Day 26, Playtime

Today was Date Day with the older munchkins while littlest stayed home with Daddy. We went to Pump It Up, which is a bunch of inflated bounce houses, obstacle courses, climbing towers, rock climbing walls, etc. They encourage the parents to play with their kids (unlike Monkey Joe's, which doesn't allow adults on the play centers).

I spent two fun-filled hours bouncing, climbing, sliding, and yes, getting some exercise! My favorite was this tower that was divided into levels with crisscrossed elastic bands. You had to climb up and through each level to reach the top, and then take a huge slide down. Munchkin #2 and I must have climbed it at least a half dozen times!

Here are two pictures, one of the tower, and the other of the view down from the top level:

Day 25, Pyramids

It was weight lifting day, and according to my trainer, we did pyramids. :) A set of high reps (20) with a moderate weight, followed by a set of low reps (10) with a higher weight, in a circuit of 2-3 exercises. We did mostly legs and back with some arms in functional exercises (using the whole body).

Seems more like a zig-zag than a pyramid, but I was exhausted and sweaty, so it worked.

Day 24, Dragging

As in, "I'm dragging my butt to the gym, when I'd rather drag it back to bed."  Running on 4.5 hours of sleep and a pot of coffee.....

However, after years and years and years, I've gotten used to no sleep. I managed to do the 2.2 run/walk I was aiming for in 27 minutes. I ran at 5.5 mph, and when I did walk here and there, it was at 4.0 mph.

After that I did triceps (35 and 40 lbs, 10 reps each weight for 3 sets), biceps (same routine but with 40 and 45 lbs), and plank pull-overs (abs).

The littlest munchkin is taking a rare nap right now, so I'm debating on dishes, laundry, or a nap too...

I think the nap wins.

Day 23, Recovering

I usually run on Tuesdays and take Wednesdays off, but since I was so sore yesterday I decided to take today off to give my legs a rest. Well, as much rest as possible with working 9 hours this evening...

A friend of mine on Facebook suggested an article about running and training, which turned out very informative. A Fundamental Foundation. I really liked, "As a general guideline, most runners can handle an increase in mileage of 10 to 15 percent every two to three weeks." Since I'm comfortably running about 2 miles, I'm going to aim to increase my distance by 10-15% every 2 weeks and not focus on my times yet.

My lovely sister also told me about "bricks", which I'll eventually need to start doing too. Basically, its running after biking, and so named because your legs feel like bricks. LOL! Fun fun fun.

Facebook official!

Yes, this blog is no longer being written on the "down low." I posted it on the almighty Facebook. Please, be kind. ;)

Happy running!

Day 22, Challenging

I've been training for three full weeks already! Wow!

Today's run was tough. My legs are so sore, every step was an effort. I was going to push myself, but then I figured there's no need to risk an injury this early into training.

I wonder if I need to adjust my workouts now that I'm consistently running 2 miles a day plus 2-4 miles biking. Either alternate running and biking, or mixing up the distances, or more days off to recover. And I still need to work swimming into my schedule. Lessons are scheduled to start this week, so I need to pick a place ASAP.

Today I did a short 0.84 mile run in just under 10 minutes, followed by the full 6.2 mile/10k bike in 21:50 (on level 8).

I saw this picture on Facebook, and it was encouraging.

Happy Monday!

Day 21, Burning

The Burn!

Nope, not my muscles. Not my lungs. No, this burn was worse. It was Heartburn. While running. I nearly died.

Today's lesson: Do not eat spicy salsa before doing cardio. Ouch.

Aside from that it was an OK day at the gym. My sprint time was a little faster, but my motivation was really low today. I just couldn't get into the "rhythm of running." I watched the treadmill dashboard constantly: Has it been 1.55 yet? OMG, its only been 7 minutes?! I'm not going to make it! Ok, now I'm at a mile.... I can do a little more...

- 1.55 mile run in 17:29, about 5.6 mph
- 2 mile total in 22:50, a little bit faster
- Bike, level 8, 2 miles in 7:30

I should have biked more, I can and usually do. Tomorrow I'll have to make up for it by doing at least 5 miles on the bike after running. Heck, how about I aim for all 6.2 again? Just kidding.... April Fools. ;) Tomorrow is a running day.