Moving Back Home

I just finished up my last class of grad school, and in the midst of it realized that I couldn't do a million things at once anymore, like I used to be able to do. Or maybe I never could do a million things at once, at all, and just thought I could.

Either way, I've been on a blogging hiatus since the schoolwork started piling on top of me, and I've decided that I can't maintain two blogs and have them both be good quality. I'm moving my running blog back home to my first blog, The Original Bean. Please visit me there!

Weekly Workout Report

Monday: Recovered from the Superbowl

Tuesday: Treadmill Speedwork, 3x1600 @ 7:25 (3.7 mi) / I don't even remember what weights workout we did.

Wednesday: Insanity, Pure Cardio - made it through without stopping for the first time, ever!

Thursday: Treadmill Short Tempo Run 3.5 miles @ 8:00 / P90X Legs and Back - pretty sure I need to stop doing this workout, there's something awful in it that really bothers my shins

Friday: off day

Saturday: Long run - Decided that finishing Leadville is my main goal, so I'm dialing back the pace of my long runs. Was supposed to do 10, but only got in 8 thanks to a screaming toddler. I knew I should have gotten up earlier! 8 miles @ 9:20 - made it up later in the day at the Undie Run!

Sunday: Yoga, finally managed to get it in

Cupid's Undie Run

Well, we survived! We ran a mile and change through the frigid Mt. Adams streets. Once you got going it really wasn't so bad, at all, as long as the wind wasn't directly blowing on you. (The vodka and cranberry didn't hurt, either!) We took a turn down one street and were hit full on by a gust of the coldest air my stomach has ever felt.

There were plenty of pictures, and I did my best to end up in as few as possible. Here's a great one of my Running Buddy and I, just from the chest up.



As she pointed out, being in undies and a sports bra really isn't any different than being in a bathing suit. In some cases, it might actually be LESS revealing! Still, the fact that the bottoms are called "undies" and not "bathing suit" makes me not want to plaster it everywhere.

Of course, it wasn't all just for fun and games, it was to raise money for The Children's Tumor Foundation. The race originated in DC, and this year it branched out to six cities total, Cincinnati being one of them. The guy who organized our local (and lots of the participants) was the leader of a Cincinnati Crossfit gym, and those peeps are freaking BUILT! Those programs are supposed to be pretty intense, but it obviously works.

Here he is (fully clothed) explaining why we're all running in our skivvies.



And here is a link to the video from the actual event. You can see me in one shot, but I'm not going to tell you where or when. I had to watch and re-watch in order to pick me out in the crowd, so I feel safe posting it because I know I'm well hidden!

Run In Undies Helps Sick Children - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati


I'm already looking forward to assembling an actual team for next year. It was a ton of fun, and I can't wait to do it again.

(*Note to Self: Do NOT go cheap on the undies again next year, lest you have a repeat of the 1.something miles spent trying to keep the $3 Target pair from riding up your ass)

Weekly Workout Report

This has been a rough week, thanks to the sickness that invaded our house. When you have a 3-year-old spiking a 105 fever in the middle of the night, you're not going to get a lot of rest. When said 3-year-old passes the cold portion of his illness onto you, you're not going to feel like doing anything. Tried to make the best of it, anyway.

Monday: Insanity, Max Interval Circuit

Tuesday: Treadmill Speedwork, 6 x 800 7:05 pace / skipped evening workout to spend some time with the BFF after class. Sometimes life just comes first :)

Wednesday: Insanity, Max Cardio Conditioning

Thursday: Treadmill Tempo Run 6.3 miles @ 8:34 (should have been 7, but I overslept) / P90X Chest and Back

Friday: Skipped yoga, again. I really need to stop with that, but I had homework that piled up thanks to the plague invasion.

Saturday: Long run - 13.11 miles, 1:55 (8:50ish pace) - got lost because I turned down streets in the wrong order, ended up out with some cows. Turned around at the halfway point, instead, when I started to think things didn't quite look right. Good thing I did, because it would have ended up being a 17 miler if I didn't.

Sunday: Rest - SUPERBOWL DAY! I LOVED watching the Giants beat down the Patriots. Go G-Men! (yes, I'm a Jet fan, but if it couldn't be the Jets, the Giants are second-best. I love Eli, anyway.)

The Pack Rules: Eating and Drinking (Runner's World)

The 10 Rules of Fueling (Runner's World)

This is just how I feel about this particular topic - check out the full article for the details about each rule. They have good things to say!

1. Eat Before - This is something I'm really bad about. When I was running with the training group I always had a waffle with peanut butter before a run. Now that I'm heading out all by my lonesome, I tend to sleep until the last possible minute and then head right for the door. Sometimes I eat a banana, most times I don't eat anything. Not good! I need to be better about that.

2. Sip Something - I do try to have some water before I head out. It's easier to chug water in the bathroom than it is to make breakfast downstairs, because I have to be careful not to wake the 3-year-old.

3. Carry Candy - I usually eat on runs 10 miles and longer. I started with Clif Shot Blocks when I was with the training group, then moved onto Gatorade Gu when I got annoyed with the blocks getting stuck in my teeth. After the Air Force tummy troubles, I've decided that those don't work for me on super long runs. The Jelly Belly Sport Beans seem to be fine for me, and I'm going to pick up some honey chews to try this weekend.

4. Drink While You're Out - I hate carrying things in my hands while I run, so I bought a hydration belt while I was training for Air Force on my own. Sure, I kind of feel like a tool wearing it, but it's kind of a necessity. I ended up with this one, because it was convenient. I've never worn it for a race, because I just don't see the need. I fill it half gatorade and half water.

