Tag Archives: fitness

Aqua Jogging: Taking my Run to the Pool

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If you’ve seen my recent posts, you know that I’ve been embracing a no-impact, running only at physical therapy as part of form drills approach for the last two weeks of marathon training.

After a couple days on the elliptical I needed something more. Don’t get me wrong, I think the elliptical is great for general fitness or people trying to lose weight with a nice low-impact exercise, but it just doesn’t give me the same cardio workout as running does. Enter water running.

Aqua Jog Belt

                        Aqua Jog Belt

My coach suggested getting to a pool for some water running so I could still get that same cardio workout without the impact of running outside or on the treadmill. The past few days I’ve gotten in my runs in in the water at Washington & Lee pool nearby my apartment.

The W&L pool actually has a “jogging well” (it’s the area by the stairs that can’t really be used as a full lap lane) and a whole bunch of aqua jog belts so I didn’t even have to bring my own from home. Yes, I own an aqua jog belt. I just can’t help myself from finding ways to look ridiculous in workout situations!

I absolutely love water running as a workout and am feeling a little bit better about not getting my regularly scheduled outdoor runs in the past few days. I might even add this in more regularly after the marathon too as a way to get extra mileage in without beating up my legs. I will definitely have to invest in a waterproof music player if I do that though!

Have you ever tried water running? How do you like it?

Footprints: Weekly Recap

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OK, so I’m very late with my usual Monday morning recap again thanks to a busy, fun-filled weekend that I’ll fill you in on more in a later post. Getting right to it though, last week was mostly filled with PT appointments and non-impact training so I’ll be good to go Sunday for the Marine Corps Marathon. You can read more about my proactive PT plan here if you missed it.

Here’s the day-by-day breakdown…

Monday: Physical therapy session which included some treadmill running, dynamic stretches and soft-tissue work.

Tuesday: 6-mile easy run along the Custis and W&OD Trails to my PT appointment so they could get a look when my calves were more flared up, which usually starts right around mile 5 or so. PT included a run analysis, drills, stretching and soft-tissue work.

Wednesday: Today was a rest day, but included lots of stretches and exercises I got at PT.

Thursday: I was back up to PT after work Thursday night for some more run drills, dynamic stretches and even more soft-tissue work. I WILL get those knots out before MCM!

Friday: I spent 35 minutes on the elliptical at the same intensity I would have done my run today so I can try to keep the same level of fitness without the impact. This way I won’t undo all the soft-tissue work I’m getting done at PT. I finished up with core work, PT exercises and stretching.

Saturday: Today was a repeat of Friday except with 45 minutes on the elliptical before getting into core, PT exercises and stretching.

Sunday: In a reversal of my usual role, I spent this morning biking and walking all over town to cheer on friends in the Army 10 Miler. I started in-between the 1 and 2 mile markers near Arlington Cemetery and could not get over how many people run this race!

Army 10 Miler

            Army 10 Miler

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

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Last week started and finished strong with a great long run and a new 8k PR. I had a few extra recovery days then planned during the week, but all in all felt really good about all of the workouts I got in. Less than two weeks till marathon day!

Here’s the day-by-day breakdown:

Monday: After missing out on my long run over the weekend I put in a great, confidence-boosting 20-miler on the treadmill.

Tuesday: Strength workout – main focus on upper body and core.

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: Unplanned rest day – turned my early alarm off even though I had plans after work.

Friday: I went back to the treadmill for hill repeats. After a mile warm-up I did 6 hill repeats between 3.0 and 4.0 inclines starting at an 8-minute pace and working my way down to a 7:30 pace before cooling down for a mile and wrapping up with a core workout.

Saturday:  After 10 easy minutes on the treadmill I put in 30 minutes on the elliptical and a quick core workout followed by lots of stretching so I’d be good to go on Sunday morning.

Sunday: Race day! I crushed my 8k PR with a 38:03 finish at the Acumen Race for a Cause 8k. Full recap coming tomorrow!

IMG_3664

Footprints: Workout Recap

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Ah, so I’m a day late with my usual recap. After a weekend out of town and pushing my long run till yesterday after work, there wasn’t much time for blogging! Last week felt good and strong. After a couple of tough weeks, it was just the confidence boost I needed going into taper time. Here’s the day-by-day breakdown:

Monday: I put in five easy miles along the Mt. Vernon Trail after work.

Tuesday: Despite the government shutdown and closing of National Parks, there were no barriers blocking the Mt. Vernon trail and plenty of other bikers and runners there, so I took my speed workout to the trail for the day. After a mile warm-up, I did eight half-mile repeats with 1-minute rests in between followed by a mile cool-down.

Wednesday: Another easy 5-miler along Mt. Vernon after work. I felt stiff and slow, but when looking at my watch at the end actually ran about 20 seconds per mile faster than Monday.

Thursday: Strength workout.

