This week, I got to get in all my intended workouts unimpeded. So I got back up to my goal of working out 6 days last week. I already covered last Sunday in my last post, so here's how the rest of the week looked:
Monday: Biking, 5.28 miles, ~30 minutes
I don't remember if it was Monday or Wednesday, but I saw papa turkey last week. He looked a bit confused as to whether he wanted to cross the road or not. He stayed on one side of the road as I passed by on my bike. Those turklets/turklings had to come from somewhere ;-)
Tuesday: Running, 2.48 miles, 30 minutes
So I decided to go to running for 30 minutes on the weekdays. Running for 40 minutes plus the time it took me to change clothes then change back left very little time for eating my lunch. Plus, it's still been pretty hot, so I didn't want to overdo it.
Wednesday: Biking, 5.31 miles, ~30 minutes
Feeling a little worn out this day, but I pushed through. I do enjoy the sense of accomplishment once I'm done.
Thursday: Running, 2.51 miles, 30 minutes
I'm trying to better my pace. So I did some intervals in the beginning of my run where I would run harder for one minute then at a easier pace for two minutes. I didn't carry it out throughout the whole workout as the hills were not being helpful. I think I might shorten the intervals a little bit, like my former 30 second run/1 minute walk intervals of yore.
Friday: Biking, 5.28 miles, ~30 minutes
I wouldn't mind bettering my biking pace, also. I'm trying to keep up a steady cadence as I ride. I don't want to take all day on the MS ride for the 35 and 25 miles. But I'm also not going to push it hard either. I'm going to try to strike a balance between keeping a decent pace and having an enjoyable ride.
Saturday: Rest day
Saturday was my pre-determined rest day.
Sunday: Long run, 4.78 miles, 1 hour
It was decently cool (comparatively) this morning for my run. Still humid. But it didn't feel oppressive. So I felt pretty good for my run.
This week should be another uninterrupted week.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
A week in review
Time for catching up! Another hot week here in the south. And more challenging business. Let's get started:
Monday: Biking, 5.24 miles, ~30 minutes
Tuesday: Nothing. C had a dentist appointment in the middle of the day then I wasn't able to do anything after work. So it was deemed a rest day.
Wednesday: Running, 2.71 miles, ~30 minutes. It was another hot and humid day. I didn't feel as defeated by the weather as I did the previous week. I made sure not to overtax myself and have a sports drink with me as I ran. I knew it was going to be hot, so I set my goal from the outset as 30 minutes.
Thursday: Biking, 5.26 miles, ~30 minutes. I tried to up the pace some on this run. It's a goal I'm going to be working on until the MS ride.
Friday: Running, 2.61 miles, ~30 minutes. See Wednesday.
Saturday: We had company and L had a Tae Kwan Do tournament, so another rest day.
Today: Running, 4.82 miles, 1 hour. The long run is definitely a mental game. Yes, I want to keep running. Yes, I can do it. And I do. Not that the weather is a great motivator. Or hills.
This week, as it looks right now, doesn't appear to have as many challenges to getting out. Saturday is the pre-determined rest day.
Monday: Biking, 5.24 miles, ~30 minutes
Tuesday: Nothing. C had a dentist appointment in the middle of the day then I wasn't able to do anything after work. So it was deemed a rest day.
Wednesday: Running, 2.71 miles, ~30 minutes. It was another hot and humid day. I didn't feel as defeated by the weather as I did the previous week. I made sure not to overtax myself and have a sports drink with me as I ran. I knew it was going to be hot, so I set my goal from the outset as 30 minutes.
Thursday: Biking, 5.26 miles, ~30 minutes. I tried to up the pace some on this run. It's a goal I'm going to be working on until the MS ride.
Friday: Running, 2.61 miles, ~30 minutes. See Wednesday.
Saturday: We had company and L had a Tae Kwan Do tournament, so another rest day.
Today: Running, 4.82 miles, 1 hour. The long run is definitely a mental game. Yes, I want to keep running. Yes, I can do it. And I do. Not that the weather is a great motivator. Or hills.
