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!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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.
(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.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The Plan, Part 1
Hilary asked if I could post my training schedule on the blog. I can do that, but it's not all that special. But maybe posting a weekly schedule of events will help keep me in the blogging arena, since school has been in session for a whole two weeks and I'm already swamped.
My main goal right now is the Leadville Marathon at the end of June. It's a trail marathon, and I've never run on trails before. It's also a mountain marathon, and I've never run up a mountain before.
This is obviously going to take some work. Right now, the tentative plan is to train for the Flying Pig in May. That will get my mileage back up, since I spent November and most of December limiting "long runs" to 5-6 miles. I'll be using the FIRST program again, like I did for Air Force. I like only running three times a week. Husband and I exercise together in the evenings, and I really value that time, so 3 runs a week lets me fit all of that stuff in, too. Right now, the schedule looks like this:
Monday: Insanity
Tuesday: Speedwork (AM), Weights (PM)
Wednesday: Insanity
Thursday: Tempo Run (AM), Weights (PM)
Friday: Yoga
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Rest
Pretty much the same as it did leading up to Air Force. I like the Insanity discs because they're really intense cardio, which is what the FIRST training plan calls for. We'll continue to use the P90X discs for weight training and yoga.
I'll start doing some trail running in the spring (which calls for new shoes!) and then really hit the hills after the Pig, which leaves me with 8 weeks before Leadville. I think I can make it with a good mileage level and a strong cardio base. Here's to hoping!
I'll post the actual miles and paces associated with my running days once I put my calendar back together. It's all screwy because I started and stopped training for the DC marathon, so I'll start fresh on Saturday.
My main goal right now is the Leadville Marathon at the end of June. It's a trail marathon, and I've never run on trails before. It's also a mountain marathon, and I've never run up a mountain before.
This is obviously going to take some work. Right now, the tentative plan is to train for the Flying Pig in May. That will get my mileage back up, since I spent November and most of December limiting "long runs" to 5-6 miles. I'll be using the FIRST program again, like I did for Air Force. I like only running three times a week. Husband and I exercise together in the evenings, and I really value that time, so 3 runs a week lets me fit all of that stuff in, too. Right now, the schedule looks like this:
Monday: Insanity
Tuesday: Speedwork (AM), Weights (PM)
Wednesday: Insanity
Thursday: Tempo Run (AM), Weights (PM)
Friday: Yoga
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Rest
Pretty much the same as it did leading up to Air Force. I like the Insanity discs because they're really intense cardio, which is what the FIRST training plan calls for. We'll continue to use the P90X discs for weight training and yoga.
I'll start doing some trail running in the spring (which calls for new shoes!) and then really hit the hills after the Pig, which leaves me with 8 weeks before Leadville. I think I can make it with a good mileage level and a strong cardio base. Here's to hoping!
I'll post the actual miles and paces associated with my running days once I put my calendar back together. It's all screwy because I started and stopped training for the DC marathon, so I'll start fresh on Saturday.
Friday, January 6, 2012
1030+, and Where I'm Going
That's how many miles I recorded on Daily Mile for 2011, including a last long (10 mile) run on the 31st. The "+" is because I didn't start using Daily Mile until sometime mid-January when I heard about it from someone in the running group.
I think it's safe to say that at some point in there, I became a Runner. The whole time I was training for the Pig, people would ask me about it or talk about their own running, and I would always include the caveat of "but I'm not really a runner" in my responses. I think that covering 1000+ miles in a year means that I should just claim the sport as my own. Between the odometer, the growing collection of race shirts, and the drawer stuffed full of running gear, it's about time.
2012 Race Plan:
Heart Half Marathon (March)
Flying Pig Marathon (May)
Leadville Trail Marathon (June)
Air Force Marathon (September)
I'd really like to do Chicago or New York. I planned to run the National Marathon in DC, but there's still no course map posted and I've been unimpressed with the organization of the race, to this point, so I'm going to be skipping it. Maybe next year.
