Final Race Email from Disney!

Friday – Strength Training

• Kettlebells – Sculpt & Condition Workout (40 minutes)

Before I get to the super exciting news of the day, let me tell you how the rest of my day went. After such an exhausting and amazing run last night, I decided that sleeping in would be better than waking up early and trying to get my workout done before work. I also didn’t want to spend the day being upset with myself for not doing my workout before work. Work today was the same as it has been all week, sort of slow and relaxed. I still have two weeks before my next deadline so I am not having to kill myself at the office.

When I got home, my sister was still working on dinner and indicated she didn’t need any help. I decided that there was no time like the present to workout, I changed into my workout clothes and popped in my kettlebell DVD. After today’s workout, I can honestly say that I am really comfortable with the basic kettlebell exercises. I am completely thrilled by that fact because next week I start working with the Volume 2 DVD. I am a little nervous but mostly very excited. I can’t believe how much I have progressed in the last three weeks.

Now for the good stuff! As I got ready to leave work today, I got an email from Disney. It is the last one before the the race. That is right people! There is only five weeks left before my very first half marathon. I am ridiculously nervous about this event but also super excited. This race email included information about race numbers, waivers, and final race instructions. On the waiver form next to my race number was the shirt size I ordered. I didn’t realize that I would have lost so much weight since I registered and my shirt is going to huge. I quickly sent and email to Disney asking to change my shirt size. Hopefully everything will work out!

Stop and smell the flowers …

Wednesday – Strength Training

• Kettlebells – 2X Fat Blast Workout (24 minutes)

I am so glad that work is finally slowing down again. Don’t get me wrong though. I really do enjoy my job but I wish the workflow was smoother. It just seems that my workload goes through periods of crazy intensity and calm. While I absolutely enjoy the periods of calm mostly because it allows to catch up on everything it would be really nice to have a consistent level of work. This relaxed period at work has allowed me to refocus on my life outside of work. I cooked a delicious recipe last night that I enjoyed for lunch today and will posting on Sunday with step-by-step pictures. I am also working on a revamped blog site, which I am hoping to roll out this weekend or early next week.

I woke up this morning to do my workout before work. What an empowering feeling it is to actually set a goal and achieve it! I want to always get my workouts done before work because I love how alive I feel. That feeling usually lasts me all day. I also love having my evenings available to get more stuff done. Today marks two days in a row that I have woken up early enough to workout before work. The real test will be tomorrow. I have a 6 mile run scheduled and I really want to knock it out before work. I also really want to run outside.

Back to my regularly scheduled program!

Tuesday - 5 miles + Strength Training

• 5.51 miles, 59' 55" minutes, 10' 53" min/mile average pace, 146 BPM average heart rate
• Kettlebells - Sculpt & Condition Workout (40 minutes)

Yesterday, I decide to ajust my training schedule in response to how my body felt after a rather intense weekend of running. I didn't want to injure myself because I pushed too hard. I really have a tendency to do that sometimes. When I got up this morning, my legs still felt a little worked over but MUCH better than yesterday so I decided to go ahead and so my kettlebell workout before work. It felt great to do some physical activity again. I know it was only a day but it felt like an eternity.

I would have preferred to do my 5 mile run before my kettlebell workout but I didn't wake up early enough. I figured that sitting at my desk for 8 hours would be plenty of time between workouts. I ended up way more than 8 hours though. When I left work, a huge thunderstorm came rolling through and my hopes of running outside tonight were thwarted. I love Florida weather ... but only when it doesn't interfere with my runs! Its ok though because I can always run on the treadmill. My sister had dinner ready when I got home so I didn't get to run until 10:30.

Today's run was scheduled as an easy 5 mile run. So when I climbed on the treadmill, that is exactly what I did. I started with a super easy warm up pace for five minutes. After that, I bumped it up to en easy pace for the rest of the time. At the beginning of the run, I could definitely tell that my legs were still protesting from the weekend. After 10 minutes of running, I fell into stride and my legs followed suit. No more screaming and protesting. Just the gentle rhythm of my breathing and foot falls.

Finally over!

Friday- Strength Training

• Kettlebells - Sculpt & Condition Workout (40 minutes)

What a feeling of relief! I can not tell you how good it feels to finally be done with this project at work. I feel like I have put my heart and soul into this proposal these last few weeks and now all I can do is wait to see if we win it. I have such a feeling of relief and anticipation right now. I won't find out for another month if we win the project but I really hope we do. All that is left for me to do now is throw myself back into my training. Tomorrow is my first ever double digit run and I am really looking forward to seeing how it goes.

Not too shocking, I didn't do my workout before work this morning. I decided to get to work early and get the rest of my work done as quickly as possible in hopes that I might actually get to leave work early. That didn't happen but at least I won't have to go into the office this weekend. After work, I met my dad for dinner at Panera Bread and we sat talked for several hours, which was great. Then I headed home to do my workout.

