Tuesday Booty-Kicking

photo by The Fitness Lab

I have a love-hate relationship with Dillon Kreider. No, that's not true at all. But maybe a love-fear relationship?

Dillon is the lovely, tiny, VERY FIERCE trainer I worked out with for a while back in 2011-2012. Her gym, The Fitness Lab, moved to Ballard last year… because her old space was demolished to build a certain running company's new HQ…

I remember the first couple of times I worked out with Dillon -- and how SORE I was afterward! I always loved the workout, but I did find myself craving the outside world… which led me to the Vast Fitness Boot Camp at Green Lake (which I still miss!).

I kept thinking I should check out Dillon's cool new space (after all, it's only a mile from my house), and I was craving a little external motivation… so hooray for finding a Gilt City deal for three months unlimited + two Inbody 230 body fat testing sessions. (More on that later…)

I sent Dillon a note -- I know I'm not a "new" client, but it had been a while -- and she graciously said that she would love to see me. I told her I was in dire need of a little butt-kicking, and she said she would be happy to supply the boot!

Well, today was my third Body Revolution class. I decided I should be a bit careful, and start with 2 mornings/week. As long as I manage to hold up, I'll try adding another day per week.

Today we warmed up, did some back strengthening work as a group, and then Dillon quickly set up the circuits for us:
- a single-leg squat on a TRX (let's just say I really need to work on my balance…)
- an agility drill moving sideways over little hurdles
- curl and overhead press while standing on one foot
- another single-leg squat on a TRX
- dumbbell skiers (surprisingly, just what it sounds like, once you see it…)
- squat rows with kettle bell
- lateral raises while standing on one foot
- pushup intervals -- 5 fast, 5 slow, repeat

We did three circuits total, with short breaks in between. The workouts are fun, varied, and move very quickly. At the end, we stretched out and were done. Phew!

I admit it -- the workouts definitely kick my butt. This is a good thing. I love that I feel stiff and sore the next day. Not hurt, mind you, just… worked out. Tomorrow is a day off, but I'll be back at 6am on Thursday!

Decem-BURPEE!!!

How can it be December already? Where did 2013 go???
I've got lots off things going on this month -- and I'm feeling excited about getting back into the swing of things -- and jumping into 2014 with the wind at my back. (Perhaps writing while Wil plays Assassin's Creed 4 has injected a bit of nautical-speak into this post...)

Thing 1: it's actually week three of Coach Jenny's Holiday Challenge! In order to keep us all on track during the season of eating (that is, the holidays...), CJ has put together a simple challenge that runs through Sunday, January 5th, 2014. Set a realistic mileage goal -- which is totally up to you, and should reflect what you can realistically achieve during this super-busy time. Besides walking and running mileage, you can add miles for cross-training, too: every 10 minutes of cross-training = 1 mile running. I've been setting my goals pretty conservatively -- and hitting them the past two weeks. But for some reason the hardest part is actually managing to post them on Facebook!!! If you're interested, you can register for the challenge here.







Thing 2: Tomorrow is the beginning of Sync Fitness's "Holiday Hotties" program -- three weeks of unlimited boot camp workouts, food and drink tracking, and prizes, fabulous prizes... We had our kick-off meeting last week -- I'm excited that we'll actually be getting started tomorrow!

My goal is to go to boot camp 10 times over the three weeks -- which isn't a ton, and I'm already giving myself a couple of bonus "sleep in" mornings. Ideally I would go to BC Monday - Thursday, but we'll see how my old body holds up. (Did I mention that I'm only recently not feeling sore after last Wednesday's killer Barre workout???) I know I won't go in the evenings or during the weekends, but I'm not in it to win it. Just in it to get myself back on track.
I think my challenge will be to drink all of my water (80 ounces/day?!?) and to track my food. I'm also going to challenge myself to try at least one new recipe each week. Things high on my list: a quinoa adaptation of one of the rice bakes in my cookbook; spagetti squash; and one of Sara's recipes.
Of course, the other part is just to get back to tracking my food -- I always eat healthier if I remain accountable; getting back to tracking daily will be a great habit to acquire before the new year!
Thing 3: Clearly, I like a structured challenge... so I decided to look for a 30-day challenge to do in December. I'd like to strengthen my marshmallowy core, so this 30-Day Plank Challenge seems like an obvious one to try. Except, of course, that I have a VERY difficult time imagining that I'll be able to go from a 20-second plank on December 1 to a FIVE MINUTE plank on December 31. But who knows, without trying?

