Thursday, August 31, 2006

Type A Personality?

Workout (Weights...and Swinging)

BodyPump: 7:30am-8:30am
Driving Range: 6:30pm-7:15pm

The other day when I was talking to Ted and he was recommending to me that I needed to cutback on my weights in order to not bulk up, I gave him this look as if to say WTF? Cut back? And he started to laugh and made a comment about this is where my Type A personality is kicking in and again I looked at him as if to say WTF because a) I only vaguely know anything about personality types and b) I would never have labelled myself as a Type A but he seems to think I am - the words he used to describe me were driven, ambitious, stubborn, motivated etc. etc.

When I got to BP, I thought about what Ted suggested, and considered lowering my weights - there was one track where I did in fact have a lower weight on my bar, but quickly changed it - I found that I didn't want to. Wouldn't accept that I had to go lower because going lower was a stepback, was less than what I knew I could do and so I didn't, but promised myself that I maybe after my surgery, when I was getting back into BP again, that I would lower my weights then.

So I got to wondering if perhaps I am a Type A personality and did some looking online for personality tests and found this one, which gave me the following results:


You Have A Type A- Personality

You are one of the most balanced people around. Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want. You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you. When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back. Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love! You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds.

Apparently, A- personality's are a little more tolerable then straight A types because they don't project their stress and frustrations onto others like As do. Works for me. I did some more looking online for personality tests and found one that's a little more detailed and it can be found here. My results show me as a ESFP type - the description of this type of personality can be found here. Interesting stuff, and not really workout related, but since I'm currently not blogging at my other blog, I'm including it here ;).

Calorie Intake: 1956*
Calories Burned: 400
Calories Net: 1197

*Since the house is being painted this week and every surface (counter and floor) in the kitchen was occupied, we were forced to grab take out after golf. Ended up getting Swiss Chalet and I was horrified to learn how many calories a quarter chicken with a side ceasar salad had in it. Ridiculous! I'm boycotting Swiss Chalet from now on, the food's hardly good, the smell of the chicken nauseates me and it's definitely not worth 600+ calories.



Posted by Tawny at 8:19 PM | | Comments

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Coordinated

Workout (Stretch)

BodyFlow: 12:15pm-1:15pm

I wore sandals instead of my usual flipflops to work so grabbed my flipflops that I wear in the shower at the gym as I was throwing yoga clothes in a bag and didn't really realize until I was getting dressed at the gym that my flip flops were the same color yellow as my yoga top. Paired with a pair of black yoga capris and I looked a little too coordinated when I walked into Bodyflow on my lunch hour. Instructor L commented on my matching outfit at the end of the class and I groaned because the last thing I wanted was to look like one of those workout chicks that show up for a class all coordinated.

The outfit did look good..but that's not the point of working out. Really, it's not.

(And no, I won't comment on how much I spend at Lulu Lemon).

Calorie Intake: 1397
Calories Burned: 200
Calories Net: 1197

Posted by Tawny at 11:06 PM | | Comments

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Exhaustion Sets In / Skinny Jeans

Workout (Weights)

BodyPump: 7:30am-8:30am

I once again dragged myself out of bed at 6 this morning and forced myself to get out the door by 6:30 to make it to BP. Most mornings I don't need much motivation to go to BP but this morning I stood looking out my bedroom window,feeling an overall tiredness that almost propelled me back beneath the covers. I got to the gym early, set up my station and then just sat on my step, staring blankly at the wall while everyone else around me trickled in and set up. I think Instructor B sensed my blah mood as she mostly left me alone, but did call out to me during the clean and press and comment on how serious I was looking. She went on to say that I must be focusing hard, it was obvious by my posture, strong abs, and nice, tight butt that she had apparently been checking out in the mirror. I only managed a slight smile in her direction, and that's when I new that I was REALLY tired - usually comments regarding my butt get me smiling at the very least, but not today.

I dropped my weights for the class and did concentrate more on my form - I chatted with Ted yesterday and despite what J said last week, Ted warned me that all my running combined with increasing my weights might cause me to bulk up and I don't really want that at all - long and lean is what I'm going for, so I took his advice and eased up on the weights and my body, in it's tiredness, was grateful.

I have a late meeting tonight with a bunch of our youth so I dressed casually today, wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a Lulu warm up jacket - but the jeans are a pair of my skinny jeans, which have been hiding in my closet for about a year now. Comments on my butt might not perk me up, but wearing a pair of skinny jeans definitely helps :).

Posted by Tawny at 12:08 PM | | Comments

Monday, August 28, 2006

Recovery Run Plus Golf

Workout (Cardio and Swinging)

Walking (Warmup): 5 minutes
Running: 20 minutes / 3.2 km / HR: 150-160ish
Walking (Cooldown): 5 minutes

We dragged ourselves out of bed and agreed on short run since the painters were supposed to be coming at 7- the run seemed easy enough so I was fairly surprised to see my HR creep into the 160s at one point when, for the most part, it was staying steady at the low 150 mark. It could have been just after we finished the hill on our run that it hit 160 but I can't say for sure. My HR monitor is irritating me though, more and more it's becoming a nuisance to get a quick reading.

