Olympics Opening Day

I am excited for this year's Olympics and am going to watch whatever sports I can. Hopefully the cycling road race, the marathon, other track and field events, and gymnastics, and then we'll see what else. If only softball were still in the Olympics!

Here is a little treat I made – I couldn't let such an occasion pass without an appropriately themed treat!

Fruit pizza with blueberries, black grapes, raspberries,
pineapple, and kiwi. Yum!

I also got in a good workout this morning (altitude drop legs/phasic hip flexion, altitude drop front delt/phasic biceps curls, lunge press) and am hoping to hike at Percy Warner or Edwin Warner Park with Kat and Valerie later. Should be a fun afternoon!

Kohl's Cards

Shoes, socks, tanks, and baby clothes

Last week, Kohl’s sent out promotional gift cards to many of the residents of my apartment. Surprisingly, I didn’t get one; just as surprisingly, way too many of the residents threw theirs away. I couldn’t let those gift cards go to waste, so I recycled a few of them. I shared a few of them with Aunt Renee and Lauren, who found a few things for a good deal. I’ve been in a few times the last week and found all the stuff in the picture above. Total it cost me $51.97 out of pocket for the 3 outfit combinations for baby Oppeneer, 2 packages of socks, 2 tank tops (one was in the wash), and 1 new pair of shoes. If I’d have paid full price, it would have cost $153.42 + ~$14.57 in tax = $167.99. That means I paid ~75% of retail; the shoes cost $38, so everything else was ~$2 each, all for stuff I’ll wear or give away. Definitely a good week to shop at Kohl’s!

I also started some new workouts this week, and I am really noticing that all the hard work of the 5-minute isometric exercises last week is paying off. Today I did tomorrow’s workout because my days are all running together. Tomorrow I will do today’s workout. The workout I did this morning was altitude drop legs/phasic hip flexion; altitude drop plate front delt/phasic biceps curl; and glute ham raise. The workout I did this afternoon was lunge press; glute ham raise/BW squat; altitude drop legs/glute ham raise @60*; and bench press. I might not be able to walk down the stairs tomorrow with all those squats and alt drop legs, but I feel strong today!

My Generous Cousin

Having family nearby is definitely a blessing. Luke let me borrow his car while he was gone at a swim meet, and I'm so grateful. Not having a car feels like losing independence. But since Luke let me borrow his car, I felt like I could maintain my independence.

My lunchtime workout seemed be a long one. It was a little longer than an hour, but I had to time to spend on it, so I did it well and did it more times through than I had in the past.

• 1-minute lunge each leg, 50 phasic hip flexor each leg, repeat for 4 total times through
• 1-minute GHR, 50 phasic hip extension each leg, repeat for 4 total times through
• 1-minute push up, 50 phasic row, repeat for 4 total times through
• 1-minute stretching (should've been scap pull up), 50 phasic front delt, repeat for 4 total times through

I had to stop to get some stuff from my car and was surprised to see that the crack in my windshield has grown exponentially. Arg!

After running a few errands and getting stuff done around the house, I sat on the trainer for an hour and watched a movie. It was a pleasant ride; I didn't wear my Garmin so I don't know how hard I really worked, but I did keep tracking my cadence (keeping it around 100 the whole time) and worked in a few sprints and 1-legged drills. Todd would've been proud, and I felt like it was a well-spent hour.

Wednesday Workouts

Real quick today. I went to the DHY at lunch for 21 minutes on the step mill. Then I met Val at the MFY for 24 minutes on the step mill and the following (50 phasic, 3 min ISO)

• Leg extension phasic, wall squat ISO
• Leg curl phasic, wall squat ISO
• Bentover front delt phasic, wide push up ISO
• Standing row phasic, wide push up ISO
• Hip extension phasic, wall squat ISO
• Hip flexion phasic, wall squat ISO
• Bentover lateral delt phasic, wide push up ISO
• Biceps curl phasic, wide push up ISO

This was similar to January 18's workout but slightly different because I'd forgotten the workout and had to call Will to remind me. He wasn't at his computer either and gave me what he could remember.

Busy Day at Work

Today was pretty busy at work, and though I had a lunch break, I decided to not use it to go swim like I'd planned. Instead, I did one afternoon workout and called it a day. I did mostly the same workout as I'd done Monday, but I skipped the laps and the dead lifts and did lunge and standing ham instead. Definitely a good decision.

