Daily Mile & Lift

Well, I'm back at it in full swing!  I'm not really training for anything (even though I'm signed up for Mid Mountain Marathon on September 13th) but just back to my running life as usual.  I've yet to run farther than three miles, but I want to make sure I'm feeling 100% solid before I go venturing out on some long adventure. 
Monday I ran three miles at Crestwood Park where I saw two different foxes!  One took off like a bat out of hell, but the other just hung out in the field watching me and Ozzy, my dog. Then I trained chest and hips (yes, I know strange combo) at the gym with Jeff. 
Today I got up early for leg day after visiting the physical therapist and having him tell me my quads are so dominant that they spill over the sides of my legs.  Hello hamstrings!  Straight leg dead lifts and leg curls, check!
Maybe tomorrow I'll get wild and try four miles!




 
3 miles
33:31
11:10 average pace 

Leg Day

Because training doesn't stop for vacation.  Plus, when there are grandparents and aunts and uncles all over the place, why not take advantage!?


Hey, it was Flex Friday when I took this picture.  That counts, right?

Jeff, getting new PRs!


 
And remember kids, never skip leg day! 

Daily Mile & Lift

Monday I kicked ass on an early morning five mile run up Viscounti. Then I hit the gym and did legs.  Jeff tagged along to the gym as my personal motivator and pushed me to do an awesome leg workout that I am still feeling two days later!  

Leg extensions

Hamstring curls

Squats

Leg press

Standing calf raise

Donkey calf raise

That five o'clock alarm sure comes quick!  But, I do love that early morning peacefulness.  

Run complete. My furry bud and I. (FARF?)

5 miles

49:15

9:51 average pace!!!

Lap 1

2.5 miles

28:17

11:19 average pace

Lap 2

2.5 miles

20:57

8:23 average pace!!!  Did someone call me Mo?

Proof!  BOOM!

Daily Mile & Lift

Somehow it's always the shorter distances that are hard for me.  I'm not sure if it's mental, or what, but often the my single digit runs are the tough ones!  Today was no exception.  My legs felt tired and sluggish and the  headwind was brutal.  I still took plenty of time to enjoy the grey day and some sights along the way.  

Crestwood park.  Another super duper close mini-trail with a spectacular view of the mountains.

Lots of color brightened up this grey, windy run.

Not so shabby for a trail that's smack in the middle of town!

Then, as I was on my way home I kept hearing this sound like kids wailing.  I couldn't figure out what it was until I looked over and saw these guys!  They made me smile!

Home again, home again.

5.28 miles

58:13

11:01 pace

And now I'm completely beat up after killing leg day with Jeff tonight.  He put me through the wringer on the leg press with a killer pyramid set!

Leg extensions

Leg curls

Leg press

Box squats

Calf press

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 

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.  

Hooray for Leg Day!

I'll just say it.  I'm a glutton for punishment.  Saturday I climbed to the top of Lake Mountain, came home and collapsed on the couch for the afternoon before gearing up to go to the gym.  Why would I do this, you ask.  Well, I'd already agreed to go do leg day with Jeff and it seemed the thing to do.  I was tired and so was he, after working a 60 hour work week.  But we headed over to the gym at about 6:30p on Saturday night to party it up!  

1 mile walk- treadmill

Leg extensions

Leg curls

Box squats

Leg press

Donkey calf raise

Gaining strength and shape!

Jeff is a beast!  His legs make mine look like tooth picks.

First time doing box squats.  I think I aggravated my knee with deep and heavy squats, so I'm going to try these for a while.  They felt good and my knee is feeling 100% this weekend, so that is fantastic, all the way around.  Plus, I squatted 115#!

We get to the calf raise machine and I do my set.  Jeff asks me in surprise, "Did you just lift that!?"  The pin was on 136lbs (so I thought) but turns out it was actually 136kg or 300lbs! However, I usually do what I thought was 145lbs but is actually 320lbs.  Surprise!  I have stronger calves than I thought!  Shameless selfie time!

Daily Mile & Lift (And it's Throwback Thursday!)

Hey!  Hey!  Hey!  It's leg daaaay!  I worked it pretty hard, too.  Then for a little run on the treadmill.  My knee was hurting a little, so I did a super short walk/run.  I'm hoping the sore knee is just because I pushed legs so hard, but I suppose I'd better baby it anyhow.

Today's routine:
Leg extensions
Hamstring curls
Sumo barbell squats
Straight leg dead lifts
Angled leg press
Glute machine
Seated hip abductors & adductors

2 treadmill miles
22:56
11:28 average pace

And!  I've been reminiscing about all our (Speedy K and I, of course) fun snowy adventures last winter.  Remember these posts!?

Snow Run December 2012

Guest Blogger, January 2013

Long run cut short, February 2013

Don't stop the party run! February 2013

Daily Snow Hike, December 2012

Now that's what I call good times!  Is it Saturday yet?

Daily Mile & Lift

Today I conquered the world!  Muah ha ha ha ha!  Well, maybe not.  But I sure as hell felt like it!  I had leg curl, glute machine, barbell squat and v squat PRs!  I did my first hundred pound squats- two whole sets! I can envision myself crossing the finish line of my first 100k feeling strong! 

10 minutes elliptical

leg extensions

leg curl (95#)

glute machine (110#)

barbell sumo squat (100#)

v squat (124#)

leg press

donkey calf raise

hanging leg raise

2.5 treadmill miles

25:39

10:15 pace

Leg extensions to start the day.

There she is.  100 pounds.  Isn't she pretty?

WOD Part 2: I Heart Leg Day

I love leg day!  Last night Jeff and I went to my gym and had a grand time beefing up the stems.  I was thrilled that I can now do the hack squat machine.  The last time I stepped into it I couldn't even push the sled up once!  Yesterday I did four whole sets!  Plus, I upped my squat PR by ten pounds (75#)!

The routine:

Warm up: 12 minutes on the stair machine

Leg extension

Leg curl

Sumo barbell squat

Hack Squat

Donkey calf raise

My increased strength propelled me to go looking through some photos and lookie, lookie!  

You can see the strength increase!!  

Now that's what I call hard work paying off!

Daily Mile & Lift

Leg Day & Flex Friday, both!?  Oh boy!
Leg extensions
Sumo barbell squats
Leg press (I did 2 sets with 208#!)
Sitting calf raise

1 treadmill mile 11:48

Jeff squatting what I call an impressive amount of weight, and what he calls, "Not even that much."  Nuts!  His head is cut off because I was trying to be stealthy.  HA!

Happy weekend! 

Flex Friday

This week of vacation has been really nice. Not only have I been able to get lots of runs in, but Jeff and I have gone to the local gym twice and I went to yoga this morning with my father in law!

Leg Day

I finally gave in and headed to the doctor's office to get some treatment for my asthma.  A girl just can't go on running and working out if she can't breathe.  Long story short, I am mostly breathing well now!  I decided that yoga might not be great today, since I am still having random coughing fits.  So, leg day it was!  After murdering my legs so that they felt like lead weights, I hopped on the elliptical and whined for twenty minutes, all the while thinking what great training it had to be!  To push your legs on a hamster wheel after lifting for nearly an hour is no small feat.  Then I headed home and did a bit of ab work.  It feels good to work muscles to complete exhaustion!  Oh, and don't forget... Never skip leg day!

Here is what my leg day looked like:

Hamstring curls- 4 sets

Straight leg dead lifts- 4 sets (20#, 30#, 40#, 40#)

Squats- 3 set (barbell only 45#)

Leg press- 4 sets

Leg extensions- 4 sets

Hip adductors & abductors- 4 sets each

Standing calf raises- 4 sets