When I Plan My Week in Workouts: Vol. III

Last week’s workout plan was a success apart from skipping Tuesday and Saturday! (Can you call that a success? I will! 🙂 ) I also chose to take my second Body Pump class tonight instead of on Thursday.

I’ve really been loving my running workouts even though they’ve been on the gym treadmill. (Who am I kidding, that’s not an “even though!” I’ve been LOVING the opportunity to run in AC instead of outside in the insane heat and humidity!) It’s felt so great to be running again, and I haven’t been beating myself up about mixing in walking until I get used to the mileage again in my Vibrams. Plus it’s been awesome to bring my earphones over to the treadmill and plug them in to listen to the CNN station the gym always has on. I’ve wanted to become more aware of and up-to-date about international news for years now, so this (plus my M-F email subscription to theSkimm) has been a huge help.

In other news, I’ve been on the hunt for a good work-to-gym bag that’s not crazy expensive. It’s surprisingly hard to find! I suppose I’ll have a little leeway until May when classes start back up at school. (We’re grading and lesson planning in the office for the rest of March and then have April off.) What I mean is, I won’t be packing textbooks and papers PLUS daily necessities PLUS workout gear this month – just the second two. 🙂 If you know of a good, inexpensive work-to-gym bag, please let me know! I’m hoping for one with an over-the-shoulder strap, a division on the inside to separate my school items from my workout gear, and enough room for a pair or two of shoes. (Yes, I’m basically describing a Lululemon bag. But they’re so expensive!) Maybe that’s a hefty order? I don’t know!

My last piece of news before we get into this week’s workout plan: I bought my first pair of cross-training shoes last week, and I’ve been loving them. I think I left my pair of Asics at my parents’ house when I moved, so since all I brought to Thailand exercise shoes-wise was Keens and Vibrams, I’ve pretty much been at a loss when I’ve needed a good walking shoe or Body Pump shoe here. I’ve been on track with my savings recently, plus I’m planning to become a regular at Body Pump class AND to need a good walking shoe when I travel in April, so I figured last week was the perfect time to invest in cross-training shoes! I chose the Merrell Bare Access Arc 3 Cross-Training Shoe in Sleet/Scuba Blue. I tried on a pair of New Balance cross-trainers first and just could not get over how bulky they felt and how strange they looked on my feet after wearing Vibrams for the past two years! So these Merrells are perfect. They’re lightweight with zero drop (though, to be honest, I don’t have a super firm grasp on what that means!), so they’re tailored to give you a minimalist shoe feel. I believe they’ve partnered with Vibrams to make this shoe, so my loving them (the way they feel AND the way they look on my feet!) makes even more sense.

And now (whew!) my plan for this week’s workouts!

M: Core Flow + Body Pump
TU: Run/Walk 3 miles (W 1, R 1.5, W .5)
W: Hot Flow
TH: Run/Walk 3 miles (W .5, R 1.5, W .5, R .5) + Body Pump
F: Rest
SA: I’m hoping to travel somewhere nearby this weekend, so I’ll be walking a lot in my new shoes to get some exercise!
SU: Run/Walk 4 miles (W .5, R 2, W .5, R 1)

What is your workout plan for next week? Do you stick to one form of exercise, or do you like to mix it up?

When I Take a Fitness Survey

Let’s jump into a Fitness Survey inspired by Carrots ‘N’ Cake!

1. Five fitness items that I can’t live without:

–Vibram FiveFingers (Sprint) & Injinji socks: yes, I count these as one item. I wish I could run     socks-less in my Vibrams, but the sides of my feet tend to feel like they are going to get blisters ASAP after just one mile when I run without wearing these socks.

–Lululemon’s Run: Swiftly Tech Racerback: yes, Lululemon products are expensive. No, I did not spend my own money on mine (I got them as gifts). Yes, I would spend my own money on them – they are that good.

–Lululemon’s Run: Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve: See my above comment. Also, this long sleeve in particular is great because it really does keep me so warm when running in the cold. When I was training for the half-marathon, I did my 10-mile run during a 27-degree morning, and the only other layer I needed to stay warm was a sweatshirt. That, folks, means that this long sleeve is legit.

-Some good wicking shorts: you know that they’re good when you can avoid chafing and feeling all that awesome (but distracting) sweat

-Smart phone: to listen to music, to Instagram, and for safety

(Photo: my pile of necessities for the half-marathon)

2. Favorite pre-workout snack/meal:

Bagel thin covered in maple almond butter and a sliced banana

(Post-workout: protein shake. AKA a blend of almond milk, banana, Greek yogurt, frozen fruit, protein powder, and flax seed)

3. On my fitness bucket list:

Get back into a fitness routine: running, weightlifting, cross-training, and Pilates. Also, do the Color Run 5K!

4. Must-have tech tools:

Smart phone and Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch. Also, an armband for my smart phone.

