Weekly Reviews

February 3-9
Monday Weight lifting + 2 treadmill miles
Tuesday 4.76 trail miles
Wednesday SICK!
Thursday Weight lifting + 4 treadmill miles
Friday Still sick.  Lame.
Saturday  5.2 trail miles
Sunday REST
15.96 miles

February 10-16
Monday 10 minutes elliptical + Full body weight lifting
Tuesday 20 minutes elliptical + Full body weight lifting
Wednesday & Thursday Still battling lame sickness
Friday Leg day + 23 mins elliptical
Saturday 10.08 road miles
Sunday  REST
10.08 miles (Damn sinus pressure kept me from running most of the week.  The pounding in my head was absurd!)

February 17-23
Monday 3.1 road miles + back day + 6 min elliptical
Tuesday 3 road miles + chest & arms day
Wednesday REST
Thursday .9 miles treadmill + 5 mile road run + leg day
Friday REST
Saturday  8.7 trail miles + weight lifting, shoulders
Sunday REST
20.7 miles (That's more like it!  Time to get serious about upping my mileage!)

Dirt, Shoulders & New Kicks

The weather is turning so warm and nice, it's like Spring out!  I'm loving all the dirt trails and lack of frozen extremities.  Saturday morning Katherine, Dona and I met up at Coyote Hollow trailhead to run Ann's out and back.  My plan was to then do another, different loop for a total of about 12 miles, but that didn't happen.  Too much going on at home, and not enough motivation!  But, the miles we did do were wonderful.  It was a beautiful day in Corner Canyon!  We ran into a couple fellows we know from the Wasatch Mountain Wranglers group, but I think we were a little to pokey for them and they took off.  It was still fun to meet other local trail runners and say hello.  

There were tons of deer tracks!

This is what fun looks like!

I LOVE DIRT!

8.7 miles

1:51

12:45 average pace

Then, in the afternoon, I had a bit of time to myself so I did two things.  I hit the running store and the gym.(Shocker, right?)  Number one, I went and bought myself a pair of Altra's for road running.  I am so super stoked about these shoes!  These are actually the men's version of the Intuition 1.5, the Instinct 1.5.  This is what happens when you have feet the size of small boats.  Whatever, they fit wonderfully and it's not like these are the first men's shoe I've purchased.  Next time, I'll just have to have them order my size in the ladies.  

Plus, who can resist a clearance sale?  Not me!  I got both of these pairs of shorts for a total of $35!  Score!

Then shoulders, shoulders, shoulders!  

I'm feeling strong and very happy with my muscle gains.  I know I've said it before, but I'll keep saying it:  I am feeling really positive about this year's racing season.  Bring on that 100k!

Daily Mile & Lift

Thursday I went to the University of Utah Runner's clinic to participate in a study about runner's knee.  It was pretty cool, but I will have to do another post about that later.  After the study I ran over to the gym for a quick leg day workout.  

Then, in the afternoon, when Katherine came over to teach my girl's flute lessons my wonderful, awesome son watched all the kids for us so we could get in a run!  We did the classic Viscounti out and back, and I felt fantastic!  This may or may not have been a PR for that run!  If not, it's darn close!  It usually takes at least 55 minutes for that route.  Go us!

.9 mile treadmill run (knee study)

Leg extensions

Box squats (PR 135#)

Angled leg press (PR 180# added to sled)

Leg curl

Donkey calf raises

Russian twists

Leg raises

Crunches

Hanging oblique raises

Hanging leg raises

Grow quads grow!

BOOM!  Full plates!

Making myself a stronger, better runner!  

Can you believe I didn't take one single picture on our run!?  We were cruising and chatting and it just didn't happen!  

