Check out A through C, D through G and H through M.
Nichole's Running Blog A local runner who is in the process of turning pro with Brooks which makes many of my favorite shoes. It's interesting to hear about super intense training (100 miles weeks?!?) and what it's really like to become a professional runner. (How many pairs of shoes do you really get?)
OpenForum - A whole bunch of business articles from American Express. I skip most of them but there are a few that really appeal to me, like how be a good manager and harness the power of introverts. Leave me alone!
Passive Aggressive Notes is a great time killer and source of entertainment. There's such classics as WiFi Passive Agressives and make sure your co-workers don't steal your food.
QueasyFish because WTF? I found a blog that starts with the letter Q.
Rx: IronMan Another local runner - this blog isn't updated super often (something about being a mom and responsible for the care and feeding of another human being?) but does show some local races and running routes so it's interesting to me.
29.10.12
Sunday - Long workouts
It's Sunday night. I already have a case of the Mondays. Why are Mondays the worst day ever? Even Castle Mondays don't get good until the end of the day. Sigh.
Today I woke upin a strange place at the Qat Lady's place after responsibly deciding I didn't want to drive last night. We headed over to a new breakfast place that had awesome pumpkin spice pancakes. Then I was left to my own devices for the rest of the day.
Eventually I headed over to the gym to get in some serious working out. Oy.
1-mile run: Yes, I'm still running, even on the days I'm not running. I run much faster on the track than I do outside. Like a minute per mile faster. True.
Magna workout: Torture! I completed this workout after the run (yes, including the second and third rounds of everything) then started on the *second* complete workout. Because of timing, I completed parts of it after Zumba, but I got in two complete workouts of this thing.
Zumba: The Sunday night class is much smaller and so much more white than any Zumba class I've been to at the Y. I couldn't make Saturday Zumba, as I alluded to so I really wanted to go. The class was so small I got right up front. Surprise. It was actually harder to follow the moves from the front row 'cause I could only see the instructor and no other people. Which meant if I turned to one side I couldn't see anyone. Huh. I don't know if I'll go again. I really like the big classes on Saturday and desperately want to get back to the Thursday class as well.
Today I woke up
Eventually I headed over to the gym to get in some serious working out. Oy.
1-mile run: Yes, I'm still running, even on the days I'm not running. I run much faster on the track than I do outside. Like a minute per mile faster. True.
Magna workout: Torture! I completed this workout after the run (yes, including the second and third rounds of everything) then started on the *second* complete workout. Because of timing, I completed parts of it after Zumba, but I got in two complete workouts of this thing.
- Did you know, ever since the day I bit it on my bike, tricep dips and similar exercises feel very uncomfortable on my hands? I hate them. So I used weights instead of doing dips for the second round
- Back lunges are from the devil and responsible for a serious amount of the calf pain I'm experiencing now. (I can't tell if compression sleeves are helping or increasing the pain.)
- Falling pushups are actually easier than Walkouts. Fine; have it your way.
- Decline plank toe taps - hard.
- Plank walks - I could not possibly have done those right because I thought they were easy and I'm horrible at planks.
- Clock lunges - similarly painful to back lunges. My calves will never forgive me.
Zumba: The Sunday night class is much smaller and so much more white than any Zumba class I've been to at the Y. I couldn't make Saturday Zumba, as I alluded to so I really wanted to go. The class was so small I got right up front. Surprise. It was actually harder to follow the moves from the front row 'cause I could only see the instructor and no other people. Which meant if I turned to one side I couldn't see anyone. Huh. I don't know if I'll go again. I really like the big classes on Saturday and desperately want to get back to the Thursday class as well.
What's in my blog roll? H through M
Check out Part 1 and Part 2 for the history. This is a bare section of the alphabet for blogs and other news sources. I have a couple things I read that start with H and I, but I'm not such a fan that I'm listing them. Apparently nothing starts with J or K, so if you have a blog that does you should let me know!
Lifehacker is one of the most useful websites on the planet. Want to know what computer programs you can use for free instead of Microsoft Office? What about if you have a Mac and want to know what programs for Mac have the same features as a certain program in Windows? Want to know what alarm clock works best or which online banks have the best perks? Or, would you like to know which gadgets are best for tracking fitness? So much useful stuff.
Love The Liberry - I can relate to this because I spent most of my teens and twenties working in museums, nature centers and aquariums and was asked a similar variety of questions. Ultimately, it takes all kinds.
Make It A Masterpiece - A Minnesota Runner's quest to complete the 50 States Challenge and raise money and awareness for cancer treatment (Team Continuum and Tackle Cancer). I like to read the race reports so I can pick my next race, but I also like to read the training updates because they're usually talking about lakes and trails that I know.
Mental Floss - Such a time sink. I especially love the quizzes and little games they have like "can you name this obscure character from Saved by the Bell?" (which I rocked) and "was this about training a puppy or supervising a millennial?" (which I also rocked). You can also find out random information like why elections are on Tuesdays and why college football is Saturdays and NFL football is always Sundays until the college season is over.
Lifehacker is one of the most useful websites on the planet. Want to know what computer programs you can use for free instead of Microsoft Office? What about if you have a Mac and want to know what programs for Mac have the same features as a certain program in Windows? Want to know what alarm clock works best or which online banks have the best perks? Or, would you like to know which gadgets are best for tracking fitness? So much useful stuff.
