Running Like A Girl

All of a sudden I think my plan is working!

Overnight??  Ha Ha!  No.

I came up with this plan in December 2009 after my Memphis marathon.  I put it in motion January 2010.  It is now April 2011. 

Countless hours of working out.  Of believing.  Of re-evaluating and then re-evaluating again.  Of injuries, setbacks, and plateaus.

This morning when I was doing a 3 miler, I glanced down on my garmin to see a “7″ appear as the first number on my minute/mile pace.  Oh yes.  I did a double take.  I knew that I was running fast but I was not sprinting or going all out; I was breathing well and feeling good.  I have hit 7′s before but it has been awhile.  Based on how I felt, I now think that I am getting to the point where I can go faster – easier.  And that is what I want.  That is where I have been headed.  If I can maintain a faster pace, easier, that will make a big difference in my next marathon.

Shaun T is my hero.

-Runner girl

I have taken to writing my WOD on my wrist when I hit the gym every morning.

It’s part of my bad-ass look.

Ha!

It’s also very convenient.  I don’t have to think.  And that’s always nice at 5:30 AM.  I just look on my wrist to see what is next. 

CrossFit.  Makes me work HARD.  HUMBLES me.  ENERGIZES me.  Makes me feel ALIVE.  STRONG.  DEDICATED.  FREAKING FANTASTIC-O.

Get your CrossFit on -

Runner girl

I’m feeling all bad-ass.

It’s the Crossfit I did today.  Today’s routine was “Eva”:  5 rounds for time of run 800 meters, 30 rep kettlebell swing, 30 pullups.  I had to modify this to fit my current situation.  I used a 15 lb dumbbell in place of the kettlebell (I do not have access to kettlebells, and I needed less weight); and I did 15 pullups instead of 30 (PLENTY for me).  And they were assisted pullups.

It was fun; it was hard; it seriously kicked my butt.  Round 5 was a killer.  YOWZA.

I like having something new to do everyday.  I can’t wait to look it up and see what the WOD is.  It keeps my workout fresh and challenging.  It is AWESOME.  I feel strong.  I feel bad ass.  I am loving me some Crossfit.

I read somewhere that you are what you continually do.  YAY!  I am going to be so damn fit.  And bad ass.  You’re not going to want to mess with me.

- Runner girl

I’ve gone all caveman.

Well, sorta.

I’ve been eating more paleo for a while now.  Kind of a revised paleo if you will.  There are different versions of paleo diets but basically paleo is based on what our ancestors ate:  whole foods.  Meat, veggies, some fruits, nuts, seeds.  No processed foods.  There are different thoughts on whether or not to include dairy, which veggies (evidently carrots are questionable) and which fruits. 

So when I say I do a revised paleo, I am:

1. Not picky about carrots.  They are in my frozen mixed veggies, therefore I eat them.
2. Allowing dairy.  Thought about giving up my hot chocolate (processed!) but it really is the only thing that takes the edge off my ice bath.
3. Occasionally eating a protein bar (processed!).
4. Using protein powder (processed!).
5. Oh, and I drink beer.  I think cavemen would approve.

So I’m eating more whole foods, but in a way that currently works for me.  No breads, no grains, no pasta, no rice.  None of those bad processed carbs.  Sort of semi-caveman.  Can one be a partial caveman?  Hmm.  Works for me.

- Runner girl

What I re-learned today.

Yesterday I ate jalapeno pretzels.  A lot of them.  Sigh.

Not very paleo (my current eating trend).  Yeah, there is that.  There is also the fact that I felt bloated-city last night when I went swimming.  And bloated-city again this morning.  But the worst part was running this morning.  I ran 4+ miles and much of it was with an upset stomach.  I felt bleh.  Didn’t even know if I was going to be able to finish.

You eat crap, you feel like crap, you perform like crap.  Duh.  There is nothing of nutritional value in a jalapeno pretzel.  And those few moments of pleasure did not outweigh the pain I felt this morning. 

Alright, alright, alright.  I got it.  Stay away from jalapeno pretzel poison.  Don’t let their delicious-ness tempt you into stupidity.

