Today’s run: 7/15/2013

Distance: 6.3 miles (total)
Pace: varied
Conditions: indoor on the trendy 1% incline

So much for running everyday last week. A lot went on that kind of derailed my fitness agenda (like funerals and sinus infections & other miserable things) but I won’t get into that here. I’ll recap it on Sunday in the week 5/6 summary for my lean out fitness challenge (sorry for the lack of update/pics this past Sunday…but really more important things were going on). Anyway, yesterday was Monday and on Monday I work arms. I also knew I needed to do a bit of running to work off that repast cake that I ate on Saturday. I ended up doing 4 x 1mile repeats before  strength training. The goal for each repeat was to be well under 10min/mile pace. What actually ended up happening was phenomenal…I got 9’53” / 9’28” / 9’24” / and 9’21” for each mile. Booooyah!

I then did my lift which was brutal considering I was already kinda pooped from the mile repeats. Luckily it was only an arm day because my legs couldn’t have lifted a feather.

After lifting I went back to the tready and set it on ‘custom intervals’ to complete 90sec of 5.5mph pace and 30sec of 8.0mph pace. This was about 2 miles. Toss in my 0.3 mile warmup jog and we have a great day of running!

It’s supposed to be hot this week so I’ll probably be doing quite a bit of treadmill running. Trying to stay spot on the diet and fitness this week so that I can make some serious progress and make up for a few of the chuckholes life sprinkled on my road this month.

Hopefully life cooperates.

Today’s Run: 7/8/2013

Distance: 2.04 miles
Pace: 9’38″/mile
Route: Indoor on the tready
HOT AS HADES IN THE GYM!

I’ve decided to commit to running at least 2 miles every day this week to make up for a semi glutinous week of 4th of July vacation (by glutinous I mean I ate probably my maintenance calories or better for a few days without watching my macros). Enter the 2 mile Monday jog. I had plans to go to spinning class, then lift (arms), then jog 2 miles. However, something was going on with the spin bikes and all of the displaced spinning folk were monopolizing the treadmills so I decided I’d lift weights first.

When I lift upper body I do arm circles and arm swings to lubricate the joints a bit. I also do a few 30 second jump rope intervals to warm up my body and let my muscles know that we’re about to get working. My arm workout was brutal since I have increased the weights and am now bicep curling and doing tricep kickbacks with the 17.5lb dumbbells for 5 sets of 15 reps. After the arm workout, I moved grabbed an open treadmill (the spinners were still at work, so I was lucky to grab one) and did the 2 mile run. I had taken most of my pre-workout drink during my lift (planned to take it towards the end of spinning to get a pump for lifting), so I was starting to feel a little bit of an adrenaline buzz. A simple 2 mile jog was not going to cut it anymore. I decided I would run the first mile at a moderate pace and run the second mile a bit faster. I ended up going 9’47″/mile for mile 1 and 9’28″/mile for mile 2.

After the run, I hopped on the stair climber for 15 minutes @ level 5: // left side sideways for 2 minutes (to target the hips, inner thighs/adductors) // right side sideways for 2 minutes // forward for 7 minutes // left side sideways for 2 minutes // right side sideways for 2 minutes //

Between the stairclimber and runnign I was a sweaty mess…but I still had 25 minutes on the elliptical to get a total of a little under 1hr of cardio.

I think that dropping almost 10lbs of fat/fluff/water weight has helped me to pick up the pace quite a bit for my runs. From lifting, my legs are definitely stronger (I lift legs 3 times/week) so that helps a bunch. Also, because of my fitness goals, I’m focusing on shorter distance runs (1-5 miles) as opposed to the longer runs because my goal is to be able to do quality speed play and efficiently torch calories vs. work on muscle endurance. I just got a notification about reduced pricing for the Cleveland Perfect 10 miler though…so maybe I’ll make an exception just to get some racing miles in this year.

We’ll have to see.

