TriPower
I know I am only a couple days into the TriPower training book, but I must say I am loving it. Monday/Wednesday/Friday consist approximately 15-20 minutes of corrective flexibility movements, core exercises, and myofascial movements (basically foam roller routines). Tuesday/Thursday consist of about 35-40 minutes of strength. Saturdays consist of approximately 10 minutes of exercises to help with each specific sport. And Sundays you can rest or repeat Saturday.
I am trying to put together a spreadsheet to keep track of what I am doing, how many reps, blah, blah, blah... just for me to refer to. Until I get into a routine and more comfortable with this training, I don't if I am coming or going. Flipping back and forth in the book to look at the exercises is kind of annoying.
Tri Training
To me, there is not a better feeling then being able to follow training schedule. I think I have devised up a plan that will work for me. I might have to switch things around a bit to work better with the TriPower routine, but I will get a better feel for that after a week or so.
I almost hate to admit this, but in the past, it seemed like I was just putting in the miles (or meters), thinking that would be sufficient training. Now, while encorporating the TriPower training, I want do more quality workouts; each having a purpose.
I am slowing trying to get back into injury free running, and am not too worried about building miles at this point. I just want to get out there and run a couple miles a few times a week. Cycling doesn't bother my knee at all and I look forward to doing some longer rides along with my easy short rides. In the pool, I know I can easily kick out 2000M with no problem, but it's terribly slow. I have some shorter swims on the schedule with speed being the primary focus. I will encorporate some longer swims in there as well.
Big Sur Power Bars
I attempted to make these homemade bars. I am slowly trying to learn more about food, better food, more natural food. I must give Bobbi over at NHerShoes credit for introducing this recipe to me. She has made them and posted about them multiple times; and they just looked so yummy! Jess asked me to post this recipe on my blog, but instead I will post a direct link to the recipe instead. There's even a video to show you how to make them, for the visual learners.
Yesterday Workout:
Run 2.6 miles, 33:00, 12:41/mile avg. (slow, but okay)
Today's Workout:
(AM) Swim - 1000M, with first 600M in 10:00 (1:40/100M pace!)
(PM) Bike - 10 miles approximately, 32:00 on trainer
Today's Song:
Jakob Dylan - Something Good This Way Comes (in sidebar -->)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Changing Gears
I have made the decision to be done with Jillian's 3o-day Shred. I have completed about 23 days of the Shred this month (and about 15 days in March) and am ready to move on.
Quick review:
Now, I am ready to move on to bigger and better things!
John over at SmokeTraining recommended TriPower to me a couple months ago. According to the book, it is "The Ultimate Strength Training, Core Conditioning, Endurance, and Flexibility Program fro Triathlon Success".
There are 4 phases:
1. Foundation and Adaptation (2 months),
2. Building (3 months),
3. Power (2 months), and
4. Maintenance (4-6 months)
I have read the book and have done my pre-assessment to see where I am at prior to starting the program. Every four weeks I will be posting my progress and comparing to the last assessment. This isn't just a one month challenge peeps, this is a long term "training" program. I look forward to achieving balance and seeing results in my swimming, biking, and running!
Pre-Assessment: 4/26/2009
Pushups (in 60 sec): 15
Wall Sit: 44 seconds
Flex-Arm Hang: 14 seconds
Side Plank: 25 seconds
Side Plank Bent Knee: 38 seconds
Prone Plank: 41 seconds
Extensor Chain: 56 seconds
Core Strength: 60%
Here's a little summary of the assessment areas:
Pushups: We all know what these are. Focus on bending arms to 90 degrees. I did all of mine the right way, not the girly way.
Wall Sit: Placing a physio-ball between the wall and your back, lower into a sitting position, and crossings arms at shoulder height to keep them away from your legs. Knees should be directly over your ankles.
Flex-Arm Hang: This is just holding your chin above the chin-up bar as long as you can.
Side Plank: I think most of us know what a side plank is.
Side Plank Bent Knee: Same thing as a side plank but you have the lower leg bent for stabilization and then your top leg is raised, just above hip level.
Prone Plank: Another very fun plank.
Extensor Chain: You lay your tummy on a physio-ball, place your feet under a bench to keep them in place, and stretch your arms back - kind of like superman.
Core Strength: This one was kind of interesting. A lot of the time we end up using our hip flexors rather than core strength. What you do to measure this is start by lying flat on the floor and put one hand, palm up, under your back below the belly button. You should notice an arch in your lower back. Lift your legs straight up in the air and bend your knees at 90 degrees. You should notice pressure against your hand. Lower you legs until your lower back in no longer pressing down on your hand. Try to guage the percentage that your legs moved. Mine moved about 60% before my lower back began to raise from the floor. The higher the percentage, the mroe core strength you have. Pretty neat, eh?
I am pretty please with my pre-assessment results. My weaker areas are not really a surprise to me. I must admit that doing all those days of Jillian's Shred has helped a bit. I will start Phase 1 this evening.I will get into what each day looks like in Phase 1 in a future post! If all goes well over the next month, I am looking at signing up for a triathlon in July!
Quick review:
- I liked a lot of the strengthening and cardio routines, but some things were hard on my knees.
- Most of the ab routines I was already encorporating into my workouts, just not on a daily basis.
- It is kind of time consuming, and juggling it with my other workouts just wasn't working very well.
- If it's the only thing you are doing in regards to a workout for the day, then it's perfect. I am sure I will refer to parts of the workouts here and there for additional strengthening exercises.
Now, I am ready to move on to bigger and better things!