5 miles

51:33

10:18 average pace 

Progress Report

September 20, 2013
Body fat 19%

November 4, 2013
134.4 lbs
Waist at belly button 33"
Waist at smallest 30"
Mid-thigh 18.5"
Thigh at biggest point 20"
Arm (not flexed, right) 10.5"

November 10, 2013
133 lbs
Waist at belly button 32"
Waist at smallest 29.5"
Chest 35"
Mid-thigh 18"
Thigh at biggest point 19.5"

December 8, 2013
131.8 lbs
Waist at belly button: 31"
Waist at smallest 29"
Body fat 18.5%

January 3, 2014
133.2 lbs
Waist at belly button 30"
Waist at smallest 28.5"
Mid-thigh 18 3/4"
Thigh at biggest 20"
Arm 10.5"
Body Fat 17.7%

February 19, 2014
136 lbs
Waist at belly button 30"
Waist at smallest 28.5"
Mid-thigh 19 1/4"
Thigh at biggest 20 1/4"
Bicep (flexed) 11.5"
Arm (not flexed) 11"
Body Fat 14.5%

A reminder to us ladies that lower body weight doesn't always equal more fitness!

Caliper body fat

Daily Mile & Lift

I figured something very important out today.  Lately, when I run on the treadmill at the gym the front of my shins gets totally cramped.  I chalked it up to running on the 'mill and let it go.  But, today I decided to lift and then do a road run since I knew it would be pretty warm.  And it happened on my run!  By about one mile into my run, the front of my shins was a hot mess and I had to stop at my house at 1.5 miles to foam roll my shins.  Then it dawned on me!  It's pump!  It only happens when I run after lifting!  Duh! It was like a light bulb.  So, now I know.  Run first, lift second.  Very important!  

I also took Ozzy running with me for the first time in quite a while.  After the elbow dysplasia diagnosis he was constantly limping after runs, so I haven't run him in months.  I only took him the first mile and a half and he did great, and still no limping!  Yay!

Chest & Arms day

Bench press

Narrow triceps dips

Dumbbell bench press

Skull crushers

Barbell biceps curls

Overhead cable rope triceps extensions

Cable biceps curls

Love this pup!  Crossing my fingers I get my run buddy back!

A girl and her dog on a nice warm Spring Winter day.

Plus, look who came out to play!  Hello bicep vein.  I think I love you.

3 miles

30:28

10:09 average pace

Daily Mile & Lift

Yesterday started off wonderfully, with a nice quick run in my neighborhood and then back day with Jeff at the gym.  I had another deadlift PR, 145 pounds!  Plus, a lat pull down PR of 95 pounds.  It was a good day!

6 mins elliptical

Deadlifts

Wide lat pull downs

Bent over barbell rows

Partial dealifts

Bent over one arm dumbbell rows

Barbell shrug (behind the back)

Good morning Wasatch!

3.1 miles

32:59

10:38 pace

When in Rome

Katherine and I decided on a road run today on this wonderfully warm winter day.  It was 54º at 7am so I slipped on a pair of shorts and a fall/spring top and headed out the door.  We went down to the South Jordan Parkway.  The parkway holds lots of fond running memories for me.  I ran both my first 18 and 20 mile runs there along with awesome friends who rode their bikes with me!  Denise rode along with me on my first 18 miler when training for the 2012 St. George Marathon, and only a couple weeks later, Katherine rode her bike along with a very sick (I'd just gotten over the stomach flu) me on my longest run before race day.  Today was immeasurably easier than either of those runs.  It was the perfect running temperature and we had a blast chatting it up about old times.  There was also a lot of stellar Utah graffiti.  There isn't a lot of that around here, so I always stop to enjoy it.  Yes, I'm odd, and maybe it's because of all the graffiti where I grew up, but I like graffiti.  

Look Ma!  No pants!

The Wasatch front

Wow!  Don't get too wild with your graffiti kids!

Katherine decided that today she was the criminal because of her bandanna.  HA!

You can tell it's Utah because even though they're doing something illegal, they're not really cussing.

Damn!  We forgot our spray paint!

Who knew you were so gangsta, Katherine!?

Overall, an excellent run.  I was surprised that I felt so great the entire time despite the fact that my last run of this distance was in December!  Time to get cracking with the 25k training!

