I'm not crazy...I'm just bored!!

Well, the gym shopping has begun. I'm on a week trial membership at Lifetime and it is a nice gym, but it's a good 20 minute drive from my house. I was kind of bummed today, because I looked at classes and wanted to do a 7 mile run for one hour and then the class for the other hour, but the sales guy had to show me everything and so I only got 1hr 15 min to work out by the time it was all said and done with.

So, I started on the TM and wow, are they nice - very cushy compared to what I'm used to. Plus, the 8:34 pace I started with felt like a breeze! I'm hoping that part was me and not the TM :) Just 1.25 mile into the run I hear my name on the loudspeaker to go to day care *sigh* maybe this isn't worth the drive after all. Well, it was only a dirty diaper and then I could go back to finish my 2 hours. So, I was able to get another 6.25 in the next 50 min and then I had a few minutes for some resistance stuff before picking up kids. 

The run felt great today, which is really nice after a high mileage week. AP: 8:20 for the 6.25 and mile 5 was 8:10 and mile 6 was 7:30 and the last .25 was at 6:58. It's crazy, but that 7:30 mile actually didn't feel all that hard. Not easy, but more comfortably hard than I would've expected it to be. Nice to FEEL improvement! Now, let's just hope Riverton Paul doesn't get on here and tell me how poorly the TM's are calibrated!

Early morning with Sandra around the 'hood. 4.2 miles with an AP of 9:58. She did really well and the uphill mile at the first was the slowest and then she was able to pick it up afterward, definitely a good run!

Headed out on my own for a few more. I was happy with what I was able to do pace wise. I really thought it was colder than it has been lately this morning. I took the route with a full mile up the hill of despair and my goal was to keep the pace under 9:20 - how happy was I when I got home and saw it was 9:17, hills are becoming easier!

AP: 8:43 splits: 8:47, 9:01, 9:17, 8:34, 8:02, 8:17 (last .3)

Hit the gym for a class before my Tuesday meeting. The class was called "strike" and it was a lot different than anything I'm used to, which is good :) I worked mostly core and arms but a decent leg workout too. It was kind of like kick-boxing, but more focus on weights and resistance. Now it's off to the races for the day!

Another fun day at the gym! Today I again tackled the Mexican Mountain Goat and I was amazed at how much easier it seemed this week. I may have to increase my speed or time next week - scary! 

1 hour on the TM, started with an 8:34 warm up for 10 minutes and then bumped it down to 8:57 for the remainder (well, until the last 3 minutes).

2 min @ 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6% then 1 min @ 7%, 8%, 9%  (2 min rest @ 0 incline between each interval)

Then I started back down and did the same thing in reverse, except by the time I got finished with the 4% I knew I wouldn't have enough time to finish so I did only 1 min rest. When the hour was up I had only 1/4 mile to go to finish to seven, so I bumped up the speed to 7:30 and finished off the miles.

Afterward I hit the bike for 45 minutes and did a random program at L10 - I'm going to need to better figure out these bikes, because it wasn't all that hard. What I would really like is a spin class! They have them, I just need to find a way to fit it into my schedule at the gym.

Oh man, I am so tired and sore. I haven't been this tired and sore for a LONG time! The strike class on Tuesday left me with some seriously aching muscles, the back of my body and arms are the worst, and when I started running yesterday it was a struggle just to move my arms to run. Today I was just tired and slow.

My first 4.15 miles with Sandra were okay, I finally felt decent around mile 2-3, but by then she was getting tired and then the uphill mile home was just too much for her and the pace got slower. I find it amusing sometimes how she is always off and running the first couple miles, but I'm just shaking it all out and getting warmed up, then I'm ready to go and she is petering out for the run. Complete opposites!

AP: 10:04 splits: 10:04, 9:33, 9:42, 10:57, 10:12 (last .15)

Took off on just another 5K loop, I needed some faster miles and just a few more for the day. I didn't pick up the pace much, but I was moving a little faster anyway. The effort really seemed a lot more than the pace was giving me. I wish I could have recovery 'slow' days like some of you at 7-8mm!! But, I don't get that - I just shuffle along...

AP: 9:27 splits 9:21, 9:41, 9:21, 9:01 (last .1)

Came home and did "The Shred" L1 - a good short workout. Just enough to push, but not too much (I needed THAT today!). Thank you sweet sister for my favorite birthday gift!!

