Back to the Gym

Well, it felt good to get back to the gym today! I took it really easy, though, and did 35:01 minutes (6.16 miles) on the recumbent bike. Recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection, and heading back to work today, I decided to tread lightly. Boy, I miss running, though! Maybe I'll try some of that tomorrow! ;)

Sick

I went to the doctor yesterday, and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection. Ick! At least the flu was ruled out--a relief! So, I didn't exercise yesterday, and will take today off as well. I'm still coughing and have a low grade fever.

Needless to say, I'm going nuts, and really miss the gym! I think my legs and well as my lungs are appreciating the rest, though. I'll be back at it soon.

No Running Today

Since I'm feeling tired and achy this morning, I decided to take a break from running, but I did get on the bike and the treadmill.

1) Rode 6.3 miles (35:04 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 1.46 miles (25 min) on the treadmill

Short Sunday Workout

1) Rode 7 miles (36:01 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Ran 0.51 mile (6:05 min) on the treadmill

Have a full day today, so I decided to cut things short this morning. Perhaps I'll get back to the gym later today. If not, I won't worry about it. Lots of good things on tap today!

Saturday at the Race (Plus a Workout)

This morning, I had my first volunteer stint at a race, the Angels Among Us 5K. I'd planned to race as well, but decided not to race after being on my feet for a busy hour and a half. I'm glad I volunteered, though--it was fun! I saw two people I knew, met a few more, and had a fun time! I got a free race t-shirt for volunteering, but wish I'd gotten a smaller size now. Maybe I can make it shrink!

After my volunteer shift was done, I went to the gym. For some reason, I just didn't feel like running outside this morning.

1) Rode 12.2 miles (65 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Ran 1.12 miles (13 min) on the treadmill
3) Walked 0.7 mile (11:11 min) on the treadmill
4) Ran 1.15 miles (13:09 min) on the treadmill

Now I'm ready for a Saturday afternoon siesta!

Friday Workout

1) Rode 6.3 miles (35:04 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.63 mile (11:05 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 2.16 miles (25:03 min) on the treadmill

Had a little bit left in me, but am volunteering for and running in the Angels Among Us 5K tomorrow morning! Saving a little energy for that.

Thursday at the Gym

My workout reflects that I'm rather pumped this morning--but a little short on time (meeting to try to get to)! First, I got a donation from my cousin, Wayne, for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham, in conjuction with my Outer Banks Marathon training! I'm so excited about this cause, and it's amazing how each donation motivates me! Then, I got a really nice email last night from the founder of the Magnificent Mile Race in Raleigh that made my day (at least!), as she'd discovered and actually read my race report from the 2008 Magnificent Mile! (It's a fun, well-organized race, and will be held on Sept. 13 this year. Run it!)

Anyway, the workout:
1) Rode 4.55 miles (25 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.60 mile (10:14 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 2.33 miles (27 min) on the treadmill

Wednesday Workout

The graph to the left is from the online workout log I keep on runningahead.com. While it's not the only workout log I keep, it shows the most colorful graph of my running miles! Each vertical bar is a day's running miles--the green for "easy" runs, and the blue for "long" runs. There are some other labels for types of runs, which I use on occasion, but my graphs are mostly green and blue. The short bars (and lack of them) on the left side are a result of my injury recovery, and you can the gradual increase in mileage (with some dips) as you go from left to right. Just thought I'd share. :)

Today's workout:

1) Walked 0.56 mile (10:01 min) on the treadmill
2) Ran 2.67 miles (32:04 min) on the treadmill
3) Walked 0.60 mile (10 min) on the treadmill
4) Ran 0.50 mile (6 min) on the treadmill
5) Rode 2.4 miles (12:01 min) on the recumbent bike

Tuesday Gym Workout

I'm a little grumpy this morning, my usual post-Monday-night-meeting weariness setting in. I thought about crawling back under the covers. I usually feel better once I've worked out, but I'm still pretty tired. And grumpy. I'll get over it!

