Workout Roundup (or Not)

Well my friends it certainly has been a long time since I shared one of my Workout Roundup posts. I am still trying to get back into a regular blogging schedule and while I haven't posted my workouts for like forever, I have still been doing them.

I will say though, that some weeks are rocking and then other weeks I am lucky to get 2-3 workouts done. In addition, all of my workouts have just been runs with the exception of one week where I was incorporating pushups and light hand weight upper body exercises while I was cooking dinner. Nothing to really write home about, but hey, I was trying to utilize my time wisely.

Here's some photographic evidence of my running activity since March:

What other fun physical things have I done during the past couple of months? Well I ran 2 half marathons, both in April and 2 weeks apart from each other. I haven't done my race recaps yet, but they are coming. I have some great, and some not so great, race photos to share. Yes, I am probably actually going to put some bad race photos of myself up on the internet.

Remember that little goal I set for myself to run 1,000 miles by the end of the year? Wonder how that's going? Hmmm, me too. So let's see, the last time I officially checked-in with this goal was all the way back on January 22. Oh my!

Well let's see where I stand right now...

Week 1: 8.12 miles
Week 2: 16.59 miles
Week 3: 10.35 miles
Week 4: 4.00 miles
Week 5: 6.25 miles
Week 6: 0.00 miles
Week 7: 13.62 miles
Week 8: 22.27 miles
Week 9: 22.09 miles
Week 10: 10.75 miles
Week 11: 0.00 miles
Week 12: 23.27 miles
Week 13: 22.03 miles
Week 14: 5.15 miles
Week 15: 22.26 miles
Week 16: 13.00 miles
Week 17: 20.31 miles
Week 18: 21.49 miles
Week 19: 3.00 miles
Week 20: 12.01 miles
Week 21: 14.01 miles
Total: 270.58 miles

So the question is will I make the goal? There are 31 weeks left to the year. I need to run approximately 23.53 miles each week to hit the 1,000 mile goal. I think this is very doable if I can just get my head back into the game. The past few weeks I have been struggling. I know getting myself back into a regular workout routine will help me greatly. I have a couple of things in the works to help me with this. I look forward to sharing that with you in the next couple of days.

So tell me, how are your 2013 Goals going? Are you still going strong with them or did they go out the window once March came around?

I personally think goals are things that we can work towards. We don't necessarily have to achieve them in full to feel a sense of accomplishment. It's not a failure to not fully complete it, it's failure to completely give up on it.

Workout Roundup (02/25/13 - 03/03/13)

Happy Monday! I hope we all had a fabulous weekend! I surely did, but like always it goes by way too fast.

I wanted to start the week off by giving a little roundup of my workouts last week. I promise that it will be brief. I did not have any spectacular Cross Training or Strength Training workouts last week. Nor did I have any major DVD workout sessions happening in my house. 

I just simply ran. 

Monday, February 25, 2013 
Run - Treadmill - 3.0 miles (00:32:36)

I couldn't get my behind out of bed at the crack of dawn so I hit up the gym treadmill at lunch for an easy 3 mile recovery run.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Run - Astoria Park Track - 5.07 miles (00:58:10)

As you can see in the picture, I did manage to pull my sleepy self out of bed and hit the track for a pre-work run. I originally set out to just do 3 or 4 miles and somehow pulled out a 5 miler. It's been awhile since I've done that in an early morning workout. Was quite pleased.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Rest

Thursday, February 28, 2013
Rest

Friday, March 1, 2013
Run - Astoria Park Track - 3:01 miles (00:34:08)

After two days of being lazy, depressed or just not motivated, I joined Mr. B at the track before work and completed a 3 mile run. It wasn't a glorious run. It's kinda was painful (need new shoes). But it was 3 miles more than I completed the previous two days.

Saturday, March 2, 2013
NYC Ballet DVD - Turned on for about 2 minutes and then...
Jillian Michaels Kickboxing DVD - Completed about 7 minutes and then turned off and then...
I cleaned my house and prepared my grocery shopping/meal plan list.

I just wasn't feeling any of those workouts. The end.

Sunday, March 3, 2013
Run - Rockefeller State Park Preserve - 11.0 miles (02:16:20)

Oh how I needed this long run! My plan was for a 10 miler but pushed through to the 11. I have my first half marathon of the year in two weeks and this run gave me the confidence I needed!

In summary, I ran a total of 22.09 miles for the week and so far this year I have run 103.28 miles.

This past week was a bit of a mood bust for me and it showed in my workouts during the work week. The excitement I felt the week before was removed from my soul on Monday when I got on the scale. After all of my hard work and healthy eating I had gained 2 pounds. Not a great way to start off a week mentally and I just let it get me down. 