These were all phasic exercises that will hopefully help me be fast (since they basically make you turn your muscles on and off as quickly as possible). This is another one I need Will to explain to me again. It was the same methodics for all exercises: 10 reps, 3-count rest, 15 reps, 3 rest, 20 reps, 5 rest, 25 reps, 5 rest, 30 reps, 10 rest, 35 rest, 10 rest, 40 reps.

• Standing front delt
• Bent over lateral delt
• Leg curl
• Leg extension
• Bent over front delt
• Biceps curl
• Hip flexion
• Hip extension
• 1-leg dead lift, 30 each side, 45-lb bar
• Lunge L (2:53), R (3:03)
• Standing ham

It was also a good day for grocery shopping. I haven't shared any of my shops lately, but this one deserves a post because I got some real food. Kroger has some good sales this week, too, and I'll likely be able to get more for less there. Here's what I got at Publix today:

Here's the summary:

• Spent $13.94, saved $23.27, or 63%
• Morning Star burgers (4): $4.82 ($15.64 full price; used 4×$0.75 MQs)
• Publix pasta: free ($1.15 full price; buy theirs, get ours Publix promo)
• Mueller pasta: $0.94 ($1.49 full price; used a $0.55 MQ)
• Publix eggs: $2.39
• Publix baby spinach: free ($2.49 full price; buy theirs, get ours Publix promo)
• Fresh Express baby spinach: $3.69
• Publix sugar: $0.01 ($2.69 full price; penny item Publix promo)
• Kotex (2): $0.36 ($5.86 full price; used 2×$2.00 PQs and a $1.50/2 MQ)

Monday Run (No Swim)

Today's temperature was much to high to swim. It hasn't been 40+ degrees for a few weeks, and I just had to get outside. So I went to the DHY and ran 2 miles on the path out back. 15:13, 7:37 pace. My HR average was 176--yikes! The good news is that it took me only about 45 seconds to get it down to the 140s after I finished. Mile 1 was 7:49, mile 2 was 7:24. Mile 1 is mostly uphill, which of course means that mile 2 is mostly downhill, hence the significantly faster mile. But it's pretty comparable to the next (and maybe only this year) 5K I'll be doing, so if it stays above freezing I might decide to run instead of swim.

For the afternoon workout, I did another that I'd already done but threw a little bit of running in between exercises. Just a few times around the MFY track each time, nothing to long or slow, just a mile total including my half-mile warm up.

These were all phasic exercises that will hopefully help me be fast (since they basically make you turn your muscles on and off as quickly as possible). It was the same methodics for all exercises: 10 reps, 3-count rest, 15 reps, 3 rest, 20 reps, 5 rest, 25 reps, 5 rest, 30 reps, 10 rest, 35 rest, 10 rest, 40 reps.

• Standing front delt
• Bent over lateral delt
• Leg curl
• Leg extension
• Bent over front delt
• Biceps curl
• Hip flexion
• Hip extension

The last on the list was 1-leg dead lift, 30 each side, 45-lb bar. I used a 40-lb bar instead and did only as many as I could before I felt like the bar was about to slip, switch sides, repeat, until I reached 30 total.

CompuTrainer Class: Aerobic Training III

Today's workout was the following (slightly different from last week but still with a focus on lower aerobic effort):

• 1:25 total workout
• 10-minute warm up to warm up the trainer
• 10-minute warm up
• 17-minute aerobic effort with two 2-minute spikes in the middle; 2 min active recovery
• 4 minutes of 1-leg drills; 2 min active recovery
• 4 spin-ups, starting at 85 for 30 seconds, increasing to 110 for 1 minute, holding 110 for 1:30, going back to 85 for 30 sec (or maybe 2 min), then repeating (4 total times; big chain ring); 3:30 active recovery
• 1 minute at 95; 2 minutes at 115
• 1 minute at 95; 2 minutes at 110
• 1 minute at 95; 4 minutes at 100 (moved to big chain ring)
• Short cooldown

During one of the spikes in the 13-minute effort and during a couple of the spin-ups, I actually felt like I hit a 6 effort level on a scale of 1 to 10. I didn't necessarily stay there, mostly because I was focusing on keeping my HR lower while still doing the same amount of work. Unfortunately, I have NO IDEA what my HR was, even though that was what I was supposed to be focusing on. Polar HRMs are not reliable for me; I know Todd's work well because Lisa, Cali, Jerry, and Tammy had no trouble with theirs today. Mine on the other hand kept cutting in and out and would frequently come back up saying my HR was about 42 or 62 or 82 or 51 or 218—it was registering all over the board, but I know I stayed pretty consistent, around 160 or 165.