Anyway, today's workout:
1) Walked 0.81 mile (15:05 min) on the treadmill
2) Ran 2.5 miles (25:02 min) on the treadmill
3) Walked 0.30 mile (5:09 min) on the treadmill
4) Ran 0.41 mile (5:01 min) on the treadmill
5) Rode 2 miles (11:02 min) on the recumbent bike

I needed the variety and shorter spurts to keep me going this morning.

Monday Morning Workout

1) Rode 6 miles (30:21 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Ran 1.25 miles (15:07 min) on the treadmill
3) Walked 1.20 miles (20:07 min) on the treadmill
4) Ran 0.59 miles (7:01 min) on the treadmill

Tired this morning, need to get to bed earlier tonight!

Sunday at the Gym

I had a nice workout at the gym this morning! I was kicking myself for not getting there earlier, but once I got into the groove, it was nice.

1) Rode 8.14 miles (45:16 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 1.15 miles (20:01 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 1.74 miles (20:02 min) on the treadmill

I ran a total of 17.27 miles this past week, up from 12.10 miles the week before, so I'm getting back into the game, slowly but surely. I also biked 38.02 miles and walked 8.21 miles this past week.

Saturday Run on the American Tobacco Trail

I picked a beautiful morning to run on the American Tobacco Trail! The weather was slightly cool, and sunny-soo nice! When I arrived, there was a group there about to start a low-key charity run for chordoma research, so once that started, the trail was a little crowded. Still, it was nice to see folks out in special t-shirts, running for a good cause. I ran 4.24 miles in 62 minutes, a pretty good outdoor training pace for me.

I stopped at the gym on the way home, and rode 2.7 miles (15:02 min) on the recumbent bike, and followed it was a 0.9 mile walk (15:17 min) on the treadmill.

Friday Workout

1) Rode 4.5 miles (25:05 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.33 miles (6 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 2.56 miles (31:02 min) on the treadmill
4) Walked 0.35 miles (6:08 min) on the treadmill

My right hip area is feeling a little tender this morning, so I decided to take the running a little slower and a little shorter this morning. It feels like a temporary thing from pushing a little hard during yesterday's (faster and slightly longer) run. I'm just a scaredy cat now about overdoing it too early! Keeping the big picture in mind, with the Outer Banks Marathon (November 8) and Ronald McDonald House fundraising.

It's Thursday at the Gym

1) Rode 5.37 miles (30:01 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 1.23 miles (21:05 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 3 miles (35 min) on the treadmill

Running 3 miles again on a weekday run felt great this morning! That used to be my base norm before my hip thing happened, so it's exciting to be back up there! Progress! :)

Wednesday Workout

This morning, I got the gym early, because I had an 8:15 dr. appointment. Eventhough I was tired, it felt great to get there so early!

1) Rode 3.6 miles (20:01 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.64 mile (11:04 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 2.26 miles (27 min) on the treadmill

The running is getting there, distance-wise. Bit by bit....

Tuesday at the Gym

1) Rode 7.2 miles (40 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.6 mile (10:15 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 2.16 miles (26:05 min) on the treadmill

I'm still feeling a little shy about adding up the miles again, not wanting to get reinjured, eventhough my runs lately have been feeling really good! At the end of my workouts lately, when I HAVE to get ready for work, I've been wanting to spend more time running.

Monday Workout

I got to the gym a little earlier today, and was able to take advantage of the extra time for cardio.

1) Walked 2.71 miles (45:07 min) on the treadmill
2) Ran 1.31 miles (16:01 min) on the treadmill
3) Walked 0.30 mile (5:04 min) on the treadmill
4) Rode 6.51 miles (36 min) on the recumbent bike

My weight was up a bit this morning after yesterday's yummy Easter lunch at Stonewood Grill in Cary, eventhough I only ate half of the salmon serving, and had a baked potato and veggies on the side. I was still tasting salt in my mouth this morning, so I have a feeling some of the weight gain is water weight. Okay, and maybe a little of it was the gelato I split with George after lunch! Back on track today.