Love The Liberry - I can relate to this because I spent most of my teens and twenties working in museums, nature centers and aquariums and was asked a similar variety of questions. Ultimately, it takes all kinds.
Make It A Masterpiece - A Minnesota Runner's quest to complete the 50 States Challenge and raise money and awareness for cancer treatment (Team Continuum and Tackle Cancer). I like to read the race reports so I can pick my next race, but I also like to read the training updates because they're usually talking about lakes and trails that I know.
Mental Floss - Such a time sink. I especially love the quizzes and little games they have like "can you name this obscure character from Saved by the Bell?" (which I rocked) and "was this about training a puppy or supervising a millennial?" (which I also rocked). You can also find out random information like why elections are on Tuesdays and why college football is Saturdays and NFL football is always Sundays until the college season is over.
Why do my calves hurt after running on the elliptical?
This has been a rougher than average week. Here's how it all went down.
Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday - Hello panic attacks, my old friend. I haven't seen you this much since I started grad school. Go away. Sunday at the Corn Maze during a constant panic attack was awesome.
Monday - Starting to get some relief from the panic attacks, not gone yet. I went to the Magna challenge meeting and did a brief workout there. I did my 1-mile run in the dark when I got home.
Tuesday - Plan for managing the panic attacks: accomplished. Starting to get some relief. I did an insane track workout that night.
Wednesday - I did water running in the morning. Then boredom at work truly kicked in. Can you tell from these pictures?
I was meant to run with Team:Work at night but we called it because of the rain. So I found myself doing a 1-mile run in the rain when I got home, just to keep up the running streak.
Thursday was actually a heavier workout day than Tuesday was. My calves have not been the same since. I got up at 5:15am and headed over to the gym for some quality time on the elliptical. I would've preferred to run outside but it was still raining. I cooled down on the track.
I was at a training all day. Wearing my calf compression sleeves, which usually helps. The training was packed. It was snowing outside.
Then I headed back to the Magna challenge people and spent even more time on an elliptical as part of another workout. Ithink originally thought that's where my problems came from. Like the first time was okay but the second was a bit too much. Turns out backwards lunges and lunges in any other direction are the real culprit. Boo.
I had Thai for dinner and got the best fortune ever for the fortune cookie game.
Friday I spent most of the day hooking up a new modem/gateway for my former clinical supervisor. My thank you was an invitation to her Cape Cod cottage next summer. Hell yes I will. I didn't want to work out too hard, still thinking I was going to race the next day so I ran my mile and then walked for an hour listening to Car Talk. Nike thinks I worked out twice in a day. Whatever.
I had one of the best dinners ever - Fried plantain; lentil burgers and guacamole. Yum!
Saturday I ran the Monster Dash.
Nike thinks my workouts for the week/month look like this. You can see the big gap after the marathon, and then a bunch of shorter distance runs. Now days that don't have a Nike workout are days I was doing the elliptical which Nike doesn't understand.
Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday - Hello panic attacks, my old friend. I haven't seen you this much since I started grad school. Go away. Sunday at the Corn Maze during a constant panic attack was awesome.
Monday - Starting to get some relief from the panic attacks, not gone yet. I went to the Magna challenge meeting and did a brief workout there. I did my 1-mile run in the dark when I got home.
Tuesday - Plan for managing the panic attacks: accomplished. Starting to get some relief. I did an insane track workout that night.
Wednesday - I did water running in the morning. Then boredom at work truly kicked in. Can you tell from these pictures?
I was meant to run with Team:Work at night but we called it because of the rain. So I found myself doing a 1-mile run in the rain when I got home, just to keep up the running streak.
Thursday was actually a heavier workout day than Tuesday was. My calves have not been the same since. I got up at 5:15am and headed over to the gym for some quality time on the elliptical. I would've preferred to run outside but it was still raining. I cooled down on the track.
I was at a training all day. Wearing my calf compression sleeves, which usually helps. The training was packed. It was snowing outside.
Then I headed back to the Magna challenge people and spent even more time on an elliptical as part of another workout. I
I had Thai for dinner and got the best fortune ever for the fortune cookie game.
Friday I spent most of the day hooking up a new modem/gateway for my former clinical supervisor. My thank you was an invitation to her Cape Cod cottage next summer. Hell yes I will. I didn't want to work out too hard, still thinking I was going to race the next day so I ran my mile and then walked for an hour listening to Car Talk. Nike thinks I worked out twice in a day. Whatever.
I had one of the best dinners ever - Fried plantain; lentil burgers and guacamole. Yum!
Saturday I ran the Monster Dash.
Nike thinks my workouts for the week/month look like this. You can see the big gap after the marathon, and then a bunch of shorter distance runs. Now days that don't have a Nike workout are days I was doing the elliptical which Nike doesn't understand.
27.10.12
Monster Dash 5K - Race Report
Halloween - my definition of a useless holiday. As a kid, I wanted to be the one who got to stay home and pass out the candy and I could not wait until I was old enough to do that.
Running - the only time I will wear a costume. Although I typically wear this costume for August running, it does meet the Minnesota requirement of fitting over cold weather gear.