My strength training workout for today was scheduled to be the 40 minute Sculpt & Condition Workout. This was the second time I have done this workout with the 15 lb. kettlebell. Oh my word am I going to feel this one tomorrow. I totally forgot how much I hurt on Tuesday after doing this workout until I was doing the front squats. It should make my 11 mile run tomorrow very interesting. I haven't been nearly as sore this week as I was last week, which I find a bit surprising since I have done the 40 minute workout twice. It could have something to do with the face that I had more rest days this week in between my strength training workouts.

Really missing Bikram ...

Wednesday - Strength Training

• Kettlebells - Joint Mobility Warm Up (6 minutes) and 2X Fat Blast Workout (24 minutes)

Work has really taken up a lot of my time the last couple of weeks. So much so that I have not been able to go to my Wednesday night Bikram Yoga class. I don't like sacrificing my health and fitness for work but I think that I can give up a few Bikram classes as long as I keep up with running and kettlebell training. Hopefully I will be able to attend a Bikram class next week. That style of yoga is one of those things that people either love or hate and there really is nothing in between. I happen to be one of those people that absolutely loves the feeling of peace and serenity that I leave every class with. I can't wait until I am not so busy at work and can actually attend a Bikram class.

I woke up this morning and decided to actually knock out my workout before getting ready for work. Even though I was tired from going to sleep so late after my run last night, I rolled out of bed and changed into my workout clothes. As I was walking around, I noticed that my right ankle felt a little swollen. I think I must have landed on my foot wrong on the treadmill last night (stupid treadmill!). I didn't let that stop me though. I even added the Joint Mobility Warm Up to my scheduled strength training workout in hopes that it would help to loosen up my ankle. Throughout my workout, I didn't really feel any tenderness at all in my ankle, even during the Squat Thrusts. I really hope that it goes away before this weekend. Maybe I will ice it down before I go to bed.

Speaking of this weekend, I actually received an email from the Premier Racing Institute about my upcoming race on Sunday, the Ace of Diamonds 5K. I was a little surprised because I didn't receive any emails about the last local 5K that I did. The email was just about a change in the parking location but it sparked my interest. I went to the race website to the see if there were any other changes. Luckily, there weren't any changes but the course map had finally been posted. This course should be interesting to say the least mostly because it is not described as a flat, out and back course. This course is actually described as hilly! Where do you find hills in coastal Florida? I guess I will find out on Sunday.

Have you ever tried Bikram Yoga? What did you think about it? Did you love it or hate it?

Sore as sore can be ...

Monday - Strength Training

• Kettlebells - Sculpt & Condition Workout (40 minutes)

Let me just say that the Back Lunges and Squats from yesterday really worked out my rear end. No joke! As I was climbing out of bed this morning, I realized just how sore my back side really was. I rolled around trying to loosen up my muscles before I decided to go ahead with my workout this morning. Oh my word! Today's strength training workout was scheduled to be the 40 minutes Sculpt & Condition Workout. This is the first time I have done this workout with the 15 lb. kettlebell. I didn't think that this workout would be terrible because I have done it before with the 8 lb. bell and I feel like I getting my comfortable with the 15 lb. bell. I had no idea that my kettlebell could kick my butt any more than it already has. Boy was I really wrong. I think the butt kicking was magnified by the fact that I was already really sore from yesterday's workout. When I was done with the workout, I could barely hold the bell because of the amount of sweat pouring off of me. Not to mention the fact that I was completely out of breath. I really do enjoy working out! I hopped into the shower and got ready for work. As I was getting ready to spend my a day in gray walled cube, I realized that I could hardly move. Every muscle in my body was screaming at me and asking me why I insisted on putting them through such torture. I only smiled an continued getting ready. Let me tell you that if you are trying to get a firm and shapely rear end, then kettlebells and Lauren's workouts are totally for you! It hurt to sit and I literally sit at a computer for at least 8 hours a day. I honestly can't wait to do this workout again.

Another great kettlebell workout ...

Friday - Strength Training

• Kettlebells - Practice Demonstrations 10 reps each (20 minutes)

My strength training workout today consisted of practicing the exercises on the Volume 1 DVD ten times each. Once again, I was faced with the task of creating a kettlebell workout on my own. Now I could have simply just done the exercises in the same order as they are presented on the DVD but honestly where would the fun be in that. While I ate my breakfast, I figured out a workout that incorporated all of the exercises. This workout focuses on reinforcing what I have been working on all week: the basic kettlebell exercises. It is based on the required number of repetitions instead of time intervals. As I was developing this workout, I tried to be as liberal with the rest breaks as possible. When I was done, I actually thought that I had given myself too many and decided that I would adjust as necessary. I didn't want to lose the momentum of the workout or prevent my heart rate from increasing. Finally I was ready to get started so I got my interval timer ready to time the rest periods and body weight exercises. I changed to the television to the free music channel that I found before and started working out. I really surprised myself with this workout. I ended up taking every single rest break and was really drenched with sweat. Doing 10 repetitions on each side of the Clean, Squat & Press was rough! It took everything I had to get out of the squats as I got towards the end of the set. This workout ended up being a great workout and really challenged me.

