.

I didn't remember how much I didn't particularly like the Push-Up/Pull-Up cycle being that it's HARD WORK ... but managed to push through the workout.

The Intervals were tough as well. I didn't realize how hard it was to keep running fast for 500M and while I was doing the workout wondered if I would do it again ... in hind sight I may want to keep looking for a 400M course until I get in slightly better shape. I decided to add a T-Loop as a cool down bringing my mileage total to 2.25 for the day. Not a lot ... but more than expected.

The P90X Extreme Home Fitness Ab-Ripper workout was tough too ... claiming Wednesday as my HARD WORKOUTS DAYS 3-fold.

I may want to re-adjust my training schedule or I may want to just keep it as my Tough Wednesday ... haven't decided yet.

Afterward, I forgot to have EAS-Premium Protein Powder Recovery Shake which was probably better since it was already nearing 8pm.

I had a quick and easy Spanish Omelet I made by taking Hash browns and chopped onions in a putting them in a baking dish covered with 2 eggs. It came out great! Definitely will do that recipe again.

Today I tried (for the 2nd time in a row) to wake up at 5:30am for a run but ended up snoozing instead, so tonight I have a 3 miler penciled in and I'm hoping the afternoon rains will subside long enough to let me get it done at the park rather than the treadmill.

Keep your fingers crossed! :)

Getting back in the swing

Still trying to get back in the swing of my workouts.

The weather was nasty so I decided to head to the gym.

Jumped on the treadmill and did 45min. Took a little longer than I hoped to get loose. Barely broke a sweat.

Then I went upstairs to the workout area and found that I had forgotten my Push-up/Sit-up/Squat Challenge chart so decided to do 5 sets of: 10 Push-up, 20 Sit-up and 30 Squats.

Ended up with a workout that was ok but not great.

Race Report: Tour of the Gables 5K.

First thing up on this long Memorial Day Weekend was the Tour of the Gables 5K.

Ran it with Mom and was going to run beside her to keep her pace but was so excited I decided to run it for my own time. Did pretty good. Knee wobbled a bit in the beginning but after I warmed up didn't even remember it through the whole race. Had a little trouble getting my breathing in order and struggled with it most of the 3rd mile.

After I finished, I grabbed a bottle of water and went back for the Mommy and paced her for the last quarter mile (which she said helped her tremendously :) She did a new PR on a race and ran faster than she has in her practice runs which helped motivate her a lot too :)

I am convinced both the Mommy and I should do a 5k every few months.

Time: 37:51 Overall Ranking: 594 of 810 Division Ranking: 41 of 50

It's Friday, I must have lost a pound

Well, let me start by saying last night I had a terrific run.

I drove to Bermudez Park straight after work. I knew that if I didn't my run would not get done so I decided to stack the odds in my favor. I grabbed my gym bag which had been packed for over a week and made sure to grab my New Balance Running Shoes (they seem to produce the best/fastest/injury free runs for me) and headed out.

As I started my run, I was excited and after stretching, only moderately in my opinion, I jumped right in to running. It felt great to be running again ... but at the end of the first mile my knee began to falter and I faded back to a walk:run strategy which made me a little upset. I knew I should have been doing strength training exercises with P90X in my hiatus which I only did once over the last two weeks and I kicked myself for not doing more. But then, as I began my third mile a woman started to run past me. She wasn't going very fast and I decided to match her speed and noted she was going 5.0 mph (according to my Garmin Forerunner 50) which is the low-end speed I was running right before my injury ... so I decided to see how long I could match her speed. She was running on the inner loop and I was running on the outer loop so the curves gave me a bit of trouble keeping up with her but I stayed with her the entire way! I was soooo happy.

Run Stats:
Start Time: 5:00pm
Distance Run: 3.2 mi
Time: 0:50:15
Average Pace: 15:42
Temperature: 84
Fells like: 89
Humidity: 65%
Comfort Index: 6

After my run, I made a shake EAS-Premium Protein Powder and water but the taste alone wasn't so great ... I'm going to have to find something to mix it with.

But back to the title of my post: It's Friday, I must have lost a pound

Granted, I always seem to be a little lighter after I run. My trainer even noted that the exercise seems to suit my body well because when I run consistently I can see results rather quickly even though I am still considered heavy to be running. But yet again, it's Friday and again I am at my lightest weight.

I know why too! Because during the week I am able to eat healthy foods and make educated nutritional choices ... but some how as soon as Friday hits ... BAM! I become a nutritional idiot! By the end of the weekend, I will have gained 2,3 or even 4 pounds. I don't drink enough water, I eat ALL THE TIME, and when I do eat it's foods I would be disgusted by during the week.

Why is that? Does my brain suddenly shut down as soon as I go into weekend mode?

What do I do about it?

HELP!

Whey A Surprise

Last night, I went to have a visit with my mom and she surprised me with a bag of EAS-Premium Protein Powder, 5lb. bag.

This morning, I had my first protein shake. I wasn't sure if to mix it with water or milk so I played it safe and stuck with milk.

Protein Banana Smoothie
1 cup Skim Milk
1/2 Ripe Banana
1 Scoop EAS-Premium Protein Powder

It came out very good.

I'm not usually a fan of the morning protein shake because they are generally too high calorie and leave me hungry in the end but I think I can see the potential.

After a bit a research, I found that EAS-Premium Protein Powder can be mixed with water and found a plethora of recipes online. Some very exciting and some a little scary. I can't wait to try some out.

Have a great day!

T-3 Days :: Tour of the Gables 5K

T-3 Days and counting.

I am concerned.

I try to relieve my concern by thinking (1) it's just a 5K and that's only 3.1 miles, that is do-able (2) I can walk with my mom and just do a mother-daughter bonding time (3) my knee hasn't hurt in almost a week.

BUT ... then I think ... (1) you haven't walked/run/worked out in over a week (2) I am feeling like I was hit by a 16 wheeler for said period of the last week (3) my mom has been working out and is probably running at the race (4) I was hoping to get an accurate measure of my 5K PR for this race.

I hate that part of me. The part that counteracts any positive thinking I can muster throughout the day.

I read over my list of favorite quotes for inspiration and one sticks out.

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." - Muhammad Ali

Have a great day!