Tuesday's Workout & HIIT

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." ~Neale Donald Walsch~

Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone sometimes. Some of our biggest ACCOMPLISHMENTS happen when we do things we didn't think we could, or were forced to do.

On the flip side, some of our biggest REGRETS are when we look back on our lives and wish we would've at least TRIED to do something out of our comfort zone. We all have the ability to do much more than what we're currently doing. Don't sell yourself short or let fear hold you back! You have only 1 life, get out and get yours!

Tuesday's Workout:

Stair mill 10 Minutes

HIIT (Treadmill)

Strength Training: Back & Biceps

This morning I tried the stair mill for about ten minutes. I haven't been one in few years, so I felt wobbly and had to hold on to the side rails the ENTIRE time. I don't like how the stair mill at my gym goes by steps per minutes instead of going by levels like 1 through 20.

I hoped on to the treadmill to try a HIIT workout that's suppose to go like this....

5 Min warm up

10 rounds of 30 sec at 8% incline speed 9.0mph 30sec rest (hop on and off treadmill- do not stop the tread)

Walk 5min

10 rounds of incline 10% speed 9.0mph (30 sec on and 30 sec off)

Walk 5min

10 rounds of incline 15% speed 9.0mph (30 sec on 30 sec off)

5min walk cool down

Keep in mind this workout is IFBB Figure Olympia Nicole Wilkins personal HIIT workout. Nicole is a personal trainer, fitness model and a professional figure competitor. Since I am not on her level or anywhere near it, I had to adjust this workout. I tried the original workout but once I started sprinting on an 8% incline, OMG I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest.

I'd like to add HIIT (high intensity interval training) into my workout routine at least 2 times a week. Just to change things up a bit. When you do HIIT you can double your performance in half the time. I like HIIT because of the the challenge and I like pushing myself to the limits.

Both HIIT and normal cardio is important. High intensity interval training does work amazing in terms of boosting your fitness levels. It also gives you much better fat loss results especially when you want to get really lean. For those who are looking to shed some extra pounds quickly, HIIT is the way to go. You can find some good articles regarding HIIT on Bodybuilding.com.

For a lot of great HIIT workout ideas , check out Janetha's, Naomi's, Lisa's, & Jill's (HERE & HERE) blogs.

Monday's Run

Monday's Workout:

5 Miles @ 9:31 Pace

This run actually turned out better than I thought. I almost didn't go because I had dinner at Applebee's before my run. I'm very surprised at how consistent my splits were, especially since there were hills involved in this run. I threw in a few sprints. Thought I was going to puke up my dinner but I didn't. Thank goodness.

My husband decided to take a picture of me after my run. I think he was making fun of me cause I went straight to my phone after I walked in the door.

A Treadmill Workout & Some Inspiration...

Okay HIIT fans! Here's a treadmill workout by IFBB Figure Olympia Nicole Wilkins. You could also take it outside with a beeping timer. This ain't for the weak and weary. Adjust as necessary.

5min warm-up

10 rounds of 30 sec at 8% incline speed 9.0mph 30sec rest (hop on and off treadmill- do not stop the tread)

Walk 5min

10 rounds of incline 10% speed 9.0mph (30sec on and 30sec off)

Walk 5min

10 rounds of incline 15% speed 9.0mph (30sec on 30sec off)

5min walk cool down

Good luck!!

Whether your apply these rules to your job or your training in the gym, you will begin to see positive change in your overall everyday life. When you live your life with this kind of positive mentality towards taking action, doors simply open all around you.

Skipped Training Run...

Ahhh!!! I skipped yesterdays workout thinking I would be able to make it up today. Well, my husband was suppose to go to the gym this morning and then I would run after he got home from work. Well he didn't end up going to the gym before work so he went afterwards. I could of went running after his workout but I promised the girls I would take them to the fair tonight. As much as I would love to skip the fair and run instead, that would mean I would be taking away from my kids. That's the last thing I want to do. I don't want them to ever feel like my training is more important than them. Damn I shouldn't of skipped yesterdays run :(

Do you ever feel guilty when you skip a training run?

They are as evil as they look....

They were even worse after the cotton candy. lol

Please Don't Judge Me...

