Tag Archives: fitness

Blogger Ride at Revolve

Posted on by
7

Last Thursday I was invited to a special spin class Revolve hosted for D.C. area fitness bloggers and enthusiasts. It came together out of a group of bloggers featured in the Washingtonian chatting on twitter and turned into a big event. I go to Revolve regularly and love their classes, and am also a huge fan of a lot of the bloggers that were going so I was really excited to take another class there and actually meet some of these people who’s blogs I’ve been following.

BloggerRide1

I stole this shot from Anne’s at fANNEtastic food blog.

Francina Segbefia taught our class with awesome energy, a kick-butt Vegas-themed playlist and a flair of style. She kicked things off by having everyone introduce ourselves and the name of our blog so we could know each other in the real world too. It was so much fun. She had the whole class singing along to Gold Digger and other songs and pushed us all the way to the end where we wrapped up with some weights to work on the upper body. Their body ride classes are fast becoming my favorite type of spin class – it’s a great change of pace and this one was an absolute blast.

On the bikes next to me were Melody from Will Run for Margaritas – love her blog – and Laney from Running On Veggies – I hadn’t seen her blog before, but it’s great and definitely worth your time to check out. Turns out Melody and I used to teach boot camps at the same site – small world D.C. for you. Some other bloggers I really enjoy reading were also there including Melissa Romero who does the Washingtonian Well Being blog, Ashley of Coffee Cake and Cardio, Workout Wonks and DC Fit Crasher.

Blogger Introductions

Blogger Introductions

After class we had some time to mingle and post-ride refreshments from Gouter. I was a bit skeptical that I would like something labeled raw, vegan and organic, and I’m not really into juices or cleanses, but these were surprisingly tasty!

Post-Ride Refreshments

Post-Ride Refreshments

Overall it was a great night – fun to meet other bloggers excited about health and fitness in D.C., and get a great workout in too!

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

Posted on by
Reply

Last week marked the end of my base building phase before I start training for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon this week. I felt really great all week and feel like I’ve gotten my fitness back to a good point to start race training. My mileage total was 24.25 miles. Here’s the day-by-day breakdown of where I left my footprints this week:

Monday: Spin Class

Tuesday: It was a lot easier to get myself out this week with 40 degree temps compared to my 9-degree track workout last week! Track Workout – 2.5 mile warm-up; 6X800m repeats with a 400m jog recovery; 2.5 mile cool down

Wednesday: I hit the gym for a 10-minute warm up on the elliptical followed by a 30-minute tabata workout and some more lower body strength exercises.

Thursday: Early morning tempo run on the treadmill at my apartment gym. I really wish I had room for my own treadmill. 5 miles total – warming up and cooling down at an 8-minute pace and reaching a 7:35 pace throughout the middle. I made it a double day getting in 4.25 after work. I met up with a friend who I went to elementary through high school with for a fun run around the National Mall. We looped past the Vietnam Memorial down to Lincoln and back around to the Capitol Building before splitting off to different metro stops. It was a blast to take in the sights while chatting and catching up along the way.

Friday: Spin Class in the morning and I took a late lunch to head down to the office gym and get in 50 minutes on the elliptical in the afternoon.

Saturday: Spin Class

Sunday: I set out in the morning for an easy-paced 7-miler through Georgetown onto the Rock Creek Park pathway and headed for an out and back along Hains Point before heading home via the Memorial Bridge. I followed the run with an hour body ride spin class at Revolve DC.

Sun setting as we ran down the National Mall Thursday night.

Sun setting as we ran down the National Mall Thursday night.

Resolution Check-In

Posted on by
3

Wow, how is the first month of 2013 already done? I still haven’t gotten used to writing 2013 instead of 2012 yet…I have a feeling this year is going to fly. With the start of a new month, I figured it’d be a good time to check back in and see how I’m doing with my New Year’s resolutions.