The afternoon one was one I'd done before, so I knew what to expect. Good thing, too, because it was HARD. Wall squats in general are hard, but doing a total of 12 minutes throughout the workout is almost ridiculous (I say "almost" because I did it, so it wasn't too crazy).

The methodics looked like this: phasic 20 seconds, tonic 30 seconds, 5 deep breaths rest, phasic 10 seconds (PTP), followed by a 3 minute ISO. The exercise order was this:

• Bent over lateral delt PTP, wall squat ISO
• Bent over front delt PTP, wall squat ISO
• Leg curl PTP, wide push up ISO
• Hip flexion PTP, wide push up ISO
• Biceps curl PTP, wall squat ISO
• Bent over triceps extension PTP, wall squat ISO
• Leg extension PTP, wide push up ISO
• Hip extension PTP, wide push up ISO

The wall squats were definitely tough, and I had a hard time finding a place for the push up (I ended up between two bikes in the women's only room at MFY). But it was a great accomplishment to finish!

CompuTrainer Class: 1-Leg Drills

Today's CompuTrainer class was a fun one. Lisa, Anna, Parri, and I (and Shelly if she weren't injured) are the Team Belladium representatives in this class, and we always enjoy seeing each other and chatting before, during, and after class (especially when Parri bakes!). But we also know how to work hard. Today was no different, and Todd definitely kept us pedaling hard all class! Though we didn't have a 2-mile effort at the beginning of the class like we did last week.

I started out with a 15 minute warm up. The sooner I can get on the bike the better, because often I have to leave early to make sure I get a shower and then to work on time. Then the real workout started.

• 1:30 total, 139 HR (185 max), at least 23 miles (plus whatever I did in the first 15 minutes)
• 10 min aerobic warm up, 156 HR
• 3 min break, then 10 min slightly more aerobic work, 167 HR
• 2 min break, then five 2-min 105–110 cadence intervals with 1 min rest between, 134 HR (pretty sure that's not right)
• 4 min break, then four 2- or 3-min 110 cadence intervals with 1 min rest between, 140 HR (definitely wrong)
• 4 min cool down

I'd wanted to swim in the afternoon, but I also wanted to go to the CSY, which has no pool. So I called Will for another workout:

• 1-leg dead lift, bar only, 30 reps each side, 2 times each leg
• GHR, 10×3
• Leg extension, 200 tonic (smooth, keep constant tension)
• Leg curl, 200 tonic (smooth, keep constant tension)
• 1-arm bench press, 20 lb, 10 deep breaths, 1 rep, 20 times each arm
• Curl to press, light bar, 5 minutes

This workout was ridiculous. The dead lifts were more mentally taxing than physically taxing, and I felt like I spent more time trying to get and keep my balance than do any work. The bench press, the 14 I completed on each arm, took me 30 minutes. The arm I was using started to go numb, my face started to go numb, I was having difficulty pressing up, and my arm was shaking. I made it through 14 on the first arm before I collapsed, then I forced myself to do 14 on the second arm (with at least 3 breaks) only because that's how many I'd done on the first arm. I was hungry and not happy when I finished but felt much better after eating something.

Weekend Report

Mmmmm...peanut butter!

I'm going to have to wrap up the weekend's activities in one report. I don't have time to write multiple blogs, plus I might have forgotten all that went on and don't have pictures from everything. Friday morning was a great workout with Cali and Anna: 1 minute of isos, 50 phasic reps, repeat for 3 total sets.

• Lunge, hip flexion
• GHR, hip extension
• Push up, bentover row
• Pull up, bentover front delt

Then after lunch with Will I was off on a beautiful 1:15 ride with Valerie (and Jeremy and Brett, who we ran into on the road). Then dinner, which was kind of like a meeting that God had prepared me really well for.

Saturday morning, Catherine and I were going to ride but ended up not. Instead, I did a little baking for work Monday when we have our Boson pie bake off. Unfortunately no pics of the pie; maybe they'll come Monday. But I did take pics of my other treat: Peanut butter rice krispie bars.

It was really nice all day, and I was happy to sit outside with Sunny and Bailey and watch Will and Zack play their annual turkey bowl flag football game. They won, which made it even more exciting. Oh, and I did 2 minutes of isos, lunge, while playing. Didn't accomplish a lot training-wise today!

Saturday after church we went to Todd's house to celebrate our Ragnar accomplishment. He put together a great recap movie that we all enjoyed (which I'll try to put up if I remember), and then Todd, Rebekah, Brad, Andy, and Todd's kids and I played a little rock band. It's impossible to face the singing part when you don't know the song, but I got pretty good at faking the drums and guitar.

