Miss Me?

Oh my gosh.

Hello!

Did you guys miss me? Well, I didn’t miss you…

Just kidding. I still need to catch up on reading all your blogs. I’m so behind due to work and working out and turning orange…

I have had pumpkin soup every day this week. 16oz worth of pumpkin soup. I’m going to turn orange. 

Anyway, my workouts have not included running a billion miles. I am in the worst running rut currently. I hate running. I never been in this terrible of a running rut before either so it is frightening me.

I have no desire to run, but I force myself to at least run on the treadmill for as long as I can handle it. I wish I was still running 50 miles a week, but I love running, but I don’t want to now.

I just don’t want to run. Boooo to me. Has anyone else ever been in a super dull running rut?

So, if I haven’t been running, what have I been doing?

Eating Bonbons and watching soaps all day.

I start my workout with some plyometrics in my 20 pound weight vest. Yeah, plyometric workouts are tough and sweaty, but try with it a 20 pound weight vest.

I went through two shirts during my workout. Now, all the guys at the gym start talking to me. Not the senior citizen dudes, but young cute guys. They only go, “Sup?”, but still. That’s better than nothing.

Then, all the women are like, “What does that skinny ass girl think she is doing?”

I’ve been doing plyo moves like this:

• 2 sets of 15 jump squats
• 2 sets of 15 jumping jacks
• 2 sets of 15 alternating jump lunges
• 2 sets of 15 high knees
• 2 sets of 15 mountain climbers
• 2 sets of 15 running butt kicks
• 2 sets of 15 wide push ups
• 2 sets of 15 jumping jacks
• 2 sets of 15 bicycle crunches

And…

Julie’s track workout…

• 2 miles or 8 times around the track: jogging (running or walking whichever you prefer)
• 1 mile of sprinting the lengths of the track (8 sprints total)
• in between the sprinting (for the ‘widths) i did the following:
• backwards jog (2 widths)
• sidestepping (alternating sides) – 2 widths
• high knees – 2 widths
• butt kicks – 2 widths
• 10 bleacher runs (up 15 steps, across, down 15 steps)
• 30 seconds bleacher up-downs (times 2)
• squat jumps 15 (3x)
• pushup with leg side crunch 15 (3x)
• 1 minute planks (3x)
• reverse crunches alternating with leg lifts (25 each) 2x
• squat jumps 15 reps (2x)
• box jumps (using bleachers) 15 reps 2x
• 1 lap around the track, jogging

And…

	Single Leg Hops	Bleacher Hops	Double Leg Bounds	Alternate Leg Bounds	Squat Jumps	Depth Jumps	Box Jumps
1	2 x 10	2 x 10
2	2 x 10	2 x 10
3	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10
4	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10
5	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10
6	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10	2 x 10

What are some of your favorite plyometric workouts? 

Supposedly, plyo is great for runners.

According to Running Times, Plyometric training has been shown to be an important part of training a distance runner to recruit muscle fibers most efficiently. Dr. Karp explains this, saying, “Increasing the rate at which muscles can produce force helps improve how oxygen is used to maintain any given speed. It’s really about exploiting the elastic properties of muscles and tendons and how they utilize elastic energy.

After doing some plyo moves, I hit up the stairmaster or the elliptical. Then, I lift some weights for 45 minutes.

Today, however, I switched it up. I rode my bike to the gym (7.25 miles), ran 4 miles, lifted 35 minutes, ran another mile, and then rode my bike home the long way for a total of 16 miles of bike riding. 

Lifting has been going great. My arms are feeling it. I love it. Lifting > running as of now.

Well, anyway. If you e-mailed me in the past few days, I’ll get back to you soon. 

I apologize for my absence  and how boring I am now, but even six shots of espresso and Irish cream doesn’t wake me up.

To make my blog worth wild again, I have some upcoming posts on acupuncture and… whatever else you guys want to see. Let a sista know.

Enjoy the rest of your week, guys! I miss you all and let’s hope work calms down. I signed up for part-time and I’m working full time. Oh wee. What’s up with that?

“Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be.”

Outrunning Yourself

Let’s not even talk about Race the Reaper.

Well, okay. I suppose I could mention it and how disappointed I am in myself. I finished in, like, an hour. I was the second woman, fifth in my heap (I believe). I lost to the other woman by very little distance.