John over at SmokeTraining recommended TriPower to me a couple months ago. According to the book, it is "The Ultimate Strength Training, Core Conditioning, Endurance, and Flexibility Program fro Triathlon Success".
There are 4 phases:
1. Foundation and Adaptation (2 months),
2. Building (3 months),
3. Power (2 months), and
4. Maintenance (4-6 months)
I have read the book and have done my pre-assessment to see where I am at prior to starting the program. Every four weeks I will be posting my progress and comparing to the last assessment. This isn't just a one month challenge peeps, this is a long term "training" program. I look forward to achieving balance and seeing results in my swimming, biking, and running!
Pre-Assessment: 4/26/2009
Pushups (in 60 sec): 15
Wall Sit: 44 seconds
Flex-Arm Hang: 14 seconds
Side Plank: 25 seconds
Side Plank Bent Knee: 38 seconds
Prone Plank: 41 seconds
Extensor Chain: 56 seconds
Core Strength: 60%
Here's a little summary of the assessment areas:
Pushups: We all know what these are. Focus on bending arms to 90 degrees. I did all of mine the right way, not the girly way.
Wall Sit: Placing a physio-ball between the wall and your back, lower into a sitting position, and crossings arms at shoulder height to keep them away from your legs. Knees should be directly over your ankles.
Flex-Arm Hang: This is just holding your chin above the chin-up bar as long as you can.
Side Plank: I think most of us know what a side plank is.
Side Plank Bent Knee: Same thing as a side plank but you have the lower leg bent for stabilization and then your top leg is raised, just above hip level.
Prone Plank: Another very fun plank.
Extensor Chain: You lay your tummy on a physio-ball, place your feet under a bench to keep them in place, and stretch your arms back - kind of like superman.
Core Strength: This one was kind of interesting. A lot of the time we end up using our hip flexors rather than core strength. What you do to measure this is start by lying flat on the floor and put one hand, palm up, under your back below the belly button. You should notice an arch in your lower back. Lift your legs straight up in the air and bend your knees at 90 degrees. You should notice pressure against your hand. Lower you legs until your lower back in no longer pressing down on your hand. Try to guage the percentage that your legs moved. Mine moved about 60% before my lower back began to raise from the floor. The higher the percentage, the mroe core strength you have. Pretty neat, eh?
I am pretty please with my pre-assessment results. My weaker areas are not really a surprise to me. I must admit that doing all those days of Jillian's Shred has helped a bit. I will start Phase 1 this evening.I will get into what each day looks like in Phase 1 in a future post! If all goes well over the next month, I am looking at signing up for a triathlon in July!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Enjoying the weather
Last night I played the "I am 21" card again. Actually it wasn't as bad as it sounds. We hit up happy hour at our regular bar after school and the dang place was like a time warp. Only had a few drinks in 7 hours, lots of water, and a few free shots. I didn't end up getting home until close to midnight. I left there with a bar tab of $5.60. Gotta love being a regular!
After sleeping in much later than usual this morning, I finally crawled my ass out of bed to try and make the most of the day. I did some cleaning, waiting for it to get a bit warmer this afternoon and just returned from a slow 3-miler.
It was 52 degrees, calm and sunny. I wore my knee sleeve and it seemed to help a little. I can say the run overall was better than my last run, but it wasn't perfect. Once again, about 2 miles in the knee started to get tight on the outside and I did a lot of walking in that last mile. The knee wasn't as stiff as it usually gets after an outdoor run. I popped a few ibruprofens, iced, stretched, and rolled around on the floor with the foam roaller. Ouch.
I think I am going to lay low for the rest of the day. Two nights in a row of being out late and drinking isn't good for me... especially when one of them was a work night. By the way, Deuling Pianos was awesome and if you ever get the chance to see a show, do it!
I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Talk about ironic
Thanks for the comments and ideas in my last post regarding my knee. I am going to try and get better about my strengthening exercises and continue to use the foam roller on the ITband. I will probably stick to treadmill runs for a while and see how things go.
Is it odd that after yesterday's post, the PT from school brought up the fact that she ran into my PT yesterday? And then, when I went to Scheel's to buy a knee sleeve, I saw my PT there? WTF? Talk about ironic.
The PT from school was the one who recommended the PT I worked with in February. When she ran into him, he proceeded to tell her that I have weak legs. I laughed it off at the time, agreeing (because it is very true), and then it's been in the back of my mind all afternoon. WTF? It just bugged me that he said that to her, but I am sure he thought we were pretty good friends. What happen to doctor/patient confidentiality? LOL.
I am going to go and do some of my leg exercises and then sit out on my deck to get some sun while I do a little reading. It's 80 degrees here. Almost too warm - such a big change from the 40/50 degree weather the past week. But, ND wouldn't be ND if it wouldn't be 80 one day and then 40 the next with the potential chance of "snow" this weekend. Yeah. You read that right.
Tonight I will be heading out to see the "dueling pianos" at a local bar. I hate going out on school nights. However I have seen them before and was pretty entertained then, so it didn't take much to talk me into going.
Is it odd that after yesterday's post, the PT from school brought up the fact that she ran into my PT yesterday? And then, when I went to Scheel's to buy a knee sleeve, I saw my PT there? WTF? Talk about ironic.
The PT from school was the one who recommended the PT I worked with in February. When she ran into him, he proceeded to tell her that I have weak legs. I laughed it off at the time, agreeing (because it is very true), and then it's been in the back of my mind all afternoon. WTF? It just bugged me that he said that to her, but I am sure he thought we were pretty good friends. What happen to doctor/patient confidentiality? LOL.