30 Day Plank Challenge

Thing 4: Okay, so this is totally not my original idea. But when I was looking for different plank challenges, came across the cleverly named "Planksgiving" -- which was a 30-day plank challenge for November that was featured on the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans site. And then I saw that their December theme challenge was 31 Days of Burpees. Which, instantly in my mind, became Decem-BURPEE. Yeah, dumb, but it STILL makes me giggle, 3 hours later.
So here is their lovely 31 Days of Burpees -- aka Decem-BURPEE challenge calendar... Who's with me???

Pushups are hard.

A slightly bigger group at this morning's boot camp -- not at big as before the holidays, but still 10 or 12 folks. This morning we did a circuit -- several exercises, 20 reps each, as many sets as we could get through -- aiming for 4.

I did that annoying thing I always do -- I watched others do the workout, and thought to myself, "Hmmm. She's not doing 20 reps" and "She's not doing all the lengths" and "She's not doing those right." I could hear Wil's voice saying, "Run your own race!" so I tried to ignore it. But it kept bothering me. Why, I just don't know. I guess I'm a rule follower.

I told Wil about it when I got home, and he actually agreed with me -- that it seems weird when, in a boot camp when the only person who matters is you, why not just put in the reps?

I really struggled with doing pushups with one hand on a medicine ball -- had to modify every single one, and on the last round I had to stop a couple of times to regroup. And as far as "bosu get ups" go, I simply couldn't get all the way down to it without torquing my knees. So probably other ladies were watching me and thinking, "She's totally not doing that right."

Swimming!

Months and months ago I bought a Groupon for swims at a pool not too far from my work. Well, in typical procrastinatory fashion, I waited a looooong time to redeem it. I kept meaning to go, but, well, you know how it is.

So, with an impending expiration date of January 19, I decided to go check the Juanita "Wave Aquatic Center" pool out.

Arrived to a nearly empty parking lot. No surprise, really -- school is out for the holidays, and, well, not that many people are going to get up and swim at 8am during the holidays either.

I headed in to the building and discovered that the women's locker room was locked. Oh. And the counter looked pretty locked up as well. But there was a little sign that said, "Please pay on the pool deck", so I tentatively pushed through the doors.

There were 4 or 5 people swimming, a couple of bored-looking lifeguards, dubstep coming through the speakers, and a chill in the air. To be honest, I wasn't even sure that the pool was open, but the lifeguards were friendly, set me up with a punch card, and turned me loose

The pool was pretty cold -- but also pretty refreshing. I picked up a kickboard and a pull buoy and settled in to an empty lane. The new goggles I bought yesterday were awesome -- no leaks at all. (I do think I had them fastened too tightly -- I had some killer goggle marks for a while after my swim!)

My goal wasn't to swim all that much -- the emphasis today was really just getting into the darn pool. I swam sets of four lengths each: freestyle, kickboard, arm pulls, then a little break, arm pulls, kick board, freestyle. Then four more lengths to cool down, and I was done.

On my way out the lifeguard asked if I thought the water was too cold, and told me that the school had turned the boilers off for the Christmas break. Oh. Then a little girl in the locker room told me that the showers were just as cold. Oh.

But I didn't feel like driving to work in my suit for a shower, so I just took a chilly shower there. Brrrrrrrr.

Nice to swim, nice to use a Groupon (ha ha). I've got nine more swims to do before we move to the U District in March!

Boxing Day Boot Camp

Managed to get myself out of bed early on Boxing Day to go to boot camp. Arrived to a nearly empty parking lot, and wondered if I should have checked the site before braving the morning. But as I sat there, another car arrived, so I figured I should just go in.

The 6am camp was wrapping up -- all FOUR of them. Wow. I signed in and wondered if I was going to have a personal training session. I must admit that I was hoping others were turn up because I wasn't feeling particularly strong!

But another woman arrived, and then, a few minutes into the workout, a third woman jumped in. We did a circuit focusing on "butts and guts" -- different squats and crunches, interspersed with cardio.

I was cold to begin with -- the heating hadn't been on in days, apparently -- but never really had a chance to take off my long sleeved shirt when I got warmer. I think I'll be pretty sore in a day or two... but again, really glad to have gone for my third session!