Sunday's run was exactly what I needed to recharge myself and get my head back in the game. Even though the trail runs are my hardest runs of the week, I get so much more out of them. I feel like I conquered something and it makes me feel wonderful. If I could trail run every day I would.

So talk to me, when you have a bad week mentally what do you do to snap out of it?

I am proud of myself for not giving up on my running last week. In the past when I have gained weight, I usually get in a complete funk and stop working out all together and become a couch potato until I can't stand my lazy self anymore and get back at it.

On a sidenote: This morning when I weighed myself, I lost 2.5 pounds. Mr. B. had to remind me this morning that the weight gain last week probably wasn't fat. It could have been water weight or even the fact that maybe I didn't go to the bathroom as much last week. I have to remind myself of these little things and stay positive. So this week, I am going to see if I can get that motivation going full throttle again.

Workout Roundup (02/18/13 - 02/24/13)

It's Wednesday. 

It's raining. 

It's finally time I talk about my awesome week of working out that I had last week! I honestly don't know what has taken me so long to get this post done. Well who am I kidding, work gets crazy, life gets crazy and before you know it, you have run out of hours in a day.

So let's get down to business.  According to Daily Mile I had a Super week of training last week.
Side note: Uh, you think it's time to change out my mug shot? Me thinks I do!

Anyhoo, Daily Mile doesn't take into consideration if I do any cross training or weight work, this is all running, so I am happy with the Super for my running effort! 

I of course decided to become an over achiever this past week and decided to try and kick things up a notch. I even snapped daily pictures to document my efforts (Instagram: angelny29).

Here's the nitty gritty:

Monday, February 18, 2013 (Presiden't Day - NO WORK)
Run - Astoria Park Track - 4.02 miles (43:46)

Since I had the day off from work, and was all alone, I decided to hit up my local track around 11:30 A.M. for a little runsy that ended in 4 miles. The temps were fra-fra-freezing. We're talking a "Feel Like Temp" of 13 degrees with some major winds coming off the water. But it all worked out in the end. I wore my Pearl Izumi Wind Blocking jacket with 2 long sleeve layers underneath. All was good as if you couldn't tell in my post-run bliss picture above.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Run - Treadmill - 400s - 3.25 miles (34:01)

It was back to work and back to business. I hit up the gym during lunch and knocked out a little run which consisted of 400m intervals. I managed to complete 6-400s for a total of 3.25 miles.

After work is where I first changed my workout up a bit.

P.M. Workout - Strength Training / Abs

A couple weekends ago I asked Mr. B to take me over to my storage unit because I wanted to retrieve my set of dumb bells so I could do exactly what I did on Tuesday night. I completed a Shoulder/Bicep circuit workout and finished up with some Abs. It was nice to see that I burned an easy 150 calories in the 30 minutes.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Run - Treadmill - 3.5 miles (35:56)

Pinks and I (mad lurve for my Reebok's) headed to the gym treadmill at lunch again and knocked out a speedy run. 

Today I completed my first ever 3.5 mile run during lunch! This made me extremely happy. The most I have ever completed was a 3.25 mile and that was because I was including intervals.

I completed this feat by increasing my speed by .1 after the first .25 miles and then another .1 after another .75 miles and then kept repeating this until I hit 3 miles. Then after that I increased my speed by .1 then again after .25 miles. I believe the last quarter mile I ran was at a 6.3.

P.M. Workout - Step Aerobics DVD

In addition to dusting off my free weights from storage, I also purchased an Aerobic Step. Back in the 90's I loved Step Aerobics! It's an awesome workout and can burn some awesome calories. After work I knocked out an old school step workout with my friend Gilad and blasted 469 calories. 

Thursday, February 21, 2013
Rest 

Friday, February 22, 2013
Run - Treadmill - 800s - 3.5 miles (35:27)

Since my 400s workouts have been going so well over the past few weeks, I decided that I would attempt 800s during my lunch time run and knocked out another 3.5 miles. I must say that I am in love with 800s! 

Saturday, February 23, 2013
Rest 

Sunday, February 24, 2013
Long Run - Rockefeller State Park Preserve - 8 miles (01:40:20)

It felt super awesome to be back running on the trails. Mr. B and I haven't been for a month and a half due to sickness and nasty weather, but Sunday we were back at it. We had to modify our course a bit due to patches of ice and big sloshes of mud puddles, but it was all worth it. I was aiming for a 6 mile run and left with 8 miles under my belt and yes that is a big pile of snow behind my wrist.

In summary, this past weeks workout was amazing for me. I managed to complete 5 days of running for a total distance of 22.27 miles.

I also incorporated a bit of strength training and a cross training workout. I am planning on continuing to mix things up with some of my DVDs and will continue to strive for running at least 4 days a week. 

So tell me, do you work out with DVDs?

Back in the 90s into early 2000, I was an avid user of home workout DVD's, but they were VHS tapes then. It was an awesome way to get a workout in without the major expense of a gym membership. 

