Sunday, April 22, 2018

Fitting in Fitness | Weekly Wrap

I barely unpacked the suitcase from my awesome Hawaii trip before it was time to pack again. Every spring and fall mrC has work in the US. I tag along and then we add some vacay days to see family.

In the spring, we always go to New England. We fly to Hartford (and stay there when we have extra time, like this trip) and visit with mrC's family in Springfield. Then we head to Delaware for his work.

This time, mrC had a trip that put him in the US way ahead of schedule. So instead of flying back to Hong Kong only to turn around and fly back to the US with me, he stayed and I flew to the US on my own (yes, solo and my first time doing it alone). It was worth it, because we gained an extra week of family time including a weekend with the girls in New Hampshire and it doesn't count toward his vacation days!

Somehow, between all the family time and traveling, I managed to fit in fitness.


Monday - Yoga - I stayed up sooo late (in Hong Kong) watching the Boston Marathon (how about that finish???) I only slept about 5 hours, but had to pack and get organized for my trip. I did some yoga inspired by the outdoor yoga session I went to on Saturday. My goal is to run through the poses to loosen up my tight hips and legs at least three times a week.

Tuesday - Yoga - found a travel yoga video and used it as a pre-flight relaxation session. This helped me tons on my first 15 hour flight, but my body was toast after a delay on my connecting flight caused me to get to Hartford after midnight (22 hours after leaving Hong Kong).

Early morning yoga with Adriene while mrC sleeps using my AirPods 

Wednesday - Hotel room yoga to work out the kinks from a looonngg day of travel and worked through those hip opener poses. Felt pretty good, so I thought I'd do some cardio. The hotel pool is closed for "maintenance" and 2/2 treadmills are broken ---> like missing the buttons to change the speed broken (which made me realize that "maintenance" at this hotel was a euphemism for neglect. I ended up doing an elliptical workout: 10 minute WU, 10 20:40 interval sprints, and 10 minute CD. Plus 2 minutes planking and lots of stretching.

Thursday - Prepared to stride out on the elliptical again, I was totally surprised to find one of the treadmills actually working. This unexpected run put a pretty big smile on my face! Intervals have been working for me

Friday - Rest day. Spent the day traveling to NH, renewing my expired driver's license and meeting up with the girls for some quality catch-up time.

Saturday - Bootcamp. I love working out with the girls and was thrilled that Dev was able to join me as a drop-in at Granite State Fitness ---> a new studio that my SurfSet friends merged with last year. We basically got our butts kicked, but we love that ;)


This 50 minute bootcamp was a lot different from other classes I've taken.

First we warmed up with a fun game of "catch the PVC pipe." We all stood in a circle with one hand behind our backs and the other holding the pipe. When directed we let go of the pipe and moved right or left to catch the pipe of the person next to us. After some practice rounds, it became a friendly competition. If you dropped the pipe, you went to the "loser's" corner to do three burpees and then continue playing the game as others joined you. Dev was in the final three and they all dropped the pipes at the same time! I say she was a winner.

Next we worked on mobility with lacrosse/softballs. Our instructor showed us how to roll our glutes, TFLs and lats. I was impressed by this part of the class, but also wondering when does the workout actually start?

I got my answer in the final portion of the class. It was circuit time and here's how it went down. Partners work together to bike 180 calories or 21 minutes (whichever comes first). While one rides the upright bike with arms, the other sprints to stations to complete 4 kettlebell swings, 4 wall tosses with medicine ball and 4 sumo squats with kettlebell. Then you switch.

We just made it over 100 calories when the timer ended.

That 21 minute circuit is where we almost died, haha ---> and our workout had been modified because we were drop-ins. The others were doing clean & presses, using heavier wall balls and front squats. I was super impressed that we were not asked to use barbells because the instructor wasn't sure we knew the proper technique. I suppose we could have made a case that we know from Bodypump, but I still think it was a smart move on the part of the gym.

