Travel Health and Fitness - The OMNI Exercise Blog...

I did a spin class last night for the first time. My quads are still on fire! :eek:

I still amazes me after all these years of exercise how different activities are. I can do 40 mins on the elliptical and get a good workout, but playing racquetball the next night kicks my @ss!

I did a spin class last night for the first time. My quads are still on fire! :eek:

I still amazes me after all these years of exercise how different activities are. I can do 40 mins on the elliptical and get a good workout, but playing racquetball the next night kicks my @ss!

I am an exercise nut and though I run and use a Pilate machine with routines to strengthen the legs, after a physical inventory observation two Saturdays past my legs were really sore. Different activities use different muscles and you don't really appreciate the differences until the day after.

Yesterday I did a 20K bikeride in the snow (I do live in Toronto :rolleyes: ), 5k on my Concept2 rower at the hardest intensity and then a short weight routine.

Today was a 2 hr walk and a bit later I will go for a run.

I vary what I do to give me an overall decent fitness level rather than just focusing on one thing.

Oh yeah, I can't remember the number of jumps I did when I jumped to conclusions based on what people posted on OMNI ;)

I thought about exercising today... thought about it yesterday as well - maybe one day I'll actually do some :p

Proof why one should never fall into a rut of doing the same types of cardio or weight excersises out of habit. I find my body adapts to doing the same thing on a regular basis, so I try to vary from week to week my routines so I can enjoy being sore on a regular basis. :D

I went to Reston Kabob for a huge lunch; now I need to punish myself with a couple hours at the gym before heading to happy hour. I'll do 40-60 minutes on the elliptical then some bench pressing and shoulder work.

Not only the same exercises but the same reps too.

I go in 6 week cycles for lifting. Sets of 20 for 6 weeks, Prymids for 6 weeks (10,8,6,10), and Heavy for 6 weeks.

It is amazing how sore I am the first week of any new cycle.

I go in 6 week cycles for lifting. Sets of 20 for 6 weeks, Prymids for 6 weeks (10,8,6,10), and Heavy for 6 weeks.



Please enlighten me. I thought that pyramids ended with a smaller number, not a larger number. If you finish with 10 reps, how to you know how much weight to use? Do you go smaller than the 6 reps, or back to what you used for the first 10 reps?

Changed the channel with the tv remote 3 times today

Please enlighten me. I thought that pyramids ended with a smaller number, not a larger number. If you finish with 10 reps, how to you know how much weight to use? Do you go smaller than the 6 reps, or back to what you used for the first 10 reps?

I keep record of all my workouts (This is key when doing pryamids so I'm not wasting a set by going too light or too heavy).

Bench would look something like:
Prymids
Warm up
225 x 10
240 x 8
260 x 5-6
215-225 x 10

Sets of 20 (I try to get 20 but usually end up 18ish. If I hit 20 2 weeks in a row I add 5 pounds the next time I do it)
Warm up
205 x 20
185 x 20

Heavy
Warmup
225 x 10
285 x 5
305 x 2
305 x 1

Changed the channel with the tv remote 3 times today

Next week do it without the remote....now that could turn into a workout!!! :p

Last night: treadmill, abs, back, triceps.

Tonight: bicycle, pecs, lats, biceps, leg extensions.

Tomorrow: probably much the same as last night, but earlier in the day.

Tomorrow night, Saturday and Sunday: assorted holiday/birthday parties and dinners, which will offset much of the above (and what came before it).

Monday: back to work on the treadmill, abs, ...

Last night: treadmill, abs, back, triceps.

You run before you lift?

If I'm going to do both (run and lift) I ALWAYS lift first then run. I'm very type "A" so I have a hard time taking it easy on the treadmill. After a hard run I just don't feel very strong with the weights. But after a hard lift I am usually still fresh enough to get a hard run in.

Anyone else?


Currently I'm training for a Marathon so there are no days that I run and lift on the sams day:
(Mon - Alt Cardio 45 minutes
Tue - Hard 35-45 min run
Wed - Weights
Thur - Hard 35-45 min run
Fri - Alter cardio for 45 minutes
Sat - Lift
Sun - The dreaded LOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGG run)

So I'm working out less (45 minutes is GREAT compared to what I usually workout) but the long runs are kicking my butt (There is another thread about that)!

annnerj

You run before you lift?

If I'm going to do both (run and lift) I ALWAYS lift first then run. I'm very type "A" so I have a hard time taking it easy on the treadmill. After a hard run I just don't feel very strong with the weights. But after a hard lift I am usually still fresh enough to get a hard run in.

Anyone else?


Currently I'm training for a Marathon so there are no days that I run and lift on the sams day:
(Mon - Alt Cardio 45 minutes
Tue - Hard 35-45 min run
Wed - Weights
Thur - Hard 35-45 min run
Fri - Alter cardio for 45 minutes
Sat - Lift
Sun - The dreaded LOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGG run)

So I'm working out less (45 minutes is GREAT compared to what I usually workout) but the long runs are kicking my butt (There is another thread about that)!

annnerj

When I've done cardio and weights on the same day, I do whichever is my "focus" first. In other words, if I'm trying to shed weight or get more "cut", then I do the cardio, but if I'm trying to bulk up, then the weights are my priority. Like you, I've never been able to devote all of my energy and attention to BOTH on the same day, so I try to do the thing that means the most to me first.

40 minutes on the life-fitness machine (elliptical arms & legs) each of the past 3 days... since I have a red-eye at 2am tomorrow morning, planning to hit the gym again tonight. I re-joined 24 hr fitness a couple weeks ago, and am working my way towards getting back into running shape. My body requires significant pre-work before it is ready to do road races again.

okay, yesterday:

15 curls #20

10 dips bodyweight

7 dips bodyweight

5 dips bodyweight

core exercises 30 seconds each

10 SLDLs (stiff legged dead lifts) partial #276

7 PGDLs (parallel grip deadlifts) #276


6 PGDLs #296

5 PGDLs #316

3 PGDLs #325

various stretching exercises

Today I tried to run (barefoot of course) but it was too cold and I turned around after 2 blocks. :eek:

When I've done cardio and weights on the same day, I do whichever is my "focus" first. In other words, if I'm trying to shed weight or get more "cut", then I do the cardio, but if I'm trying to bulk up, then the weights are my priority. Like you, I've never been able to devote all of my energy and attention to BOTH on the same day, so I try to do the thing that means the most to me first.
My logic exactly. The running is my focus; I want to be fresh and rested. (The biking on alternate days is to maintain some sort of aerobic activity while alternating the specifics, and is less intense.) The weights are to keep the rest of my body in some sort of balance. If I do a few pounds or a few reps less than I otherwise might, no biggie.

And now, off to the gym! No more FT for three hours! Can I stand it?

Aerobics is the best way to loose weight, I been thinking of getting into it, but I rather still lift… :( Not sure what I want to do still…. But I need to start again, haven’t exercised since I returned home… :eek:

Time to head out, and my quads are still sore. Think I'll just to biceps and back with 15 minutes on easy bike.

Just got back from a hard (well hard for me) 4 miler.

Did 3 miles on the elliptical, chest and tri's. Managed to add 20# to my bench. ^ The Smith machine was available, so I can puch it a little more. I back off when using a straight barbell.

I saw a good ab workout that I stole from one of the trainers. Balance on your butt with your knees and torso up. Take a medicine ball and touch on the mat as far to the right as you can, staying balanced. Then take the ball to the left. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Feel the burn. :D

Yesterday I did 6.5km's on my concept2 rower at the hardest intensity (in under 30 minutes), did a 30 min run along the boardwalk (in -6c weather :eek: ) and then did 3 x 15 with my weights. It felt good :)

I got in a 3 mile barefoot run and yesterday did another weightlifting workout up to #328 on the deads. My PR on the deads has been 333 so I am approaching that on this cycle. Since I'll be out of town and won't be weightlifting it may be awhile before/if I make that.

Still working really hard on barefoot running form.

I thought about exercising today... thought about it yesterday as well - maybe one day I'll actually do some :p

---

At your age that's probably okay, Vaze! And when I last saw you, you appeared to be in quite good health.

Last night as I lay in bed suffering from hearburn and esophagitis, I thought to myself that at some point I could be sufferting an MI. :(

So, in any case, I try to go to the gym every day, which translates into 3 to 5 times a week - not that anyone could ever tell by looking at me! :D

Happy Holidays! :)

Mark

Aerobics is the best way to loose weight, I been thinking of getting into it, but I rather still lift… :( Not sure what I want to do still…. But I need to start again, haven’t exercised since I returned home… :eek:

I teach a martial arts based aerobics class called Body Combat in my spare time. It's set to music and burns up to 700 calories in an hour depending upon how hard you push yourself.

The class is pre-choreographed and therefore you get the same workout whereever in the world you do it.

Try it it's great fun.

Heavy
Warmup
225 x 10
285 x 5
305 x 2
305 x 1Dibs for annerj on my side during the FT Omni Fight Club! @:-) :p

Since I'll be out of town and won't be weightlifting it may be awhile before/if I make that.


Are you going to a town that doesn't have a gym within driving distance? Its well worth the $10-15 daily rate at gyms you don't belong to to avoid missing workouts.

annerj

Swam last night...800M. I don't like the chlorine level in the pool, but they have to do it with the Blue Hair Splash Class that goes on every other night. :rolleyes: Hopefully they're wearing their waterproof Grampers.

I've got spin class tonight plus delts.

lets see... last night I hacked off a chunk of my thumb. Had to drive myself to the emergency room. Does that count as exercise?
R.

lets see... last night I hacked off a chunk of my thumb. Had to drive myself to the emergency room. Does that count as exercise?
R.
Sorry to hear that :(

Hope you are feeling better

But since you are putting this in jest, I hope, at least you did manage to lose some weight :o

Me, I used a lot of energy these past couple of days, coughing, as my wife gave me a terrible cold :mad:

...I did 6.5km's on my concept2 rower at the hardest intensity (in under 30 minutes)...What does "hardest intensity" mean? :confused:

Are you going to a town that doesn't have a gym within driving distance? Its well worth the $10-15 daily rate at gyms you don't belong to to avoid missing workouts.

annerj

I could probably find somewhere. I am going to the Yucatan (ex Cancun thank goodness).

But I can do weightlifting once in ten days and still see pretty good benefit.

The gyms at other places don't have shrug bars and I don't understand/like machines. So they don't do me a lot of good anyway.

Great time to barefoot run every day instead!

Dec 18: Weight machines Dec 17, so exercise only
1. 22.5 miles on the stationary bike (1 hour). I love biking, but I hate the stationary bikes

2. 45 min on an elliptical (Precor -- high incline/resistance). Coming off a knee injury that still limits my running, so the elliptical is a decent substitute.

3. 1.5 mile swim. /rant on: And why cannot people follow the signs? It says "lap lane - fast". I am not that fast, but why do certain people insist on getting in that lane and then either dog-paddle or walk? I am more than willing to share, but please don't expect me to slow down or stop because you choose to avoid the labeled "loafer lane" or slow lap lane. /rant off

Dec 19: worked late -- and worked later at home. threw in the towel on working out.

Dec 20:
1. Full weight machine routine (going for tone more than growth, so do all of the groups for now) Besides, I would probably have awful form on free weights. Only have been doing weights of any sort since September, but have felt like I am already getting good results. (my partner claims to see it, but I think he is just being nice to me.)

2. 45 min on an elliptical (Precor -- high incline/resistance).

3. 1 mile swim. Different club location than usual. OMG, the water was cold at this one. I wished I had my triathlon wetsuit.

Dec 21: working late tonight, so will be lucky to get in some treadmill time and excercise ball work later at home.

I was reflecting on how much benefit I get from 45 minutes of weightlifting even if it's once in ten days. Amazing stuff. Big metabolic advantages.

I also should report that I am doing 3 - 4 hours of breathing exercises every day, which is quite excessive for most people but I seem to benefit greatly from it. I have lost 20 pounds with no effort, I am off all asthma medication (first time in my whole life), and after working out I am far, far less sore and recover very quickly. It's like a freakin' miracle how fast I recover from workouts.

Bump for the new year...how many pounds are we trying to lose from the holidays?

:(

Bump for the new year...how many pounds are we trying to lose from the holidays?

