Back on the Plan

*** Breaking News Alert ***

I got new shoes! My wonderful guy helped me pick them out and they were only $20, beat that Zappos. Actually, I love Zappos but how come all of their cute shoes are always way over $50?!? My new shoes are so cute. I love them already. They are perfect for work, that’s why I bought them. I need a cute black pair (which I have) and a cute brown pair (which I just got). Now I’m all set, and did I mention they were cute?!?

*** End Alert ***

Okay, so that’s not really what this post is about, but really now, isn’t that cool?

What is important, is I am back to the gym tonight and ready for a workout. Well, sorta. I did the elliptical yesterday at the gym for 35mins. Something easy to get moving again after a week off. And, I was secretly hoping to sweat out my cold and use my muscular system to move my lymphatic system into processing all my germs and getting over this darn ickyness. It was definitely therapeutic if not helpful. It feels good to sweat and move even if I didn’t feel close to 100%.

Tonight, I’m back to my regular schedule. I’m sure I won’t be at 100% again, but I don’t need to be. Even if I’m a week late, I’m still on my Intro week of my second round of strength training (of my new training plan). Tonight, I try the new set of exercises and see what weights are my base point.

Goal of the Week: While my goal could easily be just to finish the workouts planned, I am going to stray a bit from the norm and set my goal to – Every day this week, use the foam roller and do my stretching yoga DVD (Yoga for Athletes). Flexibility has taken a hit recently and I want to get it back. It’s pretty bad so in future weeks I may add a yoga class to the routine. Next week, I’ll set a new goal and let you know how I ended up with this one. Hopefully, I’ll feel super awesome by then. Fingers crossed.

Are you setting goals for your training every week?

A Forced Time Out

Well that was pretty unexpected. I had a great, lazy couple days with my guy last weekend. I even fit my run in on Sunday (it was raining Saturday) and started the week excited about my new set of exercises for strength training. One month in and I was feeling pretty good.

Well I was feeling great until mid-way through Monday. I thought at first I was allergic to something because of the sneezing and watery eyes but nope… I got a cold. Boooooooooooo!

I missed a couple days of work and even though I’m back today, I still don’t feel well. I just feel well enough to sit at my desk and get what I can done. But, who knows when I can get back to working out.

I feel like I’ve been forced into a timeout. But why? I do know that while my upper respiratory systems feel bogged down, my muscles in my arms, legs, and core feel great and strong , especially my legs.

So weird to be able to bound up stairs and feel like I have springs in my legs but also feel like I have collapsed lungs. I’m a study in contrasts right now.

I do know, it’s felt great to rest up. Perhaps my working out and running will benefit from this yucky cold I’ve been inflicted with. It has given me a moment of pause to reflect on whether I should schedule regular time outs even if I am enthusiastic about my running or strength training plans.

If I can get back to my plan next week, perhaps I’ll go another month and then try another short break. Either way, I will be determined to get back on some form of cardio soon so I don’t lose any fitness even if it means the elliptical.

I just hope I can come out of my time out soon not just to work out but because colds are really annoying. To be able to breathe with ease, such joy. It’s always the simple things. Until then, I’ll dig out my old strength training plans from the last month and share those over the next couple posts.

Meanwhile, I’ll get back to relishing in how strong and healthy my legs feel. And um, yeah, blow my nose a few thousand more times too.

Adjust as Necessary

No plan is perfect. Even I, the self-indulgent planner of all things knows that. About a month ago after plenty research, I came up with a great workout plan. One that would enable me to workout harder, get stronger, and improve my running while limiting injuries, burnout, and overall workout time.

Even though the plan is pretty close to perfect. It’s most importantly, not perfect. I’d like to even say I’m the type of person to make a plan and carry through no matter what. However, I do like the quote that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.

So, after my third weekend and my third failed attempt at hitting all my weekend workout goals I had to look at the obvious. I just don’t feel like working out both Saturday and Sunday. One or the other, but not both. So what am I to do?

Adjust as necessary.

In this case, I still want to run three times a week and lift three times a week. So here’s how I adjusted things.