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday:  6.55 miles around Hoboken with the NYC skyline in the background!! I woke up a bit earlier than expected this morning so thought I might go long, but immediately realized that wasn’t going to happen. I’ve run in Hoboken a handful of times, but only really have one main route that I take. I was able to scoot through there once, but they were setting up for an obstacle course race, so multiple loops through there weren’t going to happen. Running the main streets was too frustrating for me with the constant stops, so I decided it would not be a very good long run to end on before taper mode and headed back towards my brother’s place after mile five. While the view is spectacular one things that drives me crazy about running in Hoboken is constantly having to be on the lookout for dog poop everywhere. After dodging it for the first 6.25 miles I managed to step in some in the last few blocks home. Pick that sh** up people!!

NYC1

Sunday: Rest Day. After a super fun night out at my good friend’s wedding and a drive back to D.C., I just wasn’t feeling like running at all, so the long run was put off for one more day.

Resolution Check-In

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And just like that…it’s October. I can’t even believe my marathon month is here. Commence freaking out now!

I’ve made it a point this year to look back on my New Year’s Resolutions each month so that I don’t let myself forget about them. I also pick one thing each month that I’m going to focus on to help me reach those resolutions/goals. Last month I turned my focus back to core workouts after letting them slip a bit. I did a great job getting back on track with these and will continue to do so throughout the next month as I get ready for Marine Corps Marathon.

This month my big focus will be back on drinking less soda. The fridge full of free soda just steps from my desk is killing me! I only have one can a day, but still, I don’t need to be drinking soda every day! Most times I just drink it out of habit, so I’m going to try make myself do something else whenever I hit that point in the afternoon that I start craving caffeine. I drink a ton of water so sometimes I get bored and just want some taste, so I’m also keeping my desk stocked with Nuun and Crystal Light type drinks.

NuunTriBerry

Staying healthy this year was another important goal. I’ve been doing a great job maintaining my stretching, rolling and icing routine, but have had some aches and pains creep in especially with my calf muscles. I don’t think it’s anything serious, but I’m going to be proactive and get things checked out early this time instead of waiting for it to become something serious that puts me on the sidelines. Learning. 🙂

Butterfly Stretch

Butterfly Stretch

My biggest resolution/goal for this year is a Boston Qualifying time. I’m admittedly not as confident about this as I was during the first half of the year, which I hate. Initially I thought I could crush the BQ time I needed and shoot for a time in the 3:20s, but I’ve had a tougher than expected training cycle and that doesn’t seem possible to go for. Still, I’m shooting for that sub-3:35 time I need to BQ, and will run my heart out at MCM at the end of the month trying to get it.

MCMonemonthFB

How are your resolutions going this year?

Footprints: Monday Recap

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After a slower than I hoped for half marathon last weekend I was rearing and ready to go for a great week of training, but it turned into anything but that. I’m sure I could come up with a more eloquent way to write this, but when it comes down to it, last week just sucked! I felt like I was coming down with a cold last Sunday so I gave myself an extra day off after the half to try to stave it off. Unfortunately I just kept feeling worse as the week went on and spent most of the weekend in bed missing out on two key workouts I had planned. I’m hoping to rebound this week with a strong one culminating in the Clarendon Day Double 5k and 10k on Saturday!

Monday: Rest Day.

Tuesday: Mile repeats on the treadmill averaging 7:19 followed by a strength workout.

Wednesday: Core workout.

AUtrackShoes

Thursday: Progressively faster 5-miler along the Mt. Vernon Trail – best I felt all week.

Friday: I was back on the treadmill Friday night running simulated hill repeats – one of my go-to workouts while training for Cherry Blossom. I followed this up with a core workout and instantly started feeling sicker as the night went on.

Saturday: Despite falling asleep super early on Friday night I slept right through my alarm and didn’t wake up until nearly 11. You’d think I’d feel better after 12 hours of sleep, but no such luck. The closest thing I got to a workout on Saturday came from all the coughing I did. I woke up on Sunday feeling like I’d been in a boxing match.

Sunday: Feeling bad that I missed my key workout on Saturday I decided to give it another go Sunday morning. The plan was 20 minutes at tempo, 10 minutes easy and another 15 at tempo. My tempo pace right now is 7:10 per mile. I decided to go to the track for this so I could stop and grab my water if another coughing fit started. After a half mile warm up followed by a bunch of dynamic stretches I was ready to give it a go. I made it a mile that took 7:30 minutes before giving up. I was breathing like I’d just finished a 5k and felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. Not cool. Hoping to redeem myself next week and shake this stupid cold!

Footprints: Midweek Recap

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Well, my regular Monday morning recap is way late this week. I flew straight from a fun wedding in Syracuse last weekend to my company’s annual convention in San Diego. It was a great week, but I didn’t have a second of free time to post to my blog. I was so tired each night I actually didn’t even open my laptop to check if there was free wi-fi in the hotel room! My training definitely suffered from it, but this is last week’s recap, and last week was pretty great so I’m going to focus on that!