My big January focus was core and I had a goal of completing my P90X Ab Ripper workout five times per week. I beat my own expectations on this one, getting through the Ab Ripper workout every day last month. Going back to December I’m up to 34 straight days beating my previous longest streak of 31. It’s becoming a normal part of my daily routine now, so most days I just get up and do it without thinking or stressing too much about it. I’m hoping to keep this up as I know a stronger core will only make everything else I do easier.

Getting healthy was another resolution for the year and I’m off to a great start. I’m officially done with physical therapy, and am on my way to getting stronger. I’m sticking with my strength and stretching routines so I give myself the best possible chance to not end up injured again.

Drinking less soda was also on the list and I’ve had good weeks and bad weeks on this one. I started out the year strong telling myself I wouldn’t drink any soda Monday through Thursday. I made it through the first week and all the way through Wednesday of the following week. It probably hasn’t helped that I’ve been getting up much earlier than normal and exercising in the morning a lot more than I used to, leaving me a bit sleepy when my midday craving for a caffeine boost hits. After several early mornings that second week, I was up even earlier for a 4:30 wake up call to make a group run that Thursday morning, and I caved at lunch giving into my soda craving and falling back into my soda-a-day routine for the most part after that. I’ve tried drinking diet soda since I hate the taste so much thinking that I’d stop drinking it if I didn’t like it, but I just started to get used to the taste…yuck! Oh well, I’ll try again this month!

I obviously can’t realize my big goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon until my October marathon, but getting back my speed is going to be my big February focus. I’ve built a great base of fitness over the last five weeks or so completing mostly easy paced runs and a lot of cross training. Now it’s time to crank it up a notch. My goal for this month is to complete two speed sessions a week whether it’s at the track, running hill intervals or tempo runs.

Smiling after getting home from last week's track workout - need to remember that post workout feeling so I keep getting out there for speed sessions!

Smiling after getting home from last week’s track workout – need to remember that post workout feeling so I keep getting out there for speed sessions!

How are you doing on your resolutions? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Stretch!

Posted on by
1

Last week I shared my favorite core workout. One other thing I’ve been really focusing on since starting physical therapy in October is my flexibility. I was unbelievably tight at my first session, which really limited my mobility and was causing a lot of the pain I was feeling. I was given a series of stretches to do 2 to 3 times per day at first, and was told that it can take 10 to 12 weeks to really see the benefits.

I’ve been diligent about keeping with my stretching routine and am really starting to notice a difference. I’m down to going through the routine once a day and usually do an abbreviated version of the stretches again later or after working out, especially if I’m feeling tight muscles. I know it’s really important for me to keep this up if I want to keep running healthy. Check out my stretching routine below. I hold all stretches for 3 minutes each with the exception of the last two, which I do 3 sets of 10.

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

Posted on by
Reply

Last week was another good week of training. I’m still high on motivation and excitement from getting back into things after time off for an injury. I took my first spin class since before physical therapy last Monday and it felt great. Spinning is my favorite form of cross training. It’s high-energy, fun and blasts away calories while boosting my cardio fitness.

For the week I ran 18 miles. Here’s the training breakdown by day:

Monday: Spin class in the morning and 20 minutes on the elliptical at the office gym in the afternoon.

Tuesday: An early morning run took me 3 easy miles up Wilson Blvd. to a session with one of my personal training clients.

Wednesday: I got in 50 minutes on the elliptical at the office gym.

Thursday: A very early run with the Pacers Fun Run group took me 5 easy miles through Georgetown and back over the Memorial Bridge.

Friday: I hit the gym at my building before work for 45 minutes on the elliptical.

Saturday: I got to run in shorts and a tank in mid January on the sunny streets of St. Pete in Florida for 6 easy miles.

Sunday: 4 miles easy once again in sunny Florida before my quick weekend trip to visit my grandparents came to an end. Looks like temps will be a bit cooler to run in back in D.C. this week.

