Fitness Center Rants, Sprints and Low Carb Day Eats

First, some fitness center rants:

• locker rooms should not be hot. It's not fun to start sweating while I'm toweling off after my shower. 
• Patrons should clean up after themselves. Throw away your water bottle, put your towel in the basket.
• Don't hog the benches in the locker room. I don't know why more people can't share.

Rant over.

I love that I can walk to the fitness center. It's the best way to warmup. Today we were back to sprints. 20 seconds on and 40 seconds to recover for 10 minutes. It was awesomely HARD. I'm pretty sure when I did these the first low carb day, my elliptical was not working properly because it was kind of easy. 

Today's intervals sort of went like this:

1-3 - that wasn't so bad!

4-6 - oh boy, my legs are burning

7-8 - (willing timer to move faster) 18, 19, 20!

9-10 - I think I might pass out...

My legs were so toasted that I did the 30 minute cool down on the treadmill. Like I said, awesomely hard. 

Back at the apartment, I made time to work on those trigger points with my foam roller and the stick. I forgot to mention that anytime you do these, you should stretch after. I love that part.

What I ate on low carb day

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, pb&j rice cake, coffee

The best tasting meal is the one you have after a good workout. This is just one of my faves. I almost didn't have the rice cake because I was worried about the carbs in the pb&j, but then I realized how crazy that sounded.

Lunch: chocolate protein shake, turkey slices

The shake was disappointing having more carbs than protein. It's my own fault because I didn't do my homework before hand and just assumed it was good because it said protein on the packet. Lesson learned.

Snack: celery and pb, water

I guess I needed something a little crunchy.

Dinner: chicken breast and green beans, salad

I love my salads, even more with cheese and Ranch dressing. Avoiding dairy is part of this program, but I just had to. At least there were less carbs than the shake at lunch!

I think I did pretty well today. Under 50g of carbs, but also under in total calories. I wish I knew if that was a big deal or not.

What are your fitness center rants?

Do you prefer the foam roller or the stick?

Friday 5 {a little late}

Whew! What a busy week. I love when the week is full of activity and wears me out, but I miss checking in on the blog and sharing my adventures.

So since I'm a little behind (with zero posts) this week, I thought I would pick my top 5 moments to share:

Nanshan Hike - Mountain Monday was rained out and became Massage Monday for me (and oh my muscles needed that massage!). On Tuesday a couple of us made up the rain out and headed up the mountain. It was cold and gray, but we had a good time chatting and climbing. Nanshan Mountain peak has had a bit of a trim, so the views are now unobstructed and will be nice on a clear day.

Interval Runs - I did two 30 minute interval runs this week, giving myself more non-running days in-between. The first one was on the treadmill using my phone with the Nike app. The goal is time with a slow and easy pace. It was a good workout.

For my second run, I felt it was time to run outside again. I've been nervous about my knee "giving out" again, but the runs on the treadmill have boosted my confidence. This time I used my Nike watch. I kept the same routine: 5 minute WU, 3:2 run/walk, and 5 minute CD. It was another good interval run. I think the longer break between runs was a good idea.

Booya Skinny Jean Workout - I'm constantly looking for leg workouts because I still need to re-build the strength in my left quad, but I've also noticed that my pants are fitting a little snug lately. This was a GREAT workout. There's still time to enter the Booya Fitness Valentine's Day Challenge and win prizes for doing this workout. You can't lose! (sign up here)

Yoga Camp - I'm still enjoying my 30 days of yoga and it's because of how good the poses make me feel. I'm also loving the variety and when practice matches up with Instagram challenges.

Flower Market - Some friends asked me to join them on a trip to the Dutch Flower Market in Shenzhen on Friday. It worked out perfectly for me since YogaLife is closed for the Chinese New Year and it was a perfectly gorgeous day. We enjoyed a couple of hours of walking through the rows and rows of vendors selling flowers (obvs.), Chinese New Year decorations, and animals of varying kinds (birds, hamsters, bunnies, cats, fish, turtles).

A couple more things worth sharing:

A great article about facing the struggles of workout blahs: When workouts go bad: How I knew it was time to breakup with my workout.

Good tips for all us (ahem) over-40 runners and those who are close: 4 Things Over-40 Runners Do

I love quick little killer workouts that are fun too --> like this one: Cardio Dance Party


How was your week?

Slow and Steady on a Rainy Day

It's been raining pretty much non-stop since Tuesday. It's not fun going out in the rain here. It makes me miss having a car, but I managed to get to the fitness center as planned anyway.

I did another interval workout on the treadmill. I extended the intervals by 5 minutes from Tuesday. 5 minute WU, 3:2 run/walk for 25 minutes, and 5 minute CD (not using my watch). I did remember to pack my Nike+ watch this time and I preset it for intervals --> another reason to get the Apple Watch: settings on demand.