Monster Dash - A race I may or may not get roped into doing after an October marathon. Monster Dash has a 10-mile, Half Marathon and 5K option. The 10-mile and Half marathon course are in St Paul and the 5K course is in Minneapolis at Lake Harriet. Why don't they share courses? I expect Minneapolis won't give permits for the Monster Half anymore after this fiasco. (Really, they haven't been back since.)
I was not expecting to run the race this year but a friend had an extra bib. For free. Which resulted in an extra shirt and race entry. For free. I was still all "but I have to miss Zumba" and quite ambivalent about the whole thing. Then I thought it would be fun to try for a 5K PR and I should go. Later I realized it's a 'fun run' with no timing so no chance of PR. Sigh. Amy came to pick me up this morning and I showed her the super secret, super close parking. It was Amy's first ever race and her goal was to run the whole way.
Timing - The 5K is a fun run only. There is no timing and no race results. It seems chintzy until you show up and then you see why they made this decision. Timing and race results would've been an impossible nightmare. Also timing wasn't really needed with all the families and kids who showed up just to have fun.
Costumes - As you may have guessed I repeated as a Reno 911 cop. I was accompanied by Super-Y and Princess Pesto who are Super Readers. (If you have kids you understand.) The costumes today were very family oriented and fun, quite a different take from the Half Marathon crowd.
Course - We ran on the road around Lake Harriet. About five steps into the race I was all "I'm so glad I'm not running this for time" because it was absolutely packed. The course is on the road around Lake Harriet. The road is one traffic lane wide, sometimes with bump outs for parking and sometimes with a 3-foot bike lane. But yeah, basically there are 10,000 people running on a one-lane road. Lake Harriet is one of my favorites so I knew what to expect and enjoyed it, but it was really almost too crowded.
Dogs - One of the few races where dogs are welcome. There were a few places along the course where I was all "I smell dog poop". The dog owners all seemed responsible with their dogs in such a large crowd. I suspect anyone with a non-crowd-friendly dog just left their animal at home for this. Some dogs were in costume including a shark dog and a working dog. We lined up with a Green Dog.
Strollers - As you can see, Super Y had a running stroller. (Would a parent/runner please explain the "locking front wheel" question. This front wheel was not locked but had the option.) At the beginning Amy said I was going too fast and then was all "here, push this, it'll slow you down" which was true on the uphills but definitely not the downhills. About five seconds later Amy ran into some people she knew from a running group and stopped to talk to them. She got separated from Super-Y and I but I kept going. I was all "whatever, I have her kid, she'll find us at the end". Super-Y and I had some great conversations like "police men help keep us safe"; "those are brides, we say congratulations to them" and "Iron man is a good guy". I kept the "this stroller is heavy going up this hill" to myself.
Finish - Holly Traffic Jam Batman. The finish was crazy. Like we could barely get across the line before we were in a see of runners all waiting to get medals and food and other goodies. That's where Amy pushed back through the crowd and found us. The food bags were hit and miss, not all had the same things, some were just chips, some had cheese too, some had a banana with them. It's what I've come to expect from a Team Ortho event.
Medals - They do give out medals, the same ones as in the half-marathon. It's the only 5K I've run that gives out medals to all participants. I'm of mixed emotions about the medals. My brain is all "it's a 5K, wasn't the shirt enough?" but there were so many kids doing this race that it's fun for them to have something to take home too.
Overall this race is good for - people who want to run with their kids or people who want to run in costume but not do a half marathon or 10-miler, or people who don't care about their times and want to run on a super crowded big race.
Would I do the 5K again? Maybe if I was with a kid who was super excited to try it. Definitely would not do it for myself.
Am I glad I went? Yes, because it's super exciting to see people race for the first time. Congratulations Amy! Also, Super-Y was an excellent conversationalist and am glad he kept me company for the day.
Running - the only time I will wear a costume. Although I typically wear this costume for August running, it does meet the Minnesota requirement of fitting over cold weather gear.
Monster Dash - A race I may or may not get roped into doing after an October marathon. Monster Dash has a 10-mile, Half Marathon and 5K option. The 10-mile and Half marathon course are in St Paul and the 5K course is in Minneapolis at Lake Harriet. Why don't they share courses? I expect Minneapolis won't give permits for the Monster Half anymore after this fiasco. (Really, they haven't been back since.)
I was not expecting to run the race this year but a friend had an extra bib. For free. Which resulted in an extra shirt and race entry. For free. I was still all "but I have to miss Zumba" and quite ambivalent about the whole thing. Then I thought it would be fun to try for a 5K PR and I should go. Later I realized it's a 'fun run' with no timing so no chance of PR. Sigh. Amy came to pick me up this morning and I showed her the super secret, super close parking. It was Amy's first ever race and her goal was to run the whole way.
Timing - The 5K is a fun run only. There is no timing and no race results. It seems chintzy until you show up and then you see why they made this decision. Timing and race results would've been an impossible nightmare. Also timing wasn't really needed with all the families and kids who showed up just to have fun.
Costumes - As you may have guessed I repeated as a Reno 911 cop. I was accompanied by Super-Y and Princess Pesto who are Super Readers. (If you have kids you understand.) The costumes today were very family oriented and fun, quite a different take from the Half Marathon crowd.
Course - We ran on the road around Lake Harriet. About five steps into the race I was all "I'm so glad I'm not running this for time" because it was absolutely packed. The course is on the road around Lake Harriet. The road is one traffic lane wide, sometimes with bump outs for parking and sometimes with a 3-foot bike lane. But yeah, basically there are 10,000 people running on a one-lane road. Lake Harriet is one of my favorites so I knew what to expect and enjoyed it, but it was really almost too crowded.