Oh. My. Gosh!!

Thursday – 5 miles + Strength Training

• 5.20 miles, 59’ 41” minutes, 11’ 28” min/mile average pace, 147 BPM average heart rate
• Kettlebells – 2X Fat Blast Workout (24 minutes)

I didn’t have the energy to get up when my alarm went off to workout. I figured that I could use my run today to get used to running at night, which is what Jeff Galloway suggested in one of the articles in the Official Race Program. Unfortunately, I didn’t really think that through very well because I also had a kettlebell workout scheduled for today. I also didn’t account for the fact that my parents would want to go to dinner. As the day wore on, my workout was being pushed back more and more. I soon realized that I wouldn’t be getting any kind of break between my run and my kettlebell workout if I was going to get to bed at reasonable hour or at least before midnight.

I finally climbed on the treadmill around 9:45. The stupid treadmills that I use have a preset time limit of 60 minutes. From experience, I knew that it was going to take me at least 55 minutes to run 5 mile (probably a few minutes more), which means I didn’t have time to do my normal five minute walking warm up. According to the Nike+ training program, my run today is supposed to be 1 to 2 miles of easy running followed by 5 x 3 minute intervals at tempo effort with 1 to 3 minutes of easy running and then finished off with easy running. I started my run by setting the belt pace to 3.5 mph to compensate for not doing my usual walking warm up. I maintained that pace for 5 minutes and then increased the pace to 4.0, which I stayed at until my iPod told me that I had completed 2 miles. I waited a little bit longer for the next even minute until I pressed the interval button on the treadmill. It isn’t that I pressed the wrong interval type but I didn’t do the math correctly in my head. I ended up selecting the 1-3 interval, which meant 2 minutes easy and 6 minutes tempo. Oops! I continued with my selection anyway setting my tempo effort to 5.0 mph. I also made sure that the belt incline was set to 0%. Because my intervals were not exactly what was called for, I only made sure that I ran for 2 miles instead of the correct number of intervals. After those two miles, I set the belt pace to 4.0 and ran the last mile. I was surprised how well I felt after the intervals. I felt strong and that is something that I haven’t in a while. I finished my run with a five minute walking cool down.

My kettlebell workout scheduled for today was to do the 12 minute Fat Blast Workout twice. I didn’t start this workout until after 11 but I did successfully get through the scheduled workout. When I was done, I was drenched with sweat and completely out of breath. I actually laid on the floor panting for several minutes before getting up and washing up for bed. The 15 lb. kettlebell absolutely kicked my butt tonight! And I totally loved it! I could barely move when I was done so I can only imagine how I will fell tomorrow.

I am really sore … YAY!

Wednesday – Strength Training

• Kettlebells  - Practice Dead Lifts, Swings, Cleans and Squats (13 minutes)
• Yoga – Standing Poses (22 minutes)

When I first saw what today’s kettlebell workout was, I was a little intimidated because if required me to practice certain moves on my own. To be honest with you, I had absolutely no idea how to do that, which is why I didn’t attempt to do this workout in the morning before work. During my lunch break today, I had a great idea on how I should approach my kettlebell workout. I made a list of all the exercises that I wanted to practice. My list included all of the variations of dead lifts, swings, cleans, and squats. Then I looked at at Lauren had structured the Fat Blast Workout and the Sculpt & Condition Workout to see figured how she sequenced the exercises. I tried the structure my workout using 30 second intervals and in the same manner as the workouts that on the Volume 1 DVD. I thought that I did a really good job but I wouldn’t find out until after I got home from work. When I got home, I ate my dinner and watched a little television before I changed into my workout clothes. I grabbed my GymBoss interval timer and set it up for 30 second intervals. I turned the television to one of those free music channels that had upbeat music similar to what was on the DVD. When I finished my workout, I surprised at how well it actually worked. Sometimes I really amaze myself. I was drenched with sweat and my heart rate was definitely raised. Success! My workout did exactly what I wanted it to do. I got to practice the required exercises and I feel like I did an actual workout at the same time. After my kettlebell workout, I popped in my A.M. Yoga DVD and did the Standing Poses workout. I haven’t done this DVD in a long time and found that it was a great way for me to cool down after my kettlebell workout.

An early morning workout …

Tuesday – 4 miles + Strength Training

• 4.13 miles, 46’ 50” minutes, 11’ 20” min/mile average pace, 145 BPM average heart rate
• Kettlebells – Fat Blast Workout (12 minutes)

What a great morning! I woke up at 6 this morning and actually got both of my workouts done before work. Today was my first day of running and strength training. It was also the first day of my new running plan. I read somewhere that when doing multiple types of training on the same day (i.e. running and strength training) the most important thing to keep in mind is which one is the most important for your fitness goals. Since my running is the most important part, I am going to focus on that when I do two workouts a day. With that being said, I changed into my running clothes as soon as I woke up. Even though I haven’t been running any distance more than 3 miles during the week, I felt confident that wouldn’t be a problem running 4 miles and adding my kettlebell workout after my run.