I am going to go and do some of my leg exercises and then sit out on my deck to get some sun while I do a little reading. It's 80 degrees here. Almost too warm - such a big change from the 40/50 degree weather the past week. But, ND wouldn't be ND if it wouldn't be 80 one day and then 40 the next with the potential chance of "snow" this weekend. Yeah. You read that right.
Tonight I will be heading out to see the "dueling pianos" at a local bar. I hate going out on school nights. However I have seen them before and was pretty entertained then, so it didn't take much to talk me into going.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Treadmill vs. Outdoors
It's been a little over two months since my right knee started bothering me. Then it was excruciating pain when I ran. I did the PT, cut back on running for about a month, and am slowly trying to get back into it. I haven't run more than 3.5 miles since the "injury".
What's the issue now? Some runs are better than others and most of my good runs are on the treadmill. I am starting to notice that when I run outside, my knee bothers me about a couple miles in, where on the treadmill, I can go 3 miles without any issues.
What's it feel like? Today I went out for a short run this evening and about 2 miles in my knee didn't start to hurt, but it started to feel tight. It began to feel tight on the inside and outside.
Calling all running Gods... what's your take on this?
UPDATE:
* I am pretty sure I am not running faster outside than on the treadmill. In fact, I am able to do some sprinting or faster strides on the treadmill with no pain either. Hmm..
(I counted wrong... 26 days left of school! And Jess asked about my comment regarding Midterms due Friday. This year we switched to "trimesters" so we are halfway through the 3rd trimester and the last day of school is Friday, May 29th!)
What's the issue now? Some runs are better than others and most of my good runs are on the treadmill. I am starting to notice that when I run outside, my knee bothers me about a couple miles in, where on the treadmill, I can go 3 miles without any issues.
What's it feel like? Today I went out for a short run this evening and about 2 miles in my knee didn't start to hurt, but it started to feel tight. It began to feel tight on the inside and outside.
Calling all running Gods... what's your take on this?
UPDATE:
* I am pretty sure I am not running faster outside than on the treadmill. In fact, I am able to do some sprinting or faster strides on the treadmill with no pain either. Hmm..
(I counted wrong... 26 days left of school! And Jess asked about my comment regarding Midterms due Friday. This year we switched to "trimesters" so we are halfway through the 3rd trimester and the last day of school is Friday, May 29th!)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Getting caught up
The overwhelming feeling of work and life in general has been decreased immensely. I have bulleted the things that have been consuming my life for the past few weeks....
Work:
Work:
- I have completed my last student re-evaluation, had the meeting today, and only have to make a few adjustments to the report and update the IEP.
- I have one IEP meeting left for the year, tomorrow, and have about 90% of the paperwork done.
- Sorry, special education yap yap.
- Midterm grades are due to teachers by Friday and I have mine done and will be sending them off tomorrow. booyah!
Home:
- My mailbox that was hit in December by a furniture delivery truck has been re-installed. It spent most of the winter propped up in a snowbank. However the past couple weeks it has been lying on it's ass in my boulevard, and I haven't been receiving my mail because of it.
- One of the twirlybirds from my roof was found in a snowbank a few weeks ago and finally replaced. I guess that is what was causing all that noise the week of the flood here... I am sure some of you remember me complaining about a rackety noise coming from my roof...
- And, the latch on my gate in my backyard has been fixed. It was loose and I had to use a bungy-cord thingy to keep the wind from ripping the door off.
- All house-hold repairs/fix were done in one day by a very nice friend of a friend. I owe him big time!
- And... I finally set up my wireless printer/scanner/copier! LOVE it!
To top things off, I was able to get in a nice workout this evening. Ahh... it felt so good!
Despite all the craziness going on around me, as I look back on April thus far, things have been going pretty darn well! I have been able to get in a workout everyday this month except for 2. I have only missed 3 days of Jillian's 30-day Shred. There are only 2 complete REST days in my calendar thus far. My minimal daily workout has been just Jillian, but most days I have done Jillian with running, biking, and/or swimming. I hope to push a little harder the rest of April now that I have a bit ... more ... time.... !
Now it's AI time.. .and a little time to catch up on some blogs!Monday, April 20, 2009
Still Here
Just wanted to give a quick shout out to all those who are running Boston today! Good luck!
Things are still crazy busy here, but I am hoping things will return to "normal" Wednesday... until then I will be hiding behind piles of paperwork at my desk.
With that, I will leave you with this week's quote (also placed in sidebar)....
Happy Monday, y'all!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Couple Quotes
I am not one to really pay much attention to horoscopes. However, I came across mine today and after yesterdays post, I just had to share it:
I don't usually like to post in a negative attitude, so I am turning things around today! A few days ago I found this quote in my Dove dark chocolate wrapper:
... we should be good to ourselves everyday.
Have a wonderful Thursday, y'all!
"You could gain professional recognition today, if you apply yourself. You're in the right mind space for hard work and accomplishment."
In the midst of a conversation with a friend the other day over work, she had made the comment that a lot of people we work with come to work, do the work, and then leave... no strings attached. Then she proceeded to throw me a compliment, saying that I go above and beyond what is expected of me at work, not for personal recognition, but for others ... especially the students. Just to hear her say this made me smile and I was appreciative of the compliment.
I don't usually like to post in a negative attitude, so I am turning things around today! A few days ago I found this quote in my Dove dark chocolate wrapper:
"Be good to yourself today."
... we should be good to ourselves everyday.
Have a wonderful Thursday, y'all!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Running and Music
It's been one of those weeks. We all have them.