Today's Workout:

6 Miles

In my last blog post I talked about how I need to learn to pace myself. Well I didn't feel like pacing today so I included some fartleks in today's run. A Fartlek (swedish for “speed play”) is simply sprinting and jogging off and on during a run. For example, a normal fartlek workout be a 40-60 minute training run. However, instead of keeping the same pace through the whole workout you sprint, then jog, then sprint again whenever you feel like it. One good way to run this workout is to pick out objects ahead of you, like a telephone pole and sprint from that pole to the next and then jog. One reason that fartleks are so popular is that it is so flexible. I've been doing fartleks for a long time, I didn't even know that this kind of workout had a name until I read about it in the Runners World magazine.

I won't be wearing that shirt ever again during a run. It kept riding up my stomach, so during the majority of my 6 mile run I was pulling it down! It was really annoying, I almost quit running.

Before you judge me, please know that I have been in Japan for the last 3 years. Japan has junk food but lets be realistic. They don't use fructose corn syrup or put tons of sugar in any of their food products. When I went to a Japanese bakery to buy a strawberry cake, I was very disappointed because it was not sweet what so ever. It tasted like cardboard. I did not eat a western diet while I was in Japan. Now that I am back in the states, I'm completely surrounded by UNHEALTHY foods. Today in the grocery store I walked down the wrong isle, noticed some sweets I haven't eaten in about 3 years; I couldn't resist so I grabbed them. I don't feel guilty for eating all this junk food but I do feel like crap since I ate that home run apple pie in about 30 seconds. LOL

At least my dinner wasn't so bad.

Easy 7 Miler, I need to work on pacing!

My times are all sporadic. I need to work on pacing. There were a few hills during my run so that might be why some of my splits were slower than others. I also had to stop at red lights a few times. Then at mile 6.53 I accidently stopped my Garmin watch instead of hitting pause when I had to stop during colors. On a military base in the morning and evening the National Anthem is played. Everyone has to stop and face the music (those who are in uniform have to salute). It doesn't last long but I always gotta make sure I have one head phone outta my ear so I can hear it. I don't want to be THAT "wife" who gets yelled out for not stopping during colors. It's a sign of disrespect.

Anyway, back to my run. I need to work on pacing and find my groove while running. I had a decent run overall. Those hills will help me build stamina and prepare for the Big Sur Marathon.

Do you like my itty bitty hotel room. This has been our home for the last month and we still have 3 weeks left! Surprisingly I was able to take a picture of the girls not bouncing off the walls. lol

At least we have a kitchen in our room. I really shouldn't have ANY excuses for my bad eating habits lately.

I had a good breakfast though. Green tea and plain oatmeal with a little bit of cinnamon and almonds. I'd like to try adding protein powder to the mix. The protein I buy is artificially flavored so it might not make my oatmeal taste soo great.

Do you ever wear the shirts given to you from a race? I have some pretty ugly ones. Especially the ones from Japan. But the shirt I am wearing in this picture is my favorite one :) I wear it all the time. lol

1st Long Run Of The Training Season!!

Today's Workout:
16 Miles

Do I look like I just ran 16 miles?!?!

Wanna know the secret to not looking like a sweaty pig after a long run? Run very very sloooooww! LOL This was my first long run of the season. It's the farthest run I have done since my first marathon back in February! I kept the pace pretty slow, even walked quite a bit.

There were a few times I wanted to quite because my pace was soo slow. Doesn't this little guy on your Garmin discourage you at times? Who in the hell is he to tell me I am behind? Then I realized I need to get use to running long distances again. So who care's if my time is slow. Sometime in September is when I will pick up the pace in my long runs.

Nothing impressive as for times, I'm just glad I got it done!

Getting Your Spouse To Work Out and Eat Healthy

Today's Workout:

Easy 5 mile Run @ 9:51 Pace

Ahhh my husband. I love him dearly. After being married for going on 10 years, I've learned something important: You can't make other people do what you want. You may want them to exercise and eat healthy but they won't always do it. Within the last 5 years my husband has ripped both of his patellar tendons and since then he has been living a very inactive life style. He's always had a weakness for fried foods, and BBQ. Anything bacon is right up his ally too! When he's not at work he likes to vegetate on the couch all day and watch TV, with a beer in hand of course. These things are fine but only in moderation.

