Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween!

50 mins. ellip. incl. 6x3 mins. on, 3 mins. off2x20 water pump extensions=80I made it to the gym this morning before a long day of work, which seemed to drag forever. However, the day was made bearable by knowing that there were plans for a fun Halloween evening with friends. A late evening downpour did its best to deter even the most intrepid trick-or-treaters, but fortunately the downpour ceased in time for a few vampires and Supermans to enjoy some of our can...

Friday, October 30, 2009

Successful Baby Workout

Friday, 10/3019 min. w/u (2.5 miles)2 mile predator run in 12:33 (6:20, 6:13)17 min. c/d (2 miles)Total: 6.5 milesThursday, 10/29AM: 30 mins. ellip.15 mins. corePM: 45 mins. ellip.2x20 water pump extensions=80As you know, the word "success" as defined when one is coming back from injury is relative. Although the pace I ran today averaged out to almost the exact same pace I ran for a half marathon in June, I couldn't have been happier to run sub-6:30 (hell, I would've taken sub-7) on my first baby workout. Jenna ran with the the entire way, which...

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Two Days in a Row

Wednesday, 10/28AM: 4.5 mile run30 mins. pool2.75 mile run2x20 water pump extensions=80Total: 7+ milesTuesday, 10/27AM: ~6.5 miles2x20 water pump extensions=80PM: 25 mins. ellip.Despite the fact that it amounts to less than Jilane does on her typical warmup, I was pretty proud of myself to notch 13+ miles in little more than 24 hours. And, more importantly, to feel good doing it. Not "good" as in fit, but "good" as in my hip cooperated fully. The...

Monday, October 26, 2009

Being Smart and Stuff

AM: 50 mins. ellip.PM: 30 mins. ellip.15 mins. coreStarted the week off without running. Although I definitely wanted to get out there, Simmons and I both agree that I need to take it slow and keep things under control. I have four days of running on the schedule for this week, including a short predator run on Friday (don't laugh, thanks) and a "long run" of 8 on Sunday. Looking forward to ...

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Week in Review

25 miles4 hours 30 mins. elliptical30 mins. pool6 AFDs1 Team MJ runI'm getting there...

A New Record

AM: 7 miles2x20 water pump extensionsPM: 30 mins. poolYes, you read that correctly; I ran 7 miles today. Trust me, it's a big deal. Had I not been running with Jenna the entire time and keeping myself distracted with our conversation, I'm sure I would've been focusing on nothing but how pathetically out of shape I am. Instead, I managed to make it to the last few miles before I was really laboring.Post run Simmons showed me some one-legged exercises he wants me to do every day called water pump extensions. Basically you rest your back leg on something...

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Candlelight 8k

AM: 50 mins. ellip.PM: Candlelight 8k volunteeringJordan won some surprise cash tonight at the Candlelight 8k.Me, Tanya and Benny handed out water and cheered people...

Friday, October 23, 2009

Conference Carolinas Champs

AM: 3 mile run30 mins. ellip.3 mile runPM: Conference MeetI had toyed with the idea of running Conference today, for nothing else than to help the team, but Simmons vetoed it. Probably for the best. The meet is at McAlpine, which is a notoriously flat and fast course, but there is one very short and very steep uphill followed by an equally short and steep downhill and a sharp righthand turn. This would no doubt spell trouble for me and we decided...

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Get On the Bus

60 mins. ellip. incl. 5x5 mins. on, 5 mins. offDecided to play it safe today and skip out on the run. There was still plenty of adventure to be had, however...since my car is still in the shop and we didn't want to abuse Tanya's generosity again, this meant that Jordan and I each took the bus to our respective jobs this morning. Having never ridden a city bus before, I was a bit nervous. Fortunately for me it worked out perfectly, as there is a bus stop within a 5 minute walk of our apartment, then another one literally cross the street from the...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Third Day In a Row

AM: 3 miles30 mins. ellip.PM: 30 mins. ellip.Tanya came through huge time and graciously offered up her car for Jordan and I today since mine is in the shop. This meant I was more than happy to bundle up and head out the door at 7am so I could jog to campus and snag her keys. Since I had some extra time I tacked on a quick elliptical sesh in the fitness center as well. Always good to start the day feeling like I accomplished something.However, in the afternoon, my ambitious plans for a long x-training workout fell a bit flat. Put simply, my legs...