:(

My goal is drop about 20 lbs this year. I'm 6'0 (well, 5'11.75) and weigh about 198-200 depending on the day. I'd like to get down to 180 or so.

My plan: Ramp up the running mileage. I'm used to doing about 3-4 runs a week in the 3-5 mile range. I'm going to ramp up to at least 5 runs a week and make more of them 5-7 miles rather than on the 3 side. If I can run about 25 miles a week or so I'll be happy.

I'm also going to cut out deserts from my diet! :)

My first post of progress towards losing 20 lbs.

---

So far this week I have done well. Starting with Sunday I've run each of the last three days and will probably run again tomorrow before taking a rest day on Thursday. It feels good to get out there in the cold weather (not too cold in BOS right now, although the wind was a ..... tonight). Here are the past three days (all data from my Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS system):

1/1/06: 5.06 miles, 41:43 total time, 8:14 pace, 512 calories burned

1/2/06: 7.39 miles, 59:45 total time, 8:05 pace, 1091 calories burned

1/3/06: 2.63 miles, 21:29 total time, 8:10 pace, 368 calories

---

Did 3 mi on elliptical in 30 min, plus chest, triceps, and abs.

Came home and had some tuna with lemon pepper. :)

Does anybody know the weight of a bare Smith machine bar? I know a standard olympic barbell is 45#.
----------------------
Never mind, I just Googled it...the bare bar is 15 to 20 pounds because of the counterweight system.

I think I'm going to take today off from running. Woke up a bit sore. Gotta listen to the body, know what I'm saying?

ran 2.8 miles barefoot (obviously). First run in 6 days. It feels great to get some exercise.

Does anybody know the weight of a bare Smith machine bar? I know a standard olympic barbell is 45#.

15-20#s is what I usually see.

Smith machine can be a good workout but it can't/doesn't/shouldn't replace true free weights.

Edited to add that I think that most of the gym quality smith machines that I've used have an olympic bar on them (so 45#s???). The 15-20 is home gym stuff.

annerj

15-20#s is what I usually see.

Smith machine can be a good workout but it can't/doesn't/shouldn't replace true free weights.

Edited to add that I think that most of the gym quality smith machines that I've used have an olympic bar on them (so 45#s???). The 15-20 is home gym stuff.
See my post above. The gym quality Smith machines have counterweighted bars, so the nominal weight is 15-20#. The actual bar weight might be 45#.

I like the Smith machine because I can go for a max bench, when I'm uncomfortable doing it on a free barbell. I do lighter sets (140-150#) with a barbell to work on form. I'm almost back to 200# bench. My max (10 yrs ago) was 225, on free weights. I'd like to be close to 250 by summer.

does anyone else routinely use a shrug bar?

I like the Smith machine because I can go for a max bench, when I'm uncomfortable doing it on a free barbell.

No spotter? Like the motion better?

My max bench on smith machine vs free weight bar is very different. Also I don't care much for Smith when doing higher reps (currently doing sets of 20) as I don't think it works those stablizer muscles much (my preference for 20's is dumbells)

annerj

does anyone else routinely use a shrug bar?

http://www.fractionalplates.com/equipment/shrugbarac.html

This shrug bar (A.K.A. Trap Bar)? Not very often.

I don't do dead lifts. I've used it for squats as it seems to be easier on my back, shrugs, and I love to farmer walk with it when I'm in a heavy leg cycle.


annerj

No spotter? Like the motion better?
All of the above. I can just focus on pushing the weight up, instead of making sure I don't get the weight off center, etc.

Today I did 5.30 miles. While I felt pretty sluggish, my overall pace was not bad at 8:09. I finished the run in 43:13 and according to Forerunner 201, burned 816 calories.

Tomorrow I think I'll do a tempo run or maybe find a track to do some repeats around.

Missed a couple days last week, but have gone every day this week. am doing elliptical for approximately 4.26 miles at a level 8/20 resistance over 48 minutes. The machine shows 800 calories, but not sure how much I trust that.

This is shaping up for a bad week. I worked out Tuesday, yesterday I had to work later than usual and had a headache. Tonight I have dinner with a FTer, but may sneak into the gym before if I can get my work done first. Tomorrow is early travel back to DEN.

http://www.fractionalplates.com/equipment/shrugbarac.html

This shrug bar (A.K.A. Trap Bar)? Not very often.

I don't do dead lifts. I've used it for squats as it seems to be easier on my back, shrugs, and I love to farmer walk with it when I'm in a heavy leg cycle.


annerj

The one I use is on the center of this page (http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/im-0022shr.html).

It is my core exercise. I do deadlifts and partial stiff-legged deads using this, and for mainly upper body I do dips, not benchpresses.

I don't know of many people using shrug bars but they sure are great. Form is easier for a deadlift done with a shrug bar than with a barbell. And it has a lot of the benefits of squatting. It is really a "squatlift". But you don't need a spotter or a power rack.

Shrugs? I use this (http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/im-0063.html) for tricep curls

:D

Shrugs? I use this (http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/im-0063.html) for tricep curls

:D

that's what I have.

Today I did 5.30 miles. While I felt pretty sluggish, my overall pace was not bad at 8:09. I finished the run in 43:13 and according to Forerunner 201, burned 816 calories.

Tomorrow I think I'll do a tempo run or maybe find a track to do some repeats around.

Gotta love it when Garmin people post run reports! :D

I went out for a run last night - a rare point-to-point run to retrieve a car. 7.11 miles, 8:41 avg pace. Nice to be in shorts in Kansas in January. ^

Trying to motivate myself to ramp up mileage now that the holidays are done. I have a decent base - doing 10 to 12 milers at least once per week. Weather's been decent so I have no excuses not to gradually add miles.

Gotta love it when Garmin people post run reports! :D

I went out for a run last night - a rare point-to-point run to retrieve a car. 7.11 miles, 8:41 avg pace. Nice to be in shorts in Kansas in January. ^

Trying to motivate myself to ramp up mileage now that the holidays are done. I have a decent base - doing 10 to 12 milers at least once per week. Weather's been decent so I have no excuses not to gradually add miles.

I plan on using this thread to post my run reports every day I run in the New Year. Get used to it. If Flyertalk supported images, I'd post a screen shot of my graphs as well. :) ^

Are you a Forerunner user? I got the 201 for Christmas and am wondering what I am missing without the heart monitor.

I plan on using this thread to post my run reports every day I run in the New Year. Get used to it. If Flyertalk supported images, I'd post a screen shot of my graphs as well. :) ^

Are you a Forerunner user? I got the 201 for Christmas and am wondering what I am missing without the heart monitor.

I'm a 201 user. Everybody I talked to about the 301 said that Garmin's heart rate monitor isn't very good. One guy in our club wears both a Garmin and a Polar because his Garmin HRM doesn't work. He has a pretty new 301.

Maybe when the new units come out this spring they'll have a better heart rate monitor. I would love to have that data in my graphs as well. But for now, I think the 201 is the best unit they have...especially now that you can get 'em for about $100.

Maybe when the new units come out this spring they'll have a better heart rate monitor. I would love to have that data in my graphs as well. But for now, I think the 201 is the best unit they have...especially now that you can get 'em for about $100.

Agreed.. I like mine a lot. Only gripe is that sometimes it takes a few minutes outside to connect to the satellites. Once it does, however, it's good to go and very rarely drops signal. Good stuff.

I love the training center. Having all that data in one place is really cool.

Are you training for any races at the moment?

Agreed.. I like mine a lot. Only gripe is that sometimes it takes a few minutes outside to connect to the satellites. Once it does, however, it's good to go and very rarely drops signal. Good stuff.

I love the training center. Having all that data in one place is really cool.

Are you training for any races at the moment?


I WISH mine (a 201 also) only took a few minutes. I find myself not using it nearly as much as I would like to for running because it often takes a good 10-15 minutes to find a signal. I am unwilling to wait that long usually. I just go back to an old-fashioned stopwatch. I do still use it more while cycling as it is the only way to really track my pace on a long ride.

Today I did a total of 5.02 miles, but it was a speed day. I don't do a ton of speedwork, but am trying to incorporate more into my routine because I'd like to improve my half-marathon times. Best way to do that, I think, is to lose weight and do speedwork.

So, I feel like I'm going to puke right now. This is what I did (real fast for me):

4X400 (walking 200 in between each 400):

Lap 1: 1:35
Lap 2: 1:33
Lap 3: 1:40
Lap 4: 1:39

Did a slow jog to the track and a slow jog back to have my pace average out at 8:07/mile, total time of 40:45 and total calories at 820.

My plan is to add one 400 to the speedwork every week. It's going to be tough! Do any of you guys do substantial speedwork?

I think I'll take tomorrow off as my shin splints are coming back a bit. Ramped up mileage too quick probably.

AHHH speedwork. I need to pick up some 400s one of these days. Its the hardest part of running for me (I'd much rather do hills than speed).

I'll post where when I get some in...they will be much slower than Magics for sure.

I got a slow 4 miler in last night (Fell asleep after work and didn't get on the treadmill until a little after 10). 40 minutes. 40 minuted of alt cardio tonight, lift on Saturday and long run Sun!


annerj

I will say that training for this marathon (4/1) is kind of weird for me. I'm use to going all out on my workouts and have nothing left at the end. The training I'm using now has most of my workouts during the week at a slow pace and not very long (35-45 minutes).

I'm already nervous about it :)

annerj

I plan on using this thread to post my run reports every day I run in the New Year. Get used to it. If Flyertalk supported images, I'd post a screen shot of my graphs as well. :) ^

Are you a Forerunner user? I got the 201 for Christmas and am wondering what I am missing without the heart monitor.

What do these graphs look like? Can you email them? annerj@aol.com if you don't mind.

Since we are showing what we use to work out with, here is what I use… http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=FIT&pid=00615402000

This is not the same I’ve but you’ll get an idea of what I have… Its basically an older model I got it in 2000 though…

I will say that training for this marathon (4/1) is kind of weird for me. I'm use to going all out on my workouts and have nothing left at the end. The training I'm using now has most of my workouts during the week at a slow pace and not very long (35-45 minutes).

I'm already nervous about it :)



What I typically do (typical being only a couple of marathons and maybe 6-7 halfs, none all that fast, so take with a grain of salt), is continue whatever my training looks like until I get to the appropriate part of the training schedule.

So if I'm doing 20 miles/week with some faster runs and a long run of say 8 miles and the first three weeks of training have 15 miles/week and long runs of 6 and then 7, I'll just continue to do what I've been doing. In other words, I only really follow the schedule when it starts increasing from what I'm used to. I hate the feeling of regressing at the start of a training schedule (but it probably keeps you uninjured!).

What do these graphs look like? Can you email them? annerj@aol.com if you don't mind.

Done!

The only time I have problems at boot-up with my Garmin is at my own house. Perhaps it's because we have a lot of huge trees - even in the winter the device might not have good line of sight.

Other than that, I've used it from Seattle all the way to Central America and had no problems with either boot-up or retaining a strong signal. First use in a location is maybe a 3-minute link up and after that it's about 30 seconds.

As far as racing goes, the only thing I'm definitely in for is Grandma's in June. But I want to do something else in the spring. I'd love to do Napa but I don't think I can be ready to really run it well. So do I want to go out there and run it so-so and drink a ton of wine? Maybe... :o Big Sur falls on a weekend where we already have plans. My ideal timing would be 4-6 weeks prior to Grandma's, so Vancouver, a return to the Pig in Cincinnati, or Lincoln are possibilities.

Oh, and I'll run all of the local halves around Kansas City. One in Topeka here in a couple of weeks that I'll probably do...

Annerj, you're running the Martian, right?

Yesterday was my rest day, so I rested. Well, I walked about 2 miles for lunch as we walked a mile to the restaurant and a mile back. But basically I just rested and watched football. ^

Today, Sunday (1/8) I was supposed to do a LDS run (Long Distance, Slow) of around 8 miles or so as I ramp up my mileage for my first half-marathon at the end of February. I didn't run as slow as I should have, and ended up doing 8.5 miles in 1:30:38, or a 8:18 pace. This is approximately 10-15 seconds slower per mile than normal, so I suppose that's not too bad. Forerunner 201 tells me I burned 1328 calories in that effort.

