Three Weeks Later...

After three weeks of travel, we are back in Hong Kong and I'm attempting to get back to some sort of routine. Besides battling a little bit of jet lag, this time I'm also dealing with a head cold and laryngitis!

mrC has recurrent training in Columbus, Ohio which works out great for me because I grew up in Cincinnati (just two hours away). While he is working, I drive down to visit my family and he joins us when he finishes. We're really lucky that it works out like this.

Here's a recap of our time in Ohio ---> I'll be doing a separate post for our 5 days in Budapest.

The Alum Creek Trail was near the hotel and we ran there a couple of times. We ran super early when we first arrived in Columbus, but on the last day we were more reasonable and let the moon set and the sun come up.

While mrC was in Columbus working, I stayed at my mom's. It was perfect because it was her birthday week! We had massages, went shopping and had LaRosa's pizza with a bunch of family at my aunt's house. The best was taking her to the Cincinnati Bengals home game opener! It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun that it didn't matter that our team lost. PS - I picked up this cute Coach cross body just before the game and it was perfect (you can't bring large purses/bags into the stadium anymore) for my phone, sunglasses and small wallet. I can't wait to show it off at Happy Hour with the girls ;)

My mom wanted to go zip-lining for the first time and we couldn't let her go alone. It was also mrC's first time. I was the only veteran having gone when I was visiting my friend in West Virginia. It was a cloudy day with rain forecasted, so we were lucky to be our own private party. The instructors at Ozone Zipline Adventures were super friendly, very entertaining and taught us a lot about zipping and nature.

I got to spend as much time as possible with family and (BFF) friends. It's never enough, but we make the best of what time we have. We are so lucky that everyone makes time for us while we are there too.

I didn't workout much while in Ohio. When I could I did, but the rest of the time I was either off visiting someone or crashing from jet lag!

We left Ohio, but instead of heading right back to Hong Kong, we made a pitstop in Budapest to visit youngestC. I'll be writing about that part of our trip soon.

Do you ever mix business with family when you travel?
Do you miss working out when you just can't get to it?

5 Things About My Moonset Run

Have you ever gone on a run and caught the moon setting? In an attempt to get over our jet lag, mrC and I laced up our running shoes on Wednesday for an early morning run. Using MapMyRun, I found out there was a trail head just a couple of blocks from the hotel.

For today's Friday Five 2.0 link-up, I'm sharing 5 things about our run:

1) The Alum Creek Trail is part of the larger Ohio to Erie Trail network in Ohio. The 22 mile scenic trail travels along the Alum Creek waterway in Columbus passing through parks and skirting a golf course and university campus.

2) It was so nice to have a path to run on and not have to worry about roads and traffic (which we are out of practice doing). We saw two other runners (one female running alone which made me wonder if she was practicing safe running with something like Wearsafe) and two bikers ---> one came up behind us and her verbal warning made me nearly jump out of my skin!

3) It was so peaceful. Most of the run it was just us, the fog, a couple of deer. On the way back we had the first glimpses of the sunrise spreading across the sky. Even though the trail is near a road, the daily traffic hadn't yet picked up so there wasn't any car noise.

4) The bridges. The trail crossed Alum Creek and also had a section that seemed to hover above the forest. It reminded me of when we went to the Blue Mountains in Sydney, Australia.

5) We were pretty happy about getting in a good three miles before breakfast and to be running when it was only 50 degrees! Talk about comfortable ---> I love these shorts I got on sale at Athleta. And how about those long sleeves?

PS - I spent the rest of day with my BFF doing a little shopping and a lot of catching up!

Have you ever gone on a run and caught the moon setting?
Do you like running in long sleeves and shorts?

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

And also with Nicole for the Fit & Fashionable Friday link-up

Friday Five: What I Learned in August

Does anyone else feel like August went by in the blink of an eye? Maybe the old adage, time flies when you're having fun, is true because there were a lot of good times happening in August. I had fun trying new things and learning new ways to do the things I love to do.

I love that we are never too old, young, etc. to try something new. At any given time we may find our fitness changes because of life events, age, injury, or whatever. Being able to embrace new things and look at familiar passions with a new perspective is important to being happy and having fun.

