More on Monday!

As soon as we arrived in Delaware, I did some research to see if there were any popular running routes around the hotel. Using MapMyRun I found a route that actually started at the hotel, went down the street and looped around the hospital  ---> turned out to be the Wellness Walking Trail at the hospital.

After I scoped out the route on a drive-by (tell me you do this too!), I had to wait a few days for the weather to warm up enough for me to run outside. It's been really, really cold here, but then the forecast for yesterday finally looked good.

I had breakfast (scrambled eggs and coffee) with mrC while waiting for the temperature to warm up. When it was time for him to go to work at 10:30, it had warmed up to 40, so I put on the warmest running clothes that I had with me!

What I'm wearing: long sleeve, capris, layered tank, and shoes

I walked to the trail as my warm-up and then used the same interval timer that I used on the treadmill a few days ago. I ran/walked 1 minute intervals x15.

As I neared the end of the timer, I was feeling really good so I pushed to do more and finish strong. Instead of walking back to the hotel, I continued running and walked through the intersections. I was hoping to get a 5k out of it.

It was awesome! I ran more miles than I have in a LONG time. And I'm hopeful that I can run/walk a 5k race in my future. The sooner the better!

I realize that I have been patiently building up my run time and working on strength training, but there were other factors that helped make this run go well.

1. The route was flat and that's what works best for me right now. Uphills are ok too, but downhills make my knee uncomfortable.

2. My new running shoes from Mizuno. It feels like my feet are home again. The Wave Horizon are super comfy and I think my knee likes the stability. Plus they are pretty snazzy to look at, right?

Something else I'm excited to share ---> are you thinking about Boston already too?




Do you know your route before you run or do you wing it? Do you do drive-byes of new routes? How will you do Boston this year? Running, cheering, watching on TV/online?

Weekly Workout Recap 2/20/17

Well, this post is a little behind schedule because we traveled to the US on Sunday!! As usual, we arrived feeling upside down and dove right into running errands and visiting family. Now I'm using all my super powers to fight jet lag and write this post.

Monday - Not yesterday. Last Monday. :) Bodystep is fun but it's better with friends. I'm so happy that I met a couple of ladies who are fitness junkies like me!

Tuesday - Since it was already a FASTING day, I scheduled a physical for myself. Not long after returning home, I got a VERY SPECIAL delivery from my BFF! She sends me the best birthday boxes.

Wednesday - I decided to do an interval run for a couple of reasons. 1) I wasn't hiking this week and 2) I wanted to see how my knee would feel if I did two runs this week. I did the same interval run that I've been doing except I ran the promenade two times. We spent the evening at the AWA Charity Pub Quiz Night in Central. Our team did not come in first or last, but we did have a lot of fun!

Not from my run. I was practicing using our Go Pro for my next run.

Team Fabulous Roosters (it's the year of the Rooster!) 

Thursday - We went to the dermatologist for a skin check (all good!) and then laid low the rest of the day. There was a hike, but I couldn't go because of my evening plans to see James Taylor! It was a great show.

Friday - After two late nights I was not moving super fast on Friday morning. I did make it to Bodystep and BAM! I love seeing that calorie burn.

Saturday - I had big plans to do a second interval run, but woke up to rainy and cold weather. I don't mind running in the rain, but I do not want to slip and fall and hurt my knee. Instead I went to the fitness center. I used the Motiontraxx app and tried a new elliptical workout that was AWESOME! Motion Traxx is like having a private coach whenever you want! (Check out the Groupon deal for 51% off a year membership here)

Saturday night went to a friend's Mardis Gras party ---> beads, masks, hurricanes, Gumbo, King Cake, fun!

Sunday - USA or Bust!! Hong Kong to Chicago to Hartford. Red eye flight. 18 hours 42 minutes. 8577 miles. One rental car. Two orders of Mexican to-go. One king-sized bed.


Since we are only in the Hartford/Springfield area for a couple of days before heading to Delaware for mrC's work week, I'm taking the time to enjoy family and try to acclimate to EST. My workout routine will resume once we're in Wilmington.

PS - My Utah Valley Marathon giveaway is still open. Get all the details here!

Workout Recap - A Week of Love

Tough Love.

DOMS...yoga love...hard core hiking...HIIT...running. All things that make my heart race, get me sweaty, and put a smile on my face. This is where I put my heart this week.