Sunday morning's activity was so much fun. Valerie and Lisa S were racing in a cross race in Murfreesboro that I went out to watch.

Valerie getting up the hill--it was a short, steep monster

David, Lee's husband, was racing too

Anna, Lisa C, Cali, and I (and a bunch of others) went out to cheer them on. They both ended up second in their respective races, and both put on a great showing, crossing barriers, navigating through mud and some single-track paths, and climbing hills all while riding fast.

Valerie and Jessica about to hit one of the barriers

I did end up finishing my 5 minutes of work throughout the day (legs in the morning and arms in the afternoon):

• Lunge
• Standing ham (was supposed to have been GHR at top, but I was at home)
• Z-squat
• Push up
• Plate front delt, 5lb
• Curl, 10lb dumbbells

Impulse Workout IV

It was so nice outside today that I did this workout outside. Thankfully I found a quiet-ish spot outside the CSY where there was little traffic so I could focus on the phasic/impulse exercises before I went in to do the last exercise. Honestly, I wanted to run today, but that wasn't on my list nor on Will's, so I did this with as good an attitude as I could muster. Similar to October 28.

These were all phasic exercises that will hopefully help me be fast (since they basically make you turn your muscles on and off as quickly as possible). It was the same methodics for all exercises: 10 reps, 1 breath, 15 reps, 1 breath, 20 reps, 2 breaths, 25 reps, 2 breaths, 30 reps, 3 breaths, 35 rest, 3 breaths, 40 reps.

• Standing lateral delt
• Bent over front delt
• Leg curl
• Leg extension
• Standing front delt
• Biceps curl
• Hip flexion
• Hip extension

The last on the list was 1-leg dead lift, 30 each side, 45-lb bar. I was not happy about having to use a bar; I don't really feel like I can control it at all and it moves all over the place. But I did it with this attitude that it will make me fast and strong. Some guy commented on what I was doing and I said just that, and he said, "Hmm, I guess I just doing it to maintain." I don't know whether he thought I was crazy or he thought he should have had a different goal

Impulse Workout III

This workout I know I've done before. And I was able to find it! The last time I did it was February 5, 2010.

These were all phasic exercises that will hopefully help me be fast (since they basically make you turn your muscles on and off as quickly as possible). It was the same methodics for all exercises: 10 reps, 3-count rest, 15 reps, 3 rest, 20 reps, 5 rest, 25 reps, 5 rest, 30 reps, 10 rest, 35 rest, 10 rest, 40 reps.

• Standing front delt
• Bent over lateral delt
• Leg curl
• Leg extension
• Bent over front delt
• Biceps curl
• Hip flexion
• Hip extension

The last on the list was 1-leg dead lift, 30 each side, 45-lb bar. The weight was a little much on the first leg (R) but fine for the second. Strange, since I did L leg first on all the other exercises and my R leg felt so much stronger.

Impulse Workout II

I thought I'd done this workout before, but I couldn't find a log of it and Will said I hadn't done it, so maybe I hadn't. It still felt familiar, especially the part where I had to try to adjust from doing isos to doing phasic/impulse reps. I told Will and he said, "That is the idea of the workout!" At least I was focused on the right thing.

• 1 minute lunge, each side; 50 hip flexor phasic reps; repeat the previous two 3–5 times
• 1 minute GHR; 50 hip extension phasic reps; repeat the previous two 3–5 times
• 1 minute push up; 50 row phasic reps; repeat the previous two 3–5 times
• 1 minute scap pull up; 50 front delt phasic reps; repeat the previous two 3–5 times

Impulse Workout

We have done this workout once before; Will mentioned something about it, and I vaguely remembered having done it while I was doing it. I did not, however, remember the 12 minutes of wall squats, but as this post from February 4 indicates, we did indeed do it.

The methodics looked like this: phasic 20 seconds, tonic 30 seconds, 5 deep breaths rest, phasic 10 seconds (PTP), followed by a 3 minute ISO. The exercise order was this:

• Bent over lateral delt PTP, wall squat ISO
• Bent over front delt PTP, wall squat ISO
• Leg curl PTP, wide push up ISO
  
• Hip flexion PTP, wide push up ISO
• Biceps curl PTP, wall squat ISO
• Bent over triceps extension PTP, wall squat ISO
• Leg extension PTP, wide push up ISO
• Hip extension PTP, wide push up ISO

The wall squats were definitely tough, but I felt great after having accomplished it all! Then it was off to Inversion, where we were reminded to not retaliate and to love our enemies. This is all part of Jesus' teaching so we know how to live to please God, but it's still not easy!

