July 29, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit for Me 30/52

What I did last week:

Friday-I ran laps in my yard. IN MY YARD. I did it for only 20 minutes instead of the 35 I was supposed to. It was super muggy that night and my yard is a little hillier than I had bargained for. The grass was also taller than it appeared so I was more or less hiking through the grass trying not to fall in a hole I wasn’t aware of. But it was still a great workout that I could just have the baby monitor out on the deck and run around at home. Sometimes you have to improvise. Plus the dogs chased me the whole time so they were tuckered out as well. Extra bonus.

Saturday-The BodyPump instructor that was subbing this week never showed, so I did 30 minutes on a bike and 10 minutes on a rowing machine.

Sunday-Again it was super hot, but I wanted to actually get some mileage in instead of waiting until dark to run around the yard again. Also our gym has the weirdest childcare hours on Sunday. They are pretty much worthless. So instead I decided to not actually run but to take George out in the stroller and explore the Katy Trail by our house. We walked on a gravel trail for an hour (which is 20 minutes longer than my run was supposed to be). I really pushed myself to stay in the 14-15 minute mile walking pace, which is pretty good pushing a stroller through gravel.

Tuesday-30 minute training run, and I did all my minutes.

Impressed by:

Friday night was I was exhausted from the week of moving. And the last thing I wanted to do was workout. But I am glad that I put in some time even if it was just in my yard. Also I love that I have a yard big enough that this is a viable back up plan. Not something I would do every day because of the rolling hills going on, but still awesome to have in my back pocket as an option.

Struggled with:

Working out in the heat is hard, so I obviously didn’t do as well with my runs this week. It was the first week I haven’t done the time as my plan states. But I also am not trying for anything special so I know that it isn’t good to push myself to the extreme just to get a certain time.

Did I meet my goal from last week?

I did get out to the Katy Trail. It is beautiful and should be easy to run if I don’t have to push a stroller.

What is my goal for next week?

I want to hit all my times for my runs. It is going to be a hard week with some of the times increasing dramatically off of last week. And did I mention it is HOT out there?

Fitness Thoughts:

It can be easier to want to work out in the heat when this is your view.

Any advice running on gravel/sand?

July 23, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit for Me 29/52

What I did last week:

Friday-40 minute training run. I actually ran over my lunch break to try to give myself some time back after work, but I was a HOT SWEATY mess when I came back that afternoon. I don’t know if I will be doing that again if I have student appointments…

Saturday-1 hour of BodyPump. I made it through every song without taking a break! Also I painted some rooms in our new house, which totally counts as a workout. Even more so since half of a room I did while baby wearing George because he is teething FOUR teeth and hates naps again.

Monday-40 minute training run.

Tuesday-30 minute training run.

Impressed by:

I am pretty proud of myself for managing to get in all of my training runs while packing up a house and moving. I kind of lucked out that in my training plan this week was a recovery week with smaller runs. But I still hit that pavement even though I didn’t want to.

Struggled with:

Not any big struggles this week. I am feeling pretty good about my runs, and I got a lot of cross training in with the move.

Did I meet my goal from last week?

My goal was to make it to two group classes this week. With some of our moving plans, the second class just wasn’t feasible. However, I did get in at least one!

What is my goal for next week?

Since we have moved to the country, our road is not the most runner friendly. There are no sidewalks and lots of curves which is not ideal if you are running on the road. (And never mind ever taking the dogs or stroller with me.) I want to find some new terrain close to our house that I can run on, perhaps exploring more of the Katy Trail.

Fitness Thoughts:

I am still debating cancelling our gym membership. It will be a 30 minute drive for me to go to my Saturday class, and I just don’t know if I have the motivation to do that. I would still use it a few times a week after work, but that is to run and not a class. And I can run anywhere. Does anyone know of a good online program or DVD set that does guided weightlifting? I want something that is 30-60 minutes and just weight lifting. I don’t want to print out a plan from Pinterest; I want a video. I know that I don’t do as well without watching someone do the moves. Does this exist, and without having me spend a bunch of money? Or maybe I should spend the money so that would be motivation to actually use it…

This is why working out during the work day is not exactly the best…

How do you find new roads to run? Do you run from your front door, or do you drive to a running location? Do you work out during the work day?