This week, as it looks right now, doesn't appear to have as many challenges to getting out. Saturday is the pre-determined rest day.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Weekend work
A busy weekend including travel. How did I fit it all in? Not too shabby. My regular weekly goal is to exercise 6 days a week. And the majority of weeks, I've been able to meet that goal. But I don't beat myself up if I can't get there. Last week, I made it to 5 days. What happened? I had company at work one day that prevented me from going out for my regular lunchtime workout. Saturday was birthday party day for C, so I sacrificed the run.
Here's what I DID do:
Thursday: Biking, ~30 minutes, ~5.2 miles
It was a tad bit cooler on Thursday than it was Wednesday. And biking feels cooler, too, since I'm creating my own breeze.
Friday: Running, 40 minutes, ~3.2 miles
Cooler still. I left work early on Friday, so I did my running once I got home. It was nice to know that it really was the heat that was such a major factor on Wednesday.
Saturday: party!
Sunday: Long run, 1 hour, ~5.2 miles
Cooler still. I felt really good on this run. Especially on the second half. I don't know if I would call it "runner's high." But I did feel like I could have gone longer.
I want to mention something new I've been trying out. For my longer runs, I'm taking a sports drink out with me. (I did try this on the oh-so-hot Wednesday, but it didn't help.) Straight up Gatorade is way to sweet to me. They have a new product out, G Fit, which I've mentioned. It's meant to be more like a lightly flavored water. And I do like it a lot better than traditional Gatorade. Last week I also picked up a product called Nuun. It's a tablet that turns water into an electrolyte drink. It comes in lots of different flavors. The flavor is very light. I made a test batch to try out the taste. It was a little weird. But not awful. Today, I chilled the water first, added the tablet, then some ice. The flavor was MUCH better upon chilling. The thing I really like about Nuun is that I can carry them in my purse for when I can't carry around a bottle of G Fit. It's also great for traveling (again, when I carry G Fit with me). I'm going to try out some other flavors, too. I've had the berry and also have some ginger orange, which I haven't tried yet.
Here's what I DID do:
Thursday: Biking, ~30 minutes, ~5.2 miles
It was a tad bit cooler on Thursday than it was Wednesday. And biking feels cooler, too, since I'm creating my own breeze.
Friday: Running, 40 minutes, ~3.2 miles
Cooler still. I left work early on Friday, so I did my running once I got home. It was nice to know that it really was the heat that was such a major factor on Wednesday.
Saturday: party!
Sunday: Long run, 1 hour, ~5.2 miles
Cooler still. I felt really good on this run. Especially on the second half. I don't know if I would call it "runner's high." But I did feel like I could have gone longer.
I want to mention something new I've been trying out. For my longer runs, I'm taking a sports drink out with me. (I did try this on the oh-so-hot Wednesday, but it didn't help.) Straight up Gatorade is way to sweet to me. They have a new product out, G Fit, which I've mentioned. It's meant to be more like a lightly flavored water. And I do like it a lot better than traditional Gatorade. Last week I also picked up a product called Nuun. It's a tablet that turns water into an electrolyte drink. It comes in lots of different flavors. The flavor is very light. I made a test batch to try out the taste. It was a little weird. But not awful. Today, I chilled the water first, added the tablet, then some ice. The flavor was MUCH better upon chilling. The thing I really like about Nuun is that I can carry them in my purse for when I can't carry around a bottle of G Fit. It's also great for traveling (again, when I carry G Fit with me). I'm going to try out some other flavors, too. I've had the berry and also have some ginger orange, which I haven't tried yet.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away, know when to (not) run. Let me tell you, it was *bleeping** hot and humid today. I fully intended to do my regular 5 walk/30 run/5 walk today. It was not to be. You've got to know when the elements are against you. And today, it certainly was. We had a heat advisory today. And it was no joke. I started out ok. I got through the first 15 minutes. I even took some Gatorade Fit with me. And then it all went south. I took it down to a walk for a while. Tried to elevate it back up to a run. Had to take it back down to a walk. Then concede the whole effort at 30 minutes. I can't tell you how much running I did, total. A little disheartening? Yes. Do I feel bad about it? Not really. Like I said, the weather was absolutely miserable today. And I went out two hours later than normal, which just meant it was even hotter. It's supposed to start cooling down a *little*. We'll see.