Week totals for last week (1/1 - 1/7):

25.39 miles
3:26:57 running time
8:08 average pace
3607 calories burned

If everything else remained constant, I should have lost a pound this week. I don't look at the scale often, but will do a weigh-in in a couple weeks to see what kind of progress I am making.

Yesterday: 4.5 miles, shiggy (deep woods, stream crossings, muck & mud, etc.)

Today: 9.5, roads. Nice weather, very refreshing run.

Tomorrow's plan is for 6 miles, fast. Tuesday I'll be in Seattle where I'll do a 6-mile very hilly run. Wednesday I'll probably run either Green Lake or Alki Beach. Thursday will be off...

I did a weightlifting workout a few days ago, rested yesterday and did an easy 2 mile run today. I had two people stop me in the neighborhood. One lady screeched to a halt in her minivan and offered me a ride anywhere or help. I told her I was just exercising.

Strange women routinely offer me rides when I go running :eek: My wife wouldn't be happy if I agreed to any of them, and besides, none of them have been very good looking.

A older man and woman walking their dog...the man said "good God, man, you can get frostbite!" (It was 45 degrees, balmy weather for wintertime). I said "your dog doesn't wear shoes" as I ran past them. The wife laughed and the man responded with some rejoinder "yes, but he has fur on his paws."

I am a beginner runner. I was only able to run without hurting myself when I started barefoot running this past August. I can run 3.5 miles at this point which is a longer run for me. And I'm very slow, about 13 minutes per mile.

I did a weightlifting workout a few days ago, rested yesterday and did an easy 2 mile run today. I had two people stop me in the neighborhood. One lady screeched to a halt in her minivan and offered me a ride anywhere or help. I told her I was just exercising.


Maybe she thought you were an escaped mental patient because you were running barefoot. :p

Maybe she thought you were an escaped mental patient because you were running barefoot. :p

Don't you think it was that she thought I was cute and wanted an excuse to pick me up? :)

Barefoot guys get lucky more often.

Today I woke up feeling a bit sore from yesterday's 8.5 miler. Since my ankle injury that sidelined me from running for a good 6 months, that was my longest run to date. My body needs to get back into taking these longer runs in stride, to so speak. :)

So today I went on a short and slow "recovery" run during lunch. This was basically just to get some fresh air and get some blood-flow to the legs.

Ended up doing 3.03 miles in 24:59 or 8:14 pace. I tried to run slower than that but I find running slow very hard. For whatever reason I always end up gravitating back to that 8:10ish pace. Oh well.

Calories burned toteled 464.

Annerj, you're running the Martian, right?

That was the plan until yesterday. It seems that my wifes Spring Break falls that week and she wants to go to DC. So I'm now looking at the Nashville Marathon 4/29.

This could be good for a few reasons:
Its 4 extra weeks to train
The course is open longer (7 hours) so if something happens and I end up walking I should still be good to finish
Nashville seems like a better place to spend a few days than Dearborn.

The course is open longer (7 hours) so if something happens and I end up walking I should still be good to finish


Won't happen, you'll be fine!

For whatever reason I always end up gravitating back to that 8:10ish pace.

Wish I had that problem! I always find myself gravitating back to the 9:15ish pace.

That was the plan until yesterday. It seems that my wifes Spring Break falls that week and she wants to go to DC. So I'm now looking at the Nashville Marathon 4/29.

This could be good for a few reasons:
Its 4 extra weeks to train
The course is open longer (7 hours) so if something happens and I end up walking I should still be good to finish
Nashville seems like a better place to spend a few days than Dearborn.

Cool...heard good things about the Nashville 'thon. Put on by the same people who do the Rock N Roll races... I remember my first one - thinking "What if I croak out there and need seven hours to get back home?!? :eek: " It won't happen. You'll train well, and you'll do just fine.

Cool...heard good things about the Nashville 'thon. Put on by the same people who do the Rock N Roll races... I remember my first one - thinking "What if I croak out there and need seven hours to get back home?!? :eek: " It won't happen. You'll train well, and you'll do just fine.

We were thinking of doing the Nashville half. Did Virginia Beach (RnR) a couple of times - that's also a great race!

We were thinking of doing the Nashville half. Did Virginia Beach (RnR) a couple of times - that's also a great race!


Well if you do let me know. Maybe we can grab a pasta dinner the night before.

OK, first time I hit the gym in 06

Just 28 minutes of cardio, but it's a start ;)

way to go, jfe, that's great.

The plan for today was to get a quick 5 miler in before my flight this afternoon since I'll be working all day tomorrow and it will be difficult to get a run in. I headed out and was feeling pretty good till about mile 3 when I noticed my nose was bleeding. Fun. I tried to stop it while running but that didn't work real well, so I decided to head home and cut the run short. Luckily mile 3 is near my house as my 5 mile route does two mini loops.

Anyway, I was able to get in 3.61 miles in a time of 28:43 or 7:57/mile (fairly fast for me! - probably because I was rushing home to get a tissue for the nose :)). Total calories: 559.

Tonight and tomorrow I'll be working/traveling so will take tomorrow as a rest day. Thursday I will probably do some speed work.

OK, first time I hit the gym in 06

Just 28 minutes of cardio, but it's a start ;)

Fantastic! That's how everyone starts: just getting your foot in the place!

OK, first time I hit the gym in 06

Just 28 minutes of cardio, but it's a start ;)
Nice job! ^

I went in for only my second gym visit in 3 weeks. Did 30 minutes on the dreadmill at 10:30. All the other cardio machines were in use by New Years Resolutioners. I couldn't get into the free weight room, so it was all machines for chest and tris. The place was packed. :mad:

Fortunately, a new location opened up near one of my jobsites, so I may try there late in the day.

I got back from a 2.5 mile run. It was glorious. I was focusing on lifting my toes just a little as I have been getting a bit of toetip abrasion and a bit of a blister just below my left second toe.

For some reason, it was easier than ever and I enjoyed the run immensely. I am so lucky to be able to run. I ran 2.5 miles in 33 minutes, a pretty typical pace for me these days. I am a very slow runner and I am focused on form uppermost, then distance, then eventually speed, so I am not yet focusing on the distance or speed.

I got back from a 2.5 mile run. It was glorious. I was focusing on lifting my toes just a little as I have been getting a bit of toetip abrasion and a bit of a blister just below my left second toe.

For some reason, it was easier than ever and I enjoyed the run immensely. I am so lucky to be able to run. I ran 2.5 miles in 33 minutes, a pretty typical pace for me these days. I am a very slow runner and I am focused on form uppermost, then distance, then eventually speed, so I am not yet focusing on the distance or speed.

^ ^
I had an alt cardio night last night (Bike). Hard 4-5 miler tonight.

at lunch I went to Gold's for tri's and 1.0 on the treadmill.. will run 3-4 miles on the W&OD trail outside our office building before it gets dark.. I have to go outside as its in the mid 50's today and I'll regret not doing it as soon as the temp gets a bit more seasonal next week.. yesterday I did 4.0 on the trail as it was 65 out.. ahhh nice for northern VA.. well I just got back from my 4 p.m. run.. only did 3.0 as it was a bit breezy and the breeze was cold.. my ears froze running into the wind.. so I cut it short fast.. headband tomorrow

As an aside...I started this thread as a fun exchange, but it has really turned into an encouraging place. I always review it during the day, and before I head out for my evening workout. Thanks. ^

^ ^
I had an alt cardio night last night (Bike). Hard 4-5 miler tonight.

I had a nice fast 6.4 miler in Kansas City last night. Tonight is a seriously hilly run in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. Just got here and the weather seems OK...hope it stays that way.

Tonight is a seriously hilly run in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. Just got here and the weather seems OK...hope it stays that way.Ahh... you just have to love the varying shades of grey today! :o

Last night I was able to put up, legitmately, my body weight at the bench. It was a goal for 2005, but I'm ok w/ the delay of a week!

Last night I was able to put up, legitmately, my body weight at the bench. It was a goal for 2005, but I'm ok w/ the delay of a week!

^ ^ Awesome goal and congrats for making it!

^ ^ Awesome goal and congrats for making it!Thanks! I put up 205 about 2 weeks ago, only to find out that I weighed 207. :eek:

So I just put on 210 (yes, I actually used those 2.5 lb plates) and threw it up to settle all (of my mental) debates. :D

I know I'm going to laugh at that nit-picking of mine in the future, but hey, it wasn't my body weight!!! :)

Benching is the only thing I hate my long arms for! :mad:

Ahh... you just have to love the varying shades of grey today! :o

Last night I was able to put up, legitmately, my body weight at the bench. It was a goal for 2005, but I'm ok w/ the delay of a week!

excellent!

Thanks! I put up 205 about 2 weeks ago, only to find out that I weighed 207. :eek:

So I just put on 210 (yes, I actually used those 2.5 lb plates) and threw it up to settle all (of my mental) debates. :D

I know I'm going to laugh at that nit-picking of mine in the future, but hey, it wasn't my body weight!!! :)

Benching is the only thing I hate my long arms for! :mad:
I'm 240 benching about 180 right now. I've got a ways to go. Plus I'm 6'3" with a wingspan to match.

I do dips. I wonder how those equate to the benchpress? I am still doing bodyweight. I do about 15 - 20. I am not making progress poundage-wise because I don't work out frequently enough for upper body progress to be made.

Love my short arms I guess!!

I'm about 225-235 (haven't been on the scale in a long time) benching 210 for 20 reps.

I'd like to get back to doing my bodyweight for 20 reps (by brining my weight down, not my bench up to around 215-220). Strength has taken a back seat to marathon training currently but after April I'll cycle back to heavier weights (currently doing 2 total body lifts a week with 20 rep sets).

In the long term I'd love to spend about 6 months running mostly (20-30 miles/week + 2 lifts) and 6 months lifting mostly (3-4 lifts + 12-15miles/week).

annerj

Rest day for me. Working all day and flying home tonight, so will have no time to workout. Hopefully will get some walking in :).

Was very sick last Thursday & Friday (possible food poisoning). No excuse for Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Yesterday, back into the swing of things with a 45 min, 2 cooldown cardio on the life-fitness elliptical trainer. Hopefully I will be in OK shape for skiing on Monday (just a one-day outing).

Was very sick last Thursday & Friday (possible food poisoning). No excuse for Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Yesterday, back into the swing of things with a 45 min, 2 cooldown cardio on the life-fitness elliptical trainer. Hopefully I will be in OK shape for skiing on Monday (just a one-day outing).

it is hard to get back to working out when you stop. Good luck skiing! Don't overdo it.

Got to the run late last night (poker game went long) but got 4.5 miles in. Felt good. I'm hoping to inch up my 2 non-long runs in distance and intensity. For the last 14 or so weeks they were 4....I'll do 4.5 for a month and half or so then go 5.

Not sure if I posted it but this is my training schedule for the Marathon:
Mon - Alt Cardio
Tue - 4 Miler
Wed - Weights
Thur - 4 Miler
Fri - Alt Cardio
Sat - Weights
Sun - Long Run

annerj

Got to the run late last night (poker game went long) but got 4.5 miles in. Felt good. I'm hoping to inch up my 2 non-long runs in distance and intensity. For the last 14 or so weeks they were 4....I'll do 4.5 for a month and half or so then go 5.

Not sure if I posted it but this is my training schedule for the Marathon:
Mon - Alt Cardio
Tue - 4 Miler
Wed - Weights
Thur - 4 Miler
Fri - Alt Cardio
Sat - Weights
Sun - Long Run

annerj

you know your own body but for me this would be overtraining. I would need some recovery time.

you know your own body but for me this would be overtraining. I would need some recovery time.

This schedule is nothing - wait till you see it 12 weeks from now (4 weeks before goal race). :D

I don't know what plan annerj is following...all of the "first marathon" programs are pretty similar. They feature gradual base building, lenghtening the long run, some midweek speed, etc. Usually 4-5 total weekly runs.

The one thing I'd recommend even if your plan doesn't - make sure you add some racing along the way. I love a 1/2 marathon on my last step-back week - usually 4 or 5 weeks before goal race. And maybe drop in a 10K and/or a 10-miler on earlier step-back weeks. Short races are not only good training, they are bloody good fun and the keep your interest piqued for the goal race.

Only thing I don't do is try to race on the same weekend as I'm pushing my long run out to a new (longer) distance. I use the step-back weeks.

