A Motivational 5K and Girls Night

An awesome training week last week. Got in some great bikes, runs, weights and swims.
So Saturday morning I had planned on doing a 5K with my sister and my friends. I was going to use it like a time trial for this summer's races and training.I got up with no big intentions, no big plans, but when I got there and the horn blew, I felt like I was flying and I couldn't feel my feet. First mile marker comes by and I look at my HR monitor, it says 7:30? Really??? Awesome, but my heartrate, is about 168 so I got worried that maybe I couldn't sustain this for the three miles, doubt started going through my head. I decided to slow down, and then I didn't see another mile marker. But when I did get to the finish line it said 25:30 - so for the first time in a long time I averaged 8:13!! My sister took a great picture at the finish line.
Nicole did great too!! She shaved off 2 min 30 sec from last year! Theresa did the walk and went 5 min faster!!

All in all a great start of the day to go to Wegman's for their tastings and liquor store opening...
I came out to find the Yellow Audi with an old lover...a red Audi...:(
BBQ at Angie's with some chicken on a stick - complements of Chef Quan...
On to Nordstroms...we won't repeat what happened there (new shorts, shirts...)
And then on to a Vampire themed Girl's night at Tanya's..complete with martinis, wine and yummy food, and shots of bubblegum vodka (recipe for disaster the next day).


where they attempted to teach me how the stars stand...wasn't working for me..
had a great time with great friends.

Unfortunately, I went for a 6 mile run on Sunday followed by a lost voice, and then felt sick for the past two days - thank God it's a recovery week for training.

The Forgotten Sport of Triathlon Training

I am OBSESSED with plans - nutrition plans, triathlon plans, etc. I love lists. So I was having a really hard time not seeing any strength training plans incorporated into these tri plans. Well, at least nothing noteworthy.

I notice as I read all these triathlon blogs that very few write on their strength training. I also know that this is a frequently visited topic among my friends that participate in triathlons.

"Should I do 1, 2 or 3 days a week?"
"How should I train with weights?"
"Where can I fit it in among the swimming, running and biking and having a life?"
"Aren't I developing the muscles when I do my harder speed training or paddle workout with swimming?"
"How important is it?"
"The only day I can fit it in, is a day I have my toughest workout?"

We all know it is important but it boils down to two challenges:
1. Time management
2. Fatigued body

What is the solution? I am not sure, I wish I was well-versed in this subject more, just an avid reader of Muscle and Fitness since 1995, participant in endurance activities and involved in sports teams of field hockey, cheerleading and track (yes cheerleading is a sport...). Through all of that, I notice that my body has changed since I packed up my Muscle and Fitness mags and changed over to Triathlete mags. Could be because of my eating habits, gravity taking effect after 30, etc, etc? I started going to a nutritionist which has helped shed some body fat. But, it really comes down to muscle tone and definition, but more importantly, the loss of strength due to high amounts of aerobic activity.

So, all the triathlon books I have pored through says - yes, 2 days a week for a while and then you stop as you get closer to racing...I think conditioning workouts are so important. In fact another blogger Tawnee has some great insight into this. I think she is writing an article in Triathlete mag.

However, I downloaded a few favorites here and below for those - non-tri girls that want a new weight workout plan, I scanned the pics of the latest Muscle and Fitness Hers mag with the 8 week plan which I think is great after I read through.

Workout #1
I have a great workout from Muscle & Fitness hers published on Mar/Apr 2008. It was a workout developed by an IFBB fitness pro Amy Villa-Nelson. I am going to start incorporating this once a week. Should take about 35-45 minutes.



Workout #2 - I decided to go with a total body workout for the second workout of the week since I know it will be difficult to fit in during work, life, training, nutrition, etc...

Legs
Squats 3 sets of 12 or Clean and Press 3 sets of 12
Lunges 3 sets of 12
Leg Extension 3 sets of 12
Deadlift 3 sets of 12 or Leg Curls 3 sets of 12

Overhead Shoulder Press 3 sets of 12
Reverse Flys 2 sets of 12 (great for swimming)

Lat Pull down 3 sets of 12 or One Arm Row 3 sets of 12
Push-ups 3 sets of 15 (one-legged)
Incline Chest Press 3 sets of 12

Bicep Curls 3 sets of 12 or 2 sets of 21s (7 all the way down and 1/2 way up, 7 1/2 way up and all the way up and 7 full bicep curls) - My FAVORITE**
Triceps - Lying Tricep Extension or Dips use a second bench to prop your feet up for advanced (maybe even adding a 5 lb weight on your body??) 3 sets of 15

ABS!!!
Hanging leg Raise - 3 sets to failure
Exercise ball roll - use the exercise ball to prop up feet, balance in a plank position and curl lower body in as a curl - 3 sets of 15
Decline Bench medicine ball side crunch 3 sets of 15
Hip Thrust 3 sets of 15


And NOW for all you "non-Triathletes" and looking for a great summer weight plan...