10:08 miles

1:52

11:06 average pace

Flex Friday

Wednesday this lingering cold I've had kicked my ass.  I sat upright (because I couldn't lay down) on the couch and watched TV the entire day.  I kid you not.  I thought my head would explode!  Thursday was miraculously better, but I decided not to tempt fate and took another rest day.  Today I feel like a million bucks compared to Wednesday.  I am still a little congested, but went about life as usual.  Hooray for getting well!  Oh, how I love leg day!  I need these puppies nice and strong to carry me 62 miles in October.  Beef up, stems!

Leg extensions

Hip abductors & adductors

Leg curls: PR alert!  

Box squats

V squats

23 minutes elliptical

Happy Valentine's Day to me!  A leg curl PR of 95lbs.  

A day in the life of...

People often ask me how I do it all.  Well, sometimes I don't.  Sometimes there are dirty dishes, and laundry, and general chaos.  Usually, I run around like a bat out of hell trying to get stuff done so that I can get my run in, or get to the gym.  Today, I documented my mania.

6:15am wake up and lay in bed until my alarm beeps at 6:30am

6:30 make breakfast for myself and the kids

7:00 wake girls, get them dressed, fed and ready for school

8:00 get dressed

8:10 take girls to school

8:20 come home and do some crazy fast house cleaning & start a load of laundry from the pile from hell

9:15 drop off Lila's lunch

9:20 Gym

11:00 pick up Clarissa

11:15 make & eat snack #1

11:30 shower

12:15pm eat lunch and pack snack for Clarissa

12:20 run errands- Bank, Costco, Wal Mart

2:30 unload groceries

2:40 eat snack #2

2:50 Pick up Lila from school

3:00 make Lila snack, orchestrate homework, finish putting groceries away, finally switch that load of laundry to drier 

4:30 sit on arse and fool around on the computer

5:25 make dinner, eat dinner, clean up 

7:00 take Kurtis to craft store to buy him origami paper so he can make sweet paper roses for his girlfriend for Valentine's day (what a guy!)

8:00 make snack for girls, help them get ready for bed

8:15 read stories

9:00 snack #3, more computer time 

It is now 9:53 and I have to finish up this computer nonsense so I can finish cleaning the kitchen and change the laundry over & get ready for bed!  So, there you go.  That's how I "do it all."  Not really very impressive, just busy!

Transformation Tuesday! 

9:15 head back to the girl's school because someone forgot her lunch box

9:20 gym time!

135# straight leg dead lifts

20 minutes elliptical

Straight leg dead lifts

Barbell shrugs

Dumbbell bench press

Overhead dumbbell press

Machine biceps curls

Wide grip lat pull down

Overhead rope cable triceps extensions

Donkey calf raises

Hanging leg lifts & oblique twist lifts

Suck it up, buttercup

Well, since I made all my kids suck it up and go to school with a cold, I decided I should also suck it up and head to the gym.  I didn't push it too hard as I wasn't feeling top notch, but it felt good to be working. I'm really jonesing for some long distance running.  This break from intense mileage has been a very good thing.  Today, it's in the 40ºs and all I could think of was a nice long sunny run in a pair of shorts.  I can't wait to be running long runs every weekend again!  I love those days!  In fact, the next couple of weekends I'm going to go for a bit longer as I need to prep a bit for the Buffalo Run.  Exciting stuff!

10 minutes elliptical
Bench press
Standing barbell military press
Box squat
Pull ups
Single arm dumbbell rows
Glute machine
Russian twists
Bicycle crunches
Crunches

That *is* awesome

Google+ auto awesome made this into a gif!  Yes, Google+, that is awesome!

Daily Mile & Lift

Thursday I got in a great back, shoulders and biceps workout.  Plus, I ran on the treadmill for four whole miles!  That's marathon distance to me when we're talking treadmill.  I can run in the mountains for four hours and feel fantastic, but four miles on the treadmill, well that is a chore! 

Wide grip lat pull downs

Machine lat raises

Narrow seated cable rows

Military barbell press

Barbell upright rows

Barbell biceps curls

Dumbbell hammer curls

4 treadmill miles 

44:37

11:09 average pace

I like the toilet in the background.  It reminds me of my friend Paula.  Paula, this pot's for you!