Month: February 2015

Last Week’s Half Marathon Training and Workouts Recap (2/23-3/1)

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neon (8)Last week was a great week! I finished the two month long Insanity Max:30 program and had my first race of 2015. Half Marathon training is going well too. This is what was planned on the MyAsics app:IMG_2959

Here’s what I did last week:

Monday – Day 50 of Insanity Max:30 -Max Out Cardio. Here’s what I posted on FB that has some video clips:

Tuesday – Ran three miles.

Then did Max Out Power.

Wednesday – Day 52 of Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Sweat.

Thursday – Ran 8.5 miles.

Also, did Max Out Strength.

Friday – Last day of Insanity Max:30 – Friday Fight Round 2! Friday Fight Round 2 is definitely the hardest workout in the program. I maxed out at 6:33, just a 6 sec improvement. This program really pushed me and I will definitely continue to do more workouts from it even though I’ve finished the two month program.Saturday – Ran the Mommathon 5k, a local race put on my Mom’s Run This Town group and Uberthons. PR’d…woohoo! Race recap coming soon.
Sunday – 11 mile run. I wasn’t able to run it as fast as the MyAsics app said after it recalculated paces, but it was still fast for me. 😛 They are just guideline paces.

How did your week go? Happy first week of March!

I’m linking up with this week’s Workout Wednesday (WOW) Link Up!

Brought to you by hostesses Diatta Harris | Femme Fitale Fit Club and Sheila Simmons | The Frugal Exerciser and co-hostesses: Amanda | Eat Hard Work Hard and Heather | Divas Run For Bling.

Femme Fitale Fit Club

Friday Five: Free Friday

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TITLE (8)Happy Friday! I am linking up once again with Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up for What?! and Mar on the Run for their Friday Five Linkup. Every Friday they have a linkup for bloggers to link up a post about five things on their theme or you can write five things about your own topic. This weeks theme is “Free Friday” so we can write about anything. I’ve chosen to write about five things that have been on my mind this week.

1. Have you heard of the Earthathon Relay? It’s not too late to join in on this fun virtual relay around the Earth. My team #RunderfulRunners is currently in third place and we’d love to add more runners to catch up to second place! 🙂

Earthathon was created by @GoRunHappy last year as a way to motivate others to exercise regularly. It’s picked up and for 2015, he set up ten teams to run a relay around the earth. The teams will combine and complete a total of 250,000 miles, which is the approximate distance to the moon. There will be ten teams but they are just a part of the bigger picture of “One Team, One Planet.” Once a team finishes their leg of the relay, they will help the other teams. When all teams have finished, they will have accomplished finishing a 250,000 mile relay. How cool is that?IMG_2652-0

All you need is a Twitter account. Learn more here http://earthathonrelay.com/.

Just log your runs/walks/hikes on this form after you sign up: http://earthathonrelay.com/run. The password is: run. We’re a fun, motivating and supportive group! Would love it if you’d join us! 🙂

2. Today’s the last workout (Friday Fight: Round 2) of the two month long program, Insanity Max:30. I can’t believe it’s the last day. It’s been tough and challenging but I’ve seen great improvement in my times. I like the concept of maxing out (the time when you have to take a break for the first time) and you’re pushing to beat your own time each week. It’s a great way to see how far you’ve gone. I feel more stronger and feel it’s helped with my endurance. I like this insane program and will continue to do workouts from it.max30

3. Saturday will be my first race of the year. I’m excited! I’ll be doing the Mommathon 5k race that’s being put on by my local Mom’s Run This Town group and Uberthons. I blogged about this race previously and it should be a fun one.10478166_687839397998857_8449749821663005143_n

4. We bought Big Hero 6 from Target and this is a pic from the back of the case. It’s so cute! The kiddos and I loved the movie!

5. Some really big news, I recently got a job offer and will be starting work again in April. This will be a big change since I haven’t worked since my eldest son was born, six years ago. I’ll be going back to the tech company I had w0rked for previously and will be working a compressed work week schedule. It will be 12 hour shifts and I’d work three days a week every other week and four days the other weeks. The thing I’m not looking forward to is that it will be on night shift. I felt it was time to go back to work but we’ll see how the night shift goes. I used to work nights so I’m familiar with it. I still plan to do all my scheduled races and pace for Uberthons.nightshift

Have you ever worked a night shift? Any big weekend plans? Be sure to check out the other blogs in the linkup! Hope you have a great weekend!