Week 4: jersey shore without funnel cake :(

My goodness this past week flew by way too fast. I was on vacation in New Jersey ( then fan lives there and I’m too poor for a vacation to a real desirable destination). My boyfriend and I drove down (7-8hr trip) and stayed them whole week.

It is beyond difficult to maintain a healthy diet if you rely on restaurants and travel centers. On the trip there I packed protein (17egg whites), meal replacement bars (cliff builders in peanut butter) and a bag of romaine lettuce (for something crunchy). Now when I say a bag of romaine lettuce please know that I mean I washed 3 large romaine hearts and stuck them in a bag. Classy.

I stuck to my macros for the first 4 days of vacation. My parents (who are the typical concerned, often overbearing parents who had modern American nutrition habits) were very concerned by my eating. The fact that I needed to eat every few hours, the fact that I wouldn’t eat rice, or chips or cakes. When we got there my mom had prepared chili, rice, corn bread and collard greens and asked me in a concerned voice ” you can’t eat chili?” We’ll, I can, but I’m sure she added 80/20 chuck instead of 93/7 turkey as the meat, and I’m sure it was high in sodium.

All in all it was great to be at home with my family. I got to see my grandmother any my cousin. My boyfriend had a good time as well. I was able to secure us a gym to workout for 20$ for the whole week so we got all of our workouts in. The highlight for me was that on chest day I hit 115 on the bench for 1 (I did this at the end of my workout so I wasn’t fresh) my boyfriend spotted me for negatives too so I actually did 1 rep +a forced rep. I love being strong…well stronger than yesterday.

My diet broke down on the 4th of July when I decided not to log calls or macros no just live a little. I avoided junk food (no cake no pop no candy etc) but I did have some BBQ (chicken and ribs) a few plain tortillas with salsa, and fruit. I kept this loose diet until Saturday so basically I had 3 days where I ate over 1300 calories and have no clue what my macros were. Typically I’d feel guilty about all of this but I was still pretty clean and that guilt only brings about negative habits for me so I’m just going to move on.

I was super proud of myself though because on Friday, my boyfriend and I visited Seaside Heights and walked the boardwalk. I have amazing childhood memories of is place. Sadly, fun town is competent destroyed (there was a gaping hold still in the boardwalk in that area…thankfully they ha e taken the roller coaster out of the ocean). The rest of the boardwalk has been rebuilt though for the most part. Shout out to Michele Obama for nailing in that crucial board (:~p ). One of the best things about the boardwalk is the junkfood. Funnel cake, salt water taffy, candy apples, gargantuan slices of pizza, Italian hot dogs. I had none of this. I watched as my boyfriend ate a slice of pizza. I brought 3 candy apples for my mom, dad and brother. I practiced self control. I felt good.

On Saturday we drove back to Cleveland and I subsisted on protein bars and chicken. On Sunday I got in my bonus leg workout and meal prepped. I decided that since the week was off a little, I’d skip progress pics but I did take measurements:

Weight: 138
Neck: 14
Waist: 27.8
Hips: 38.9
Body fat %: 27%

I plan to hit this week hard. I am going to do mostly running and spinning classes for my cardio and try and get at least 2 miles of running in everyday and 60 total minutes of cardio. I also have quite a bit of work to do for school this week. I’m in the process of wrapping up my phd research and prepping for my public dissertation defense. This means I have to finalize my dissertation document, make sure that I have everything ready for returning to the clinical portion of my training and somehow box up and archive 5 years of research notes, data, protocols and reagents in the lab. It’s a busy time, but exciting also…and it’s certainly much more pleasant to do it in a body that I’m growing to love. 🙂

Till next time, eat clean, train mean!

Week 1 on new training program

I started out this week still crazy sore from my first workout with Dave. Talk about a case of DOMS. It’s been pretty easy going however and I haven’t had much fatigue or any issues at all really adjusting to the consistency of activity or the meals.