Here are a few things I learned this month (some links are affiliate):

1. Discovery Run group - I learned that I can still run with a group. I started joining this Monday night social running group a couple of weeks ago and I'm so glad that I did. I'm not a huge fan of running at night, but being part of a group (of at least 30+ people) running through the streets of DB is quite fun. I was craving the days when I would run with my MRTT friends in New Hampshire, but apprehensive about whether I could "keep up" with my knee. It was the perfect environment to run my run. I even got mrC to join the fun!

2. SUP racing - I learned how to race on my SUP. I thought being on the cover of the Around DB Magazine as part of the DB Ladies SUP group was exciting until I participated in my first SUP relay race with the Paddling Section of the Lantau Boat Club. Racing on a stand up paddle board is hard but fun! My arms have never been so tired and I only went 500 meters. It's definitely something I hope to do again.

3. August Miles - I learned that I'm ready to run in a race. As the temperature increased, my running days in Hong Kong decreased. A lot of people run on the treadmill in the summer, but with my knee I do not feel super comfortable doing that right now. Most of my miles for the month came from sprint workouts on low carb days and the Monday night group. I ended the month with 8 runs for a total of 12.85 miles. The group runs have let me know that I could do ok in a race situation. I've got my eye on a 5k (and possibly a 10k) in November, so I'll be making sure to log some longer runs each week moving forward.

4. FWTFL VIP - I learned how to make the carb cycling fitness plan work for my every day lifestyle. I started carb cycling in Spring 2016 because I was working out all the time, but continuing to gain weight ---> especially in my belly. I had moved to China, stopped running almost completely because of my knee and just seemed stuck in a rut. The results were so amazing that I have continued the program and recently joined the FASTer Way To Fat Loss VIP group. The VIP group allows me to maintain my weight, get stronger and leaner all through brand new workouts each month. This program works for me because it is challenging and I can incorporate the things I love to do (running, Bodystep, hiking) into my workouts. Amanda is starting a new FWTFL group on September 14 ---> learn more here (affiliate link).

5. New gear - I learned that you can always find another pair of awesome shorts :) (and other things). A good sale by my favorite brands will get me every time. I ordered the Trekkie shorts from Athleta in flint grey and crossed my fingers that they would work even though I hadn't tried them on. I think I wore them almost every day for a week, ha! I'm also loving this pair of running shorts that I ordered at the same time (and I put these from Lululemon on my wish list). I also got a great deal on this tank and this one too. This new running bra goes great with my new shorts and tanks.

What have you learned this summer/month/training cycle?

Today's post is part of the Friday Five 2.0 with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel and I'm also joining  Nicole for the Fit & Fashionable Friday link-up.

A Group Run and Tips for Newbies

Last night I took my introverted self to a group run in my neighborhood for the first time. Discovery Run is a free weekly meet-up that was started in June by three well-known local fitness enthusiasts in Discovery Bay. Their goal is to help DBers get healthy and have the opportunity to participate in running in a non-competitive way.

With all of my recent knee issues, I was nervous about attending the free Monday night 5K run. I've done group meet-ups before (usually with at least one friend in tow), but it's been a while and this time I did not know a single person. I was also a little worried that I might be doing too much in one day since I had attended Bodystep class in the morning.

See the girl in the green top? That's me behind her in white ;)

At 7:45 on the dot, the organizers welcomed all 30-ish of us and led us through some dynamic warm-up stretches. I'm guessing most people had walked or run to the meet-up, so the stretches were nice. After a rundown of the route (including where the leaders would be standing and directing us) and a quick photo (see above), we were off.

I was excited to wear my Nathan lights for the first time (I think). I don't even remember where or when I got them, but they made it to Hong Kong and if I need more, they're available on Amazon ;) I clipped them onto my shorts, but only used one because they are very bright and there were plenty of street lights. Speaking of shorts, I just picked up this pair of Track This Run shorts from Athleta and I love them. I can't wait to maybe get another pair when I'm in Cincinnati next month.

Most of the runners took off very quickly and at first I kept up with what I would call the "middle of the pack." I stayed with them for the most part until the turn around, but eventually we were pretty spread out. I passed about a half dozen runners on their way to the turn around and it felt good to know that I was holding up better than I had expected. I tried to keep a couple of runners in my sights (you can barely see them in the photo below), but the second half of the route had a lot of downhill that I was taking slowly and walking occasionally. Overall, my knee felt good.

