Running for the 10K

About 3 weeks ago I signed up for my first 10K. I've done 5Ks, 11K, 15K, and a half marathon. Never a 10K. I've been averaging 5-6 miles, three times a week for the past couple of months, so why the hell not sign up?! And I did.

The last two weeks I've been running about 50 minutes for 6 miles and feeling good about it. So finally race day rolls around and my son is up half the night struggling with a cold. I fell asleep on the couch with him from 4:30-6:30. I get up and get dressed working on about 5 hours of sleep. Honestly it wasn't that bad. Zim got up with him during the night as well. I scarfed down some brown sugar pop tarts and headed out to the race. Temperatures were in the lower 40s/upper 30s. Chilly! 

We lined up, the whistle blew, and off we went. The course was pretty hilly. Not many steep hills, but gradual decent inclines. Killer. And about 3 steep hills. The first 2 and a half miles were pretty flat, the rest pretty hilly. I powered through, and finished 6.2 miles in 50:48 minutes, 33rd overall. I won 1st in my age group. Pretty sweet! I celebrated with a beer and a nap. I sure know how to party!!

I have 2 more 5Ks between now and Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to run more races that are 5+ miles from now on. 5Ks are great, but not very challenging. Something to plan for next year.

Surviving the Pope and a 5K

Welł it's Sunday around 9pm, and all is well in Philadelphia and the suburbs. The city didn't burn down, the Delaware River didn't turn blood red, and no locusts were sighted. Everything went swimmingly well. All the major roadways are still closed till tomorrow morning, but the Papal visit is over. Good job Philadelphia! The warnings were all bark with no bite. And I'm totally okay with that.

I'm not catholic, or very religious, but think the world of Pope Francis. What a truly kind, genuine soul. He brought tears to my eyes when blessing disabled children, going out of his way to hug a little girl, and how he brushed off lunch with congress, to eat with the homeless. I hope his kindness was contagious and folks try to give a little back to their communities and neighbors.

And now to somehow try to transition to the 5K I ran today..,,

For the second year in a row I ran the Get Well Gabby 5K for fighting childhood cancer. It's a great race for great cause. Last year it was the first 5K I did after having Victor. It was POURING. This year, sunny, upper 60s, and a nice size crowd. I ended up running it in 24:31, 6th overall, 3rd female overall, and 2nd in my age group. I'm pretty happy with that! Wished I got a medal, but it's not about that. It was medal enough to see my son at the finish line! Yeah that sounded cheesy. Glad I ran it, and I'm happy to help the cause.

The Pope is Coming!!! aka Pope-ocalypse

First off, I hit a new PR yesterday on the Schuykill River Trail. Six miles in 47:40 and I was averaging a 7:57 mile. I'm very happy with that! And yes, I was without the stroller. My mom walked Victor with I was running. 

Philadelphia is starting to FREAK out. Not that the Pope is on his way, but out of sheer fear that the whole city is shutting down. After Friday night, once you're in the city, you are stuck in Philly until Monday night. Same with the suburbs. If you need to get into Philly, you can't. Barring medical emergencies. This is slightly concerning to me since Victor's doctor and hospital is not going to be accessible. But, I'm not stressing about it. He's been good all week.

Anyways, we've pretty much have been told to prepare like a snowstorm is coming. Get your eggs, bread, and milk before they're gone. My township and surrounding townships have declared a state of emergency this weekend. And I live about 20 miles away from Center City Philadelphia. Crazy! Even my trails and bikepaths are under a state of emergency. They're one of the only ways into Philly. A TON of bikers are coming into the city to see the Pope that way. All the major roads are closing down Friday night with the excepting of I-95. I-95 runs from I'm guessing around Maine to Florida. I imagine you can't close that road down. Public transpiration is shut down getting into Philly, unless you have a special Papal pass to ride the train. It's going to be so nutty this weekend! Let's see how the Papal visit  goes! There's also a rumor he might be traveling to an all boys, troubled youth school/parish that is about 2 and 1/2 miles from my house. It will be totally chaotic here if that happens. It would be really cool though! 

Hopefully we'll all survived the Pope-ocalypse!

Getting Back in the Groove

Last week was Victor's surgery, so I didn't get many runs or workouts in. I more or less ate hospital food, sat around at his bed side, and slept on a pull out hospital couch for about 3 nights. Not the most comfy, but I've slept on worse. His surgery went well, but his post-op, not so great. 

He was released the day after his surgery, and seemed fine, but quickly declined to not eating or drinking, having his belly cramp, and vomiting. Last Sunday night/Monday early morning after three calls to the on call urologist (who didn't help too much) I drove him back down to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's ER. The ER doctor was courteous and friendly, but was truly of "weekend shift"quality. He wanted to discharge us 20 minutes after an enema and halfway through a course of forcing pedialyte every 5 minutes for an hour down Victor's throat. When I asked to stay a little longer to let the enema set in and to finish his hydration run, he still insisted on pushing us outta there and told me that I could change a poopy diaper in my car. What a complete asshat. I kept my cool, and thank god Victor then threw up twice. The head nurse intervened and admitted him after the vomiting. 

Victor spent the rest of the day, till Wednesday afternoon at CHOP.  More or less he had constipation and his intestines weren't working correctly. The pain meds were constipating him, so he didn't want to eat/drink, and he would also be in pain. It was a vicious little cycle. He received excellent care from all the awesome nurses and doctors, and was more back to normal by Wednesday. And so far, so good. He still has some bouts of gas. At the beginning of October he will get his stent removed from his ureter, and hopefully everything will be working normally. Fingers crossed.