Things just aren't going as smoothly as I would like with some paperwork, causing unnecessary frustration and stress. There's nothing I can do about it but just keeping plugging away, doing what I can, and looking for the positives...
On that note, I am going to change into my running clothes and head out for a nice little run.... there's nothing like pounding the pavement with music blaring in my ears to diminish some stress. It's 64 degrees, sunny, and I look forward to the fight with the wind (gusting 25-35mph).
Getting my heart pumping, whether it be through running, biking or swimming, along with listening to music are probably the two biggest things that make me feel better.
Does anyone else find this to be therapeutic? How do you deal with stress?
Things just aren't going as smoothly as I would like with some paperwork, causing unnecessary frustration and stress. There's nothing I can do about it but just keeping plugging away, doing what I can, and looking for the positives...
On that note, I am going to change into my running clothes and head out for a nice little run.... there's nothing like pounding the pavement with music blaring in my ears to diminish some stress. It's 64 degrees, sunny, and I look forward to the fight with the wind (gusting 25-35mph).
Getting my heart pumping, whether it be through running, biking or swimming, along with listening to music are probably the two biggest things that make me feel better.
Does anyone else find this to be therapeutic? How do you deal with stress?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Long Weekend
Easter break has come and gone. It was a nice break and was our last one until summer. 34 more days.
Unfortunately, my sister and brother-in-law weren't able to be home. (I am hoping if she see's me plugging her blog in here she just might update it!) On the bright side, Steph was able to head out to Seattle to see her hubby. He has been there since February, preparing to head oveseas. If I remember correctly, he leaves the states sometime in the next week or so. We will wait anxiously for his return home next February. We love you B!
Most of the weekend was spent relaxing, but I was able to get in a handful of good workouts and keep up with Jillian's 30-day shred. I have done more biking than usual in the past week and a half, so my primary focus this week will be running, then swimming. Running is starting to feel a little better, but I am still taking it easy and haven't done much more then 3.5 miles at a time.
The temps are starting to rise and it feels wonderful. The snow has pretty much melted. Tomorrow it is supposed to be close to 60 degrees and I look forward to taking advantange of an outdoor run!
Flooding is still an issue and worry across the state. While driving back from Bismarck this morning, I noticed more standing water in ditches and farm fields than I have ever seen in my life. Twice I had to slow down because of a foot plus of water running across the interstate. Kind of scary if you think about it. Here are a couple pics...
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!
Unfortunately, my sister and brother-in-law weren't able to be home. (I am hoping if she see's me plugging her blog in here she just might update it!) On the bright side, Steph was able to head out to Seattle to see her hubby. He has been there since February, preparing to head oveseas. If I remember correctly, he leaves the states sometime in the next week or so. We will wait anxiously for his return home next February. We love you B!
Most of the weekend was spent relaxing, but I was able to get in a handful of good workouts and keep up with Jillian's 30-day shred. I have done more biking than usual in the past week and a half, so my primary focus this week will be running, then swimming. Running is starting to feel a little better, but I am still taking it easy and haven't done much more then 3.5 miles at a time.
The temps are starting to rise and it feels wonderful. The snow has pretty much melted. Tomorrow it is supposed to be close to 60 degrees and I look forward to taking advantange of an outdoor run!
Flooding is still an issue and worry across the state. While driving back from Bismarck this morning, I noticed more standing water in ditches and farm fields than I have ever seen in my life. Twice I had to slow down because of a foot plus of water running across the interstate. Kind of scary if you think about it. Here are a couple pics...
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tagged
Jess from Run Girl Run sent me this fun survey, so I thought I would let you all in on a little more about me!
The rules are:
1. Fill it out
2. Change one question with one of your own
3. Add an additional question
4. Send it to 3 people.
1. What are your current obsessions? Working out, blogging, and now baseball. College hoops are over, bring on baseball season!
2. Which item from your closet are you wearing most often? Right now, this would have to be my green Nike racerback workout top. It's super comfy and I love the length on it.
3. Last thing you bought for myself? My bike trainer about a month ago.
4. What’s for dinner? Good question. It's Good Friday and no meat, so probably something to do with fish?!
5. Say something to the person who tagged you: Jess, you rock! I have fun reading your blog!
6. What is one item you could not live without? Computer!
7. Vacation spots you must visit before you die? Somewhere in Europe... Greece, Italy, Germany.
8. Three things to do before you die:
a. Complete a Half Iron
b. Travel to Europe
c. meet the man of my dreams, start a family, etc... live life!
9. What are you reading right now? Still working on the 3rd book, Eclipse, of the Twighlight Series.
10. What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed? Rate it out of 5 stars. The last movie I saw in the theaters was Twilight. I must give it a 4.5 out of 5! Loved it!
11. What’s your guilty pleasure? Reality television, mostly American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and sometimes the Bachelor or Bachelorette.
12. What’s your favorite smell? Just one? If I had to just pick one, it would have to be the smell left behind after a good summer's rain.
13.If cost wasn't an issue and you could run any race in the world what would it be? I don't know if it would necessarily be a race, but I would love to cycle in Europe!
14. Do you have a goal that you are trying accomplish before 2009 is over? Mine would have to be to complete another Half Marathon!
15. Describe one of your happiest moments. One of my happiest moments was crossing the finish line in my first half marathon. I never thought I would attempt that distance, especially after trying a couple times previously and then never able to finish due to an injury. It was definitely a moment tha tmande me want to do it again!
16. What was your best Halloween costume? I don't remember a lot of mine, but I think one of my favorites was just dressing as a basketball player in college. Does this shock you?