5. Run to the Fridge - I must be in the minority, because I have a really hard time getting food down immediately following a hard run.

6. Pour Chocolate - Chocolate milk is definitely a post-run favorite! It's easier for me to drink than it is to eat. We've been using chocolate milk for recovery since the days of P90X.

7. Carb Up - Ah, the famous carb-loading! Most people think it's a night before thing, but the research I've done suggests that you should actually start tweaking your diet a week before the big endurance event. The Mayo Clinic suggests going to a 50% carbohydrate diet a week in advance. Dropping to 50% will allow your body to use up all of the glycogen that it has stored. 3-4 days before the big race, ramp it up to 70% to build the stores back up. This is the plan that I'm going to follow this year. I tried to do it with Air Force, but life got in the way that week. We used a really nifty excel workbook to track our macronutrient intake when we were doing the P90X nutrition program, so if you're interested, let me know and I'll send it out! Supposedly, women don't respond to carb loading as well as men. I think that's interesting.



"Finishing that 5K was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I ate more fettuccine alfredo, and drank less water than I have in my entire life. People always talk about triumphs of the human spirit. Well today I had a triumph of the human body. That's why everybody was applauding for me at the end. My guts, my heart and well I eventually puked my guts out. I never puked my heart out, and I am very proud of that."


8. Be Wary - Be careful what you eat before you run. I'm usually pretty good about what I eat in the hours before my runs, but I'm not so careful when it comes to Insanity workouts. High impact cardio after eating white garlic pizza is pretty nasty. Trust me.

9. Be Boring - I've heard too many horror stories to even think about trying some new food right before a run! The potties on my running routes are few and far between.

10. Then Have Fun - I run for beer! (and cupcakes, and ice cream, and pizza, depending on the week) Actually, I got a pleasant surprise in our local freezer aisle last night - a new limited batch from Ben and Jerry! It's in my freezer, waiting for me to finish my long run on Saturday.

Weekly Workout Report

I did 10 looooooong ass miles on the treadmill last Saturday thanks to the ice storm. Husband was awesome enough to hook up the speakers to my laptop so that I could watch a movie. It really helped make the time go by faster! I was able to get back outside for this week's long run, but our cardio days really kind of sucked. I think I was just fatigued all week, it didn't get off to a good start, sleep-wise. It felt like the longest week, ever.

Monday: Insanity, Max Plyometric Circuit

Tuesday: Treadmill Speedwork, 4 x 1200 @ 7:15 pace / Core Synergistics

Wednesday: Insanity, Max Cardio Interval

Thursday: Treadmill Tempo Run 5 miles @ 8:05 (5.5 mi, total) / Skipped weights because I tweaked my back doing Insanity push-ups on Wednesday

Friday: Sadly, we skipped the full yoga session. Did some stretching, but after a long week at work the couch was just way too tempting.

Saturday: Long run - 12.12 miles, 1:45 (8:39ish pace)

Sunday: Rest

Rinse and Repeat!

What is Insanity?

Hillary left a comment asking about what "Insanity" meant on my workout schedule. We all have our own definitions of Insanity. I think most triathletes are insane, and that includes my Running Buddy. My husband thinks I'm insane, because I get up ass-early in the morning two days a week to run before work (I'm sure that's just one among many reasons...). Lots of people think runners are insane, overall, because they just don't understand. Sometimes, I wonder if they're right.


(January 22, 2011 - Flying Pig Training Run)

Anyhow, the Insanity that I'm talking about goes beyond all of that. I'm talking about the Shaun T. brand of Insanity.



Yum.

Insanity is just that - absolutely crazy. We started the set last May, just after the Pig. I thought that it would be a piece of cake. Insanity? Pfft, it's just cardio. I just ran a freaking marathon. Boo yah! We popped in the first disc and I was prepared to just skate right through it. Ummmm, not so much. I had my ass handed to me like never before. We jogged in place, did a million jumping jacks, a million more heisman plyo moves, some heisman 123s, butt kicks, high knees, and mummy kicks. We finished the first circuit, which was about 3 minutes worth of ass-kicking, and then got a 30 second water break. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. 10 minutes and two repetitions later, and I'm already soaking wet from head to toe and ready to die. And that was just the warm up. 30 minutes later, we were ending with Level 1 Drills - stand up, jump your feet back into plank, do 4 push-ups, 8 counts of plank run, jump your feet back in, jump up, and repeat until you puke.

Good times! No, really!

Insanity is another program from the Beachbody people, the company that produced my beloved P90X. However, Insanity is a completely different type of hell than either P90X or marathon running. It's based on High Intensity Interval Training, which roughly translates to "Shaun T is going to make you work until you can't feel your legs and you melt, a whimpering heap, into the puddles of sweat that have collected on your basement floor." The whole idea behind HIIT is that you work out pretty strenuously for 2-4 minutes, pushing your heart rate up near your max, and then have a 30-second cool-down period before doing it all over again. And this isn't just any cardio, it's pretty heavy on the Plyometrics (jump training).

It's a 60-day program, if you follow the schedule they lay out. We opted not to, because we both like weight training and I like running, so we just use the program on our cardio days. Months and months later and it's still a 100% ass-kicking. I fully attribute my 10K and 5K improvements to Insanity and following the FIRST program.

The program was actually just featured in Self magazine this month, and they included a list of six exercises that are included in the Insanity workout.

Here's a small sampling, though I don't think my favorites (in and out abs and frog jumps) are included here.



The best thing about Insanity is the workout. The second best thing about Insanity is looking at Shaun T. I love his Jersey accent! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.