I did get a couple runs and a lifting session in to blow off some stress. Friday and Saturday, I got in 2 runs. Friday I ran, while my mom walked with him in the stroller. It funny how running can be so mental. I ran 5.85 miles in 48 minutes averaging an 8:12 mile. One of my faster times in a little while. I wanted to get back fast enough in case Victor started to not feel well. He was fine and enjoying his walk with my mom. Saturday, Zim watched Victor while I went out for a 5 mile run. I finished in 41 minutes, averaging an 8:08 mile. Again, I didn't want to be out long and had another fast run. Never the less, it felt good to get out and pound the pavement for a little while!

Hot September

The last two weeks have been pretty damn hot in good old Philadelphia. And when it's hot, I run earlier in the mornings. Between 8-9am hasn't been too bad. It's been a little humid, but it's been quite enjoyable. I'd run even earlier, but I'm not going to jostle an infants belly around right after breakfast. Wouldn't be too smart. I've been averaging 5-5 and 1/2 miles per run, with a pace around 8:45 with the stroller. I'm happy with that.

I also went back to the dumbbell/barbell workouts for the past two weeks. It's been good, and kicking my ass. It usually consists of 5 different exercises, with the first two exercises having 5 sets of 7-10 reps, the third consists of 4 sets, and the last two having only three sets of 12. Then about 5 minutes of abs. 

Then three days a week, I'll box at night. At the boxing gym tonight, I had a great workout. After jumping rope and hitting the speed bags after 5 rounds, I got to work with my friend and fellow coach Jake. We worked around in the ring for 4 rounds. And I learned a few things that I can work on at home. Mostly blocking shots and working out of corners. I finished with 3 rounds on the heavy bag and called it a day. This was also after a 5 and 1/2 mile run this morning. My body is spent. Always happy to have more knowledge in the sport. I usually coach the new, younger kids, and just teach the basics. Good to add to the arsenal!

Happy Labor Day and stay cool out there!

Legs For Lindsey 5K

Wednesday I ran the Run For Lindsey 5K. It was an evening 5K in which I'm never really sure how I should eat leading up to it. I had a decent sized lunch and about 2 hours before the race I had a piece of toast with almond butter. It worked out pretty well. There was a good sized crowd and a few local running clubs there. I ended up running my second fastest 5K ever and taking first place in my age group. My chip time was 23:35. I was real happy with the results. I guess those stroller run have me running faster.

That race might be my last 5K until the annual Turkey Day run. I might do a 10K at the end of October. I was going to try to do a 9/11 race, but Victor's due for surgery on 9/11. He's having surgery on his kidney and ureter. He's had a blockage in his ureter since I had my first ultrasound with him at 20 weeks pregnant. It's a pretty standard procedure, but surgery is surgery and is a little scary. At least he'll be able to keep his kidney and have it function better. Poor little guy. 

This week I'm going to take a little mini vacation to Ocean City, NJ and try to get one more taste of the beach before the summer's over. Little man has taken a few steps, so hopefully he might learn to walk at the beach. I'm also looking forward to running on the boardwalk in the morning. Love the amazing scenery! Nothing like running with an ocean view.

Kettle Bells and 5Ks

I've been keeping with my kettle bell workouts. I might give it another week, then switch back to regular free weights. It's been a good change of pace though. Last week I took a break from the boxing to do 20 minute runs. I would run about 2 and a 1/4 mile each run. My legs were feeling it by the end of last week. First time in a while that I logged it over 20 miles in a week. 

Today I have an evening 5K. Evening runs are always a little weird. I never quite sure what and when to eat. Anyways, I'm hoping to just have fun. My legs feel pretty good, so that's a plus.

Kettle Bells

It's been a little while. I've been busy, but who isn't. Anyways, I decided to change up my strength training routine by using kettle bells. It's been interesting. I definately recommend using the wrist guards. They are worth it and with save your wrists from getting too banged up.  I'm into week 3 so far. Mondays I do upper body and usually Thursday I do legs. Fridays I usually do a Workout of the Day with chin-ups, push-ups, squats, box jumps and repeat them for a half hour. I'm still running 3 times a week. Usually twice with the stroller. Victor LOVES it. He starts whining when I'm done my run coz he wants to keep moving. I'm averaging 5 miles at each outing. I'm also still boxing for 30-40 minutes, 3 times a week a night. So my workouts have been going good. And I'm 10 pounds lighter from my weight before I was pregnant. Sweet!

June and July have been pretty busy months. Victor's first birthday was the 6/20, my niece turned 14 on the 6/25, I had my cousin's kids birthday party and a graduation party on the same day the first weekend of June. Add in three concerts (Fidlar, Modern Life is War, and Coliseum) and a couple Union matchs. And we took a short vacation at Ocean City, NJ for July 4th and Zim's 40th birthday. It's been pretty nutty.

Hoping to be back to regular posting soon. Only a couple more busy weekends left!

June So Far

My June has been pretty busy. Thère is something going on every weekend so far. I've had a bunch of birthdays, graduation parties, and some concerts. I swear I don't have a free weekend until mid July. It's a good thing though. Victor is going to be 1 next Saturday and Zim'ś turning 40 on July 3rd. Big milestones! This year has flew by!

I'm still able to work out 6 days a week. I usually run Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The runs are between 3 and 1/2 to 5 miles. I strength train the rest of the week excluding Sundays. My body needs one day of rest. I'm also still boxing 3 nights a week for about a half hour. Victor's getting close to walking, so that will be a workout of itself soon! He starting to slowly cruise holding on to the furniture. It's going to be a fun summer watching him grow!

The band pic is Modern Life Is War.