I also read the following, which are so encouraging!

"I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O LORD, I will sing praises.

"I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

"I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

"Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.

"My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD." Psalm 102:1–8

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand." Psalm 37:23–24

Toned Down?

What $1.27 plus good Qs and sales can get you at Publix

If this is Will's idea of toning it down a little, I wonder what it would have been!

• 200 phasic impulse reps:
• Standing lateral delt
• Leg extension
• Standing row
• Leg curl
• Bent-over row
• Repeat the following two 6 times:
• GHR, 3 reps, to top
• Squat, 3 reps, 55lb
• Russian twist, 5×3 each side
• Preacher curl, 90 seconds, 15-lb dumbbells, 2 times
  

I ran 3 miles at lunch, when it was 99*/feels like 110*, and it felt like 110! It didn't help that my legs were tired, but my few 1-minute intervals weren't very fast. Here are the sad stats: 30 minutes, 3.03 miles, 9:55 pace (6:19 best), 338 cal. Warm up: 1:23, 0.10 mi. Mile 1: 8:16. Mile 2: 9:47 (this was run 1min, walk 1min). Mile 2.92: 10:32 (more of the same only obviously slower).

The afternoon workout was similar to the morning one but slightly different:

• 200 phasic impulse reps:
• Standing front delt
• Hip flexion
• Biceps curl
• Hip extension
• Repeat the following two 6 times:
• 1-min standing extreme hamstring
  
• 3 russian lunges
  
• Push up, 90 seconds, 2 times
  

What $10.64 can get you (my second transaction wasn't quite as good as the first)

Here's what I got at Publix tonight:

• $1.89: Mott's applesauce
• $0: Publix applesauce: 1.59 – 1.59 (Buy theirs, get our promo)
  
• $4.09: Purity Chocolate milk: 4.79 – $0.35/1MQ doubled
  
• $2.39: Oreo Cakesters: 3.39 – $1/1MQ
  
• $0: Oreos: 2.99 – 2.99 MQ (buy 1 gal milk & 1 Nabisco cookie, get another Nabisco cookie free)
  
• $0.02: Velveeta cheese ×2 (1.99): 3.98 – 3.96 (Publix penny item)
  
• $2.09: Publix eggs
• $1.58: Ronzoni pasta ×4 (1.79): 7.16 – 3.58 (BOGO) – 2×$1/2MQs
  
• +$3.99 (overage): EAS bars ×2 (1.99): 3.98 – 0.98 (sale) – $3/2 PQ – 3.99 MQ
  
• $1.29: Nestle cookies ×2 (2.79): 5.58 –2.79 (BOGO) – 2×$0.75/1MQ
• $9.36 + tax
  

All this cost me $10.64 out of pocket (oop), and it should have cost me $39.34. I saved 73%, got some food (not just snacks, tho there are a few!), and had fun impressing the cashier.

Two Days in a Row

I cannot put together two good training days in a row, and it is very frustrating. Yesterday was great; this morning felt like a complete bust. The fact that Will said, "recover, stimulate your quads and hamstrings by visualizing," contributed to my initial angst at the workout, and then my attempt at doing so made it nearly pointless to even try. I can't recover if I'm trying to stimulate, and I can't stimulate if I'm trying to visualize, and I can't visualize if I'm trying to recover. His, "It's going to be awesome," didn't help at all. Basically I ended up setting my timer for 30 seconds, waiting, then continuing the altitude drop legs. For the altitude drop bench, I took 3 deep breaths and continued. The other three went OK because I tried to make myself have a better attitude about them since they were not as mentally taxing.

• Altitude drop legs, 10 sets of 4, visualizing recovery and stimulating the muscles between each set
• GHR, overspeed, 5 sets of 5
• Russian twist, 5 sets of 3 each side
  
• Alt drop bench, 10 sets of 4, visualizing recovery and stimulating the muscles between each set
• Crate crunch, 5 sets of 40 with 5-lb weight in crate, 30 seconds rest between sets

For the afternoon, half of which I did outside:

• Lunge, 45 sec, R leg forward
• Phasic leg curl, 75, L leg
• Repeat the previous two 5 times
• GHR, 5 sets of 10
• 1-arm-elevated push up, 45 sec, L arm on ground (lasted through all 5 R, then 1 L, before I couldn't hold myself up any more)
  
• Phasic row, 50, L arm
• Repeat the previous two 5 times

My goal for the afternoon was to finish with enough time to maybe run home for supper for definitely get to Healthways for the Harpeth Bike Club ride. Nothing better than a hard ride with sore hamstrings! I managed to finish in time to run to Publix for some sample food and a Snickers bar, arrive at Healthways with just enough time to pump up my tires, and then hit the road with a surprisingly huge crowd (it was nearly 100—the regulars thought that would have kept the others home).

