16 miles...on the treadmill.

I can feel the pulsing in my legs right now.  I just finished 3 hours and 20 minutes straight on the treadmill.  Last night as I contemplated how long, far and where I was going to go for my long run today, I heard the wind howling and things banging up against the side of the house.  I got on the National Weather Service website and saw that there was a severe storm advisory for our area, including wind gusts of up to 60mph.  Um, yeah.  Not sure how it would be to run in that, but I decided to see how it looked in the morning.  It was still windy, and since it had snowed/rained, the roads were like a skating rink.  Sooooo....yep, the treadmill it was.  My goal was to go for at least 3 hours, thinking that the equivalent run out on the road for me would equal approximately 16 miles and I figured that would make a good, long run.  I ended up going for 3 hours 20 minutes, because on the treadmill I have to slow my normal pace a little bit just to feel like I do when I'm running outside, plus I took a walking break every 5 minutes.  So, a good way to kick off the New Year.  And I do have some ideas for ways I plan to improve things in the coming year.  More on that later.  :)

3+ miles...sprints.

I stayed up WAY too late last night watching The Office on Netflix with my husband.  We had gone out on a date earlier, going grocery shopping (yippee) and out to eat, and when we came home, after putting up said groceries and settling the munchkins in bed, we just got cozy in our jammies and cuddled in front of the TV, laughing non-stop until about 2:30am.  I paid for it dearly this morning when I got up around 7 and I attempted to work out and was feeling light-headed and nauseous while trying to run on the treadmill.  But...after a couple of hours, I persevered and overcame my mental and physical (temporary) limitations.  I did 20 minutes of intervals on the treadmill, then I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, mixed with strength training circuits, including sit-ups and step-ups for an additional 20 minutes.  Then it was back to the treadmill, because by that point I had passed the nauseous stage and was just sweaty and warmed-up.  I did 3 miles worth of sprints, then slowed the treadmill to a walking pace and did another 30 minutes.

I'm also excited that after all the Christmas hubbub was said and done, Chris and I did a budget meeting and with the aid of a little cash from Christmas gifts left over, we were able to order an exercise bike.  Granted, it's not an industrial quality one, but I did find it online for $165, which was $90 cheaper than the retail price and I think it will suit our needs for the time being.  It shipped yesterday and should be arriving early next week.  I love having something to look forward to, besides tax season. ;)  Happy New Year!

More "vacation" workouts...

Nothing too exciting going on the past couple days.  Yesterday my workout involved 30 minutes on the elliptical followed by 2 hours of walking on the treadmill.  Today, I did 75 minutes on the elliptical, followed by 45 minutes of walking on the treadmill.  My quads are gradually getting back to their normal state, which is only mildly sore.  I'm hoping to do a little running tomorrow, maybe even outside, if the weather holds. :)

Back to the grind.

This morning I decided I'd better get back to business with a good workout, considering the amount of junk food I've eaten the past few days.  ;)

I started out with 30 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes of circuit intervals using hand weights and step-ups.  Then I got on the treadmill for an hour of walking.  My quads have been quite sore since my run on Saturday, I'm guessing because of the amount of downhill that run involved.  I also realized that I need to bite the bullet and get outside for more than just one run a week.  I'm not sure the treadmill is cutting it, and since the YakTrax work so well, I've really got no excuse.  It may not happen until next week when the kids are back in school, though.

12 miles, done.

Well, I actually did get out and run long this morning.  This is where I ran:

It was a gorgeous day, though a little cold.  It was 4 degrees when I started my run at 9:45am.  The cold actually didn't bother me, though, because the wind was calm.  I did, however, need my YakTrax.  Those things are a wonder.  See that road?  Twelve miles of that and I didn't slip or slide at all.  

It's a lifestyle thing...

Yet another day, trying to keep the kids busy while they count the minutes until Sunday morning...

I did a treadmill walking workout this morning, a lengthy one at that.  I am reading another good book and I've found that it's very fulfilling to accomplish two things at once: exercising my mind and body.  So I spent a good 2 hours (8 miles) walking while I read.  After that, we ate lunch then bundled up the kids and headed out to a forest service road behind our house about a mile drive up a hill.  There we found a place for the kids to sled, Chris built a little campfire, and I spent some time hiking up and down the hills.  It actually felt like a pretty good workout in and of itself, and totally worth the view at the top!

Tomorrow, seeing as how it's Christmas Eve, I thought I'd celebrate by doing a long run in the morning before spending the rest of the day with the family.  My plan is to have my husband drop me off at the top of Buckskin Rd. (where the Pocatello Marathon route begins), then I will run back home which would give me a good 13+ miles.  I think I'm going to have to break out my YakTrax for the run, though. :)

Survival, day two...

On this, the second day of Christmas break with the kids, I was awakened at just before 7am, several little faces hovering over mine, asking if they could go outside and play in the snow.  Since I was then up for the day, I went ahead and got started on my workout.  I began with 30 minutes of Pilates, which felt great for my stiff, achy body.  After that I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, then moved on to the treadmill and did a 30 minute run at 6 mph.  Finally, with all of that finished, I bundled up and went outside with the kids, hauling my 5 year old in the sled while the others followed, the 4 blocks to the school where we went sledding for as long as we could stand the negative degree wind chill - which was about 35 minutes.

Well, today is my "last" day of freedom, at least for the next two weeks while my kids are on their holiday break.  I started my workout this morning by doing 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I would have liked to have done more time on there, but the stupid thing is really on it's last leg.  I'm getting tired of needing to stop, get off and adjust and tighten the bolt for every 5-10 minutes I spend on it.  Nothing I do seems to fix the problem permanently, so I hope it's not too long before we can afford to get a replacement...and a bike. ;)

Anyway, after the elliptical, I got on the treadmill and walked for 75 minutes at a quicker than normal (for me) walking pace: 4 mph.  Now, as I sit here eating my oatmeal and writing this blog, I'm thinking that if it warms up much above the 15 degrees it was when I took the kids to school this morning, I may go outside for a short run later.

XT Monday.

I began my workout this morning with a 30 minute "jog" on the treadmill.  I kept it at a nice, comfortable pace.  Then I got on the elliptical and did 5 minute intervals, alternating with my usual round of various cv/strength training exercises: sit-ups, step-ups, punches using hand weights, etc.  I did that for a total of 50 minutes, then I got back on the treadmill and walked for an hour and a half.  I know that to some of you this may sound like a ridiculous amount of time to spend working out.  Looking back through my blog posts, I realize I spend many hours a week devoted to exercise.  I feel like I'm on an endless and futile quest to morph my body into something it will probably never become - tight, toned, athletic, slim, unyielding, strong.  On the plus side, I really do enjoy the actual exercise part.  It's my hobby, I guess.  Now if I could just figure out a way to get paid for doing it...

9.5 miles.

It's long run day, but a scale-back week, so we (my husband and I) only did 9.5 miles this morning.  It's a good thing, too, because for some reason my hamstring decided to flare up.  One of the annoyances of running is that one week you can feel great, strong, powerful on a run, only to feel flabby, weak and limpy on another.  I'm hoping that the cycle will work out in my favor because next week we're shooting for 17 miles for our long run.

When we got home, I wanted to keep my legs moving, but without the stress of running, so I got on the treadmill and walked for another 1/2 hour.  I did Pilates for 30 minutes before we left for our run, which I had hoped would help with the hamstring issue...obviously not.  Tomorrow, rest. :)