We also had an hour golf lesson - I teased Roy by showing him my fingernail polish and telling him that I painted them just for him to which he laughed. He said that my swing is improving though sometimes I wiggle too much - like I'm dancing, but the best part is that as I finish my swing, I'm bringing my arms up and pivoting on my right foot like a pro. It actually feels pretty good :).

Calorie Intake: 1759
Calories Burned: 400~
Calorie Net: 1359

Posted by Tawny at 7:05 PM | | Comments

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Darkness is Creeping Up Fast

My plan was to get up early, hit the gym and run and do BP but after not getting to bed until after 1 on Saturday, it was 8:30 before I was able to make it out of bed. I could have made it to BP but I didn't feel like leaving the house in a rush - Tay had left to go racing about an hour earlier so instead I languished in having the house to myself. I finally ventured out around 12, planning to run some errands and then hit the gym for a leisurely run on the treadmill (it was +30 out with the humidex - yuck) but for some reason, I couldn't bare to be cooped up indoors on the treadmill, especially knowing that the days of summer are numbered now and before I know it, there'll be days when I have no choice but to be indoors. So I skipped the gym and decided that I'd go out after dinner when the humidity broke.

Tay was pretty wiped from his day of racing and when I invited him to join me, he had to pass. I'd prepared myself for him not being up to it and had planned to run anyway, but the days have suddenly gotten shorter and at 8pm when I glanced out the window while washing up the dinner dishes, I saw that darkness was creeping in fast. I debated going anyway but Tay seemed nervous about me going on what had become such a dark night so I decided not to go, even though I was itching. I promised myself an early night so I could be up for 6 and run then. I can't believe that this seems to be it for the season, it was only last week that Tay and I was running last week at 9pm and there was still light :(.

Calorie Intake: 1520
Calories Burned: 0
Net Calories: 1520

Posted by Tawny at 9:09 PM | | Comments

Saturday, August 26, 2006

A Little Running, A Litte Swinging and Beer to Finish the Day :)

Workout (Cardio and Whatever Swinging is Considered)

Walking (Warmup): 5 minutes
Running: 30 minutes / 5.12 km / HR: 170ish-180ish
Walking (Cooldown): 5 minutes

Went for speed today rather than distance, (I'm going to start considering these days 'sprint' days for lack of a better word and the distance days 'enduro' days) and while we started off fast, we slowed down considerably but still did just over 5km in 30 minutes. I suppose that's my only goal during a sprint is to hit at least 5km in the 30 minutes that we're running, as well as to keep my heart rate up although I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get a reading on my heart when I'm running fast. I don't know if it's because my heart is beating so fast or just because my fingers on the pulse points are less steady, but either way, it's really starting to annoy me. I do know that my HR was higher than normally and probably in the range it should be when we're working harder. Slowed down towards the end of the run because Tay was suffering from some pain in his side but we still managed to hit our target.

I noticed at the end of the run that the sorest part of me was through my abs, and I'm wondering if all the training in BP to constantly keep our core strong is carrying over into my running, in which case, it should definitely work to my advantage and help alleviate any stress on my back.

Driving Range:
45 minutes ~

I promised that I'd practice and so we did - but I'm quickly discovering that learning to swing properly is HARD - there's lots of things to remember all at once and I've never been one to focus on why something works I just want to DO it. It's why I've always been a mediocre pool player because I just don't care about the physics, I just want to hit the ball and sink it in the pocket. I'm trying to not be like that with golf, I do want to understand the different aspects of a swing and why they're important, but honestly, I just want to get that ball flying through the air.

Fruli!
We went by Rogers to pick up some flicks and as we pulled in I spotted the Beer Store and figured if anyplace would carry Fruli (LCBO doesn't) then this would be the place. Went in and sure enough, even though they didn't sell it by the case, they had bottles sitting all nice and cold so I grabbed six and after we got home from the driving range I drank two (and another one after dinner) and ate a bunch of doritos. My drinking beer (even if it is strawberry fruit beer) is definitely out of character for me and I threatened Tay that I might have to put on a wife beater and sit with my pants undone. He asked me if I was also planning on belching and I considered it briefly before primly declining to grant THAT request.



Calorie Intake: 1990
Calories Burned: 400?
Calories Net: 1590

Posted by Tawny at 7:40 AM | | Comments

Friday, August 25, 2006

Starting to Burn Out

Definitely in work, but possibly in exercise as well. I'm definitely feeling tired and in a way, am looking forward to my surgery and having at least a week where I won't be allowed to exercise (I figure by week 2 I should be ok to get back to yoga and BP).

Calorie Intake: 1437
Calories Burned: 0
Calories Net: 1437

Posted by Tawny at 7:36 PM | | Comments

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Our Golf Pro is Named Roy and Wears Black Knee Socks

Workout (Weights and...Swinging?)