I headed over to the treadmill and started off with a five minute walking warm up. Since this was the first day of my updated running schedule, I chose do an easy run this morning. The Nike+ training schedule didn’t have any specific type of run assigned for today as I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. After my warm up, I increased the belt pace to 4.0 and started to run. I continued listening to my audio book, which helped me ease into my rhythm. Maybe I am too dependent on my headphones. I think I am still in one of those awkward places in my training where I haven’t quite broken through to my true “inner flame”. I found that it wasn’t too difficult for me to maintain my pace throughout the entire 4 miles. Hopefully as I continue to increase my weekly mileage, it will continue be effortless. I cooled down with a five minute walk before I started my kettlebell workout. Now I have been doing the Fat Blast Workout for about a month with my 8 lb. kettlebell. I have gotten so “comfortable” with it that I have been doing it twice in a row. According to Lauren’s plan, the workout for today is only supposed to be one time through the Fat Blast Workout, which is exactly what I did. Silly me actually thought that it would almost be too easy for me. Boy, I was wrong! Using the 15 lb. kettlebell took this workout to a whole new level for me. I was sweating more after this workout then I ever have before using kettlebells, including doing the 40 minute Sculpt & Condition Workout with the 8 lb. bell.

Immediately after the workout, I didn’t feel any soreness so I became worried that I didn’t get the right sized bell. When I asked my boyfriend about it, he indicated that I am probably out of the “conditioning phase” and into the “training phase”. I was utterly confused by this. He said that in the beginning I was conditioning my muscles for the increased physical activity, which means that I was more likely to be sore all of the time. Now, I am actually training and developing muscles so I won’t be nearly as sore anymore. I think that totally sucks by the way. He also said that I will know when it is time to increase the weight when I can fly through the workouts, which definitely didn’t happen today. When that happens, my muscles will have reached a point of stagnation. Later, I did a  search on the internet found that there actually three phases of fitness conditioning: preparatory, conditioning and maintenance. After reading several articles about this, I determined that I am probably in the conditioning phase because I am no longer asking my body to get used to regular exercise (the preparatory phase). Instead, I am trying to reach my desired fitness level. Of course, I am not quite sure what that is but I am hoping that I will know when I have reached it.

First day of my new (reworked) training plan!

Monday – Strength Training

• Kettlebells – practice all demonstrations (16 minutes)

I must say that even though I already know how to do all of the exercises on the Volume 1 DVD of the Ultimate Body Sculpt & Condition Series me new 15 lb. kettlebell kicked my butt! The first day of my workout rotation plan was to practice all of the demonstrations on the Volume 1 DVD, which I actually already did about 4 weeks ago. After doing the exercise demonstrations with the 15 lb. bell, I am really glad that I started from the beginning with Lauren’s workout rotation plan. I am now really confident that the heavier weight will improve my overall fitness. There are 15 different exercises that Lauren walks you through. Of the 15 exercises, three of them are body weight exercises: push ups, squat thrusts, and mountain climbers. The other twelve utilize the kettlebell and the basic building blocks for kettlebell training. My push ups have actually improved from the first time I went through these demonstrations. When I purchased the strange looking contoured kettlebell, I was unsure how it would feel when I used it. I was actually surprised with how it felt, especially after doing some cleans with it. It wasn’t terrible awkward to use at all. In fact, it didn’t bang up my forearms at all. It will take some getting used to because it is such a different shape than normal. I am really happy with the heavier weight though. I am already more sore now than I have been since I started my kettlebell training.

Long Run No. 7 ... a very hot and sweaty 9.5 miles

Saturday - 9.5 miles

• 9.51 miles, 2:08' 48" minutes, 13' 32" min/mile average pace, 152 BPM average heart rate
• Splits:
• Mile 1 - 11' 10" min/mile
• Mile 2 - 11' 12" min/mile
• Mile 3 - 11' 26" min/mile
• Mile 4 - 15' 12" min/mile
• MIle 5 - 14' 06" min/mile
• Mile 6 - 11' 49" min/mile
• Mile 7 - 16' 05" min/mile
• Mile 8 - 14' 48" min/mile
• Mile 9 - 16' 48" min/mile

My run this morning wasn't the best but it was also very far from being the worst. As you can see from my splits, I ran the first three miles without stopping but after that I started taking walk breaks. I am not really happy with myself for taking so many walk breaks but I am happy with the average pace I maintained for the first 3 miles.