6 egg whites every morning for breakfast…

In fact my biggest problem with the meal plan is that I feel like I’m always eating. The meals are small but protein packed. With my digestive system and eating every 3 hours I feel like I’m sitting down to eat again before my stomach is actually emptied. I mean, how long does it take your stomach to digest 6 egg whites at a time?

Because it’s week 1, I’ll go through my day-by-day. I probably won’t do this every week because both my diet and workout routines will be pretty repetitive for 3 months.

On Monday I did my first fasted morning cardio session which was a spin class @ the paid campus gym. I rejoined this gym in addition to working out @ titans when I train with Dave and working out at the free campus athletic center when I want to do powerlifting movements ( squats, cleans and deadlifts). I got up in time to take the 6:30 am spin class. The instructor was Rich and I’ve taken classes with him before. He likes to tell stories and take class members on a journey. Unfortunately for me the journey led us through the battle of Gettysburg and admiration for Robert E. Lee. FAIL. Anyway, I tuned him out and did my own thing and got a good sweat which is all that mattered. I did abs after. In the evening, I did an arm workout and 10 quick sprints on the treadmill.

On Tuesday, leg day!, I had a rest from the morning cardio. I hit legs hard doing a workout similar to the first one I did with Dave…bring on the DOMS!

On Wednesday I woke up and took another 6am spinning class. I opted for spinning instead of running (which is what Dave actually instructed me to do) because I was still trying to give my muscles a minute to ease into the new program. I’d never had this instructor before, but the first half of her class was horrific. Who spins to folk music…I mean I love folk music and I love spinning, but they don’t go together. I did abs after. In the evening I did shoulder and hamstrings and some stretching in the dry sauna. This right here is what I’ve been missing at the campus gym.

On Thursday I took the fay off of work to finish an upload for a paper submission (this is soemthing i need to defend my phd). It was great not having to go into work because i was able to just chill out a little bit and get some rest. I wasnt really feeling exercise at all and was to be honest a little over he whole workout thing. i forced myself to the gym and cranked out the back workout. Can I just say that right now back is my favorite part of the body to work. Maybe it’s been like that for a while actually. There’s something really powerful about rowing motions…idk. After my back workout I did 30 min on the stair climber.

On Friday I ended up oversleeping again and missed out on morning cardio. I made up for it with spin class after lifting chest, abs and calves. I really struggled through my lift. My muscles were cool, but I think I was starting to get mentally fatigued. Mike’s spin class is always pretty god lots of up tempo dance music.

Because I wasn’t really feeling the lift on Friday I opted to take Saturday off of iron and do my two-a-day cardio. I did an 8:30 spin class for my fasted am cardio…this class was taught by Kate, a teacher I’ve never had before. Music was old and it was a good variety of jumps and sprints. My only issue was that I hadn’t realized it was a 75 min class. That’s a little long for a fasted morning cardio effort, IMO. It was ok though…but next time I go to this class it’ll be after I eat something.

Sunday I did my bonus leg day and a 5 mile run in the cle metro parks.

Progress
Weight: 140.3
Waist: 28
Neck: 14
Hips: 40
Estimated BF%: 28%

Not much progress yet…but progress is often a slow process so I’m keeping at it.

New update next week.

In the meantime: Stay fit people!

Today’s Run(s): 5/15/2013

Distance: 2 miles

Pace: 9’30/mile average (speed intervals)

Location: Campus gym, indoors and HUMID AS ALL GET OUT

 

Today I did double duty workouts. I did leg day in the morning (heavy power lifts mostly like squats/deadlifts and some accessory stuff like leg extensions and leg curls). Then I worked back/biceps and shoulders in the evening. After my evening workout I did 2 miles of speed intervals where I ran at 6min pace for a minute and then cranked it up to as fast as I could handle for 30 seconds. During a few intervals I got up to 10mph but as the legs started to turn to jello the speed started to decline. (No reason flying off the back of a treadmill).

