RnR: Week 4 Day 6

I was all dressed and ready to head out to the gym this afternoon when I did the unthinkable! I sat on the couch and watched TV. The 2001 Planet of the Apes with Mark Whalberg just started and once I sat down, I got stucked watching the rest of it. I am blaming Mark Whalberg on this one!

I was supposed to do 3 miles today but since I didn't make it to the gym tonight, I made up for it by doing 20 mins of Total Body Pilates and another 10 mins of Pilates Abs both with Nicole Stewart on Exercise TV. It was late but I got it done.

I will have to try to shut out distractions like this next time especially now that I am on training. It's one thing to modify the training plan to suit my schedule but its a whole other thing to cram and try to squeeze in one missed workout/run into the next. I gotta stay focused and not get easily distracted anymore.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 4 Day 4

Got my running mojo back today! Evidently, having an unplanned rest yesterday has helped me get my energy back. After a few suckish runs in the past couple days, it is awesome to finally have a run that actually felt good! I hit the treadmill at the gym with the goal of making up the mileage I missed on Wednesday's scheduled 35 min tempo and adding today's 3 mile run for a total of 6 miles. I am so happy to have achieved the goal of the day. It wasn't one of my best runs whoever it certainly is one of those runs where I finished happy and contented. It was a really good solid run for me, I even ended up with negative splits!

Mile 1 - 11:51
Mile 2 - 10:42
Mile 3 - 10:20
Mile 4 -10:17
Mile 5 - 9:49
Mile 6 - 9:16

Still high on endorphins after the run when I got back home, I decided to follow it up with 20 mins of Total Body Pilates with Nicole Stewart and another 20 mins of Incredible Abs 6 with Cindy Whitmarsh for a total of 40 mins of workout on Exercise TV.

I wish it is like this everyday but then again running won't be fun anymore. It'll be just plain, monotonous and boring.  I guess having to go through all the ups and downs makes it exciting, interesting and most of all gratifying when you are able to persevere and get through the tough part.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 4 Day 1

Week 4 already! 8 more weeks to go 'til the big day! Gosh, it just seemed to fly by. I have my Los Gatos Dammit Run next week which will be my 'training race'. I just got my bib in the mail yesterday. This race is only 5 miles but it is going to be tough for me considering the course is on a gnarly rugged terrain. I have never run a race on a hilly course before so this is going to be quite a challenge.

I barely had time to fit in a workout today but good thing today's schedule only called for stretch and strength. I was able to get my workout in late in the evening. I did 20 mins of Total Body Pilates with Nicole Stewart followed by another 20 mins of 10lbs Slimdown Yoga with Chris Freytag. Thank god for Exercise TV On Demand. I could get things done anytime I can.

This is why I love training! I love having the structure to follow. It helps me get myself committed to training and be motivated to push myself to stick to it and get it done. One thing I learned about running is that, there is nothing impossible if you just work hard for it. Over a year ago, when I started training for my first 10k, I thought running a 10k race was a crazy idea. I was nervous just by the thought of it. Now looking back, I am so proud of myself for taking that challenge. I am now getting to a place where I'd never thought I could get to. I never thought I could finish a 10k, let alone a 13.1 mile race. This is now my 2nd half marathon training and would love to run more races in the future and maybe my first full marathon in the not-so-distant future.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 3 Day 5

The training plan called for a rest day or an easy run today but since yesterday was a pretty intense run, I devoted this day as my cross-training day.

I did 20 minutes of Total Body Pilates with Nicole Stewart via Exercise TV On Demand. I like to do Pilates when I want to do a low impact workout or just something short and easy to relieve the day’s stress. Its focus is core strengthening and flexibility. I love the stretching part the most. I feel totally relaxed, I could sleep on the mat!

I then followed up the 20 minutes Pilates with another 20 minutes of Incredible Abs 6 workout with Cindy Whitmarsh. I have been working out on Cindy Whitmarsh’s videos even before I became serious with running more than a year ago. I remember having such a tough time getting through her workouts when I first started. This time looking back, I am amazed at how far I’ve come. I am so much stronger than I was a year ago and probably in the best shape of my life now.