My morning started at 4:45 when I woke up trying to rotate only to find myself pinned down by my cat sleeping on my legs. I did fall back asleep but that only lasted until 5:30 when my alarm went off. I slowly started moving around until I managed to have enough energy to get out of bed. I ate my delicious breakfast of yogurt and granola (what else) and then got dressed. Before I went to bed last night, I filled my new water bottle with 12 ounces of Powerade and 10 ounces of water and put it in the fridge. Since the waist pack is insulated, I figured it would be nice to actually have cold water on my run for a change. After I got dressed, I assembled my new hydration belt and the pocket with two of my energy gels (chocolate and razz flavors). I wish there would have been a picture or mannequin in the running store that demonstrated how to actually wear a hydration belt. Every company website depicts it differently, which can lead someone to much aggravation when they are using one for the first time. After messing around with my new belt, I figured that I had it situated correctly. I ate a serving of Clif Shot Bloks and headed out the door.

I started off with a 15 minute walk in the direction of my running trail. Even though it was only 7:30 in the morning, the humidity already in the air made it feel like I was walking through soup. I decided that it would probably be a good idea if I stick to the shade this morning. I was actually hoping that it wouldn't be so sticky because I didn't want to run through the residential neighborhood. I feel like I am more susceptible to stopping when I have to make so many road/driveway crossings. Either that or I have way too many thoughts in my head telling me to turn around because I have many "more" important things to be doing. I really am tired of hitting "the wall" and not being able to push past it. After 15 minutes of walking, I started to run and quickly realized that my new hydration belt is not supposed to sit on my hips. While running, I managed to adjust the belt so that it would not bounce up and down. I was quite impressed with myself for accomplishing this task while still running. I quickly found my stride after that and became completely engulfed in my audio book. This lasted until I started watching my clock and iPod trying to figure out when I should eat my energy gel. When that moment finally came, my mind told my legs to stop running so that I could ingest my energy gel and drink some water. Insert expletives here. From that moment on, I couldn't find my rhythm. It was completely lost to me and no matter how hard I tried to find it I couldn't. What really irks me is the fact that I have run a solid 6 miles already and that was weeks ago. I spent the rest of my run trying to find my groove again and trying to figure out how to get past this wall. By the end of my run, I had determined that my weekly maintenance runs are not giving me enough mileage. When I got back home and cleaned up, I sat down and reworked my training schedule. I used the mileage that Nike+ recommends for their beginner's half marathon program and incorporated the long run distances I already had planned. Hopefully, this revised schedule will help me break through my wall.

After all of that craziness this morning, my boyfriend and I went to lunch. I took him to a little Cuban sandwich shop and we had an absolutely delicious lunch. Then we headed to Target where I found my new kettlebell. Lauren Brooks recommends some great brands on her website but I don't have the money to spend on those brands. I did some research yesterday to see where I could buy an appropriately sized kettlebell to start using on Monday. To my surprise, the Sports Authority by my place didn't offer any kettlebells in the store according to the website. I did find out that Target carries the GoFit brand of kettlebells. When we got to the store, I walked around getting the other stuff I needed before heading to the Fitness section. The only GoFit kettlebells they had were either 25 lb. of the Bob Harper contoured kettlebell. I went ahead and purchased the 15 lb. contoured kettlebell. This wasn't first choice but it was all they had. I will let you know on Monday how it works out after I try it with my workout DVD. Also, this kettlebell comes with a DVD but I am NOT going to use it. I watched the DVD and was not impressed at all. I felt like it was teaching bad form. One thing I have learned is that form is crucial when working with kettlebells, even really lightweight ones. I highly recommend purchasing Lauren's DVDs if you don't have access to an RKC instructor.

Grrr ... I have to work this weekend!

Friday - Strength Training

• Kettlebells - 30 minutes (Joint Mobility Warm Up and 2X Fat Blast Workout)

When I went to bed last night, I decided to not set my alarm for 6 am. I knew that I would likely not get up to do my workout before work so I would give myself and extra hour of sleep. Even though I enjoyed a gloriously wonderful extra hour of sleep, I still got to work earlier than usual for me. I guess deadlines really inspire me to move quickly in the mornings. After feeling so very productive at work this week, I let myself done when I realized that I was going to have to work all weekend. This realization was made by lunchtime, which put me in a really foul mood for the rest of the day and I probably seemed really irritable to the people around me. I left work around 6:30 and headed to the mall before I went to me parents' house. I needed to get some supplies from the running store before my long run of 9.5 miles tomorrow morning. I spent almost 45 minutes in that store contemplating the practicality of each hydration belt. I was trying to figure out which one would as much water as possible and the most room in its pouch to hold my energy gels and cell phone. I finally decided to sort of create my own. I bought a Nathan Triangle Waist Pak and a large FuelBelt Ripstop Pocket Belt Loop. The water bottle that came with the waist pack holds 22 ounces, which was the largest one I could find. The pocket on the waist pack didn't fit my phone and barely held two energy gels, which is why I got the large pocket to go on the belt of the waist pack. I thought I did really well in creating the running belt that fits all of my needs. After I was finished at the mall, I went over to take care of my parents' cats. Eventually I made it home around 9 to find that my sister was almost done with dinner. I must say that she has been truly amazing this week by helping me out as much as she has. Her dinners have been amazing and incredibly healthy. After dinner, we watched some television while I allowed my stomach to settle. I get very nervous when I try to workout right after I stuff my face.