This schedule is nothing - wait till you see it 12 weeks from now (4 weeks before goal race). :D



Well, everyone is different. I'm at a point when I run 2 - 3 miles or so, not marathon distances. That is a year or so away for me. But I doubt I'd ever be able to workout and run every single day without some recovery days sandwiched in between.

you know your own body but for me this would be overtraining. I would need some recovery time.

Depends. So far I'm working out less than I did before. I am use to 1-1.5 hrs/day 5-6 days/wk).

The Alt Cardio days are only 35-45 minutes long and not high intensity so to me they are like a recovery day (just enough to keep the legs loose). The short runs are only 4-5 milers so again only 40-45 minutes running. Also mixing lifting in is a rest from the runs (I don't do legs while training).

In looking at my log it seems I miss one session about every other week (its usually the Friday and always the alt cardio session).

Well, everyone is different. I'm at a point when I run 2 - 3 miles or so, not marathon distances. That is a year or so away for me. But I doubt I'd ever be able to workout and run every single day without some recovery days sandwiched in between.

Heck, everybody - even elite runners - uses recovery days. They are important no matter what your level is.

Even the top Kenyans (who do two-a-days and 110+ mile weeks) take days off.

The one thing I'd recommend even if your plan doesn't - make sure you add some racing along the way. I love a 1/2 marathon on my last step-back week - usually 4 or 5 weeks before goal race. And maybe drop in a 10K and/or a 10-miler on earlier step-back weeks. Short races are not only good training, they are bloody good fun and the keep your interest piqued for the goal race.

Only thing I don't do is try to race on the same weekend as I'm pushing my long run out to a new (longer) distance. I use the step-back weeks.

Yeah my training notes an option of a 5k or 10k some weeks instead of the 8-10 long run (step backs). I'll have to look at the runs coming up in Colorado and see if anything fits.

ahh the gym this morning for chest and running at lunch.. 3 1/4 today.. the weather still sucks here.. so that is my current on going excuse

Yeah my training notes an option of a 5k or 10k some weeks instead of the 8-10 long run (step backs). I'll have to look at the runs coming up in Colorado and see if anything fits.

in terms of workouts, I do a full body workout as follows:

curls (just for fun, and to warm up)

dips

core exercises at bodyweight

"wide" pushups at bodyweight

parallel grip deadlifts

stiff legged partial deadlifts


It's a whole body, abbreviated workout. Real abbreviated. I do progressively increased poundages, sometimes micro-loading as little as 1 to 3 pounds added to the deadlift. I pull back if I haven't worked out in awhile. I don't really cycle as I miss workouts and it never comes to this. Although I am near my poundage PRs mostly.

Sunday was the first squat day since before Xmas, and I've been hobbling around ever since. Serves me right for not being more dedicated over the holiday period.

In other news, it was bloody busy today. Took ages to find a parking spot and there was a weight on every piece of equipment. The free-weights room, thankfully, had no one but the regulars -- it's generally a 'beginner-free' zone.

Nevertheless, I'll be glad when all these newbies lose interest in about three weeks. I hate January at the gym...

another reason I don't do health clubs. I am fortunate to have equipment at home -- dip station, dumbbells up to 100pounds, shrug bar, stationary bike, and feet :)

and feet :)


You forgot the small print ;)
*no shoes required

Went to 24 hr Fitness again tonight. Life Fitness elliptical. 30 minutes hard cardio (I went over my target rate, but I am trying to train-up to eventually resume running in road races). Followed that with 15 minutes moderate cardio and then 2 cooldown. Over 4.7 miles total... need to keep it up.

One added benefit: I got a real "runners high" tonight. Cannot remember the last time I had such a rush; its almost like a drug. I want more!!!

Wasn't 100% tonight. I biked on stationary for 30 min (7.5m) Did leg presses (310#) and biceps.

I've got an overnight MR tomorrow, and Saturday is storage and dump day. Looks like a Rocky IV workout. :p

I had my best run of the year tonight. 6 miles in Seattle - shockingly, no rain.

It was a 3 mile out - 3 mile back route. Flat. On the 3 miles out, there were four of us running, about an 8:30 pace. Into the wind. But about Mile 3, two of us were pulling away, and the other two turned back. We ran another few minutes, made the turn to head back, and decided to kick up the pace a little. Ran the last 2 miles of the run with my Garmin 201 showing 7:20 pace and not budging a bit. We were cruising and feeling good. Overall, just a huge, solid midweek run. Ever since Christmas, I've felt like a fat burrrito-eating toad, but tonight I was started to feel like I had a little bit of my late-fall speed back. Everything was good. Damn good. I feel like I am running again, not just struggling to find form.

Starting to look forward to Topeka-to-Auburn (1/2 marathon next weekend). Feel like I'll be able to hit it hard - won't PR because it's a partially offroad race - but will be able to run it well.

It was a 3 mile out - 3 mile back route. Flat. On the 3 miles out, there were four of us running, about an 8:30 pace. Into the wind. But about Mile 3, two of us were pulling away, and the other two turned back. We ran another few minutes, made the turn to head back, and decided to kick up the pace a little. Ran the last 2 miles of the run with my Garmin 201 showing 7:20 pace and not budging a bit. We were cruising and feeling good. Overall, just a huge, solid midweek run. Ever since Christmas, I've felt like a fat burrrito-eating toad, but tonight I was started to feel like I had a little bit of my late-fall speed back. Everything was good. Damn good. I feel like I am running again, not just struggling to find form.


Awesome - I love when that happens! :)

Just weights for me last night. The hotel I'm at has dumbells but only up to 50# so tons and tons of reps.

my current lifting schedule is about once per week. And I run about once every other day.

Today was a speed day for me. I contemplated going to the track to do 400's or 800's, but since I was a bit crunched for time at work, I decided to do my speedwork within my regular run. So I ended up running a Fartlek 5 miler. The idea with the Fartlek is to pick up the pace of your run at random points and keep the pace for an interval of time, similar to what you would be doing at a track. The difference is that you're not running around in circles and the distance you cover at the faster pace is not as prescribed. It could be a tenth of a mile or two miles. I usually look for something in the distance like a tree or a streetlamp to keep as a marker and then I run all out, or at least at a faster pace, until I get to the marker and then resume normal speed.

I ended up doing 5.03 miles in 39:38 or 7:53/mile pace. I was quite pleased with this as anything under 8 minute miles is pretty blazing for me. I'd love to consistently get to 7:45's or so.. we'll see. The breakdown of my miles definitely shows the Fartlek at work:

Mile 1: 7:29 pace
Mile 2: 8:09 pace
Mile 3: 7:50 pace
Mile 4: 8:08 pace
Mile 5: 7:43 pace

Forerunner tells me I burned 807 calories in that effort.

Tomorrow will probably be a relaxing 5-6 miler before another day off on Saturday (football and beer) and a long run on Sunday.

I ran 2.7 miles today. Time was very slow, even for me. I focused on lifting my toes and it seemed to go well. No blister even hinted at forming. Beautiful, no gorgeous day outside. Tomorrow I think I'll lift :)

I focused on lifting my toes and it seemed to go well. No blister even hinted at forming.

Dang...I nearly asked what kind of socks you are using.

Mile 1: 7:29 pace
Mile 2: 8:09 pace
Mile 3: 7:50 pace
Mile 4: 8:08 pace
Mile 5: 7:43 pace

You are an ANIMAL!!! Nice run. I'd love to get back to near an 8pace (8:23 for a 10k is my PR....back in '03). Maybe '07 I'll train for 10k speed and see if I can do it.

You are an ANIMAL!!! Nice run. I'd love to get back to near an 8pace (8:23 for a 10k is my PR....back in '03). Maybe '07 I'll train for 10k speed and see if I can do it.
Ditto on the great pace by MagicianSampras. My old PR on a 5k (when I was in MUCH better shape) was 7:51. I remember because I was hoping to come in sub-24, but ended up at 24:19.

Wierd thing is the web results are still posted.
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/01/nc/Apr28_24thGr_set1.html

You are an ANIMAL!!! Nice run. I'd love to get back to near an 8pace (8:23 for a 10k is my PR....back in '03). Maybe '07 I'll train for 10k speed and see if I can do it.

LOL, thanks. I didn't feel like an animal.. pretty winded at parts there.

Can you believe that to qualify for Boston one has to run a marathon in 3:10 (for males 18-34). Absolutely insane. That means you're running 26 miles at 7:15 pace. I can barely do one mile at that pace. :)

Q Times (I think I'll wait for my 80th birthday to start trying to qualify):

AGE GROUP MEN WOMEN
18-34 3hrs 10min 3hrs 40min
35-39 3hrs 15min 3hrs 45min
40-44 3hrs 20min 3hrs 50min
45-49 3hrs 30min 4hrs 00min
50-54 3hrs 35min 4hrs 05min
55-59 3hrs 45min 4hrs 15min
60-64 4hrs 00min 4hrs 30min
65-69 4hrs 15min 4hrs 45min
70-74 4hrs 30min 5hrs 00min
75-79 4hrs 45min 5hrs 15min
80 and over 5hrs 00min 5hrs 30min

Q Times (I think I'll wait for my 80th birthday to start trying to qualify):

AGE GROUP ..... MEN ..... WOMEN

80 and over 5hrs 00min 5hrs 30min

SWEET....my goal for my first marathon is the same as the 80 and over Boston Q time!!!!!

Ditto on the great pace by MagicianSampras. My old PR on a 5k (when I was in MUCH better shape) was 7:51. I remember because I was hoping to come in sub-24, but ended up at 24:19.

Wierd thing is the web results are still posted.
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/01/nc/Apr28_24thGr_set1.html

15:31 was the winning time for that particular race. That's some fast running right there. Yikes.

15:31 was the winning time for that particular race. That's some fast running right there. Yikes.
Very flat course :)

SWEET....my goal for my first marathon is the same as the 80 and over Boston Q time!!!!!
I ran a triathlon about 20 years ago, and finished right behind the over 70 age group winner. I couldn't figure out why everyone was cheering as I approached the finish. :p

Another 45 minutes on the elliptical machine tonight. Tomorrow will be a challenge, as I am flying red-eye back to IAH (DEN-ATL-IAH). Feels good to be back in the swing of things. Now if I can just stick-to-it and eat less, might just lose some weight.

4 Miler in last night. Travel home day today and then headed into Wyoming for some snowmoible action (So probably a day off unless I can catch a standby flight today). Will push my long run from Sunday to Saturday morning so we can head out.

After yesterday's speedy session, I decided to do an easy 5 miler today. My forerunner was a bit off and for some reason had me doing 5.16 miles but I know the course is only 5.03 miles, so something wasn't quite right. I think it's actually my fault because I started the GPS a bit earlier than I usually do and might have not reset it correctly the first time.

Anyway, it was a nice 5 miler at a 8:30 pace, nice and slow. Finished in 43 minutes. Forerunner 201 tells me I burned 791 calories in that effort.

Tomorrow is a rest day (football, pizza, beer) before a long run of 9ish on Sunday.

Have a great long weekend OMNI exercisers!

Anyone interested in being part of the first National Marathon in Washington, D.C. on March 25? Downtown DC has tried marathons in the past (and gone out of business trying to do it), but I have faith in this one. It's run by a good group and they're limiting the field to 5000 for the first race, a good move in my opinion.

I think I'll do the half since I just found out about this and don't really have a ton of time to train for the full marathon (waiting for the Fall to run my next marathon).

Anyone want to make the trip?

http://www.nationalmarathon.com/

45 minutes elliptical w/ arms friday... had been planning to take an easy day but ended up doing moderately intense. Saturday, did 30 minutes moderate on elliptical w/ arms and then 20 more on elliptical w/out arms (i like to practice balance by not using the handles on the machine). Sunday will be a rest day in preparation for hitting the slopes Monday. After my sickness / getting out of the habit for a few days, I have done cardio workouts for 5 days in a row going into tomorrow's rest, so thats good.

did my weightlifting routine. Including 20 deadlifts up to 276 - 326 pounds. I focused on not tensing my jaw. I have gotten headaches in the past that coincide with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Since I've been doing breathing exercises I am not nearly as sore anymore, but I have still been often getting the headache. My new theory is that it comes from tensing jaw muscles so I shall see if I can do something about that.