If so, what's in your home collection?

My collection includes 3-4 Jillian Michaels DVDs, 2 Gilad DVDs and a new DVD that is suppose to mimic attending a Ballet Barre class. I will share more about that after I give it a whirl.

Workout Roundup (01/07/13 - 01/13/13)

Can't believe it's Monday already! To me there never seems to be enough hours to the weekend to do all I want and before we know it, we are back to the grind of work. So before this week gets away from me, I want to recap my workouts from the past week (01/07/13 - 01/13/13).

Monday, January 7, 2013:

Rest Day - I was extremely exhausted from the day before (my honey and I spent several hours on Sunday evening deep cleaning the apartment after a weeks worth of renovations had been done in our living space) and decided sleeping in an extra hour and a half was wise before heading into work.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013:

Gym - Treadmill Run - 3.5 miles of 400s (35:15 @ 2:41pm)
Spent day two sleeping in again, but didn't want the day to go by without a run. I managed to hit the gym during my lunch hour and completed 7 sets of intervals on the treadmill. I alternated quarter miles with a 10:42 pace and 9:31 pace. Legs were tired at the end and I averaged a 10:00 minute mile pace.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013:

Ran 4 miles (45:56 @ 6:20am) - Astoria Park Track
Since I can't see my Garmin watch in the dark without hitting the light button, I decided to run on how I felt instead of focusing on maintaining a certain pace. Whenever I run by feel, I always have negative splits (each mile run gets faster) and I am always surprised because the way I feel during the run doesn't always match what my splits end up being. They are always better! So until spring daylight comes back for my morning runs, I think I just might stop looking at my times while running.

Thursday, January 10, 2013:
Rest Day - No Excuse

Friday, January 11, 2013:
Rest Day - No Excuse

Saturday, January 12, 2013:
Rest Day - No Excuse

Sunday, January 13, 2013:

Ran 9 miles (44:37 @ 10:17am) - Rockefeller State Park Preserve

It felt so nice to be back running on the trails! While this is my hardest and longest run of the week, it's also my most favorite run of the week! It is so nice to get away from the city and run in fresh air along the trails. My goal for this run was A) I would be happy with 6 miles and B) thrilled with 8 miles. The longest run I had done since the marathon was 6.25 miles in the snow two weeks ago. I surprised myself with pulling out a 9 mile run on Sunday. It was tough, but oh so worth it!

Now let's look how my mileage is stacking up towards my 2013 Goal of:

This weeks total mileage of 16.59 miles plus last weeks mileage of 8.12 miles, I am now at 24.71 miles run so far this year.

When I set this goal I figured I would need to run close to 20 miles a week for 52 weeks to hit my goal. While I didn't hit the 20 mile mark for the past two weeks, I am still confident that I will hit 1,000 miles this year. So far I have 3 big half marathon (13.1 miles) races scheduled, between March and April, which will help make up the missing mileage (because of my increased training plus races) from these two weeks.

My first half marathon of the year is the NYC Half on Sunday, March 17, which is just over 8 weeks away. Starting this week my mind is completely focused on getting my training going for this race. Sunday's 9 mile run was a nice reassurance that I still got long miles in my legs since the marathon, but I still have work to do! 

Anybody do anything fun over the weekend? 

Besides running, I couldn't pull myself away from the book "Running Barefoot" by Amy Harmon. My sister recommended it to me and I read that baby in 3 days! I did not want to put the book down. Here is the Amazon book description: 

"When Josie Jensen, an awkward 13-year-old musical prodigy crashes headlong into new-comer Samuel Yazzie, an 18-year-old Navajo boy full of anger and confusion, an unlikely friendship blooms. Josie teaches Samuel about words, music and friendship, and along the way finds a kindred spirit. Upon graduation, Samuel abandons the sleepy, small town in search of a future and a life, leaving his young mentor behind. Many years go by and Samuel returns, finding his old friend in need of the very things she offered him years before. Their roles reversed, Samuel teaches Josie about life, love, and letting go. Deeply romantic and poignant, Running Barefoot is the story of a small town girl and a Native American boy, the ties that bind them to their homes and families, and the love that gives them wings."

If you think this story might be something you'd like, I highly recommend it!

Weigh-In Wednesday #1

Welcome to my Weigh-In Wednesday and Workout Roundup! Today I am going to update you on my past weeks workout and where I also weigh-in on my 2013 Goals. I am going to make this a weekly post to check-in with you all and talk about how things are progressing in regards to achieving my goals.. Today I will update you on the first 3 goals I set for the year: Weight Loss, Weight Lifting and Running 1,000 miles.