With less than a mile to go, my watch died (I don't know why I didn't think to charge it ahead of time). I brought my phone with me (for pictures of course) and in case I needed to catch a bus home I'd have my bus pass (I wasn't sure how my knee would do). Because I had my phone I used an app to track the end of my run. So I don't know my exact time but between the two runs, I think it was about 34 minutes.

When most of the group appeared to be back from the run, the leaders led a quick cool-down stretch. Even though I didn't really "meet" anyone (this time), I did have fun and look forward to joining them again.

Here are a few things I do to make joining a run group for the first time a little easier:

1) Introduce yourself - just saying hi and making some small talk let's others know that you are new. The regulars will catch this and make you feel welcome. I got some extra information about the group this way.

2) Don't worry about your pace - most group runs are social which means ALL ARE WELCOME. If you are still worried, call or email the organizer. I reached out on Facebook and was relieved to hear that there were indeed runners of all types.

3) Walk when you need to - I knew that I would need to walk, especially the downhill portions because my knee doesn't like them. You will probably find other people need to walk too or you will eventually catch up to the people who slow down. I did end up passing a few people.

4) Know the route - I've never heard of anyone getting lost on a group run, but knowing where the run is going will make anyone feel better. This group had shared run routes on the group page, but the organizer also told us the route before we left.


What tips would you give someone who feels nervous about going to a group run?
What gear do you use for running in the dark?


By the way, it's good to be back. I didn't blog at all last week because it felt like I was saying the same thing, week after week. It felt like a good time to take a break and let my fitness experiences inspire me. I'm still following my carb cycling program and have some pretty awesome results to share with you soon!

(If you are interested in joining the FASTer Way To Fat Loss program, use my affiliate link to join and start carb cycling with me! Click here).

Today I'm linking-up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run! 

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That's Not the Fat Burning Zone!

That's what I thought when I looked down at my watch during my run.

This morning I set out to do an easy two mile run. My goal? Stay in my fat burning zone. My zone is between 108 and 126. I don't normally focus on my heart rate during a run, but on FASTer Way to Fat Loss® low calorie days our workout is supposed to be low intensity.

I did my usual loop which starts off with a gradual and mostly down hill but then ends with a giant climb up a hill to get back to our apartment. It was muggy (partly the stormy weather and because it is pretty much always like that here), but there was a small breeze (a little relief is all I need).

It took me a few tries to check my heart rate because I don't know how to work the screen on my watch very well. Turns out two clicks will toggle between apps. I found that out completely by accident. Maybe I should have planned a little better. Anyway, my heart rate was way above my fat burning zone. I made myself slow down, but it stayed too high. Once I hit the hill I knew it was going to stay up there.

Well, I tried. I'm thrilled that I was even able to get out for a run. This is what it looked like before and after. Torrential rain? No thanks.

In the end, I had a good run. Here's why:

1. I liked listening to my playlist on my wireless earphones (available on Amazon) which I hadn't done in a long time. It had been so long that I forgot how to connect the earphones to my phone.

2. My shoes earned another two miles and I'm still very happy with the way my knee feels since I started running in them.

3. No intervals! I totally ran by feel. I took breaks when I needed (or wanted for a photo). Once or twice I stopped to stretch my quad and hamstring because that is what makes my knee happy.

4. I didn't want to die, haha! Sometimes the two mile loop that I ran can feel overwhelmingly hard. There's a tunnel and if there's no breeze, it can feel like an eternity running through it. Then there's the hill at the end. Today it didn't feel that long. I'll be holding onto that for awhile!

5. I did it. It's not easy going out alone when I worry about my knee ALL the time. Add to that, I worry about the weather. Not because I'm afraid of getting wet, but because I'm afraid I will slip and fall and hurt my knee. So getting out there alone is a pretty big deal these days!

I used to stretch in the car on the drive home after a run. Now I'm multitasking in the elevator. We live on the 20th floor, so I have some time to kill. I figured I might as well make the best of it!

Low calorie day - the meals

Broke fast at 11:15 (while watching the USWNT defeat Japan) - scrambled eggs with ham and PB&J rice cakes.