It is absolutely freezing outside and I woke up still a bit sore. I think this is a good indication that I should take an extra rest day before doing a 9-10 miler tomorrow. :)

So, another rest day for me. Maybe I'll go for a walk.

It was 37 and I went for a short run. Sometimes a good idea the day after weightlifting.

Anyone else ever read Stuart McRobert's stuff on lifting?

What a terrible run.

Let me set the stage for you. I woke up this morning quite refreshed after two days off, ready for my longish run of ~ 9 miles as I build up distance for a half marathon I am running at the end of February. The temperature outside in Boston is about 25 degrees, with a wind chill of 14 degrees. So it's going to be a pretty cold run. I also got new shoes (not new as in model, new as in a new pair of the model I run in) a couple days ago and this will be my first run in them of any substantial distance.

I set out at about 11:30am. My first two miles are at a slowish pace as I warm up, get used to the cold weather, and test out the new shoes. Right at about mile 2 the fun starts: runner's trots. This has happened to me before, but typically only in races when I'm nervous/anxious/etc., it doesn't typically happen on a training run. For those of you not familiar, runner's trots is basically diaharea caused by running - if it doesn't happen to you, be glad! I blame it on the Thai shrimp my wife and I cooked up last night (new recipe).

So at this point I have a couple choices. I can be a real man and just crap my pants and keep running. As I'm not about to win the Boston Marathon, this isn't a real appealing option. I could look to find a public restroom somewhere, the odds of success hard to say. Or I could head back home. I headed back home. For those that have experienced the runner's trots, running makes it worse. So I basically ran/walked the 0.5 miles (luckily I wasn't too far from home as the crow flies because I was doing a loop and could just cut across the loop) home and took care of business.

After about a 30 minute timeout to flush out the system, rehydrate, etc., I was back on the road. The trots took a bit out of me and miles 3-9 were basically done between 8:20 and 8:35 pace. I was constantly monitoring the situation, hoping they wouldn't come back. That probably slowed me down a bit.. but luckily they did not. My new shoes made my feet fairly sore after about mile 5, so that added to the fun.

Finished the run of 9.02 miles in 1:14:49 or 8:17 pace. Forerunner 201 tells me that I burned a well deserved 1416 calories. Taking a break in the middle wasn't all that helpful in terms of making this a training run, but at least I got through it.

Stats for the week (1/8 - 1/14) are 25.33 miles, 3:24:35 total running time, average pce of 8:04 and a total of 3949 calories burned. At the end of this week I'll hop on the scale and see how I'm doing in terms of wait loss.

I think this next week might be a bit of a step-back week since I took an extra day off yesterday. Maybe I'll focus a bit more on a tempo/speed work. Next long run should be about 10 miles either Saturday or Sunday.

Glad the run today is over. Although I guess what they say is true: it's the hard days that give you the most benefit.

How did you guys do this week?

I can be a real man and just crap my pants and keep running. Sorry to laugh at your misfortune, but this is the best line I've read all day. :D

My long run was 12.5 miles this week. I did it in Rock Springs Wy (6500 Ft....a bit of a change from DFW where I've been running). Felt good the entire way and upped the pace for the last couple miles.

So for the week I got in 8.5 hard miles (4.5 and 4), 1 lift, 12.5 long run and an hour on the bike as alt cardio.


I took 2 days off for Travel home from DFW and into Wyoming for some snowmobile action.

I just came back from voluntarily participating in the police fitness test here in Toronto. Surprisingly I passed :eek: (see note below)

My pace in their shuttle run is a slight bit slow at the 7.5 min mark (you are running ~11 mph at this point), but not bad.

Who knew I was in decent shape. :cool:

(the police fitness test is sprinting a 25m course 4 times, climbing a flight of stairs each time and on laps 2 & 4 also jumping a 4 foot fence. then you wrestle a machine with 70 lbs resistance, back and forth in a 180' arc 6 times, then to a grip test with a min of 35 lb per hand, distance of 1' in a butterfly motion, then you wrestle again with a backwards grip, then grip test again, finally drag a 150 lb dummy 25m. just when you are done, you settle for 10 min then do the back and forth run, with an ending speed of between 11 and 12 mph.)

Guess I can no qualify to be a donut shop employee :D

Today was a nice and easy 3 miler to recover from yesterday's long, and diahrea-inducing, run. The legs felt pretty good, a bit tired maybe but nothing major. Nice weather out there, about 35 by the Charles River.

Total distance was 3.18 miles, time of 26:14 making that a nice and easy 8:15 pace. Forerunner 201 says 497 calories burned in the effort.

Depending on how I feel tomorrow I'll either do a speedwork 5 miler or an easy 5-6 miler. We'll see!

Yesterday: 6.51 miles, 51:38. A tad under 8 pace. I was in a pretty good zone... :)

Yesterday: 6.51 miles, 51:38. A tad under 8 pace. I was in a pretty good zone... :)

I'd say. Nice job!

Stairmill for 30 minutes (2.5 miles) last night. (1 floor = .02 miles).
4-5 miler tonight.

WOW, my cardio workouts on elliptical machines did NOTHING for the muscle endurance needed for yesterday's skiing. Granted, that was my first skiing outing in 4 years, but still! My muscles just did not give the performance for which I had hoped. That said, I did have a great time, and did not shy away from any black diamonds or tree skiing. I'll still press onward in the workout regime. Am considering running in a 5k on Saturday morning - to get a feel of my true cardio fitness level.

elliptical machines

Let me first qualify this and say that I do elliptical once a week as an alt. cardio.

Elliptical machines are great if you have an injury or as I use them as a "day off" workout (to keep things loose). But IMHO they are not a great cardio workout. For me it’s easier to push myself on the treadmill, outside running, stairmill and even on a stationary bike.

Today, when I ran, a little boy saw me and said, "mom, look, that man has feet!"

I ran. 43F. outside, very humid and miserable, gray. Ran on pavement. Focused mostly on adducting, picking up my feet (lots of emphasis on this), curling up my toes a little when I remembered, bending knees and falling on my feet without extending them out, falling quietly and lightly and easily as possible.

It went much better.

2.33miles, 4.6mph avg, 30 minutes. Slightly faster than before. A few times I sensed my pushing off with my big toe and inside of foot hurting. Mostly I picked up my feet. This must become a HUGE emphasis. Pick up feet, adduct, knees bent, fall lightly under or behind my body as if writing a line behind me.

Felt much better.

Let me first qualify this and say that I do elliptical once a week as an alt. cardio.

Elliptical machines are great if you have an injury or as I use them as a "day off" workout (to keep things loose). But IMHO they are not a great cardio workout. For me it’s easier to push myself on the treadmill, outside running, stairmill and even on a stationary bike.
I prefer the elliptical. I usually do elliptical 1x week, swim 1x week, spin class 1x week, maybe treadmill in lieu of swimming (pool is heavily chlorinated) I rank the workout quality like this:

1. Spin class
2. Swim
3. Elliptical
4. Treadmill
5. Other stationary bike

Aside from swimming, I gauge the workout by how soaked my shirt is when I'm done. I do cardio first, then change my shirt and do weights. Spin class is 100% soakage. :p

1. Spin class
2. Swim
3. Elliptical
4. Treadmill
5. Other stationary bike


Interesting. I'd go

1. Treadmill
2. Spin Class (I agree its total sokage)
3. Stair mill (Not the stair stepper but the "rolling" stairs)
4. Swim
5. Stationary Bike
6. Elliptical

What kind of speed/time are you doing the treadmill for that it falls so low on the list?

If I'm doing both cardio and weights I MUST do weights first. I can go all out on a run after weights but don't seem to be able to give weights 100% when I've already run.

My workout quality:

Treadmill
Spin Class
Swimming
Stairs
Bike

That's it. I don't consider the elliptical a workout. :) It really does nothing for me unless I go so fast and hard on the highest level, I look like an idiot.

The elliptical controversy deepens :)... I have been using elliptical in order to get my heart rate into the "cardio zone" and keep it there. Granted I do not get a soak-through, it is one cardio exercise which I have been able to do consistently. I have never had any luck running on treadmills because I simply do not have a natural tendency to run at a consistent speed. I don't mind "looking like an idiot" due to pushing hard on the ellipticals, and it would appear that I need to push harder than I have been so far.

I would like to add outdoor running into my workout mix, but as a Texan working in DEN, weeknights are just a bit too chilly for my comfort.

as a Texan working in DEN, weeknights are just a bit too chilly for my comfort.

*sigh*....I'm a Coloradan working in Texas (and have been for nearly a year).

BTW, just read the BQ times posted in this thread. Count me in the "over 80 qualifer" based on the time from my first marathon. :D

Now that I've done 6, I'm closing in on the sixty year old guys. If I ever qualify for Boston, it'll be quite a few years down the road...

It really does nothing for me unless I go so fast and hard on the highest level, I look like an idiot.Oh, right...blame the machine. :rolleyes:

;)

BTW, just read the BQ times posted in this thread. Count me in the "over 80 qualifer" based on the time from my first marathon. :D

Now that I've done 6, I'm closing in on the sixty year old guys. If I ever qualify for Boston, it'll be quite a few years down the road...

I'm convinced that one year, just one year, Boston should open the floodgates and let anyone who wants to run in. They would have to make substantial changes to the start and finish, but wouldn't that be awesome? They could do it once every 40 years or so so everyone has a chance to run Boston in a lifetime (assuming normal lifespan).

Oh, right...blame the machine. :rolleyes:

;)

:)

Seriously though, there is something about the elliptical that just seems too easy. Maybe it's because how smooth it is. If I'm not pounding joints it's just not hard enough :).

OK...you got me. :rolleyes: I did about 3 miles on the dreadmill in 30 mins. I'm not very fast. :p

About 85.3% soakage. ;)

Worked shoulders, and got a new max weight at 190 on the hammer strength shoulder press.

Today was a mess in Boston. High winds, lots of rain, etc., so I took the day off. It was either today or tomorrow for a day off, so it doesn't do much to my training schedule.

I did walk to the store, though. :)

I'm convinced that one year, just one year, Boston should open the floodgates and let anyone who wants to run in. They would have to make substantial changes to the start and finish, but wouldn't that be awesome? They could do it once every 40 years or so so everyone has a chance to run Boston in a lifetime (assuming normal lifespan).


They did the for the 100th Boston in 1996. No qualifier necessary. I didn't run it, but I understand it was pretty ugly. Water stations ran out of water, etc. It is an amazing race. I've run the past 5 Boston's and it looks like I will be taking a medical exemption this year. IT-band injury. It is an awesome race. If you can't qualify by time you can probably get a charity spot if you are willing to raise some $$.

They did the for the 100th Boston in 1996. No qualifier necessary. I didn't run it, but I understand it was pretty ugly. Water stations ran out of water, etc. It is an amazing race. I've run the past 5 Boston's and it looks like I will be taking a medical exemption this year. IT-band injury. It is an awesome race. If you can't qualify by time you can probably get a charity spot if you are willing to raise some $$.

I ran it a couple years ago for charity and it was awesome. I would really like to BQ at some point, but it would require shaving nearly a minute off of my mile pace. I don't see that happening any time soon :(.

I did forget about the 100th in 1996 - good call. I hope they do it again sometime in my lifetime! Running for charity is fine, but you start at the very back of the pack (and the year I ran, a couple years ago, it was like 75 degrees at the start).

back from ACA.. ran 4 of 5 days.. no weights though.. tonight was the gym and it hurt.. and the treadmill which isn't the same as running in ACA

I just did a bit of dynamic stretching. Tomorrow it's a run or lifting, we shall see.

Last night I did a 12 oz steak lift...1/2 oz at a time. Followed it up with a creme brulee press.

I love Ruth's Chris. :)

Last night, I did 30 minutes of pushing myself on the elliptical w/ arms, immediately followed by 15 minutes of slightly lighter exercise (~74 RPM down to ~64 RPM). I managed to soak my t-shirt down to my waist in the back, and down to my naval in the front. I figure as long as I am able to get decent soakage, I am getting a good workout. Tuesday was an off day due to sore muscles / hardly being able to walk.

Here's one that passed the "soakage" test: we went for a nice wicked hill run, just over 6 miles. Hard to believe it, but this was in Kansas, and the run was tougher than the run I do frequently in Seattle's Capitol Hill area. Much steeper hills, and almost no flat segments to rest. Just up and down. We ran it at a high-8's pace, and it was far tougher than the high-7's I did Monday night. Basically, it confirmed that I need to mix in more serious hills a little more often - it kicked my butt good.