Body Pump: 7:30am-8:30am
Chatted with Instructor J after class about my current running schedule and if I should be maybe decreasing my weights (at least the lower body tracks) considering how much running I have been doing. He suggested that I could go lower, but unless I'm doing a crazy, dangerous amount of weight, it's probably not something to worry too much about because the more I do it, the more my body will realize that I need to adjust. He did suggest though that on days when I run and THEN do BP I might want to decrease as my legs will probably need the break. He also recommended that since I'm doing so much lower body work through running that this would be the perfect time to increase my upper body weights so that I'm strengthening both areas. There's a new release in early September, my plan is to increase upper body weights at that point.

Golfing/Swinging: 7:00pm-7:40pm
In an effort to improve his swing and to teach me HOW to swing, Tay has arranged for golf lessons at our local driving range. We spent a little more than half an hour with Roy - I was positioned in front of a tee and told to keep my feet together, my knees slightly bent, my chin out and then given a club to swing back and forth. I was only allowed to half swing and the result was a hammering like motion that sometimes sent the ball arcing off with the rest of the golf balls but mostly sent the ball bouncing along the grass.

Roy referred to me as young lady all night and complimented me on my progress, claiming that a lot of women don't even manage to hit the ball. He also seemed impressed by my determination to keep practicing and kept rolling golf balls my way so that I could hit, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him that continuous movement was the only way I could ignore the fact that it was cold and I was freezing in my pink golf/polo type shirt and shorts.

I did feel like I learned something however and was comfortable with the club and the way Roy had me swinging. Even went so far as telling Tay that I would join him on the weekend to practice what I learned. I might become a Stepford wife yet :).

Calorie Intake: 2035
Calories Burned: 400
Calories Net: 1635

Posted by Tawny at 8:14 PM | | Comments

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Kicking and Screaming (Almost)

Workout (Stretch and Cardio)

BodyFlow: 12:15pm-1:15pm
We did some new poses in BodyFlow that I'd never done before and for most of the class, whenever she optioned an advanced move, I was able to get into it. I'm definitely getting better and better at BodyFlow and the instructor (whom I love, she has this beautiful red curly hair that sometimes falls out of the knot she twists it in) is starting to get to know me which helps. I think it's fantastic that all the instructors are getting to know me and stopping to chat with me after class because it's definitely good motivation - it means that I'm a familiar face and a regular which means I'm being consistent in my workouts :). The cool thing though is when the instructors stop and chat with me it's not usually about the class but more of a socializing thing - both the BP and BF instructors this week had to ask me about my hair and comment on how much they liked it, how much I have, etc. It's almost like having new friends! :)

Running: 9pm-10pm
Walk (Warmup): 5 minutes
Running: 45 minutes / 6.3km / HR: 152-162
Walking (Cooldown): 7 minutes

By 9pm I was snuggled into the corner of the couch and dozing through the end of the Actor's Studio with running the farthest thing from my mind. Fortunately, while I'm a talker (had talked constantly about running during the day), Tay's a doer and he got me up off the couch and into my workout clothes. I'd been chilly all day and didn't much want to venture out into the cool night air, but I conceded by wearing by running suit (jacket with shorts). I had reservations when we first started to run - my left ankle was bothering me, but 10 minutes into the run I didn't really notice it and 20 minutes in I had all but forgotten about it.

We ran for 45 minutes which worked out to about 6.3km but my heart rate stayed below 170 which is where I wanted it to be (from what I can tell, it capped at 162 which I'm happy with).

Next few days are as follows: BP on Thursday am and then next run (probably Friday am) should be a recovery run - so a slow, steady 30 minute run with maybe a harder run Saturday am and then another recovery run on Sunday, followed perhaps by BP :).

Calorie Intake: 2117
Calories Burned: 550~
Calories Net: 1567

Posted by Tawny at 10:35 PM | | Comments

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Running = Quality Time

Workout (Cardio and Weights)

Cardio
Walking (Warmup): 5 minutes
Running Intervaled with Walking: 55 minutes / HR: Low 170s

Total Distance: 7.4 km

AL and I acknowledged during our run how nice it was to get out and go for a run because of the quality time that we get to spend together. We went out earlier than normal and had more time, so we ended up going farther then we normally would - headed west along Queen until Strachan and then down to the lake. We took longer walking breaks then normal but neither one of us seemed bothered (probably 2 5-minute breaks) because again we were too busy chatting - it was also tough weather to run in, the sun was out and it was hot - probably high 20s at the very least.

I was reading on the Running for Fitness site about various training zones and heart rates and their recommendation is to do at least one long, slow run per week and once a week do a run at a lactate pace (which means you're running faster with a higher heart rate? I guess?) and then to do recovery runs for the days after your long runs and/or fast runs. Tay and I have talked about alternating fast runs with long runs, but I think that's going to mean 1 fast run per week and then 2 long runs and then my other runs (whether they be with AL or on the treadmill) can be recovery runs. It'll take the pressure off to go faster and or longer, and still give us the oxygen needed to chat incessantly with each other. My next scheduled run is Wednesday night with Tay - it'll be a long run so I'll be watching my HR and trying to make sure it doesn't creep above 170.

