Interval Training in 5 Easy Steps

Interval training is one of my favorite ways to workout. I love the combination of high intensity and low intensity periods used back and forth, back and forth, throughout the workout. In a quick 15-20 minute workout, your body can burn calories more efficiently and continue to burn longer throughout the day.

The key to interval training is push to max effort during the high intensity period (work) and then rest from cardio (but keep moving) during the low intensity period (recovery).

Interval Training in 5 Easy Steps

1) Decide what kind of workout you want to do: What are you in the mood for or what can you do? I'm all about what you can, when you can so I mix things up. There are lots of interval training options like HIIT, Tabata, sprints (run, elliptical, swim), even jumping jacks alone can be your workout. Any type of aerobic workout will work. Pick what works best for you, but at the same time will challenge your body.

2) Plan your intervals: Again, so many options! If you are just beginning, you will want to start with a work to recovery ratio of 1 to 4 which means your recovery will be 4 times longer than your work. For example: 5 seconds work to 20 seconds recovery or 30 seconds work to 2 minutes recovery. As you become fitter, you can adjust the work to recovery ratio so that you spend more time at max effort and less time in recovery ---> 1:3, (intermediate) 1:2, 1:1. 2:1, (advanced) 3:1, 4:1.

3) Warm-up: I highly recommend doing at least 10 minutes of easy warm-up (like walking) before doing high intensity workouts.

4) Use a timer: This will make doing your workout so much easier. Instead of staring at a clock or your watch, download an interval app (this is my favorite) on your phone or look for something like a Gymboss timer.

5) Cool down: A low intensity cool down is just as important as the workout. The longer the cool down the better so the body can metabolize the fat it was using during the workout instead of letting it return to where it came from!

I really began to understand the impact of interval training when I first started carb cycling. FASTer Way to Fat Loss® pairs interval training with low carb days, which forces the body to reach for stored fat as energy (learn more here). I wasn't running at the time, so I did all my interval training workouts on the elliptical or doing HIIT workouts. It's really easy to make interval training work for you.

Do you do interval training?

I'm linking up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0!

Sunday Runday Favorite Moments

If more than a week goes by between runs, I start to get anxious. I shared my last run with mrC and dC at the Cape on Instagram. I love running with the kiddos, but hate when it's the last one for awhile.

Fast forward to today. Tropical Storm Roke threatened Hong Kong this morning. Every few minutes a new alert would ring through the apartment: high wind warning, tropical storm warning, ferry service suspended. I knew that if I was going to run, I had to do it before the bad weather actually arrived.

Here are my Sunday Runday Favorite Moments:

2 miles using a 4:1 interval. This is such a big improvement for me. Not that long ago I was running 20 second intervals. PS ---> my face was on fire (almost as bright as my tank) because it was so humid!

Morning runs in our little neighborhood. Although the clouds were moving in quickly, it didn't rain at all during the run. Lots of people were out running and biking. We even saw the mad dash of people trying to get off the island before the ferry service stopped.

Neighborly doggie greetings. This little guy lives in the apartment next to ours. We usually only hear him greeting his owner, but today he said hi to us.

Lacing up my Mizunos. It always feels good, especially after a longer than normal break. (available on Amazon)

My running partner had a good run today. We probably would have made it to the top of the hill without stopping if I hadn't called for a walk break. His Mizunos are pretty sweet too (shown here in red).

Post run breakfast. Gluten-free protein pancakes. I use Bob's Red Mill pancake mix and add in BRM protein powder. Easy peasy and oh so yummy!

Biofreeze! My right bicep is soooo sore that I had to try this. It isn't a miracle worker, but it definitely allowed me to straighten my arm without bursting into to tears! (great price on Amazon)

Today was a great way to end my quieter than normal week ---> quick recap:

Monday - Got in an airplane in the US...

Tuesday - Got out of an airplane in Hong Kong (we lose a day when we return)

Wednesday - took a walk

Thursday - took a walk

Friday - Bodypump!