Here’s the day by day breakdown…

Monday: Strength workout: core and upper body

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: I continued with my weekly runs home from work today and had my best yet. I put in 10.11 hilly miles in 87 minutes. It really is the tale of the temperatures when it comes to these weekly runs. Two weeks ago I barely made it for 9 miles in 90 minutes in 102 degrees temps and last week I did 10 miles in 90 minutes at 92 degrees.

Thursday: Rest Day – didn’t make it out before work and then hopped right in a car for the late night drive up to Syracuse arriving after 2 a.m.

fmtrack

Friday: I hit up memory lane heading to my old high school to get in a track workout. It was 60s and breezy early Friday morning and could not have been a more perfect morning for it. I did 6X800 at interval pace with a 3-minute recovery jog between each rep. My splits were: 3: 23, 3:21, 3:22, 3:19, 3:22, 3:18.

Saturday: I got my long run in at the beautiful state park I used to work at during college. One thing I’d forgotten about Green Lakes – holy hills! I had a great run though getting 17.17 miles in!

Sunday: I’d call this a rest day since I didn’t work out, but since it involved getting up at 4:15 eastern time to catch a flight across the country, going straight to work without checking into my hotel, walking more than 10,000 steps according to my Nike fuel band, not leaving the staff office until after 10 pacific time and being awake for 22 hours I don’t think it was really a rest day. The kicker…I had to be up at 4:15 again the next morning! Ouch!

Resolution Check-In

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Wow, August 1st, this year is just flying! Time to check in on those resolutions.

Last month’s big focus was cross training and strength training. I started strong but then let things slip a little near the end of the month. I need to come back strong on that this month to help boost my Marine Corps Marathon training and make sure I stay on track with my New Year’s Resolutions to get healthy and build a stronger core. I’ve been doing great about running smarter not harder so far this year and I certainly don’t want to fall behind and land myself on the injured list again.

Rocking my I Run This Body Tee!

Rocking my I Run This Body Tee!

I’m still working on the soda, but am doing a bit better. I still have free soda just around the corner from my desk at my new job so that doesn’t help matters, but I’ve been drinking fountain soda at restaurants a lot less so that’s a positive.

My Boston Qualifier goal is coming up quickly with Marine Corps Marathon training in full swing. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous and worried about my speed, but I am already putting in a lot of good, quality miles. I also know I shouldn’t judge too soon especially with the summer heart wave that kicked off my training.

Seeing as how important that goal is to me my main focus for this month will be my long runs. So far so good on this front, but I’m far enough into my training where I already have a few under my belt but far enough away from my race that it can be easy to let one slip if I’m feeling unmotivated. So here’s to another good month of long runs!

Hope everyone’s doing well on your Resolutions!

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

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Last week was a pretty solid training week featuring a mid-week track race and a long run that included some trails that I don’t run on nearly often enough. I’d like to start speeding things up, but am happy with the mileage base that I have.

Here’s the day by day breakdown…

Monday: Spin Class at Revolve – real ride.

Tuesday: I ran home from work again – this week it was “only” 90 degrees out when I set out and I got an entire extra mile in in the same amount of time. I finished up with 10 miles – love being able to hit double digits during the week.

Wednesday: DC Road Runners Track Championship! I ran the mile in 6:21 for a 3rd place finish in my heat. Check out the full recap.

track

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Strength training – core and upper body.

Saturday: 16.5 mile long run. I got myself going a bit earlier this week and was on the road before 8. I took a route I’ve only done once before and even mixed in some trails along the Glover Archbold Trail before running through the zoo and home via Rock Creek Parkway. I don’t run trails very often so it was a pretty challenging run for me, and I’m probably a little too proud that I didn’t fall this time and I only got lost once!

Sunday: 45 minute treadmill run.

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

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This was a pretty hectic week but a great training one. I started off Monday getting in my long run I missed during the previous week and ended the week at FitBloggin’13 in Portland fitting in 6 workouts in 2 days! I had so much fun and wish I could do this every weekend!

Here’s the day by day breakdown…

Monday: Monday was really hot but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get my long run in early so instead I went during the hottest times of the day splitting my runs into 2 1-hour stints at lunch and just after work. I got 6.5 miles in around Hains Point during lunch and looped the opposite way plus over the Memorial Bridge back home for 7 miles after work.

Tuesday: Tonight I ran a 5k put on by the DC Road Runners. Check out the full recap.

Wednesday: Rest Day – although since it was moving day I think I got in a fair amount of cross training with all the lifting and walking up and down stairs I did in 90+ degree heat.

Thursday: Travel Day – flew out to Portland.

Friday: I started off with an early morning boot camp class, then hit the streets of Portland for a 20-minute tempo run and rushed back to the hotel for a Reebok cardio dance class…my kind of day!

Saturday: It was another early morning with some 6 a.m. SweatPink yoga, a 5-mile run along the water and a trampoline fitness class! Can you tell I enjoyed this one???

Trampoline-Fitness-Class

Sunday: I woke up bright and early one more time – staying on east coast time really helped me this weekend – and got in a 2 hour long run looping around the Portland waterfront area and bridges.