The only thing that surprised me was that we did not cool-down/stretch as a group. Considering how much was put into the beginning of the class I thought for sure we would do this. Plus, every class I've ever taken has included at least 5 minutes of cool-down/stretching.

Sunday - Rest day. Another day of travel back to MA. I guess I could claim a workout from moving a bunch of stuff around in our storage unit, but mrC did most of that. (#ootd details below)



What's the worst hotel fitness room you've ever seen?
Does your fitness class include mobility and/or cool-down stretching?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!


Thursday, April 19, 2018

Three Things Thursday - An Unexpected Run

I went for a run today!


NBD, except the last time I ran was wayyy back in the beginning of March. A couple of big hikes left my knees feeling pretty achey, so I've been doing a lot of swimming and other low impact workouts lately.

Today's run wasn't exactly planned.

When I was packing for our current trip to the US, I packed some fitness gear for swimming, yoga, hiking in Boulder and the possibility of a run or two. My knee has been very happy with the break from the pounding it takes while running, so going for a run wasn't super high on my list. Sad, but true. I made the choice to bring my wave horizons because they are pretty multi-purpose.


Bringing my running shoes turned out to be a good decision.

Three things about today's run:

1) The hotel fitness options are pretty poor. The small swimming pool is closed for maintenance and on my first trip to the fitness room I was disappointed to find that 2/2 treadmills were not working. Today I was fully expecting to do another elliptical workout, but was surprised to find one treadmill operational. I didn't waste a second getting on that thing.

2) Since the treadmill faces a wall, I opted to listen to music rather than mess with the built in TV. I went with a playlist called Grrl Power 2 from Rock My Run to listen to while I ran. I used it during my first Reach the Beach relay and it has stayed one of my favorites.

3) Intervals seem to keep my knee happy, so I stuck with what works: run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute. My interval timer was programmed for 8 sets, but I stopped after 7 when I had reached 3.14 miles. My legs felt kind of awkward at first but eventually they loosened up. I was running pretty slowly (5.0 then I bumped up to 5.2), but it's not about that anymore. It's about what makes my knee comfortable.

This run made me realize that I miss running. I like that my knee has been happy, but I'm not quite ready to hang up my running shoes yet. For now I will focus on getting ready for my next official race: the Queen Bee 4 Miler in Cincinnati in the fall.

Do you use hotel fitness centers when you travel?
Have a favorite playlist?



Sunday, April 15, 2018

Traveling, Workouts and One Boston Day | Weekly Wrap

Traveling back to Hong Kong from the US means I lose two days (one from travel and one from crossing the international date line). Once I was back, I tried to jump right into the week as much as I could, especially since there was a fun event on the schedule.


For some reason my body thought waking up at 3:30am daily was a good idea?!? I don't usually feel jet lagged when we fly west from the US, but this time I am definitely having trouble getting back to my normal sleep routine. I thought working out would help, but so far...no luck.

On top of that, our plans to go to the US for mrC's recurrent training at the end of the month went into fast forward mode. He is already there and I am getting ready to join him tomorrow. Even though it is a little stressful, we are getting extra time in the US to see the girls and visit with my in-laws before his training starts. Then we are heading to middleC's college graduation in Boulder!

Here's what I managed for the week:

Monday - depart O'ahu mid morning

Tuesday - arrive in HK late at night (and lose a day!)

Wednesday - mrC had a trip and I went to the pool for an afternoon swim. I practically had the place to myself and it was awesome! Did 850 meters of intervals and then some recovery time at the outdoor pool. Also did a two mile walk plus some errands.


Thursday - Morning swim and the pool was NOT empty this time. Swim camp lessons were going (it's still spring holiday in Hong Kong, really?) but one lap lane was "open" ---> I use that term loosely because no one seemed concerned about crossing it, leaning on the ropes, or letting noodles float into it. Ugh. Another 850 meters of intervals among chaos and a 2 mile walk.

