Workout

Half Marathon Training: Week Seven Schedule and Week Six Fail

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This week’s schedule is a little different since I did my long run on Monday this week because of the holiday. Therefore:

Monday: Last week’s long run
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Run 4 minutes, Walk 2 minutes, 5 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Thursday: Crosstrain
Friday: Run 4 minutes, Walk 2 minutes, 5 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run 5 miles – Run 3 minutes, Walk 2 Minutes

So why do I say Week Six Fail? Mostly because I am being dramatic. I did my first 4 minute interval run and had a great pace. I didn’t finish the full 5 mile long run though. I tried but I just didn’t have anything left in the tank so I stopped just short of 4.2 miles. I normally do my cardio fasting so as my miles increase, this will have to change.

I can say I gave it my all and I will try again this week. I also missed all of my cross training! I’m going to try and be better about that in the future.

Again, I was beating myself up for not completing the 5 miles and thought about repeating the week. Then I remembered my 4 minute interval run and that I was solidly in the mid-eleven minute pace for that, even hitting the high-tens for a few intervals. I realized I need to keep going instead of being worried I’m not progressing enough to push forward. A good all-around life lesson too!

Until next week…Happy Running!

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Half Marathon Training: Week 5 Schedule & Week 4 Recap

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Week 5 Schedule:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 3 minutes, Walk 2 minutes, 6 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Wednesday: Crosstrain – Weights or yoga this week
Thursday: Run 3 minutes, Walk 2 minutes, 6 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Crosstrain – Weights or Yoga
Sunday: Run 4 miles – Run 2 minutes, Walk 2 Minutes

Week 4 Recap:

It was so humid on Tuesday’s run, I felt like I was running through applesauce! I did it though and was able to shave a few more seconds off my pace. Wednesday’s yoga, a 30 minute practice, was nice. Thursday’s run was the first 3 minute interval but it wasn’t as hard as I though it was going to be. I did drop and break my water bottle a few minutes in though, so that was a bummer. I skipped Saturday’s yoga (I was just too tired and decided to read my book then watch a movie instead – well worth it!)

Not gonna lie, Sunday’s run was awesome and terrible all in one. I started well after 8am and it was already 90% humidity! I felt like I was creeping along and the last mile was tough. During that mile, I was really looking forward to the walking intervals and as soon as I hit 4 miles, I started walking. Some days are just gonna be like that, though! When I got home, I realized that I shaved 14 seconds off my pace from last week! I was really not expecting that! I think that goes to show that we can be mentally harder on ourselves than we really need to be.

I’m excited for all of the 3 minute intervals next week and to see if I can get below an 11 minute pace for the 4 mile run next Sunday. An update from last week’s recap: the dog was reunited with his family! I may have jury duty next week too so hopefully I will take advantage of all the waiting time and get some more non-running blog posts done!

Half Marathon Training: Week 4 Schedule & Week 3 Recap

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I realized that I like having my long run on Sunday and a rest day on Monday so I’m not starting the work week worrying about a run. So, here’s the modified schedule for Week 4:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 2 minutes, Walk 2 minutes, 7 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Wednesday: Crosstrain – I’m sticking with yoga
Thursday: Run 3 minutes, Walk 2 minutes, 6 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Crosstrain – Yoga again
Sunday: Run 4 miles – Run 2 minutes, Walk 2 Minutes

Week 3 went much better. I did switch my days around so I ran on Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday and did Yoga on Monday & Friday. My run on Sunday was 4 miles, my longest yet. It was somewhat interrupted by a lost dog running down the street but after snapping a few quick pictures, posting to the neighborhood Facebook group and handing him off to a park ranger, I was off again. After the stop, I couldn’t get my Seconds app to announc the sets, so I was thrown off for a few sets and was running with my phone in my hand to see the timer. Luckily I was able to get it working for the last mile or so. I ended up going closer to 4.5 miles by the time I add in the walking warm up and cool down.

My pace is dropped again with the lower run sets and I kept it consistent all week, even for the long run. I also really enjoyed doing the yoga for my cross-training. I did 30 minutes of slow flow on Monday and 45 minutes on Friday. It was great to have the extra stretching too.

All in all, I am very happy with the week!

Half Marathon Training: Week 3 Schedule & Week 2 Recap

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Here’s the schedule for Week 3:

Monday: Run 2 minutes, Walk 2 minutes 7 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Tuesday: Crosstrain – I will probably do yoga this week
Wednesday: Run 2 minutes, Walk 2 minutes 7 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Crosstrain – Yoga again
Saturday: Run 4 miles – Run 2 minutes, Walk 2 Minutes
Sunday: Rest

Week 2 recap: The running was great. I ended up doing the 3 mile run on Sunday instead of Saturday but I fit in 14 sets and ran a little over the 3 mile mark. My pace keeps improving and I will strive to get under the 13 minute average mile next week. Considering that 1/3 of my runs are walking right now, I am extremely happy with that pace!

