inspiration needed..

ok so i'm feeling sort of down with my running abilities of late..

I have been going to the gym every morning and running but I only have about an hour and the most I have been able to log is 2 miles..which is NOT where i need to be at this point. It's not that I can't run more than 2 miles it just finding the time is starting to be a pain. I guess the fact that I am going and working out and starting to build my stamina is a good thing it just stinks when i see on our running chart that I should be running 6 miles one day and only manage to get to a measley 1.5-2 before I have to get by butt in gear for work.

Maybe I just need to time manage better? Or just realize that I will have to deal with the cards that I have been given at this point and wait until spring quarter when I am done with work to log in more miles? ..that's another thing..treadmill running is NOT the same as outdoor running but by the time I get home it's pitch black outside and not the best time to go for a three to five mile run.

My plan is tomorrow (knee willing..) to do a long slow run at the fairgrounds to get some milage in and just enjoy this nice weather while I can.

-Anna

Signs You Are Obsessed With Weight Loss

1. When analyzing literature, you equate the struggles and triumphs of the main character with  your own struggles and triumphs of weight loss. You take the analogy so far that when you finish your long winded explication, all your teacher can do is stare at you befudled and bemused.

2. In your tutoring session, while trying to improve your tutee's sense of conversation and of numbers you ask them, "Sí yo corró tres millas ayer, yo corro quatro millas hoy, y voy a correr cinco millas mañana, ¿cuántas millas corría durante la semana?" You hope they get it right.

3. The infrequent bouts of boredom that you are sporadically hit with are spent making lists of workout schedules and weight loss projection charts.

Ok, so I might have a slight obsession with weight loss. But can you really blame me? Success has been knocking on my door! So far I have lost 8.4 pounds and have had a very successful week of training and eating. The challenge will be to see if I can keep up this good work throughout the weekend, which is where all usually goes to pot. So here's to the weekend! Have a good one!

Margaret

Hello Muscles!

Today I had a free session with a trainer at the A&F gym and said hello to some muscles I have not used in a VERY long time...Needless to say I am quite sore but am very happy with my training session!

First, the trainer told me that when training for a marathon that you need to build muscle by using light weights and more reps. She said that if you lift weights that are too heavy it will build your muscle..but in a way that will restrict fluid running motions.

So here is the workout (or at least what I remember that we did) broken down into the segments that we did. AND IT WORKS AND YOUR MUSCLES WILL BE SORE!!

First Round

-Bisou ball squats (balance on the bisou and squat..yeah ok crazy lady..)

-Bisou ball core twists while holding a medicine ball

- Back leg lunges with leg balance.

-lunge back with one foot, bring back foot up and then into the air as you touch the ground bending forward at the waist

Second Round

-Hip flexors (firehydrants)

-Bisou Ball side squats

-One leg on bisou one on the ground in a squat position. Hop over bisou ball and squat on the other side

-Push ups

Third Round

-Resistance band walking side squats with 10seconds held @ end

- Squat jumps

-Plank

Fourth Round (are you crying yet?)

-Resistance band side leg raises.

-Alternating back lunges with 10lb biceps curls

-Side arm raises w/ 5lb resistance

FINALLY:

- Diagonal lunges with 5 lb arm raises.

I may have mixed some of these up a little but that is the gist of what we did. She said that these workouts are good to do at least twice a week so I had better get on it! Dayna said our official training has started..and my knee is acting up again. I have a DR. appt on Tuesday so until then it's the elliptical and these workouts for me!