Saturday - Active recovery yoga

Tomorrow I'm diving back into carb cycling eating and workouts 100% to make up for my two weeks at the Cape. I'll be sharing my results after that.

BTW - it barely rained today. The tropical storm fell apart as it got closer, so by 2:00 things were back to normal around here.

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

Treadmill Tuesday - Sprint Workout

Running sprints on the treadmill is not my first choice, but sometimes ya gotta do, what ya gotta do. So I laced up my Wave Sky and headed to the fitness center determined not to let the continued rainy weather stop my planned workout.

Week 4 low carb day 2 - the FWTFL workout 

Warm up - It was raining and we wanted to get to the fitness center before the morning rush, so we took the bus. Instead, I walked on the treadmill for 5 minutes.

Speed bursts - Today I chose to do the interval sprints even though I was going to have to do them on the treadmill (my fear of slipping and hurting my knee still keeps me from running outside in the rain). The workout was 20 seconds run, 40 seconds recover. Repeat 16 times. 

This was my first attempt at sprints on the treadmill since my partial meniscectomy, so I had to play around with the speed a little. I knew my recovery could be around 8km/hr because that is my current easy run speed and I was hoping to run instead of walk through the recovery. I bumped my speed up to 10 - 10.3 range on the sprints and it felt good. I might have been able to go faster, but I like to test how my knee will respond to new things slowly. I completed all 16 sprints this way and am thrilled that my knee handled the treadmill sprints. 

The treadmill has the option to create your own interval workout, but the minimum time is 1 minute. I thought it was going to be hard to manually change the speed, but since I use my interval app I get a 5 second voice countdown alert and that made it much easier. **People have asked which app I use. It's this one on iTunes. I'm happy to share because it took me awhile to find one that was easy to set up and let me run without looking at a timer. I use bluetooth to connect to my Jabra wireless earbuds (which are $30 off on Amazon), but the app also connects to my Apple Watch which alerts me by vibrating**

Ab circuit - A round of ab bicycles, crunches and leg lifts with some planking tossed in at the end.

Cool down - It wasn't raining, so we were able to enjoy the walk back to the apartment.

mrC has been doing the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® Men's Program. Our workouts are not the same, but similar enough that we can go to the fitness center together. It definitely makes carb cycling easier to have him doing it with me and I love that he has gender specific workouts. During past rounds of carb cycling, he just modified the workouts with more weight. He had major success results, but I think this time it will be even better.

Low carb day 2 - the meals

Broke fast at 11:30 - 3 scrambled eggs with ham and one PB&J rice cake

Lunch - 3 turkey roll ups, green beans and some peanuts

Dinner - leftover cheesy chicken and veggie rice

Snack - protein bar

 Do you run sprints on the treadmill?

Intervals and Body Weight Workouts I Like

Today marks the start of week 3 of carb cycling and I'm feeling great. My biggest NSV (non-scale victory) so far has been adding in runs and upping my weight.

We had one more pleasant morning for an outdoor FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workout before Typhoon Merbok started moving into the Hong Kong region. Today was intervals day.

Week 3 Low Carb Day - the workout

Warm up - we walked to the promenade ---> a perfect spot for an outdoor workout

Speed Bursts - One thing I like about this program is the workout options. Today there were three choices for speed bursts. I've done 7 Up 7 Down. They were tough. Stadium Steps sounded like an awesome challenge, but I'm not sure where I could do them (must look into that). Today, since the first time went so well, it was sprint intervals again. Sprint 100% effort for 20 seconds, rest for 40 seconds. Repeat 14 times (2 more than last time). In the sun and the heat, these are sweat makers. Even with the two extra today, they went pretty fast. Using an interval app that links to my Apple sport watch makes it super easy to do them. So do my new Wave Sky. Seriously loving these shoes so far.

HIIT circuit - this body weight leg workout was tough after sprints but easy to do outside. Air squats, lunges, step ups and squat jumps. Rest and repeat. I only did one round instead of two because I was so hot and I had to pee.