It's Been A Little While

The last four weeks flew by. Since my last post I got tattooed, saw The Who and Joan Jett, ran a 5K, and saw The Avengers and Mad Max. Victor also turned 11 months a couple of day ago. I'm keeping busy! I'm still working out 5-6 days a week. Three of those days, I work in a 30-45 minute boxing workout as well. My knee is back to normal. I'm very happy about that! I'm running 3 days a week. Nothing over 5 miles though. I'm slowly finding my speed again. Yesterday I was averaging around an 8:30 mile, for a 4 and 3/4 mile run. I stopped taking Allegra about 2 weeks ago, and feel I have more energy. I was feeling so sluggish and tired during my workouts using it. 

Last Sunday, Zim and I ran the Victory Brewing: Run For Ryan 5K. Last year I couldn't run it coz I was pregnant, but I've ran it for the past 5 years or so. This run always kills me. I don't know if it's the 1pm start time or how hot it has been in the past, but I never put up a good time. Anyways, it wasn't too hot and I think I ate at the correct time this year for once. I ran it in 24:53, which was one of my best times ever running it. Zim came in 23:30, and broke his PR. I was quite happy with my time. I enjoyed a couple Victory Summer Ales and headed to my parents to pick up Victor. 

Later that night it was off to The Who concert, with my buddy Lou. I was pleasantly surprised that Joan Jett was opening. We had great seats, 3 rows from the floor and a straight forward view. Joan Jett was great and looked great as well. The Who was AMAZING. Despite being in their late 60s/early 70s, they put on a great show! I was going to buy a t-shirt, but $40 is a little too much in my opinion. Nope. Altogether it was a fantastic day from start to finish. I've been non-stop listening to The Who all week.

Movies! I saw The Avengers last week. I thought it was a lot of fun. I would have liked to see a little more of a couple characters, but overall I thought it was good. It did feel like it was more setting up for the third Avengers movie, Infinity Gauntlet. I saw Mad Max:Fury Road a couple nights ago. It was pretty awesome. Non stop action, over the top bad guys, and just nutty post apocalyptic antics. Charlize Theron was REALLY good, and Tom Hardy was hot per usual. It was fun! Looking forward to the sequel!

That's my story, Happy Memorial Day!

End of April

I had a bit of a busy week last week. Zim was staying longer at work to cover a co-worker that was out because of surgery. She's actually still out. He took last week off from working out. He did that 9 mile trail run in Reading, PA and took a beating. He fell 3 times, rolled both ankles countless times, and split open his shin. I'm pretty happy with my decision not to run it. He said there was a TON of people who got hurt.

I attempted to run again last Tuesday and in my 3rd mile, I felt my IT Band again. Ended up doing 4 miles, coz I honestly didn't feel like walking back to my car. I stuck to the elliptical for the rest of the week. My knee wasn't too bad, but I wanted to rest it. 

The weekend was the busy part of the week. Saturday night, Zim took me out to dinner at Iron Hill for a pre-birthday dinner. Dinner was great and it was nice to be able to eat without having to entertain a 10 month old. Sunday was my birthday, so I dropped Victor off at my parents and went to the Phillies game. Sunday was the last game that I could get in for free from the LOVE Run. It was get 2 free tickets (up to $38) in April for doing the run. Can't beat that! We sat in the outfield and watched Ryan Howard crush a home run ball. It was a beautiful day out and the Phils won!! Sunny and 60 degrees. We headed back to my parents and had pizza, wings, and birthday cake. We got home, put Victor to bed, and watched WWE's Extreme Rules, and I had a few beers. Not a bad way to ring in 37.

Today I strength trained and went for a mile run afterwards. My knee was absolutely fine. Then after 7, when Zim's giving Victor his last bottle, I did a 25 minute boxing routine. Tomorrow I'm going to try another run again. I'm planning on just doing 3 miles. We'll see how my knee feels!

Trying Out the Running Stroller

Wednesday mid morning was SUPER nice out, so I decided to give the running stroller a try. Yes, my knee was bugging me a bit, but I figured a little widdle run wouldn't be that bad. I ended up running 3 and a 1/4 in 32 minutes, and my knee bugged me again at mile 2. It definately is my IT Band. I powered through. The compression 3/4 length pants and knee brace I was wearing made no difference. Zim told me that ROCK TAPE worked wonders for his IT problems. 

Anyways...Running with the stroller wasn't too bad. It's not the lightest or the best at steering, but it does it's job. I was running at a 9:50 ish mile. It was different but enjoyable. Victor seemed to like it, until the last mile when the wind kicked up a bit. Altogether we had a fun time. We came home and a few minutes later Victor pasted out for his nap. I did some crunches, squats, and push-ups and got to sneak in a shower before he woke up. Good times.

Today I took it easy and did the elliptical for 45 minutes and did some quick ab work. Thursdays I go to the boxing gym to help out or coach, and I was close to bringing in my gloves. I'm so out of practice boxing wise, but I want to try to incorporate some boxing workouts in again. Nice to change up the cardio, especially when you have a bum knee. Plus an AWESOME stress reliever!!!

Healing Up

I have a 15K trail run lined up to run on Saturday morning. I've taken a couple of runs, and I totally have to skip the race. Zim and I were going to run it together, but unfortunately my knee starts bugging me about 2 miles in. I think it's my IT band. Zim had that same problem a coule of years ago. If the race was a 5K, I'd do it, but 9 miles is a little different. Plus it's Record Store Day on Saturday!! I need to buy some limited edition sweet vinyl! 

I have been still working out and getting some small runs in. I ran 4 and 1/4 and walked about a mile on Monday morning. My mom loves walking on the trails around my house, so she'll take Victor in the stroller while I go run. And the weather was SUPER nice! That run cemented my not racing decision. Today I lifted and switched my routine up. My shoulder is still not 100%, but everything I did today felt fine and I didn't overdo it. I'm also good doing ab work now. If I would lay flat in my back, my shoulder would hurt. No more pain, just a little sore. So I'm healing up, slowly but surely.