Dogs - One of the few races where dogs are welcome. There were a few places along the course where I was all "I smell dog poop". The dog owners all seemed responsible with their dogs in such a large crowd. I suspect anyone with a non-crowd-friendly dog just left their animal at home for this. Some dogs were in costume including a shark dog and a working dog. We lined up with a Green Dog.
Strollers - As you can see, Super Y had a running stroller. (Would a parent/runner please explain the "locking front wheel" question. This front wheel was not locked but had the option.) At the beginning Amy said I was going too fast and then was all "here, push this, it'll slow you down" which was true on the uphills but definitely not the downhills. About five seconds later Amy ran into some people she knew from a running group and stopped to talk to them. She got separated from Super-Y and I but I kept going. I was all "whatever, I have her kid, she'll find us at the end". Super-Y and I had some great conversations like "police men help keep us safe"; "those are brides, we say congratulations to them" and "Iron man is a good guy". I kept the "this stroller is heavy going up this hill" to myself.
Finish - Holly Traffic Jam Batman. The finish was crazy. Like we could barely get across the line before we were in a see of runners all waiting to get medals and food and other goodies. That's where Amy pushed back through the crowd and found us. The food bags were hit and miss, not all had the same things, some were just chips, some had cheese too, some had a banana with them. It's what I've come to expect from a Team Ortho event.
Medals - They do give out medals, the same ones as in the half-marathon. It's the only 5K I've run that gives out medals to all participants. I'm of mixed emotions about the medals. My brain is all "it's a 5K, wasn't the shirt enough?" but there were so many kids doing this race that it's fun for them to have something to take home too.
Overall this race is good for - people who want to run with their kids or people who want to run in costume but not do a half marathon or 10-miler, or people who don't care about their times and want to run on a super crowded big race.
Would I do the 5K again? Maybe if I was with a kid who was super excited to try it. Definitely would not do it for myself.
Am I glad I went? Yes, because it's super exciting to see people race for the first time. Congratulations Amy! Also, Super-Y was an excellent conversationalist and am glad he kept me company for the day.
26.10.12
What's in my blogroll? D, E, F and G
For A through C, check out this post.
D - I have nothing that starts with the letter D that I want to admit. Someone make a recommendation.
Eat:Watch:Run is a blog I check out from time to time. I find the captions on some of the pictures to be hilarious. I also find they enhance my reading experience.
Flying with Fish is an excellent read for anyone who has ever been to an airport or on an airplane. There's some nice explanations of how things like seat upgrades work and how to cooperate with our friends in security. It's also a fairly balanced look at some of the issues facing air travel, especially TSA. The pieces don't vilify TSA unjustly but also don't give them more credit than they deserve. As someone who flies several times a year, I find it a really interesting read.
Getting Around Minneapolis I like for obvious reasons. It's not updated a ton but the posts tend to be both interesting and educational. Since I didn't grow up here, I don't always understand why things are this way up here. It's a really nice look at "this is the infrastructure we have, here's how we got it, and these are the ways we can make it even better".
GOOD Magazine I realized as I posted this, this last sight may not be as politically or socially neutral as some other sites. It does highlight some pretty creative solutions to the problems our society is facing.
D - I have nothing that starts with the letter D that I want to admit. Someone make a recommendation.
Eat:Watch:Run is a blog I check out from time to time. I find the captions on some of the pictures to be hilarious. I also find they enhance my reading experience.
Flying with Fish is an excellent read for anyone who has ever been to an airport or on an airplane. There's some nice explanations of how things like seat upgrades work and how to cooperate with our friends in security. It's also a fairly balanced look at some of the issues facing air travel, especially TSA. The pieces don't vilify TSA unjustly but also don't give them more credit than they deserve. As someone who flies several times a year, I find it a really interesting read.
Getting Around Minneapolis I like for obvious reasons. It's not updated a ton but the posts tend to be both interesting and educational. Since I didn't grow up here, I don't always understand why things are this way up here. It's a really nice look at "this is the infrastructure we have, here's how we got it, and these are the ways we can make it even better".
GOOD Magazine I realized as I posted this, this last sight may not be as politically or socially neutral as some other sites. It does highlight some pretty creative solutions to the problems our society is facing.
24.10.12
What's in my blogroll? A, B and Cs
I don't actually use blogroll of "follow" blogs. I've heard of those things but have no idea what they are or how to use them. Sorry people. I've used an RSS reader since before most people knew what they were, so when I find new blogs or other interesting sites, I always subscribe via that method. My current News reader is Google Reader which is great because I can get to it from any computer and my iPod and phone.
I have eighteen billion blogs that I love to read, as well as some other favorite websites that I look at all the time. These are listed alphabetically by first letter of the name of the site. (All the sites that are called "the XYZ" will be under T. That will be a long post.)
Ask A Manager - This is like an advice column for anyone who is working, wants to work, used to work, supervises, wants to supervise, knows someone who works or wants to supervise, etc. People write in with all kinds of stories from the relevant and useful to the hilarious to the truly bizarre, and then they get advice about how to handle these professional dilemmas. Sometimes the writer even posts follow ups so you can find out what happened to the girl whose boss was leaving toenail clippings in her desk or whatever.