I love body weight workouts. They are so versatile and there are so many online videos to help make it easier to do them when you can't get to the gym, or a fitness class, or when you are traveling. Here are some of my favorite workouts:

from Fitness Blender

from PopSugar Fitness

from Amanda Miller

Cool down - nice slow walk up the hill to the coolest spot in Discovery Bay.
Working out is definitely a team effort in this family. For both of us, having a workout partner is motivating and certainly more fun!

Low carb day - the meals
Broke fast about 11:00 - 3 scrambled eggs with ham and 3 sausage links with a tsp of maple syrup
Lunch - Almond chocolate protein shake (I use Designer Whey - available on Amazon), 1 can of tuna with tbsp of mayo, and PB&J rice cake

Dinner - beef burger (no bun) and green beans
Snack - peanuts
Then we sat back and waited for the typhoon. When we lived in China, getting information about the weather conditions seemed harder. We received alerts on our phone all day and from the management of our apartment building.

Do you like to run stairs?

Why My Legs Felt Like Jello

I saw this tank on my Instagram feed (it's from Sarah Marie Design Studio) and thought it was a perfect fit to this morning's workout. Today we were back to sprinting.

The beauty behind sprints is turning our bodies into fat burning machines so that long after our workout is over, we are still burning calories. Even while I'm sitting poolside, my body is still in fat burning mode. Who doesn't love that idea?

Week 2 Low Carb Day 2 - the workout

Warm up - walked to the promenade for the speed burst workout

Speed Bursts - Today I choose intervals. Sprint at 100% effort for 20 seconds (about 100 meters), then 40 seconds recovery. Repeat 12 times. I loved this workout! During my first rounds of carb cycling, I did all of my sprints on the elliptical because my knee was not cooperating back then. When I did the Shred program, I did some run/walk intervals and called them sprints. Now I'm loving that I can run them and the knee is responding ok with it. Each sprint got a little harder than the last until by the end, my legs were feeling like jello.

For fun, I brought along the GoPro Hero 4 and took a video of the sprint workout. Here's a collection of picture grabs. While we did our sprints, the weather changed completely. It was overcast and even sprinkled a bit at the start, but by the end the sun was shining and we were starting to melt.

AB Circuit - bicycles, crunches and leg lifts on the captain's chair ---> these are tough.

Cool down - walked home via the big hill to stay in the fat burning zone for low intensity cardio.

Remember that mention of being poolside? I really spent most of my 90 minutes in the water because it was so hot. Living easy and still burning fat ;)

Low carb day 2 - the meals

Broke fast at about noon - 3 scrambled eggs with ham, sausage links, and pb&j rice cake

Lunch - 4 turkey rollups and peanuts

Snack - chocolate protein shake (Designer Whey protein, almond butter, almond milk)

Dinner - leftover Italian chicken, steamed broccoli, and salad


If you could put your favorite motto on a tank, what would it say?

Linking-up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run! 

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Wacky Weather and A Wonky Knee Didn't Stop Workout Wednesday

Sometimes you just have to wait out the weather.

Today was one of those days. Black rainstorm warning, thunderstorm warning, flood warning, landslide warning...too many warnings. I think I'll stay inside!!

When the warnings were finally lifted and the rain died down, I turned my morning workout into an afternoon workout. This is actually a big deal for me because I'm usually only motivated to workout in the morning. Since it was still raining and I don't take any chances when in comes to my knee (the sidewalks can be slippery), I went to the fitness center.

Shop my look here 

I have to show off my city slicker rain jacket just a little. It's lightweight, it's long and it folds up into its own pocket making it so easy to throw into my bag or tote if I don't need it. I also love the big front pockets.

For today's treadmill interval run, I tried a new app called Running For Weight Loss. The workout: 5 minute walking WU, 3:2 run/walk x2, 3:3 r/w x2, 2:3 r/w, 2:2 r/w, 5 CD.