- Runner girl

2011.  Yahoo!!  Time for a new training plan.

I finished up 2010 with 2 weeks of basically doing whatever – a lot of tabata on the bike the first week; worked out with a personal trainer 4x the second week.  A nice fun break (although I will admit to sorta feeling like a slug the 2nd week because of the lack of cardio).

The first 6 months of the year will be the continuation of the lean/mean/fit.  I want to get into the best shape of my life in 2011.  The second part of the year will be devoted to marathon training.  Current plan has me doing Insanity (part 3) for January and February while maintaining approximately 15 miles/week running.  For more cross-training, I’d like to add in a spin class when it becomes available and swim a couple times/week.  The only way I’m going to get any better at swimming is to do it more.  I know this.  I gotta work it in.  Therein lies the challenge.

Monday, January 3rd.  And it is ON.  Or in the words of Pink – it is so fucking on right now.

- Runner girl

Oh.  Yes.  They.  Are.

This week I analyzed my weight and measurement progress for 2010.  I started the year with the goal of getting fitter, leaner, and (hopefully) faster.  It was time to check my progress.  I lost 10.8 lbs this year.  YAY!  And I lost 17 7/8 inches.  Seriously.  17 7/8 inches.  Repeat after me:  17 7/8 inches.

This is when I realized that Tony Horton and Shaun T are indeed gods.

And they should be treated as such.  Although I’m not quite sure how to do that.  I guess I’m a groupie.  A P90X/Insanity groupie. 

I think I like it.  There are worse things to be.  I know; I’ve already been them.

- Runner girl/Groupie

Lately I’ve been doing my MGCB workout a lot.  At first I probably did it 3x/week.  But then I read about this study on HIIT and they did it 6x/week.  I didn’t know I could do that!  So I’ve been averaging 5x the past couple of weeks.  Part of the workout is Tabata.  On the bike.  I often wondered if I was doing it right.

Tabata is a form of HIIT (high intensity interval training).  With Tabata, you are ‘on’ for 20 seconds; rest for 10; for a total of 8 reps.  MGCB has me doing 2-3 rounds (depending on the day) of tabata on the bike.  And when I say ‘on’ I mean you go as hard as you possibly can go for those 20 seconds (not as easy as it might sound); then go slow for 10 seconds and repeat.  I usually allow 2 minutes rest in between the rounds.  I look like an absolute idiot when I do this.  By this, I mean I ride like a crazy person and am not sure that I should ever do it publicly.  That’s what I wondered if I was doing right.

Then yesterday I read a little review on the fitness trends from the past year – what was good, what to try, what to skip.  Interestingly enough, the 2 things the article promoted were P90X and HIIT.  Coolio.  The only problem they said with HIIT was that most people do not do it right.  You need to warm up and cool down (which I do), and when you go hard, you need to be flailing like an idiot or you’re not doing it right.  Ha!  I flail.  Like an idiot. 

Coolio.

- Runner girl

It’s Feel the Love Friday.

And I am feeling the love for Shaun T.

Again with Shaun T., I know.  But I have been working for like a year to get into these jeans my sister gave me.  I have looked at them and thought – once those jeans fit me, I will know I am thin.  I tried them on just a few weeks ago when I hit a new low on the scale.  Still didn’t fit.  Damn. 

My regular jeans are falling off of me though.  They look awful!  So I thought – well, I’ll try them again.  And I’ll be damned.  THEY FIT!!  Good Lord, they fit.

So that is why I am feeling the love.  Heck, I’m so crazy about the guy, I’d have his baby.  That is, if he’d be interested in a 49-year-old woman carrying his next generation.

Probably not.

- Runner girl

My day is not complete without my Insanity workout.  Shaun T says “power jumps” –  I do power jumps.  Shaun T says “squat jumps” – I do squat jumps.  Shaun T says “Level 3 drills: 16 push ups followed by 16 plank runs, jump up and do it again” - and I do 16 push ups followed by 16 plank runs, jump up and do it again.

Shaun T says “push it” – I push it.

The guy owns me.

- Runner girl