Not much going on last night so I went over to the Lindbergh gym to get in a couple of miles. It's a large indoor track, with six laps to a mile. There were volleyball games in the courts below, which provided some entertainment.
I didn't have a whole lot to eat throughout the day, so I wasn't going to try to break any speed or distance records. I ended up doing 25 laps, or just over four miles. I found myself going faster as the laps went by.
Note to self - try a few runs with light (but healthy) eating throughout the day. Maybe it's how my body does best.
Today's a rest day. Planning to do ALARC Core tomorrow (Saturday) morning and a long run on Sunday of about 10.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday-Wednesday, Rest-ALARC Core
Tuesday was a good resting day after three straight days of running and circuits. I slept well and felt great going into Wednesday's ALARC Core session.
I was running a bit late to the gym on Wednesday but still wanted to get the lifting in before circuits. I typically do a little more in the weight room on Wednesdays because I don't have to coach on those days.
So on this day I did the Men's Health workout with two 25 pound dumbbells. The first exercise was 10 curls followed by 12 reps of holding the dumbbells in front of my knees and bending over at the waist, lowering the weights about halfway down my shins. I repeated this routine twice more.
The second set was standing overhead presses (again with the 25 pounders), one at a time, left/right 12 reps each. This was followed by 25 swinging exercises where you hold one dumbbell at arm's length with both hands directly in front of you, bend your knees and swing it between your thighs. The trick is to pause at the top, not just swing back and forth. I'm completely tuckered after these 25 reps. The program has me only repeating this set one more time, so I'm happy when it's over!
Then I went upstairs for ALARC Core. I did not coach, so I was happy to just be a "student." We had a pretty good workout, it went a little long so we didn't have time to do our third set of push-ups. But we had plenty of ab and weight work.
Then we went to the Lone Spur for wings and beers. We earned it!
I'm thinking of doing 3-4 miles today (Thursday) and around 10 this weekend with a friend. Let's hope the weather warms up, it's freezing out there!
I was running a bit late to the gym on Wednesday but still wanted to get the lifting in before circuits. I typically do a little more in the weight room on Wednesdays because I don't have to coach on those days.
So on this day I did the Men's Health workout with two 25 pound dumbbells. The first exercise was 10 curls followed by 12 reps of holding the dumbbells in front of my knees and bending over at the waist, lowering the weights about halfway down my shins. I repeated this routine twice more.
The second set was standing overhead presses (again with the 25 pounders), one at a time, left/right 12 reps each. This was followed by 25 swinging exercises where you hold one dumbbell at arm's length with both hands directly in front of you, bend your knees and swing it between your thighs. The trick is to pause at the top, not just swing back and forth. I'm completely tuckered after these 25 reps. The program has me only repeating this set one more time, so I'm happy when it's over!
Then I went upstairs for ALARC Core. I did not coach, so I was happy to just be a "student." We had a pretty good workout, it went a little long so we didn't have time to do our third set of push-ups. But we had plenty of ab and weight work.
Then we went to the Lone Spur for wings and beers. We earned it!
I'm thinking of doing 3-4 miles today (Thursday) and around 10 this weekend with a friend. Let's hope the weather warms up, it's freezing out there!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Core - Monday 2/22/10
The usual Monday routine - head over to the Lindbergh Center a little after 5pm to lift weights before coaching ALARC Core.
I have a weight lifting program that I pulled from Men's Health Magazine. It's a quick 15-minute dumbbell program that has four exercises using the same dumbbells throughout. There are three workouts I choose from, and they recommend doing each every week. I typically just do them twice a week before Core.
For this workout, I used 25 pound dumbbells. The first exercise had me holding the weights at my side and stepping up on the bench one side at a time, 8 reps each. The foot that is not on the bench does not touch the bench, requiring stability throughout. There is a slight pause at the top, finishing with a controlled return to the floor with both feet.
Immediately upon finishing 8 reps on both sides, I move over to a bench set at a 45 degree angle. I lie face-first on the bench and let the dumbbells hang near the floor. I pull them up together, squeezing my shoulder blades together for 12 reps.
I repeat these two exercises twice more (3 total), resting about 90 seconds in between.
To complete the program, I do 10 curls, then lie down on the flat bench to do tricep exercises. I lift the dumbbells directly over me, and slowly lower my forearms toward my ears, and back up for 12 reps. There are only two sets of this with 90 seconds of rest in between. I'm done!
Then it's time for a couple of laps of the track, and on to coaching ALARC Core.
I had a pretty good workout, not the most intense but still pretty good. I must have been having a good day because several of my students couldn't complete all the reps of the exercises. Or maybe they were having a bad day, or something in between.
I finished off the night with some egg noodles with a sauce containing leftover chicken, onions, and mushrooms. Yum!
I have a weight lifting program that I pulled from Men's Health Magazine. It's a quick 15-minute dumbbell program that has four exercises using the same dumbbells throughout. There are three workouts I choose from, and they recommend doing each every week. I typically just do them twice a week before Core.