Some things I liked about this app and workout: 1) the intervals times were a mix instead of the same from start to finish 2) audio instructions and optional music available 3) included a warm up and cool down. What I didn't like: 1) it only records distance/pace via GPS on outdoor runs and it didn't let me edit the workout to add the details myself 2) upgrade ads pop up all the time when you're in the app. 3) not app related, but I had to manually change the speed of the treadmill

It was a good workout, but it felt a little easy. I don't know if that was because my last run outside was a big time struggle or if I played it safe after my fitness class on Monday.

Let me go back to Monday. I attended Body Attack Aerobics again. It was an awesome workout again. I burned a ton of calories AGAIN. The only problem is that after class my knee felt a little off. Something happened when I was doing knee pushups during a strength track. Like my kneecap got wonky or something. Side-note: if I could do more full pushups, I probably wouldn't have this problem!

The good news is that after my run today and a little extra TLC in the form of stretching (like my favorites) and massage, I think my wonky knee is back to normal. Phew!



Do you like rainstorms?
Can you workout anytime or are you a workout in the morning only type person?

Today I’m linking up with Susie and Rachel and Debbie and Lora for the Running Coaches' Corner and I'm linking up with Annmarie, Nicole and Jen for Wild Workout Wednesday!!

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Sweaty Saturday, Funny Stuff and a BIG Challenge

Welcome to April!

Since I've been running A LOT more lately, it feels appropriate to talk about my stats up until now.

January - 3 runs 4.30 miles

February - 4 runs 9.80 miles

March - 8 runs 27.18 miles

Whoa, March! I like the way you look!!

I'm starting April feeling positive and healthy and I'm super excited to find a 5K to enter sometime soon. Oh, and I ran today.

Today's run was fantabulous! I finally got to run on a sunny day and I ran more than 4 miles ---> 4.73 to be exact. My longest run in 2017.

I ran the same route that I did with mrC a couple days ago, except today I also did an out and back on the promenade. My intervals were the same 90:60 seconds run/walk and everything felt really good. I think I'm going to stick with this interval for another week before increasing the run time again.

A funny thing happened in the beginning of my run. My phone rang. It was mrC calling from Thailand and since we hadn't spoken since yesterday, I had to answer. I love FaceTime. If you have it, feel free to call me 😍

After my run I did my 5 essential stretches for happy legs. I must not have stayed in my glute stretch long enough after Bodystep class yesterday because my butt was really sore when I got up this morning and it's only gotten worse since my run.

I'm really happy with today's run. The only thing that could have made it better is a running partner.

If you've followed this blog for more than a couple of years (first a BIG thank you for that!), then you know that I loved running with my dog, Booney. And boy, did he like to run, too.

I saw this on Twitter today and it made me think of him. He would have loved his own pair of running shoes. It's so nice of Brooks to think of our furry running buddies, don't you think?

We're taking our running technology to new heights. Introducing, Brooks Running shoes for dogs. Shop now: https://t.co/DcvqAuWCUU. pic.twitter.com/cSA6lp0kGd

— Brooks Running (@brooksrunning) March 31, 2017

In other (serious) news, I'm thinking of doing a burpee challenge. 30 burpees a day for 30 days. Seriously. This is not a joke. Want to join me??? I'm going to start on Monday. I could probably start today, but then I might be ahead of you. ;) 

When life knocks you down... pic.twitter.com/jxm30QDDXo

— Protein Pow® (@proteinpow) March 31, 2017

I made a calendar that you can download to mark off each day you do your 30 burpees with me. We should probably have a hashtag because all challenges have one. So share your progress with me on Instagram or Twitter and tag me @runningescapade #30for30burpees ---> I promise to cheer you on.

I'm also doing 30 days of April yoga with Adriene and her awesome videos. You can find all the details on this website or just go right to the video playlist here.

Here's a glimpse of day 1: 58 minutes of Shakti Power Flow. This is goddess pose near the end of the session and my quads were SCREAMING! I'm pretty sure my arms/hands are wrong because I couldn't hear over the pain in my legs, haha.

April is going to be a fun month, right?