Last Week’s Half Marathon Training Workouts Recap (2/16-2/22)

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neon (7)This has been a pretty good week. I ended the week with an eleven mile run at race pace, and I felt great. It was my longest run so far this year and fastest 11-miler. The My Asics App changed things around a little after seeing I was running faster than expected. Now it seems even more challenging, since it wanted me to run a 8:14 pace today, and I managed 8:25, which is really good for me. I think that’s about what it had before the app recalculated and made the adjustments. Here’s what the My Asics had scheduled for this week:IMG_2846I’m also continuing with Insanity Max:30. It’s been tough but I think it’s really helped build my fitness level. I feel stronger and I think it’s helped with my endurance too. I felt pretty strong on my 11 miler. I can’t believe there’s only one week left of the program. Anyway, here’s what I did this week:

Monday: Running rest day. I did day 43 of Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Cardio. I maxed out at 9:38, a minute and four seconds improvement!IMG_2843

Tuesday: Ran three miles. IMG_2858

Then did Max Out Power. 

Wednesday: Ran 8.5 miles

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Then got Max Out Sweat done. 

Thursday: Got day 46 of Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Strength done. 

Friday: Ran 3 miles on the treadmill and then did Max:30 Friday Fright Round 2. The side to side floor hops are still a killer. I maxed out at 6:27, a 5 sec improvement.

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Saturday: Rest Day.

Sunday: Ran 11 miles. Felt great!

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How’d your week go? Here’s to a great last week of February!

Friday Five: Five Races to Run in 2015

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TITLE (6)Happy Friday! I am linking up once again with Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up for What?! and Mar on the Run for their Friday Five Linkup. Every Friday they have a linkup for bloggers to link up a post about five things on their theme or you can write five things about your own topic. This week’s theme is “5 Races to Run in 2015”. Here are five races that I think are awesome and I’m running this year:

1. Mommathon 5k 10k Fitness Festival – 2/28/15. This one’s coming up soon! It’s being put on by my local Mom’s Run This Town group and Uberthons. What’s cool about this one is that it’s not just a 5k or 10k race, it’s also a fitness festival where there are fitness challenges. There will be fitness stations which include tests like how many burpees can you do in a minute, or how long can you hold plank? They also have a virtual option. You can learn more HERE. Check out the cool medal!mommathon_medal

2. NYC Half Marathon – 3/15/15. I was lucky to get into this one since it is a lottery event. I’m so happy both my sister and I got in! This one should be fun since I’ll be traveling to the East Coast. I’ll get to run through Times Square and Central Park. It’ll be a nice running tour. I’m excited! Here’s a link to their official page for more info: HERE.nychalf15_racehead_4

3. Rock’n’Roll Portland Half Marathon – 5/17/15. I love all the Rock’n’Roll Races I’ve done so far. This will be the fourth time doing the Portland race. rnrportlandIt looks like they’ve changed the course this year, so I’m excited for that! Improvements include:

  • No stopping for trains or traffic relief! (glad this never happened to me)
  • New bridges, new streets
  • Run through the historic Irvington neighborhood.POR_course_updated

Here’s a link to the official Rock’n’Roll Portland page: HERE.

4. Rock’n’Roll Seattle Half Marathon – 6/13/15. I did this race for the first time last year and loved the scenic course! I remember getting a great view of Mt. Rainier, running on the freeway seeing the Great Wheel and Seattle’s sport stadiums. Also, it was nice running along Lake Washington, and there was a sea of blue, military tributes and American flags to remember the honor and sacrifice of our service men and women. It was great!14_RnR_SEA_Logo

Looks like they changed the course this year too and they will have a new start and finish line under the Space Needle. Here’s a link to the official page: HERE.

5. Portland Marathon – 10/4/15. This will be my first marathon. It’s listed to be one of the best marathons for first timers in this Runner’s World Article- HERE, in Fitness Magazine- HERE, Fitbie -as one of the 10 Best Beginner Marathons- HERE, and one of the 15 Best Fall Marathon’s in the U.S. from daily Burn- HERE. I’m glad this race is local. Here’s the official Portland Marathon site for more info: HERE.cropped-2015Masthead

What is your favorite race for 2015?