Awkward Family Photos - You should know about this one already. It's not cats but it's almost as good. Sometimes I just like mindless entertainment.
Cake Wrecks is a true gem in the "LOL website" category, far outshining anything a cat could do. Some highlights include the Falker Satherhood Cake and video, The Fireman Cake and story which I still can't read without laughing 'til I cry, the literal cake and for my Kentucky people, this one needs no explanation.
Consumerist.Com seems to be the wild little brother of Consumer Reports (they are actually related) and as such, has much funnier much more relevant information to my life. There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek stories about "fast food drive through shouldn't serve shards of glass" or whatever. Once you get used to those stories, you'll find the more useful ones that actual explain things like sub-prime lending, the mortgage crisis, or why the whole T-Mobile/AT&T thing failed but why T-Mobile's latest dating game just might work out.
I have eighteen billion blogs that I love to read, as well as some other favorite websites that I look at all the time. These are listed alphabetically by first letter of the name of the site. (All the sites that are called "the XYZ" will be under T. That will be a long post.)
Ask A Manager - This is like an advice column for anyone who is working, wants to work, used to work, supervises, wants to supervise, knows someone who works or wants to supervise, etc. People write in with all kinds of stories from the relevant and useful to the hilarious to the truly bizarre, and then they get advice about how to handle these professional dilemmas. Sometimes the writer even posts follow ups so you can find out what happened to the girl whose boss was leaving toenail clippings in her desk or whatever.
Awkward Family Photos - You should know about this one already. It's not cats but it's almost as good. Sometimes I just like mindless entertainment.
Cake Wrecks is a true gem in the "LOL website" category, far outshining anything a cat could do. Some highlights include the Falker Satherhood Cake and video, The Fireman Cake and story which I still can't read without laughing 'til I cry, the literal cake and for my Kentucky people, this one needs no explanation.
Consumerist.Com seems to be the wild little brother of Consumer Reports (they are actually related) and as such, has much funnier much more relevant information to my life. There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek stories about "fast food drive through shouldn't serve shards of glass" or whatever. Once you get used to those stories, you'll find the more useful ones that actual explain things like sub-prime lending, the mortgage crisis, or why the whole T-Mobile/AT&T thing failed but why T-Mobile's latest dating game just might work out.
23.10.12
Track Workout Tuesday
I haven't been running much for some reasons that have nothing to do with fitness or recovery. We'll just leave it at that. I was finally feeling better today. It was doing this rain/mist/whatever thing outside so I hit the gym for a track workout. I was promptly reminded why we don't go to the gym on Tuesdays. (The farmer's market across the street does nothing for the parking situation.)
Since nothing I do can ever be normal, I worked out on a track that is 1/6 of a mile, somewhere between the 400M (1/4 mile) outdoor and 200M (1/8 mile) indoor standards. The workout was a descending pyramid workout followed by some drills. It was a total 'distance' of six miles. I covered the first 5 miles in about a 12:00/mile total, including the walking and the last mile of drills took much longer.
This 'picture' of the workout bears no resemblance to the actual experience of the workout and is therefore hysterical. The footpod usually doesn't register at all when I run backwards so I'm amazed there isn't a bigger dip somewhere at the end.
Part two was the 'finisher' from the health challenge. I should not have tried any finishers after 6 miles of track workouts and drills. It ate me alive. Plus I did it in a totally different order, trying to get the most awful parts over with first. I think that just made it harder.
I did it this way:
Finally - some songs that got me thought it all
Since nothing I do can ever be normal, I worked out on a track that is 1/6 of a mile, somewhere between the 400M (1/4 mile) outdoor and 200M (1/8 mile) indoor standards. The workout was a descending pyramid workout followed by some drills. It was a total 'distance' of six miles. I covered the first 5 miles in about a 12:00/mile total, including the walking and the last mile of drills took much longer.
- Run 4 laps, walk 1 - one rep
- Run 3 laps, walk 1 - two reps
- Run 2 laps, walk 1 - three reps
- Run 1 lap, walk 1 - four reps
- Box jumps on the short sides, run the long sides - 1 lap
- Walking lunges on short sides, run the long sides - 1 lap
- Criss crosses on the short sides, run the long sides - 1 lap
- High Knees on the short sides, run the long sides - 1 lap
- Kick butts (for hamstrings) on the short sides, run the long sides - 1 lap
- Run backwards on the short sides, run the long sides - 1 lap
This 'picture' of the workout bears no resemblance to the actual experience of the workout and is therefore hysterical. The footpod usually doesn't register at all when I run backwards so I'm amazed there isn't a bigger dip somewhere at the end.
Part two was the 'finisher' from the health challenge. I should not have tried any finishers after 6 miles of track workouts and drills. It ate me alive. Plus I did it in a totally different order, trying to get the most awful parts over with first. I think that just made it harder.
I did it this way:
- 30 ab tucks
- walk off the rest of the track
- 15 ab tucks - done with those suckers
- 16 alternating push ups followed by 20 squat jumps (pretty sure I was doing those wrong) X3 to be done with those
- Walk half a lap to get my heart rate down.
