Weekly Wrap - It's Sunny in Hong Kong

We finally had some great weather around here and just in time for the weekend.

Work before play, Saturday was Leg Day! Before heading to the pool to soak up some vitamin D, we hit the fitness center. For my warm-up, I ran for 10 minutes on the treadmill. Normally I would have gone for the mile, but my knee was feeling little wonky, no pain, just off. I used to push through moments like this, but not anymore.

The rest of the workout was the same as last week, except the one-minuters were doubled up and I increased my weights. I could still only do one round of the finishers although this time I did some really slow lunge jumps. No one said they had to be fast, right? I was toast at the end.

One of my favorite things to do after a good and sweaty FASTer Way To Fat Loss workout is relax at the pool. I'm so thankful that our fitness membership gives us access. It's so nice to just change in the locker room and walk outside to this beautiful view. It feels so good to just sit in the water to cool off and then dry in the sun.

We took advantage of the sunny weather again today and took our SUP boards out for a couple of hours. It had been awhile since we had them out. Between rainy days and other workouts in the morning (it is way too hot even for the pool or SUP after lunchtime in my opinion), it just hasn't worked out. Until today. I forget how tall my board really is 10'6". We got our boards on Amazon and brought them to Hong Kong as checked baggage. My exact board is not currently available, but they have this newer version out now.

We paddled out and back and then out again. The second time I went around the corner of the little beach bay area further than I've ever gone before. Then I did a little SUP yoga - my version anyway. It was so peaceful laying there. I could have taken a nap.

After we put our boards away, we walked down to the other end of Tai Pak Beach to check out the Funtastic Summer event that has been set up for the month. For the kids they have big inflatable slides, mini powerboats and a couple of inflatable endurance games (like a mild version of what you would see on Wipeout). For the adults there are deck chairs with umbrellas and a big misting zone. This is provided by the company behind the development of Discovery Bay and it is all free.

The other big highlight of the weekend was making banana protein bars. I mostly make these to have for hiking, but I was in the mood to make them today. I changed the recipe a bit and used almond butter instead of peanut butter. Both ways are good.

Here's how the rest of my week looked:

Monday - Mixing sprints and Tabata

Tuesday - Outdoor HIIT workout

Wednesday - Bodypump ---> and revealing breakthroughs

Thursday - Strength training at-home workout

Friday - Easy run ---> my attempt at a heart rate run

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

How was your weekend?

Any big events going on in your neighborhood?

Favorite DIY snack?

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5 Lessons from SUP and Pier Volunteering

Today was all about sunshine, the beach and stand up paddle boarding! First I got to meet two more ladies from the Discovery Bay Ladies SUP Group. This was the first time the sun was actually shining during SUP and it was absolutely perfect.

I'm still working on my SUP skills and with the help of my fellow group members, I learned a few things out on the water today.

1. Keep your paddle in the water - this is like having an extra leg down for balance and was a game changer for my confidence.

2. Face the wake head on - the wake is affected by the ferries coming and going, the wind, and the normal sea vessel traffic out in the bay. Turning into the waves makes a huge difference.

3. Bend your knees for stability - The slight bend relaxes my legs making it easier to go with the flow of the water under my board.

4. Straighten arms and paddle with your core - I can paddle so much faster when I use the proper form and my arms stopped getting tired.

5. Reapply sunscreen to your feet - so no one actually told me this (I should've known myself), but I learned the hard way today after my feet and toes got sunburned.

After the SUP group time ended, mrC and I continued paddling together (I'm so glad he has an iSUP board now too). We went out and back a few times with rests on the beach in between. Our friends joined us a little later and we enjoyed the sunshine and good conversation until lunch time.

Today was just as good as yesterday. It was pier volunteer time for another US naval ship that came into Hong Kong for some liberty. This ship was much smaller and able to be pierside which allowed us to see things up close.

Just like the last time, our job was to support the sailors by handing out maps, providing information on leisure activities, shopping, dining and helping to get them on their way in the right direction.

mrC was in town this time and volunteered too.

After our shift, we had lunch at Little Creatures in Kennedy Town. We patronize them because they give us loads of free beer coupons to give to the troops. And, the food is really good. Their pizza sauce reminds me of home.

We also took advantage of being in Central to do a bit of shopping. mrC picked out some tennis rackets and I picked out some new Skechers - mrC's first pair (Equalizer - Coast to Coast), my second (Go Walk Sport Rush Walking).

Do you have any SUP skills I should know about?
Ever been on a naval ship?
Are you a Skechers fan?

Two Hills, SUP #2 and A Plank Workout

After a stormy yesterday and more rain in the forecast, I was thrilled to find the streets dry when I headed out for my run this morning. It was early and there weren't many people out, but I felt safe running alone because I was wearing my Wearsafe tag (talked about it in this post).