BodyPump
5:30pm-6:30pm

Instructor B walked into the crowded studio and zereod in on me right away, demanding to know where I've been. I've been missing her morning classes because I've been coming with AL in the evenings and when I said that I was doing Mondays and Wednesdays for a while, B gave me an insulted look. I quickly had to reassure her that her class is much better and that I would be back next week - that seemed to make her happy and we chatted a bit after class. I love it when your instructor is friendly with you - definitely makes the class more enjoyable and makes you feel special :).

Calorie Intake: 2298
Calories Burned: 800
Calories Net: 1498

Posted by Tawny at 10:45 PM | | Comments

Sunday, August 20, 2006

5.2km in 30 Minutes

Workout (Cardio)
Walking(Warmup): 5 minutes
Running: 30 minutes / 5.2km / HR: 169-188 (179 Avg)
Walking (Cooldown): 10 minutes

Went for speed rather than distance - when I gave Tay the 30 second warning to start running he wasn't quite ready with his mp3 player but I took off anyway and went fast - tried to see how far I could get before Tay caught me and it wasn't very far at all - maybe 1/2 a km. It's a good thing he wasn't a creepy stalker type guy chasing me down or I'd be left for dead in the field next to where he finally caught up with me :).

My HR was much too high during the entire run - it was high 170s when I was pushing myself, but a couple of times I got it to drop to the low 170s-high 160s. It peaked at 188 when we were approaching an intersection and I wanted to catch the light so we could run on the otherside of the neighborhood and the don't walk sign started to flash just before we hit the sidewalk. We pushed it though and flew through the intersection and I wasn't surprised at all to see that my HR had gone up way too much.

It worked itself out though, and although we were both exhausted when we finished running, we'd managed to do more than 5km in 30 minutes - which was my goal at the beginning of the summer.

I think we're going to start alternating our runs between distance and speed - I run on Tuesday with AL but that's more of a leisurely chat-while-we-run/less-pressure type of deal so Wednesday's run with Tay will be for distance - I think we'll try and do 45 minutes again but at a slower pace.

Calorie Intake: 2231
Calories Burned: 300
Calories Net: 1931

Posted by Tawny at 8:33 PM | | Comments

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Stupid Humidity

Workout (Cardio)
Walking (Warmup): 5 minutes
Running: 15 minutes
Walking: 25 minutes

The humidity made the running portion brutal - I couldn't breathe properly and the air was heavy, 15 minutes into the run I'd had enough. I guess I'm getting used to either the cooler weather at night, or the climate inside the gym because runs late in the morning under the sun and with humidity bearing down on you are just not worth it. There's not a lot of fun in running when feeling like you're going to puke makes you want to stop.

We kept walking after we stopped running though, and stayed out for 45 minutes - burned 350 calories (probably because my HR was in a better zone walking then running - I need to work on keeping my HR down when I run) so it wasn't a TOTAL write off, but I still wasn't please that I had to give up so easily.

Calorie Intake: 2172
Calories Burned: 350
Calories Net: 1822

Posted by Tawny at 8:22 PM | | Comments

Friday, August 18, 2006

Shopping DOES Burn Calories

It's a bit of a stretch, but it was a LONG day and an even longer week.

Calorie Intake: 1814
Calories Burned: 200
Calories Net: 1614

Posted by Tawny at 8:31 AM | | Comments

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Longest, Farthest

Workout (Cardio)
Walking (Warmup): 5 minutes
Running: 45 minutes / 6.6km / HR: 150-169
Walking (Cooldown): 5 minutes

After working an 11 hour day I still wanted to run when I got home from work so I drank some Gatorade, threw on my running clothes and Tay and I hit the pavement. It was dark by that time and the air was cool - it was a preview of runs to come where pants and long sleeved shirts would be needed. We took a different route then normal and my goal was to just run - I didn't care about speed, nor distance, I was just happy to be out and even though I knew I was running slower than normal, I figured I could make up for it in distance.

We ran the farthest I've ever run outdoors and the longest without stopping - 45 minutes and 6.6 km. My 5km was too slow - at the 30 minute mark we'd only gone 4.5km but I did my best to ignore that - and instead am pleased with myself for breaking my personal records.

Longest, farthest.

Calorie Intake: 2048
Calories Burned: 450
Calories Net: 1598

Posted by Tawny at 10:58 PM | | Comments

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Blowing Off Steam

I flew out of a 5pm meeting in probably one of the worst moods AL has seen me in and when she asked if I still wanted to workout, I indicated that I couldn't NOT work out - more than anything I needed to run and go to BP if only to blow off some steam. AL was very quick to agree with me :).

Workout (Cardio and Weights)
Running: 35 minutes? Didn't really track our route or my HR - we just ran and chatted and vented. We didn't purposely stop running at any point except for traffic lights which was good - but it was a bit of a frustrating run though because there were lots of people out on the sidewalks and we had to do a lot of dodging and moving from the sidewalk onto the street and then back up again to avoid people.