Cross training did not go as well. Between starting a new job, getting ready for back to school and not sleeping a few nights, I skipped every cross training day! That’s OK though because you are allowed to have priorities other than exercise sometimes! Hopefully next week will be more consistent.

Workouts I Didn’t Finish: 30 Day Breakaway

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I’ve written several posts about workouts that I loved explaining why you should try them too. Did it seem like I love every workout I try? Well I don’t! I thought it would be good to also tell you what I didn’t like and why.

When I started my half marathon training, I thought the Beachbody program 30 Day Break Away would be a great way to start. It’s a 30 day program with a combination of running and lifting that culminates in a 5K on day 30. This is the first workout program that I tried with Idalis Velazquez, one of Beachbody’s super trainers that also does workouts in Spanish. The program is set up so you lift and then you take the audio run portion with you using the Beachbody on Demand app on your phone where Idlais gives you prompts as to what the run is and what your level of effort should be.

The first week, which is all I did, went like this:

Monday: Total Body Strength followed by a Fat Blasting Ladders Run
Tuesday: Upper Body followed by a Rest Day Roll Out
Wednesday: Core Fuerte followed by a HIIT Run
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Lower Body followed by a Tempo Intervals Run
Saturday: Rest Day Roll Out
Sunday: Rest

So what didn’t I like about it that made me quit after a week? I think the biggest things was that the runs didn’t seem like they were helping me train. Despite watching all of the introductory videos, I couldn’t tell the deference between the Ladders, HIIT and Tempo runs. They were all literally interval runs where you ran a 30, 60, 90 seconds with walking periods in between. There were prompts to give different levels of intensity but no description on what those would be until you hear the prompt during the program. I ended up running just over 1.5 miles each of these days in about 20 minutes of work but I felt terrible after each one! Much different than the 2.5 to 3 miles I can do under my current program.

The lifting portion was a little hectic as well. While I thought the exercises themselves were good, it felt like Idlais’s earpiece wasn’t giving her the proper counts. There were times where transitions between exercises were rushed and I had to rewind to understand the prompts and complete the exercise. By Wednesday, I was contemplating continuing with the running portion but swapping out the lifting portion with something else. When I really thought about it, I wasn’t enjoying the running portion either!

An easy way to give up is to get stuck with a workout program that just isn’t working for you! I am glad I quit this running program because I am getting much more training (and enjoyment) from my current program. Just because it worked for someone else or it was really popular doesn’t mean it’s the right program for you.

I will definitely write about a few more programs I didn’t finish, including the one that made me take a break from Beachbody programs all together!

Half Marathon Training: Week 2 Schedule & Week 1 Recap

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Here’s the schedule for Week 2:

Monday: Run 1 minute, Walk 2 minutes 10 times, with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Tuesday: Crosstrain – I chose a 30 minute upper body strength workout and 10 minutes of core
Wednesday: Run 2 minute, Walk 2 minutes 7 times with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Crosstrain – I chose a 30 minute total body workout
Saturday: Run 3 miles – Run 1 minute, Walk 2 Minutes
Sunday: Rest

Week 1 went well. I consistently increased my pace each running day. The only SNAFU was accidentally starting my Apple Watch on Saturday as a strength work out instead of a running one for the first 10 minutes. Since I was supposed to do distance instead of a set number of intervals, I erred on the side of running a full 3 miles once I set my watch correctly, which probably figured out to about 3.5 mile run for the day. I also didn’t remember to track the number of intervals I did, but I think it was around 15.

Overall, I’ll take the week as a win!

I’m Training for a Half Marathon!

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I was not a regular runner pretty much my whole life until I decided to start running about seven or eight years ago. I ran for several years, finishing a dozen half marathons and a bunch of 5ks, 10ks and other races. I decided to take a break from running long distances after running a Disney race in January when it was 20 degrees! It was the frozen feet for me! I haven’t run regularly in over two years. I recently realized how much I missed running, especially getting outside, and training for a big goal.

It’s been a while, so I chose a training plan from Self Magazine that involves running intervals in a Couch to Half Marathon mindset. Even though I have run this distance before, I needed to treat my training as if I was a true beginner. I haven’t even run a 5k since July 4, 2019!

This week has been great. I have 3 training runs, each doing intervals of running for one minute and then walking for two minutes. I also have two cross training days and two rest days. The intervals make it much easier to run for a long period and I can really increase my pace for my runs knowing I will have a short walk. I use an App called “Seconds” using pre-programmed intervals so it prompts the beginning, halfway point and end of each interval.

So my actual week one training schedule looks like this:

Monday: Run 1 minute, Walk 2 minutes 10 times, with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Tuesday: Crosstrain – I chose a 30 minute upper body strength workout and 10 minutes of core
Wednesday: Run 1 minute, Walk 2 minutes with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Crosstrain – I chose a 30 minute total body workout
Saturday: Run 3 miles – Run 1 minute, Walk 2 Minutes
Sunday: Rest

My goal is the Miami Half Marathon, a race I’ve always wanted to run. I also may add the Disney Half Marathon, which is always run around my birthday. I have a chance to run it for Team JDRF, which was a great experience the last time I did it.

