Keep The Body Guessing

Happy Earth Day!  I'm not doing much to celebrate this year, but did donate to my office's fundraiser for the Earth Conservation Corps.

Happy Good Friday, too, for everyone that observes it!  I love Easter and can't wait to have a big family dinner on Sunday to celebrate.  I gave up (or really just cut back on) sweets, so I'm looking forward to indulging in a chocolate bunny.  My mom always eats the ears off of mine, which drives me nuts.

I go through this cycle every few months, but I am back to being less than enthusiastic about working out.  I've actually been avoiding it all together lately...

Yes, yes and yes.  I'm working to get back to the place where I actually enjoy exercise, but I'm not there yet.  This is in part due to an IT band injury that has resurfaced over the past couple of weeks, as a result of this:

I realize that's not a speedy pace for a lot of people, but it is way too fast for me.  I'm not a speed runner (nor do I enjoy running for speed), but I had a lot of steam to burn off during this workout.  Clearly I didn't listen to my body when it was telling me to slow down and my legs were screaming WE CAN'T DO THIS!  After hobbling around for a couple of days, I visited the doctor and he thinks I strained the muscle but should be back to normal in the next month or two.  In the meantime, I'm pretty much not running (err... jogging) right now. 

To help shake off the workout blues, I'm forcing myself back into the gym routine.  Tomorrow I'm doing a BodyPump and spin doubleheader, and I'm going to keep doing this Jillian Michaels DVD on days I don't hit up the gym.

Why is she so evil?!  This is a killer workout, and targets areas that I never focus on in my other workouts. 

I'm also getting back into swimming and trying to do laps at least once a week.  So far so good.  It's a different type of workout.  I think it's more mentally relaxing than the endorphin high I get from other forms of cardio.  I love it!

How do you reinvigorate your workout routine?  I think it's just about changing things up.  You know.... keep the body guessing!

April Race - 2011 George Washington Parkway Classic

I signed up for an April race today! 

The 2011 George Washington Parkway Classic is one of the most popular races in our area.  The course is described as having "rolling hills."  Hopefully they are little rolling hills.  And it's also a point-to-point race (different starting and ending lines) - working out those logistics will be interesting!

Le course:

Exciting!

2011 Love The Run You're With 5k Recap

Official time: 40.29 (13.02/mile average).

I really wanted to come in below the 40 minute mark, but we were close enough.  Notice that a 70 year old woman named Janet finished just 14 seconds behind us.  Go Janet, go!

Overall, I thought the race was really well organized and fun.  There was a pretty brutal hill at the beginning of the course, but after that it was flat.  And on the way back, you get to run down that same hill.  I totally need to run a 5k downhill sometime.  Weee! 

I felt really strong the first mile (we walked the hill), but at mile two I started getting a weird chest pain and/or cramp in the ribcage.  Argh.  I thought if I walked a bit, it would go away, but it kept coming back with a vengeance.  Needless to say, I walked a ton, but we still finished with a decent time and not in last place.  WIN.  Thank you to JB for cheering us on, and to everyone else for the supportive comments, texts, etc.  I RUN FOR YOU!  J/K, but I really do appreciate all the love :-)

And on a non-race related note, just wanted to say how excited I am that it's almost 60 degrees out today (heat wave!).  I'm so excited for spring.  In celebration, I made a spring-inspired spinach and fruit salad at lunch today:

That hot mess in background is turkey chili.  It paled in comparison to my salad.

Happy Monday!!!

Pre(5K)-Gaming

Doing what I normally do the night before a race...

1.  Creating a playlist.

2.  Testing said playlist.  AKA, dancing around my bedroom acting like an idiot.

3.  Laying clothes, heart rate monitor, bib, etc. out ahead of time.

Let's do this thing! :-)

Get Fit, Or Die Trying.

I'm starting to get excited for my February race on Sunday! 

I really want to finish in under 40 minutes.  The race course is right along my old running route (where I used to live), so at least I'll know the area.  And it's super flat.  Thank you, baby Jesus.