BodyPump: 6:30pm-7:30pm
AL and I both decided that we don't much like the instructor that teaches the class - she's not a very strong instructor and wasn't very enthused - her sets were sloppy and she seemed more interested in how she was looking in the mirror than the rest of the class. At the beginning of the class AL mentioned to me that we didn't have to stay for the class if I didn't want to, but I insisted on staying, saying that BP makes me happy. It really does, it's almost been a year since I started going and I STILL love it. Even when the instructors aren't so good.

Calorie Intake: 1799
Calories Burned: 700
Calories Net: 1099

Posted by Tawny at 2:46 PM | | Comments

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Just Yoga

And it was only a 30 minute class because the instructor ran late so I only burned around 100 calories, but better than nothing and considering that I doubled up Monday with plans to double up Wednesday, a day with just yoga sounded just fine to me.

Calorie Intake: 1778
Calories Burned: 100
Calories Net: 1678

Posted by Tawny at 6:14 PM | | Comments

Monday, August 14, 2006

Going Through Twice the Workout Clothes

Workout (Cardio & Weights)

Cardio:
Walk (Warmup): 5 minutes
Running: 45 minutes / 6.6km / HR: Between 153-173 / Incline 1%/30 minutes, .5%/10 minutes, 0%/ 5minutes / Speed: 5.5/30minutes / 5.3 15 minutes
Walk: 2 minutes

It's interesting - I can run faster outdoors but can run for longer indoors. I would think that I would also be running faster on the treadmill but that's not the case - maybe it's the incline that's affecting my speed in which case, running on a treadmill on an incline should prove to be helpful in the winter when the weather's poor and I can't run. Should keep me prepped during the colder months and help make the transition back intooutdoor running in the spring easier (I'm hoping to get my incline up to a steady 3%?). I think I could be running at a faster speed on the treadmill, because sometimes my front brushes against the handrest on the treadmill, but I'm still thinking my HR is a little too high - I'd like to see it not creep past the low 160s and I figure if I run faster, it's just going to raise my HR so I'll keep taking it slow. Right now (while I'm on the treadmill) I'd rather build up my endurance so I can run longer and maybe I can transfer that training to when I'm running outdoors and use it to pick up my speed. Either way, I've been averaging runs that are 5-6km this week (both indoors and out) which is still my goal to begin my mileage training program at the end of august so I can do the marathon next May.

Weights
Body Pump was HARD after the run - I brought a change of clothes for the class and 10 minutes in my other workout top was drenched. My hair was damp, my face was flushed, I'm sure the rest of the pple in the class think I'm a crazy-workout-gal but I made it through the class and felt super-good afterwards, and maybe only a little sore. Or maybe a lot :). But it still felt good and was definitely challenging. AND I burned 800 calories :).

Calorie Intake: 2241
Calories Burned: ~800
Calories Net: 1441

Posted by Tawny at 2:28 PM | | Comments

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Fun at the Grocery Store

After spending a couple of weeks monitoring my food over at fitday, I've been a lot more conscious of the things I eat and the where my excess/lack is in regards to my daily diet. I know with all my running and Body Pump classes I need to be eating more protein, so I spent a lot of time in Loblaws chosing different foods that I could snack on during the week. Stocked up on little flavored tins of tuna (Jody got me curious about them when I was in Hlfx), and some Hershey SmartZone bars (on sale and each one has 15grams of protein) plus bought some more bananas, some frozen yogurt and TWO boxes of cereal (Berry Burst Cheerios and Special K Vanilla Almond). Also bought a bag of baked Tostitos instead of the normal ones I buy, and when I eat them with this really hot 'authentic' mexican salsa I've been favoring, you can hardly tell the chips have very little taste :). Pretzels are another snack alternative, and I bought some kiwi fruit too. I haven't had this much fun in a grocery store in a long time, and now, when I go to the fridge to find something to eat, it's less of a challenge and a lot more fun :).

Workout (Cardio)
Walking (Warmup): 5 minutes
Running: 30 minutes / Distance: 5km / HR: Between 160-180
Walking (Cooldown): 7 minutes

Despite racing all day, Tay joined me for a run after dinner - we went out at 9pm and the temperature was pleasantly comfortable. There's something I love about running at night, when everything's a lot less quiet and there's less cars on the road - more often then not, traffic lights work in your favor and there's less cars when you're running across crosswalks. Tay started to outpace me at the beginning of the run and I debated speeding up to try and keep up but decided to keep my own pace, conscious of the hamstring I pulled a couple of weeks ago by pushing myself too hard. It was a good pace though and I finally signalled to Tay that I was going to stop once we hit the 30 minute mark - I probably could have gone longer but I was getting tired and I knew that I'd be doubling up at the gym again on Monday (as well as having done so on Saturday) so I figured I shouldn't push it. When we got home I mapped out our route on Gmaps and saw that we'd done 6km total, with almost a 5km run (4.89km). I was a little disappointed because I had hoped we'd run farther, but 4.89km in 30 minutes is VERY close to my 5km in 30 minute goal so I'll be happy with that.