The earbuds might make you think I am listening to music while I run, but I'm actually listening to Season 2 of Serial. I just finished the first season and was surprised by how much I liked listening to a story.

Keeping up with my #runlovechallenge goal to do strength workouts twice per week, I hit the free weights again. I'm beginning to feel stronger and have been grabbing the 10 pound weights more.

I got to try out my brand new goggles during today's swim. They fit perfectly and were so much better. No more water leaking in and fogging things up on me. My arms were heavy today, but I swam 12 laps in 20 minutes.

I read on Athleta's blog recently that to prolong the life of your swim suit, you should always rinse away the chlorine. This makes sense. At outdoor pools, I usually rinse the chlorine off me, so why not the suit? So, now I will be taking my suit into the shower with me for a quick rinse. (and in case you're wondering, I did not shower with my phone)

Ah, the rain. I learned today why rain boots are so popular. This whole living in the city without a car lifestyle is putting a spin on my wardrobe choices.

Rainy afternoons are so much better with a bowl of soup and a sandwich. Followed by some Netflix.

More rain all day. The locals like their motorbikes and on rainy days I'm jealous. They don't need rain boots.

Rain boots are probably cheaper than a motorbike.

Follow Amy's board Rain Boots for China on Pinterest.

Treadmill Tuesday and More

On my walk to the fitness center this morning, I decided that I was going to do a treadmill interval workout. My knee has been feeling better and my little test run a few days ago was successful.

I though it was a good sign that I be greeted by a Chinese Monkey on my way into the Hilton fitness center. 2016 on the Chinese calendar is the Year of the Monkey, and this year it's a Fire Monkey which represents ambition and adventurous character.

It's been so long since I was running regularly that I didn't even have my watch in my bag. Instead I had to use the app on my phone. (This is making me really want the new Apple Watch).

 I kept my workout nice and easy: 5 minute walking WU, 3:2 run/walk intervals for 20 minutes, and then 5 minute walking CD. It was not a cardio, speed workout. This was another test to see how my knee felt running for a longer period of time, but without overdoing it. I'm pretty happy with how it went.

After my treadmill workout I spent a little time with the weights. The Dirty Dozen workout is still my favorite. I'm excited that I have moved up in weight on a couple of the exercises. 

The last part of my fitness center workout is always in the pool. I love the cardio I get from swimming laps, but even more I love the feel of my body stretching out in the water. Today I had the pool to myself.

Back at home after lunch and a nap (this cold weather makes me sleepy!), I did Yoga Camp day 4. Today was about awakening. I want to awaken my muscles and get stronger.

Knee Rehab Week 7 - 1:4 Intervals

Another title for this post could be "playing games with the weather." We'd been having a rather mild winter until last Tuesday when Juno pushed into New England. The week became a game of getting runs in before or after the crazy weather! And it continues today with another big storm bearing down on us.

Monday: 1.90 miles
The plan - walk 1 minute, run 4 minutes, repeat 4x

Usually I run on Tuesday, but a winter storm warning meant a change of plans. This was my first time running back to back days since before my surgery (I also ran on Sunday) and it was my first 1:4 interval. I was nervous at the start, but quickly knew that my knee was going to be fine. I could definitely feel my lost fitness. Running 4 minutes as opposed to 3 minutes seems like such a small thing, but my body was telling me I still have work to do!

Thursday: 2 miles
The plan - walk 1 minute, run 4 minutes, repeat 4x

One thing I love about exam week is that I get an hour for lunch. It was a cold day, but the sun was shining which made this an awesome winter run. I turned my watch off at 20 minutes (per PT instructions), but when I saw 1.94 on the display, I had to run a little more through the parking lot to get 2 miles. Why not, right?

Sunday - 2.18 miles
The plan - walk 1 minute, run 4 minutes, repeat 4x

I put off the run until Sunday hoping the winds and temperature would be more reasonable, but ended up staying home for my first post-op treadmill run. I was nervous: would running on the treadmill bother my knee? How would I know the right speed for the intervals? In the end, my knee felt fine. I picked 3.5 for the walking, and went from 5 - 5.4 for the running.

Weekly Workouts:

Monday - run + #tightercore day 3

Tuesday - #tightercore day 4 + PT + swim

Wednesday - walk on TM + #tightercore day 5 + PT

Thursday - run + PT session + #tightercore day 6

Friday - #tightercore day 7 + walk on TM

Saturday - PT + #tighercore day 8 + Hip Hugger

Sunday - #tightercore day 9 + FAB AB February day 1 + run


It's not always easy to live with #NoExcuses. Week 3 of the challenge was a true test of not letting the excuses get the better of me. Pushing through the moments and staying focused feels even better when I get to #SundayZenday.