Substitute Boot Camp, day two

Yeah, okay, I woke up sore. Heck, I woke up sore yesterday. But there's a big part of me that LOVES that...

Friday's camp starts at 6:00, so I got everything ready on Thursday night. Well, almost -- realized when I got to the locker room at work that I had an empty bottle of shampoo and no moisturizer in my bag. Oh well, at least I remembered to pack trousers...

There seemed to be a much bigger crowd on Friday than Wednesday. That said, the early class on Wednesday seemed really full, too. Jill led the class again, explaining the exercises at the five stations, and then sending us to run laps as a warmup. We had five stations. I started with three other women at the ring pull-ups / box steps station. We cleverly divided ourselves -- two on boxes, two on rings. (There were only two boxes and three sets of rings.) Once we had moved to other stations, we watched as other groups struggled with too many people at that station... and probably felt slightly smug. 

We did "crossbows" at our second station -- basically pulling super strong resistance bands with alternating arms. 

Then into the big room, where we jumped rope and did wall sits. (Oof.) The station after that had glute planks and something called a "genie squat" (or something...). And at the final station we used weights and did squats and "goal posts". Between each set, and again between each station, we did different cardio bursts, but I found them too brief to really get my heartrate up. 

Here's something a bit weird... people didn't seem to talk much during the workout. I said things a few times, but got little response amongst my group. And there certainly wasn't any whooping or glee. I guess Kerry has spoiled me!

I also felt that there wasn't particularly good form. With people in two rooms, and doing different exercises all at once, it seemed like Jill wasn't able to correct form -- or even demonstrate form. For example -- one of the cardio sessions was "squat jumps". She demonstrated them briefly, but when we started doing them, most people essentially were doing little bunny hops... not proper deep squats with jumps. A little weird.... but as Wil always tells me, I just need to run my own race, right?

Still -- camp is good. I'm happily sore again... obviously it's been A WHILE since I did any upper body or core work. And the facility is nice, and I'm just happy to be back to feeling active. I'm kicking myself a bit that I didn't start going last week -- to maximize the value of my voucher before leaving for Florida -- but this is still a great way to fill in the gap.

Looking at the Vast Fitness calendar, looks like the next session starts on Monday, January 7. Unfortunately I'll miss FIVE of the 16 sessions by running the marathon ... The session after that starts February 11 -- probably a much better time to go. 

So here's my plan:  work out with Sync (substitute boot camp!) till I leave for Florida. Then when I'm back, I can spend a week with Dillon checking out her new place. (She very kindly sent me a "work out with us for a week" token. Actually, she sent two... hmm...) Then I can start up with Kerry again a week after that. Sorted. 

Substitute Boot Camp

My beloved boot camp is on hiatus until January... so when I saw a deal on an INDOOR boot camp not too far from our house, well, I figured it would be a good substitute.

I went to workout today -- and had a blast. Now, it's not fun and playful -- I mean, no one really chatted during the workout, which was a little odd -- but I got a great workout, and, yes, it was very nice to be indoors.

We ran laps around the basketball court to warm up, then did sets of exercises -- squats, pushups, and abs -- interspersed with more laps for cardio.

I like the facility -- a "basketball academy", who knew? -- but once we get back from Florida I'm excited to start back up with Kerry!

(Oh, and, yeah, I'm already sore....)

Imperial Swim

So, the pool at Caesar's Palace is only open from 10-5. And I am at the conference from 9-5 every day. But I really, really wanted to go for a swim.

So today I brought my swimsuit along to the session and, when we broke for lunch, I ran down to the pool. I got changed in the huge, empty bathroom, grabbed a couple of towels, and made my way out to the deserted pool.

Under the watchful eyes of a bored life guard I swam for 20 lovely minutes, got out and dried out in the sun for a few more, and then got dressed and went back upstairs. I grabbed another awesome salad, inhaled it, and slid back into my seat right when we got started.

Pretty much a perfect lunch!

Ode to my Fuel Band

I coveted you from the moment I saw you.

So sleek, so simple.

I had been a Nike+ user from the early days. No, of course I never used the shoes... I really hadn't worn Nikes since, what, 7th grade? But I loved being able to track my miles when I ran. Heck, I still do.