Monday - I love that Bodystep was offered on a Monday this week (normally only on Fridays). I was still sore from Saturday's GRIT class, but I was able to keep up during most of the class. I thought my legs would feel better after from all the movement, but...not so much!

Tuesday - mrC was home for the day, so we spent it together fasting. We took a walk to pick up dinner ingredients and did some Valentine's Day #loveyoga on the Love Locks Promenade because we walked right by it.

I'm so excited to have an extra pair of Oofos to wear outside!

Wednesday - My stomach woke me up about 2AM (not fun) and my quads were still very sore from back-to-back-to-back GRIT, running and Bodystep, so it was a slow and easy day. No matter the reason, I love that I'm ok with an unscheduled rest day.

Thursday - I love spending time with my Shenzhen hard core hiking friends. They came over to hike  Hong Kong again. We finished Wilson Trail sections 3 and 4 together: 38,000+ steps, 17.9 miles, and 264 floors climbed! We killed it!

Friday - Hard to believe my legs were up for Bodystep, but I'm happy they were because I love the calories I can burn in this class. It is quickly becoming my favorite class at The HIT Room.

Saturday - I was back at The HIT Room for another workout. GRIT strength is seriously hard, but I love the high intensity interval workout and it's a perfect match for low carb days. Today we did about 35 minutes of HIIT and 15 minutes of core work.

Sunday - The day I look forward to the most because running is my first love. I'm soaking up every moment of my interval runs including the post run stretch.

What got your heart racing this week?

My Weekly Workout Recap - Moderation

Last week I made a valiant effort to not revert to my old bad fitness habit of overdoing it and pushing my body too hard. What I really mean is that I did not keep up with my daily yoga challenge, haha! For some reason after Monday, I just went into yoga resist mode, which is really odd since I was enjoying it so much the week before.

It happens. My body was obviously telling me something and I listened. Everything in moderation, I say.

Here's a closer look at my week:

Monday - I enjoyed a slow paced yoga session, literally. It was all about relaxing. Then I went to Bodypump. These workouts are so polar opposite of each other. Yoga is all calm, serene and quiet. Bodypump is fierce, fast, and loud. I love having both in my fitness lineup.

Tuesday - On Tuesdays I FAST. I thought it was a good idea to skip yoga in the morning, so I wouldn't get hungry. Instead I walked to the salon to get my nails done and then made protein bars and broke my fast. I never did do my yoga like I thought I would.

Wednesday - I met up with the AWA hiking group for a day on Lamma Island. I had an early start and once again planned to do some yoga in the evening, but I have a terrible time working out at night anymore.

Thursday - I spent the morning at Foon Ying, an AWA event series designed to introduce new members and help us adjust to living in Hong Kong through group activities around the city. Foon Ying means welcome in Caontonese. Since it was a low calorie day, my workout was just the easy walking I did around Central.

Friday - I went to my first Step class at the HIT Room. TBT to step aerobics at the YMCA with a modern twist = serious calorie burn. It was fast, it was hard, and I loved it. Can't wait to do it again!

Saturday - mrC and I went to the Bodypump 100 launch. Every three months a new workout is released to keep the class fresh and challenging. This was the 100th release. That's pretty cool.

Sunday - It was chilly and even drizzling a little, but I was looking forward to another interval run. I did the same 20 intervals as last week and my knee felt ok again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that painfree running stays in my future.

My daily yoga emails are weighing down my inbox. I know it shouldn't bother me but it does. I'm hoping to catch up on my yoga sessions this week. It will feel good mentally and physically to find my way back to the mat.


What have you put off that you hope to get back to?
Do you take step classes?

Interval Run, a Water Bottle and on a Booty Roll

When I woke up this morning I had a feeling that it was time to go for a run. It had rained over night, but Mother Nature was on my side and kept the skies dry. I set up my interval timer with a goal to do 25 intervals doing 25 seconds run/25 seconds walk.

The run went pretty well. I had to stop after the 20th interval because I had a little pain on the meniscus side of my knee. The sidewalk near my SIL's house has some pretty good dips that may have aggravated it. But I ran/walked almost 2 miles. I'm happy with that.

Oddly I didn't know what to wear today. It was 50 degrees, which in the past would mean tank and shorts (no brainer). My body doesn't always warm up as much doing run/walk intervals. In the end I opted for a tee, but could've done the tank. Oh well.