Anna

Almost there

So, my heels are still sore. Definitely waaaay better than the first week but I am getting a little tired of it. I hoping that tomorrow I will get to start running. Margie and I are going shoe shopping this weekend and I'm looking forward to that. Although I haven't been running, I have still been doing ab, upper and lower workouts. My abs have been sore all week but its a good sore! Haven't checked the scale at all yet because I'm too scared to check it out. Maybe next week. Next week Margie and I are gonna try a couple of recipes out of her new cookbook of Cooking Light. Were thinking that if we share groceries and both eat healthy, we will lose weight and also save money! Hope it goes well. :)

Dayna

monday monday monday.

first, sorry for not posting for a while..things started to get busy and i forgot! so here's the scoop:

As I said earlier i hurt my knee blah blah blah. Well guess what? It's better!! (knock on wood). Last week I went to the gym bright and early and mostly stayed with the elliptical to strengthen my legs and have not such a hard surface pounding on my knee again. I think that was a good decision because I had no problems when it came to the elliptical but when I tried to run mid week I wasn't able to. But the elliptical kicked my butt for 30min a day and I did arm and ab strengthening exercises along with it.

I do have to admit that my healthy eating spree tanked this weekend with my visit back to cincinnati. Drinks, burgers, panera (which is NOT as healthy as you think btw..look it up next time you decide "oh a turkey sandwich sounds good..") did me in. But the good thing was even though I was tired from driving home and not getting much sleep (thanks pike boy's. your're on my black list...) I still wanted to get up and work out to make my bad eating right. A month or so ago I would have just said "Oh well I'll eat better this week" and not have gotten up off my butt.

So this morning I got up again and went to the gym and was able to run! I ran for about 15 min at a moderate pace with incline and then switched over to the elliptical to not overdo it. Whoohoo.

Now on to more fun stuff. We are all signed up for the RAT RACE on April 16th right?? 10K look out. AND AND AND spring break is only two months away (eek!! bathing suits!!) so I plan on keeping up my butt kicking workouts and will hopefully see some results soon!!

Anna

Humpty Dumpty Wednesdays

So today should have been a good day. I ran four miles like it was my job. I have completed my third, yeah count it third, day of strength training. I have eaten to perfection. I have had about a gallon and a half of water - I exaggerate. With all of these successes, you would think I would be feeling pretty damn good right now wouldn't ya? Well you would be wrong.

First, I wanted to go swimming after I ran today, but they were electrifying the pool or some such nonsense and in an effort to not get electrocuted I went home.

Second, the mother of all evils is upon me - yep you guessed it - the most unwelcome of monthly bills.

Third, our internet is down so for the past three hours Dayna and I have been on a wild goose chase to find some working internet.

Finally, Our driveway/ alley is covered in ice so I can't go anywhere without a fear of falling on my face.

All in all, a pretty rough day I'd say. But soon I am going to walk home, take a hot shower jump into my bed and relish the thought that I just made it through hump day somewhat in tact.

Night!

Turns out I like the scale :)

So, my heels are still swollen but yesterday Margie and I woke up extra early and did a fantastic but intense swim workout. It felt really good to actually workout. I truly missed it. Today we also woke up early and hiked to the rec. I decided to do the stair master while Margie ran her 3 miles. I got bored of the stair master after 20 min and headed to the treadmill to attempt to run. I lasted about 10 sec then realized I was only going to do more harm to my poor heels. So, I set an incline and walked for another twenty minutes. I am glad that I got to workout today but I was also very envious of Margie. I was just walking on a treadmill while she was workin her butt off. I could see the determination in her eyes and I am so proud of her workout today. On the way home from the rec, I already started to feel my heels get sore. So for the rest of the week, I'm going to swim and do toning workouts. Hopefully, I'll be running next week. I do have some good news! Some great news actually, not to boast. I stepped on the scale this morning, after our workout, and saw that I have lost 8lbs since Jan. 1st!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. I called my parents right away! I am mostly shocked because I did not workout for the past two weeks. I have been watching my calories and have been pretty strict on portion control and I guess it is working for me. So, please let this be a major encouragement to you! If you put your heart into it and give it your best, you will start to see results. Looking at the scale this morning has really motivated me! I'm so excited to see where this week takes me. I am taking it day by day though. I don't want to get ahead of myself. Off to bed, tomorrow is another early morning of an intense swim workout and arm toning workout.

-Dayna