I started with the little shoe pod, a pouch to attach it to my laces, and a sensor I attached to my iPod. My iPods came and went, and I even wore out a couple of sensors. But it was still good.

A year or so ago (probably more?) I bought the SportWatch. That was also cool -- and I still run with it because I love the GPS functionality. It's too bulky (and, well, too NIKE...) to wear every day as a watch, but who cares.I never wore my Garmin as a watch either. And this is much better looking.

And then, ah, the Fuel Band. A sleek little black band for my wrist, tracking my movements and granting me "Fuel Points". I love the device, I love the gamification, I love it love it love it.

But after 219 days, I had a problem. A stretch of the LEDs on the watch had died. Now, these aren't functional, really. I could still see if I hit my goal for the day. But I worried that if they were going, something else inside my be going, too.

Since I'm in Las Vegas for the NNG Usability Week conference -- and staying at Caesar's Palace -- I walked down to the Nike store to see if the folks there could help. After a little hemming and hawing, ("Well.. do you have a receipt?"), the manager said just to swap it out for a new one. Great.

Here's something a little shameful: I asked them to help me sync my day's Fuel Points (and those of the previous couple of days) so that I wouldn't break my streak. Yeah, it's like that. So we synced my old Fuel Band, and it was unceremoniously put in a box... while I was handed a shiny new one.

So -- Nike Store customer service gets an A. That said, they know the device hasn't been around all that long -- so they couldn't pretend I had had it for years.... But it was with a minimum of hassle, and I didn't have to lose my Fuel Band for weeks on end if I had to send it in.

But now I'm struggling to set up the new Fuel Band. Am I perhaps the only person in the history of the Fuel Band to ever get a second one? (No, I'm sure I'm not... but I may well be an edge case...) And it seems that my points from the past three days haven't actually synched. Which leads me to the real crux of the issue:

MY 176-DAY STREAK IS OVER.

Yes, since having the Fuel Band, I only missed hitting my goal one day -- on day 41, I think. And now I have "missed" three more -- including a day when I ran a PR in a half marathon. But, assuming everything sorts itself out, I will be back at it tomorrow. I hope.

By the way, I know I'm a dork.

Post boot camp rainbow

"This is good...."

Sometimes, during particularly tough exercises at boot camp, I hear Miley (sp?) say under her breath, "this is gooooooooood.... this is goooooooooooood...."  I was running next to her on Friday and she said it, which made me laugh. I mentioned it, and she said, "Oh, do I? Huh. Well, I guess it *IS* good..."

Friday was tough -- though I can't really remember it. And then today... OOF. I am already sore, and I know it will just get worse tomorrow. But, as Miley says, "this is gooooooooood...."

After warming up, we did a tabata workout -- first set was squat jumps, then v-ups, then burpees, then bicycles. (I think?) We all noticed that midway through the second round of squat jumps, all of us were hurting. And it just went on and on... I can't even REMEMBER what the second set was. Fierce.

The group was really big today -- 16 people -- possibly the largest boot camp ever? And even though I feel bad that I haven't interacted much with the new recruits, I still blame that on the fact that it's super dark for the first half of the workout.

I have a meeting at 7am tomorrow, so no pre-work run for me. Heck, I'll be lucky to be there by seven! But I think I may be able to get a run in after work. We'll see. I did run on Thursday -- a slow run around Green Lake, but at least it was a run.

Boot Camp in the Dark

Kerry led us through a fierce workout this morning -- almost surprisingly tough. At one point I heard Damon mutter,"I don't like her very much right now..."

BTW, this is what it looked like when I got to boot camp this morning:

Back to Boot Camp!

After a very slothful week off, and a very indulgent weekend celebrating the arrival of Wil's parents for a visit, I was both excited and nervous about boot camp starting back up today!

Arrived to see -- dimly, because it was pitch black -- some familiar faces (Damon, Paul, Maryanne, and Hiromi) and a lot of new faces. I'm sure that on Wednesday we'll have even more of the veterans. I told Kerry that I hadn't run a step or lifted a thing -- she laughed and said she hadn't either!

So we headed out for a warm-up lap -- still really, really dark -- and then did some warming up. Some of the newcomers were a little late -- they probably couldn't see us in the dark!

(Did I mention it was dark?)