5. Motivational mantra:

When I’m running: “I am committed to this first mile; I will not stop for anything.” “I am committed to this second mile; I will not stop for anything.” Etc. (I will stop if I am in a great deal of pain though, but this idea of commitment makes me less likely to buckle down to the pressure of feeling out of breath or just wishing I was doing something else with my time.
I don’t really have any other mantras other than the general “You’ve got this.” Running is typically the hardest form of exercise for me to push myself through, oddly enough. That means that I’m most easily distracted when I’m running than when I’m doing any other form of exercise. But when I get distracted while lifting, I remind myself that it’s worth it because it doesn’t take much time and it makes me feel good about myself (I feel fit, I have a tighter core, I like the way I look); while cross-training, I remind myself that I can do it because 30 minutes-1 hour flies by when I’m reading or watching a movie, so 30 minutes-1 hour of cross-training will not kill me; while doing Pilates, I breathe and focus because it really is so relaxing, it de-stresses me, and it makes me feel like I have a tighter core.

6. Favorite cardio exercise:

Running and using the elliptical

What are your favorite fitness items? What do you like to eat before and after a workout? Have you found any motivational mantras that work for you? What do you like to do for exercise? Leave a comment by clicking on the link to the left of this post.

When I Run a Half-Marathon

All my life I have wanted to be a runner. Several-month-long spurts of running on my parents’ treadmill every morning has happened all throughout my life, and I remember the only time I felt like a successful runner was when I ran an 8:30 mile in middle school. But even during the months of no running (which were, quite honestly, most of the months out of the year), the desire to be a runner never want away.

Who would have thought that it would be the discovery of the blogger world that would push me to actually become a runner? Here’s how it happened.

Step One (2011): Discover A Foodie Stays Fit, love it for its humor, interesting details, and discussion of clean food and running.

Step Two (2011): Keep reading A Foodie Stays Fit on a daily basis. On days when Teri hasn’t posted something new, I find myself reading multiple posts from the past until I am finally caught up on the entire blog. No shame.

Step Three (2011): Discover other blogs about running. Read them on a regular basis. Keep wishing I am a runner.

Step Four (January 2012): I make two goals for the year: 1) I will live out of my best hopes rather than out of my worst fears. 2) I will learn to love exercise.

Step Five (March 2012): Buy my first pair of Vibram FiveFingers because Teri, Ashley (from Edible Perspective), and the Vibram FiveFingers website have convinced me that they are more than worth a try. Promise myself that I will actually use these shoes . . . by running a half-marathon!

Step Six (March-April 2012): Run several minutes each day each week, gradually increasing the number of minutes each week. (Sometimes this happens; sometimes it doesn’t. I am mid-semester of college, after all.) Create a Wish List of running clothes and set another goal: if I have been running consistently by June and can run up to 3 miles by then, I will buy myself one item from this list.

Step Seven (May 2012): My parents surprise me with gifts from my Wish List (early birthday presents!). By this time, I am well-versed in “runner’s food” and “runner’s clothing” and “how to get into a running groove,” but it’s time to actually put that knowledge into practice. No more excuses – the semester is over! I start running, increasing my mileage each week . . .

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS during this month: I run two miles in under 20 minutes in Kiawah, South Carolina (the most beautiful place to be and to run, I am convinced); I run two miles on the beach without dying; and I register for the Bass Pro Half-Marathon.

Step Eight (June-August 2012): Set a goal to keep increasing my running mileage each week. Fail: I’m a residential camp counselor at one of my favorite places in the world. Ain’t nobody got time to run!

Step Nine (August-November 2012): Get serious about increasing my running mileage because I seriously feel guilty about now owning what’s on my Wish List without having much to show for it – plus, I’m not going to waste a $50 half-marathon registration! Start training with my friend Ciara (who has run one half-marathon before). We use a Hal Higdon Training Plan. Write each workout into my planner IN PEN; it’s part of my day, and I can only scratch it out of my calendar under extreme circumstances.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS during this time: I meet my second 2012 goal of learning to love exercising; I somehow/sometime fall in love with running and begin to look forward to the scheduled runs; I make time for training; I work up to being able to run 10 miles, and I finally feel comfortable/confident enough to go out and run 4 miles alone.

Step Ten (November 4, 2012): Run the half-marathon!!!

I am overwhelmed by gratitude for having been able to run this half-marathon (and do all the necessary training for it beforehand). Until I find a more appropriate place of honor for my medal, it will stay looped over my bedpost, a daily reminder of a childhood dream accomplished. I still feel grateful, content, and humbled today when I think about this whole experience. So, so grateful.

(. . . I don’t have much encouragement to offer as to how much I’ve been running since the half-marathon, but let’s just say that I’m working up to it.)

I’d love to hear your running story! Please comment below.