First, here's what my workouts looked like for the past week (12/31/12 - 01/6/13): 

Monday, December 31, 2012:

Ran 4 miles (45:22 @ 11:26am) - Astoria Park Track

This run was a little tough on me since the day before I ran 6.25 miles up at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve Trails in 2-3 inches of snow. My legs were tired and felt like logs, but I was happy I was able to eek out a few miles on the track.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013:

Rest Day - My body was aching from the previous 2 runs so I decided to take a complete rest day.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013:

Gym - Leg Weights, Abs
Since I do weights during my 1 hour lunch break, the workout tends to be a circuit workout and I am a sweat monster when it's all said and done. This was my first weight workout in over 6 months. When I became so focused on my Fall Marathon training, weights kind of went out the window. Not a great thing, but it happened. By the time I headed home from work, my muscles were screaming at me. 

Thursday, January 3, 2013:
Ran 4 miles (46:15 @ 5:30am) - Astoria Park Track
My legs and abs were sore and I was hoping a run would help to loosen them up. Completing the run wasn't too bad. My legs pulled through it and I ran a tad but slower 4 miler.

Friday, January 4, 2013:
Rest Day - No way in heck could I move. My leg weight and ab workout was really hitting me hard.

Saturday, January 5, 2013:
Rest Day - My body was still aching and I chose to give it another rest day.

Sunday, January 6, 2013:

Ran 4 miles (44:37 @ 10:17am) - Astoria Park Track

My honey and I got up at our usual 6:30am time in order to drive up to Rockefeller State Park Preserve for our weekly long run on the trails. Unfortunately, when we got there the trails were unsafe to run. Last Sunday we ran there in 2-3 inches of snow, this week the trails were covered in a compact sheet of ice. While there were other runners out there, we decided it wasn't worth the risk of falling and hurting ourselves. So we got back into the car and drove to our usual morning running spot of the park track. The ideal place to have done this run was in Central Park, but due to our schedule that day, we did not have time to hop on the subway to get to the park. So the track it was and let me tell you I struggled. My legs were tired and by the time I finished my 4th mile I was done. It wasn't the long run I had planned, but it was better than nothing!

Now on to my goals...

Ever since my early 20's I have always struggled with my weight. I am a known yo yo'er in the weight loss/gain department. My weight generally tends to reflect how things are going in my life and it didn't help that I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism in my mid 30's which makes losing weight all that more of a challenge. In 2006 I got down to 130 pounds. The lightest I had weighed in years. Within 6 months of completing my first marathon, the weight slowly crept back on my body. Looking back, I know what happened.

For the past 6 years, my weight has gone up and done enough. In 2009, I managed to get my weight back down to 142 pounds after it crept into the 160's. Then in 2010, I started working a Night Shift job and for a year and a half my weight bloomed to an all time high of 178. 

Last year I was determined to do all that I could to take the weight back off. My focus was on the 15 pounds I gained while working nights. I did succeed with that, but it was not easy. While I can lose weight one week, the next week I could put some or all of it back on and then some weeks there will be a continual weight loss. 

By the time I ran my marathon in this past October, my weight was at 165 pounds. I managed to keep my weight steady until the week before Christmas. I had been sick the previous 3 weeks and I could not workout. Then the sweet treats at the office was a temptation for me. The week of Christmas my weight was at 169.5 pounds. I took the opportunity of my staycation to get back into running and healthy eating. By New Years Eve my weight was down to 168 pounds.

I weigh myself every Monday morning and I am using my starting weight for my 35 pound weight loss journey as 168 pounds. So where does my weight stand after the first official week of 2013? Here's the numbers:

12/31/12 - 168 pounds
01/07/13 - 166 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 2 pounds

I am happy with that number. I know what I need to do and I am going to try and stay focused on it this year. I know it won't be easy. I know I can't look at the big number of losing 35 pounds. I know I have to focus on breaking the 35 pounds up into smaller goals. Right now, I am focused on achieving a 10 pound weight loss.

By reading my workout roundup above, you noticed I only lifted weights once last week. I shocked my body with that workout and it totally rebelled on me. This week I am going to focus on lifting a lighter weight and I think that my soreness won't render me into a debilitated old lady!

Last year I ran 615 miles. I was surprised to see that number and my mind was imagining what it could have been if I had been running consistently throughout the whole year. That's where the 1,000 mile goal came into play. I will be totaling my mileage starting from January 1st. So minus my run on December 31st, I have run 8 miles towards this goal. It was a low mileage week due to my sore/fatigued body. I am feeling much better this week and look forward to my mileage increasing this week.

Overall I am pleased with the start I have had towards achieving these goals. I know it's going to be interesting and probably a roller coaster of a ride at times. I hope you come back on Wednesdays to see how things are shaping up for me and who knows, maybe you'll read something here that will help you with your own journey.

So tell me, anyone else set some health related goals for themselves this year? How's it been going for you so far?