17. What do you have an addiction to? coffee and the Chocolate Brownie Zbar! Mmmm.
18. What do you do that you would be embarassed for others to know about? I snore. Is that embarassing enough?
19. What is one totally irrational fear you have? Falling down the stairs and nocking my teeth out on the banister. This fear started when I was younger, but has never really faded. Oftentimes I will have dreams about it!
20. Do you have a favorite training tip? Listen to your body - This is pretty basic, but true.
Ok, I tag:
1. Ashley @ Journey to a Better Me
2. Michelle @ Running Down a Dream
3. Marlene @ Mission to A(nother) Marathon
The rules are:
1. Fill it out
2. Change one question with one of your own
3. Add an additional question
4. Send it to 3 people.
1. What are your current obsessions? Working out, blogging, and now baseball. College hoops are over, bring on baseball season!
2. Which item from your closet are you wearing most often? Right now, this would have to be my green Nike racerback workout top. It's super comfy and I love the length on it.
3. Last thing you bought for myself? My bike trainer about a month ago.
4. What’s for dinner? Good question. It's Good Friday and no meat, so probably something to do with fish?!
5. Say something to the person who tagged you: Jess, you rock! I have fun reading your blog!
6. What is one item you could not live without? Computer!
7. Vacation spots you must visit before you die? Somewhere in Europe... Greece, Italy, Germany.
8. Three things to do before you die:
a. Complete a Half Iron
b. Travel to Europe
c. meet the man of my dreams, start a family, etc... live life!
9. What are you reading right now? Still working on the 3rd book, Eclipse, of the Twighlight Series.
10. What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed? Rate it out of 5 stars. The last movie I saw in the theaters was Twilight. I must give it a 4.5 out of 5! Loved it!
11. What’s your guilty pleasure? Reality television, mostly American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and sometimes the Bachelor or Bachelorette.
12. What’s your favorite smell? Just one? If I had to just pick one, it would have to be the smell left behind after a good summer's rain.
13.If cost wasn't an issue and you could run any race in the world what would it be? I don't know if it would necessarily be a race, but I would love to cycle in Europe!
14. Do you have a goal that you are trying accomplish before 2009 is over? Mine would have to be to complete another Half Marathon!
15. Describe one of your happiest moments. One of my happiest moments was crossing the finish line in my first half marathon. I never thought I would attempt that distance, especially after trying a couple times previously and then never able to finish due to an injury. It was definitely a moment tha tmande me want to do it again!
16. What was your best Halloween costume? I don't remember a lot of mine, but I think one of my favorites was just dressing as a basketball player in college. Does this shock you?
17. What do you have an addiction to? coffee and the Chocolate Brownie Zbar! Mmmm.
18. What do you do that you would be embarassed for others to know about? I snore. Is that embarassing enough?
19. What is one totally irrational fear you have? Falling down the stairs and nocking my teeth out on the banister. This fear started when I was younger, but has never really faded. Oftentimes I will have dreams about it!
20. Do you have a favorite training tip? Listen to your body - This is pretty basic, but true.
Ok, I tag:
1. Ashley @ Journey to a Better Me
2. Michelle @ Running Down a Dream
3. Marlene @ Mission to A(nother) Marathon
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Good, the Ugly, and The Best!
<----- If you missed my product review yesterday,
click the picture of the CD's to the left
and it will take you to that post!
The Good:
With missing 7 days of school in the last couple of week (1 storm day, and 6 due to flood preparations and such) our transition back into the school routine yesterday was very good. I have to admit, I have a great group of kids and I was looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I truly love my job and am grateful every day for the job that I have.
That afternoon we were notified that we will NOT have to make these days up and our school year will still end on the 29th of May. Only 36 days left of school. Not that I am counting. Like I said, I like my job... but the end of the school year brings some hope for nicer weather and riding outside.
The Ugly:
We are not out of the clear with this flood. They expect the Red River to crest in the middle of this month, again. Some people are saying it won't get as high as it did last week. Some are saying it is too hard to tell right now; there is still too much snow that needs to melt and the temps are going to be higher over the next few weeks, in comparison to the past few weeks. The chance of thunderstorms will increase, also playing a roll in potential flooding.
The BEST:
The UNC Tar Heels beat Michigan State last night for the 2009 NCAA Championship Title! The game wasn't too exciting, but I was happy to see UNC win it! YAY!!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Global Ride: Product Review
A few weeks ago, Jeff at Global Ride contacted me, wondering if I would do a product review if he sent me a free DVD boxed set of cycling training videos. I couldn't pass up this opportunity and was exctatic when the set showed up in my mailbox almost two weeks ago.
The boxed set, Hawaii Rides, included three different DVD's that sh. With each DVD, you can choose music or no music, as well as a coach to lead you through the ride. If you choose a coach, you have the choice of difference coaches; American, Australian, Italian, etc. Each coach interprets the ride different, giving you a different ride on the same track.
Here's a little description of each:
1. Strendurance in Hawaii - This DVD combines the elements of a strength ride, focusing on climbing and leg strength, and an endurance ride, focusing on heart rate training and consistency. Following the ride was 30 minutes of Strength Training, specifically targeted towards cyclists.
2. Oceanside Ride - This DVD does consist of a lot of "flat riding" but is challenging if you choose to ride at a steady high pace! Following this ride was 30 minutes of Pilates Training, primarily focusing on core stability.