The Love Run Half Marathon

My alarm buzzed at 4:55am. I was well rested, being in bed and asleep by 11pm on Saturday night. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and geared myself up for the race ahead. CW-X compression pants with my Chelsea FC shorts overtop. Under Armour compression shirt with my Phoenixville PAL Boxing t-shirt overtop. Shock Doctor compression socks over my pants. Finished off by my Under Armour jacket, Brooks winter headband, and Brooks PureFlow kicks. It was a bone chilling 28 degrees with a wind chill in the teens. I brought a pre-race jacket and knit cap. 

I had a breakfast of sprouted grain toast and organic peanut butter, followed by brown sugar pop tarts in the Jeep on the drive down. I left the house at 5:50am and parked in a parking garage around 6:40am. I drove around 10 minutes to find a close spot. The street parking was only for 2-4 hours, so I chose a parking garage. I parked about 10-15 minutes walk away.

I made my way to the race and was happy I brought my jacket with me. They had a bag check, so I didn't have to carry it with me. Then the wait. I checked my bag at 7:20am. It was cold. My fingers got numb, then my toes. I took refuge in a tent from the wind. At 7:40 I made my way to the start line. It was separated by mileage pace. I entered as a 8:30-9 minute mile and took my place. I made a little small talk with a few people around me and started to feel the warmth of the sun. Soon enough it was 8am, and we were on our way.

The first 2 miles were a cluster of runners trying to find their pace. We started at the Philadelphia museum of Art and ran towards City Hall and Chinatown. I felt my pace was decent, not super slow, not super fast either. I started to feel my fingers and toes again. Honestly, the first three miles were a bit of a blur other than the scenery. Art museum, City Hall, Chinatown, independence Hal. Then we headed down the Schuylkill River Trail. Before I knew it I was at mile 5, right around 41 minutes. Then around mile 6, the hills came. The hills were nothing to write home about, but still it took it out of you. I refused to walk and ran my way through the elevation part of the run. It was a long, slow elevation. I swear, close to a half mile. I pushed through and saw the first runners starting to walk. And still I ran. 

I remained on pace of a 8:45 mile till mile 10. My legs felt they were running through concrete. They ached. I had two options in my head. Walk a bit or not be able to drive or walk back to the car. I stopped and walked around 10 and a 1/2 miles for about a minute and a half or so. I knew if I walked too long, I wasn't going to want to run again. Two and a 1/2 miles seemed like an eternity away. I started my slow jog again. My leg knee started to bug me and my legs were sooo tight and heavy. I promised myself I'd keep running till about 11 and 1/2 miles, and then I'd walk again. I really started to worry that my legs would be too shot to drive home. I also knew my pace was most likely would take me over 2 hours. I stopped and walked about two plus minutes and I could see the 12 mile marker down the trail. I bucked up and started to run again. I pushed through the 12th mile and got a bit of a boost with the crowds of people cheering everyone on. I finally saw the finish line and could not wait to cross. The time read 2 hours 3 minutes and 41 seconds. I was honestly happy with time. I think even if I didn't stop to walk that I still would have been over 2 hours and limping back to my car. I was just happy to finally be FINISHED.

I got my well deserved medal and grabbed some water. I was walking like a newborn fawn. My legs were spent. I kept walking so I wouldn't tighten up. I grabbed a food bag and demolished the soft pretzel inside. I finally stopped to stretch out. I was so off balance. After stretching I picked up my bag at the gear check and decided to start making my way back to the parking garage. My knee was still bothering me and my legs were like jelly. At least my shoulder felt fine. After I got to my car I stretched out for another 5 minutes. I hopped in the Jeep, destroyed a bottle of Propel and busted open my bag of Apple pop 'em rice cakes. I felt fine driving home, made it back by 11:30, and took a long, hot shower.  I ended up napping on the couch with Victor in my arms a few hours later. My legs didn't feel that awful. They hurt, but I could walk fine. Thank you compression pants! And probably good I did stop and walk a little bit. It would have sucked if I really pushed it and still came in like seconds over the 2 hour mark.

So I finished my first half marathon! And had a really good time in both senses!! I'm so happy I did it!! All my training did pay off. Maybe next year I beat that 2 hour mark.

I would have taken more pictures but my phone died out at mile 10. Imagine my delight of having dead legs in the middle of Philly, not sure if my legs would last for the drive home. I was too tired to really worry! 

Less Than Twelve Hours To Go

Hopefully 12 hours from now I'll be coming up on mile 5 on the Love Run Half Marathon tomorrow. The time I'm writing this is 8:41pm. I'm excited and anxious. I picked up my bib on Friday afternoon. It was a long day of driving for me. I took the hour long ride to Reading with Victor to see my Grandmother on her 91st birthday. She looked good and said she felt good, so I was happy for her. She's 91 with some dementia, but I think she enjoyed the company. My mom bought a cake, we sang Happy Birthday, and she got to hold and watch Victor. I'm glad we made the trip. I got home around 2pm and decided to drive to Citizen's Bank Park (Phillies stadium) to pick up my bib for the race. I handed Victor off to Zim, got some gas, and took a forty-five minutes/hour long drive into Philly. I could have picked it up today started at 1:30, but I would have been driving straight into Flyers traffic. No thanks. I pulled into the lot at 3pm and made my way to the expo.

The expo was actually in CBP. I had to go up an escalator to get my bib. They had computers available if you didn't know your bib number. I looked up mine on Thursday so I was good to go. I also received a voucher for 2 free Phillies tickets ($38 max a ticket, not bad!) that could be used for any April game, excluding the home opener. After I was directed through the ballpark to the indoor Hall of Fame section that was full of vendors to pick up my free mug. It's a nice quality mug. Then I was directed down about 5-6 flights of stairs to go through a bunch more vendors to pick up my long sleeve tech shirt. Then I had to exit walking past the vendors again and out of the park. Three thoughts. 1)If you were in a hurry, you'd be pissed at the set-up 2)If you had a stroller or had little kids with you, you'd be pissed. 3)It was a real nice expo if you had a lot of time. Altogether it was a nice expo, but it could have been a little more streamlined.