Friday - Did not want to deal with swim lesson madness again, so I lounged by the pool for a bit. Forgot that there is a lap lane in the outdoor pool area and could've done my swimming there. (Note to self: always pack your swim cap) It was a nice rest day by the pool though. Two mile walk.


Saturday - The North Face hosted a free outdoor yoga session at the fitness center to promote their outdoor training campaign. One of their fitness ambassadors and yoga instructor, Silke Bender, led about 15 of us through a great hip opening sequence. Two mile walk.


Sunday - Keratin treatment on a stormy and rainy day - perfect timing to be sitting at the salon for hours. I passed the time watching all things Boston Marathon (since it was One Boston Day) and thought back on the time I ran the BAA 5K. I watched: the Runner's World documentary Meb Keflezighi: The Home Stretch, the painting of the start line in Hopkinton, MA, this documentary about two women trying to BQ, the story of the Military Relay of 1918, and previewed the US elite team.

This morning my pre-gaming continued and I watched Boston: The Documentary. Again. This could easily become a tradition.

Tonight (for me) is Marathon Monday and I'm excited to watch. I would love to see an American winner this year.

I’m linking up again with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!



Which American do you think has the best shot of winning Boston this year?

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

My Hawaiian Vacation

Aloha!

My weekly wrap is a little late because I just got back from a surprise trip to O'ahu with mrC. I'd been dropping hints all over the place about how fun it would be to getaway and apparently he was listening ---> he's a great husband!

Since mrC is retired military, he was able to get us into the beach cottages on the Marine Corps base. Even when it was cloudy, our own little paradise was pretty amazing. (we got some great shots and video on this trip with our GoPro)

Hanging out on the SUP at Secret Beach - steps from our cottage!

The highlights:

Hiking Diamond Head

This was an easy hike with a series of switch backs most of the way up to the 761 foot summit. The path was a little slippery from the passing morning showers, but with good shoes it was no problem for us. The "hard" part was near the top - 99 steps, a spiral staircase and a few more steps to reach the summit. It was pretty crowded and some clouds rolled in right as we reached the top, but it was still amazing to cross this off our Hawaii bucket list.


Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

mrC introduced me to snorkeling when we were on Kaua'i almost 10 years ago and knows how much I love it (even though I don't really like deep water), so he took me to one of the most popular snorkel spots on O'ahu. We swam around spotting fish and avoiding coral (it was low tide) and even got to see a monk seal that was sunning on the beach that day.

View of Hanauma Bay from above


I made this little video of our snorkeling



SUP at Secret Beach

We rented a SUP board from the MWR office and used it while we were staying in the cottage. The water was shallow and full of coral, but so flat. Perfect for SUP (my new bikini top was perfect for all my water activities!).


Swimming at Pyramid Rock Beach

A great spot for swimming and sunbathing was right down the road from the cottage. Named for the pyramid shaped rock on the coast, Pyramid Rock Beach had powder white sand and was surrounded by tropical plants. It was a lot harder to swim there than the pool at the fitness center, but way more fun!


Visiting Pearl Harbor

When we arrived on Tuesday, we stopped at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. We lucked out and got the last two free tickets to take the 75 minute USS Arizona Memorial Tour. We watched a short documentary about the attack on Pearl Harbor took a shuttle boat to the USS Arizona Memorial. To see this place in person is quite powerful and moving. I found myself fighting back tears many times.



mrC's friend gave us a private tour around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. He drove us past the submarines, aircraft (no photography allowed for obvious reasons) and even the beach cottages where the movie Aloha was partially filmed. We stopped at The Lanai on the Mamala Bay side of the base for some Hawaiian fish and chips...and some daiquiris. We had a great view of the main beach on base which is literally right next to the runways. I would have loved to SUP in this bay!


Sailing at Mamala Bay

mrC's friend took us out on the bay in his sailboat so that we could see Oahu from another perspective and so mrC could get some sailing in. Surprise, I got to take the helm, too! Oahu is such a beautiful place. I loved seeing Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach from the water.