Day	Before	After
Monday	Elliptical Warm-up & Strength Training	Elliptical Warm-up & Strength Training
Tuesday	Short/Recovery Run	Short/Recovery Run
Wednesday	Elliptical Warm-up & Strength Training	Elliptical Warm-up & Strength Training
Thursday	Interval Run	Interval Run & Strength Training
Friday	OFF	OFF
Saturday	Elliptical Warm-up & Strength Training	Long run
Sunday	Long run	OFF

Biggest change is I combined Saturday and Thursday into one workout, a very tough one as well. I will be thoroughly exhausted when done and ready to go to sleep after a quick dinner. But, it will enable me to have Sunday off when I want to be lazy the most.

I think I’m always tweaking things slightly or making small adjustments. It’s one attribute I’m most proud of. I don’t settle for the same pattern, I always try to make improvements.

Don’t be afraid to make some small adjustments here and there. Just be sure it’s not cutting so many things out that you’re not getting the results you want. Don’t go the opposite way either. Don’t keep adding things unless you’re allowing for adequate rest and recovery. You can do too little and you can do too much. Life’s a constant balancing game and if you’re not on top of the details, you’re liable to fall off when you’re least expecting it.

And even more significantly, if your body is telling you something like it was telling me, listen! You know yourself best and you know what you need. No, it’s not another scoop of peanut butter cup ice cream from Baskin Robbins. That’s not the voice I’m talking about. It’s the voice inside that knows your health’s homeostasis. Your body wants to be happy and healthy so listen when it tells you something. Mine told me to rest on Sunday, well gee, I can handle that

Happy Training and Keep up the Good Work!

And then she rested….

I write a lot about my running or my time in the gym. It’s fun and I like sharing what I’ve learned. But… it’s just as important to talk about a very integral part of working out – resting!

Yup, if you don’t allow your body to heal and restore itself from the demands and damage (essentially that’s what you do when you work out, you damage the muscle so it grows back stronger) then you aren’t going to see the progress you want to see.

I take my rest a couple ways. I strength train on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The demands of lifting weights need a day (or two) off to recover before the next session. Back to back strength training sessions compound muscle soreness. Trust me, I’ve learned from experience what this can do. When you have a hard time sitting down to use the toilet, you know you’ve over done it. Laugh all you want, but please take a day off between strength training sessions.

Also, every six weeks I cut back on my long run mileage (half the distance of my previous long run). Every four weeks, I cut back on reps and weight of my strength training. The first week of a new cycle of exercises, I cut back to get used to the new ones and establish a baseline of what weight I want to build from. The next three weeks I can push myself more and more, but the first week is an introduction to the new routine.

And finally, I take one day a week to rest completely. Well hello Friday, I love you very much. Fridays, I do not work out. I reward myself for putting in the time the other six days and it’s the end of a work week. It’s so relaxing to be able to go home and enjoy the night off with my guy. He’s pretty cute so it’s not hard to do. (No, this isn’t a picture of my guy but instead represents how I feel when I rest. Looks comfy, huh?!)

So guess what today is?!? Yup, it is Friday! And then she rested… (ZzZzZzZzZzZZ)

Go ahead and give yourself one or more rest day a week. Your body will thank you and you’ll be happy with the results you see in the gym or on the trail. Don’t make seeing your hard work pay off more difficult.

A SillyRunner Announcement

Well… I’d like to announce my workout goal of 2010.

I signed up for my second half marathon.

Specifically, this one…

I can’t believe I’m trying another. I really want to improve my time and run the whole race.

I have a good friend who moved from Charleston to Illinois (part of the reason I chose this one) and she’s going to run this with me. Also, my parents can drive from Michigan to see me run. It should be a fun weekend. Well, except for the 13.1 miles part. It’s a tough distance for me. I’m a little unsure of my goal but I started my training plan the beginning of January so this time around I’m putting in seven months of running into the effort.

Yes, I am nervous. I am excited too. But mostly, nervous.

It’s in the Details

I have something to confess.

I am not very good at recording the details of my workouts.

Gasp! Shock! Horror!

You’re shaking your head in disbelief, aren’t you?! LOL

Yes, I’m probably like most people in that I’m not the best about writing down details of my workouts. It’s surprising to me I’m not better at this than I am because I write down so many details about so many other things. (And, um yeah, I’m a technical writer for a living. So, we document things, ya know).

I typically love details. But not when it comes to workouts. Over the past month however,  I’ve been really working on changing. Most importantly, I have a plan for my strength training and I write down what weights I used and how many reps. I usually stick to 12 reps (3 sets) unless it’s too hard for me to do 12. Example - Squats: I’m only at 8 reps because I just started doing them and want to stay injury free while I get stronger.