.... or at least trying.  Finger's crossed this won't be an epic fail.  Happy Valentine's Day!

March Race - 2011 STPD8K

It's official.  Hopefully I'll stay healthy and won't get my ass handed to me as badly as last year...

Girl Talk

The only thing (besides a new outfit), that motivates me to workout is a good playlist on the trusty iPod.  I came across an album called "All Day" by Girl Talk via another blog, and I love it!  Girl Talk is a mash-up artist that combines songs to make one continuous playlist that's over an hour long and perfect for the gym and/or running.  The songs are also shortened, so there's lots of changes in beat and variety.  The album is free, too.  As a heads up, there's plenty of explicit language, so if you're not a fan of the F-bomb, I'd take a pass.

Here's a preview:

Happy listening!

2011 Resolution Run 5K Recap

Happy 2011!  I survived the Resolution Run 5K in Baltimore on Saturday.  The race wasn't chip-timed, but I'm estimating that we finished somewhere around 40-41 minutes.  What's even more exciting is that we actually finished!  Little did I know, but the course is about 60% hills.  It was a bitch.

I can't find any good pictures to prove my point, but Patterson Park, where the race took place, is incredibly hilly.  Below is a picture of a cool building (?) that we passed between miles 1-2.  This was at the top of the biggest climb, which I swear was at least half a mile of straight hiking.  There were plenty of curse words exchanged by this point.  The top of the hill was very pretty though... I enjoyed the view between grunts, hacks and breathlessness. :)

(Source)

The race wasn't the most organized (we didn't even know where the starting line was until about 5 minutes before the race), but the organizers and runners were all really nice and supportive, and it made for a great time.  Also, since the race is only run within the park, there weren't any streets closed, police activity, etc.  We arrived about an hour and half early and found a parking spot right near the park with no problem, and it was a breeze getting out of the park after the race.  I love cities that aren't a logistical nightmare.

In February, I'm registered for the "Love The Run You're With" 5k in Pentagon Row, and in March I'll hopefully repeat (more successfully this time!) the St. Patrick's Day 8k in DC.  Fingers crossed for good health and continued improvement. 

Thanks to everyone for all the support leading up to this race.  And to Emmy, for running the damn thing with me! :)

Waka Waka!

I'm working on a playlist for the Resolution 5k that I'm running this Saturday, and I came across the music video for one of my favorite songs from 2010 -- Shakira's "Waka Waka" (theme song from the World Cup).  If you like soccer, you'll probably also enjoy this video.  This time for Africa :)

Resolution-ing

A couple months back, I wrote about starting the Couch to 5K program.  I've completed about six of the nine weeks of the program (skipped a few weeks for various reasons), and so far so good.  I'm now running close to 5 minute intervals without any major pain in the shins or hip.  Success!

Speaking of running, I'm officially registered for the 2011 Resolution Run 5K in Charm City (Baltimore) on New Year's Day!

I'm really excited for this race, and I figure it's a good way to kick off the New Year.  I've even roped in a friend (who's never raced before) to run it with me -- should be fun!  So far, the weather gods are smiling down on us, with temperatures expected in the low 50's on Saturday.  Let's hope it stays that way.  I'm not a happy runner when I'm cold. 

Hope it goes well!  I still can't believe 2011 is right around the corner...

Fistpump Friday

Happy Friday!  Today marks the end of my first week on the Couch to 5K program.  Fistpump!  All three morning runs this week were pretty easy (done on the treadmill -- running in downtown DC scares me).  Next week doesn't look too bad either:

• Workout 1 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes. 
• Workout 2 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes.
• Workout 3 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes.

I still have some sort of left hip issue going on, but fortunately it doesn't really bother me until after I run, so I'm just doing my best to ignore it.  I'm scared to go to the doctor....they may tell me that I need a hip replacement and that I have old-lady bones at the ripe age of 26.  Eep!

