Workouts

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post yesterday! And, if you haven't read yesterday's post, please do...I'd appreciate your input too!

Here are my workouts so far this week:

Monday, 10/26 - no workout
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, no workouts on Monday! I had a meeting at work that ran through lunch and then I went to see the "So You Think You Can Dance" tour. Maybe my judgement was influenced by the 2 margarita's I had at dinner, but I thought the tour was just awesome! I was a dancer from age 4 until my senior year in high school. I took a few classes while in college and even a year or two after I got married, just for fun and exercise. Let me tell you - in my 14+ years of dance, I was nowhere close to the level that these folks are at! They are simply amazing to watch!

Tuesday, 10/27 - 5 mile neighborhood run (sort of)
Tuesdays mean spin classes! I love spin class! I headed over to the Y at lunch and remembered that all the construction that has been going on there for months was finally over! And, when I arrived at the Y, I learned that the new spin bikes had arrived and we were using them for the 1st time! Whoot! Of course, it took us all about 15 minutes of the class trying to figure out our settings on the new bikes, but it was worth it. The new bikes are pretty cool and the seats are even a bit more cushy for the tushy!

Tuesdays also just happen to be the kiddo's dance class nights, so that means we don't get home until 6:30-6:45-ish. By the time I changed clothes and said hello to my munchkin and hubby, it was already beginning to get dark outside. Grrrrr, the only reason to not like the Fall! I made it 1/2 way around my 3-mile neighborhood loop when the skies seemed to go from a little light to dark in a matter of seconds. So, I hurried on my way to get back to the house, then ran 2 of the 1/2 mile loops around our little section of the neighborhood. By that time, it was really dark, so I decided to go inside and run that final mile on the treadmill. Not what I really wanted to do, because the temps outside were sooooo awesome! But, I got the run done and that's what counts. I'm really not too sure of my pace, because I forgot to charge my Garmin (again!). Based on my watch for my 1st 4 miles, I was around a 10:36 pace. The final mile on the treadmill was at a 10:28 pace.

Wednesday, 10/28 - 6 mile 3 mile treadmill run
I've been trying to follow the schedule that the neighborhood running group's coach has been sending out. However, since I have not been running as many miles as the group, I decided to cut this run short and work my way up to more mileage slowly....anything to prevent injury! Plus, I have been needing new shoes for awhile now and I am feeling some aches and pains in my feet and ankles that aren't normally there. I am assuming this is related to needing new shoes, so I figured I'd save that area from more pounding than necessary. The good news...I finally got around to ordering my shoes and I got a sweeeeetttt deal on roadrunnersports.com! If you use the code RM090510, you get 10% off your purchase. Plus, if you join their VIP club from $1.99, you get an additional 10% off and free shipping! My shoes are normally $124 at the local running stores and I paid less than $95.00 for them on-line. They'll be here on Monday, so I can't wait!!! It's almost like Christmas! :o)

So anyway, I wanted to utilize my Y membership once more before it ends on Saturday, so I headed to the Y during lunch for a quick 3-miler. The best part was being able to use the shiny, brand spanking new, Precor treadmills! You know, the ones with the cute little TV screens attached. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out how to use the cute little TV screen until I was 10 minutes from finishing my run. LOL! Oh well, it was a good run anyway - 3 miles at a 10:29 pace.

Old Faithful...

Well, I finally had a chance to exchange my Brooks Adrenaline for my old faithfuls - the Saucony Grid Stabil.

Okay so they're not pretty, but sometimes you just shouldn't mess with what works! Many thanks to the staff at Luke's for getting me fixed right up.

I am happy that I don't have a run tonight, because after my scheduled 25 minutes on the dreadmill, it was time for P90X....Plyometrics!

Fortunately, I had a little break between the two workouts and I was able to do the P90X full-out. So much so that my legs had that wobbly, jello-y feeling after I was done. I love it! But, I don't think my legs would like me very much if I made them run after that.

This morning I did the "Back and Biceps" workout, but I still have to do the "Ab Ripper X" tonight. I meant to mention the craziness that is the "Chest, Shoulders and Triceps" workout. I did this workout for the 2nd time on Monday and let me tell you...it is killer! The worst part for me was the slow push-ups where you go down slowly over a count of 4 and push-up over a count of 4. Killer! Then you do it again toward the end of the workout with 3 fast push-ups, followed by 4 slow ones and repeat over and over. I seriously hope I have some super sexy arms after all this! Oh and then there are the one-arm push-ups - I suck at those, but my goal is to do at least one full one before the 90 days is over (right now I can only go down a little without falling to the floor, lol!)!! I don't know what it is, but I just love the upper body workouts!

Hope you have some happy workouts too!