I used to think documenting my workout was a pain, but I realized recently that keeping a notebook and pen with me saves time. And I love saving time! I have the weight and reps for each exercise in front of me so I don’t need to think about what to rack. Also, I like putting down a little arrow and a number when I improve what I can lift. It feels good to see progress. I know being consistent will mean I can tell when I’m getting stronger and I won’t be wasting my efforts. It’s taken about three weeks for me to really notice some progress but it feels good.

For strength training, I aim to improve how much I can lift for 2-3 exercises each workout. And, I only do the same exercise once a week. I complete 9 exercises each workout (3 upper, 3 lower, 3 core) three times a week. Which means I do 27 different exercises in a week. I do the same workout for 4 weeks in a row, attempting to work harder each time, and then after week 4 I switch up the exercises. I repeat my workout plan long enough to notice improvement, but not so long that my muscles adapt and stop making gains.

Also, the more consistent I am completing my workouts, logging details, and putting in the time – the more I know my workouts are effective. No one wants to spend more time in the gym then they have to right? So, make sure the time you are putting in now is good.

I’ve been consistently strength training for 4+ years and it wasn’t until the last month that I was able to notice how important it is to keep track of your workouts.

And not just strength training folks, I have a plan for my runs and especially my interval runs on the treadmill. For interval runs, I keep track of the order (time/speed for run and walk portions) so I can see if next week’s attempt is easier and if I was able to run longer. Otherwise, for my distance based runs, I just try to hit my goal.

So stop putting it off. You won’t look like a dork. Carry a notebook, clipboard, piece of paper (whatever you like) with you at the gym and write details down. If anything, you’ll get more respect at your gym. After all, it’s the people lifting 5lb barbells without effort that we usually laugh at

If it helps, I’ll post some details of my strength training and interval runs.

In the meantime, do you record your workouts and what’s your favorite method to keep track?

The Weekend Trip

Nope, I didn’t take a trip out of town last weekend. It’s more like the kind of trip where someone sticks his foot out and you fall over it.

Weekends tend to trip me up on my workout plans. Why?

Well, for one weekends are fun and relaxing and full of so many opportunities to do happy things like sleep, read, play video games, watch tv/movies, get projects done, and more. And two, I work so hard during the week that I want to spend as much time resting as I can on the weekends even though I know weekends are the opportunity to make gains in my overall fitness.

Today is the beginning of another weekend and I’m hoping I do better on this one than the last one. I really try not to beat myself up these days. I can get mad or frustrated and then I have to move on. I try to learn from what I disliked about my behavior by identifying what I could have done better and then I focus on making a conscious effort to do better next time. Most often, I get upset about food choices. There are too many delicious things in the world! But in this case, I just didn’t put forth as much effort working out as I would have liked last weekend. So this upcoming one, I’m hoping I can show signs of improvement. I don’t need to be perfect, but instead focus on being better.

Will this weekend trip me up too? I hope not but no worries, I can always beat myself up in the gym Monday to Friday if I do. I mean really, I can’t blame myself for enjoying my weekends because I have a great partner in crime. He makes it hard to be a grownup when I can be a big kid with him.

Do you work out on the weekend or do you use it to relax and restore?

New Routines Take a Toll

I’ve often heard it takes 2-3 weeks for a new routine to set. Day 5 and I’ve got a long way to go. Ouch. Doesn’t help that towards the end of my vacation I was staying up a little later and sleeping in. But sleeping in felt so, so good. Now, waking up at 6am does not.

In recap, I did a 2mile run on Sunday, strength training Monday, 2mile run on Tuesday, and strength training Wednesday. It’s Thursday and it’s interval run day. Time to do some speedwork tonight. Biggest obstacle right now is my sleep is off so I’m feeling really laggy/sleepy in the head. Body is hanging in there though. My run in the windy cold Tuesday night went better than the one on Sunday. Not much better, but better nonetheless. Any signs of improvement are welcome at any time. Glad I’m taking the ramp up time in mileage slowly. I know when I get to longer runs later this spring, I’ll be glad I took it easy in the beginning.

Strength training is going well. I’m still getting used to how it feels to only do strength training and not weights + cardio. Seems weird to do a short warm-up for my muscles and then head straight into strength training. I like having more energy heading into the weights but then when I’m done, it just feels weird. I think it might be good though because then I’m hoping I have more energy to work out more during the week and sustain the pace over weeks and months. Plus, all I keep hearing about is the value of strength training for women and I’d like to see the results.