Calories Intake: 1723
Calories Burned: 385
Calorie Net: 1338

Posted by Tawny at 10:08 PM | | Comments

Saturday, August 12, 2006

It's A Very Good Thing That I Doubled Up

Workout (Running and Weights)
Warmup (Walk): 5 minutes
Running: 20 minutes
Walk: 5 minutes
Running: 20 minutes

It's hard for me to track my stats when I'm out running with AL because we spend so much time chatting that I forget about stats other than for how long we've been running. I think my HR stuck between 160 and 170 which is normal for me lately, and according to Gmaps our route was 5.7 km and can be found here.

AL and I can be such girls when it comes to running, or at least I can be, because I asked AL what she would be wearing to run (the weather was beautiful yesterday, sunny, but the temperature was only at 12 degrees) and AL said that she'd most likely wear shorts but a t-shirt rather than her customary tank. A few minutes after we got off the phone, it rang again, and it was AL informing me that she might be wearing pants instead of shorts - I heard Steve in the background asking her if she was really on the phone with me telling me about the wardrobe change and then AL's reply, which was if she wore pants and I showed up in shorts, that I would absolutely FREAK out. I can admit to having (or had) a bit of a shorts/leg issue and used to HATE wearing shorts mostly because I thought my legs looked short and stubby but now think it was related to wearing too big shorts that didn't fit me properly - I now quite enjoy wearing the new Lulu shorts I bought a couple of weeks ago, but it was a good thing for AL to consider my shortsphobia.

The run was great, the weather was perfect, I felt like we could have kept going (despite having to take a 5 minute break) but we had a BP class to get to, so we cut it short and hit the gym instead.

Tracked my HR during BP and saw that it varied considerably depending on the track that we did - it was anywhere from mid-120s to mid-150s which seems to be a good range to be in. The instructor (J) did another release which was fast paced and more difficult then the release we'd been doing so I sweated through it, which was great - by the end of the class, and including the run, I'd been working out for 2 hours and had burned 850 calories.

Calories Intake: 2977*
Calories Burned: 850
Calorie Net: 2127

*Had friends over for dinner and snacking on bratwurst fried in beer, guacamole and chips and dip PLUS a really big strawberry daiquiri and later a glass of wine maybe had something to do with my high calorie intake ;). Thank god I worked out for two hours and therefore brought my net calories down to just over 2100. The day was still too high though - it's a good thing we don't entertain every night :).

Posted by Tawny at 11:58 PM | | Comments

Friday, August 11, 2006

Possible New Strategy

I decided that I really, really liked doubling up my workout on Wednesday night when I ran and then did BP - the benefits of doubling up were great and the idea of combining two days of working out into one session seemed genius to me - after the class on Wednesday AL and I decided that we'd do the same thing on Saturday morning - so we've made plans to run and then hit BP tomorrow morning.

I spoke with Ted about the idea of doubling up and if he had any cautionary advice to give, but he totally encouraged it - and mentioned something that I didn't consider - if I'm going to run before BP, then my muscles will be nice and warm and I'm less likely to hurt myself during a BP class.

So I have to figure out now how to do the two back to back while still getting in some runs with Tay and AL (who won't always be able to join me for a BP class unfortunately.

Saturday or Sunday is doable, since there's BP classes both mornings and I can run on the treadmill before hand (or maybe AL can meet me before my class and we can run outdoors), and then the other weekend day Tay and I can run. My usual Tuesday or Thursday BP class might a little hard since the class is at 7:30 and I'd have to be on the treadmill by 6:30, which means leaving the house by at least 6 if not a little before. Yikes, might be hard. But I really, really, like those classes so I would hate to give them up. BUT one of the reasons that I like the Tuesday morning BP is because it's instructor B, and I *think* she does both the Tuesday night class and the Thursday night class - definitely the Thursday night class for sure.

So.

I could try doubling up on Tuesday am, and could try doubling up Thursday am with Thursday evening as a back up and then there'd be the weekend option as well.

As of now, I could probably pull off the following and be able to tweak it slightly on the Thursday nights when I have meetings:

Sunday: Run (Outdoors)
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Run (6:30am), BP (7:30am)
Wednesday: Run (Outdoors)
Thursday: Run (6:30am), BP (7:30am)
Friday: Off
Saturday: Run (9:30am), BP (10:30am)

With the option to skip either Thursday or Saturday if I'm tired, something like that should work. Plus it gives me a possible 5-run week which would be ideal AND I would be totally optimizing my BP classes. I'm going to give it a try, starting tomorrow!

(PS. My throat is still sore, so I didn't get to the gym for my run today :( ).

Posted by Tawny at 12:44 PM | | Comments

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Slacker

My PLAN was to go for a run with Tay after dinner but my throat/chest had been bothering me all day - I've developed this really dry cough and my throat is scratchy and there were moments during my meeting yesterday where I found it hard to breathe - I wondered if it was the air quality in the building I was in, and I did find it easier to breathe once I got back outside but I'm still coughing and my throat is still sore, so instead of going out for a run at 9 I decide instead to pack my food for the next day, update my fitday journal and get to bed early. I was in bed just after 10 - which is unusual for me during the work week.