Easy Sunday Morning Workout

This morning, I decided to take it a little easy, as my right hip felt a little tender again. I did a lot of standing the past two nights, on top of yesterday's short long run. It's a good reminder that I need to work on my core muscles.

1) Rode 4.48 miles (25:02 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 1.46 miles (25:04 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 1.22 miles (15:09 min) on the treadmill

"Long" Run at Shelley Lake

I woke up pretty weary this morning, and almost crawled into bed! I decided to get on out and do something, taking it easy. (I've had extra meetings on top of Sunday AM church and work on 5 of the past 6 days, an unusually busy schedule for me.) I thought about going to the gym across the street, but it was just too pretty a morning to stay inside. Since I had some library books to return, I headed to Shelley Lake (in the same direction from me as the library), and I'm glad I did! Boy, was it a pretty morening! I planned to go around Shelley Lake on a run/walk/run pattern, and went the opposite direction from my usual route for a change of pace. I missed the turn to stay around the lake, though, and it was a while before I stopped someone and asked! So, I ended up going 3.07 miles in 50:01 minutes, with some generous walk breaks in there. It's the most running I've done at one stretch in a while, and it felt great! I saw Ron W. from the Galloway group while I was out, and a lady who looked familiar as well. We stopped and talked for a couple of minutes, but her name didn't come to me. :( I should've reminded her of my name and saw where it took me! :) I think she was part of the Galloway group last year too, though.

On my way home, I stopped at the gym and rode the recumbent bike for 5.4 miles and 30:02 minutes.

Happy Friday Workout

I worked out a little extra today, because I overate a bit at last night's Passover Seder with George's family. It turns out that I only gained two tenths of a pound, which was a relief. Could've been better, but could've been worse.

1) Walked 1.72 miles (30:05 min) on the treadmill
2) Ran 0.5 mile (6:06 min) on the treadmill, had to make a pit stop
3) Ran 1.76 miles (21:01 min) on the treadmill
4) Walked 0.6 mile (10:03 min) on the treadmill
5) Rode 2.02 miles (11 min) on the treadmill

I'm still not breaking any speed records, but the running is feeling solid! It sure does feel good to be running again. :)

Little Bit Longer

I had a good workout this morning, though it was cut a bit short by an announcement in the gym that someone's tire was going flat. Guess who? Mine! Here's what I got in before the tire alert:

1) Walked 2.67 miles (45:17 min) on the treadmill
2) Ran 1.78 miles (22:01 min) on the treadmill

The running felt great, so now I'm thinking about some upcoming races again! :)

Getting in the Groove

1) Walked 3.02 miles (50:02 min) on the treadmill
2) Ran 1.3 miles (16:02 min) on the treadmill
3) Walked 0.37 mile (6:06 min) on the treadmill to cool down
4) Rode 1.8 miles (10:05 min) on the recumbent bike
5) 4 sets (10 reps) of bicep curls

The running felt strong enough to go a little faster--yay! I was tempted to go for another minute or two, but since the distance is a new post-injury record (okay, barely!), I decided to continue to take it easy--hard as that can be sometimes! I've still got time to work on my base mileage before official marathon training starts, in addition to working on weightloss, hydration, and overall good nutrition. I decided to add a little strength training to the end of my cardio workout for good measure.

More Painless Running

1) Walked 0.62 mile (11:06 min) on the treadmill
2) Walked 2.17 miles (35:05 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 1.27 miles (16 min) on the treadmill
4) Rode 2 miles (10:02 min) on the treadmill

It's funny how excited I am about running again today, eventhough it's so little! I ran about a minute longer (and .07 mile longer) than yesterday, a drop in the bucket...but a pretty significant drop in the bucket for me! Patience!