Headed to the gym for Yoga. Holy Moly - could you cram a few more people in that tiny room? It was very crowded, but a good class. Much more intense than I'm used to. I prefer Wendy's stretching yoga - I still miss my gym :( I was called out about 3/4 of the way through because my baby was fussy. I got him to settle down and sleep so I went back for the last 10 min then did some stretching on my own afterward. I'm definitely ready for my easy day tomorrow!

ahhh, magnificent rest day! My running muscles and legs need a break from the regular pounding today. I busted my butt to get to spin class at the gym on time and I barely made it! It was a good class, but the bikes are different from what I'm used to so I'll have to learn to adjust them better. The teacher threatened us within an inch of our lives if we got up (even just out of the saddle) for the first 30 minutes - I didn't dare get off to adjust my bike after that!

It was a good spin class, but different from what I'm used to. They had a big screen with a video of a bike race during class. It was fun to watch, but I think sometimes I got too distracted from the 'workout'. Also, I don't know if it was just my bike or what, but the tension didn't really adjust all that much. I couldn't tell a difference (well, much) between 2-4 turns up, like I said this new stuff will take some getting used to. I did get an amazing workout and kept the HR up there the entire time. 

The teacher gave some good pointers about form as well, she is very knowledgeable but also a little too prissy for my taste :) Not to mention that she was wearing a v-cut tank and her double D's were bouncing all over with no support and nearly falling out as she leaned over the bike during class. I now know why the guys like to go to her class! Anyway, I digress. After class she did a good 15 min stretch class that was great and just what I needed. However, don't make any suggestions about stretching or a good way to stretch a certain part of your body to anyone asking or she will bite your head off and basically tell you that you know nothing and that SHE will tell them the best stretch. Sorry, digressing again.

Finished off with an easy 1.75 on the elliptical in 20 min on L12. They have lots of my favorite ellipticals just like the ones at my old gym, so I felt at home for a bit :)

Holy Moly chuck a rolly! I knew Becca wanted to run 20 miles earlier in the week, but as the week drew on I kept trying to think of ways and reasons to back out of it - well, at least 3 or 4 miles of it. However, when push came to shove I just did it. 

I had a really rough day (emotionally) Friday and baby was up nearly every hour all night and I must've subconsciously  decided I wasn't going early in the morning, but Becca has Adam to thank (he IS the best running partner) for waking me just 3 minutes past the time my alarm was supposed to go off (I hadn't turned it on) so that I could get up and out the door.

We met at 6:30 at the Olympic oval and decided it was time to get dizzy! Since I had given Maurine her counter back and not bought my own, I devised another creative counting system :) 11 pennies:  11 laps = 3 miles. So, we spent the next three hours passing pennies back and forth. I would pass to her 11 times (having a 2 man system helped if one of us forgot to pass) then she would pass them back (my hands still smell like dirty change!). Sixty-six laps later I was done...not sure I really wanted to do the last two miles, but it was only two...I could do it!

During the run, my R hip and L knee started telling me they weren't all that happy - running so many miles on a one way track will do that to you. So, we turned and were polite about it, but ran against traffic to 'unwind'. BLAH! There was some guy yelling at us each time we passed about the fact it was "against rule #7 to run the wrong way!" We finally felt guilty enough for breaking the rules that we turned and went the right way. Well, after crazy guy left (there were other runners that said "he yelled at us too!") we again ran against traffic again and it felt SO good! Then, we began to have a following - many others joined our 'wrong way' crowd. It was nice to be the trend-setter.

I took and needed TWO gu's this run (mile 9 and 15). I think more than anything I'm just mentally exhausted. My HR was fine and so was my breathing, but at what I think was about an 8:50ish AP my legs just wanted to die and I wanted to quit. I really just wasn't in 'the groove' this run. Each time I took a gu it helped rejuvenate me a little bit.

Well, the last 2 miles (I was SO happy to drop 4 pennies at the bleachers and only take 7 with me!!) Steve Ash and Tim joined us. It was nice to meet Steve and chat a bit (I again got to complain about 'barbie' gym - I'm a great whiner!) and he was kind enough to run slow with me and Becca and Tim took off and finished about 20 seconds or so before Steve and I did. Honestly, those last 2 miles went SO much faster than I thought they would. Becca literally had to PUSH me to get me going those last miles.

Now that it is all said and done with I'm glad I did it and that I didn't wimp out and take a smaller mileage total. Becca was doing SO well, I wouldn't be surprised if she ran a few more after I left :) I am VERY grateful I had Becca to drag me out this morning and to push me through the 11 cent run, I needed it today - oh so very badly! Thank You Becca! I also had a great time chatting with Steve, made me feel a lot better about my sad slow mileage - Thanks Steve!!