A large crowd also means a fast pace, and tonight did not disappoint. Well, it seemed super fast until I looked at the stats and realized that it was 30 seconds slower than last time. I'm not sure how we lost time, because it felt like we were flying the entire ride!

Usually I can stay with the lead group until I turn off, but tonight I got dropped and was already a minute down on the pack when I turned off. Thankfully, three guys turned with me, so I had a little company and was less worried that the group might beat me. One guy was strong and took some good pulls, but he let me lead a lot, knowing that I am a triathlete. Of the other two, one was super strong downhill and on the flats but not so on the hills, and though he dropped us a few times on the downhills, we always caught back up and eventually left him behind; the other was strong but I think stayed back with the downhill rider so that neither of them was alone. I had been hoping that Downhill Man would get back on at least for a little so that I could help him understand that if he'd pull us downhill or on the flats rather than trying to drop us, we'd pull him up the hills and it would benefit all of us; no such luck. Maybe he'll be out again next week.

The guy who stayed with me (or did I stay with him?) would pull me some, and as soon as he let me lead I'd ride him off my wheel. I couldn't figure out if he was letting me go or if he just couldn't jump on and stay on. It confused me the entire time, but I kept going regardless, and we ended up coming in together and beating the fast, long group by 2:12.

8-04-10, 7-6-10, 6-29-10, 6-22-10, 6-15-10.

• 1:05:16, 20.92 miles, 19.2 avg (35.6 max), 1266 cal, 171 HR (192 max);
  1:04:46, 20.86 miles, 19.3 avg (34.4 max), 1318 cal, 166 HR (192 max);
  1:35:50, 28.26 miles, 17.7 avg (35.5 max), 1763 cal, 150 HR (189 max) (rode from home);
  1:02:01, 20.01 miles, 19.4 avg (34.9 max), 1249 cal, 172 HR (191 max);
  1:05:37, 20.69 miles, 18.9 avg (34.4 max), 1291 cal, 164 HR (190 max)
• 25:49, 9 mi, 21.2 avg, 162 HR;
  25:04, 8.87 mi, 21.2 avg, 161 HR;
  24:06, 8.91 mi, 22.2 avg, 145 HR;
  21:45, 8.01 mi, 22.1 avg, 171 HR;
  27:43, 8.81 mi, 19.1 avg, 160 HR
  
• 39:26, 12.02 mi, 18.2 avg, 180 HR;
  39:41, 12.0 mi, 18.1 avg, 170 HR;
  39:34, 12.0 mi, 18.2 avg, 172 HR;
  40:16, 12.0 mi, 17.9 avg, 174 HR;
  37:54, 11.88 mi, 18.8 avg, 168 HR

Working Hard

Today's workout is going to make me sore, but I decided I don't care. The harder I work, the stronger and faster I'll be. So I worked hard and hope I feel OK tomorrow. We'll see! 100 altitude drops:

• GHR (from arm's length)
• Legs (jumping off a 24-inch box)
• Lunge L, R
• Bench w/45 lb
• Bench w/20 lb (seemed so easy!)

I know I worked harder because when I had to stop to breathe (something I frequently forget to do on these exercises), I didn't stop on an even number--I kept going until I felt like I couldn't any more and frequently paused on uneven numbers (like 33). Normally I would stop at 30, but not today!

• 45-second lunge R
• Phasic leg curl L, 75 reps
  
• Repeat the previous two 7 times, then switch legs.
• GHR 10×10 quick-style
• 45-second 1-arm elevated push up on knees, L arm on ground (lasted through 7 R, then 3 L before I couldn't hold myself up any more)
  
• Phasic row L, 50 reps
• Repeat the previous two 7 times, then switch arms.
• Bench press, 7 sets of 3, 65-75 lb

Deals

Tricia and Michael's wedding gift—my sister gave me a great idea for a gift since we couldn't find them registered anywhere.