Phew. Just got back from a grueling 6.16 miler. I really pushed myself and finished in 46:16, or a 7:30 pace. This is the fastest I have run 6 miles in a real long time. My 1st and 5th miles were the fastest with pace of 7:17 and 7:08 respectively.

Forerunner 201 says 929 calories.

It feels good to get back from a run where you really push yourself. Phew.

Tomorrow I'll probably do an easier 5 miler :).

I figure as long as I am able to get decent soakage, I am getting a good workout. Better soakage than shrinkage!

Signed,

George Constanza

Weights for me last night. The hotel I have has a smith machine and dumbless only to 50#s. I did 2 sets of 30 reps for each muscle group.

4-5 miler on my plate for tonight.
Friday I travel home but will try to get a alt cardio in
Sat is my hard lifting day (hard because I'm home and have a partner)
Sun is an 8-10 long run.

Anyone interested in being part of the first National Marathon in Washington, D.C. on March 25? Downtown DC has tried marathons in the past (and gone out of business trying to do it), but I have faith in this one. It's run by a good group and they're limiting the field to 5000 for the first race, a good move in my opinion.

I think I'll do the half since I just found out about this and don't really have a ton of time to train for the full marathon (waiting for the Fall to run my next marathon).

Anyone want to make the trip?

http://www.nationalmarathon.com/

BTW, I'm tentatively IN for this. Have a hotel room booked at the OMNI Shoreham using those sweet 50% off + Free Upgrade certs. ^ Wife's sis lives right in Woodley Park, plus the Cherry Blossom Festival starts that weekend. Just gotta sell the idea to her and we're booking flights... :)

I'm so totally not ready to race a full marathon, but screw it...if I go out there, I'm doing the whole enchilada.

BTW, I'm tentatively IN for this. Have a hotel room booked at the OMNI Shoreham using those sweet 50% off + Free Upgrade certs. ^ Wife's sis lives right in Woodley Park, plus the Cherry Blossom Festival starts that weekend. Just gotta sell the idea to her and we're booking flights... :)

I'm so totally not ready to race a full marathon, but screw it...if I go out there, I'm doing the whole enchilada.

What are these 50% off + free upgrade certs you're referring to? And more importantly, can I still get some? :)

BTW, I'm tentatively IN for this. Have a hotel room booked at the OMNI Shoreham using those sweet 50% off + Free Upgrade certs. ^ Wife's sis lives right in Woodley Park, plus the Cherry Blossom Festival starts that weekend. Just gotta sell the idea to her and we're booking flights... :)

I'm so totally not ready to race a full marathon, but screw it...if I go out there, I'm doing the whole enchilada.


Dang....that is about the time I was going to do my marathon (4/1) but moved it to 4/29.

I'm actually going to be in DC for a bit of vacation 3/28-3/31 (staying at the Marriott in Woodley Park). Maybe I'll see what I can workout schedule wise and move my trip up a few days and hit the 1/2.

Either way if you guys are there later that week we should get together...?

Either way if you guys are there later that week we should get together...?

I'd be up for it but I only spend Sunday and Monday's in DC each week, not typically anything later in the week.

We should all try to do the National race, particularly if those Omni coupons can still be had. The Shoreham is a nice hotel. (Woodley Park Marriott is good too)

If you haven't already signed up for OMNI Select Guest, go to the website right now and do so. You get the certificates when you sign up for the program. One 50% off weekend and one upgrade - combinable on the same stay. At Shoreham, the room categories are Deluxe (lowest), Classic, and One-Bedroom Suite. Make sure you book Classic (it's only about $10/nt. above Deluxe) so your upgrade is Suite.

If you have already signed up for Select Guest, my guess is that you can score the certificates on Coupon Connection. Obviously, if I had any extras I'd share...unfortunately, my wife, daughter, and I have already all joined the program and these are our last certificates.

Call soon though...you don't need the certs in-hand to book - you just need them at check-in. My guess is that Cherry Blossom weekend will cause some of the regular room rates to sell out.

Alternatively, Marriott Fans, lots of Marriotts in DC are doing Bonus Bucks rates this spring. The Wardman Park appears to be nearly sold out for that Friday/Saturday, but some other properties around town have the BB rates still available. Use codes M11 or M12 to find 'em. And yes, if you already have a BB in your possession, you can use it on a stay where you earn another one.

By the way, we will probably only be in DC for the weekend - Friday-Sunday.

Ooops...I better quit talking about travel, else the thread'll get thrown out of OMNI! :D

Thanks for the info! I signed up my wife and I'm already a member. Maybe coupon connection will work out. As I spend a lot of time in DC (at least one night a week), I can use as many hotel discounts as possible.

When the time comes, remind me you are going and I'll provide some good running recommendations.

Only made 4 miles last night. It was late so I hopped on the treadmill at the hotel......crazy hot and humid in there next to the pool.

Only made 4 miles last night. It was late so I hopped on the treadmill at the hotel......crazy hot and humid in there next to the pool.

Pretty good "soakage" I bet then, eh?

Pretty good "soakage" I bet then, eh?

My shirt was 100% (I was able to "ring" it out when I was done) and my shorts were about 85% wet.

got back from 3 mile run up and down hills. Beautiful day, lots o' fun.

Beautiful day here in Boston, too. In the 50s and quite sunny. I went out to do about a 5 miler and ended up doing 4.43 as my legs were a bit tired from yesterday's fast run. Total time was 35:05 or, 7:55/mile pace, which is much faster than I thought I was running (the speedwork must be paying off!). Felt pretty good except for the legs. Did stretching and situps afterwards.

Forerunner 201 says 688 calories burned.

I was really happy because today after my run nothing hurt. I think I am finally getting my form in adequate shape. I had been getting a little blister but that didn't happen. Sometimes I think barefoot running is the hardest thing I've ever tried to do, physically speaking. Then at those times shortly thereafter, a breakthrough happens and it suddenly seems easier.

Yesterday: laid around like a fat toad.
Today: laying around like a fat toad.
Tomorrow: doing a half in crappy weather. Topeka-to-Auburn, point-to-point. 7 miles of paved roads, 6 miles of gravelly muddy trails with some hills. Sleeting/snowing now. Supposed to be about 35 degrees at the gun tomorrow.

But here's the wierd part: I can't freaking wait. I haven't raced anything at all since November. I had 3 very solid workouts this week - a long run, a fast run, and a hill run - followed by 2 days of rest.

Everybody says to add a few minutes to your time for this one. It's going to be messy. In good conditions right now, I'd probably give 1:50 a good run. So if I break 2 tomorrow, I'm happy. I'm just itchin' to race, and I don't care if I have to do it in a blizzard.

Yesterday: laid around like a fat toad.
Today: laying around like a fat toad.
Tomorrow: doing a half in crappy weather. Topeka-to-Auburn, point-to-point. 7 miles of paved roads, 6 miles of gravelly muddy trails with some hills. Sleeting/snowing now. Supposed to be about 35 degrees at the gun tomorrow.

But here's the wierd part: I can't freaking wait. I haven't raced anything at all since November. I had 3 very solid workouts this week - a long run, a fast run, and a hill run - followed by 2 days of rest.

Everybody says to add a few minutes to your time for this one. It's going to be messy. In good conditions right now, I'd probably give 1:50 a good run. So if I break 2 tomorrow, I'm happy. I'm just itchin' to race, and I don't care if I have to do it in a blizzard.

Nice, sounds lovely. I actually really like races in the slop; they're just fun. Good luck tomorrow and be sure to give us a race report when you get back!

I lifted this morning. I'm also trying a new approach to stretching that I really like, "active isolated", basically all dynamic stretches.

I did my same routine as last week up to #324 on the deads. I will add a few pounds next time I think.

Today I had an enjoyable fairly easy run. It was in the 50s in Boston, although the wind was pretty dramatic. I felt like I was running into fairly consistent 20-30mph winds (half the time headwind, half the time tailwind). Better to have the wind when it's 50s than 20s out though.

I only did 4.25 miles because that's a convenient loop from where I live, my legs are a bit tired and I'm going on a long walk this evening. Total time was 33:30 with an average pace of 7:52/mile. Calories burned: 681. I'm quite happy how my pace seems to be getting faster even though I don't feel like I am pushing it any harder. That speedwork really does work wonders!

pinniped, how was the race?

Weights this morning. I lift 2 times/week with one on the road by myself and one on the weekend with a partner. Its amazing how much harder I lift with another person.

Only a 7 mile long run scheduled for Sunday!!! My legs are in need of a break so it will be nice.

annerj

I had a great race yesterday - 1:53:19. Weather held up and the footing wasn't nearly as bad as expected. Temp was about 35 with a headwind most of the way, so I was starting to get pretty cold at the end. The hills were tough but I ran them a lot better than I've ever run a hilly race before. Having the Garmin helped out a lot because this would have otherwise been a really hard one to pace. I came through the first 8 miles on about an 8:15 pace and then held up pretty well in the slop. It felt good to pass people coming in...quite a few people were slowing down to a near-walk on the trails.

Next weekend I'm running a 10K entirely in caves, so it will (of course) feature perfect weather and flat, wide roads designed for 18-wheeler traffic. Should be fun...

I had a little mishap lifting yesterday.

I partially unloaded one side of the bar and forgot to unload the other. I started to do a deadlift and it felt wildly unbalanced (obviously) and I dropped it. My right knee, the side that was loaded, is a little sore. No big deal, fortunately. It's little things like this that help us be more careful.

Next weekend I'm running a 10K entirely in caves, so it will (of course) feature perfect weather and flat, wide roads designed for 18-wheeler traffic. Should be fun...

Congrats on the sub 2 hours!!!!!

Do you have a link for this cave race....sounds super cool. May be a 10k I'd travel for one of these years.

Congrats on the sub 2 hours!!!!!

Do you have a link for this cave race....sounds super cool. May be a 10k I'd travel for one of these years.

Sure...it's the Groundhog Run. I think I read somewhere that the 3,000 total runners in the 5K and 10K makes it the largest underground race in the world.

http://www.childrenstlc.org/groundhog.html

I don't get it.. it's literally in caves? Do they light the caves? What's the temp like under there? Water stations? Amazing.

I don't get it.. it's literally in caves? Do they light the caves? What's the temp like under there? Water stations? Amazing.

Yes - the cave network north of Kansas City is actually quite huge - many, many miles of underground roads and a huge amount of warehouse space. Document storage companies, the federal government, and all sorts of light-industrial companies lease space in the caves. The roads throughout the network are very well-lit, wide, and paved. Plenty big enough for big rigs to come and go.

This race only takes place in a small part of the subtropolis. Temperature is around 60 degrees in there year round. Aid stations are normal - I think you pass two of them (maybe 3) for the 10K.

There is a lot of interesting trivia about the subtropolis - for example, Ted Turner keeps a collection of original film reels in there. Name a classic movie, and chances are...it's in the caves. And supposedly the federal government has an enormous stash of cheese in there, although that sounds a bit urban-legendish to me. The FBI does lease a lot of space there, so there's plenty of folklore about what kind of documents they might have down there...

The only thing I really know about the caves is that they are a good place to do some January racin'. :cool:

two miles at the Ad. club in DFW tonight.. that hit the spot :)

two miles at the Ad. club in DFW tonight.. that hit the spot :)

Is there a gym in there? Can I pay to get in?


I got my scheduled 7 miler in today.

Alt cardio night last night so I did 12 minutes of ellipse, 12 minutes of stair stepper and 12 minutes of bike. 4-5 miler tonight.

My calves are a bit sore this week :mad:

14 weeks until the race!!!!

Did a 6-mile slow recovery run on Sunday - didn't even take the Garmin - I figure I was running 9:30's. Maybe slower.

Did 6.4 yesterday in 54:10. Still feeling a bit sore from that hard half this weekend. Today is a much-needed rest day.

Quick question about these Gamins. Do they have settings for other activities? Could you wear it while on a bike? Would it keep up at the kind of speed?

Quick question about these Gamins. Do they have settings for other activities? Could you wear it while on a bike? Would it keep up at the kind of speed?

Hey sorry annerj, you asked me this before and I didn't respond. Yep, they can be used on a bike. I've done this before (not going extremely fast, maybe 20mph or so) and it had no problem keeping up.