3. Maui Rollers - This DVD consists of three separate sections on one road. This ride consists of a lot of rolling hills, long climbs, and just enough time to recover and build speed! Following this ride was 30 minutes of Yoga. This will help restore proper balance in all muscles groups; specifically focusing on balancing muscles of cyclists, as many are under-worked and others are over-worked.
What is my personal testimony?
1. I truly enjoyed all three videos; they were all different. I look forward to changing them up a bit by trying different coaches!
2. Each video consisted of a 5-minute warm-up and 5-minute cool down. I thought this was great. During each warm-up and cool down, the screen was full of snapshots of cyclists riding all over the world, on different terrain as well.
3. I thought the music was awesome! But, I am a sucker for good music while on an indoor bike or trainer. The music was well-chosen and I felt that it suited the speed of each ride perfectly!
4. At the end of each video you were reminded to stretch! I thought this was great, as it is a very important part of any good training!
5. I really liked the additional 30 minutes of strength training, pilates, and yoga that followed each DVD. It's a great way to get in a little extra while your muscles are still warm after a nice ride!
6. Each video was approximately 50-55 minutes long. I think this is a great length for a trainer DVD, especially for a beginner like me!
Overall, I am very impressed with Global Ride and the DVD's they have put together! I haven't had any experience with trainer DVD's before, so I have nothing to compare them to, but I definitely give them two thumbs up!
Here is some additional information:
Global Ride has put together a fundraiser for Livestrong at http://www.cyclingfusion.com/. They are taking everyday cyclists to the "Little Giro" to ride the first 5 stages, a few hours ahead of the pros!! They're being sponsored mile for mile by people. All of the money is going to Livestrong. How exciting is that?
Both of these things are running through May 14th, the date the event is finishing up at Giro. You can get the full press release text/details if you click here. There is also more fundraiser info if you click here.
The boxed set, Hawaii Rides, included three different DVD's that sh. With each DVD, you can choose music or no music, as well as a coach to lead you through the ride. If you choose a coach, you have the choice of difference coaches; American, Australian, Italian, etc. Each coach interprets the ride different, giving you a different ride on the same track.
Here's a little description of each:
1. Strendurance in Hawaii - This DVD combines the elements of a strength ride, focusing on climbing and leg strength, and an endurance ride, focusing on heart rate training and consistency. Following the ride was 30 minutes of Strength Training, specifically targeted towards cyclists.
2. Oceanside Ride - This DVD does consist of a lot of "flat riding" but is challenging if you choose to ride at a steady high pace! Following this ride was 30 minutes of Pilates Training, primarily focusing on core stability.
3. Maui Rollers - This DVD consists of three separate sections on one road. This ride consists of a lot of rolling hills, long climbs, and just enough time to recover and build speed! Following this ride was 30 minutes of Yoga. This will help restore proper balance in all muscles groups; specifically focusing on balancing muscles of cyclists, as many are under-worked and others are over-worked.
What is my personal testimony?
1. I truly enjoyed all three videos; they were all different. I look forward to changing them up a bit by trying different coaches!
2. Each video consisted of a 5-minute warm-up and 5-minute cool down. I thought this was great. During each warm-up and cool down, the screen was full of snapshots of cyclists riding all over the world, on different terrain as well.
3. I thought the music was awesome! But, I am a sucker for good music while on an indoor bike or trainer. The music was well-chosen and I felt that it suited the speed of each ride perfectly!
4. At the end of each video you were reminded to stretch! I thought this was great, as it is a very important part of any good training!
5. I really liked the additional 30 minutes of strength training, pilates, and yoga that followed each DVD. It's a great way to get in a little extra while your muscles are still warm after a nice ride!
6. Each video was approximately 50-55 minutes long. I think this is a great length for a trainer DVD, especially for a beginner like me!
Overall, I am very impressed with Global Ride and the DVD's they have put together! I haven't had any experience with trainer DVD's before, so I have nothing to compare them to, but I definitely give them two thumbs up!
Here is some additional information:
Global Ride has put together a fundraiser for Livestrong at http://www.cyclingfusion.com/. They are taking everyday cyclists to the "Little Giro" to ride the first 5 stages, a few hours ahead of the pros!! They're being sponsored mile for mile by people. All of the money is going to Livestrong. How exciting is that?
In an effort to raise as much as possible, Global Ride is doing two things:
1. Giving away a DVD boxed set (consisting of 3 DVD's) to anyone who donates $103.75 or more to sponsoring riders (0.25/mile sponsorship).
Both of these things are running through May 14th, the date the event is finishing up at Giro. You can get the full press release text/details if you click here. There is also more fundraiser info if you click here.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Girls Weekend Recap
The Britney Spears concert Friday night was awesome! The Pussy Cat Dolls opened up for them and were pretty good as well. I know some say that Britney lip syncs at her concert, but all the dancing and other performances added in were spectacular! The opening of the show was just like the circus! I was excited to see that she did some of her old songs as well!
Yesterday morning we headed to Lake Calhoun and while my sister and mom ran the 3 miles around it, my other sister and I did some serious walking. The rest of the day consisted of some shopping, dinner, watching the movie Twilight, as well as some Tar Heels basketball, per my request! Tomorrow night the Heels take on Michigan for the Final game! the Tar Heels are due for a championship title!
Now that I am back in Fargo, I have to do day 5 of the shred, get in a trainer ride, and then possibly spend the rest of the evening doing some paperwork and getting ready for the work week! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Check back tomorrow for a product review!
Yesterday morning we headed to Lake Calhoun and while my sister and mom ran the 3 miles around it, my other sister and I did some serious walking. The rest of the day consisted of some shopping, dinner, watching the movie Twilight, as well as some Tar Heels basketball, per my request! Tomorrow night the Heels take on Michigan for the Final game! the Tar Heels are due for a championship title!