Today's workout was all about being fast, fast, fast. Lots of phasic impulse exercises: 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 20 times:

• Bent-over front delt
• Bent-over row
• Leg curl
• Leg extension
• Standing front delt
  
• Bicep curl
• Hip extension
• Hip flexion

Sometimes I swear Will knows what I'm going to have time for even though I don't tell him. This was a workout I could do at home, and that was wonderful. It meant I could multitask, which was required to get everything done that I needed to get done. After I ran to Publix (well, I guess it wasn't really a "run" since it took me nearly an hour to find everything I was looking for and stay within my budget), I went home to do laundry, work out, bake cookies, roast almonds, pack, wrap a wedding gift, clean, and more. Training would have kept me out for another hour and would have meant no laundry or baking. Packing and wrapping are about all I could've completed.

Not the best percentage (47%), but I did get some actual food.

I'm pretty happy with today's shop. Although I only saved 46%, I bought some actual food (and some not). Nothing gave me overage, but the pop tarts (which cost $0.43 each) will give me a free movie ticket (valued at least $10, and I would never spend that much on a ticket) and half of it was for gifts. Here's the rundown of what's there:

• Pizza: 4, $0.50 each ($2)
  
• Pop tarts: 5, 0.43 each ($2.15)
  
• Skillet meals: 2, 0.50 each ($1)
  
• Mozzarella cheese: 2, $2 each ($4)
  
• Dates: 2, $2 each ($2)
  
• Limes: 2, 0.25 each ($0.50)
  
• Raisins: 2, $1.95 for 1, free for the other ($1.95)
  
• Dip: $1.59
  
• Dip mix: $1.49
  
• Olive oil: $2.19
  
• Sun dried tomatoes: $4.29
  
• Oregano: $2.29
  
• Garlic: $2.99
  
• Bow tie pasta: $1.15
  
• Black olives: $1.19
• Steak: $1.06

For some reason, this isn't adding up, which means not all my Qs go scanned and I should have saved another $3. Next time I'm going in a line with people in front of me so I have time to unload my cart in the order I want and then watch the cashier scan my Qs. Jacqui, my favorite cashier, wasn't there, so I had try someone new. Also strange, the cashier scanned my PQs but they didn't beep, and they're not showing up as PQs on my receipt but I noticed money coming off as she scanned them. I also forgot to count my Qs before handing them to the cashier to know how many should've scanned and how much money should have come off. Oh, well, I'm still pretty please with spending under $40 for all that stuff, which meant I could run to the Party store to complete the wedding gift I was working on.

All the food that could have cost me $72.37 but that I got for $38.61.

Running

This morning I got in a quick run before work (3mi). Will and I miscommunicated yesterday's workouts--he thought I was doing one thing, while I did another that he thought I was going to do today. Definitely my fault for not communicating that. So since I woke up to no workout, I decided a jog was in order. It was really a jog, with Mile 1 at 9:08, Mile 2 at 8:18, and Mile 3 and 7:24. My kind of tempo run. Granted I should have done them all at least at the 7:24 pace, but I wasn't looking at my watch, wasn't aiming for a pace or a time, was just aiming for the next street light, and then the next and the next and the next.

The lunchtime workout was no tougher than yesterday's PM workout, but I definitely had to focus. Fortunately DHY has an unused (at lunchtime, that is) spin room that is perfect for what I need: quiet and no distractions.

• Lunge, 15 sec on, 10 sec off, 10 times, then switch legs
• Altitude drop legs, 10 sets of 5, 30 seconds rest between sets
• GHR, quick-style reps to arm's length, 10 sets of 4
• Push up, 5 minutes, standing, ultra-wide (I used a couple stationary bikes instead of a door frame since I didn't want to be in anyone's way for 5+ minutes)
  
• Altitude drop bench press, 45 lb, 10 sets of 4
• Curl, quick-style reps with a 1-second continued contraction at the top and bottom, 10 sets of 4

The afternoon workout was slightly different but still challenging and fun.

• 5 sets of the following:
• Bench press, 65 lb (Will said 75–85 lb, but it was much easier to do the same weight for both exercises and not have to take up multiple stations), 10-sec hold, 1 rep, repeat for 3 total reps
• Bent-over barbell row, 65 lb, 6 reps
  
• GHR, 6-6-6 EDI, 3 sets, reps to arm's length
  
• Phasic leg curl, 300 each leg
• Lunge, 5 on, 5 off thru 25, each leg, then repeat
  

Then it was off to watch Team B and the crit and do my second run (and 4^th workout, tho Will is really just splitting my one workout into 2 manageable pieces) of the day. Kathy and I did around 1.65 miles in about 15 minutes. She had just raced the crit and we were running her pace; it made me remember my runs like that last year and made me want to do that again next year.