On another note, I'm backing off on the blogging a little bit. I don't think you necessarily need posts just tell you "I biked" or "I ran" today. If I have something extra to say, like today, I'll write and catch up the workouts since then. Even if nothing interesting has happened, I will to an update a couple of days a week.
Monday: Biking, ~30 minutes, ~5 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Today: Running/Walking (unknown combination), ~30 minutes, ~2.3 miles
On another note, I'm backing off on the blogging a little bit. I don't think you necessarily need posts just tell you "I biked" or "I ran" today. If I have something extra to say, like today, I'll write and catch up the workouts since then. Even if nothing interesting has happened, I will to an update a couple of days a week.
Monday: Biking, ~30 minutes, ~5 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Today: Running/Walking (unknown combination), ~30 minutes, ~2.3 miles
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Playing catch-up
Phew. I guess it's been a while since I posted. Last week was pretty busy. Including traveling out of town for work. Then going to the in-law's house to drop off L for the week.
Tuesday was a planned off day. I had a doctor's appointment during lunchtime and I didn't have any time after I got home from work to fit in a run or a bike. Then I left for San Antonio on Wednesday for my work trip. A couple of factors work against me, posting-wise, not workout-wise. First, I had to take a work laptop with me, not my personal netbook. So I couldn't sync my iPod Nike+ data. Second, the internet would have cost ~$10 a day to access from the hotel. It irks me that I can get free internet at lower priced hotels but the nicer hotels I've stayed at charge for the internet. So, aside from what I could access from my phone, no internet for me. But the hotel was nice and and a REALLY NICE exercise room. It had a dozen treadmills, six ellipticals, two recumbent bikes, three or four stationary bikes, weight training stations, yoga room, and lap pool. It was as good as a regular health club.
Wednesday: stationary bike, 30 minutes, 6.4 miles.
I went to exercise right after checking into the hotel and unpacking. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Riverwalk area. Way too hot to be exercising outside.
Thursday: treadmill, 40 minutes, 3.1 miles.
I got up early before the meeting started to go exercise. I knew I wouldn't be in the mood after the meeting got over for the day at 5 pm to go workout. And I found out after checking in to the meeting that there was a reception that evening starting at 5:30. And then I was out late after that getting dinner. Pretty darn tired at the end of the day.
Friday: stationary bike, 1 hour, 12.45 miles.
I had a chunk of free time mid-morning between when the first meeting was finished and before I had to be back for an afternoon workshop. While I was chugging along on the bike, the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off for both its final time and for the Space Shuttle program's final time. I was pretty emotional. I've always loved the space program. And Atlantis is my particular favorite from my Space Camp counselor days. So I was the crying girl on the bike.
Saturday: treadmill, 30 minutes, 2.3 miles.
Travel day. Got up early again. Had to get ready to fly home. Knowing that I'd be hopping right in the car to go to Alabama as soon as I got home, I wanted to get a small run in. Then on a plane. Then in a car. Lots of traveling.
Today: running outside, 1 hour, ~5 miles.
I'm trying to do longer distances/times on the weekends. I went out while at the in-laws and got in my run. Today was a day of mental obstacles. It was hot and VERY humid this morning at 8 am. I had to convince myself to keep going toward my one hour goal and not quit earlier. I pushed through and made it. I was a sweaty mess at the end, though.
This past week was the biggest test of my exercise resolve with the amount of traveling I did. But I am happy to report that it was a success!
Tuesday was a planned off day. I had a doctor's appointment during lunchtime and I didn't have any time after I got home from work to fit in a run or a bike. Then I left for San Antonio on Wednesday for my work trip. A couple of factors work against me, posting-wise, not workout-wise. First, I had to take a work laptop with me, not my personal netbook. So I couldn't sync my iPod Nike+ data. Second, the internet would have cost ~$10 a day to access from the hotel. It irks me that I can get free internet at lower priced hotels but the nicer hotels I've stayed at charge for the internet. So, aside from what I could access from my phone, no internet for me. But the hotel was nice and and a REALLY NICE exercise room. It had a dozen treadmills, six ellipticals, two recumbent bikes, three or four stationary bikes, weight training stations, yoga room, and lap pool. It was as good as a regular health club.
