Workout Recap 1/13 - 1/19

Another training week in the books.  I felt great about the workouts this week, and was able to get outside twice, which made it even better!

Monday – 7 miles (8:25 avg)  Easy run day, and outside.  CXWORX (30 minutes)

 

Tuesday – Body Pump Express (40 minutes) and cross training.  I broke up my hour between the elliptical and the arc trainer (40/20) and had a major sweat going.  I finished up at the Y and headed right to city rec volleyball.  We lost our game, which ended our season.  SAD FACE.

Wednesday – 8 miles on the tread followed by Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, Level 1 (20 minutes)  I was SWEATY after this, and tried Cellucor's Alpha Aminos for the first time.  I was definitely a fan!  I will do a post this week about Cellucor products I use and why I love them.  This product gives you BCAAs and it's geared toward endurance and hydration, without stimulants.  The fruit punch flavor tastes AMAZING!  Oh, and Lolo rocks.

 

Thursday – Tempo run total of 6 miles, 4 at tempo.  I think treadmill tempos are easy peasy because you just can’t slack.  I felt challenged by this workout, but maybe not challenged enough, so next time I’m upping my tempo pace.

Friday – CXWORX (30 minutes) Body Pump (60 minutes)  *Disclaimer: If you are familiar with these Les Mills classes, the order I complete them in is NOT encouraged.  You shouldn’t do any heavy lifting after CXWORX.  Whenever I take both classes in one day, CXWORX is always at noon and Body Pump is always after work.  The window of recovery time is sufficient and I haven’t had any issues.  If you try this, and find you have back discomfort, make sure to do them on separate days, or take CXWORX after Body Pump , if it’s offered.*  It was the launch night of Body Pump 88, and oh man was I feeling it the next day!

Saturday -  10 miles on the tread.  It was crazy windy outside all day Saturday.  It was reported we had a gust of 67 MPH.  Yikes.  January 18, 2014 the running community dedicated their miles to Meg, who was killed by a drunk driver while out for her morning run.  I was heartbroken to read the story, and it really hit home for me.  My prayers are with her family.

Sunday – 5 mile easy run outside.  I’ve been breaking my “no run on Sunday” rule these last two weeks, mostly because the weather has been great.  I’ll probably do some adjusting once my Saturday runs get higher than 16 miles.

Workout Recap 12/23 - 12/29

Better late than never on last week.  We had gorgeous weather and I was able to rock out 35 miles, which was the most I'd ran in a week in quite a while.  Christmas was my rest day, and I ate PLENTY to uh refuel my muscles :)

Monday -6 treadmill miles then headed out to start and end Christmas shopping... last minute style.  That should also count as a workout.  Yuck.

Tuesday - Christmas Eve! 8 treadmill miles, plus weighted lunges (ouch) and shoulder workout.  And Ab intervals with Shaun T.  Don't worry, I ate back every single calorie burned within 5 minutes at my parent's house.

Wednesday - MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Rest day.  I planned on running some easy miles in my new Wave Rider 17s, but I felt extremely sore, tired, and well, lazy.  It was a nice afternoon and I did make it outside for a walk around the lake which is close to 2 miles.

Thursday -8.5 miles at 8:12 average pace.  HELLO perfect weather!! This morning was so gorgeous.  I just wanted to run forever!
I hit the gym in the afternoon for some weights, and walked the lake with my parents.

Friday - 6 miles at 8:17 avg.  Again, perfection.  Spent the gorgeous afternoon visiting some family in Iowa, and finished off the day with Body Pump (60 minutes) and it felt amazing.

Saturday - 7 miles at 8:34 avg again outside.  And oh so hard.  Maybe it was from pump the night before, or just the extra miles I wasn't used to running outside, but I really thought I was just going to fall over.  Some runs are like that I guess...

Sunday - 45 minutes elliptical, Body Pump (60 minutes) and CXWORX (30 minutes).  I was tired after this :)

This was an awesome last full week of 2013.  I am off work, so I have lots of extra time to devote to fitness, which makes me extremely happy.

The importance of core training

I’ve uncovered many a revelation when it comes to gaining endurance and speed.  I reflected back to when I first started running.  I spent hour after hour on the elliptical, and would maybe use a weight machine every now and again.  Throw in a sit up here or there.  I had NO CLUE what a plank/hover was.  Or a bridge.  I attribute my strength and speed gains to a heck of a lot more miles, weights, a dose of craziness, and last but certainly not least, CORE TRAINING.

 

I’ve spent all of 2013 doing core work of some sort at least 3 times a week.  My preferred method is Les Mills CXWORX™.  If you are familiar with the Les Mills program, it’s set up in the form of tracks.  This class is a perfect amount of time (30 minutes) and there are 6 total tracks (songs) targeting each area of the core.

Les Mills CXWORX™ - Revolutionary Core Training
 From Les Mills.com:

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

• A quick, efficient workout in 30 minutes
• A tough workout that challenges you mentally and physically
• Tightens and tones core muscles
• Improves functional strength for balance, mobility and injury prevention
• Better understanding of how the core works and its importance to your physical health
• Motivates you to venture outside your comfort zone

Pretty sweet.  Kidding, it’s killer.  But in a good way.  Our YMCA offers this class a few different times every day.  I am fortunate enough to be able to hit the lunch hour class.

CXWORX™ really hones in on the torso and sling muscles that connect your upper body to your lower body. It’s ideal for tightening your tummy and butt, while also improving functional strength and assisting in injury prevention.
It’ll help you run faster … play harder … stand stronger!
No ordinary workout, CXWORX™ hits many of the top fitness trends:
Core training 
Strength training 
Functional fitness 
Educated and experienced fitness professionals 
Group personal training 
(From Les Mills.com)

Having a strong core will make you better at everything.  Running, lifting, sports, you name it.  It will help with injury prevention too.  I’ve scaled back from 3 classes per week (90 minutes total) to 2 classes per week.  (Sometimes one if I’m really slacking).  I don’t find that I lose any strength by going less, I actually find that I’m stronger and really feel the benefit of the class again (aka soreness!)  A few of my friends are awesome enough to be certified instructors, and they always make class fun.  

Happy Halloween!! Great day for this orange and black themed post right.  I will be needing a few extra classes after the candy :)