Lunch - Left over cheesy quinoa and tuna plus a snack bag of Cheez-its

Dinner - shrimp carbonara and green beans!

Do you listen to music when you run/workout?
Strangest place you have ever stretched?
Are you a soccer fan?

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

My First Stride Rate Test and Leg Day

Saturday mornings mean leg day at the gym.

We like to walk to the gym. It's a good warm-up, but today I also wanted to run on the treadmill. I usually run for 10 minutes using some form of intervals, but today I went for a full mile without stopping.

While I was running, I started thinking about my stride rate. I read a Runner's World article this morning that talked about how to be a more efficient runner. 

I also read somewhere that more efficient running will help decrease injuries. I probably should have thought about this a long time ago, but figured it's never too late to make improvements! For two minutes, I counted my steps. Both times I came to 95. There is probably a difference between treadmill and outdoor running, so I will do another stride rate test the next time I run outside, but I'm happy with that number today.

My FASTer Way to Fat Loss® leg day workout was organized into three parts: 

One-Minuters: wall sit, plank, and mountain climbers for one minute each. Mountain climbers for one minute pretty much stink. I had to take two breaks mostly because my arms needed it. 

Weights: This is the part I enjoyed most. leg press, leg curls, front squats, deadlifts, lunges. No problems with any of the exercises and I felt good about my weight choices.

Finishers: Curtsey lunges, side lunge with squat, squat jumps and lunge jumps. My knee hates curtsey lunges and lunge jumps. Instead I used the adductor machine and skipped the lunge jumps.

I love that the fitness center has a pool. Cool downs are just so much better there.

We spent the rest of the afternoon indoors. We went to 6:30 Mass and it was still super warm. We took the bus to try and stay cool.  Then we had trouble finding the temporary location and ended up walking around getting hot and sweaty. Ugh. 

Regular Calorie Day - the meals

Broke fast about 12:30 - turkey breast rollups, celery, hummus, and Cheez-its

Lunch - protein fruit smoothie and PB&J apple cinnamon rice cakes

Dinner - leftover buffalo chicken quinoa. This stuff is so good!!

Snack - My first Siggi's vanilla yogurt. On the fence about this. It was strong? Not sure the right word for it. I didn't hate it, but I couldn't eat the whole container either.

Have you ever done a stride rate test?

Do you like Siggi's yogurt?

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!

Carb Cycling Week 4: Feeling Strong and Sports Bra Squad

This round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss® seems to be flying by. This past week was about strength. It was about more than physical strength. It was about finding out that I'm stronger than I think.

Here's a quick look at the week 4 workouts:

Monday - Burned some serious calories at Bodystep for my speed burst workout

Tuesday - Sprinting on the treadmill and an ab circuit

Wednesday - Full body strength training with supersets

Thursday - 24-hour fast ---> longest fast so far!

Friday - More strength training supersets and ab circuit

Saturday - Training Day Calories - Leg Day - the workout

Warm up - Since I had to run for 10 minutes, I joined the National Sports Bra Squad Day fun. This was a day for all women to ditch their tops and go for a run. I don't usually run in my sports bra (although I did pick this one because I thought it would look good solo), it just feels taboo, but I'm glad that I did it (even if it was only for 10 minutes). I only saw a few people who were out walking and even though it didn't seem like they paid any attention to me, I felt powerful when I was finished. My goal is to do it again and again, until it doesn't feel taboo anymore.

Strength training - It was leg day. I'm trying hard to build up muscles and get rid of flab, so I'm cautiously adding weight to my exercises. My knee doesn't make this part easy. The challenge is trying to make sure my good leg is not picking up slack from my bad leg. I add in a few single leg reps when I can, but I've read conflicting opinions on doing that. The finishers are tough and squeeze the last bit of energy out of me: curtsey lunges, side lunges, jump squats, and jump lunges ---> I do a modified version of jump lunges.

Cool down - Even though jumping on a bus sounded good, I walked (about 15 minutes) back to the apartment.

Sunday - Low Calorie Day - active recovery - the workout

I joined my local ladies SUP group out on the water for about 45 minutes. It was windy and the water was rough, so it was harder (and scarier) than I like. I could feel my core and leg muscles tightening up because I was paddling like mad to get back to shore and trying to stay balanced. I'm so happy that I didn't fall in. There were jellies out there again.