But after 15 minutes or so it was just light enough to run our circuit, so off we went. The new recruits seemed nervous -- they didn't know what pace they should run, etc. I just tried to run steadily, but of course I didn't.

Lap 1: 2:02
Lap 2: 4:10
Lap 3: 6:19
Lap 4: 8:30

So one second slower, but better than I thought I would do. I'd like to take ten seconds off my time this month. We'll see.

Then push-ups. With Ellen taking a break, I buddied up with Hiromi and we cheered each other on. I did 22 push-ups, all military, but it took me so long I didn't do any modified ones. So that seems like a step backwards.

Then sit-ups, where I think I did 27 or something. I don't know why I struggle so much with them. Must work on those on my non-boot camp days.

Then the squat hold -- where I lined up next to Paul so he would distract me again. I held on till 2 minutes and then was just simply too bored to continue.

Plank was pretty much the same -- I was first aiming at 1:30, but then decided I should try for 1:45, and then, why not?, 2:00. But I felt shaky at 2 so I dropped out. Hiromi -- queen of the plank -- held on for 7 minutes. Fantastic!

So I'm excited to be back in boot camp, though I'm sad not to have my buddy there. Hopefully next sessions!

Right before I started writing this post, I saw that Kerry had sent one of her inspirational emails:

We all come to boot camp from different areas, life experiences, and fitness/health history -- however, we all start new today.  With that in mind I want you to take the next 10-15 minutes making a list of where you are right now in life.  Physically, mentally, emotionally?  What do you like about your life, what do you dislike/what would you like to change and improve?  How are your relationships (home, play, work)?  What is your life like RIGHT NOW--THIS MOMENT?  Take some time to really think about it--make your list.

When Kerry says "Jump", we just say "How high?" -- so...

Physically -- I'm getting stronger. I have lost 28 pounds since May, dropped a size, and can now run faster than ever before. Sure, I still have some weight I'd like to lose, and of course I'd like to get faster and stronger, but I'm feeling really pleased with my progress so far. 

Mentally -- For the most part, very good. Everything but work is fantastic, and work is -- for the most part -- good. We're coming up to a pretty hectic season, and for some reason my boss if feeling really "under the gun", which makes things a bit more stressful for me. But I am still MUCH happier than I was two years ago at T-Mobile. I work with great people, selling a great product, and enjoy most days. 

Emotionally -- Really happy! 

I like my sweet husband, my lovely furry cats, my friends, my boot camp (of course!), and my life! What would I change / improve? Well, I'd make more time for creative endeavors -- even if it's just working on my cross stitch. I'd also make more time to read -- I went through a little spurt of reading books from the library and really enjoyed it. I should continue to find some things. I'd also like to run more consistently -- I'm always happy for having gone for a run. Why, then, sometimes, do I drag my feet or even refuse to go? And I'd like to make more time for friends. We're always so happy when we make the time to get together with people.

Next....take a moment to think about where you will be 4-5 weeks from now.  That's not a lot of time, but it is long enough to start developing new habits, making adjustments and getting on track towards a better you.  How will your food habits look, what about your exercise habits, how might family life change?  Think about it---and make your second list of WHERE YOU WANT TO BE--WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

Food! In 4-5 weeks I'd like to be back using MyFitnessPal regularly. Not sure why I have been struggling to do that over the last few weeks. It's so easy to do, and it is so satisfying. So that's a top priority. I also need to work on my snacking -- even if I am now snacking on healthier things, I should still be watching the snacks. 

Exercise! Boot camp EVERY meeting -- unless I'm out of town (but I think that might only happen once?)  And back to running on Tuesdays and Thursdays. See if I can coax Ellen out for morning runs -- or see if I can join Gina and Dre at work? (Scary!) Also, need to get on track for the Goofy training -- I think we're now at a point where we need to ramp up the long runs. 

Work! Keep making lists -- and try not to worry so much about the different projects. Spend a morning each week just making sure to tie up any little loose ends. 

Now.....you have 2 lists to refer back to when you are having trouble staying on track to reach your goals.  Think about how you will feel if you reach your new NOW - in 4 -5 weeks.  It's gonna take some discipline, it's gonna take focus, you may need support (that's what we are for--along with your new boot camp buddies) -- you can do it!  

We want to see you at each workout.  YOU make a difference to the WHOLE GROUP.  Let's work/sweat hard, reach some goals, and have some fun this month!