I'll be following the FIRST program for the Flying Pig, which means that I don't have to start with the long runs until January 14. I'm forcing myself to rest for a whole 10 days, since it's been a long time since I've taken a nice long break from running. I'll still do P90X and Insanity, but no running. I want to start somewhat fresh!
I have big plans for this blog, too, which will hopefully come to fruition. I'm also going back to school to finish the last course requirement for my PhD, so I'm counting on running and exercise to keep my stress levels manageable!
I think it's safe to say that at some point in there, I became a Runner. The whole time I was training for the Pig, people would ask me about it or talk about their own running, and I would always include the caveat of "but I'm not really a runner" in my responses. I think that covering 1000+ miles in a year means that I should just claim the sport as my own. Between the odometer, the growing collection of race shirts, and the drawer stuffed full of running gear, it's about time.
2012 Race Plan:
Heart Half Marathon (March)
Flying Pig Marathon (May)
Leadville Trail Marathon (June)
Air Force Marathon (September)
I'd really like to do Chicago or New York. I planned to run the National Marathon in DC, but there's still no course map posted and I've been unimpressed with the organization of the race, to this point, so I'm going to be skipping it. Maybe next year.
I'll be following the FIRST program for the Flying Pig, which means that I don't have to start with the long runs until January 14. I'm forcing myself to rest for a whole 10 days, since it's been a long time since I've taken a nice long break from running. I'll still do P90X and Insanity, but no running. I want to start somewhat fresh!
I have big plans for this blog, too, which will hopefully come to fruition. I'm also going back to school to finish the last course requirement for my PhD, so I'm counting on running and exercise to keep my stress levels manageable!
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Ugly
The worst thing about running in races is the race photography. Swear, eight of the nine races I've done have had professional photography, and there isn't a good photo out of ANY of them. I always look like I want to die. I'm lucky that no one caught a picture of me at a moment of extreme disgustingness during the Cinci Half - I finished a Chocolate Gu and then had to blow my nose. I used my sleeve to blow my nose, and then ended up having to spit the fuzz out. When I spit, a long disgusting string of slimy chocolate-colored saliva ended up all over my pants. Totally nasty.
This is about how I felt.
The worst was probably when I saw myself on video during the interview I did for the Pig last spring. I wanted to crawl into a hole. I like to imagine myself as graceful. I've mentioned my Running Buddy's Gazelle mantra before - some people can totally pull it off and look like a true athlete when they run.
Me? Well, this about sums it up.
This is about how I felt.
The worst was probably when I saw myself on video during the interview I did for the Pig last spring. I wanted to crawl into a hole. I like to imagine myself as graceful. I've mentioned my Running Buddy's Gazelle mantra before - some people can totally pull it off and look like a true athlete when they run.
Me? Well, this about sums it up.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Major Shoe Fail
So, remember how excited I was to take the next step toward minimalist running? And how excited I was about the New Balance Minimus shoes that I was going to transition to after Air Force? Well, I finally pulled them out and took them for a spin. The result? Well, it was less than winning. In fact, it was brutally painful. Literally.
That's not decorative trim, it's blood. I noticed the rubbing on my heel about a mile into what should have been a 5-mile run. By the time I hit the 2-mile mark, the slight irritation had turned to full on skin-shredding. Ow!
I went home and gingerly removed the offenders. I couldn't bear to leave the run unfinished, so I threw on my trusty old Kinvaras and hit the pavement again. Fortunately, the profile on the Kinvaras is much lower, so there was no further damage. Unfortunately, I got blood on my Kinvaras, too :(
The culprit was a stupid seam on the inside of the heel.
It's raised, and in just the right place to catch your heel with every step. Husband was convinced I was just unlucky, until he took his out for a mile and had the same problem. Sad face, I really wanted to love these shoes.
The shoes went back. It's nice to have a local running store who really wants you to run your best - they took them back and helped me pick another pair to meet my needs. Thanks, Running Spot!
So what did I get? I'll save that for another post. It's been too long, anyway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)