The only thing I don't know is if the software is smart enough to distinguish between runs and biking, so you might have all of your totals mixed. But there's probably some way to tag them individually.

The only thing I don't know is if the software is smart enough to distinguish between runs and biking, so you might have all of your totals mixed. But there's probably some way to tag them individually.

Thanks! That thing would show some serious calorie burn if it thought you were running 20mph!!!

Thanks! That thing would show some serious calorie burn if it thought you were running 20mph!!!

Yeah, if you want to inflate your sense of accomplishment, I suppose that's a good way to do it! :)

On another note, these last two days have been my off days. Probably going to do a 5-6 miler today and will post totals from last week!

Friday, did a "long cruiser" - 1 hr of moderate intensity (hr around 145) elliptical legs / arms workout.
Saturday, did 30 minutes of pushing myself hard on the elliptical legs/arms workout (hr around 165) and then 30 minutes of lighter workout on the elliptical with just arms (hr around 140).
Sunday, took a rest day.
Monday (yesterday), more or less repeated Saturday's workout.

Given the reputation ellipticals have on this thread, I have been making sure to push myself extra hard in order to get a decent workout.

Did 45 min on the dreadmill last night plus chest/triceps. I didn't feel too strong...I don't know what the problem was. Maybe it was the 5am wake-up call to get on a plane. Can't decide if I'm going to swim or elliptical tonight.

I'm still trying to figure out how to lose this belly fat. Diet is good, exercise is good. I don't have CSD syndrome, but still have a little roll around the edges. :mad:

I'm still trying to figure out how to lose this belly fat. Diet is good, exercise is good. I don't have CSD syndrome, but still have a little roll around the edges. :mad:

reduced breathing exercises...

reduced breathing exercises...

...and make sure you're barefoot on that treadmill. ;)

I'm still trying to figure out how to lose this belly fat. Diet is good, exercise is good. I don't have CSD syndrome, but still have a little roll around the edges. :mad:

I think you just have to resolve to understand that it's going to be a long process. It undoubtedly took awhile to get that roll around the edges, so it'll take awhile to take it off, too :).

Keep up the good work and you'll get there! ^

Back from my travels the last couple of days but was unable to run in the morning due to a work thing, so I ran early this evening. I probably didn't wait long enough after eating lunch, as I felt a bit bloated and heavy, but I ran a very brisk 5.05 miles at 7:26 pace for a total time of 37:36. I almost couldn't believe my Forerunner on that one, but the time and the distance check out. Total calories burned was 767.I think taking a couple days off in a row really helped today's run.

I never gave numbers for last week since I had to leave early Sunday morning.

Week of 1/15 - 1/21: 27.04 miles. 3:35:56 total time, average pace of 7:59/mile and a total of 4211 calories burned. Note: I probably gained half of those back today at lunch when I had a large steak and chese sub and slice of pepperoni pizza on the side. Ahhhh.

I try to run on a completely empty stomach.

Today I ran almost 3 miles, to the school and on the grass and back. I really like to get in more running on surfaces other than the pavement. Pavement helps your form improve but surfaces like grass help develop the ankles and the musclature and keep you from hyper-adapting to one particular surface.

I had a slightly sore knee from my weightlifting mishap but all was well.

I try to run on a completely empty stomach.


Check. Me too. Sometimes it's unavoidable though :(.



Today I ran almost 3 miles, to the school and on the grass and back. I really like to get in more running on surfaces other than the pavement. Pavement helps your form improve but surfaces like grass help develop the ankles and the musclature and keep you from hyper-adapting to one particular surface.


Agree completely. I try to run on the dirt next to a paved trail or on grass whenever I can. There is something about slightly uneven surfaces that gets your ankles stronger and muscles able to handle more uneven surfaces better in the future.

Anyone here do ankle exercises regularly? I try to do the stand on one leg with my eyes closed thing at least once a weak. Gotta strengthen those puppies.

Anyone here do ankle exercises regularly? I try to do the stand on one leg with my eyes closed thing at least once a weak. Gotta strengthen those puppies.

I do stretches but nothing else. I figure running the way I do strengthens them quite a lot already.

And one more thing: I have started doing a dynamic stretching routine before I run. I never do static stretches anymore at all. I find the dynamic stretches are helping me stay "even" on both sides. I stretch soleus, gastroc, tibialis anterior, do a lot of knee raise thingies and lunges for the psoas.

I also did these while weightlifting and I think they were very helpful in my post-workout recovery.

I agree on the empty stomach - I prefer to do all of my runs of under 10 miles before breakfast. If I can...

If I'm going longer than that, then I try to eat at least an hour before the run starts. I have a few standard foods I eat for long runs but that's a whole thread in and of itself.

For the days when I'm doing a somewhat hard weeknight run, I don't eat for several hours beforehand. And I try not to keep lunch somewhat plain and light. (e.g., No Chipotle steak burrito with extra hot sauce.)

For the days when I'm doing a somewhat hard weeknight run, I don't eat for several hours beforehand. And I try not to keep lunch somewhat plain and light. (e.g., No Chipotle steak burrito with extra hot sauce.)

Oh momma.. I once ran after a carnitas burrito with chips and guacamole and it was not fun.

Oh momma.. I once ran after a carnitas burrito with chips and guacamole and it was not fun.

:( :(

I also try to run on a light stomach. I do eat a Myoplex bar about 30 minutes before my long sunday runs.

5 Miler last night.....slow slow pace (Just under 9:30/mile). Just didn't feel the groove enough to pick up the pace.


Weights tonight.

Yesterday, my workout consisted of sitting on the couch eating pork rinds and watching hoops. Tonight I'm going to run about 8 miles - starting to kick up my midweek run a bit, eventually to the point where I'm doing a 10-12 miler on Wednesday nights. (There's a big group run that goes about 8, so I'd be doing 2-4 on my own before or after that.)



Okay, I don't really have any pork rinds - haven't seen 'em in years. It just sounds good.

Yesterday, my workout consisted of sitting on the couch eating pork rinds and watching hoops. Tonight I'm going to run about 8 miles - starting to kick up my midweek run a bit, eventually to the point where I'm doing a 10-12 miler on Wednesday nights. (There's a big group run that goes about 8, so I'd be doing 2-4 on my own before or after that.)



Okay, I don't really have any pork rinds - haven't seen 'em in years. It just sounds good.

I don't think I've ever even eaten a pork rind. Are they really pork or just pork-tasting?

I don't think I've ever even eaten a pork rind. Are they really pork or just pork-tasting?

it really is pork...skin of pork fried in its own fat typically. Delicious.

Doh, my little cradle thing for the forerunner 201 that I use to download data from the device to my laptop is apparently broken, so I can't download any of the runs. They're sending out a replacement so hopefully I'll be back in business in a couple days.

Anyway, today I had planned on doing a track workout but the track was covered in snow, so I just did a nice leisurely 5.6 miles. I think my pace was about 8:00 or so, but I'll let you know when my replacement part comes in. :(

I was busy doing a side job last night and didn't get to the gym. I found out that one of my subcontractors goes to the same gym as me and was trying to get my attention, but "you were in your little iPod world." :p

I normally do a full body workout about once per week. I am adding a mid-week workout of just upper body. I'll still do the full body workout once per week. I think the upper body recovers much faster and therefore I'm not making progress in that area the way I could be. I'll see how it goes. It's fast and easy -- I do abbreviated workouts anyway, in this case dips, wide pushups, and core exercises.

I do abbreviated workouts anyway, in this case dips, wide pushups, and core exercises.

What do you do for your full body? You have 2 "push" exercises (dips and pushups) but no "Pull" exercises? Anything for Biceps?

What do you do for your full body? You have 2 "push" exercises (dips and pushups) but no "Pull" exercises? Anything for Biceps?

My full body workout major exercise is deadlifts.

I used to do rows. And I used to do pull-ups.

Maybe I should start on or the other again when I do the upper body...thank you.

I do no weight-lifting at all. I really should start but don't have a gym membership. Is there anything I can do at home without any weights?

I do no weight-lifting at all. I really should start but don't have a gym membership. Is there anything I can do at home without any weights?
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blnoweightwkout.htm
You can vary the push ups to wide, narrow and normal to work across the chest.

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blnoweightwkout.htm
You can vary the push ups to wide, narrow and normal to work across the chest.

Excellent. Exactly what I needed!

if you can do them somewhere, pull-ups and dips are terrific and don't require weights.

Today was a short and sweet day: 3 miles, 8:00 pace on the nose, finishing in 24:01. Still waiting for replacement part for Forerunner 201, so can't report calories, but I'd say maybe 400 or so.

I do no weight-lifting at all. I really should start but don't have a gym membership. Is there anything I can do at home without any weights?

Also if you pick up some of those workout bands....nice to add a little resistance and easy to travel with.

There are several different types:
http://www.ripcords.com/

if you can do them somewhere, pull-ups and dips are terrific and don't require weights.

Dips are a bit harder to do without equipment. Bit I'll agree: pull-ups, dips, push-ups, crunches are all great no-weight exercises and they are easy to vary up (wide grip, narrow grip, incline, decline ect).

Weights last night at the hotel. Not bad (they only have a smith machine and dumbells up to 50 so high rep stuff again).


4-5 miler tonight!

Speaking of calories, it brings to mind a question about in-race fueling.

Whenever I read guidelines in a running magazine about what to eat or drink before or during a race, I tend to assume that they are talking about a 180 pound guy. Or a 140 pound gal. Purely a random guess on my part - I just know they don't have a 230 lb "larger athlete" such as myself in mind.

So...using a couple of the calorie counters at Google...I find that a 180-pound guy burns about 3600 over 26.2 miles, whereas I burn about 4700. (Some calculators ask for a unit of time which I don't quite get - isn't a calorie a unit of energy - mass x displacement? Anyway, I used 9min/mile or 4hr total if asked.)

So what, I wonder, does the expert consensus say about additional fuel for big guys? If a 3600-calorie runner replaces 600 of it during the race (via gel and a little Gatorade), does that mean that a 4700-cal big guy needs to be trying to get 800-1000 calories in? That's a sh*tload of gel, and my stomach hates that stuff.

Good question. I'd add another:
What is the body's capacity to handle caloric intake during exercise?


I was thinking I read somewhere around 150 calories/hour is all the body could take it and use during a workout. Does that sound right? If so then my plan to stick with Gatorade Endurance is going to be ok....If I need to I can drink 150 calories/hour worth of that stuff easy.

This is an interesting question that brings up another interesting question.

For slow twitch muscles the best fuel is fat. If you are in a fat burning mode, low carbing it, you will be able to use your own fat stores. If you are in (as most people) a glycogen burning mode you will run out of glycogen pretty quickly. Glycogen stores for a normal activity level only suffice for maybe 30 hours or 40 hours if I'm not mistaken and that doesn't take running into account.

But if you are in a fat burning mode, this changes considerably your need/use of calories during exercise.

Do you know anyone who has a reasonably low carb diet who runs? My diet is low carb but I don't run long distances (yet) and I don't know what will happen if/when I do.

Soooooo close to skipping last nights workout (got tied up in a "marathon" session of Omaha Hi/Low). But I did eventually drag myself out for a run at nearly midnight.

4.5 hard miles. Travel day today. I'm hoping for an alt cardio 35-45 minutes worth but it will all depends on how quickly I get to the airport and get home.

10 miles scheduled for me today as I climb my mileage up for the half-marathon at the end of February. I felt really good and ran the 10 in 1:18 flat. Finished the entire run of 10.27 miles in 1:20. So my 10 miler was at a pace of 7:48, which I'm really pleased with. If I could do the half-marathon at that place, I'll be quite happy.

Forerunner part still not in, so I don't know what the calories are.

Does anyone else want to boot after long runs? After nearly every run over 10 miles, I always feel like I'm going to vomit for about an hour or so afterwards. I often get the chills, too. I think it's a hydration problem.

4 easy last night.

Laying around like an adult male Steller sea lion with a full belly today.

10K race, underground, tomorrow.

I went for a run yesterday but after 1.5 miles I didn't feel good so I went home. LAte at night my pulse was very high and today I don't feel well. I am sure I'll be fine by tomorrow. But it is sometimes best to listen to what our bodies tell us. I am enjoying just being a vegetable today (and I don't mean to demean or denigrate vegetables.)