Absent

Sorry I've been so absent here. I've been enjoying the family time after work. After the kiddos are in bed, I squeeze in an hour of P90X and then the treadmill. Then I get all the suff ready for the next day - lunches, clothes, etc. By the time I'm all done, it's 10 or 10:30 pm and I'm ready for bed!


On Saturday I met up with Woodlands Fit for the long run. A huge shout out to Christy (sp?), Jennifer, Therese, two others whose names I can't remember (that's okay, because they don't have access to this blog anyway, hahaha!) and of course, the awesome Coach Debbie. We had a great 5:1 group going this weekend! It was cooler than last week, but incredibly humid - yuck! I was worried at the beginning because I was huffing and puffing during the 1st mile. I found out why when Christy looked at her watch and said we were at a 10 minute pace.



Ummm, yeah...I've been running at about an 11:30 pace. Last week we ran our 6 miles at an 11:40 pace.



We did slow it down a little and of course we had our walk breaks, but I won't lie, it was pretty tough keeping up. I can't for the life of me find my watch and I forgot my Garmin, so I had no idea how fast or how far we had been going the entire run. I know that I did take 2 extra walk breaks toward the end of the run, but I still managed to keep up with my group. The end result - 5 1/2 miles in 59 minutes - or a 10:43 pace! I'll take it. I guess it showed me that I really need to start pushing myself harder on the weekday runs, because I am capable of going faster.

Afterwards, I had a date with Ann Taylor (among other stores). The hubby's 20 year high school reunion was later that night, so I needed a cute outfit pronto. I think all that walking at the mall helped keep my legs from getting tight, because I had almost no soreness. I wanted this awesome pair of red shoes, but they didn't have them in my size...grrrrr!




It seems that my feet have grown yet another 1/2 size since having the munchkin...something I keep forgetting. Crazy! I don't know what's come over me lately, but I have suddenly become a clothes whore when it comes to work clothes. I used to be okay with getting my few really nice staple pieces - you know, the black suit, the navy suit, the brown suit, etc. And then buying the tops and other stuff super cheap. Let's just say Target and I are great friends when it comes to this. But lately, I have been hearing places like Ann Taylor (and Loft), Black HouseWhite Market, Banana Republic, etc. calling my name! LOL! These are places I loved to shop at before having kids....then I went into super budgeter mom mode (paying for diapers and daycare will do that to a gal!). I think it's because most of my pre-pregnancy clothes don't fit well and I need some new stuff. To top it off, none of the clothes I want are ever on sale! I may need an intervention, but I think I will be okay if I just stay away from the mall. Fortunately, I've been able to show some restraint and not get too crazy. Besides, I'd much rather spend money on stuff for the new house!


Speaking of shoes....I went to Luke's in The Woodlands over a week ago to get some new running shoes. thanks to Woodland's Fit, I had an awesome coupon plus it was tax free weekend! Woohooo! Well, they don't carry my heavy, not-so-pretty motion control shoes, the Saucony Grid Stabil, at that particular store. Not suprising, because they aren't the cutest pair of shoes, so I'm sure not many people just come in asking for them. I asked to try alternatives including the Brooks Ariel (which I used to wear before they changed them a little). They were out of my size in the Ariel, so I tried the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8, a pair of Asics and one other pair. I went with the Adrenaline and I went up a 1/2 size, because my pre-baby size just seemed too small. I opted not to wear the new shoes on the long run and try them out on the ol' dreadmill first (just in case there was an issue with the fit). I'm so glad I did, because they did not fit well at all! The just felt huge! No matter how I adjusted the laces, it just felt like my feet were sliding all around in them. So, they've been sitting in my closet in their box for the past week. If I ever get to have a non-work-related lunch, I will head over to the Houston location and promptly ask for my Brooks Ariel again. That's too bad too, because the Adrenaline come in an awesome shade of pink too:







Trust me when I say that Motion Control shoes almost never come in any color but blue. Don't get me wrong, I like blue, but it does get boring after awhile!

Well, that's it for now...have a GREAT week!

School Daze

Yes, I am in a daze after today's classes. Good news - we have a take home final in my marketing class. Bad news - we have 2 more chapters covered on the stat final. So, 2 new chapters, a project, homework and final exam in stat...ugh!

While I may have missed today's super Strider performance today at the Bayou Bash Relay, I did have running on my mind. In fact, during lunch I headed over to Luke's Locker to pick up some new running shoes. I even managed to have a few of my classmates come along...who knows, maybe they'll catch the running bug too! Much to my suprise, my motion control shoes actually came in a color other than blue and white for the 1st time since I started running!

Yep, they Aggie maroon and white! Okay, so the box says they're plum, but whatever..I think they're close enough to maroon. WHOOP!