The race starts tomorrow at 8am. I'm not so much nervous in running the race, my biggest worry is parking. There is no designated parking. It starts and ends in front of the art museum (the Rocky steps) and there's not a ton of parking garages. And not too many less than a mile away. I'm hoping I'll find a close garage or decent street parking. And there will be 15,000 other people around. Plus the road closures. I plan on leaving my house around 6am and hopefully get there around 6:30-6:45. I'm sure I'll be fine, but it's in my head.

My shoulder is feeling MUCH better. Every now and then I'll feel it in certain movements, but it's not painful, more of a soreness. I'm very happy about that. My left knee, which has never hurt before, felt a little sore on Thursday, but I'm not very worried. Here's my last week of training workouts:

Sunday: 46 minutes in the elliptical at my parents

Tuesday: TRAIL run!! Yay!! No more ice! I did 6.26 miles in 55 minutes.

Wednesday: Leg workout

1)Squats: 20 reps, 15, 12, 10, 8.

2)Jumping Lunges: 20, 15, 12, 10, 8

3)Calf raises: 20 reps/50lbs - 5 sets

4)in & out crunches: 30 reps - 5 sets

5)tip-toe lunges: 20, 15, 12, 10, 8

Thursday: 3.4 miles in 30 minutes on the trail

Wish I could have had one more week of training. I really wanted to hit 8-9 miles. I think I'm going to be okay though. I have my clothes out, bag packed, and I'm ready to go!

Compression Pants Review

I'm FINALLY done wearing, running in a few times, and enjoying my compression pants and shorts. Depending on your needs, all the pants worked well in their own ways. Here's what I found:

Nike Pro Combat pants

I received a $100 gift card to Nike for Christmas. I went online bought a pair of full length compression pants on sale for $50 and a pair of 3/4 length pants that come down right before your knee on sale for $35. The full length were nice, fit tight, but we're more or less like leggings. They did cling nicely to my knees and quads, but left me with little support in my hamstrings and glutes. They do keep you warm and they kept me dry. If your looking for a budget friendly pair of pants to keep you warm and dry, this is a good buy. If you're looking for full compression, I'd suggest another company. I was using mine for strength workouts in my garage during the winter. 

As for the 3/4 length pants, I felt they fit better in the glutes and were tighter on the hamstrings. This was one of my problem areas, so I was quite happy with that. They didn't go below the knee though. I used them for elliptical workouts. They will show sweat if you don't buy a pair in black. I bought a pair in grey, and I make sure I wear shorts over them. Two words...crotch sweat. Now that I ruined your appetite, they were a GREAT purchase for $35.

Under Armour pants

I have an Under Armour outlet about 10 miles from my house, so one lazy Sunday I went up to check out what they had. I bought a pair of their compression pants for $35 and a pair of their compression shorts for $20. The full length pants reminded me of the Nike Pro Combat. Nice in the knees, quads, and calfs, but felt like leggings. Hamstrings and glutes had very little support. They did keep me warm and dry, but never felt like "true" compression pants. They would be something I'd wear for a short run or weight training. Not bad for $35 on sale, I believe they retail over $50. 

As for the shorts, I really liked them. Tight in all the right areas. I switch between these shorts and the Nike's for elliptical workouts. $20 was an absolute steal for these shorts, they retail closer to $35.

CW-X Stabilynx pants

These guys I bought off Zappos with Christmas gift cards as well. They retail for $105. They are full length, tight in all the right areas, the material feels slightly thicker and more durable, have a drawstring at the waist, and have a nice little key pocket tucked in the inside waistline. They are a bit of a bitch to get on, but I find it totally worth it. My calves, quads, knees, hamstrings, and glutes get full support and feel great. They've kept me nothing but warm and dry, even on my hour plus runs. I highly recommend them. If you're looking for that extra support and don't mind spending a couple extra bucks, these are the pants to get. Wear something over them though. They leave nothing to the imagination.

2XU Women's Compression Tights

I bought these guys at Dick's Sporting Goods. They retail for $109. They are full length, tight in all the right areas, have a longer waistband in the rear to support your back, have thicker and more durable material, and keep you nice and toasty on long runs. They're as much of a bitch to get on as the CW-Xs, and I have no problem with that. My favorite function on the pants is the extended waistline in the back. With having some sciatic issues, these pants were GREAT. I had great support in all areas. I also fell both times in these pants, and they never tore. They only tore the pants I wore over them. I recommend them as well. I switch off between these and the CW-Xs.

CEP 3/4 Compression pants

I bought these bad boys at my local running shop, All Kinds of Fast, for $89.99. CEP is a company that I mostly knew from their compression socks, which are expensive ($60) but are frickin awesome. Apparently, according to their company rep I talked to, are only making 3/4 length pants because of the popularity of their compression socks. I understand though. The pants are great! They come down a few inches under the knee. They greatly support the knee, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. The one area the majority of compression pants don't support are the ankles. Understandable. With the CEPs the pants and the socks meet up in the middle, more or less, giving full support to all leg muscles and joints. I usually put on compression socks over my compression pants, and is a bit of a pain in the ass. They are also warm and toasty, kept me dry, but if you were going to do an obstacle race with water, there would be a slight gap in your leg. I've actually been using them more of a recovery tool, and they've been great for that.

Depending on your body and your budget any of these pants are great. My favorites are the CW-X for long runs, CEP for recovery pants, and Under Armour Shorts for lighter workouts.  Zim bought a pair of SKINZ and absolutely LOVED them. They retail closer to $150-200. And you're not supposed to wear underwear with them. He highly recommended them.