My love hate-relationship with the treadmill continues…

Today’s Run: 4/22/2013

Distance: 5miles

Pace: 10’30”/mile

Route: Cleveland Metroparks

50 degrees, windy, sunshine

Early morning run through the Metroparks. Thank God the sunshine is gracing us with her presence at earlier times and the weather is turning. Spring is finally springing…and it’s about time! Took it easy pace-wise. No pain in my tendons.

Today’s Run: 3/18/2013

Distance: 8.03 miles

Pace: 10’27/mile

Around the neighborhood

Wintry mix falling from the sky with headwinds

I took a few days off from exercise to rest. In hindsight, I was mentally and physically exhausted from everything I’ve been going through recently and the rest was very much needed. I typically really enjoy the first run back after a break. Paces are faster and it feels good to get out. I woke up at around 7am and checked the weather and a wintry mix was in the forecast, but the hourly weather report indicated I should have a relatively dry course until about 8am. By that time, I’d be more than half way home so I headed out instead of hobbling to the gym. It was easy going on the first 4 miles of my out and back course. A gradual uphill climb but I felt really good and was able to maintain a solid sub 10-minute/mile pace. My breathing was easy despite the headwinds. It started rain/slush over at about mile 2 which was fine, because the ground, having been pretty dry before hand wasn’t too slippery and I being slightly overdressed, enjoyed the coolness of the slush/water drops. I got to my 4 mile mark and turned around intending to do a tempo run for the return home. I started out moving at 8’30/mile pace and then the sliding started –  the sidewalk was covered in a thin sheet of ice. So much for the tempo run plans.  I walked just about all of mile 6 on my tip toes and it was like walking through a maze trying to avoid the slick patches of concrete and asphalt. As I got closer to home, there was a little less iciness and I was able to pick the pace back up a bit for a few stretches. I am surprised that I was able to do the whole run with a 10’30 pace despite the fact that I walked/slid/tip-toed a good chunk of my 4-mile return. Please Spring come back and stay this time so I can run free! I am thankful for this weekend’s rest though. A well rested Chelle was able to take the slip-n-slide conditions in stride and realize that sometimes despite your best intentions and planning, things just go a different way…and that’s ok. The good news is I ran this morning.

Today’s Run: 3/14/2013

Distance: 3.17

Pace: 9’50″/mile

Cleveland Metroparks

Outside, Sunny,  but cold.

I’ve been in a funk for the last 2 days –  just general frustration with the way that life is going right now. I feel I play the role of “fixer” in all of the relationships that I’m in (friends, family and whatnot). If people have problems, need money, need a place to store their shit, need a person to interrogate about random medical problems that I haven’t been trained to deal with yet, need someone to help them design their clinical trial or troubleshoot or plan experiments, need an inappropriate target for their misplaced anger…they call me…otherwise, my phone doesn’t ring. I wish I could say that I was exaggerating…and maybe in hindsight, I’ll look back on this time and see things differently but right now…that’s just how I feel.

Anyway, the problem with being the  resident “fixer” is that all these well meaning people that dump their crap on you seem to be absent or worse…insensitive when you have an issue of your own. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to have listened to someone complain about their problems for years only to find that when you go to them with their frustrations that they say things like “Oh, but you’ll be ok.” Well duh I’ll be ok eventually, but right now I want you to show me the same level of empathy that I show you. I want you to act as though you understand that in this moment, I feel like this thing that I’m going through is the end of my world. I want you to acknowledge that I’m frustrated, sad, angry, depressed…whatever the emotion. I want you to realize that dismissing my feeling with an, “Oh, but you’ll be ok” says, in my moment of anguish, that you don’t care – even though I know you’re probably intending to merely acknowledge my feigned strength and resilience.