Photo courtesy from Pinterest

RnR: Week 2 Day 4

I was supposed to run 30 min tempo today but I had chores to do. I had an orthodontist appointment in the morning, took the little miss to Build-A-Bear after that and went malling, went grocery shopping and then took her swimming. That pretty much took my whole day. By the end of the day, I was too tired to even think about running but I did manage to squeeze in a late night 20 minute Total Body Pilates with Nicole Stewart which is also via Exercise TV On Demand. It is short but great when you don't have a lot of time to spare for an exercise. It also gives you a calming and relaxing effect which is pretty nice after a long day and before heading to bed.

wordspiration courtesy from searchquotes.com via Pinterest

RnR: Week 2 Day 3

Hello W2D3! I am still trying to bounce back and recover from being pestered by emotional setbacks. It's probably going to take some time but I will not let things get in the way of my half marathon training. Not now.

So today is scheduled for a 30 minute tempo but I was too psyched up to do more than that. Today's workout started with "6 Weeks, 6 Pack" Level 2 with Jillian Michaels via Exercise TV On Demand. It is a 35 minute core-focused cardio intervals. This is only the second time I am doing this workout but it seemed a little easier today or was I just too pumped up? I did worked up a good sweat and felt it more as a total body workout than just abs.

After that, I headed to the gym for my 3 mile date with the treadmill. Here's what I did: 
1/2 mile warmup @ 5:33
Mile 1 @ 11:33
Mile 2 @ 10:44
Mile 3 @ 10:12
1/2 mile cool down @ 9:14
Total mileage = 4 miles @ 46:37

Then added another 25 minute or so strength training session which is as follows:

Chest press 30 lbs 5x 10 reps
Lat pull 50 lbs 5x 10 reps
Leg pull 40 lbs 5x 10 reps
Ab Crunch 40 lbs 5x 20 reps

Wordspiration courtesy from Pinterest.com

RnR: Week 1 Day 4

Week 1 of training is half way over and I have been tweaking the routine according to what my schedule has allowed me to. Today is scheduled for a 3 mile run + strength but this will have to move to Friday since I did 5x800 interval training a.k.a fartleks this afternoon. My pace time for the intervals are: 5:07, 5:31, 5:27, 5:26, 5:26 for a total of 4 miles and then added another extra easy mile @ 11:34. I did a total of 5 miles @ 54:10. I am careful not to overdo it when I am doing intervals or fartleks because for some reason it messes up my left shin. I could feel a little soreness and the leg felt a bit heavy while running but it didn't bother at all. I followed it up with a nice stretching right after the run and iced it when I got back home.

I added another 12 minutes or so of weight training before heading back home for dinner. I could have added a couple ab crunches to my repertoire but the machine got stuck somehow.  Here's what I did:

• Chest press 30 lbs 3x 10 reps 
• Lat pull 50 lbs 3x 10 reps
• Bicep Curl 20 lbs 2x 6 reps

Then before heading to bed, I did a 20-minute yoga from Exercise TV On Demand called Zen In Your Den by the same yogi from last night named Jennifer Galardi. She did an even simpler and gentler movements on this one compared to Yoga Refresh. This one's definitely a nice way to ease into a relax mood before bedtime.

It was another busy day today spending all afternoon bonding with my little miss. I took her to the movies to watch Monte Carlo then hang out for awhile at Santana Row. It was a blast but totally wore me out by the time we got home. One thing that still amazes me is how exercise changes my mood. No matter how tired I get if I just get my butt off to workout, even a short easy one, I always feel like a million bucks afterwards.

RnR: Week 1 Day 3

W1D3 is supposed to be 5 x 400 5-K pace intervals but will have to move it to Friday since I ran a hard 5 miles yesterday. A friend and her little 9 month old also visited late in the afternoon for a dip in the pool so I was preoccupied prepping up for our little rendezvous. We had dinner by the pool and took the kids, her baby and my little miss, for a swim. It was a bit cooler and breezy compared to the last couple days but manageable and we had a lot of fun in the water.

So, all that fun stuff drained some of my energy. I wasn't planning on working out today anyway but felt like doing a quick and simple exercise before calling it a night. It was very tempting to just crawl in bed at 9PM, which by the way is definitely not my normal bed time, but I sucked it up and went ahead for a quickie. I found this 30-minute yoga routine on Exercise TV On Demand called Yoga Refresh by Jennifer Galardi. The routine is very simple and easy to follow which is perfect for a yoga noob like me. I felt refreshed and re-invigorated 30 minutes later. I like it a lot and will try to incorporate more yoga in my fitness schedule.

Off to bed now. Namaste.