July 15, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit for Me 28/52

What I did last week:

Thursday-30 minute training run.

Sunday-30 minute training run. Oh mylanta, it was H.O.T. WARM. Sundays are supposed to be my longer runs, but I decided to switch it for a shorter run because it was so blasted hot outside. I still managed to whip all the time out even though I thought I was running through fire.

Tuesday-45 minute training run.

Impressed by:

Guys. I have accomplished the hills. With this training style of running so many minutes, I inevitably cannot walk up the hills all the time. There are so many hills around our house, so I am bound to hit one during the run time. And I am conquering them…albeit slowly, but still. I really wanted to make this happen this week since we are moving. It was my goal to accomplish the hills before the summer was out. Done!

Struggled with:

While I have been doing awesome completing my runs, I haven’t been doing any cross training. I definitely want to beef that up now that I am a few weeks into my training cycle.

Did I meet my goal from last week?

My goal was to make it to a workout class at the gym. Since we went to KC on Saturday that meant I could not go to my normal class on Saturday morning. Oh life.

What is my goal for next week?

We are going to be cancelling our gym membership here in a few weeks due to moving 20 minutes away, so I want to take full advantage of the classes before we do that. I think with our moving schedule, I can make two cross training classes in the upcoming week.

Fitness Thoughts:

Moving should be considered a workout. That is all.

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Do you run in the heat?

July 8, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit for Me 27/52

What I did last week:

Thursday-30 minute training run.

Friday and Saturday-Our town does a two day festival for the 4th of July where there are food trucks, carnival rides, and band stages set up in the downtown area. It means a couple hours of walking, and in our case pushing a stroller. Exercise done!

Sunday-40 minute training run. This was also the first time in approximately 2 years that I have run outside without the dogs for a true run completely on my own. It was weird and great at the same time. It was nice not to be bogged down by leashes and doggy bags.

Tuesday-Another 30 minute training run but I did it on an elliptical since my leg was giving me issues.

Impressed by:

I am maintaining right now. And in this season of busy, that is about all I can ask for!

Struggled with:

I had a lot of cramping in my quad this week so that impeded me going as hard as I want to on my run last night. I think I may have slept on it wrong because I woke up in a lot of pain. It is always a struggle when you have an injury, especially early on in your training.

Did I meet my goal from last week?

I did all of my training runs!

What is my goal for next week?

I want to make it to a class this weekend.

Fitness Thoughts:

I am taking a different approach to my training this time. I have always done my training by distance per run, this time I am doing time per run. I am really liking it so far because I haven’t really run run since before I was pregnant with George. This is allowing me to ease back into the running game with a combination run/walk by judging it by time. Not all of my runs have looked pretty, but I am making the time that I need to so far.

If all else fails, I will remember this.

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July 1, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit for Me 26/52

What I did last week:

Sunday-I started my 10K training. It was a slow 30 minute run/walk, and I took the dogs with me. But I feel good about it! It was a perfect start.

Monday-I walked downtown for lunch which is a 30 minute round-trip. And I did it in heels, which I am regretting now because of the blister it caused.

Tuesday-Another 30 minute training run.

Impressed by:

I am always impressed with myself when I start training for a race.

Struggled with:

I have been a little inconsistent with working out lately. I can blame it on rain, or Tom being home in the evenings, but a lot of it boils down to I forget to make the time at the end of the day. I am hoping now that I have this training schedule that will put me back on pace.

Did I meet my goal from last week?

I did start my training for my 10k.

What is my goal for next week?

We have a lot going on this weekend with the holiday, so I want to just stick with my 3 training runs.

Fitness Thoughts:

You would think after 6 months, a workout schedule would come more naturally. What this weekly journal has reminded me that it is an every day commitment. This will be something that I have to work at every day as our schedule ebbs and flows. I am always wishing for consistency, but that honestly will never be there. George is growing so fast, and Tom’s schedule changes monthly. I need to just find ways to keep myself honest to my body every day.

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