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

Posted on by
Reply

Well, I’m back running and it feels great! I’m still working on my strength and flexibility so I can get to 100 percent, but I’m doing so much better and am almost finished with my physical therapy as well. Now that I’m back training, I’m going to make “Footprints” a regular Monday feature on the blog recapping my training week, and letting you know what I’ve been up to and what roads (or treadmills) I’ve left my footprints on each week. For the next month I’ll be in a base phase building my fitness level before I start an official training plan in February to prep for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon.

Last week I tallied 17 miles and mixed in some cross training as well. Here’s the breakdown:

Monday: 4 miles at the Fairfax Four Miler. This was such a great New Year’s Eve race and a fun way to start off the night’s festivities.

Tuesday: 3 miles easy through Arlington with a finish near the Iwo Jima Memorial – I love this city!

Wednesday: I hit the gym for 45 minutes on the elliptical.

Thursday: 4 miles easy – Today’s run took me from D.C. to Arlington with a run home from work.

Friday: Today was a bit scattered. I got about a mile in on the treadmill at physical therapy, followed by 2 easy miles on the treadmill at my office gym later that afternoon and 35 minutes on the elliptical.

Saturday: 3 miles easy through Arlington

Sunday: I hit the gym again for an hour on the elliptical. Luckily I had NFL playoffs on the TVs to keep me entertained.

Feels good to be back! Credit for naming the Footprints feature goes to my creative director Ian Gallagher.

 

 

2013 Race Calendar

Posted on by
1

I love racing. I like big races and small races. I feed off the crowd’s at the big-time ones and the challenge of pushing yourself at the smaller ones. It’s one of my favorite things about running, and keeps me pushing towards getting fitter and faster and reaching tougher goals.

In 2013, I want to race smart though. Seven races in seven weeks at one point last year where I ran my hardest in most of them might not have been the smartest idea. Adding a marathon to my schedule a month and a half out from race day was another one of my not so bright moves. My break from running as I recovered from an overuse injury in 2012 has left me hungry for all the races I can sign up for, but to make sure I don’t overdo it, I’m only planning two goal races for this year. I know I’d go crazy only having two races on the schedule so I have a handful of others I’m planning to run for fun as training runs.

2013 Race Calendar

February 10 – Love the Run You’re With 5k

March 9 – Four Courts Four Miler

April 7 – Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

*April 28 – Nike Women’s D.C. Half Marathon*

July 27 – Crystal City Twilighter 5k

*October 27 – Marine Corps Marathon*

December 8 – Jingle All the Way 8k

*Goal Races*

Now it’s time to get running to get ready for all these races! Let me know what your race plans are this year, and if you have any big race goals!

Happy New Year!

Posted on by
12

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe it’s 2013 already. I had such a great 2012, and am looking forward to an even better 2013!

The New Year is a great time to reflect and think about goals for 2013, although I often like to pick something each month that I’m really going to focus on and improve on. This helps me keep things fresh and top of mind so that my New Year’s resolutions aren’t completely forgotten come summer time.

Here are my big health- and fitness-related resolutions for this year:

Get Healthy
I’ve been working really hard at physical therapy and doing my strength and flexibility exercises, so I have no plans of giving up on this now. I can’t even remember what it feels like to run at close to 100 percent, but that’s what I’m shooting for this year. For now I’m still doing PT, but even after that’s done with I need to remember to focus on strength and stretching as important parts of being a good runner.

Stronger Core
This goes hand in hand with getting healthy. When I used to teach boot camp, I told my class every day as I made them do plank after plank that a stronger core makes everything else easier, and now it’s time to practice what I preach. Strengthening my core will play a major role in stabilizing me when I run and helping me avoid the hip drop I started doing to compensate for my injury. This will be my big January focus, and I have a goal of doing my version of the P90X ab ripper workout at least five times per week.

Drink Less Soda
Soda is my biggest vice. I love the way it tastes and since I already drink so much water, it is usually a nice change of pace to have something with taste. My office has free soda, so I’ve started drinking way too much with it easily available. I’m not a coffee or tea drinker so it’s my main source of caffeine, but when you start getting caffeine headaches from not having your daily soda, I think that’s probably a good sign that you drink too much!