 

Last Week’s Half Marathon Training Workouts Recap (2/9-2/15)

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neon (6)Four more weeks until the NYC Half Marathon. Half marathon training is going well since I’m getting my runs in even though some are done on different days than on the schedule. There’s also only two more weeks left in Insanity Max:30. Month two is definitely tougher but I feel I’m getting stronger. Here’s what the Asics app had scheduled for running:IMG_2401

Here’s what my week looked like:

Monday – Day 36 of Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Cardio completed. Maxed out at 8:34, a 27 sec improvement. IMG_2692

Here are some clips from Max Out Cardio:

Tuesday – Ran three miles easy and had to make a detour because of the high water on the trail by the bridge. Then did Max:30 – Max Out Power. Maxed out at 9:49, an improvement from last time.

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Wednesday – Day 38 of Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Sweat done! I improved my max out time by 42 sec . Time was 8:22. IMG_2746

Thursday – Ran 7.5 miles while the lil guy was in preschool. Then later in the afternoon did Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Strength. Maxed out at 7:51, a few seconds improvement.
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Friday – Ran three miles on the treadmill and then did Day 40 of Insanity Max:30 – Friday Fight Round 2. This one’s tough. After the iron legs move, the side to side floor hops kill. Maxed out at 6:22. Improved by 4 sec.

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Saturday – Rest day

Sunday – Had a nice 8 mile run.IMG_2819

 

What was the best part of your week? Here’s to another great week of workouts!

Friday Five: Five Running Items I’m Loving Right Now

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TITLE (5)It’s Friday the 13th! I am linking up once again with Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up for What?! and Mar on the Run for their Friday Five Linkup. Every Friday they have a linkup for bloggers to link up a post about five things or write on their own theme. This week’s theme is “Love”. So I decided to write about five running related items I’m loving right now.

1. Wireless Headphones. I love listening to music when I run and I am loving wireless headphones! I just got these a couple of weeks ago. I usually like to whip out my phone and take pictures and not having to deal with the headphone cord is AWESOME! I’m using the Yurbuds Liberty Wireless Secure Fit Earphones and they work great. They don’t fall out when I run. I tried a different brand’s headphones and they just kept falling out after a while. Yurbuds are still my go to brand. I was lucky these were on sale and my hubby had a gift card. Since I’ve tried wireless, I’m not going back.IMG_2781

2. Injinji Socks. I love these socks! I won a pair in a giveaway a long time ago and I keep going back to these socks when I run. I just bought a new pair a couple of days ago. I dunno, my feet are comfortable in toe socks. I like how they’re lightweight and I don’t get blisters using them.

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3. Strava. I just recently started using this App that tracks running or other activities like cycling. It’s a great way to keep track of your runs and look at your running data. I love how the GPS seems to be more accurate than Runkeeper since I’ve compared it with my Garmin. While running it’s great because you can setup audio notifications for every mile or half mile. It also syncs with Instagram so you can see your pics associated with your runs. Another neat feature is that it compares the same distance runs you’ve ran in the same location, or matched runs as they call it, and you can see the data on a chart. Pretty cool!IMG_2782

4. Beachbody’s Results and Recovery Formula. I’m really loving taking this recovery drink, especially on the days I do double workouts, where I run and then do an Insanity Max:30 workout. I think it’s really helping with having less soreness. I like how it has the 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio and tastes like an orange creamsicle.IMG_2789

5. Race-Kred runner charms. I’m loving the Race-Kred 13.1 runner charm I got to review. It’s a cool reminder of my accomplishment of running a half marathon. Love how it looks on my shoe! Full review and giveaway coming soon. Stay tuned.

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What running item are you loving right now? Hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Be sure to check out the other blogs in the linkup!

Last Week’s Half Marathon Training and Workouts Recap (2/2-2/8)

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neon (4)I’m still somewhat following the MyAsics app for half marathon training, just switching the days mostly. I’m getting my runs in so half marathon training is going well. I also started month 2 of Insanity Max:30 this week and oh my, it’s tough but good! Here is what was scheduled for running:IMG_2682

Here are the workouts and runs I did:

Monday – I did Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Cardio. Maxed out at 8:07. Had a great sweat session! Also, I got a yoga pose, the Warrior for Monday’s #SweatPink #NoExcuseschallenge.

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Tuesday – Started with a nice 3 mile run to a local park!

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Then did Day 30 of Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Power. Wow, what a workout! Maxed out at 8:51. I also got my push-ups in for the #SweatPink #NoExcuses challenge during the workout.

 

Wednesday – I had a good 7.5 mile build up run.IMG_2537

Then did Day 31 of Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Sweat.