Monday Walk/Run

1) Walked 3.36 miles (40:03 min) on the treadmill
2) Ran 1.2 miles (15:07 min) on the treadmill
3) Walked 0.60 miles (10:07 min) on the treadmill

It was exciting to be able to run for 15 minutes straight! I did feel a little off balance overall, though, like I'm still favoring a bum hip, but trying not to. Hmmm.

Slow and steady.....

Sunday Weariness

I felt pretty weary this morning when I got up, so it was easier than I expected to take a break from running today, after yesterday's successful test run! So I walked on the treadmill and did some strength training instead.

1) Walked 2.31 miles (45 min) on the treadmill
2) Bicep curls (thumbs up) 2x10 reps, 10 lb weights
3) Bicep curls (palms up), 2x10 reps, 1o lb weights
4) Tricep extentions, 2x10 reps, 10 lb weights

When I arrived at the gym, I was happy to see a fellow treadmiller, a lady I hadn't seen in a while and whose presence I'd missed. I learned that she'd been visiting her home country of Vietnam, a country I'd love to visit. It was a treat to talk to her today, more than we ever have before. She said she could tell I'd lost weight, which made me feel good too! But even without that, it was fun to get to know a fellow exerciser a little better!

Running Success!

I tried running again today, and it felt good ! Yay! I need to remember to take it easier tomorrow. Meanwhile, here's what I did today:

1) Rode 11.13 miles (65 min) on the recumbent bike, when it stopped at the max time "allowed." I restarted it immediately, and rode 3.58 more miles (20 min).
2) Ran 0.55 mile (7 min) on the treadmill
3) Walked 1.45 miles (25 min) on the treadmill
4) Ran 0.56 mile (7:06 min) on the treadmill

I'm logging this several miles after finishing the workout, and am muscle-sore, but the right hip issues are nothing to speak of. I hope that sticks! :)

Friday Cardio

I'm feeling the occasional twinge in my right hip this morning, so I decided to take a break from trying to run again today. I walked 3.42 miles (60 min) on the treadmill, then rode 1.80 miles (10 min) on the recumbent bike. Still aware of my right hip after the workout, will be glad when I'm back to normal and not thinking about it.

Meanwhile, I'm back to recording my weight on Fitday.com, and am enjoying that, especially with some weightloss success this week. I'm eager to keep that going, and am trying to come up with some motivational mantras. One I came up with this week was, "Eat like a marathoner!" Well, sometimes I could imagine marathoners eating a good bit, but....eating healthfully, for sure. Tweaking that, I could saw, "Weigh like a marathoner," but that will take a while. I need something more immediate to inspire me.

Weightloss mantra ideas welcome here.

Back to (a little) Running

I started out by walking for an hour (3.53 miles) on the treadmill, and it felt sooo good to get back to some cardio after yesterday's strength training. (My arms are a little sore today, by the way, but it's a good sore!) Then I decided to see what some running felt like, so I tried, and actually went for three minutes (0.23 miles) on the treadmill. I am feeling my right hip now. It doesn't hurt, per se, but I know it's there. I will continue to take it easy, and will likely pass on the running tomorrow.

I've been exchanging some emails from a fellow Galloway group runner, who ran the Outer Banks Marathon last year, and it's been very enlightening. Among other things, she's reminded me of the importance of running my own "race," whether in training or in a race setting.

Strength Training Day

Today, I decided to give my hip more of a rest. I rode the recumbent bike for 1.74 miles (1o:13 min), then did some strength training.

1) 4 sets of bicep curls using 10lb dumb bells (2 sets with palm forward, 2 sets with thumb forward)
2) 1 set of tricep extensions with a 10lb dumb bell
3) 2 sets of 10 on the vertical chest machine using 50 lb weights

I would've done more machines, but I looked at them and just didn't have it in me to do the seat adjustments today. Something so simple, but I just didn't feel like it! I miss my cardio and running!