Sightseeing

Taking the advice printed on my GAP tee, whenever we felt like stopping to see something, we did. It was fun to strike a pose on lava rock, enjoy the views from various lookouts (never got tired of this) and see mrC's old stomping grounds. We even stopped to watch the various planes and helicopters at work on base and around the island.

Nu'uana Pali Lookout and Marine Corps Base Hawaii in the far background

Kaupo Bay and Rabbit Island in the background 

Amelia Earhart's Marker - first person to fly from Hawaii to Mainland.

Halona Blowhole Lookout (at low tide :( so no spray)

Kanehoe Bay Lookout on our way to dinner 

mrC's old neighborhood - Kailua

mrC's helicopter

We had to cross this runway on base to get to the cottages

Waikiki Beach

We spent our last day at the Marine Corps hotel, Hale Koa, downtown and on Waikiki Beach. This place was amazing! The grounds were so beautiful. We were steps away from the pool, restaurants, shopping and the beach. We spent some time on the beach and then explored along DeRussy Boardwalk. 

View from our balcony

Friends

We got to spend time with mrC's friend who he hasn't seen in many many years and we met a family from California staying in the cottage next to ours who were very nice, but these "cottage cats" were the cutest friends we made in Oahu! 


Food

It's always good to be back in the USA and enjoy our favorite things, but it was fun to experience new places too. mrC's friend took us to Haleiwa Joe's for an awesome seafood dinner and then The Lanai for a delicious lunch. Our Cali friends recommended Goofy's Cafe where we had the BEST acai bowl. We stopped at the highly recommended Happy's Snack Bar on the beach for a little happy hour.



If you are still reading (THANK YOU) and here are my workouts for the week:

Monday - Yoga and swam (new personal best!)

Tuesday - Travel and walk around Pearl Harbor

Wednesday - Morning yoga on the deck and SUP

Thursday - Hike Diamond Head, SUP and swim in the ocean

Friday - snorkel

Saturday - rest day...on a boat ;)

Sunday - Walk the beach

And that's a wrap! This unexpected vacay was the perfect mix of fitness and pleasure. 

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!



Have you ever been to Hawaii? Which island?
What workouts do you do when on vacation?


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Sunday, April 1, 2018

4,475 Meters | Weekly Wrap

About three weeks ago I ran. 

Here's what has been going on ---> I did a couple of really big hard hikes with big descents and my knees said time for a break. Even though I have really wanted to run, I knew that I had to listen to my body.

So instead of running miles, I have been throwing on my Athleta tankini and swimming meters. It was was hard for me the first day and it was humbling, but the more I did it, the easier it became. After three weeks, I'm getting the hang of my breathing and even started doing an interval workout: 200 meters freestyle + 25 meters breast (froggy) x 5 = 625 meters.


Three weeks of swimming and my knees have recovered from the post-hiking aches. My usually cranky and kind of puffy bad left knee is actually feeling kind of normal these days. Sadly, that means it prefers no running, but deep down I've always known this. I haven't been on a scale or taken measurements, but it feels like my body is leaning out and toning up a little from the swimming too.

So even though I only ran 3 miles in March...I swam 4,475 meters!

Today I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap! 



Weekly Workouts:

Monday - Swam 625 meters and a couple of walks

Tuesday - Swam another 625 meters and a couple of walks 

Wednesday - Pier Volunteer day for the visiting USS Sterett followed by an afternoon of walking around Central - over 6 miles total (in my Oofos flip flops ---> that's how awesome they are!)


Thursday - Swam 625 meters and SUP for 45 minutes

Friday - Stations of the Cross walk 3.60km

Saturday - Sports massage - ouch, I have A LOT of tight spots and a walk

Sunday - Yoga, a walk and Opening Day at the Pool 


Heading into April, I'm ready for more swimming, maybe some running, and lots and lots of watermelon.


How was your week? March?
What are you looking forward to in April?
Anyone else obsessed with watermelon?



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