Brrrrrrr

Best run time yet!!! Michelle and I did the same route to Game Farm Rd that we did last Tuesday but this time in reverse. The temperature plummeted into the teens today and it was extremely windy. I think that helped motivate us to get to my car, which was parked near the end of the trail, as fast as we possibly could.

Afterward, we met Brian and Melissa at the gym for some more weight training. This time, we focused on our chest, tricep, and leg muscles. I didn't push myself as hard as I did on Monday because I'm going camping this weekend and I don't want to be in pain before the trip starts. Highlights from today's lesson included a debate on whether building chest muscles in women leads to perkier breasts or to a manly chest and an argument over whether it's acceptable to dance between sets while you're waiting for a machine to be free. I don't think Brian will be joining us for weights again, which is too bad because our lessons were fun!

Nike+ run stats: 3.97 miles, 40'12" minutes, 10'07" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training: Week 2
Week of 1/25/10 red=incomplete; green=completed

stretch & strengthen

3 m run

2 m run or cross

3 m run + strength

rest

30 min cross

4 m run

Weight training demo

Michelle and I got a free private lesson from her boyfriend on strength training. When Brian heard how we did our strengthening exercises last week, he was amused/appalled and decided a tutorial was in order. Here's what I learned:

• Quality over quantity. Last week, we went around to each machine, did 8 reps, and then moved onto the next one. Today, we did 3 sets of 10 reps with free weights and at a few machines that worked our upper arms and backs. We'll go back on Thursday to work on our lower bodies.

• Rest between sets. It's better to work at your upper limit of weights and allow yourself to rest between sets.
  

• Less talk, more work. Apparently engaging in conversation when you're lifting weights means that you're not working hard enough.

• Girls are different than boys. Michelle and I can't do pull ups. We already knew that, but it was an educational experience for Brian. ("But.... but.... just pull yourself up with your arms.") We then discovered that the machine was weight assisted and gives you a little "push" if you need it. Someday soon hopefully I'll be able to do pull ups on my own.

• Remember to breathe. Sounds dumb, but this is something I'm terrible at in yoga as well. It's easy to forget to breathe when you're focusing on contracting muscles.
  

It was fun to get advice from someone with more experience, and Brian put a lot of thought into putting together a good workout for us. As we were leaving, we got into a debate about which muscle groups we should be concentrating on. He thought we wouldn't want to work on our legs since those get exercised with running. I thought that we wanted to build our leg muscles to improve our running. Unless I'm proven wrong, I'm sticking with my approach.

Half Marathon Training: Week 2
Week of 1/25/10 red=incomplete; green=completed

stretch & strengthen

3 m run

2 m run or cross

3 m run + strength

rest

30 min cross

4 m run

climbing + weights + bike trainer

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I'm no longer working at Cornell. The gym is next door to my building, the climbing wall is across the parking lot, and the indoor track is across the street. Today I took advantage of that and went to both the climbing wall and the gym. I did a little bit of bouldering and then went to the gym to work on my upper arms. It's interesting-- my fear of heights is not a problem when I'm harnessed and on ropes, but it quickly becomes apparent when I'm climbing without ropes.

After a full Saturday at the lab and in the gym, I headed home and spent 30 minutes on my bike trainer. After all, today was supposed to be a cross training day.

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/18/10 red=incomplete; green=completed

stretch & strengthen

3 m run

2 m run or cross

3 m run + strength

rest

30 min cross

4 m run

Evening run + strength training

I'm finally back on a normal sleeping schedule so I once again have time for weights, sit ups, and push ups in the morning. It helps that all the running wears me out so I can fall asleep pretty quickly most nights.

Michelle and I headed out for a run after work. This time she was the tired one and I was the one who forced us out the door. We did a quick run around campus that went through the insectary, around Beebe Lake, through the arts quad and Ho Plaza, and then back up to Teagle. It was a little short of our 3 mile target, but since we went too far on Tuesday, it works out on average. Afterward, we went to the gym to do our strength training.

Nike+ stats: 2.53 miles, 30'47" minutes, 12'08" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/18/10 red=incomplete; green=completed

stretch & strengthen

3 m run

2 m run or cross

3 m run + strength

rest

30 min cross

4 m run

Bike trainer + strengthening

I took two days off this week, so today I doubled up cross training with strength training. I spent 30 minutes on my bike trainer and then started doing a yoga video. Unfortunately, I got demoralized by my weak upper body strength and, without peer pressure to power me through, I gave up. I ended up lifting weights instead and doing crunches for a core workout.

I also finished up Iron Heart. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about the book from the first few chapters. But I quickly got caught up in Brian Boyle's struggle to recover from a car crash that left him first in a coma and then in a wheelchair. I think the story is especially compelling because he's very easy to empathize with. I think a lot of readers see qualities of themselves in him and find themselves rooting for him to succeed. It's a completely crazy story at the end... the man trains for the Kona Iron Man in four months.

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/11/10 red=incomplete; green=completed

stretch & strengthen

3 m run

2 m run or cross

3 m run + strength

rest

30 min cross

4 m run

Running while sore

I'm still incredibly sore from skiing. It's a little mystifying... I wasn't even this sore after biking around the lake. I decided to do a run anyway because my muscles needed to be stretched out. The run felt nice, although it was split into two halves because the treadmills were all booked up.

I tried the weight machines between runs. They're not as intimidating as they used to be. I've guess I've finally learned not to be self conscious at the gym.

Poonam, Vikram, and I have a new Nike+ challenge going. First one to 50 miles by 2/11 wins. Three miles down, 47 to go!!

Nike+ run stats: 3 miles, 37'16" minutes, 12'25" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training

stretch & strengthen

3 m run

2 m run or cross

3 m run + strength

rest

30 min cross

4 m run

red=incomplete; green=completed