That's my review. Cheers! 

Doing BETTER

Nine days till D-Day...well my run. I'm feeling better. Like 80%. I've been hitting up the elliptical as much as I can, but still I just feel...bruised in my shoulder, pec, shoulder blade area. Not bloody, dig the knife in deeper pain. Just bruised. I'm happy with this. I think I'll be ready to go for race day, but I really think my 2 hours or less goal might be done. I'm okay with that. Shit, I've been through a TON of injuries and upsets in my training. Hell, under 2 hours would be amazing. But my goal now is...just do it. Just finish. See where the day takes ya.

Takin' It Easy

Tuesday I had a set back with my shoulder. I have no idea how I hurt it more, but Tuesday afternoon I was in a bunch of pain. It was either how I feel asleep on the couch for a nap or I wretched it picking up Victor. Wednesday I bit the bullet and went to the Urgent Care center which is about 2 miles down the street from me. They do X-Rays and other tests there so I chose them over my doctor's. I literally waited only like 10 minutes and a doctor saw me. I have full range of motion so nothing is broken or torn. The final ruling was a contusion and muscle spasms. No X-Rays were needed. I was prescribed muscle relaxers which have helped, but they make me drowsy. I only take them in the late afternoon when Zim is home and before I'm about to go to bed. Other than the pills, rest, ice, compress, elevate, which I was already doing. I'm also taking Aleve to help the inflammation. I'm taking one every 12 hours. I'm also wrapped up in Rock Tape. This morning is the best I've felt since I hurt it. So no running or workouts for me for a little while. If I do run next week the earliest day would be Wednesday. I don't want to push it. At least it's slowly getting better!!

Long Runs/Clumsy Girl

Saturday early afternoon temperatures around here were close to 40. Sweet! I decide to get my run in Saturday, so I could rest up Sunday with Zim being off from work. I was still worried about my right leg's hamstring/sciatic. It's been feeling pretty good, but I know what long runs can do. I ended up running around my neighborhood, because the trails are still covered. I must say it was pretty nice out. The ice and snow was starting to melt a bit. I hit a few patches of snow/ice but I would stop and walk around them. I'm not the most graceful of women. I got a little over an hour in and was in the last homestretch, where, yup, I fell again. I was literally a half mile or less to my house. A car was heading towards me and I ran off to the right side of the road and saw ice. I avoided the ice and I guess switched off my mind. Bam! Tripped over my own feet or a manhole cover. I landed on my left shoulder, jumped back up and finished my run. At first I really thought I hurt myself. I broke a clavicle as a stupid 16 year old kid, and that pain was awful and quite intense. I didn't feel that way. Luckily I didn't break anything, but I did re-aggravate my damn anterior serratus nagging injury. I'm damn lucky I didn't break my collarbone. I'm sore, but I'm okay. I just can't let my guard down anymore. And my right leg...perfect fine. Some good news. Anyways I ran 7.33 miles in 1 hour 7 minutes and was averaging a little less than 9 minute miles. I'm pretty happy with that. I felt I still had a bunch in the tank and could have busted out a couple more miles.

If I feel back to normal I plan on getting a 5+ mile run in mid week and do one last long run in on the weekend. I'm hoping 8-9 miles. It's looking like temperatures will be in the 40s and 50s for this week too. Nice! I'm just hoping I'll be healed more up and feeling better. Fingers crossed!

Ice Ice Baby

Come on spring!!!! This whole week thus far has been crappy weather wise. I got to shovel slush and chop at ice in my driveway this morning while Victor was napping. Fun, fun. And another 4-8 inches of snow coming this way tonight into tomorrow. Then it looks like temperatures for Saturday on will be in the 40s and DRY. Sweet!!

Since I have to get the mileage in, I luckily ran about 6 1/4 miles in 55 minutes yesterday. It just started to flurry and sleet in my last 5 minutes. Happy I got it in. Today, after my hour of shoveling and chopping a got a short but quick workout in when Zim came home. Here is goes:

5 minute warm-up

As many rounds as you can in 20 minutes:

3 asst pull-ups

10 squats

10 push-ups

20 sit-ups

15 jumping lunges

5 burpees

I did 7 rounds in 20:16. Kicked my butt! I finished with 2:30 on plank and side planks and stretched out. 

I'm expecting my workout tomorrow will be shoveling again and keeping my eye on Victor as he slowly starts to crawl. My kitty is going to be in trouble soon!! 

Get the Hell Outta Here February, You're Too Cold

The last day in February, thank god, is almost over. It was the 5th or 6th coldest February on record for Philly. Let's keep our fingers crossed March is warmer. We did luck out snow wise. We really didn't get too much so far this winter. Despite the cold, I'm getting out for 2 runs a week and I hit the elliptical once a week as well. I'm working up my mileage slowly, but now I'm getting into the height of my training. I'm feeling good overall and still I'm continuing my 10 minute stretch and massage every morning.

My running this week was a 5.17 mile run in 45 minutes on Wednesday. I hit the elliptical on Friday for 5.4 miles in 45 minutes. Today, I braved the cold and ran 6.08 in 55 minutes. I'm relatively pain free and feel quite good. I even managed to drop 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I've been only running in my neighborhood, which is pretty hilly, coz all the trails are frozen over. I'm looking forward for a long run on one of the flatter trails. I'd be interested in my time. I'm averaging a little under a 9 minute mile, which I'm happy with right now. I'm happy with the hill work I'm getting in as well. It will prepare me a bit for the Mount Penn trail 15K Zim and I signed up for in mid April. 

My running plan next week is to aim for 2 outdoor runs. One that is around 5 miles (45 minutes) and another one that's around 7 and 1/2 miles (1 hour 5 minutes). In between I'll get 45-55 minutes on the elliptical as well. 