Super Bowl, favorite sweater, and snow day tomorrow = #SundayZenday #SweatPink @fitapproach #NoExcuses

A photo posted by AmyC (@runningescapades) on Feb 1, 2015 at 3:48pm PST

Did you watch the Super Bowl?
How do you get your zen on?

Knee Rehab Week 6 - 2:3 Intervals

The Return to Running program continued with three 20 minute walk/runs and more PT sessions. I'm really not minding the interval running since my actual run time continues to increase. Using the same 2:3 interval time for each run also made it fun to compare my distance.

My knee is feeling better and better, although that pesky tight TFL is still looking for attention. I found a video that shows a way to stretch it out, but I honestly feel the most when I just cross my right foot in front of my left.  I'd love comments from any of you who might have dealt with tight TFL and what worked for you.

Tuesday: 1.68 miles
The plan - walk 2 minutes, run 3 minutes, repeat 4x

It felt so good to change after school to actually run with Run Club instead of walk like I've been doing since November! There is a nice little neighborhood loop across the street from the high school that is the perfect place for my intervals and is mostly cleared of ice and snow.

Thursday: 1.70 miles
The plan - walk 2 minutes, run 3 minutes, repeat 4x

My TFL was feeling a little tight after Tuesday's run, so I have been trying to stretch really well after my runs. Ironically, my knee doesn't bother me at all.

Sunday: 1.45 miles
The plan - walk 2 minutes, run 3 minutes, repeat 4x

A small nor' easter arrived on Saturday, so I waited to do my final 2:3 interval run. We were meeting oldestC downtown and decided to do our run there. The sidewalks weren't as clear as we expected, so we had to really watch our footing. Even though we had to take things slower, I feel good about this being my last 2:3 interval run.

Weekly Workouts:

Monday: PT exercises and one mile walk

Tuesday: Run and PT session - new exercises include front lunges and weighted single leg dead lifts 

Wednesday: One mile walk

Thursday: Run and PT session

Friday: One mile walk and PT exercises

Saturday: One mile walk, taking on a #tightercore challenge (see video here), and PT exercises

Sunday: #tightercore day 2, run

My favorite parts of week 2 of the Sweat Pink #NoExcuses challenge were calling out a couple of badasses and being pushed to try things that might be a little scary right now…

Not gonna lie. These were scary at first, not having done them since before #kneesurgery. But I didn't quit. 30 seconds nice and easy. Done. #noexcuses #SweatPink #jointhechallenge #PYBCYE #wycwyc

A photo posted by AmyC (@runningescapades) on Jan 19, 2015 at 5:33am PST

Now it's  time to prepare for Winter Storm Juno. We're in the 18-24 inches area. (yay)

How was your week?
Are you in the path of the storm?

TrainingTruths: Intervals + Hills

From my PT, Trainer Brian, to blog reading and then my own running, the recurring theme for last week's workouts was definitely intervals and hills. 

#TrainingTruth: Planks are more effective when done in short bursts.

On Monday my PT prescribed planks to strengthen my core muscles, but insisted that I do 10 seconds on, 5 second off to maintain proper form and get the true benefit of the workout. Coincidentally, later that night, I read about activating abs with interval planks on Fun and Fit reinforcing the message I received from Trainer Brian.

#TrainingTruth: An interval workout beats the treadmill boredom.

A few months ago I printed out a 30 minute treadmill workout for my step-son and on Tuesday I found myself using it. Treadmill runs are a last resort for me, and Tuesday, with the freezing temps, gray skies, and no running partner, was one of those days. Using the interval workout on incline 2 kept me challenged and left me feeling like I had a good run.

#TrainingTruth: To run hills better, you must attack on the way up.

I wish I could say that I attack all hills at race pace, but the truth is I slow my pace to make it to the top. Even then, there are times that I have to take a walking rest before I can continue. 

#TrainingTruth: Rolling hill routes are really interval workouts in disguise.

Gary's Fun Run route on Sunday included no less than four good hills over the span of 7.5 miles. Whether I like it or not, my speed decreases on the way up and increases on the way down. 

#TrainingTruth: There's not much better than a nice walk after a short break on a beautiful day.

Even though I might just want to sit around and do nothing after a long challenging hill run, getting outside and taking a relaxing walk is much better for my muscles. So, Sunday after my run, I let my husband take me and the dog on a short walk on our local trail.

#TrainingTruths is not just about me. We all like to see what everyone else is doing and use that information to assess ourselves. It's not judgement. It's a way to share and learn and make changes when necessary.

To participate all you have to do is share your #TrainingTruths:

1. Tag a Twitter post with the hashtag #TrainingTruths
2. Comment on the Running Escapades Facebook page 
3. Leave a link to your own blog post in the comments

I look forward to reading your #TrainingTruths!

Have you joined the Chilly Challenge yet? Check out all the details here or skip right to the sign-up part and be sure to choose #TeamEscapades! Then be sure to invite all your friends: more people = more miles!