I can tell his unhealthy life style has been starting to catch up to him. He's gained weight and with us hitting 30 years old soon, it's only an amount of time it will effect his health (diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems ect.). When he does decide to work out it's just a phase for a few weeks leading up to a PRT. (Physical Readiness Training in the Military where they have to weight in and be able to do a run, sit up's and push up's within a certain amount of time). After he passes the PRT then it's back to his unhealthy lifestyle. I'm really concerned for him more then ever. I am PRAYING since I work out daily, eat clean and healthy that eventually my husband will give in. Leadership by example is honestly the only way to influence people.

Below is from an article I found online. I find some of it to be true. The last thing I want to do is nag my husband and have him resent me for wanting him to lose weight.

We all want our loved ones to live long healthy lives. So what do you do to help a spouse who isn't exercising?

Stop telling the truth! Don’t tell your spouse that people who don’t exercise have twice the risk of heart disease as moderately active ones – or that not being active ranks right up there with smoking as a health risk. Don’t tell your spouse that experts attribute 250,000 deaths each year to lack of regular physical exercise. Negatives and threats just do not motivate!

Humans work on the pleasure principle. Things that feel good attract; things that don’t, like criticism and scary statistics, repel. You can’t make another person change. They have to come to see the value of it themselves.

The trick is to be more of a friend than a drill sergeant. There are some definite dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

Try a little tenderness - Instead of nagging your partner to get moving, say, “I love you. Let’s take a walk and talk.” And instead of harping on how good exercise will make your spouse feel, talk about how good it makes you feel.

Start small and make it fun - You want your spouse to develop a habit, not prepare for the Olympics. Besides, too much too soon can lead to soreness and injury. Remember that 30 minutes of moving around everyday – walking, working in your garden, taking the stairs instead of the elevator – is all it takes to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for physical activity.

Don't show off - If your spouse would like to work out with you, do the walking or biking at his or her pace, not yours. The one who’s getting started can be intimidated if the other one’s a real exerciser. You might want to look for a new, shared activity that puts the two of you on equal ground. Take up dancing or roller-skating – anything both of you can approach as novices.

Invest your time - If you’re serious about helping out, be prepared to devote more than your own workout time to a plan. Don’t scoff at the first sign of backsliding. Understand that relapses are common. The worst thing you can do is making your spouse feel guilty about slipping up. When a person feels guilty, he or she will resume old habits to cope. Your spouse may take months to establish a routine, and you need to hang in there until that happens. The benefits, like your marriage, will last a lifetime.

Why I Don't Like Running On A Military Base In The AM

Today's Workout:

7 Miles

Treadmill 1% Incline, 1 Mile Warm-Up, 5 Mile Tempo, 1 Mile Cool Down

Time 01:09:11

0 - 1 Mile Warm-Up @ 6.0

1 - 3 Mile @ 6.1 (At 30 minutes I took a 1 minute break)

3 - 4 Mile @ 6.2

4 - 5 Mile @ 6.3

5 - 5.5 Mile @ 6.4

5.5 - 6 Mile @ 6.5

6 - 7 Mile @ 6.0 Cool down

Do you ever feel like you're cheating when running on the treadmill? It's great for intervals but most of the time I feel like I get a better workout running outside vs the treadmill. Anyway, there is a reason why I choose to run on the treadmill this morning.

When you live on a military base you are bound to see the guys out on a PT run. During my morning run on Monday I could hear the guys sing there traditional song or chant while they were running. All I could think of was, please don't come this way! LOL Sure enough, I saw them and we had to pass each other. Not many people are out and about running on base at the 6AM. So I felt a little embarrassed as I passed them since I was the only person out running.

They look like this but I live on a Navy base so they were wearing bright yellow shirts that say Navy and three of the front runners were carrying flags. Wouldn't you be intimated if you had to run pass guys that look like this and are yelling while they are running?

Later that day, my husband got this Facebook message....

Tell Lisa she is not authorized to run on base from 0600-0700 until after September 16th. I can't have one of my Selectees stepping in a pot-hole and getting hurt because they are looking at her pass by. I had to dig in their ass this morning!

The guy who sent the message was just messing around, he is a friend of my husband. Besides, I can run on base whenever I want. But now I am even more embarrassed knowing that these guys took noticed of me. I'll be avoiding them for a while.