Plan instead was to get up at 6:30 and get to the gym for a run before work, but decided that if my throat was still bothering me I wouldn't go - I've read before that you can run if you're congested or simply have a headcold because the running will help loosen all that icky stuff up but that you should be careful about running with a sore throat. Hope it goes away soon.

Calorie Intake: 2119
Calories Burned: 0
Calorie Net: 2119

Posted by Tawny at 10:12 AM | | Comments

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Validation

Workout (Cardio & Weights)

Walking: 5 minutes
Running: 40 minutes / HR: ~170 / Incline: 1%/20min, .5%/10 min / Speed: 5.5/20min, 5.3/10min / Distance: 3.65 miles (5.9km)
Walking(Cooldown): 2 minutes

Body Pump: 6:30pm-7:30pm

My run got off to a slow start when two minutes into my warmup I realized that I was wearing my shorts inside out - I probably should have kept going and not cared but I figured I looked pretty silly so I hopped off the treadmill and run upstairs to turn them rightside out and hopped back on. I've started to set the treadmill on an incline to make it a little bit more comparable to running outdoors - 1% isn't much, but I figure it's a start and I can work my way up. I also ran slower than normal because I knew I would be following my run with a BP class so I didn't want to overdo it - plus I was aiming at running 45 minutes so I was going for distance not speed for this particular run.

It was a tiny bit more challenging to run with the slight incline but 40 minutes was still fairly easy and I only cut my run short cause I was a little late getting on the treadmill and then AL showed up for the BP class so I figured I'd rather spend the extra 5 minutes chatting with her then on the treadmill. Still, in the 40 minutes I ran I did almost 6km, which I was pleased with and my hamstring was only hurting very slightly - I think it's almost better which is good news :).

I really liked the idea of running before BP because it meant two things - I was already fairly warmed up when I started the class and my heart rate was in a higher range so I think as a result I burned more calories - between my run and BP I burned about 800 calories. I was coated in a sheen of sweat for the entire class, but it felt really good after not having worked out since Friday's run in Halifax and as always, BPing with AL is lots of fun because we chat between tracks (actually we chat before class, during class and usually for a long time after class, it's great!). My weights are also good right now - it was difficult when I first increased them, but now, while it's still challenging, it's manageable. It's great!

As for the validation - I complained to AL a couple of weeks ago that I couldn't do tricep pushups no matter how hard I tried and I wondered if it was because of the size of my chest - I thought maybe that could be the reason why I could keep my arms in at my sides and do pushups. AL scoffed at me and doubted that could be the reason, but after we finished our tricep pushups in BP, she mentioned to me that maybe I should be doing tricep dips like another girl in the class was doing because she was comparing our forms I guess and saw that maybe the size of my chest was in fact preventing me from doing the pushups properly.

Of course, she quickly added that she doesn't feel bad for me, but I think she should because honestly, it's not fun (especially when you're running). But I digress.

Calorie Intake: 2145
Calories Burned: ~800
Calories Net: 1345

Posted by Tawny at 10:45 PM | | Comments

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Good Intentions But Not Much Common Sense

I had planned to go for a run on Sunday and the Body Bar class on Monday but being out in the sun all day Saturday left me with a very bad sunburn on my back, chest and upper legs. I did put on sunscreen but not until it was MUCH too late (kept getting distracted with my camera), so I spent Sunday and Monday in just a Lulu tank and baggy scrub like pants - went to the beach on Sunday with Tay's family but spent most of the afternoon sleeping under the umbrella minus a few cautious excursions out from beneath it to play with the dogs in the water's edge and a walk up the beach with Tay.

I convinced myself that I could go to BodyBar Monday but Sunday night I realized that with the burn on my back and on my thighs, it was going to be hard to do anything like dead rows, chest presses, or squats. Monday morning when I bailed on the class, Tay asked me if I wanted to try for a run instead and as much as I wanted to go, the thought of putting on my sports bra made me wince from the thought of the pain that it'd inflict.

So Sunday and Monday was a write off because of the burn, with the exception of a 10 minute hike into the woods to the lake, a half hour of swimming/splashing around and then the hike back out. I'd work out today, but after getting up at 5 to fly back from Halifax, and then sitting on the runway for an hour while we waited for a storm to pass and then coming to work very late, and then having to stay late this evening to make up for this morning and then having to rush to a BOD meeting outside the city...I don't see working out happening.

Grrr.

Tomorrow though. For sure.

Posted by Tawny at 9:31 PM | | Comments

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Has To Count For Something

We'd made plans to hit the beach Saturday and I had wanted to get up early Saturday morning to go for a run prior but overslept - I don't know if my crazy work/workout schedule had finally caught up to me, or if it was just the somewhat sleepless night from Thursday night but I slept long and hard Friday night and it was 10 am by the time I got up. By 11 the sun was coming out and by 12, a whole crew of us were piled in my mother's mini van to go to the beach.