Boston Qualifier
OK, so this is more of a goal than a resolution, but qualifying for the Boston Marathon is something I really hope to accomplish this year. I was bummed to have to defer my entry to last year’s Marine Corps Marathon, but can’t wait to run it this year and go from my sub-3:35 qualifying time.

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy and fun 2013!

20130101-113547.jpg

Ian and I getting ready for NYE festivities

Cold Weather Gear

Posted on by
3

December is here and that usually means running in the cold. The D.C. weather is treating us to a bit of extra warmth however. I was able to bike into work this morning in capri length shorts and a windbreaker, and I was actually too warm! I’m never too warm, so that’s saying something. We might hit close to 70 tomorrow. As a self-proclaimed cold-weather wimp, I will take all the nice weather I can get.

Mizuno Breath Thermo Gear

Mizuno Breath Thermo Gear

Chances are this isn’t going to last though, and the cold will eventually come. I’m hoping to be running again soon as my recovery seems to be going really well, and I don’t want to be limited to just the treadmill, so running in the cold will be inevitable. Over the last year I have made more of an effort to still get in outdoor runs even as the temperatures drop and learned that the right gear makes it so much better.

My favorite cold weather running gear is Mizuno’s Breath Thermo long sleeve shirt and gloves. Their Breath Thermo technology has seriously revolutionized cold weather running for me. It’s a fabric that absorbs sweat (or rain, sleet or snow) and generates heat to keep you warm. It’s truly amazing. Worn as a base layer under my Columbia jacket shell and paired with the gloves and a winter hat lined with Under Armour, it keeps me toasty on even the coldest runs, including one especially cold and snowy run in Minneapolis last winter – the ultimate test.

Do you brave the cold weather or head to the gym when the temps drop? What gear keeps you warm if you do go out in the cold?

The Expo

Posted on by
1

At the race expo with mascots Miles and Molly after I won a supersize goodie bag!

I’m a big time running nerd so I get really excited about race expos. The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) expo was held at the D.C. Armory, and opened the Thursday before the race. I put in a few extra hours at the beginning of the week and got a sub for my Thursday boot camp so I could be there right at 3:30 for the opening ceremonies. This was partly because I’d seen on their Facebook page that they’d be giving away 36 supersize goodie bags, and you had a good chance of winning if you showed up early on day one. I was determined to win one!

Unfortunately there were already a hundred or so people in line when I arrived so I was not among the first 20 who got to play a game for the first two goodie bags. I was a bit bummed, but still really excited to be at the expo. The marines are nothing if not organized so picking up my bib and my shirt was a pretty easy process. I spent awhile in the Brooks booth browsing the official gear and settled on a white, long sleeve, half-zip running shirt and a pint glass (clearly hoping to do a little post-race celebrating).

I weaved my way through the rest of the expo stopping at just about every booth (like I said, I’m a nerd). Pacers showed me some really cool Mizuno gloves that actually warm up with liquid contact, i.e. rain, snow, sweat, etc. I might be buying a pair of those before the winter ends. I tried on a pair of Yurbuds, which fit my ears really well as opposed to most of my ear buds that just pop out every few minutes as I run. They also let in outside noise so you can stay aware of your surroundings. I picked up flyers for other races and chatted with the Team in Training group too. I did my first marathon with them while raising $4,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and had an absolute blast. I hope to do another race with them sometime soon.

I finally decided it was time to go, but gave one last check of the MCM Facebook and twitter feeds, and saw they’d just tweeted that the first two people to find their mascot, Miles, and whisper Oorah would win the supersize goodie bags. Well, I was off and running and eventually spotted Miles to become the first winner. I was so pumped and the goodies were awesome! The bag itself was made out of recycled race banners from previous MCM’s, and was filled with a certificate for new Brooks running sneaks, sunglasses, numerous gift cards and more! It was a very cool way to integrate social media into their race, which they did a very impressive job of leading up to and even during their race. Stay tuned for a race day recap!

Some of the cool schwag I got as part of my supersize goodie bag!