A Broken Record For Fitness Success

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Coco

When I write out my workouts for my training log posts (see the “training log” tab on the menu bar) or log into DailyMile, I feel like a broken record.

(Do younger readers understand this phrase? It doesn’t mean I’m logging PRs every day)

If it’s Monday, I did 15-20 minutes on the elliptical and a 35-45 minute weight routine. If it’s Tuesday, I ran for 4-5 miles. Alternate, rinse (shower), repeat. Throw in a longer run on Saturday and yoga or a rest day on Sunday, and you pretty much know what I’m doing on any day of any week of any month of the year.

Predictable? Yes. But it works for me.

I exercise 6-7 days a week. I usually exercise at the same time everyday–first thing in the morning. I wake up, brush my teeth, pull on some workout clothes, and either head outside for a run or downstairs to workout in my basement gym. I really have made exercise part of my daily routine.

By exercising at the same time every day, I don’t have to figure out when I will fit a workout into my busy day. By exercising first thing in the morning, I don’t have to worry about my workout time getting preempted by other demands that tend to pop up at the end of the day. (This is what works for me. Many friends are just as successful with lunch time, afternoon or evening workouts–figure out what works for you!)

I also have a basic plan of what type of workout to do on a given day. I generally run three days a week (usually on alternate days), do weights three days a week, and do a short yoga program or take a full rest day on the other day. I tend to plan my week around a long run, which usually is Saturday. If work or family obligations interfere, I usually prefer to skip a weight training workout than a run. The important thing is that I have a plan, even if it is subject to change.

If I don’t have a plan, I find it easy to keep hitting the snooze button as I lounge in bed deciding what I am going to do. I’ve snoozed through my whole workout time doing this, and always end up frustrated and grumpy when that happens. Knowing what I intend to do when the alarm goes off helps me get out of bed on time, even if I decide to go for a walk instead of a run, or treat my body to an extra yoga session instead of weights.

My “broken record” routine makes it easier for me to be consistent with my training, and that does help me break my personal records.

Do you workout at the same time every day?

Do you have a workout routine?

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The More Things Change

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Coco

How Technology Keeps Me Connected To My Teenagers

When my kids were little, I always was the one who got up with them in the middle of the night. It started off with the whole nursing thing, but never changed after they got older and didn’t need me biologically anymore. My husband had an uncanny way of sleeping right through crying jags, nightmares, and puking episodes.

(source)

Now that my kids are teenagers, the crying, nightmares and puking occur much less frequently. Still, I am the person they reach out to in the middle of the night.

One reason is that my phone looks like this:

apple-iphone 4s

While my husband’s looks like this:

My First Cellphone

(source)

(Just kidding! But I think this is the very first cellphone we had )

Instead of calling our landline when they need directions, when their plans change, or when they want to request a curfew waiver, they text me. The little “zip” of my text message alert tells me that something is up (and gets my heart racing, so please don’t text me after hours unless it’s important!). My daughter is 20, so this happens more frequently with her, since she stays out late. But sometimes even my son is out “past my bedtime,” especially if he has something special going on on a weeknight.

Just like I never really minded having to get up when my kids were younger, I don’t mind these late night text messages. I appreciate that they are calling me for help, keeping me updated on what they are doing, and asking permission first instead of begging forgiveness later. 😉

I don’t know how many text messages my iPhone will save, but I probably should store them somewhere more permanent so I can treasure them later.

Do your kids always want their Mom in the middle of the night?

Do you?

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Wordless Wednesday (The Capitol Edition)

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Coco

Wordless Wednesday

(View from the rooftop patio of Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C.)

Posted in Life | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Book Review: Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Coco

My favorite of the three running books my Mom gave me for Mother’s Day was Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner’s Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America by Maschall Ulrich. (That’s an Amazon Affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase I will earn a small commission. Thanks for your support!)

In the book, Marshall describes his great adventure running from coast to coast. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it since I am not a marathon runner, let alone an ultra-marathon runner, but the running talk was very down to earth. Apparently, when you are running 3,000 miles you don’t worry too much about your split times. 😉

Most of the story is about the mental and emotional issues he faced on the road.  Although he also details his physical struggles, because he had to put those out of his mind to reach his goal, the psychological struggles take the forefront, and I found those easy to relate to.

One thing that struck me was his selfishness, and his unapologetic honesty about it. He admits up front that his running took precedence over his family, and while he regrets the damage that did to his relationships with his children, he doesn’t seem to wish he had made different choices. He had to run and run to deal with what he was (or wasn’t) dealing with. Still, it makes me wonder if a wife and/or mother could do the same thing to such acclaim, without getting judged for neglecting her husband and children.  (I have added Run Like A Mother by Dimity McDowell and Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong to my reading list to see what they have to say about this!)

Maybe I was too wrapped up in the story, but I didn’t really come away with any great insights into running or life. On the other hand, when my family thinks I am taking running too seriously with my 5:00 am wake-up calls and ice baths, I can point to Marshall and say, “He had his toenails removed so they wouldn’t cause any issues–at least I’m not that crazy!”

Posted in Book Reviews, Fitness, Life | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

How To Do An Easy Run

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Coco

I am trying to run my long runs at a slower pace, based on information from different running pace calculators. While I don’t believe that there is a universal “right” way to train, I’ve courted injury by running my long runs at a fast pace, and am willing to try something different. What I still need to figure out, is how to run at an “easy” pace. I don’t set out to run my long runs fast, but I seem to have one pace for training (hard) and one pace for racing (harder). After Saturday’s run, I think I finally have figured out how to keep myself to an easy pace.

1. The week before, spend three days in the hot sun at a lacrosse tournament.

2. The day before, cheer on your son through three tough games in the championship rounds.

(They ended up placing 2nd out of 20 teams!)

3. The evening before, squeeze in your usual full body weight routine before dinner:

deadlifts/military presses/push-ups
plie squats/French press
lunges/bicep curls
step-ups/lateral raises/front raises
bent-over rows/hamstring curls/leg extensions (on Bowflex)
crunches/tuck & pile (on fitball)
side-lying leg lifts/crunches (on mat)

4. The night before, stay up too late (again) and set your alarm for 5:00 am anyway.

5. The day of your run, make sure the temperature is at least 70°F and choose a hilly route.

I credit all of these factors for helping me with my easy run.

Garmin Data:
Total Distance: 6.67 miles
Total Time: 1:05: 50
Avg. Pace: 9:52 min/mile
Split Times: 10:20, 9:50, 9:55, 9:56, 9:56, 9:37, 9:20

Those 9:55-ish minute miles fit right within the McMillan Running Calculator pace range for my slow and easy runs. It looks like I reverted to my usual pace for the last 1.67 miles, which was flat to downhill. I think I tend to run faster as I get close to home. 🙂

I will have to come up with a new strategy for next weekend, when I won’t have lacrosse to wear me out! 

 

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