Tonight's workout was super late. I didn't start until almost 11 but I refuse to let my work get in the way of my training. As I was doing my kettlebell workout tonight, I realized that it will be the last one with my 8 lb. bell. I know that probably isn't enitrely true but it is part of my plan. Hopefully, I will be able to find a heavier bell this weekend to use during my workout rotation plan. After I received Lauren's email in response to my question about her rotation plan, I decided that I would start her plan this upcoming Monday. I want to make sure that I get the most out of her plan and in order to do that I need a properly sized kettlebell. I am hoping to find either a 15 lb. or 18 lb. bell in my search this weekend. Both her website and DVDs indicate that either of these two weights is the proper size for women just starting with kettlebells. Even thought I have been working with kettlebells for awhile, my experience has been limited to extremely lightweight ones and I don't want to destroy my shoulders.

Almost a perfect day ...

Wednesday - Strength Training

• Kettlebells - 40 minutes (Sculpt and Condition Workout)

My day was almost perfect. If could have been better but not by much. I actually got a lot of stuff done at work, which made me very happy especially after the power outage yesterday. Of course, I wish that i had gotten more done but there are only so many hours in the day. As usual, my alarm went off and after I shut it off I crawled right back into bed. I beat myself up later when I finally woke back up. I didn't let that destroy my day and I actually ended up getting to work earlier because I didn't do my workout. It was kind of nice to get to work early because I felt like I got a lot done by the time I left the office at 7:30. I headed over to my parents' house to make sure that the cats were okay and to feed them before I went home.

When I got home, my sister was still working on dinner so I changed into my workout clothes. My sister is awesome by the way. Ever since she started her healthy lifestyle journey, she has completely taken charge of making dinner. I love to cook and when she first moved into my place, I actually made dinner most nights. Then her schedule changed and almost all of her classes were at night, which wasn't conducive for cooking dinner. Now that she has decided to do the cooking, she actually kicks me out of the kitchen most nights because she doesn't want my help. Tonight was no different, which is why I did my workout while she finished cooking. Before I decided which workout to do, I did check with her to see how much time I had until dinner was ready. She told me that I had about 45 minutes so I did the Sculpt & Condition Workout, which is 40 minutes. I am not sure what was different tonight but I was really sweating when I finished. I also did the squat thrusts tonight. I haven't done these exercises for about a week because my left knee has been really sore. My knee hasn't bothered me at all today so I decided to give them a try again. When I finished my workout, my knee still wasn't sore and I felt really good. By the way, my sister's dinner tasted as delicious as it smelled the whole time I was working out.

An early morning run and a stressful power outage …

Tuesday – 3 miles

• 3.50 miles, 39’ 57” minutes, 11’ 25” min/mile average pace, 141 BPM average heart rate

Knowing that my day was going to be as rushed as it was yesterday, I made sure that I woke up early enough to get my run in. Let me tell you … I had no desire to get out of bed this morning but I did. I noticed that my knee was a little stiff as I rolled out of bed but I decided to go for my run anyway. I don’t believe that it is actually injured. I have hurt my knee before so I know what an injured knee feels like. I didn’t want to cause anymore soreness in my knee so I didn’t do my normal hill workout. I chose to take it easy on the treadmill this morning. After my five minute walking warm up, I set the belt pace to 4.0 mph and maintained that for 40 minutes. I didn’t adjust the incline on the treadmill and left it at 0% for the duration of my workout. After my run, I shortened my walking cool down to five minutes instead of ten. I made that decision because I was already a little behind schedule. My run felt really good this morning. Hopefully, I will be able to start getting up earlier so that I can run outside more as it closer to the big race.

When I finally got to work, I was completely amped up from my run and ready to get lots of work done today. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards. Apparently, at 7:30 this morning (while I was happily running on the treadmill), the transformer blew and the power went out in the whole building. REALLY! I was so livid and absolutely beyond furious. What really upset me the most was the fact that there was nothing I could do to work around it. I did wait around for a little bit and cleaned my desk but the minimum time to fix the problem was 4 hours. I headed home after my desk was cleaned. My boss had already given us the all clear to leave and I was actually one of the last people left in the office. I guess there is always tomorrow.

After a somewhat lazy at home due to a lack of power at the office, I received a rather exciting email. I am sure that you know how much I love kettlebells by now. So while I was at home today, I emailed Lauren Brooks to see if she would send me her 8 week rotation plan for Volumes 1 and 2 of her Ultimate Body Sculpt and Condition DVD series. She responded to me rather quickly and I am so excited to start her plan. Before I start it, I am going to need a heavier bell so I am going to go get one this weekend. Her program looks very doable and like it will fit well into my current training plan. Of course, I am going to be doing either two-a-days or running and strength training  back to back starting next week.