Just reading the email makes me feel excited and happy. I am so pleased to have found Kerry and Vast Fitness!

Sneaky sneaky test day!

Good turnout for Wednesday morning boot camp! We warmed up on the lower field -- which seemed strange since it was SO DARK. And then I noticed that Kerry was holding her pad of paper.... and realized that she was going to run the fitness test today rather than Friday. Sneaky, sneaky Kerry!

But it was good -- we started with the usual mile run. I started out WAY too fast -- and slowed WAAAAAAAAY down on the fourth lap. But I made myself keep plodding along!

Split one: 1:55 (oops)
Spilt two: 4:02 (really, oops)
Split three: 6:15 (at least I think that's what it was... but my fingers were tingling and I was trying to work out what the heck was causing that...)
Split four: 8:27 -- a two-second PR. :)

I had really hoped to improve a bit more -- but again, I've got to get my pacing sorted out. I still really really struggle with that.

Then pushups -- where I did 21 military and 12 modified. (Last time: 22 and 12. Bummer.)

And sit-ups -- where I did 24, I think... or maybe 30? Can't remember... And, no, I can't remember last time either.

Then squat hold -- where, because Paul and I were distracting each other, I went over 2 minutes for the first time. Huzzah!

And then, plank. Where I think I held for over two minutes as well. Both of the holds were MUCH longer than I had done before -- but I think it's just working on distracting myself rather than my strength.

Kerry promises us "fun" on Friday -- which Ellen interpreted as "fun" and I interpreted it as "ass-kicking". Of course, as Ellen said it, we both laughed and she said, "Yeah, that Pollyanna Dumbass attitude gets me into trouble a lot..."

Bless.

Holiday Boot Camp!

Awesome workout this morning with Kerry and the boot campers! I was impressed by the turnout -- twelve people, including two evening campers. We did lots and lots of arm work today, so I expect to be thoroughly sore by tomorrow.

Also looking forward to Bumbershoot -- day 3. We're going to take it pretty easy today -- the main act we want to see is Skrillex at 9:30 tonight.

We've hit the halfway point!!!

Yesterday Wil had to work, so I spent the day working in the back garden. He came home just in time to see my new creation -- an outdoor "living room". Yeah, it still needs work, but it was a great place to sit outside on the couch and watch the Seahawks game. As we sat there, we started to talk about our Sunday plans...

Would we run? Neither of us really wanted to... But we also just wanted to get the halfway point behind us.

I never did get a discount for the Tacoma Narrows Half in early August... but I had just seen an ad for a 10-miler -- the Over the Narrows Run, for a very affordable $15. We can easily add another 5K to that run for an improvised half marathon, right? After all, what I really want is to run across the Narrows bridge. This will let me do it twice. AND it's a fundraiser for the Rotary. What's not to love? Sadly, I had the date wrong -- it's September 1, not next weekend. So we really didn't have any excuses. We were going to have to get up on Sunday and run.

Wil got us up and moving -- I was sore from Saturday's garden work and felt a little whiny -- but up we got, and we left the house at 6am to drive to Green Lake. Less than three hours later we were back, having run our 20th half marathon -- halfway through the 40@40 project! There's something very nice and soothing about running laps around Green Lake. No traffic, no roads, and a series of repeating landmarks... The flower stump, the Bathhouse, the pool, the Aquatheater, the car... repeat. After the first loop we decided to listen to music (or Radio 4, in Wil's case), to pass the time more quickly. Things went well, but I'm not gonna lie -- I was happy to be done.

I"m sure this photo is much more flattering than I deserve. :)

Let's see, what else has been happening since I blogged? I got through hiatus week with three runs (M, Th, F) around Green Lake. I must have taken Wednesday off. :)  Then I got sick over the weekend -- so sick I took Monday off, missing the kickoff test for Boot Camp! Such a bummer. But I'll of course have last session's end result to compare it to.