I just couldn’t climb this rope in the very, very end of the race. I could not do it. I was way ahead of the other woman and she caught up with me because I just couldn’t climb the rope. All you had to do was climb the rope and touch the top. No. I got frustrated. I started swearing up a storm. (I’m Italian and Irish. Not a good a mix.) Everyone that was watching was trying to offer me pointers and my mom was yelling at me. I just feel like a huge failure. I am not looking for a pity party.

I did it eventually, but I felt like shit since the woman beat me.

I’m just super pissed at myself. I feel like a let down to myself, which I am. I don’t feel strong, fast, or even capable of making the Marines.

I don’t know. It’s whatever at this point.

The course itself was rather tiring. It was more about strength and pulling yourself over walls after climbing giant hills (perhaps I should call them mountains).  My arms are sore and I don’t want to eat.

It was fun though, until the end where I gave up basically.

I have come to the conclusion of this:

• Work on upper body strength more. Not just with lifting weights, but doing pulls up, push ups, etc.
• Eat better. I eat really well as it is, but I think I am going to cut out a lot of sugars, desserts, ice cream, and cookies.
• Maybe eat more? Maybe I could have done really well in the race and had more energy throughout if I ate more. As it is, I really don’t know how much to eat. I just eat to eat or when I’m hungry.

I am going to switch up my workout routine to something like this…

Day 1: Back/Biceps

• Deadlift: 5 sets of 5 reps
• Pullups: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Cable Row: 2 sets of 12 reps, 1 drop set of 12 reps, 65% previous weight
• Lat Pulldown: 2 sets of 12 reps, 1 drop set of 12 reps, 65% previous weight
• Dumbbell Row: 2 sets of 12 reps, 1 drop set of 12 reps, 65% previous weight
• Preacher Curl: 3 sets of 15 reps
• Hammer Curl: 2 sets of 15 reps, 1 drop set of 15 reps, 65% previous weight

Day 2: Chest/Triceps

• Incline Dumbbell Bench: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Barbell Flat Bench: 2 sets of 12 reps, 1 drop set of 12 reps, 65% previous weight
• Wide-Grip Bench Press: 2 sets of 12 reps, 1 drop set of 12 reps, 65% previous weight
• Cable Flyes: 5 sets of 12 reps, 1 drop set of 12 reps, 65% previous weight
• Pushups On the Ball: 3 sets to failure
• Skull Crushers: 3 sets of 15 reps
• Tricep Pushdown with Rope: 2 sets of 15 reps, 1 drop set of 15 reps

Day 3: Legs/Abs

• Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Leg Press: 2 sets of 20 reps, 1 drop set of 20 reps, 65% previous weight
• Stiff Legged Deadlift: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Lunges: 3 sets of 15 reps

Superset:

• Leg Curl: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Leg Extension: 3 sets of 20 reps

• Calf Raises: 5 sets of 20 reps
• Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets to failure
• Rope Crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps

Day 4: Arms

• Barbell Curl: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Close-Grip Bench Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Seated Hammer Curls: 3 drop sets of 12 reps
• Skull Crushers: 3 drop sets of 12 reps
• Preacher Curl: 3 drop sets of 12 reps
• Tricep Pushdown: 3 drop sets of 12 reps

Day 5: Shoulders/Abs

• Military Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Arnold Press: 3 sets of 15 reps with drop sets
• Front Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Shrugs: 5 sets of 12 reps
• Russian Twists: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Obliques Crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps

I suppose we all have ‘bad‘ races where we feel like we didn’t perform our best.  I know the day of XC Regional ‘s, I thought I raced terribly. I felt awful about it too. I wouldn’t eat and I wouldn’t talk. That’s how I felt today. I’m such a competitive person that I get sick when I feel like I could have done better.

The  thing is, I feel this way often. I feel like I can always push myself just one more mile, minute, second. 

“The important thing is the attitude of the athlete, the desire to get to the top.”-Herb Elliott

I know I have a shitty attitude. I can be a bitch. It’s just that I want to win. I simply want to impress and feel good about myself. 

Today wasn’t about myself running the fastest, although that was a factor. It was about having strength. Clearly, I lack upper body strength. Today was also about confidence. I have zero. It’s difficult to perform well when you don’t like yourself.

Today was not a bad race. I was just not strong enough mentally and that was the most difficult part. The only thing that entered my mind today was failure, which led me to it.