15% off annual service with code RUNNINGESCAPADES

Unlike my last run, the humidity was really low, so I followed my Discovery Bay loop route. This means that I run two big hills, one in the beginning and one to finish the run. The first hill feels the hardest but the actual elevation gain is 119 feet compared to the slightly longer second hill at the end with a gain of 122 feet. In all honesty, both are HARD!

This was my second run using my new interval set of 2 minutes run and 1 minute recover. Sometimes if I knew that a downhill was up ahead, I lengthened my run time so that I could walk the downhill (sounds crazy right?) and keep my knee happy.

I give this run two thumbs up. 1) My knee felt good. This is always my biggest concern. It will never feel the same as it used to, but each run it feels stronger. 2) The temperature was PERFECT! Low humidity is definitely more fun for running. 3) I ran 4.56 miles, yay! I'm really loving these longer runs. 4) Those hills ---> there's still work to do, but today was a pretty good hill day.

After a shower and breakfast I headed out to meet my friend for some SUP. She also recently brought an iSUP board back from the US with her and is joining the DB Ladies SUP group.

We met at the beach and I was so happy to see my board had survived the 90km winds from yesterday's big thunderstorm. It would have been a bummer to only get to use it once.

It was a little chilly and cloudy (it actually started pouring when we were putting the boards away), so I was even more determined not to fall in the water than I was the last time. I only like to get wet when it's warm and sunny!

We're both a little rusty, so we made perfect partners SUPing around the bay, laughing at each other's wobbles, and getting our SUP confidence back. We ended up getting wet anyway since we had to walk to our apartments in the pouring rain ---> next time I'll pack an umbrella just in case.

Planking. I figure I can't be the only person who is on the fence about holding planks for multiple minutes (my PT told me short spurts are better because our form doesn't collapse). Anyway, I thought I would share this pyramid plank workout I made up and that really tested my core.

How often do you switch up your running route?
How do you push yourself up a big hill?
Do you plank for time or mix it up?

Tough Run, Run Love and My Weekly Wrap

Today's run was a tough one.

75 degrees at run time with 83% humidity. It was M-U-G-G-Y! My legs told me so right away. They felt like lead. This was one of those runs where the hard is extra hard and you are tempted to throw in the towel, but then an easier part comes, so you hang in there. You hang in there because you love the run. 

This goes on for the whole run, the emotional flip-flopping. When the end comes, the actual end of the run (which in my case is at the top of a seriously big hill), it is all the more sweeter because you did hang in there. You did not give up because you love the run.

Run love. Running isn't always easy. You have to give it second chances. Those second chances make you happy.

Something else that makes me happy is Wearsafe. Today I finally had a chance to set it up and use it for the first time. The Wearsafe Tag clips onto my clothes and then I'm one click away from help if I ever need it. The set up was super easy too. A proper post is in the works. Stay tuned!

Besides fitness this week, I was pretty busy with my volunteer job with the American Women's Association. I have been working on the Hong Kong Hosts committee to help arrange ship support for the USS Makin Island that came to Hong Kong for some liberty this weekend.

In addition to helping coordinate the volunteers who were hosting activities for the service men and women, I also volunteered to greet the sailors as they came ashore. It was such a privilege to have been able to do this for them.

In other exciting news, we finalized storage arrangements with the Lantau Boat Club and took my iSUP board down to the beach. With mrC's help, we had it fully inflated in about 10 minutes. I was hoping to take it out for my first spin today, but the threat of rain kept me off the water.

Now here's my workout recap ---> I'm linking up with Tricia and Holly again for the Weekly Wrap!

Monday -  I kicked off the week with some yoga and Bodystep.

Tuesday - It was just an extraordinary day with more yoga and an awesome run. 

Wednesday - Ran some errands with mrC before he left on another trip. One stop was to Times Square, a multi-floor shopping mall with more than 230 stores ranging from mid-price to luxury brands. mrC headed to Columbia Sportswear and I headed to J.Crew for another pair of my new favorite shorts. No Gucci, Jimmy Choo or Fendi for us ;)

Thursday - I was supposed to hike, but after waking up not feeling well, I stayed home and eventually finished my ship support work.

Friday - Volunteered all day and crashed when I got home. 

Saturday - Little bit of a lazy day (mrC got home late Friday night) until we went down to the beach to inflate the iSUP.

Daily - #30for30burpees challenge ---> my big plan was to keep track of my time, but I have only remembered twice to start the timer on my watch! Ugh, so frustrating. What I can tell you so far is that is doesn't feel any easier. In fact some days my legs are heavy and it's been downright hard.