This week I also ran twice, on Tuesday and Thursday -- and both runs were great. I guess, since I confessed this to Wil during the run today, I can record it here. I've been following the NHS Couch to 5K program, listening to the podcasts. Most weeks I just did the first two runs -- given that I have Tuesday and Thursday to run. But in the hiatus weeks I have done three runs. I"m now up to running 28 minutes straight, during which I run three miles. Not super fast, I know, but enough that I should be able to PR in a 5K -- one of my stretch goals for 2012. Yay! I'll say this -- the NHS podcasts are great -- decent pop music that all sounds like other songs you know, a host named Laura who sounds a little bit like my sister-in-law Rebecca, and not having to fiddle with a watch -- Laura tells me when to run and when to walk. Next week I'll run for 30 minutes straight -- pretty exciting. I've gotten a little faster, and a lot more confident. I think I'll finally be able to keep up with Wil on the long runs now! :)

Realized with a bit of a start that Wil's folks arrive in less that four weeks. So much to do! Really excited about their visit, and our trip to the Canyonlands in October! (And, now, an excuse NOT to do the Edmonds Half on the 16th of September... ha!)

hiatus week

So we're on hiatus from boot camp this week -- so I've felt a little confused all week.

Damon from boot camp announced that we would hold "buddy boot camp" sessions on Tuesday and Thursday at Roosevelt High School -- so I decided that I would run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Monday I ran 25 minutes straight, coming within a hundred yards or so of a full circuit of Green Lake. That's pretty exciting. I'll do that same workout on Wednesday and Friday -- I'm hoping to complete the circuit one of those days.

Today I went to Damon's workout. A bunch of us went -- Kerry, Kelsey, David (?), and Mylie -- and Damon put us through our paces. Kerry clearly had a great time -- saying how fun it was to have someone else call the shots. We did progressions, lots of sprints, a jog around the school, and lots and lots of pushups. Nice.

Oh, and on Monday night I had my fourth tap class. I felt like we spent a little too much time reviewing, but I'm also one of the students who seems to already "get" it. I enjoy the review -- and I really enjoy the feeling when I just relax and feel the rhythm and it "works". But I would like to feel like we're moving forward a bit more.

I had been feeling a little funny about tap -- I mean, I don't plan to take "intermediate" tap, or try to get better at it. Largely because I can't imagine actually making up a routine. But then today I realized that maybe it's parallel to singing or playing an instrument -- that you can play guitar without writing songs. Maybe I can learn someone else's choreography? I also felt that way about swing dancing -- I could do moves, but I just didn't always know what to do next.

Regardless, I'm really glad to have been taking tap.

Tomorrow -- another run!

Boot Camp Session Two Wrap Up

Today was test day, which isn't a super-tough workout, but is fun and helps me realize that I really am getting stronger.

After warming up, we started with the mile run. My goal was to run without stopping. And to be faster than the last test.

Lap 1: 2:00 -- too fast
Lap 2: 4:04 -- yep, still too fast
Lap 3: 6:23 -- that is probably more like it
Lap 4: 8:29 -- MY FASTEST MILE EVER!!!

I am not sure how I ran at the start of the session, but I finished the last session at 8:58. So yay me.

Pushups? I did 22. Yeah, 22 military pushups. Then 12 very wobbly modified pushups. A stellar improvement.

Situps? 27, I think. Ellen said that I looked really strong in my core. Very cool.

Squat press -- I held for 1:45, but frankly got bored.

Plank I lasted 1:35, which was quite an improvement for me, but I still have a long way to go.

Boot camp!!!

On Monday Kerry asked us what we wanted to work on on Wednesday. So we emailed our requests in, and Kerry designed a super-workout for us.

As I think back to this morning... well, a lot of it was a blur. We did a lot of arm work -- running with our arms up in the air holding resistance bands. Warming up in our usual way, then traveling over to the first hill to do lunges up the hill... with our arms over our heads. I don't usually have pictures from boot camp, but Kerry snapped this and sent this out today:

We then moved over to the hill on the side and did ab work "up hill". A bit of team band work followed -- including the punches I love. Then to the "big" hill, where we ran a series of hill sprint repeats. That's when I thought I would lose it... oh, and I felt like I tweaked my hamstring. At the top we did pushups and dips.

Then back down the hill and we returned to the lower field for cool down. All in all a really fantastic workout. On Friday we'll test. I don't feel particularly fast for the mile, and I also am not sure if I feel very strong for pushups, sit-ups or planks. We'll see. 

Tap!!!

Can I just briefly say how much I love my tap class? Sometimes it feels really easy, sometimes it feel so hard that I worry I'll never figure it out. But a lot of the time I feel relaxed and like it's just flowing. Thank heavens I was born with good rhythm.