A really long week ahead …

Monday – Strength Training

• Kettlebells – 30 minutes (Joint Mobility Warm Up and 2X Fat Blast Workout)

Hello August! My week is not going to be easy at all. In fact, it might be one of the toughest weeks that I have had all year. My training won’t even be the most difficult part … well maybe the 9.5 mile run I have scheduled on Saturday will be difficult. I have deadlines du jour at work, my parents’ cats to look after and training to keep up with.

I woke up early this morning but it wasn’t to workout unfortunately. My sister’s cat had an appointment at the vet so we had to drop him off early this morning. I actually got to work much earlier than usual but I still felt like I got nothing done. I probably felt that way because my list of things to do got longer while I only checked off two of the things left over from last week. Even though I left work at 7:30 but didn’t actually get home until just after 9. Now, I only live 15 minutes from where I work but this week I am taking care of my parents’ cats. So instead of going home right away, I went over to their house to feed and play with their cats. Luckily, my sister beat me home tonight so she had dinner ready by the time I got home. It is really nice having a roommate sometimes because it really helps me stay on track. I was also pleasantly surprised when I got home because my new kettlebell DVD had arrived in the mail today! I probably won’t try it out this week because I have so much going on and I want to try the workouts on the Volume 1 DVD with a heavier bell.

By the time I was able to get to my workout, it was after 10:30, which is not the ideal time to be working out. I didn’t let that stop me though. Working out is really important to me and I better have a really good excuse for me not to do my workout. (And yes going on vacation is a really good excuse but only when you have several hikes planned.) As I was getting ready for my kettlebell workout, I made a rather startling discovery. My knee wasn’t sore at all. In fact, my knee hadn’t felt sore since Thursday morning. I was extremely happy to say the least. I still modified my workout so that instead of doing the squat thrusts I continued doing push ups. I also wrote down the exercises and time intervals so that I can take it with me to the gym … whenever I get around to joining one.

Hopefully, tomorrow will go much smoother for me and I will be able to get a lot more done at work so I won’t feel so stressed when I get home. Hmmm … maybe I will have time to do one of my yoga DVDs tomorrow.

No pain, no gain …

Friday – Strength Training

• Kettlebells – 46 minutes (Joint Mobility Warm Up and Sculpt & Condition Workout)

When I woke up this morning, I felt much better than I did yesterday. Plus … NO PAIN IN MY LEFT KNEE! I almost jumped around my bedroom with an overwhelming feeling of joy. I thought better of that though and decided to wait until after work before doing my kettlebell workout. I didn’t want to push my luck. I also decided that instead of doing the squat thrusts during the workout I would replace them with either mountain climbers or push ups. While I was at work today, I ordered another Kettlebell DVD. I really think I have a problem. Lauren Brooks has several workout DVDs besides the one I already have. Today, I ordered Volume 2 of the Ultimate Sculpt and Condition Workout Series. After I receive it and try out the workouts, I will be sure to post my review for each of the workouts included on the DVD.

I ended up doing my workout really late again tonight. I wanted to make sure that my knee was good to workout so I decided to wait until after work. Unfortunately, by the time I got home from work, it was time for dinner so I had to wait until after dinner to workout. I really enjoyed my workout tonight mostly because I missed doing my kettlebell workout on Wednesday. I did modify the workout just a little though. Because my knee has been so sore recently, I decided not to do the squat thrusts and continued doing push ups. After my workout tonight, me knee didn’t bother me at all and I was ecstatic to say the least. During the rest periods of my workout, I took the time to write down the exercises and the interval lengths so that I can take this workout with me to the gym.

Finding my center and focus …

Wednesday - Strength Training

• Bikram Yoga - 90 minutes (class at local yoga studio)

For the first time since I started kettlebell training, I chose not to do it when I had the opportunity. I woke up this morning with plenty of time to do my kettlebell workout but I didn't do it. As I got out of bed to go turn the alarm off, I felt some soreness in my left knee. I felt this same soreness yesterday morning when I woke up and at the end of my run last night. I decided that the cause of this soreness might be the number of squats and squat thrusts that I am doing during my kettlebell workouts. Since I have never really done these exercises before starting my new kettlebell workout, I may very well be doing them incorrectly. Also, I don't really want to upset the people who live below me so I have been trying to cushion the jumping action of the squat thrusts. I believe that by cushioning the jumping action I am actually causing my knees to take the brunt of the motion, which is probably not a good thing. Because of this, I decided to take the day off from my kettlebell training.