Happy Weight Training!!!
PS - I will be trying out some P90X soon...

Crazy Work Week, Training, Heat Wave Race, Borat and Other News

Week 1 (4/26-5/2) of training plan (see last post) last week was all about the word Adapting.

Started off fabulous until Wednesday...not so good, crisis at work happened and had to fly to Atlanta leaving me working from Wednesday directly off of my 4 mile speed work session run to the wee hours of night, waking up at 5am flying to Atlanta, working till 11pm, flying home at the ass crack of dawn, drive back from Newark to say Happy Birthday to my man, shower, check email, and leaving to do focus groups till 9:30 pm, running home feeding dog and off to Mike's Beyond Dishonor show at Club Risque (yes the strip club...)










to see my man in all his glory...

hang out with my friends...













and an excellent rendition of Welcome to the Jungle - metal style.









Followed by getting home when the birds are chirping, sleeping (again, no workout) and running to Philly pick up race packet for Broad Street and dealing with Phillies tailgating (smelling bbq and passing beer pong and wishing I was there instead). Home in time to cook while Mike is getting a Thai Yoga Massage by my BFF - Jojo the ninja (that's what we call her - she teaches Martial Arts and could kick anyone's ass)












so I can make his bday (my pre-race) dinner complete with Red Velvet Cupcakes.

I have to say (patting myself on the back) that I made the most awesome dinner of grilled filet with chianti salt straight from Dario's butcher shop in Tuscany, roasted parmesan potatoes, green beans in orange juice and red velvet cupcakes (I only ate 1/2) and




drinking a glass of our wine we bought in Tuscany from 2007 - a 2004 bottle of Castello d' Albola Le Elleyre (yum).










Bed at 11pm, get up at 4:45am (now I am used it this week) and going back to Philly- yet another 1 hour drive. But what makes it all worthwhile is when one of your friends, our resident bike mechanic, comes to your house with the latest flavors of GU!! My new fave blackberry - yummy....

If anyone has ran the Broad Street run you understand the fiasco and the trial and tribulations of getting to the start line. You park at the stadium, you walk to the subway filled with (did they say 30,000 people) crammed like sardines for 20 minutes (did I mention I am claustrophobic), get to the other side of broad street - wait in line for 30 minutes for a port-a-potty where a fight breaks out (yeah PHILLY) between two women "butting in line" where one screams "I am going to sh%$ my pants."
Lovely! This was in my line...so you do your business and wait with the cow herd for 2 hours (by now pre-race breakfast is gone and you are starving and you don't want to eat any of your 2 gels in the rare case you may lose one), the heat is starting up - by now it's in the 80s & it is humid.
I haven't run in heat since August 2009!!! And then you walk 4 blocks with the cattle herd just to move up to the start line.

The four of us (Christine, Bill, Nicole and I) start off (we lost the other three) in a what I call a "non-moving jog" to trying to dart in and out of people like a game in this claustrophobic mess of a first mile. It wasn't enough to have 20,000 people like last year, we always need to make it BIGGER...by allowing 10,000 MORE people to join in.

Christine and I are going at a good pace when I look at the mile 2 clock - we took 12 minutes for the first mile due to getting around people and then settling into a 9 min/mile pace. Heat is coming on, humidity is up there. You have the Philly fans the whole way, you are slapping hands, listening to bands and at mile 5, you are just not ready for the heat, your legs are slowing, every water-stop takes 40 seconds off your time and where is the GATORADE?????
I start to hear the Mummer's at mile 7 and I think this is when Christine and I get our groove back. We start to run through the fire hydrants, stopping and wasting time at every water stop, people are dropping in the middle of the road? Seriously??? WTF? Then I hear out of a window the "Rocky" song...very encouraging...you are excited about being from the Philadelphia area at this point.
More people are down - they said 30 passed out - then the 1/4 mile shoot - claustrophobia and the weird calf cramp is preventing me from sprinting....
Then we are done!! I was happy until I see my time with 10:15 miles...not necessarily what I was going for but then I heard the Kenyans were 3 min slower than last year and the fast 7min milers were 5 min slower so I guess I don't feel as bad...









We go to Christine's parents' house for breakfast and have a fabulous spread complete with Adobo Chicken, my favorite.

Home and then lay around and not leave the couch...












Oh and did I tell you about the fabulous shoes and my new William Rast jeans, the James Perse skhirt (not a typo - it can be worn as a skirt or a shirt - LIKE MULTIPLES - please tell me someone remembers them!!!!)
????? BTW - those Sam Edelman were out of stock and I got a different pair...












What a weekend!!


On to week 2...