Now that I am back in Fargo, I have to do day 5 of the shred, get in a trainer ride, and then possibly spend the rest of the evening doing some paperwork and getting ready for the work week! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Check back tomorrow for a product review!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Girls weekend with a Concert!
Here's a quick recap of my workouts this week. It sure feels good to be getting back to a routine after the past couple of weeks!
Monday:
The only workout I did was 2 hours of shoveling 17 inches of heavy snow. That was enough for this chica.
Tuesday:
I ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill. My knee was fine, but started feeling a little tight about 2.75 miles in.
Wednesday:
I hit up the pool for a 1 mile swim while I was still in Bismarck. It felt good to get back in, since it had been about 2 weeks since my last swim. I started Jillian's 30-day shred over again with day 1 today.
Thursday:
After completing day 2 of Jillian's 30-Day shred, I popped in a trainer dvd and went away on the bike for approximately 50 minutes. Afterwards, I did a about 25 minutes of pilates and threw out a few cuss words while getting to know the foam roller.... youch. Reminder... check back early next week for a product review!
Today:
I woke this morning at 445am, trying to get back into an early morning routine. I was suprsed to feel rested and ready for a good workout. I did Day 3 of the shred, had a bowl of cheerios and 1/2 a banana and then hit up the gym. I ran 2.5 miles (with sprints at 7.5mph) and then jumped in the pool for 1000M. I used to do this a lot in the evenings last school year, but it got to be so late since the pool was only open for lap swim in the evening from 8-10pm. This workout felt great overall but I was pretty worn-out when I finished the swim. The knee felt good through the entire run. I am hoping that my newly found friendship with the foam roaller is going to make a difference!
I have done pretty well with eating better and cutting back on the high calorie coffees for the past few days. I truly do love my Dunkin' Donuts coffee with splenda and sugar free creamer, so this transition won't be too big of a deal for me. I have been able to get about 8-8.5 hours of sleep each night. I am sure this has a lot to do with not working at all this past week and no schedule. I hope to be able to continue this once school starts back up again next week.
Well, I am signing off for the weekend. I will be spending the weekend in the cities with my sisters and mom. We've got big plans for this evening... Britney Spears babay!!!! I know you all are soo jealous! This is part of my youngest sisters Christmas gift! I am so pumped! It's been so long since I have been to a concert!
If you could go to any concert, which one would you choose? Another one that I would really like to go is Coldplay!
Monday:
The only workout I did was 2 hours of shoveling 17 inches of heavy snow. That was enough for this chica.
Tuesday:
I ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill. My knee was fine, but started feeling a little tight about 2.75 miles in.
Wednesday:
I hit up the pool for a 1 mile swim while I was still in Bismarck. It felt good to get back in, since it had been about 2 weeks since my last swim. I started Jillian's 30-day shred over again with day 1 today.
Thursday:
After completing day 2 of Jillian's 30-Day shred, I popped in a trainer dvd and went away on the bike for approximately 50 minutes. Afterwards, I did a about 25 minutes of pilates and threw out a few cuss words while getting to know the foam roller.... youch. Reminder... check back early next week for a product review!
Today:
I woke this morning at 445am, trying to get back into an early morning routine. I was suprsed to feel rested and ready for a good workout. I did Day 3 of the shred, had a bowl of cheerios and 1/2 a banana and then hit up the gym. I ran 2.5 miles (with sprints at 7.5mph) and then jumped in the pool for 1000M. I used to do this a lot in the evenings last school year, but it got to be so late since the pool was only open for lap swim in the evening from 8-10pm. This workout felt great overall but I was pretty worn-out when I finished the swim. The knee felt good through the entire run. I am hoping that my newly found friendship with the foam roaller is going to make a difference!
I have done pretty well with eating better and cutting back on the high calorie coffees for the past few days. I truly do love my Dunkin' Donuts coffee with splenda and sugar free creamer, so this transition won't be too big of a deal for me. I have been able to get about 8-8.5 hours of sleep each night. I am sure this has a lot to do with not working at all this past week and no schedule. I hope to be able to continue this once school starts back up again next week.
Well, I am signing off for the weekend. I will be spending the weekend in the cities with my sisters and mom. We've got big plans for this evening... Britney Spears babay!!!! I know you all are soo jealous! This is part of my youngest sisters Christmas gift! I am so pumped! It's been so long since I have been to a concert!
If you could go to any concert, which one would you choose? Another one that I would really like to go is Coldplay!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Comparing Coffees
First and foremost, check out Amanda's blog and her wonderful Goodie Bag Giveaway! The contest closes APRIL 5th, and then she is giving away more after that! She ROCKS!
So far my April "challenge" is off to a good start. I just want to quickly answer or clarify a couple things first.....
Oh how I love thee coffee!
I always knew that the coffee drink I order from Caribou Coffee, the Caramel High Rise, isn't the healthiest. I mean, really, can something so good be so good for you! Probably Not.
I also like the Caramel Lattes, but not as much as my Caramel High Rise. So I was looking at their website a bit more and compared the two drinks in the chart below.
Just another reminder to myself why I need to cut back. And maybe just stick mostly with my coffee at home....French Vanilla by Dunkin' Donuts with fat free creamer.
Do you drink coffee? What kind do you like? Black? Lattes? Frozen drinks?
So far my April "challenge" is off to a good start. I just want to quickly answer or clarify a couple things first.....