In the meantime, yup it’s Day 5 and it’s a yawn of a day. I’ll be glad when my new schedule is a routine instead of a new thing. Schedules I like. Feeling tired and cranky I do not like.  However, if I can give anyone advice on working out, get to a healthy routine as soon as possible because then it will be your norm and not just something you can blow off when you feel like it.

16 days to go and I’ll be feeling like normal with my new workout schedule. A couple months from now we’ll see if the new plan works. Time in the gym is definitely not for those who need immediate gratification.

Is anyone else settling in to a new routine lately?

I Ran Yesterday

It was cold. I wore many layers. I ran very, very slow. I think I averaged a 13:26/mile pace. Funny but not surprising, because my legs were numb and my upper body was bundled up with layers so I couldn’t move well. My running tights even made a re-appearance. Of course they worked well again.

Closest image I could find of what I approximately looked like outside.

I started with a 5min warm-up walk. Not really sure how much warming up I accomplished. I then waddled around the neighborhood in my slow jog like trance. At about .92 miles in when I looked down at my watch I wimpered a little. I thought I’d be a little further than that and I wondered if I’d have to break up my 2 mile run into two segments. Embarrassed by the thought I vowed to keep running for a while and see how I was doing. Sure enough when I got to 1.33 I thought okay, I can do this a little while longer. And then, when I saw my watch at 1.72 I knew I couldn’t stop when I was close to the finish.

2 miles never felt so long even though mentally it’s very short for me. I’m glad I’m starting out my spring training slowly. Slow is good. Especially when this cold seems to be sticking around for a while.

They even predicted the possibility of snow soon and low in the teens. Did I mention I live on the coast of SC which usually has moderate temps? My next two outside runs have forecasted temps at 40 and 39. It could always be worse, I could live in Michigan still where the high is 27 and 23. It’s always colder someplace else.

I guess it’s bundle up and shut up. Time to run and get back into a regular running schedule. I guess we’ll see what I’m made of this spring.

How are you coping with the temperatures where you live? Are you running outside still or did you head for the treadmill?

Breaking a Good/Bad Habit

How can a habit be both good and bad? Well, when it’s good for you yet not good for you. See, when I go to the gym, I usually do at least 20-30 mins of cardio then strength training. Sounds great, right? Well, actually it’s not.

I’ve been reading more about strength training, especially female strength training, and what should have been a reality months if not years ago really dawned on me lately. You really shouldn’t do strength training and an aerobic cardio session in the same workout. Now, if you’re pressed for time and need to do both, it’s better to do them in the same day then to not do one or both. Do what you can!

However, if you really want to get stronger, more fit, and more lean (muscle), you need to focus on strength training and cardio on separate days. If you do cardio before strength training, it can weaken your form and you won’t be able to push yourself as much. If you do cardio afterwards, you’re unlikely to perform well. Trust me on that one, I’ve done strength training first the last couple sessions and I’ve had nothing left in the tank when I was done lifting. BINGO!

You want your muscles to be exhausted after lifting. You want all your sets to push yourself to the limit so you can build new lean muscle tissue and burn more calories.

On the other hand, cardiovascular exercise is very important also. So what do you do? Well you can do what I’m about to start doing. I’m going to do three days a week strength training, 3 days a week running (or other cardio), and one day off. I’m going to also try to remember to put in time for my foam roller and my yoga for athletes dvd. I’ve still been lacking serious effort on stretching.

Already, I felt better last night. I did a half mile run warmup so my muscles weren’t cold, then went into my strength training. I made one change to strength training recently as well. I don’t isolate body areas per strength training session. I do an all over lifting session so I can keep my muscles targeted all week.

I’m curious to see how I do. I’ll do this current rotation of three workouts for a month and then switch it up. I’ve been learning a lot from Rachel Cosgrove’s new book – The Female Body Breakthrough. There are so many misconceptions about women and working out that I loved reading this book. Highly recommend it and the new Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises.

Also, here’s a bonus of separating the two – my workouts don’t take as long! Woohoo! Hopefully that will help keep the momentum and fun going. Happy Holidays and Happy Workouts. Here’s to starting the year stronger, happier, and more ready for whatever may come in 2010.

Have you tried strength training? If not, why not?