GIVEAWAY WINNER!

And the winner is....

Tyly over at One Mile at a Time! Congrats!! For those who haven't seen Spirit of the Marathon. You can watch it via Hulu or through Netflix.

Week 2 CIM Training & Staying on track...

Today's Workout:

5 Miles @ Who know's what pace

On my schedule for today I had a 5 mile run planned. My garmin didn't work as soon as I started running so I just ran with out it. I didn't want to waste time trying to figure the darn thing out. Overall, my run went well. It was probably the best runs I have had in a while. I didn't beat any records or anything like that. I just felt good running and didn't even need a walking break!

Last week was the start to my marathon training and I skipped two runs, the long run and intervals (the most important runs). I didn't have a great 1st week of training and instead of coming up with a bunch of excuses why; I am going to move on and make this week an awesome training week.

"There arent nearly enough crutches in the world for all the lame excuses." ~Marcus Stroup

The weather is starting get cooler in Washington State. It's time I need to revamp my running clothes. Have any of you seen these hoodies from TheRelayRunner ?

I want this hoodie!!

Everybody travels. My family and I are in the middle of a PCS (Permanent Change Of Station). We just moved from Japan back to the States. I have been living in a hotel since June 30th and won't be in my own place until Sept 15th. By the time I move back into a house, I will have been on vacation for two and a half months.

One thing is for certain when going on vacation. Our normal routines get completely thrown out of the window!

I am still running and going to the gym but my eating habits have been horrible since I left Japan. I have been allowing myself to eat whatever I want “because I am traveling.” Not surprisingly, my fitness progress has backpedaled. I have packed on a few pounds and it is effecting my runs. I seem much slower :/ I was doing soo well before I left Japan too. I was eating healthy and clean, working out 6 days a week (Running, lifting weights or doing Insanity). I’d hate to spend two weeks after getting in to my new home trying to get back into a rhythm. I don't want it to be to late and feel like I am starting over. I will NOT start over. If I were to say "I'm starting over" that would imply that at some point, I had stopped. Quit. Ceased to try.

Here's what I am going to do to stay on track.

Make eating a priority.

You cannot out run a bad diet, and you can't out train it either.

Do the best I can. We will be eating out a lot. More than likely we will have dinner at an unhealthy restaurant. These things happen.

Teddy Roosevelt said it best: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Plan ahead. I will focus on maximizing on the good stuff (meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and minimize the bad stuff (junk food, processed grains and carbs, sugary beverages, etc.). Sounds too easy to be effective, but it’s not – if I plan ahead, it IS that easy.

Stay Active. I will stick to my marathon training plan. I'll be lifting weights and adding Insanity in to the mix :) Insanity will have to wait till we get into housing.

I'm thinking about buying one of these. Does anyone else have a 6 pack cooler or do any of you pre make your meals for the week?

Pre-Dawn Running....

I went from running in the beautiful country of Japan...

To the rainy Washington State :(

I can already tell where I am going to run into a problem with this marathon training. Pre-dawn running in a small town. See I just moved back to the states from Japan. Running early in the mornings at 4:15 AM use to be no problem for me. Especially in the summer because the sun comes up bright and early at 4 AM. They don't call Japan "land of the rising sun" for no reason. I loved running in Japan. Running in an unfamiliar territory can be fun. You get to see new things daily. Living next to the ocean was also another bonus :)

Now I live in the wettest state of the USA....Washington. I have to adjust to morning runs in the dark and running in this boring city I call home. Don't get me wrong, the Pacific Northwest is gorgeous but the particular area I live in is a wooded area and who know's what's lurking around those woods in the dark.

But I was reminded this morning of something I tell new runners all the time. “You have to build a habit.” So, tomorrow morning when the alarm goes off at the ungodly hour of four a.m., I will get up, lace up my shoes and build the habit. And I will remain hopeful that one day I will have built a habit that brings me the same joys my runs have brought me for the past year.

Tips For Running In The Morning:

Go to bed early. 7-8 hours of sleep would be great but for some reason I only get about 6.

Lay out your clothes (including hair ties and shoes) the night before. Or you can sleep in them. Try to have them organized (all the way down to having your socks unbundled) you can get dressed more quickly.