In other news, I'm so happy that it's finally cool weather season!  There's nothing better than leaving the stinky gym and being able to cool off outside, or snuggling up at night in comfy jammies and a fire (we have one of those gas remote control fireplaces... sooo money!).  Doesn't quite beat Ashley's alternative, but it comes close :)
 
Also, I'm totally in love with these Fur Trim Slipper Booties from Gap (I might have to treat myself):
 

 
What do you think -- cute or obnoxious?  I love my trusty UGG slippers, but they've seen better days and I really don't want to fork over another $100 for a second pair.  Decisions.
 
BTW, check out the new Jimmy Choo & UGG collection.  Very interesting.  Love both, but I'm not sure about this collaboration.
 
Have a great weekend!

Faces of the NYC Marathon

The New York Times published a great feature this weekend called "Faces at the Finish."  It's an interactive gallery of 100 different people right after crossing the finish line of the NYC Marathon.  It's quite a mix of runners -- some young, some older and people from all around the world.  Very inspirational :)

P.S. I did my first Couch to 5K workout this morning, and the whole timed walk/run thing makes it go so much more quickly.  I did two miles in 25 minutes at the walk/run pace (bumped it up slightly from the suggested 20 minutes).  And thank you, time change for making my 6:00 a.m. wake up call a bit less painful!

Couch to 5k

There are heaps of things in life I want to do, and goals I want to meet, but I never really seem to get around to most of them.  One of those things is running.  Like really running, getting into a routine and actually enjoying it.  Ya'll have heard this before.  Well, I hate running right now.  I think it's because I usually do too much too soon, and get completely frustrated that my body just can't take it... 

But with so many great races around the year, and a bunch of friends that also run, I think it's an achievable goal.  Last spring, I ran (and I use the term "ran" loosely....) the St. Patrick's Day 8k, and it was miserable.  I was injured leading up to the race, ran it anyway, and then had a nasty stress fracture the following month.  I want to do things differently this time around. 

I've read a ton of reviews of the Couch to 5K running program, which seems to be the most popular beginner running plan, so I think I'm going to give it a shot.  I'm doing the nine week version, which is very moderate and should be doable.  Here's the workout plan for the first week (which I'll hopefully start on Monday):

Workout 1 -  5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Workout 2 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Workout 3 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Not too bad at all!  I'm going to try running on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, since I usually spin on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. 

Has anyone else tried this program or heard anything about it?  Fingers crossed that I make it past the few couple of weeks... :)

2010 St. Patrick's Day 8K Recap

I survived my first race, yipee! I agree that doing a 5K before an 8K is probably best, but this was all a learning process.

I ended up averaging just over a 14 minute mile for the race, which is above the pace I usually keep on the treadmill (typically between a 10-12 minute mile). I quickly learned that things are much different when you run outside... as in the ground isn't moving under you, and you have to deal with constantly changing surroundings (other runners, road conditions, weather, etc.). Somehow I also managed to pull a muscle in my leg last Friday, which was a bit irritating throughout. Overall, there were lots of walking breaks involved. But no excuses -- I'm still happy with how everything turned out, and now I have a point of reference for future improvement. 

Much love to my running partner JLB, who was very patient and stuck with my sluggish pace throughout the race...eventhough I know she could have gone much faster! :)

Here's a snapshot of the official results (via ChronoTrack):

First place went to Abiyot Endale, who finished in 24:20. That's just under a 5 minute mile pace. On top of it all, he didn't even have time to warmup because he forgot to set his clock forward, and arrived only a couple minutes before the start of the race (according to the website). He still managed to be freakishly fast. I'm in awe.

The rest of my weekend was pretty quiet -- Saturday involved lots of errands and a trip to Ikea for a new TV stand (I donated my old one to my baby bro, who's finally moving out of my parent's house and into his own place). After the race on Sunday, I was a hungry monster and just wanted to lounge around and do nothing. I did pretty much that... and studied for my International Business mid-term (which I took last night and I think went fairly well).  Cooper kept me company since he's all about the lazy lifestyle.  Check out those wrinkles:

I hope everyone has a great week. I'm super excited for the warm and sunny weather we're expecting in DC this week. I'm so over the rain!