Even though my runs are short nowadays, I still carry my water bottle with me. It's been a while since I talked about my water bottle. This bottle is designed with a hook shape to be carried hands-free. It hooks onto the back of running bottoms (which should be tightened to hold up to 13 oz.), running belt, a pocket, or even a sports bra.

The first time I ran with this bottle (4 years ago!!), I actually FORGOT that it was there! That's how simple it is. And it's made in the USA!! If you are interested in getting one for yourself, let me know...I'm a member of the Run Team and have a DISCOUNT CODE! PS - this is not a sponsored post. Just a shout out because I love this bottle that much!

More info on the Simple Hydration website

After my run I was reading blogs about running (you do that too, right?) and Amanda reminded me that I need to make sure my glutes are awake by taking a couple of tests. Since I had that little knee pain during my run, I thought it was perfect timing. After taking the tests (which I think I passed), I went ahead and did the recommended exercises plus a few more. Check out her blog post here.

I figured I was on a booty roll, so I did a few more exercises using the resistance bands. I don't think I was over-doing it because these also worked my other leg muscles.

WIA:

How do you solve your what to wear to a workout dilemmas?
Ever test your glutes?
Favorite meal in the fall? ---> I made my favorite crockpot chili (leftovers pictured above)

Shred Day 27 & 28: Biggest Wins

This week the 30 Day Shred Program really kicked things up a notch and I loved it! We had a week of doubles: two feast day strength training workouts, two low carb sprint workouts, and two fast days. It was intense, so I thought I would share my biggest wins from the last two days.

Day 27 - Fast

This was the SECOND fast day of the week and I am not a fan. I have a really hard time reaching my feast day goals (higher carbs and calories) and that sets me up for a struggle on fast days. 

MY BIG WIN: I did better this time and did not over eat when I broke my fast. 

I also kept my activity to a minimum and only went for a morning walk with mrC before he went to work. It wasn't that hard to lay low because my muscles were seriously sore from the feast day workout the day before. I spent most of the day reading, blogging, and watching some TV.

WIA:

Day 28: Regular Calorie

The workout for the day was an interval run ---> 1 minute run, 1 minute walk, 2 minute run, 2 minute walk, up to 7 minutes. I set my Gymboss interval timer for what works for me and my knee: 25 intervals at 35 seconds run, 30 seconds walk. 

My legs were still sore, especially my left quad, so I again found myself feeling anxious about how the run would go. I spent a little time massaging my quad and doing some dynamic stretching before my run and that made me feel better. 

MY BIG WIN: It was my longest (time and distance) run so far and it felt really good! Side note: I hadn't used my Nike+ running app in months until last week and I'm loving the updates! 

Fun tidbit from my run: The weather was awesome! It was only 63 degrees and super windy. Normally runners don't like those headwinds, but since I run pretty slowly I can enjoy it ;) 

It takes A LOT of wind to blow my super thick hair!

Win or lose (they won today!), I will always be happy when I can watch a Bengals game. I'm hoping to see a few more before our return to China.

WIA:

Today and everyday, God Bless America.

What is your Biggest Win this week?

Do you use the Nike+ running app?

Shred Day 21: I Heart Running

My Sunday started with an interval run. I admit, I was nervous about this run. Nervous that my knee was not going to cooperate. Some days that feeling is stronger than others. I almost didn't try, thinking I would be safer on the elliptical. Standing in the sun at the end of the run, I was happy I did it. I love that feeling. I heart running.

My workout ---> 5 minute walking warm-up, 25 intervals at 30 seconds run/30 seconds walk, 2 minute run, 5 minute walking cool down. I was really excited about the run, but even more so that I bumped up my interval time and then ran a solid 2 minute finish. These are small changes, but BIG steps for me and my knee.

My route kind of looks like a heart, right?

Later I went to the fitness center to do a yoga session to stretch out. I was hoping to swim, but the pool was full of kids. The Yoga with Adriene video did the trick. When I pay more attention to my hamstrings, my knee seems to be happier.

It was such a nice day that I decided to take a walk after lunch. I did a one mile loop and ran into this guy. So strange that he was just sitting in the grass right next to a busy four lane road.

I started this book today. A friend told me about it. The author is a Cincinnati native (me too) and it's also the setting of this book. It's always fun to read books that take place in a familiar setting, plus it's good so far.

Here's what I ate for Regular Calorie day:

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Dinner:

Snacks: white cheddar rice cakes and red grapes.


Tell me something that made you happy today!

Read any good books lately?