- 30 speed skaters, 16 tricep dips X3 to be done with those
- Skipped lunges because I did them in my other drills; skipped jacks because I just ran six miles and I hate them
- Straight arm front raise - all reps with band
- Straight arm lateral raise - all reps at once, I am so weak
- Chest press on ball - my ass hurts (which means I have good form on the stability ball)
- Pec flys on the stability ball; my ass hurts more
- Shoulder press with alternate knee lift - this one was last because I forgot it, not because it's my favorite. It is actually like some dance moves I do so it was okay.
Finally - some songs that got me thought it all
22.10.12
Sever's Corn Maze - Sunday Fun
There will be no apples this year. Sigh Scheduling nightmares and an earlier than typical harvest led us to find alternative fall fun-day plans. Check out last year's apple trip with links to all the trips before that.
This place was a corn maze but really more like an entire fall festival experience. As soon as we got inside the Qat Lady spotted this contraption and was all "let's get over our fear of heights and climb it". And I looked at it suspiciously and was all "that's for the goats". Which one of us lived on a farm?
There was a petting zoo which was actually kind of cool. It had camels, kangaroos, deer and some kinds of African hoofed animals (also in the deer family), more goats, lemurs and a baby giraffe. Camels have the longest eyelashes in the world. (I don't know if that's really true, but they certainly had the longest eyelashes of any of the animals we got to pet.)
Pig races were another big attraction. For those of you not on a farm, pig races are entertaining for your kids but for adults, maybe not so much. It's not like a horse race where the question is which horse is the fastest given x, y, and z conditions. Pig races are more "can you get the pigs to run one lap without stopping to eat the grass?" It provides it's own entertainment.
The big attraction though, was the corn maze and it's where we spent most of our time. No, not "maize". Be serious. They give you a map and it's kind of a scavenger hunt in the maze to add to the entertainment. There's all the letters of the alphabet in the maze, and some of the letters have a picture of Farmer Bob on them; those pictures spell out a word.
First piece of advice: if your kids are small and will run away, the corn maze is not the thing for your family. They'll run away, turn around, and then freak out. Because it looks like this:
We actually had a nice time. It was sunny but not super hot. There were other people in the maze but it was not super crowded and we could get lost on our own just fine. As I learned in Colorado, Qat Lady doesn't see a purpose for maps. (She fed the first one to a goat.) So she got in here and wandered around for a while.
Eventually the wandering route proved challenging and I was allowed to navigate. We also learned in Colorado that I am a good map reader and navigator. Those were always required skills in my family. I had the map for some time before Qat Lady (of all people) finally took it over. Maps may be hard but she knows her corn and did a great job.
We didn't find all the letters of the alphabet. However, my Pooky Bear and I play too many word games because a certain point we were all "we need another vowel to make this a word" and started to prioritize. We did spell the word, and entered into the raffle for the whatever they give at the end of the season. Keep your fingers crossed!
On the long ride back from Shakopee I tried to take a nap. The back of a Rav 4 is bouncier than you think it is. So I settled for a nap on my couch before working out.
This place was a corn maze but really more like an entire fall festival experience. As soon as we got inside the Qat Lady spotted this contraption and was all "let's get over our fear of heights and climb it". And I looked at it suspiciously and was all "that's for the goats". Which one of us lived on a farm?
There was a petting zoo which was actually kind of cool. It had camels, kangaroos, deer and some kinds of African hoofed animals (also in the deer family), more goats, lemurs and a baby giraffe. Camels have the longest eyelashes in the world. (I don't know if that's really true, but they certainly had the longest eyelashes of any of the animals we got to pet.)
Pig races were another big attraction. For those of you not on a farm, pig races are entertaining for your kids but for adults, maybe not so much. It's not like a horse race where the question is which horse is the fastest given x, y, and z conditions. Pig races are more "can you get the pigs to run one lap without stopping to eat the grass?" It provides it's own entertainment.
The big attraction though, was the corn maze and it's where we spent most of our time. No, not "maize". Be serious. They give you a map and it's kind of a scavenger hunt in the maze to add to the entertainment. There's all the letters of the alphabet in the maze, and some of the letters have a picture of Farmer Bob on them; those pictures spell out a word.
First piece of advice: if your kids are small and will run away, the corn maze is not the thing for your family. They'll run away, turn around, and then freak out. Because it looks like this:
We actually had a nice time. It was sunny but not super hot. There were other people in the maze but it was not super crowded and we could get lost on our own just fine. As I learned in Colorado, Qat Lady doesn't see a purpose for maps. (She fed the first one to a goat.) So she got in here and wandered around for a while.
Eventually the wandering route proved challenging and I was allowed to navigate. We also learned in Colorado that I am a good map reader and navigator. Those were always required skills in my family. I had the map for some time before Qat Lady (of all people) finally took it over. Maps may be hard but she knows her corn and did a great job.
We didn't find all the letters of the alphabet. However, my Pooky Bear and I play too many word games because a certain point we were all "we need another vowel to make this a word" and started to prioritize. We did spell the word, and entered into the raffle for the whatever they give at the end of the season. Keep your fingers crossed!
On the long ride back from Shakopee I tried to take a nap. The back of a Rav 4 is bouncier than you think it is. So I settled for a nap on my couch before working out.