Do you like April Fool's Day jokes?

What are your sweaty Saturday plans?

Goals/plans for April?

Running Feels Good + Random Discounts I Found on Twitter

After a day of not doing much beyond going to a meeting and walking around Central, it felt good to get up and run today. On Sunday I increased my intervals to 90:60 seconds run:walk and everything went smoothly, so I did the same today. Except...today I also switched up my route and brought mrC with me.

We live in the middle of the two main parts of Discovery Bay. We walked down the big hill from our apartment (we'll call it a warmup) and as soon as it was flat enough (my knee is not fond of downhills and this is a really big one), we started running intervals.

For the first time, I ran along the beach. I've been watching other runners do this since we moved here in November and it made me so happy to finally join the party. I imagine that one day I might be able to end my run at the beach and jump in to cool off. That would be fun!

Chatting with a friend who happened to walk by

While I ran, I thought about how awesome it felt. I was relaxed, well about 80% relaxed, but that's HUGE. It's been a long time since I was able to relax and not think about every single step I was making. It was nice to be able to just let my mind wander. I found myself thinking of all the ways my run felt good.

It felt good --->

to get up and run
to say I'm going for a run
to plan new running routes
to aim for longer distances
to enjoy running more often
to be drenched in post run sweat

When you're a runner, you are always on the lookout for deals and sales, am I right? For you ---> Random discounts I found on Twitter:

Last chance! Shop now: https://t.co/SjDu0OUAT8 pic.twitter.com/oq41jOa1nR

— oiselle (@oiselle) March 28, 2017

Just three days left to get 25% off everything at https://t.co/h74jFK2frB with code SPRINGSALE.… https://t.co/vQ3Tf9YXtx

— RUNFARGEAR, LLC (@RunFarGear) March 28, 2017

Stock up on your favourite Hemp Protein Powders by taking 20% off during our Super Spring Sale from March 27-31! https://t.co/cyvtUK69FP pic.twitter.com/Y63dv8CMXM

— Manitoba Harvest (@manitobaharvest) March 27, 2017

LAST CHANCE on this sweaty sale - 15% off https://t.co/lmx3Uw39tG with the code S4P17!@prAna #spring4prAna #sweatpinkpartner #SALE pic.twitter.com/zaiTiKijak

— TheSweatGuru (@TheSweatGuru) March 28, 2017

#BAMRs need fuel; we choose @GUEnergyLabs! Get a 30% discount here: https://t.co/CZwAtiLIKu

— Mother Runner (@TheMotherRunner) March 27, 2017

Oh, and can't forget my own!

Don't miss this #race #discount ---> 15% off #Utahvalleymarathon (any race) registration. Use #promocode re15 #runchat #running #runuv

— Amy C. (@RunningEscapade) March 26, 2017

Fill in the blank: the last time I ran, it felt good  _____________

Simple Sunday and Workout Recap

I feel like I waited all day for the big rain that never came. The rain that I was text alerted to last night. The alert that made me anxious about getting my run in. Anxious because of the whole knee situation and the last thing I needed was to slip and fall.

No worries. I ran while the street lights were still on. It started to drizzle right as I was finishing my first loop and over-cautious me went left to my building instead of right to start another loop. I was thinking, keep it nice and simple.

Even though the drizzle never turned into a down pour and I wanted to repeat what we did on Thursday (see below), I feel good about my decision. Better safe than sorry! On another positive note, I changed up my intervals: run 90 seconds (increased +30) recover 60. I set the timer to do 15 intervals, but after the 10th one I kept going another minute to finish at our building. Total 2.24 miles.

OOTD: shorts (Athleta) similar here / tank (Athleta) exact here /
hat (Athleta) similar here / shoes (Mizuno) exact here

I also did my five favorite stretches (post coming soon) and some planks.

It's all good, I ran today! ---> I'm so happy to be wearing this shirt again (I picked it up the first time I ran ZOOMA Cape Cod and met Dimity and Sarah from Another Mother Runner). When I wasn't running, it didn't feel right to wear it. Kind of like wearing a race shirt for a race you didn't run. Am I right?