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Back in Charlotte

AM: 4.5 milesPM: 45 mins. ellip.3 mile walkI don't remember much about this, even though I'm posting a mere two days later. Guess it wasn't too exciti...

Monday, October 19, 2009

Monday Morning on the Mall

AM: 5 miles25 mins. ellip.Since Jilane had to go to work and Jordan and I had to get ready to head back south, Team MJ set out for a jaunt around the Mall at 7am sharp.The sky was still dark for the early miles, but by the time we doubled back around the reflecting pool we could tell it was going to be a gorgeous day. Pretty much the complete opposite of the rest of the weekend. Also of note, this was my longest post-injury run to date. I only had...

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Week in Review

12 miles4 hours 40 mins. elliptical25 mins. pool2 runs with Team MJ6 AFDs (not sure how I managed that)This week was pretty awesome. I got to spend time with some of my favorite people in one of my favorite cities, and managed to work in two Team MJ runs. Can't really ask for much more than th...

Same Old Workout, Different Fitness Center

60 mins. ellip.I woke up this morning 100% sure I was catching Jordan's cold. I felt awful. That, combined with last night's revelry and merriment and the cold, dready weather left me with zero motivation to run. Plus, I'm still giving the whole "being smart" thing a try, so I figured it couldn't hurt to space out my runs by a day or two. Thus, I finally managed to rouse myself from the black hole that is Jilane and Ben's couch around 11 and hit up the fitness center downstairs. I wouldn't exactly say it was fun, but I got it done.Oh, and my arms...

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Ashley Piche

AM: 4 milesPM: Wedding and lots of walkingIt's hard to know where to go with this entry. I could talk about the run, which was cold and rainy and dismal yet made perfectly enjoyable by the fact that it was pain free and that I was running with Jilane. Or I could talk about the wedding, which was lovely, despite walking through the aforementioned rain in high heels and formal attire. I could also spend some time on the reception, which predictably...

Friday, October 16, 2009

"You Hate It...But You Love It"

AM: 2 mile run; 1 mile walk15 mins. corePM: 15-20 mins. running/ellip.100 pushups in ~7 minutes12 minutes P90X absBecause I'm lazy, and because I just got home from a fantastic weekend in the District and am behind on life, and because Jilane did such an excellent job the first time around, and because her blog is password protected, I'm going to save all of us some time and simply copy her entry from Friday pretty much verbatim. As in same words,...

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Packing for the District

Thursday, 10/15AM: 30 mins. ellip.PM: ~20 min. run (2.5 miles)Wednesday, 10/14AM: 60 mins. ellip. incl. 6x3 mins. on, 2 mins. offPM: 15 mins. ellip.15 mins. coreGotta make this quick, as I'm knees deep in clothes attempting to pack for my trip to DC tomorrow. The weather has thrown me for a loop; while I was envisioning the crisp, sunny, utterly amazing weather that greeted me for MCM week last year, unfortunately the forecast looks to provide nothing but cold temps and rain throughout the weekend. Lame. Oh well. Though the weather outside may...

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Progress

AM: 28 mins. (3.5 miles)PM: 45 mins. ellip.The fact that I ran 28 minutes this morning is secondary. The real news is that I ran 28 minutes pain free. I don't know what happened between last week and this week, but I felt like a completely different person out there. From the first few steps I could tell the hip flexor had taken a turn for the better, and things stayed more or less the same throughout the course of the run. My stride felt much more natural and less gimpy than it has the past few weeks when I've tried to run, and my breathing was...

Monday, October 12, 2009

Manic Monday

AM: 30 mins. ellip.25 mins. core25 mins. poolPM: 20 mins. ellip.This week is going to be absolutely crazy with work, school, homework, taking my car into the shop and hopefully trying to see Brooke again before she leaves. The good news is that a weekend in DC and a reunion with some of my favorite peeps is on the horizon, which will no doubt make all the craziness worthwhile. I can't wait to take a break for a few days and get out of to...

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Week in Review

6 hours 15 mins. elliptical6.5 miles30 mins. pool3 Lifetime movies3 days with Brooke...