This week was about feeling strong. I feel strong when I increase my weights during strength training. I feel strong when I can finish my sprints without wobbly legs. I feel strong when I can fast for 22 hours. I feel strong when I can ditch my shirt and join the #SportsBraSquad.

Instead of listing all my meals, I'm just sharing my favorite foods from the weekend:

Protein smoothie

Sweet potato tots

What makes you feel strong?
Favorite eats from your weekend?

If you're thinking about joining FASTer Way to Fat Loss®, use my link to join and start carb cycling with me!

Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the Weekly Wrap!

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Wrapping Up FWTFL Week 3 (with Weekend Workouts)

We've literally been living under our umbrellas for the past few days, but I haven't let that stop my motivation. I did change things up a little bit, but it's my workout and I have to make it work for me.

Lorna Jane tank (similar here)

Here's a look at my workouts this week:

Monday - Took my sprints and HIIT workout outside for my last sunny day workout.

Tuesday - Active rest day

Wednesday - Learned about strength training with Supersets

Thursday - Another training day at the gym. I think I'm becoming a gym rat.

Friday - My Bodystep instructor returned from Oz, so I took my speed burst workout to The Hit Room.

Saturday - Regular Calorie Day - Leg Day - the workout 

I started the day with a trip to the beach for a pre-arranged meet up of the Discovery Bay Ladies SUP group. Four of us braved the rain to participate in an upcoming local magazine article.

I usually SUP in my bathing suit, but the rainy weather had me in a normal Chi tank and Costa shorts. One of the ladies wears full coverage rash guard, wetsuit like gear so she won't get stung by jellies if she falls in the water.

Warm up - I was over the rain, so I looked up the at-home workout for the day. My warm-up consisted of me digging out the free weights, getting out my yoga mat, and that's it.

Strength training - It was leg day: squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, calf raises. 4 sets of 12-15 reps. Plus FINISHERS - curtsey lunges, side lunge with squat, jump squats, jump lunges. 40 reps. Repeat ---> I did not repeat. This was one of those calls I have to make to keep my knee happy.

It sucks that I have to limit my workouts on one of the larger muscle groups, but I do. The old me would push through and finish the workout exactly as it's written. I would pressure myself to not quit because a leg workout burns a lot more fat calories than an arm workout. But then I would be out of commission for a couple of days with knee pain. I've learned to modify my workouts so that they work for me and be ok with that.

Sunday - low calorie day - active recovery - the workout

Warm up - For once it wasn't raining so we were able to walk to the fitness center. mrC had a strength training day and I tagged along.

Slow paced run - I chose to do the interval progression run today. It looks like this: 1 minute walk, 1 minute run, 2 minute walk, 2 minute run, 3 minute walk, 3 minute run, 4 minute walk, 4 minute run, 5 minute walk, 5 minute run. At the end, I was almost to a 5K, so I repeated the 5 minute run. 

I admit that the longer walk breaks were HARD! I've gotten used to my one minute recovery intervals, but I stayed focused on the goal of low intensity and keeping my heart rate in the fat burning zone. PS - I'm falling more in love with my Mizunos every time I run in them. Have you read my review?

Bonus - I tossed in a couple sets on the adductor machine because my inner thighs are nice and flabby. I'm hoping the use of the machine will supplement the leg day exercises.

Cool down - I did some stretching on the stretch machine. If you've never used the stretch machine at the gym, I highly recommend it. It looks like this one on Amazon. I don't have a lot of experience, but it made getting a really good stretch of my hamstrings, glutes, and quads so easy. I did not use heavy weight during my leg workout yesterday, but I was feeling the results of the high repetitions.

Regular calorie day - the meals

Broke fast at about 11 - 2 scrambled eggs with ham, gluten free pancakes, red grapes, and orange juice

Lunch - 3 turkey roll ups and microwave popcorn

Dinner - Buffalo chicken quinoa and green beans

Snack - mini YPP

Low calorie day - the meals

Broke fast at 11 - 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham, one PB&J rice cake and red grapes

Lunch - leftover buffalo chicken quinoa and green beans

Dinner - leftover buffalo chicken quinoa ---> it's THAT good! (recipe here)

How was your week?

Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the Weekly Wrap!