I’ll post my training schedule on Sundays and let you know how I’m doing as I proceed. Wish me luck!

Are You Counting Up?

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I was in the middle of an Apple Fitness workout the other day (review coming soon) and I realized my focus kept returning to the countdown timer that showed how much longer I had left in the workout and it was really distracting.

That got me thinking. Why was I so focused on how much time I had left instead of celebrating everything I had done? I could say it went deeper than just the workout. I stopped my workout and changed the way you see metrics on Apple Fitness so it now shows the time elapsed, not the time remaining. This little change has allowed me to be more present in my workouts, especially yoga.

It’s true for life too. Do you think as you get older that you are running out of time to accomplish that bucket list while forgetting all the things you’ve already checked off? So let’s start counting up instead of down.

My Favorite Workout: Camp Gladiator

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To experience Camp Gladiator yourself, I have 2 referral codes for four weeks free. Email me at healthygirllawyer@gmail.com to get the code!

Initially when I heard about Camp Gladiator from a friend, it was pre-pandemic and they were going to a public park in town and doing what I thought was a boot camp that had you running around like crazy. It wasn’t until I met a trainer, Lauren, who eventually become my trainer, that I really grew to understand and like it!

CG is a four-week fitness program led by Certified Personal Trainers, where every workout is different. Each “Camp” is a 60 minute, full-body workout incorporating both cardio and strength exercises. While they still have outdoor workouts (which are following Covid safety rules), I still prefer the virtual workouts.

The great thing about virtual workouts is that you can literally hope on a workout at any time of day. There are multiple workouts with trainers across the country starting every 15 minutes and they are done via the Zoom platform. I haven’t done an in person workout so I can speak to have but if you like group workouts and the camaraderie that goes along with it, you will probably like Camp Galdiator. You trainer will have set days and times but you aren’t restricted to your personal trainer. The convenience of having a live class when it’s convenient for you is not something I’ve seen in other virtual fitness firms.

What to expect? CG is based on a 4 week camp broken down by weeks: Endurance, Strength & Agility, Interval and Peak Week. It all ends with community week and then begins again. It’s a combination of strength and cardio. Each class is live so that means each workout is different. These workouts will make you sweat. My typical calorie burn for the hour is somewhere between 400-600 calories depending on my input and the workout itself.

Last night’s workout! This was an interval workout.

You have a trainer who learns your fitness goals and helps you plan to meet them. Lauren sends text messages on what to expect and touches base for accountability. Lauren always offered multiple modifications on the exercises as well so it may be a tough workout, but it’s really meant for all levels of fitness.

Part of the fun is earning points for checking that you can use on equipment and other gear or clothes. They also run discounts on gear so I was finally able to get 20 pound weights for a really good price. The cost of the program is very reasonable and they run specials frequently. You can also get a referral code from a current camper or coach for more savings.

Email me at healthygirllawyer@gmail.com if you want a referral code for 4 free weeks!

My Favorite Workout: Walking

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I love walking. Enjoying the outdoors, walking the dogs, window shopping. Walking is also very accessible. There’s a reason why there are so many fitness trackers that encourage 10,000 steps per day. It also doesn’t involve many accessories. If you have a comfortable pair of shoes, you are good to go.

When we lived in a building downtown, I walked everywhere. I estimate I could walk upwards of 5 miles or more each day. I walked the dogs around Lake Eola each morning, walked my daughter to her preschool, then walked across downtown to my office building. There were several months where I was walking to her school for lunch. We walked to the grocery store on the other side of the lake, we walked to dinner, we walked to the park and playground. We walked everywhere! That was definitely the least I have weighed since I hit my 40s.

Once we moved to the suburbs, I would still walk my daughter to school but the 7 block walk fell to 1 block. The daily 1 mile dog walk around the lake was 1/2 a mile around the neighborhood (and sometimes not even that since we could just let them out in the backyard). I had to drive to the grocery store and to my office. My daily movement dropped drastically, even with other exercise programs!

I still prefer to walk over driving when I can. When I am visiting my client law firms downtown, I often park and walk from building to building. I’ve even worn through the bottom of my shoes! I love vacations to places like New York City or Las Vegas that encourage a lot of walking. I also love to spend the day at Disney with friends, walking a ton!

There are also many health benefits to walking, aside from the obvious weight loss. The Mayo Clinic says that walking can lower your blood pressure and your blood glucose levels, can lower your stress levels, can improve your memory and cognitive functions. Walking can be part of your self-care routine as well.

This is also a very pandemic-friendly exercise and can be done by just walking out the door. So try and add this great exercise into your routine!