I did get ANOTHER pair of compression pants. I bought a pair of full length 2XU pants. I tried them out today and was very happy with them. Zim bought a pair of Skinz on Amazon and wore them for a 5 mile race in the morning. He loved them!! I think I'm about ready for a review very soon. Stay warm!!

Playlist: Give Up the Ghost!

Oscar Time!

One of my favorite times of year! The Oscars. I've seen a bunch of the films. I wish I saw all of them. Anyways, it's tough this year. A ton of great performances, and flicks in general. Here's what I think:

Cinematography: GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Documentary Feature: VIVIAN MIER

Directing: Richard Linklater - BOYHOOD

Supporting Actress: Jeez, kinda hard. I'd go with Emma Stone, but Keira Knightly was damn good as well. Patrica Aquette was quite good. Emma Stone.

Supporting Actor: Another tough one. I'm gonna go with Edward Norton. REALLY like Mark Ruffalo too. Ethan Hawk was pretty damn good as well.

Actress: A week ago I woulda said Reese Witherspoon. I really, really like WILD. Should have been nominated for best picture in my opinion. Then I watched GONE GIRL. My pick is now Rosamund Pike. I'd be happy with either pick. Didn't see STILL ALICE though.

Actor: Another tough one. I wouldn't been surprised with any of these men. My pick, Michael Keaton.

Best Picture: Wow. Tough. I'm gonna go with BIRDMAN.

Snow Again

I was hoping to get a nice little run in this afternoon, but with the temperature of a balmy 20 degrees out this early afternoon and snow, I ended up going to the gym to hit up the elliptical. And DAMN, what a drive to get there. I have a Jeep, so I've never too worried about driving in the snow. I wasn't worried about the 5 mile drive to my gym, but wow, the traffic out was nutty. There was only about an inch and a half on the ground, and it was a little dicey in spots, but other drivers were in full on panic mode. I really thought someone might slide into me a few times. The 10 minute drive to the gym turned into 20-25 minutes. I hit up the elliptical for 45 minutes and called it a day. My adrenaline must have been pumpin' coz I hit over 6 miles in those 45 minutes. I hit a 5K in about 22 minutes, and I didn't have it on a low level. I was doing my 15 sprint, 15 regular, 15 sprint, 15 regular and up the levels each minute for 5 minutes. Worked up a nice sweat!

As for the running, I'm doing good. I ended up running two days after my first time back running and did feel a little soreness in my hamstring/sciatic. Nothing bad or painful, just like a "hey, you haven't used me in a while", type of thing. I ended up using the elliptical again that week, just to give myself more of a rest. I did run again on Wednesday, and felt pretty good. I felt the soreness a tiny bit, and overall felt pretty damn good about the run. I ran 4.3 miles in 37 minutes. One thing that did happen on that run was that I tripped on the sidewalk and took a spill. It honestly felt like I was in slow motion. I more or less landed in a slide, and luckily didn't get hurt what so ever. I guess I awakened something in my fall and my time got faster. I wish I could lie and say I hit ice, but no, my mind was already on crossing a street, and I fell. Lucked out.

I did decide to stick with the half marathon I signed up for. With the weather the way it's been, most of the runners have been training on the treadmill or an elliptical I'd presume. I still have till March 1st to get my money back, but I'm confident I can run it. Unless I'm limping, I'm all in for this run.

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40s. Maybe I'll sneak in a run. Fingers crossed.

Back Out Running

I laced up my sneakers, put my compression pants and socks on and hit the pavement. And was PAIN FREE. I ran for a half hour for 3.4 miles. I didn't push for speed, just ran with the mindset of "Let's see how I feel". And the next day, still feel fine. I'm super happy. I'll try another half hour run sometime this week. I'm still stretching every morning for 5-10 minutes. That's helped a ton. 

Today was a quickie workout. See how many round you can do in 20 minutes:

5 asst pull-ups

15 push-ups

20 punching sit-ups

25 squats

7 rounds in 18:55. Finished with a one minute plank.

Super Bowl Sunday

It's been a good game. I could care less who wins, but if I had to root for a team it would be Seattle. The commercials, blah...kinda depressing. The highlight for me was Katy Perry. I found it really entertaining. She was fun! 

I'm taking it easy and resting my right leg. I really don't feel any tightness, but I'm going to wait another week or two to try out running. I'm still using the massage ball and doing multiple daily stretches. It's helped a bunch. So I've been rocking the elliptical three times a week. It's very boring, but you gotta do what ya gotta do.

Here's the last three workouts:

Friday: Elliptical. 50 minutes. 15 second sprint, 15 second regular pace, 15 second sprint, 15 second regular pace. Alternate resistance levels from levels 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 with each minute.

Saturday: Crossfit inspired.

As many rounds in 20 minutes

5 minute warm-up

3 asst pull-ups

10 squats

10 push-ups

10 jumping lunges

5 burpees

5 minutes abs

Cool down

Sunday: Elliptical at my parents. 58 minutes. 15 second sprint/reg pace. Alternated resistance 3-7. Finished with 5 minutes of abs.

More Trail Running

I've been itching to start my longer runs and get some training in before the half marathon at the end of March. I also wanted to give the new compression pants a try. So Saturday I put on the CW-X pants (which were great) and I hit the actual gravel trail in Valley Forge. My siatic or Piriformis syndrome felt okay. It just felt tight, but no pain. I ran about 6 and 1/4 in about an hour. My app on my phone crapped out after 15 minutes, so I don't know my times or splits. Every time it's under 30 degrees it seems to stop working. I felt pretty good for not really running in the past couple weeks.