Charge your Ipod/Cell Phone the night before. Make sure to upload your new tunes on your Ipod the night before.

Program your Garmin in advance. If your planning intervals or anything that involves programming, set your watch the night before so you only have to wait for it to acquire a signal and then push “go”.

Prepare and fluids or gels the night before.

Hydrate and nourish well the night before. I don't normally eat before a run (unless it's a long run 10 miles or more.) I try to eat enough food the night before so I won't wake up starving. Not too much though, there's nothing like having to go number two during a long run. grrrrrrrr

Put the alarm clock on the other side of the room.

DON'T get on the computer the morning of your run and don't check the Iphone! Too many times I have wasted a lot of time, had to cut a run short, or have even missed a run because I sat down to check the weather and then got sucked into e-mail, blogs, or even Facebook. I am still working on this and need to not go anywhere near the Iphone or computer...... it is costing me sleep!

GIVEAWAY!!

To kick off the start of my marathon training for the California International Marathon. I will be holding my first giveaway! I will be giving away the DVD movie Spirit Of The Marathon to one lucky winner.

This movie is a must have for all marathon runners. I was so inspired by this documentary. It features every day runners attempting their first marathon, to runners who have participated in multiple races and elite runners trying to win the Chicago marathon! I think ANYONE can do a marathon, just watch this movie and you to will want to run, no matter how fast or how slow!

1. Eligibility. Giveaways are open to readers with US shipping addresses only.

2. How to Enter. Mandatory: Leave a comment on this giveaway post and follow my blog.

To obtain additional entries, post about this giveaway on your facebook, or blog. Please leave a comment with your blog address or Facebook name if you choose to do the extra entries.

3. Entry Deadline Date. August 15, 2011

4. Winner Selection. A prize number will be assigned to your entry upon receipt of your entry. A winning number will be generated using Random.org on or shortly after the Entry Deadline Date.

5. Claiming Your Prize. Winner must respond within 5 days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.

Good Luck!

Marathon Training Plan

“Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” ~Charlie Batch

I'm currently in training for marathon # 2. Failing to plan is planning to fail. HERE is a more technical copy of my training plan. I've decided to follow the Runners World Smart Coach training plan. If I follow the plan it says I should complete the marathon in 4:06:04. That is a little higher than my expectations, I'm hoping I can at least finish the marathon under 4:30.

*Goals during my Marathon Training Plan:

-Break 4:30. I will need to commit to this goal. I'll need to step outside of my comfort zone. "To achieve something you've never achieved before, you must become someone you've never been before." - Brian Tracy

- My training will include easy runs, tempo's, intervals, fartleks, long runs, yasso 800's, hills and or stairs.

- Nutrition. I'll be keeping a food journal to figure out what to eat before, during, after my runs. I will experiment a variety of sport drinks, gels, and energy bars to determine which products (if any) work best for my body. I'm looking for products that please my taste buds and settles well in my stomach. There's nothing like having to take a number 2 during a long run :/

- Run my ass off. If I want to be fast, then I need to run fast. I can't slack off during my training runs or else how do I expect to beat my timed goal.

-Strength Train. This year I picked up weight training and it's made a tremendous difference in my running.

-Stay Injury Free. Listen to my body. If somethings not right or if I can tell an injury is coming; back off.

-Be Consistent & Stick to the plan. I have two small kids, it is important for me not to take time away from them. I will need to find that balance between running and my family life. My family and I are adjusting being back in the states. We are staying in a hotel waiting for military housing to open. Once we get into housing I'll have to deal with unpacking and getting settled into our new home. Then there is also that other thing called deployment :(

- HAVE FUN! Last year, everything was new, exciting, fun and fresh because it was my first marathon. I didn't know what to do or expect which meant I learned something new just about every day. This year, I am going to do everything possible to avoid boredom or dullness in my training. I still want it to feel like the first!

Sad but true. Very Disturbing...

Why are we so hard on ourselves, and why don't we see what others do? We need to appreciate our bodies for what they really are. We often see something (or things) that ARE NOT THERE.

I just want to point out I only feel like this from time to time, not all the time. But I do have some friends who swear they need to lose weight when in reality they ARE already skinny!!