I still went to my Bikram Yoga class! I may have decided against doing my kettlebell workout this morning but I still went to my Bikram class with my favorite instructor. I probably should have stayed at work to finish some things up but I also wanted to attend my yoga class. Such decisions to make. I have been making a lot of progress with many of the poses. Even though I have been practicing yoga on and off (mostly off) for about three and a half years, I am still not very flexible at all. I can honestly say that I have progressed leaps and bounds in my level of flexibility. My hamstrings still have a long way to go. I still have issues coming out of Toe Stand properly but that should come along as my hamstrings loosen up. I am almost ready to begin kicking out on my Standing Forehead to Knee Pose, which also requires strong knees and hamstrings. Even though my knee was sore this morning, that feeling wore off throughout the day and I was able to get the most out of my practice, including achieving the full expression of Fixed Firm Pose. The class was also really hot again today, which could have helped my move through the poses almost effortlessly. It seems that the hotter it is in the class then the looser my muscles are. It felt good to attend this class tonight I didn't feel completely centered focuesed today at work, which probably had something to do with me not doing my kettlebell workout this morning.

Struggling with my self image ...

Sunday - Rest
Monday - Strength Training

• Kettlebells - 30 minutes (Joint Mobility Warm Up and 2X Fat Blast Workout)

When I woke up this morning, I decided not to workout as I planned because I wanted to measure myself. Six weeks ago, I went through the process of measuring myself to set a baseline of measurement for my progress. I know it isn't exactly accurate because I started my lifestyle change in February, which is way more than six weeks ago. My original intention was to measure myself every four weeks but since I was on vacations I let it slide. After I returned from vacation, I didn't want to measure myself because I was afraid that my physical appearance wasn't changing even though my weight has been dropping. When I look in the mirror, I still see the remnants of the person I used to be. I only see the imperfections that remain and I don't really see the changes that are occurring. I think I have had self image issues my entire life. My situation isn't being helped any when I receive compliments on a daily basis at work about my new physique. I watched an episode of Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta on TLC over the weekend that really struck a chord with me. One of the girls at the bridal salon had recently gone through her own lifestyle change where she lost 65 pounds over the course of a year. (I promise I was not on the TV show.) Even though her physical appearance had drastically changed, she still saw her old self and all of her old problem areas every time she looked in the mirror. Her lack of self confidence about her new physique really made the experience of wedding dress shopping a painful one for herself. I know that I am not getting married any time soon but I am afraid that as I continue down this journey I will be my own worst enemy. I have been so self conscious of my physical appearance for so long that it will be hard to see myself as a changed woman with the physique I have always wants but never thought I could have and I never have the guts to try to get it.

By the way, the results of my measuring process are a loss of 8.6 pounds, 13.25 inches (total), and 3 inches in my hips. Now keep in mind that these results are over the course of 6 weeks and me measuring myself. Hopefully, I will have more accurate measurements taken when I finally sit down with a personal trainer in the next couple of weeks.

My workout tonight was great. I felt upset with myself this morning because I didn't workout but I still was able to get it in. I really like the workouts on my new kettlebell DVD. They are more about using the weight of the kettlebell for its intended purpose rather than a prop to swing around for added resistance to body weight/cardio exercises. Now don't misunderstand me. I really enjoyed the Kettlenetics workout program and it helped me get to where I am now but it can only take you so far and there isn't a whole lot of room to grow. The exercises that are done in those videos can not be done with any bell heavier than 8 lb. I honestly can't wait until I access to heavier kettlebells to see how my fitness will improve. I also really want to talk to a personal trainer that can point me in the right direction. Up to this point, I have been doing everything on my own. I have developed my own nutrition plan and my own training plan (with the help of Nike+ and Jeff Galloway). I try to listen to my body as much as possible but I haven't quite figured out what my body's threshold actually is. I think I am going to join that gym this weekend and get the ball rolling. I guess I will have to write down my kettlebell workouts so I can take them with me.

Nothing gets in the way of my training ...

Friday - Strength Training

• Kettlebells - 46 minutes (Joint Mobility Warm Up and Scult & Condition Workout)

Work has been really stressful this week. We have a large scale proposal that is going out in less than a month with a lot more work left to do on it. This scenario is similar to the one that helped me become a severe workaholic last year. Since my goal this year is to not revert back to my old ways, I am really focusing on my training right now. That focus actually helped me during my workout tonight.

Even though I woke up early enough to get my workout in before work, I decided to go to work early to get further on my current project. After a day of putting out fires and feeling like I wasn't getting anywhere, I headed home to take out my frustration on my 8 lb. kettlebell. I warmed up with the Joint Mobility workout and then I did the 40 minute Scuplt & Condition Workout. I must say that this workout is fantastic. I think I also had a lot of built frustrations because I am really sore right now especially in my core area. I feel like I am becoming comfortable with the overall flow of Lauren's workouts and each exercise. Oddly enough, the hardest exercises for me have nothing to do with my kettlebell but rather the body weight exercises. My push ups, squat thrusts and mountain climbers could totally use some work but they are getting there.