For lunch I made some buffalo chicken quinoa which I have been craving and let's be honest I will have it for dinner too. It's one of my favorite quinoa recipes and so easy.

Here's what the rest of my week looked like:

Monday - I went on a REALLY BIG hike with my friends from Shenzhen and mrC came along too. I recapped it here.

Tuesday - We recovered from Monday's hike. Smoothies were involved.

Wednesday - I would have gone for a run, but I had a meeting in Central for a committee I'm going to be working on.

Thursday - mrC and I went for an interval run: 23 x 1 minute run with 1 minute recovery. The number 23 was based on the 2 loop route we did last time. It was just as good this time plus we added the promenade for a grand total of 4.65 miles! Another long run PB for year. And I played around some more with our GoPro.

Friday - Last Friday's class was cancelled because the instructor was sick and Monday I hiked, so I was really looking forward to Bodystep. It was a crowded class but that didn't stop me from burning over 600 calories!

I love this drawstring bag because of the pockets on the outside - really comes in handy!

Saturday - I was feeling a little under-motivated. I thought I would go to the Fitness Center but instead I went for a walk. It's nice to see the flowers popping color again, but it's been gray and overcast most days around here. I'm over it the way the Northeast is over snow in the US.

Speaking of the Northeast...the Boston Marathon is just three weeks away and I saw this floating around social media. I hope there is a way to see it online.





Do you run in the rain?  What do you do after you run? Do you plan to see BOSTON?

Running in Boulder

With 300 days of sunshine, Boulder is a delicious place to run!  I was lucky enough to have time for two runs while we were there visiting the college boy.

On Friday I used MapMyRun and found a running route at a local park not far from our hotel. I love how easy it is to look up nearby routes logged by other runners. It's so helpful when we are in a new area ---> which we are often thanks to mrC! East Boulder Community Park was a great place for my interval run.

There was a path that looped around the entire complex. It circled the ball fields, the sand volleyball courts, the playground, dog area, the recreation center and a small pond. In some parts, the path was crushed gravel (my favorite) and other parts it was paved sidewalk. The view of the Flatirons was stunning from everywhere.

The temperature was perfect for this long sleeve and these capris.

After doing two loops around the complex, I veered off to the bike route just to see where it went. The Boulder Bikeways cover more than 300 miles in this bike friendly community. I ran down the sidewalk and through part of a neighborhood. When it looked like the bike route was going to become a paved shoulder, I turned around.

Even though my sea-level body could feel the Colorado elevation, this was by far my best interval run. Even after my 15 intervals ended, I continued running until I reached the car.

While I was running, mrC took pictures (he's the best blog helper) and made nice with the locals.

Interval run - 1 minute run:walk 1:1 x 15 plus about .75 mile finish. Longest run this year!

A couple of days later, on our last day in Boulder, I went to Coot Lake on the recommendation of my friend Jill who lived here for a couple of years. The Coot Lake Loop was even better than the park.

One loop around the lake was about 1.2 miles on a crushed gravel path surrounded by prairie and wetland. In the distance the Flatirons make a stunning backdrop.

The Coot Lake Loop is part of a group of trails at the Boulder Reservoir that overlap and connect extending route options. In the mood for a short run or a long run? It can be done on these trails.

The weather was perfect for an interval run, but I had picked up a head cold since arriving in Boulder and in all honesty probably shouldn't have been running. Like most avid runners, I just couldn't resist getting in a second run. I told mrC I would do one lap and see how I felt. I ended up doing two.

While I was running, mrC walked, took awesome photos (as usual) and chatted with the friendly locals. He said this pup had that happy pep in his step that reminded him of Booney.

Interval run - 1 minute run:walk 1:1 x 14 plus about 2 minutes straight finish. 2.44 miles. Better than I expected.

Boulder is definitely an active lifestyle city and I'm looking forward to exploring more when we visit the college boy again.