1….2….3…..SIGH

Anyway, I am thankful for the ability to exercise through my funk. For 2 hours every day during my workouts I feel like a whole person. I feel strong capable and in-control…it’s totally worth the DOMS, the fatigue, and the tortuous ice baths to have just a moment, however fleeting of peace. I wasn’t supposed to run today but given that last night was the equivalent of the titanic hitting the iceberg and I’m a huge nerd and today is Pi day and Albert Einstein’s birthday I decided I would at least get 3.14 miles in. I ran at rocky river which is my favorite place in Cleveland to run. It’s so peaceful out there…a winding 26+ mile riverside trail of trees. The run didn’t change my life at all…and frankly, it didn’t even alter my perspective on things. I’m still the fixer and I still need to be fixed my damn self…but 30 minutes of endorphins and beautiful scenery did make me feel better. Exercise is my drug, I guess.

Happy Running!

Happy Birthday Albert Einstein!

Happy Pi day!

Today’s Run: 3/13/2013

Distance: 4.5 miles

Pace: Varied

Campus Gym; Indoors, Treadmill

 

The indoor track was being used, but it would have been the perfect place to do this workout. It was a speed day on the schedule and I decided to revive a workout I remember from my days in h.s. track (I was not good mind you…but the slow kids run the same workouts as the fast kids…only slower :). Anyways, the workout is called the 1-2-3-4 workout. Basically, you run 1 x 800m @ target 5K race pace or faster (for me this was 7.1mph or 8.5min/mile), 2 x 400m at 30 seconds faster than 5K pace (for me this was 7.5mph or 8 min/mile), 3x200m at 1 min, 30sec faster than 5K pace (for me this was  8.5mph or 7min/mile) and then 4x100m using whatever is left in the tank (I did these at 10mph which is 6min/mile). The recovery in between is a moving recovery at however slow of a pace you need up to 400m. The key to getting the most out of this interval workout however is to minimize the recovery part so your heart rate never actually returns to resting.

Holy quadriceps batman that was a hard workout!! By the time I got to the 100s my legs were feeling done-zo (and by done-zo, I mean I was tired). You can do any thing for a few seconds though so  busted out those 100s & only walked 100-200m for a recovery (not because I’m a badass but because I really wanted it to end). I jog/walked my cool down and stretched. When I got home I foam rolled, iced my knees, took an epsom salt bath and iced my knees again – all prophylaxis…no injuries here 🙂 In hindsight I rather enjoyed that workout and will probably put myself through it again. Perhaps I’ll do it backwards next time.

[By the way, speaking of injuries…if you’re ever doing speed work and feel weird twinges of pain it’s best to stop and work that out before continuing…quick movement plus twinges and clicks in the knees especially can end up being a really bad thing…like a sidelined for the whole spring/summer running season when you trained for it all winter kind of thing]

Today’s Run: 3/12/2013

Distance: 5 miles

Pace: 10’/mile

Route: Rocky River Reservation

Outside, It’s cold and grey again….but no snow

This was a hard run. Monday was a HEAVY leg day. I increased weight from 95 –> 110 on back squats, from 200 –> 230 on 90-degree leg press and from 115 –> 125 on dead lifts. I always try to stay in the 6-8 rep range when moving heavy things and I use 10-12 rep range for lighter weights and bodyweight exercises. I susperset each of these major movements with things like DB step ups, reverse lunges, and isolateral (single-legged)  hamstring curl and leg extensions. I’m happy I’m getting much closer to my body weight on the major lifts (squats and deadlifts). As much as I am enjoying this feeling of DOMS after a brutal leg day –  because I know it means I worked hard and pushed through some limits – a hard leg session wreaks havoc on running plans. I’d initially planned to do a brief speed session after legs, but that didn’t happen because I felt the burn simply walking up the stairs to the cardio room. Then today I went out for this 5 miler and it literally took the last few bits of glycogen out of my quads and hamstrings to get-er-done.

I’m not complaining though. I have goals and these tough workouts are exactly what I need to help me get there. I want muscular legs and dammit if it means pushing myself to the limits with heavy leg days and hobbling around like a fool through my weekly runs until the kinks and soreness are worked back out…then do be it!