For this workout, I used 25 pound dumbbells. The first exercise had me holding the weights at my side and stepping up on the bench one side at a time, 8 reps each. The foot that is not on the bench does not touch the bench, requiring stability throughout. There is a slight pause at the top, finishing with a controlled return to the floor with both feet.
Immediately upon finishing 8 reps on both sides, I move over to a bench set at a 45 degree angle. I lie face-first on the bench and let the dumbbells hang near the floor. I pull them up together, squeezing my shoulder blades together for 12 reps.
I repeat these two exercises twice more (3 total), resting about 90 seconds in between.
To complete the program, I do 10 curls, then lie down on the flat bench to do tricep exercises. I lift the dumbbells directly over me, and slowly lower my forearms toward my ears, and back up for 12 reps. There are only two sets of this with 90 seconds of rest in between. I'm done!
Then it's time for a couple of laps of the track, and on to coaching ALARC Core.
I had a pretty good workout, not the most intense but still pretty good. I must have been having a good day because several of my students couldn't complete all the reps of the exercises. Or maybe they were having a bad day, or something in between.
I finished off the night with some egg noodles with a sauce containing leftover chicken, onions, and mushrooms. Yum!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday 2/21 - Three lakes, 10 miles
My first official long run leading up to Grandma's 2010!
I'm not starting completely from scratch, I attend and/or coach 2-3 circuit training classes per week. These classes include core strengthening, push-ups, wall sits, hand weights, running, and stairs.
Lately I have been sprinkling in one weekday run of about 3-4 miles. The streets here in the Twin Cities are covered with snow and ice, making it difficult to run outside. So I typically use the treadmill or track at the gym. I much prefer running outdoors, so I can't wait until spring!
On Sunday a friend and I met at 3pm at the Calhoun Executive Center parking lot to run around the lakes. It was about 30 degrees with a slight breeze out of the north. We quickly found that there were many people walking on the trails since it was such a nice day. It was very crowded, and we found ourselves zig-zagging through people and dogs throughout the run.
I was shooting for 10 miles, and my friend wanted to stop at about 7. We ran south along the east side of Lake Calhoun, up to Lake Harriet where we ran a counter-clockwise circle. We walked for about 100 yards as we completed the Lake Harriet loop. We ran back to Lake Calhoun and ran along the west side. I said goodbye to my friend near the dock and restaurant and kept going north to Lake of the Isles. I did a clock-wise loop of Lake of the Isles and felt very good. After the loop I went back to Calhoun and completed the loop.
It turned out to be just under 10 miles, so I ran an extra 50 yards or so to make it an even 10 - according to my Garmin.
Splits and notes:
Mile Time
1 9:25
2 9:35
3 9:13
4 9:26
5 9:25
6 9:27
7 8:56
8 8:55
9 9:02
10 9:10
Notes:
Sleep - didn't sleep well the night before. Approximately 6 hours sleep.
Diet - french toast and coffee for breakfast. fruit smoothie, bread w/PB for lunch.
Run - felt good the whole way. Legs were a little fatigued around 8 miles. Otherwise no issues.
Music - started listening to music for last 4 miles when friend left.
I'm not starting completely from scratch, I attend and/or coach 2-3 circuit training classes per week. These classes include core strengthening, push-ups, wall sits, hand weights, running, and stairs.
Lately I have been sprinkling in one weekday run of about 3-4 miles. The streets here in the Twin Cities are covered with snow and ice, making it difficult to run outside. So I typically use the treadmill or track at the gym. I much prefer running outdoors, so I can't wait until spring!
On Sunday a friend and I met at 3pm at the Calhoun Executive Center parking lot to run around the lakes. It was about 30 degrees with a slight breeze out of the north. We quickly found that there were many people walking on the trails since it was such a nice day. It was very crowded, and we found ourselves zig-zagging through people and dogs throughout the run.
I was shooting for 10 miles, and my friend wanted to stop at about 7. We ran south along the east side of Lake Calhoun, up to Lake Harriet where we ran a counter-clockwise circle. We walked for about 100 yards as we completed the Lake Harriet loop. We ran back to Lake Calhoun and ran along the west side. I said goodbye to my friend near the dock and restaurant and kept going north to Lake of the Isles. I did a clock-wise loop of Lake of the Isles and felt very good. After the loop I went back to Calhoun and completed the loop.
It turned out to be just under 10 miles, so I ran an extra 50 yards or so to make it an even 10 - according to my Garmin.
Splits and notes:
Mile Time
1 9:25
2 9:35
3 9:13
4 9:26
5 9:25
6 9:27
7 8:56
8 8:55
9 9:02
10 9:10
Notes:
Sleep - didn't sleep well the night before. Approximately 6 hours sleep.
Diet - french toast and coffee for breakfast. fruit smoothie, bread w/PB for lunch.
Run - felt good the whole way. Legs were a little fatigued around 8 miles. Otherwise no issues.
Music - started listening to music for last 4 miles when friend left.
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