Keeping My Scheduled Workouts!

Last week I had a couple of days where I barely moved because my lower back was sore.

This week I have been making up for it!  Since the beginning of the year I have been working out faithfully, getting in my strength sessions and my core work and doing my planned runs for our first week of half marathon training... not necessarily in the planned order, however.

We did a planned 5km Resolution Run on Sunday, January 1st.

Then on Monday I did a strength workout with some cario intervals and we went for a nice walk.

Tuesday I did a Pilates mat session and some low impact aerobics.

We had scheduled a 3 mile run for Wednesday.... but it rained all day.  And I mean RAINED ALL DAY!  There was no way either of us was going out in that mess... so I did a strength workout that seemed to concentrate on leg work and then we did an indoor weighted walk/jog workout. Yes, I really said JOG... don't know what else to call this prancing/running/bouncing thing!

Today when we got up it was not raining, however we had morning appointments.  Then, afer lunch I spent almost 3 hours in a live chat session with a Norton/Symantecs analyst (two of them actually... I wore one out and he turned me over to his supervisor) who was able to take over my pc controls and get my new Norton software running correctly.  ARGGGGH!

So, it was after 3 p.m. by the time we got on our running gear and got outside.  It had been raining off and on again all day but we were both determined to go anyway, and for the most part, we lucked out and only managed to have to contend with minor sprinkling and lots of puddles... with only a cool breeze.  Not ideal, but hey, it IS January and not freezing.

We both overdressed, and halfway through I was ready to ditch my jacket and my gloves and my cap... I hate caps anyway, but wore one today to keep the top of my head warm... along with my earband to keep my ears warm.  I think my plans to post more pics of myself on this blog in 2012 just may have gone out the window!

So we did the same 5 km route that we ran on Sunday.... In 1.5 minutes more. I am blaming that on the extra clothes. 

W2 R 38 @10/1 W4
stretch 5 minutes

The pumpkin banana smoothies I made for us to have while we stretched made it all worthwhile!

I have a 3 mile run scheduled for Saturday.... and have promised The Captain a new route.

Have you been working out or running much since January 1st?

Did you make any resolutions that you have already broken?

My Half Marathon Training Schedule

I thought I would post our half marathon training schedule so that anyone who would like to, can offer some feedback, or suggestions, or other comments.  Please feel free to be brutally honest.  I am  new at this and we are preparing for our first half marathon race.  It is on May 13th and I think I have given us ample time to prepare.

It is a schedule I made up after having looked at a few others.  I felt I had to draw up my own because I only want to run 3 times a week and I couldn't find one that met that requirement.  Because it is my first half, my goal is to complete it.

I have scheduled our long runs on Saturdays, with the thought that they could be done Fridays or Saturdays, depending up on the weather conditions at the time. 

And I have built a couple of fall-back weeks into it, as well.

I have been advised by someone who has run several halfs and who is a coach, that there is no need to run longer than 11 miles, for a first-timer.  Apparently running more than that leads more readily to injury or illness.  Who wants that?



Sundays will be planned REST days.  We can do anything for fun, or nothing at all, if that is what we choose... and during the week we will be doing CROSS-TRAINING... which means WALKING, STRENGTH TRAINING, CORE/PILATES and perhaps some BIKING or HIKING.  There could also be some GOLF thrown in for good measure... and yard work which means raking and shovelling.

I am pretty excited about it all and want to give a huge THANK YOU to Sara who writes Words to Run By for all the advice she has given me and all the hand-holding she has already done.

So, in keeping with that... today I did a strength workout that also involved some core work:

• 30 Day Shred, level 1- 20 minutes
• 30 Day Shred cool/stretch - 5 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2, womens' sculpt - 10 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2, men's sculpt - 10 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2, cool/stretch - 5 minutes
• walk outdoors 1.5 miles

All in all I think we are off to a good start!

Welcoming 2012

Today not only starts the New Year, but also our half marathon training... I scheduled a 5km virtual event to kick it off.... the Resolution Run as laid out by Amanda on her blog Run to the Finish.

Our original plan was to run after lunch... but The Captain checked the Weather Channel at 10:30 a.m. and declared that it was already as warm as it was going to get today... only 4°C , which is about 39°F.  So, we got into our warm running gear, put on our race bibs, took a couple of pictures...

and off we went...

We ran a familiar 5 km route around this hilly neighborhood we are currently living in, and it was so great to be out!  It was actually a pretty nice morning and there were lots of people out walking and running.   One woman we passed by, who was walking her dog, said to us "Oh resolutions.  Only 365 more to go."  I laughed and waved... guess she thinks I am going to run every day.  Hah!  I am not.

When we ran through an area protected from the chilly breeze that was blowing, I removed my headband and gloves and put them in my jacket pocket, and then removed my jacket too, and tied it around my waist... so nice to be able to do that when I have no water bottle attached to me.

We did 10/1 run/walk intervals and I had to remind The Captain to walk faster during the walk intervals and to run slower during the run intervals.  Yes, I am going to really enjoy being our Coach as well as his running partner during our half marathon training!

As we ran up the last hill, I slowed down A LOT and had to really encourage myself to keep running and not stop to walk... but I made it and I was really happy to round the corner at the top of the hill to run a couple of more blocks of straight and level road.

