Posts Tagged ‘workouts’
9/15/11 – Another 5K (practice run, not race) and a Workout with Melissa
So, I gave myself three days of recovery before trying the 5K again. Now, that I know I can definitely run the whole distance, I was determined to do it with my 9min, 30 second mile pace that I can do when training at a 1.5 mile distance. I knew I could run faster than that stupid 10:18 pace on Sunday. I mean, I’m wearing Five Fingers – come on!
I walked down to the flat waterfront park area so that it would mimic the relatively flat terrain at Greenlake. Plus, there are no crosswalks and lights to mess up your pace, either. I was really going to show the clock!
I started out the first mile with a great pace just over 9 min per mile. Half way through the second mile I was up to 9 min 30 seconds. No problem. See, I knew I could do this! Then, I got to the start of mile 3: Pace up to 9min 55 seconds. YIKES! I can still beat this! Now my goal has become to finish with ANYTHING under a 10 min pace.
Let me just say that the third mile kicked my ass. I ran the whole way, but it was really tough. I did knock 14 seconds off my race pace, though, to finish at 10 min, 4 seconds per mile. Woohoo! I knew I could go faster.
My new focus is improving my time on the 5K. I am also working on leg extension while running. I think if I get my legs extending back, then I will have an automatic decrease in time or increase in speed due to more efficient propulsion forward. However, leg extension is hard. It requires a lot of strength in your hamstrings and glutes as well as flexibility in your hip flexor and quads. This is going to be another big push of exercise and stretching. My quads are super sore from the run when I was trying out the extensions.
I told Melissa all of this, and she, that same day, gave me a bunch of hip and glute exercises to help facilitate this goal. Man are they killer!!! Boy is she great!
I am going to get my video from Travis on Tuesday of next week. I will then post the video and his notes, which will elaborate on all of this.
What a great week of running and working out so far. Woohoo!
8/29/10 – Traveling is difficult to stick to workout schedule :-/
Posted by admin in Reflections on August 29th, 2010
So, once again, I am not in Seattle, and, thus, not at my usual workout places with my usual workout schedule. It is very difficult to do prescribed workouts when not at home with your normal equipment. I am currently in Colorado with almost all of my equipment. I am only missing the normal amount of time it takes to workout. This weekend has been a very strange amalgamation of timing with late nights and early mornings. Plus, the gym here in the smalltown where I am staying is kinda lacking in some PT equipment. Although, I did find a foam roller in a room off one of the workout rooms.
I am really struggling with getting to the gym in a regular and timely manner due to the rather strange schedule – or rather – lack of a schedule here in CO. Oh well, I’ll be back to the swing of things in two days. Then school starts and all will be well…..
8/3/10 – Workout #3 with Lunges = TIGHT QUADS!!!
On Tuesday, I completed the third workout with lunges as well as my physical therapy foot strengthening.
On that day my quads were killing me! It felt like I was tearing the top layer of muscles on the front of my thigh. During the first set of lunges, I thought, “It will go away as I warm up.” However, it did not.
The second set of lunges was truly excruciating, and the third set I cut short because I couldn’t take it.
I stretched my quads as much as I could b/c the pain was quite high.
I was also experiencing some trouble with my right shoulder. The nerve running from the shoulder to the elbow was inflamed. Every time I did the tricep exercise, I had to grit my teeth as my elbow hurt! I knew it wasn’t muscle, though, b/c it hurt when I wasn’t doing the exercise.
Despite all of this my left foot was doing really great! I did all of my foot strengthening exercises with zero pain!!! It was fantastic! 🙂
But, I still could not wait until Wednesday to see my chiropractor and massage therapist!!!
7/31/10 – Workout with Lunges
So, I did my workout with lunges for the second time on Saturday. This will be short as I only want to document that my quads were sore when I did my lunges this day, but nothing that really made me uncomfortable. My quads were tighter than normal, too.
I didn’t think too much of it Saturday….
Continued Workouts!
So, I am very happy to say that I have been taking myself to the gym on days when I don’t have an appointment with Melissa! I have also realized that I need a good 1.5 to 2 hours to complete each workout she has given me (this would also include 20-30 min cardio). So far, I have only managed to get up early enough to do one hour before I must leave to get ready for work. This will not do. I think I might need to go back to afternoon workouts because I am really not willing to get up at the requisite 5:00am that getting a whole workout in before work would require.
Anyway, I have been getting through 2/3 of Melissa’s workout with my new favorite exercise being the “Smith Machine Push-up”. It is really much better for me than the traditional push-up in that you are standing at the Smith Machine (the assisted squat bar) with the bar set just above your waist. You lean down to grab the bar with your body in a straight plank leaning about 45 degrees. Then, you do a push-up with the FULL range of motion. This is the part that is fantastic because you really use your pectoral muscles as well as stretch them at the same time. I am very tight in the shoulders and pectorals, and this exercise gets into the muscles and your small muscles in your back. LOVE IT! I can do three sets of 18!!! Woohoo!
Notable improvements:
I can deadlift 45 lbs. (up from 35 lbs three weeks ago).
I can do 3 sets of 18 Smith Machine Push-ups.
I increased my ability to hold the plank from 1 minute to 1.5 minutes!
I can do 3 sets of 15 prisoner lunges (so difficult for me because I am so wobbly and week in the legs).
Overall, my body feels stronger and much more agile. I do not favor certain muscles when walking or climbing stairs, which I did not realize I was doing until I wasn’t doing it anymore 🙂
My final thought – go to the gym and do something!!! You will be amazed how much better you feel.
Workouts! Woohoo!!!
Yeah! I am working out, now! I go to the gym with a plan. It is awesome, and it makes me actually want to go to the gym since I have a purpose.
I have worked out Monday and today. Today, I had a limited amount of time. So, I only did my physical therapy exercises. I think I might get up in the morning and do the personal trainer exercises. I have been noticing since starting to stretch and roll my hip flexors and quadriceps that my hamstring has begun to stop doing all the work it was doing. I can actually feel my glutes getting some action. Whew! That’s another success!
My wonderful husband has graciously offered to get me up in the morning. I hate mornings, which means that this will not be an easy job for him 😉 We shall see how it goes. Morning workouts would be more reliable since evening workouts happen after school, and a hard day at school usually does not end with a barbell in my hand.