Sunday

60 mins. ellip. incl. 5x5 mins. on, 5 mins. offTwo major takeaways from today:1. I love Brooke and am so fortunate to have the opportunity to see her as frequently as I do.2. I am so incredibly, unbelievably, indescribably OVER being injur...

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Movie Night

AM: 45 mins. ellipPM: YamaBrooke was game for accompanying me to the fitness center this morning, so I took a gamble on the doors being open early and, to my surprise, they actually were. Thus, we were able to get in some quality elliptical and stretching time before I headed off to work for the majority of the day.However, in yet another lucky break, we were overstaffed on a relatively slow Saturday, which meant that I got to leave at 3 instead of staying until close of business at 5. Since neither Brooke nor I had really eaten lunch, we opted...

Friday, October 9, 2009

Ladies Night

60 mins. ellip. incl. 25 min. "predator"15 mins. coreAlthough yesterday I was sad to bid Jordan farewell, my frown quickly turned upside down knowing that my bestie Brooke would be joining me for the weekend. She will be in Charlotte Monday through Wednesday for business, so it worked out perfectly for her to come in a few days early for a visit. Our grand plan included Jilane coming down from DC, but she gave us some lame excuse about her parents coming to visit her and wanting free meals or something along those lines. Whatev. I'm over it.At...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Another Week

Thursday, 10/8AM: 25 min. run (3 miles); 10 min. walkPM: 45 mins. ellip.Wednesday, 10/7AM: 27 min. run (3.5 miles)15 mins. coreChiroPM: 45 mins. ellip.Tuesday, 10/6AM: 55 mins. ellip. incl. 6x3 mins. on, 2 mins. offPM: 20 mins. ellip.Monday, 10/5AM: 25 mins. core30 mins. poolPM: 45 mins. ellip.This week has been crazy busy, due to a combination of homework, working four days as opposed to my usual two, and other general activity. This morning I dropped Jordan and our friend Dave, a Princeton alum and Zap runner, off at the airport for their big...

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Week in Review

8 miles7 hours elliptical30 mins. pool4 AFDsThings are getting better, slowly but surely. The highlight of the week is definitely the fall weather. That, and my alma mater being ranked higher than Jordan's for the first time since we started dating.Riff, ram, bah zooLickety, lickety, zoo, zooWho, wah, wah, whoGive 'em hell, T...

Weekend Update

Sunday, 10/4AM: 20 min. run (2.5 miles)30 min. walkPM: 60 mins. ellip. incl. 5x5 mins. on, 5 mins. offSaturday, 10/3AM: 45 mins. ellip.Saturday was great times as I worked out in the morning, then met some of my fave OCOM peeps for breakfast at the Original Pancake House. Kim, Gunilla, Bess and Jason had just finished running Race for the Cure, which Jordan and I skipped out on due to the overall cluster effect of having 15,000 people converging on uptown Charlotte. That said, we were more than happy to meet them for a post-run breakfast, as were...

Friday, October 2, 2009

Run #2

AM: 25 mins.3 milesPM: 55 mins. ellip. incl. 25 mins. "predator"I drove down to the bike path that's about a 5-minute run from our house so that I could meet Jordan for a few miles. The 5-minute section I skipped out on consists of an uphill section from our apartment, followed by a downhill section on the sidewalk, then an iffy street crossing to get to the bike path. Hence, I didn't want to waste what promised to be a brief run on crappy terrain. So Jordan ran from the house and I drove to the bike path to meet him. From there we ran to Freedom...

Thursday, October 1, 2009

So You're Saying There's a Chance

Thursday, 10/1AM: 25 mins. ellip.25 mins. core30 mins. poolWednesday, 9/30AM: 30 mins. ellip.20 min. run (!!)2.5 milesChiroPM: 40 mins. ellip.Tuesday, 9/29AM: 30 mins. ellip.PM: 55 mins. ellip. incl. 2x6 mins. on, 4 mins. off; 5x1 min. on, 1 min. offYep, you read that correctly--I ran 20 minutes on Wednesday. It's a new record. And, to be completely honest, while I didn't feel 100% normal I felt about 10 times better than last week. Much less gimpy, more fluid, less uncomfortable. This was definitely a step in the right direction and the first...