- I am not giving up coffee completely. It keeps me sane with the industry I work in, okay?!
- I am mostly giving up beer and soda (empty calories), sorry Stephen, and incorporating more healthy choices.
- The big focus is eating right, getting enough sleep, and lots of water. Smart training should fall into place when those things are in check.
Oh how I love thee coffee!
I always knew that the coffee drink I order from Caribou Coffee, the Caramel High Rise, isn't the healthiest. I mean, really, can something so good be so good for you! Probably Not.
I also like the Caramel Lattes, but not as much as my Caramel High Rise. So I was looking at their website a bit more and compared the two drinks in the chart below.
| --- | Caramel High Rise | Caramel Latte |
| Calories | 310 | 90 |
| Fat Calories | 105 | 5.0 |
| Total Fat (g) | 11.5 | 0.5 |
| Saturated Fat (g) | 7.0 | 0.0 |
| Trans Fat (g) | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 45.0 | 5.0 |
| Sodium (mg) | 200 | 150 |
| Total Carbohydrates (g) | 42.0 | 12.0 |
| Fiber (g) | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Sugars (g) | 41.0 | 12.0 |
| Protein (g) | 12.0 | 10.0 |
| Vitamin A (%DV) | 8.0 | 0.0 |
| Vitamin C (%DV) | 6.0 | 4.0 |
| Calcium (%DV) | 42.0 | 0 |
| Iron(%DV) | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Caffiene (mg) | 180.0 | 180.0 |
Information taken from: http://www.cariboucoffee.com/
Just another reminder to myself why I need to cut back. And maybe just stick mostly with my coffee at home....French Vanilla by Dunkin' Donuts with fat free creamer.
Do you drink coffee? What kind do you like? Black? Lattes? Frozen drinks?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Making the Most of April
Today is the beginning of a new month, a better month. The past two months have been trying with injuries and life in general. So, the last few days I have been trying to decide on what I can do to make the most of April.
Here's what I came up with:
Get back to a regular sleep schedule. As much as I would like to think that sleeping from 9-430 one night, 1030-6 the next night and then back to 9-430 the next night is okay, it really isn't. It doesn't help my workouts, leaving me with the bare minimal some days and rock star workouts other days. I need my sleep routine back.
Cut back on unnecessary fluids and increasing water consumption. I look at this as some form of detox from drinks that do nothing for me. As of the past few weeks, I have probably been consuming 3-4 lattes a week, well more than I need. In reference to alcohol, I may go weeks without any of the likes, while the next week I will have more than needed on a given Friday. It's not necessary and it tampers with the effectiveness of my weekend workouts. I am pretty decent with water consumption, but know I would feel better if I increased it.
Eat better. This is pretty simple. I like to think that I eat pretty well as it is, but there are some things that need to be cut out and just making a conscious effort will make a world of a difference. More fruits and vegetables need to be thrown into the mix and eating out needs to be minimized. Watch all of my tastes and licks, they all add up! Plain and simple.
Do Jillian's 30-Day Shred, over. I haven't done this for the past week and have only made it half way through the 30 days this month. So I thought I would give it a try again. Come May 1st and I will be ready to start my Tri Power book!
Continue to work on strengthening my legs and core. With the knee issues, I feel as if I am slowly learning to run again. One minute I am extremely frustrated with my lack of ability to run further or faster, but the next minute I am extremely grateful that I can still do at least a 5K distance with little to no problems. I will continue to work to strengthen my muscles and become a better runner, working to increase my mileage again down the road!
This may seem like a lot of things to do and be watchful of during a one month span, but in reality it isn't. I felt that if I put it down in writing I would be more conscious of them all and do better with these mini goals.
What are your plans to make the most of this month? Do you have any goals or challenges for yourself, big or small?
Here's what I came up with:
Get back to a regular sleep schedule. As much as I would like to think that sleeping from 9-430 one night, 1030-6 the next night and then back to 9-430 the next night is okay, it really isn't. It doesn't help my workouts, leaving me with the bare minimal some days and rock star workouts other days. I need my sleep routine back.
Cut back on unnecessary fluids and increasing water consumption. I look at this as some form of detox from drinks that do nothing for me. As of the past few weeks, I have probably been consuming 3-4 lattes a week, well more than I need. In reference to alcohol, I may go weeks without any of the likes, while the next week I will have more than needed on a given Friday. It's not necessary and it tampers with the effectiveness of my weekend workouts. I am pretty decent with water consumption, but know I would feel better if I increased it.
Eat better. This is pretty simple. I like to think that I eat pretty well as it is, but there are some things that need to be cut out and just making a conscious effort will make a world of a difference. More fruits and vegetables need to be thrown into the mix and eating out needs to be minimized. Watch all of my tastes and licks, they all add up! Plain and simple.
Do Jillian's 30-Day Shred, over. I haven't done this for the past week and have only made it half way through the 30 days this month. So I thought I would give it a try again. Come May 1st and I will be ready to start my Tri Power book!
Continue to work on strengthening my legs and core. With the knee issues, I feel as if I am slowly learning to run again. One minute I am extremely frustrated with my lack of ability to run further or faster, but the next minute I am extremely grateful that I can still do at least a 5K distance with little to no problems. I will continue to work to strengthen my muscles and become a better runner, working to increase my mileage again down the road!
This may seem like a lot of things to do and be watchful of during a one month span, but in reality it isn't. I felt that if I put it down in writing I would be more conscious of them all and do better with these mini goals.
What are your plans to make the most of this month? Do you have any goals or challenges for yourself, big or small?
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