I started going to a personal trainer a couple years ago. Still a long way to go but making progress. I do two one hour sessions with him a week. Mostly lifting but some treadmill. Ive also added in extra treadmill sessions on off days but not consistently enough.

In December I started tai chi lessons. I go for an hour about once a week and then practice on my own. Im working up the practice times and frequencies. Much to my surprise the tai chi is a MUCH harder workout than weights. I am really dragging after an hour of instruction. I can barely walk out when Im done. Im still working on the forms, not even close to stuff like push hands and contact sparring yet and it is still quite a workout.

Given that this is an Exercise blog, I think we need an exercise calorie chart!


Activity (1 hour) 130lbs 155lbs 190lbs
Running, 10 mph (6 min mile) 944 1126 1380
Running, 10.9 mph (5.5 min mile) 1062 1267 1553
Running, 5 mph (12 min mile) 472 563 690
Running, 5.2 mph (11.5 min mile) 531 633 776
Running, 6 mph (10 min mile) 590 704 863
Running, 6.7 mph (9 min mile) 649 774 949
Running, 7 mph (8.5 min mile) 679 809 992
Running, 7.5mph (8 min mile) 738 880 1078
Running, 8 mph (7.5 min mile) 797 950 1165
Running, 8.6 mph (7 min mile) 826 985 1208
Running, 9 mph (6.5 min mile) 885 1056 1294
Running, cross country 531 633 776
Running, general 472 563 690
Running, in place 472 563 690
Running, on a track, team practice 590 704 863
Running, stairs, up 885 1056 1294
Running, training, pushing wheelchair 472 563 690
Running, wheeling, general 177 211 259
Sailing, boat/board, windsurfing, general 177 211 259
Sailing, in competition 295 352 431
Scrubbing floors, on hands and knees 325 387 474
Shoveling snow, by hand 354 422 518
Shuffleboard, lawn bowling 177 211 259
Sitting-playing with child(ren)-light 148 176 216
Skateboarding 295 352 431
Skating, ice, 9 mph or less 325 387 474
Skating, ice, general 413 493 604
Skating, ice, rapidly, > 9 mph 531 633 776
Skating, ice, speed, competitive 885 1056 1294
Skating, roller 413 493 604
Ski jumping (climb up carrying skis) 413 493 604
Ski machine, general 561 669 819
Skiing, cross-country, >8.0 mph, racing 826 985 1208
Skiing, cross-country, moderate effort 472 563 690
Skiing, cross-country, slow or light effort 413 493 604
Skiing, cross-country, uphill, maximum effort 974 1161 1423
Skiing, cross-country, vigorous effort 531 633 776
Skiing, downhill, light effort 295 352 431
Skiing, downhill, moderate effort 354 422 518
Skiing, downhill, vigorous effort, racing 472 563 690
Skiing, snow, general 413 493 604
Skiing, water 354 422 518
Ski-mobiling, water 413 493 604
Skin diving, scuba diving, general 413 493 604
Sledding, tobogganing, bobsledding, luge 413 493 604
Snorkeling 295 352 431
Snow shoeing 472 563 690
Snowmobiling 207 246 302
Soccer, casual, general 413 493 604
Soccer, competitive 590 704 863
Softball or baseball, fast or slow pitch 295 352 431
Softball, officiating 354 422 518
Squash 708 844 1035
Stair-treadmill ergometer, general 354 422 518
Standing-packing/unpacking boxes 207 246 302
Stretching, hatha yoga 236 281 345
Surfing, body or board 177 211 259
Sweeping garage, sidewalk 236 281 345
Swimming laps, freestyle, fast, vigorous effort 590 704 863
Swimming laps, freestyle, light/moderate effort 472 563 690
Swimming, backstroke, general 472 563 690
Swimming, breaststroke, general 590 704 863
Swimming, butterfly, general 649 774 949
Swimming, leisurely, general 354 422 518
Swimming, sidestroke, general 472 563 690
Swimming, sychronized 472 563 690
Swimming, treading water, fast/vigorous 590 704 863
Swimming, treading water, moderate effort 236 281 345
Table tennis, ping pong 236 281 345
Tai chi 236 281 345
Teaching aerobics class 354 422 518
Tennis, doubles 354 422 518
Tennis, general 413 493 604
Tennis, singles 472 563 690
Unicycling 295 352 431
Volleyball, beach 472 563 690
Volleyball, competitive, in gymnasium 236 281 345
Volleyball, noncompetitive; 6-9 member team 177 211 259
Walk/run-playing with child(ren)-moderate 236 281 345
Walk/run-playing with child(ren)-vigorous 295 352 431
Walking, 2.0 mph, slow pace 148 176 216
Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace, walking dog 207 246 302
Walking, 3.5 mph, uphill 354 422 518
Walking, 4.0 mph, very brisk pace 236 281 345
Walking, carrying infant or 15-lb load 207 246 302
Walking, grass track 295 352 431
Walking, upstairs 472 563 690
Walking, using crutches 236 281 345
Wallyball, general 413 493 604
Water aerobics, water calisthenics 236 281 345
Water polo 590 704 863
Water volleyball 177 211 259
Weight lifting or body building, vigorous effort 354 422 518
Weight lifting, light or moderate effort 177 211 259
Whitewater rafting, kayaking, or canoeing 295 352 431

I started going to a personal trainer a couple years ago. Still a long way to go but making progress. I do two one hour sessions with him a week. Mostly lifting but some treadmill. Ive also added in extra treadmill sessions on off days but not consistently enough.

In December I started tai chi lessons. I go for an hour about once a week and then practice on my own. Im working up the practice times and frequencies. Much to my surprise the tai chi is a MUCH harder workout than weights. I am really dragging after an hour of instruction. I can barely walk out when Im done. Im still working on the forms, not even close to stuff like push hands and contact sparring yet and it is still quite a workout.

I was thinking about doing a little tai chi myself. Steep learning curve or can one pick up the basics fairly quickly?

Does anyone else want to boot after long runs? After nearly every run over 10 miles, I always feel like I'm going to vomit for about an hour or so afterwards. I often get the chills, too. I think it's a hydration problem.

Extremely rarely. When I come back from a long run I generally feel as if I could run again. This goes for both now when my long runs are normally only 5 miles or so, or 1.5 yrs ago when my long run was 15 miles. Always felt as if I could keep on going.

Haven't had the vomit feeling in years.

Given that this is an Exercise blog, I think we need an exercise calorie chart!

But I row and I do anaerobic running now as my main fitness activities. They aren't on there :(

I was thinking about doing a little tai chi myself. Steep learning curve or can one pick up the basics fairly quickly?

Im pretty new to it but I think it depends. The term "tai chi" seems to cover an incredibly wide range of styles. My first exposure to it was at a spa/resort (Canyon Ranch) where they taught a simplied version. That was about 12 or 14 simple movements as I recall and you could pick it up in a lesson or two. It was designed for stretching and relaxing and not bad for exercise. What I am taking now is a martial arts version. It has 60 steps in the form and the steps are more complicated than those at Canyon Ranch. It also has a lot more blocks, punches and kicks then the Canyon Ranch form as I remember it. My current instructor told me that he has found that it takes about 18 group lessons to go through the form.

My wife has been taking tae kwon do and I consulted two friends of mine who are advanced black belts (4th or 5th degree); one in tae kwan do and one in aikido. I also posted on Omni asking for suggestions. I came to the conclusion that a martial art was a wonderful thing to add to a fitness routine and that the quality of the instructor and personal preference were more important in picking which one to do than any arbitrary rule. My wifes tae kwan do instructor is quite good but I was more interested in a style that was more internal and had more throws than tae kwan do. So I ended up with this tai chi and am very happy with it. I like the exercise and the instructor is fantastic. I chose him because I had read that he stresses the martial arts aspect of tai chi. It is a great workout and also helps with muscle stretching and relaxation which is useful when doing weights. I also find myself doing some of the relaxation steps when flying in coach ;)

I took Friday off.
Heavy lift (1 hour 15 minutes) on Saturday morning
and a 15 MILER!!! on Sunday (This is the furtherest I've ever run).


My calves were tired and sore like crazy. I ran out of gatoraide at mile 12....ouch.


Its hard to see going another 11.2....but I've got time.

annerj

congrats, annerj, on your 15 mile run.

Given that this is an Exercise blog, I think we need an exercise calorie chart!

Did it go any heavier than 190? I think Pin and I need 230ish.

Wonder what 2.5 Hours at 6mph for 235 pound person would be..... ^

I took Friday off.
Heavy lift (1 hour 15 minutes) on Saturday morning
and a 15 MILER!!! on Sunday (This is the furtherest I've ever run).


My calves were tired and sore like crazy. I ran out of gatoraide at mile 12....ouch.


Its hard to see going another 11.2....but I've got time.



Great job annerj! I think breaking the 15 mile threshold was a big moment for me in my first marathon training program. It's tough, no doubt. But pretty soon you'll find that the miles just start clicking away and 18 miles will feel like 15, 20 will feel like 18 and hopefully on the day of the race you'll feel great.

I still think of 15 as an important milestone. To me, the first 15-miler of any training cycle is the point at which I mentally tell myself "it's on." I'm at the gateway to the long runs - the dog days of race prep.

When I'm doing 12's and 13's...I still feel like I could just bail out and have a fun season racing halves and 10k's and whatnot. But cross 15...now I'm going after the Whole Enchilada. I still get this feeling every time I do the first 15. No turning back now. So congratulations on reaching this point!!

As for me, I ran that underground 10k this morning in 49:40. I struggled hard when we were deep underground - it's an oxygen-poor environment. But Mile 6 was running straight back towards the entrance to the cave and an icy cold fresh breeze carried me through that mile in 7:20 (and the last .2 on the same pace) to finish under 50 minutes.

I still think of 15 as an important milestone. To me, the first 15-miler of any training cycle is the point at which I mentally tell myself "it's on." I'm at the gateway to the long runs - the dog days of race prep.

When I'm doing 12's and 13's...I still feel like I could just bail out and have a fun season racing halves and 10k's and whatnot. But cross 15...now I'm going after the Whole Enchilada. I still get this feeling every time I do the first 15. No turning back now. So congratulations on reaching this point!!

As for me, I ran that underground 10k this morning in 49:40. I struggled hard when we were deep underground - it's an oxygen-poor environment. But Mile 6 was running straight back towards the entrance to the cave and an icy cold fresh breeze carried me through that mile in 7:20 (and the last .2 on the same pace) to finish under 50 minutes.


Thanks everyone for all the encourgement. I'm sore today...I haven't been leg sore after a run in quite a while. Its amazing what those extra couple miles did to my body!

Congrats on the sub 50 10k (I'm sure I've said it before but that is my long term goal. Current PR 52:13 but that was a while ago when I was in better shape).

annerj

Yesterday was an off day and today is pretty busy at work (plus I'm traveling tonight), so I doubt I'll get to run. That's cool with me though, I like having 2 days off. I'll make up for it on either Tuesday or Wednesday by running a bit farther on my mid-week semi-long run.

I did walk 2.5 miles today, though.

I did 3 miles today after being a bit sick this weekend with some root canal thing. But I did a PR in terms of time -- 5mph! For me, that's great.

But I did a PR in terms of time -- 5mph! For me, that's great.

Congrats. PRs are GREAT.

Ah, Boston. Blustery winter conditions today: low 30s, freezing rain and windy as hell. I set out to do a 5 miler at a reasonable, moderate pace (8:00 or so) and ended up doing the first mile in 7:15(!) and 2nd mile in 7:30. For some reason I had trouble controlling my pace (probably from the energy I received by eating that brownie last night :)). Anyway, ended up doing 5.24 miles in 40:08 or 7:39 pace. Much faster than I had planned, but I'm not complaining!

Edited to add: Wooohoooo, the replacement part for my Forerunner 201 came in! The calories for today's run was 767.

Last week (1/22 - 1/28) I ended up with 23.92 miles, total running time of 3:05:44 with an average pace of 7:45/mile. Total calories burned are 3565.

Monday was 40 minutes on the bike (seriously leg sore from my 15miler)
Tuesday was a 4.5 miler. It actually went well and my legs loosened up after about a mile.

Weights tonight
4-5 miler on Thursday