Behind

I started the morning frustrated, knowing I wouldn't be able to get everything done before work and not knowing when I'd get it done. Still, I went to the Y determined to finish what I could and then realized that I was 15 minutes off on my math and definitely wouldn't finish it all. But the morning workout is pau, and the afternoon one, though it will cut into the crit party, will be better in that I will take all the time I need to complete it correctly (even if I'm at the gym all night, which I think could happen).

AM Workout:

• Do the following as a loop 3 times total:
• Push up, 1-min iso
  
• Phasic leg curl, 100 each leg
• Bench press, 45lb, 3 deep breaths, 1 rep, repeat as many times as possible (I would still be there; I limited myself to 15 because I had to get out of there)
• Preacher curl, 30-lb, 1 min iso
• Glute ham, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, 10 times
• Lunge L, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, 10 times
• Lunch R, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, 10 times
• (I did the previous 2 a couple hours later at work, but I did them.)
  

PM Workout:

• Do the following as a loop 3 times total:
• Push up, 1-min iso
  
• Phasic leg curl, 100 each leg
• Bench press, 45lb, 3 deep breaths, 1 rep, as many as you can (first time: 65 lb, 15 reps; second time: 75 lb, 15 reps; third time: 85 lb, 4 reps; I think I found my limit! I had asked Will how many he expected I should be able to do, he said maybe 5, add weight!)
  
• Preacher curl, 30-lb, 1 min iso
• Glute ham, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, 6 times (done at the crit)
  
• Lunge R, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, 6 times (done at the crit)
• Lunch L, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, 6 times (done at the crit)

I got to watch Team Belladium put on another great show at the crit, with Lisa S (she won), Parri, Cali, and Lisa C all finishing within the top 5.

Getting it Right

This morning's workout was very similar to Wednesday morning's (or at least, similar to what I was supposed to have done that I totally misread):

• Altitude drop legs: 10×6, 5 breaths rest
• Wall squat: 3×1min, 20 sec rest
• Altitude drop glute ham: 10×6, 5 breaths rest
• Standing ham: 3×1min, 20 sec rest
• Push up on knees: 45-lb bar, 10 deep breaths, 1 rep, 6 breaths, 2 reps, 3 breaths, 3 reps, repeat all
• Dead lift: 20-lb dumbbells, 10 deep breaths, 1 rep, 6 breaths, 2 reps, 3 breaths, 3 reps, repeat all
• Curl: 10-lb dumbbells, 10 deep breaths, 1 rep, 6 breaths, 2 reps, 3 breaths, 3 reps, repeat all

I was on my own for the evening workout and was actually happy about that since I wasn't sure when I was going to make the supper I had prepared all afternoon. Some of my favorite pro Ironman triathletes posted recipes recently that I wanted to try. Bree's most recent one is still on my list, but I did make her Coco Caribbean Cookies.


The main dish, however, came from Linsey Corbin: Stuffed Peppers.

Almost done

She's already typed out the recipe, and I pretty much followed it exactly with the exception of a shorter cook time. I must agree: It rocked! However, it took at least 2 hours total, including preparation, which is a lot longer than I usually spend on food all day. Today I had a little extra time (enough even for a 2-hour nap!), so I didn't mind.

The peppers were in the oven while I did lots of phasic exercises that will hopefully help me be fast tomorrow (since they basically make you turn your muscles on and off as quickly as possible). It was the same methodics for all exercises: 10 reps, 3-count rest, 15 reps, 3 rest, 20 reps, 5 rest, 25 reps, 5 rest, 30 reps, 10 rest, 35 rest, 10 rest, 40 reps.

• Standing front delt
  
• Bent over lateral delt
• Leg curl
• Leg extension
• Bent over front delt
• Biceps curl
• Hip flexion
• Hip extension

Will said 1-leg dead lift was also on the plan but that I could skip it. Skipped. We also scratched a few so that it wouldn't take too long. Had I not had food in the oven I would have done them, but I indeed skipped them and the ones I did took around 40 minutes.

Then I got to enjoy the fruit of my kitchen labor.

Stuffed peppers with pita chips and hummus...tasty!

And speaking of fruit I'm reminded of one of my favorite and one of the most challenging chapters in the Bible: Proverbs 31. It's all about a woman of virtue, a woman of valor, "in the sense of all forms of excellence."

She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household. ... She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms. ... Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. ... Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.

What an amazing woman, one who I am striving to be!