No run, but climbing over the rocks with the Connor, Alex and Stacy to take photos has to count for something, and diving off the rock into the icy cold Atlantic after the boys called me on my dare has to count too. Plus there was the swimming in the ocean after the boys' tennis ball had gone to far out and of course there was the half and hour or so of dancing that Stacy and I got in when we went downtown later that night.

So rock climbing and swimming equals doing weights, dancing equals cardio and sprawling on the sand under the sun must equal stretching (I did stretch out after all :).

A full day of working out for sure :).

Posted by Tawny at 10:22 PM | | Comments

Friday, August 04, 2006

Workout (Cardio)

Walking: 5 minutes
Running: 30 minutes / Speed: 5.3 / Incline: 1% / HR: 150-160
Cooldown: 5 minutes

Tay and I got up early Friday morning after not landing in Halifax until close to midnight Thursday night and not getting to bed till almost 2 - we met my mother at the gym where she works and by 9:30 we were on the treadmill running. My leg was still bothering me slightly so again I didn't push it, kept it at a slow pace, which kept my heartrate in a good zone and again the 30 minutes was easy to do. Not minding the treadmill so much when there's humidity to contend with - at least with the treadmill as an option I'm not wishing away the summer months. Looking forward to upping the times on my run.

Found out that there was a "Body Bar" class at the gym on Monday, which I've been told is similiar to BP, so made plans to try and make the class with whomever in my family wanted to join me.

Posted by Tawny at 9:17 PM | | Comments

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Workout (Weights)

BodyPump: 7:30am-8:30am

I truly like the morning classes so much better than the lunch hour/evening classes. I had two very long days last week (12 hours both Tuesday and Wednesday) and I was going to have a long day Thursday (flying to Halifax that night) but I wasn't sure how much working out I'd get in while away for the long weekend so I forced myself to get to the gym.

Class was good of course :). Rebecca has been MIA this summer as her work schedule conflicts a bit with the class, so I miss the company during the class, but as I get to know more of the regulars, it's not so bad :).

Posted by Tawny at 9:13 AM | | Comments

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Workout (Cardio)

Warmup: 5 minutes
Running: 30 minutes / Speed:5.3 / HR: 150-160
Cooldown: 10 minutes

I was apprehensive getting on the treadmill because of my strained hamstring, but knowing that I should be fine as long as I took it easy, I headed over to the gym for a run between meetings. They all thought I was crazy as I left the office - the heat was making everyone lethargic and we'd all be in a press meeting for the afternoon but I figured if anything, the cold shower after the run would help wake me up at the very least.

Got on the treadmill and set the speed for lower than I normally run (trying lately to keep it at 5.7/5.8 but set it at 5.3) and it wasn't until 20 minutes into the run that I noticed that the treadmill was set at a .6 degree incline - not a lot, but a little. Enough that when I decreased the incline to zero I noticed the difference. My leg was a little sore while I ran but not enough to make me want to stop and I noticed at the end of the 30 minutes how effortless it seemed to go that long. Granted I was only going slightly faster than a jog, but it's the time that counts and it's what impresed me :). I remember before thinking that an hour run seemed impossible, but now that I've managed 40 minutes at least once, and 30 minutes seems easy, 60 minutes definitely seems within reach :).

Posted by Tawny at 9:03 PM | | Comments

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Workout (Stretch)

Yoga: 12:10pm - 1:00pm

Looks like I strained my hamstring running Monday night - up through the back of my leg above my knee has been hurting when I walk. Talked to Ted about it today and he said it's not something to worry too much about - I guess pain in the front of your knee or in your groin is when you have to be concerned. I asked him if he thought I'd be okay doing yoga today and going for a run tomorrow and he said as long as I take it easy.

I'm pretty much hating work right now - could easily have used a run around 5pm today but had to prepare for my other meeting, and have a feeling after I sit in on a press conference tomorrow afternoon, I'll be ready to run for sure. The challenge will be taking it easy, which I won't want to do, especially when I know the alternative to getting off the treadmill will be to go back to work for a 6:30 meeting.

Suckage.

Calories Consumed:2112
Calories Burned (During Yoga): ~160
Calories Net: 1957

Posted by Tawny at 9:07 PM | | Comments


* Kill Bill:Vol 1 (2003)

Search


Weighing In

  • Current Body Fat: 24.3%

  • Body Fat Goal: 20.0%

  • Current BMI: 22.5

  • BMI Goal: 21

  • Current Weight: 148lbs

  • Weight Goal: 140lbs

    •

Working Out

  • Monday: Running, 30-45min

  • Tuesday: Body Pump, 1Hr, Running, 30-45min

  • Wednesday: BodyFlow, 1Hr

  • Thursday: Body Pump, 1Hr

  • Friday: Running, 35-45min

  • Saturday: Running, 35-45

  • Sunday: Rest

Resources

Last posts

Archives

Subscribe to this blog's feed
[What is this?]

Site Meter
Powered by Blogger
& Blogger Templates