Weekend Workouts
Sunday I supposedly had a long run scheduled but I just didn't have the will. Instead I poked around a corn maze with the Qat Lady and my Pooky Bear. When I got home I did a 1 mile run (yup, still running at least 1 mile/day) and then an assigned workout. I was covered in sweat by the end. Those damn push ups helped me find a set of abs I didn't know where there. Ouch.
Monday I had almost no will to do anything.
I did an assigned workout at the challenge meeting. It wasn't much, a couple sprints and a couple other exercises, but whatever. When I got home I ran another mile (actually needed music to get through this one) and then did another assigned workout. Although this new workout doesn't have the numbers of everything we're supposed to do, it only has numbers for some of them, so I had to guess.
So far - I don't know that I'll keep this up the rest of my life, but I do like having at least a little something that I can do every day, even if it only ends up making a 20-minute workout. And hopefully running shorter distances will eventually translate into speed at longer distances. We're in the post-marathon slump so it's not clear I'll ever get back to a longer distance but that's okay.
Monday I had almost no will to do anything.
I did an assigned workout at the challenge meeting. It wasn't much, a couple sprints and a couple other exercises, but whatever. When I got home I ran another mile (actually needed music to get through this one) and then did another assigned workout. Although this new workout doesn't have the numbers of everything we're supposed to do, it only has numbers for some of them, so I had to guess.
So far - I don't know that I'll keep this up the rest of my life, but I do like having at least a little something that I can do every day, even if it only ends up making a 20-minute workout. And hopefully running shorter distances will eventually translate into speed at longer distances. We're in the post-marathon slump so it's not clear I'll ever get back to a longer distance but that's okay.
21.10.12
Magna Challenge Update
Goal: Go to the meetings, becuase if I'm not there, people have to run stairs.
Progress - So far, I've made them all. I do have a trip planned later that involves plane tickets and missing three days. I haven't told anyone yet. Meetings are sort of hard to get to because it involves a spectacular drive in rush hour traffic culminating in downtown rush hour traffic. Nice.
Also, my attendance at these meetings has, ironically, made it harder to work out because it's killed my chance to go to Long Circuit and Pilates on Mondays and Circuit and Zumba on Thursdays. Even if we do a workout at these things, it's less than I would've had at the gym.
Any changes - no changes at this time. Apparently they're adding a workout to the Monday meetings, but that shouldn't change my projected attendance. I've started going to Saturday morning Zumba. It's fun. I notice a lot more white women and way fewer men at this class compared to the extravaganza that is Thursday night.
Goal: Run 1 Mile per day, at least
Progress - this goal really started last Sunday, after marathon recovery was complete.
Sunday - 4 miles, sort of easy.
Monday - 1 mile and then one of the homework workouts
Tuesday - 4 miles withRunning Beth the Cat Burglar (renamed because she refuses to wear reflective gear in the dark)
Wednesday - Water running (which I don't think I can count just because I can't measure it), 3.1 mile course with Team:Work; I covered more distance than that because I was running back and forth between groups of different paces. And I killed the downhill.
Thursday - 1 mile run, after the Magna workout, which I think probably also included a one-mile run but I didn't have a timer with me to know for sure, so I ran again when I got home to be safe.
Friday - 5.5 miles on the elliptical, .5 miles cool down. It was Friday morning, in the rain, that I decided elliptical distance will count for my streak. There is a place that counts running streaks and I'm not sure how they feel about the elliptical.
Saturday - 1 mile on the track, Magna workout and then Zumba. For the Magna workout, I did straight 48 reps of everything except the wide pushups. I did 16 before the first exercise, 16 after the first exercise, and then 16 where they appear in the line-up. I am not what's known as "a push up girl". Oy.
Any changes - I like this goal. I keeps me honest but also feels possible to accomplish. I also like that it has an end date, which is the end of this challenge. If I want to keep it up after that, I can keep going. October 14th is the cake day for this thing.
Goal: Do whatever workouts are assigned
Progress - So far, I've done the workouts somewhat grudgingly (if I'm being honest here) because I feel like they're so much less challenging than the Circuit Classes I'm missing. Yes, I'm keeping a healthy attitude here. In addition to the one above, here's what a couple of the others have looked like. Usually my "3-5 minute warm up" is whatever run I'm doing that day, even if it's just a one-miler. I usually don't take rests unless I know I need them.
Any changes - clearly my attitude about these things could improve. I'm just frustrated because I walked in and was all "I want to run a 10K in less than an hour" for my 'health goal' or reason why I joined. And I've gotten no help with that goal and get workouts easier than what I was doing when I took circuit at the gym, which I have to miss for these meetings. Yeah. Attitude change.
Goal: Follow the assigned diet (thank goodness the cleanse is done)
Progress - week negative 1 was pre-marathon week, also when the cleanse was introducded. I was having a panic attack as she was sitting there talking about it because I was all "who the hell tells a distance runner not to eat carbs the week of a marathon?" I sort of did the cleanse, but decided I could do it about 80% of the time and be happy with the results.
The long term meal plan is pretty similar except some lean proteins are allowed (chicken, some fish, eggs) and whole grains like oats (which I eat every day), brown rice and whole wheat pasta. I have whole wheat pasta mixed in with white and I'm not emotionally prepared to change that.
Today I made Roasted Brusel Sprouts after buying like 5lbs of them for $5 at the farmer's market; Collard Greens where two bunches turn into three servings; and Roast Sweet Potato. Other adventures in my recent past include Roast Carrots; Oven Roasted Green Beans which always take five times as long as any recipe says to roast; and Lentil Burgers which are my personal favorite.