We completed the 5 km in 36.5 minutes and I am happy with that!

W2 R36.5 @10/1 W4

stretch 5 minutes

When we came indoors, I drank 2 large glasses of water before starting our smoothies... a banana, vanilla yogurt, skim milk and cinnamon for The Captain... and the same with blueberries for me.

I drank it right out of the blender jar while I stretched!

A great start to the New Year and to our half marathon training.

How did you welcome 2012?

It's Almost a Wrap!

This morning we enjoyed the last pancake breakfast of the year!  The Captain outdid himself this morning, and while we ate, we came to the conclusion that we should move our pancake breakfasts from Saturday mornings to Sunday morning while we are training for our May half marathon.  Our long runs are scheduled for Saturdays and we will be experimenting with different breakfasts before we run them.

Then I did a Last Chance workout!  And it was... literally... I did the Jillian Michael's DVD by that same name - the 5 minute warmup, the 25 minute cardio/weight intervals, and the 5 minute cool/stretch.  It is a workout I cannot quite complete so a good one for me to have in my rotation; something to work toward.



So my weekly recap looks like this:

Sunday/Christmas Day:

• rest and relax - nil

Monday/Boxing Day:

• Biggest Loser 2 warm 5 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2 functional fitness 10 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2 bootcamp 15 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2 women's sculpt 10 minutes

at this point I realized there was something really wrong in my lower back

Tuesday:

• rest and recover - nil

Wednesday:

• walk 1.25 miles

Thursday:

• walk 2 miles

Friday:

• walk 2 miles

Saturday:

• Last Chance warmup 5 minutes
• Last Chance workout 25 minutes
• Last Chance cool/stretch 5 minutes

All in all an okay week, especially since my back is getting better by the day!  My sister in law had something very similar happen to her a few weeks ago and she thinks it must be a virus.

My December Results:

• ran a total of 33.67 km
• did 2 or more strength workouts each week fairly consistently
• actively participated in 2 challenges and one virtual 5 km race

 2011 in Review:

• according to my Daily Mile calculations, I ran a total of 427.52 km for a total of 55 hours and 49 minutes
• I was unable to workout/run for a total of 12 weeks during this year due to 3 eye surgeries

So...

I am about to print our race bibs for the January 1st, 2012 Virtual Resolution Run being put on by Amanda - and end this post by wishing you  a very

Happy, Healthy, Fit and Fun 2012 !

See you next year

Gelbot Gets a Thumbs Up From Me!

The Captain and I are going to start training on the 1st of January for our first official half marathon.  Trying out different hydration methods and energy fuels/drinks is going to be an important part of getting ready for the race.  It takes place on May 13th, so we have several long runs to complete before then and so lots of time to test the products that interest us.

When I first saw the Gelbot, I knew it would be high on our list.  Scott, from Outside PR, was kind enough to send me a Gelbot to try out and review.

When the package I arrived, I opened it up to find all of these goodies....

There was a 24-ounce Gelbot and 20 packages of Gu energy gels in 3 different flavors.  I was thrilled!  And honestly, somewhat intimidated by the bottle itself.  I went immediately to the Hydrapak web site and watched a short video on how to use the bottle.  It is actually very easy, but the new plastic components were a bit stiff and I was a bit afraid to pull or push on any of the pieces... so The Captain finally took over and opened it all up for me.

There is a central chamber that you squeeze the gel into... it will hold 2 gel packets but he only put one into it this first time, to try it out.

Once the gel is in the chamber, you push the bottom piece up to meet the gel.

Then you fill the bottle itself up with up to 24 ounces of water, insert the gel chamber into the bottle, and tighten the screw cap securely.

It is very easy to use.. when you want water, you pull the nipple up and drink from it.  When you want gel, you just leave the nipple down and gently squeeze on the bottle.  All very simple once you know how!

The bottle fits very nicely into a water belt, but I did think that 24 ounces was a bit heavy so I poured about 4 ounces out, then placed it snuggly back into the belt,  and off we went.  And yes, we shared the same bottle that day!

It was a cool day when we tried the Gelbot out for the first time.  The nipple pulls out and pushes back down with your teeth, if you choose to do it that way... fingers work too!  We both found that the water came out really easily but not the gel.  We both had to suck on the gel as we squeezed the bottle, to get it to come out. Not a big deal once we got the hang of it, but not quite what either of us expected. 

The Captain thinks it was because the weather was so cool.  I thought it was perhaps because the gel is surrounded by cold water.  But, as The Captain pointed out to me, the gel is only surrounded by water when the top part of the bottle is still full.  As the water is used, the gel chamber is exposed to the air; the gel would get warmer and flow freer if the air was warmer.  (I tested this theory indoors later and he was right.) 

And then when we we were finished the run, and done with the Gelbot, it all came apart very easily to wash and store.

I would definitely recommend the Gelbot for anyone who uses energy gels.  It saves you the hassle of having to pack, open and dispose of, the packets during your activity.  It is easy to assemble and to clean. It is available in 2 sizes - 24 ounces and 20 ounces.

Have you tried a Gelbot yet?

Does this method of hydration/fuel appeal to you?

I was given these products to review at no expense to me, and the opinions expressed are 100% our own.