Wednesday: stationary bike, 30 minutes, 6.4 miles.
I went to exercise right after checking into the hotel and unpacking. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Riverwalk area. Way too hot to be exercising outside.
Thursday: treadmill, 40 minutes, 3.1 miles.
I got up early before the meeting started to go exercise. I knew I wouldn't be in the mood after the meeting got over for the day at 5 pm to go workout. And I found out after checking in to the meeting that there was a reception that evening starting at 5:30. And then I was out late after that getting dinner. Pretty darn tired at the end of the day.
Friday: stationary bike, 1 hour, 12.45 miles.
I had a chunk of free time mid-morning between when the first meeting was finished and before I had to be back for an afternoon workshop. While I was chugging along on the bike, the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off for both its final time and for the Space Shuttle program's final time. I was pretty emotional. I've always loved the space program. And Atlantis is my particular favorite from my Space Camp counselor days. So I was the crying girl on the bike.
Saturday: treadmill, 30 minutes, 2.3 miles.
Travel day. Got up early again. Had to get ready to fly home. Knowing that I'd be hopping right in the car to go to Alabama as soon as I got home, I wanted to get a small run in. Then on a plane. Then in a car. Lots of traveling.
Today: running outside, 1 hour, ~5 miles.
I'm trying to do longer distances/times on the weekends. I went out while at the in-laws and got in my run. Today was a day of mental obstacles. It was hot and VERY humid this morning at 8 am. I had to convince myself to keep going toward my one hour goal and not quit earlier. I pushed through and made it. I was a sweaty mess at the end, though.
This past week was the biggest test of my exercise resolve with the amount of traveling I did. But I am happy to report that it was a success!
Monday, July 4, 2011
In need of calibration
Happy 4th of July, everyone! I hope everyone had a good day. I've been able to get a lot done today. A lot of area residents started out the day by running a nice, relaxing 10K. I did not participate in the Peachtree Road Race this year. But I will go for my number next year. In the meantime, I've decided to increase my distances on the weekends (or holiday, as it was today). Instead of going for time today, I went for distance. My chosen distance today was 5 miles. Not quite a 10K, but my prior farthest distances hovered in the 5K range. The way I keep track of my runs, primarily, has been my Nike+ sensor with my iPod. Recently, I've also been tracking it with Runkeeper and the GPS on my phone. I haven't had a chance since getting the Nike+ sensor to do a proper calibration. That requires a known distance, like on a track. So, on a day like today, the Nike+ sensor tells me that I went ~5.3 miles while the Runkeeper/GPS tells me that I went ~4.8 miles. I'm going to go somewhere in the middle, for the time being, and say I went ~5 miles today. One day I will get around to calibrating the Nike+ sensor and see if the two tracking methods get closer.
I was feeling pretty good at the end of my 5-ish miles. I think I could have done 10K.
Today's workout: running
Distance: ~5 miles (~5 minutes walk then running until iPod said 5 miles, then ~5 minute walk)
Time: just under 1 hour
I was feeling pretty good at the end of my 5-ish miles. I think I could have done 10K.
Today's workout: running
Distance: ~5 miles (~5 minutes walk then running until iPod said 5 miles, then ~5 minute walk)
Time: just under 1 hour
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Keeping busy
So even though I haven't updated in a few days, don't think I've slacked off. I just had a complete battery shutdown on Friday night, falling asleep on the couch after getting C to sleep. Yesterday, I was busy with a project, so didn't get on my computer. But, never fear, I kept up with my workouts the whole time. I don't have much else interesting to say tonight. Except, good luck to everyone running the Peachtree Road Race tomorrow! I might do it next year.
Friday's workout: Bicycling
Distance: ~5.1 miles
Time: ~30 minutes
Saturday's workout: Running
Distance: ~3.2 miles
Time: 40 minutes
Today's workout: Bicycling
Distance: ~5.1 miles
Time: ~30 minutes
Friday's workout: Bicycling
Distance: ~5.1 miles
Time: ~30 minutes
Saturday's workout: Running
Distance: ~3.2 miles
Time: 40 minutes
Today's workout: Bicycling
Distance: ~5.1 miles
Time: ~30 minutes
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