Things I've noticed so far
Any changes - lord only knows. So far I'm drinking way more nut milks and temporarily abandoned yogurt. I guess I should just buy stock in tupperware and be done with it.
Goal: Lose weight This was not really my goal but a goal associated with winning the challenge. I still don't understand.
Progress - I tried Lose It a few days but I struggle getting all of my recipes in there or for recipes I've made before keeping myself honest about what portions I was using last time. I haven't used Lose It in a couple of days, but we'll see if I go back to it.
I seem to be, um, pooping so much more than I used to so maybe this vegetable diet is going to do all the work for me. Ugh.
Any changes - I have no idea. We'll see.
Progress - So far, I've made them all. I do have a trip planned later that involves plane tickets and missing three days. I haven't told anyone yet. Meetings are sort of hard to get to because it involves a spectacular drive in rush hour traffic culminating in downtown rush hour traffic. Nice.
Also, my attendance at these meetings has, ironically, made it harder to work out because it's killed my chance to go to Long Circuit and Pilates on Mondays and Circuit and Zumba on Thursdays. Even if we do a workout at these things, it's less than I would've had at the gym.
Goal: Run 1 Mile per day, at least
Progress - this goal really started last Sunday, after marathon recovery was complete.
Sunday - 4 miles, sort of easy.
Monday - 1 mile and then one of the homework workouts
Tuesday - 4 miles with
Wednesday - Water running (which I don't think I can count just because I can't measure it), 3.1 mile course with Team:Work; I covered more distance than that because I was running back and forth between groups of different paces. And I killed the downhill.
Thursday - 1 mile run, after the Magna workout, which I think probably also included a one-mile run but I didn't have a timer with me to know for sure, so I ran again when I got home to be safe.
 |
| This was an after dark run so I wore my reflective gear. |
Friday - 5.5 miles on the elliptical, .5 miles cool down. It was Friday morning, in the rain, that I decided elliptical distance will count for my streak. There is a place that counts running streaks and I'm not sure how they feel about the elliptical.
Saturday - 1 mile on the track, Magna workout and then Zumba. For the Magna workout, I did straight 48 reps of everything except the wide pushups. I did 16 before the first exercise, 16 after the first exercise, and then 16 where they appear in the line-up. I am not what's known as "a push up girl". Oy.
Goal: Do whatever workouts are assigned
Progress - So far, I've done the workouts somewhat grudgingly (if I'm being honest here) because I feel like they're so much less challenging than the Circuit Classes I'm missing. Yes, I'm keeping a healthy attitude here. In addition to the one above, here's what a couple of the others have looked like. Usually my "3-5 minute warm up" is whatever run I'm doing that day, even if it's just a one-miler. I usually don't take rests unless I know I need them.
Goal: Follow the assigned diet (thank goodness the cleanse is done)
Progress - week negative 1 was pre-marathon week, also when the cleanse was introducded. I was having a panic attack as she was sitting there talking about it because I was all "who the hell tells a distance runner not to eat carbs the week of a marathon?" I sort of did the cleanse, but decided I could do it about 80% of the time and be happy with the results.
Today I made Roasted Brusel Sprouts after buying like 5lbs of them for $5 at the farmer's market; Collard Greens where two bunches turn into three servings; and Roast Sweet Potato. Other adventures in my recent past include Roast Carrots; Oven Roasted Green Beans which always take five times as long as any recipe says to roast; and Lentil Burgers which are my personal favorite.
Things I've noticed so far
- I eat way more smoothies, particularly the peanut butter, banana, almond milk one. I have yet to try protein powder. Did I mention the peanut butter? I use chia seeds too.
- I feel like I am always cooking and I have no tupperware. All that food I made today is still in my freezer
- I've switched from eating bread with my eggs to eating potatoes with my eggs. Here's the nutritional breakdown of the two - pretty similar in calories. Potatoes win for having less sodium and more vitamin C. Potatoes on the right.
- Sometimes I am so hungry and feel like I have no energy.
- Chocolate is not the devil. I like dark chocolate which typically has less sugar and less fat.
- Some genius wanted me to stop drinking Diet Pepsi. Or not. I haven't kicked the habit but I have dramtically increased the number of days that I have coffee instead of a soda with breakfast. In my profession that is called Harm Reduction.
- I was looking at all the food I've made so far and I'm all "I need to make some soups and chili" and then I'm all "I need some tupperware first". Good soups would include vegetarian chili with whole wheat pasta (because that's how we role in Cincinnati), reg lentil tomato soup and wild rice chicken soup (although perhaps I'll leave out the cream and bacon this time).
Any changes - lord only knows. So far I'm drinking way more nut milks and temporarily abandoned yogurt. I guess I should just buy stock in tupperware and be done with it.
Goal: Lose weight This was not really my goal but a goal associated with winning the challenge. I still don't understand.
Progress - I tried Lose It a few days but I struggle getting all of my recipes in there or for recipes I've made before keeping myself honest about what portions I was using last time. I haven't used Lose It in a couple of days, but we'll see if I go back to it.
I seem to be, um, pooping so much more than I used to so maybe this vegetable diet is going to do all the work for me. Ugh.
Any changes - I have no idea. We'll see.
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