I also got my high knees in with added switch kicks for the day’s #sweatpink #NoExcuses challenge. 

 

Thursday – Day 32 of Insanity Max:30 – Max Out Strength. Maxed out at 7:47.

I also got my plank in for the #SweatPink #NoExcuses challenge.IMG_2608

Friday – I ran three miles on the treadmill and then I did day 33 of Insanity Max:30 Friday Fight Round 2. Maxed out at 6:18. IMG_2637

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – Had a good 8 mile run.
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How’d your week go? Here’s to a great week ahead!

I’m linking up with this week’s Workout Wednesday (WOW) Link Up!

Brought to you by hostesses Diatta Harris | Femme Fitale Fit Club and Sheila Simmons | The Frugal Exerciser and co-hostesses: Amanda | Eat Hard Work Hard and Heather | Divas Run For Bling.

Femme Fitale Fit Club

Friday Five: Fitness Snapshots – Things That Will Keep You Healthy & Fit

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TITLE (4)It’s Friday! I am linking up once again with Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up for What?! and Mar on the Run for their Friday Five Linkup. Every Friday they have a linkup for bloggers to link up a post about five things or write on their own theme. This week’s theme is “Fitness Snapshots”. I always post pics of me working out. But what exactly is fitness? Here is the first definition I got from Google.

IMG_2611Fitness is the condition of being physically fit and healthy. So here are five snapshots of things I do that keep me physically fit and healthy:

1. Running. Running is a great way to get fit and healthy. The benefits of running goes on and include improved cardio and respiratory health, reduced cholesterol, and strengthens the immune system. Here’s a pic from Wednesday’s run.

IMG_25512. Strength Training. Strength training makes you stronger, builds stronger bones, and improves athletic performance. Also, gaining more muscle is great since muscle burns more calories than fat. This is an older workout pic from when I was doing Insanity the Asylum – Strength.IMG_98953. Hiking/Walking. Here’s a pic from when I hiked the Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs a couple of years ago.2013-12-26 07.34.18

I haven’t done much hiking lately. The last time was in November, when I was in Colorado again. Just like walking, hiking improves your cardio fitness, bone density, and reduces risk of breast and colon cancer.

4. Yoga. There are many benefits of yoga that include improved flexibility, strength, and better posture. I need to keep working on doing more yoga. Here I am doing the crow pose. This pic is from March when I was doing P90X3.2014-03-20 10.42.125. Drinking Water. We all know that drinking water is good for us. I always try to drink at least half my body weight in ounces of water. Some benefits of drinking water include healthier skin, helps carry nutrients and oxygen to our cells, and aids in digestion.IMG_9871

What do you like to do to stay physically fit and healthy?

Have a great weekend! Be sure to check out the other great blogs!

Last Week’s Half Marathon Training and Workouts Recap (1/26-2/1)

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neon (3)I had another busy week of workouts, but got them done! I finished week 4 of Insanity Max:30, so month one is in the bag. Woohoo! I’m a bit scared for month two since it’s supposed to be even more challenging. I also continued with the My Asics app half marathon training plan. Here was the Asics plan for last week:

IMG_2449I moved many of the runs to fit my schedule but I got around the same mileage in.

Here’s what I did:

Monday – Day 22 of Insanity Max:30 – Cardio Challenge completed. I maxed out at 12:36, a 3 min 27 sec improvement!
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Tuesday – I decided to run the Mom’s Run This Town Virtual 10k. It was a good fast one!IMG_2314I also did Max:30 Tabata Strength. I maxed out at 10:41, a 32 sec improvement! I still don’t like this one because of all the diamond and v push-ups. I just need to keep working on them.IMG_2318

Wednesday – I did Max:30 – Sweat Intervals. I improved my max out time and got 11:31. Here’s some video clips when my little guy decided to join me at the end. You may have seen it in my previous post, but I think it’s cute :).

Thursday – I ran 5 miles on the treadmill! That was tough! I’m not used to running that much on it. It was my longest run ever. Watching on the iPad helps! Then I did day 25 of Insanity Max:30 – Tabata Strength. I maxed out at 10:45 which was a few sec improvement.

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Friday – I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. I also did day 26 Max:30 – Friday Fight Round 1. I maxed out at 8:46, a 7 sec improvement.

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Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – I ran a nice 10 miles.
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How’d your week go? Happy first week of February!