Monday, I woke up and felt a little sore. My siatic still felt tight. Still no pain, but not feeling that great. I think I'm going to take 3-4 weeks off from running, and try to get fully healed up. At least I'd have 5-6 weeks to train for the race. So frustrating, but I'd rather feel closer to 100% healthy on my runs. So back to the elliptical. Monday I did get a workout in, Crossfit inspired:

5 minute jump rope (oddly my leg feels not even a twinge in that motion)

As many rounds as you can do in 20 minutes:

5 assisted pull-ups

10 curls/hammers

10 burpees

7 rounds in 19:15.

6-7 minutes of ab work.

Stretch

Playlist: Zero 7

Today: Elliptical city sister! 45 minutes and did a little over 5.25 miles. 

Flying By

Damn this week flew by! Almost the weekend! Which is great. I might try to see "Birdman" or "American Sniper" tomorrow night. LOVE the Oscar season!

Anyways...diet and workouts. I started using the Lose It! ap on my phone this week. It always worked pretty well for me. I'm trying to drop 10 pounds by the end of March. 15 pounds would be awesome, but my goal is 10. Hell 5-7 and I'd be happy. I'm not cheating either. I'll record those 2-3 vodka drinks. It all adds up the same. I'd love to go into the big race weighing in a 145.

Also, I've been doing some research on compression pants/shorts. I hope to have 3 different brands to review by sometime next week. I'm hoping the compression will help me with my glutes/hamstrings injury during runs. I've noticed online, there really isn't too many "true" compression reviews. Kinda frustrating. The few I read, helped. Also read a decent review in "Mud & Obstacle" magazine on the pants. I did get my best information from my local running shop, All Kinds of Fast, on the most recommended compression pants. LOVE that store! And hope to pick up a pair of pants on Saturday morning. That company's rep is supposed to be there as well. Report for the future.

Workouts!

Monday: Tabata

Tabata - 20 second work followed by 10 seconds rest for 8 intervals.

1)Row: 11, 11, 10, 10, 9, 8, 9, 8
1 minute rest
2)Dips: 17, 17, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13.
1 minute rest
3)Pull-ups (asst): 5, 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 3
1 minute rest
4)Push-up:  12, 10, 8, 7, 7, 6, 7, 7
1 minute rest
5)Sit-up: 10, 11,11, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11.

Tuesday: 40 minutes elliptical.

Wednesday: Legs

How many rounds in 20 minutes?

10 squats
10 walking lunges
10 stability ball hamstring lifts
10 calf squats
5 burpees

7 rounds done in 20:49.
Followed by 6 minutes ab work.

Snowy Run in the Park

After smashing, flossing, stretching, and not running since December 20th, I decided to see where my glutes/hamstring was at last Friday afternoon. I decided to run in the snow at Valley Forge Park. I thought the one trail I picked would have been clear because of a lot of direct sunlight. I was wrong. It was fine though. There was only about a 1/2 of an inch of powdery snow on the pavement. I started with a 2-3 minute walk and then stretched. Then it was off for a run in the snow. I ran slow, at a 9:45 minute pace, in fear of slipping and to see how my leg felt. The leg was okay. I still could feel the tightness, but it felt a hell of a lot better than before. It was pretty damn cool running in the snow. The trees and grass snow covered and a blue sky. It was real beautiful out. It was a bit cold, but I'm okay at 35 degrees and no wind. I passed two other runners and a couple walkers. I ran 3.5 miles in a little over 34 minutes. I stretched out and didn't feel any pain. So it went well. I'm giving myself the week off from running to try to heal up some more. Happy I got one in though. I really want to get some miles in for training for the half marathon. But I want to do it the right way. 

Balls and Floss

No this isn't a rated X post. It's a mobility post! Sorry pervs! Anyways, I've been using a variation of different mobility balls to smash my glutes and hamstrings. I've been feeling better, but I'm not 100% yet. Here's some of the different tools I've been using (excluding the foam roller), all which are great.

The first ball I used was a large dimple ball that Zim bought from Rouge Fitness over a year ago or so. It's 3.8 inches in diameter and made of solid hard plastic with dimples. It's great for your quads and calfs. It also works good for the upper back and shoulders. Not so great for the neck though. Too big. It's been working good for my glutes, but seems a little too large to really sink into some of the muscles. It's sold at $8, which is reasonable.

I got a two pack of the Gaiam yoga balls from Target. One is round and the size of a baseball made of hard rubber. The other is about the same size with plastic stumpy spikes. They both can be put into the freezer or put in hot water if you need something iced or heated. Kinda neat. I've only used the baseball sized one and I have it in the freezer. It works pretty well. It's good on hard to reach muscles, especially the ribs. Just wish it was a little softer. But hell, I always have it cold. A good deal for $14.99.

My favorite is Rogue's WOD Supernova ball. It's just right with a diameter of 3.15 inches. There is a larger one, I went with the smaller one. It's sturdy but softer than the rest of the balls I've used. It has some grooves on it to really work into the knots and hotspots. It's working wonders on my glutes and everything else. Even the neck. The only drawback is the price, $34.99, but I'm more than happy with it. 

All these guys work good along with some foam rolling. My favorite is the Supernova ball hands down. It works great with the hard to get places and the larger muscle groups.

Flossing! Something that I've only heard about in the last year or so. Rogue makes a Voodoo Floss band that is supposed to aid in muscle recovery. The band looks like one of those resistance bands that they sell at any sporting good store. The Voodoo band is thinner, longer, and made for compression. You're supposed to wrap the band towards your heart over your sore muscle or hotspot and compress the area until it feels like pins and needles or see a discoloration, then unwrap. This is the flossing. Yes, it sounds sketchy, but the science makes sense. The new blood that rushes to the muscle after unwrapping is supposed to have more oxygen which aids in recovery. I've been doing it for my hamstring, but knowing there's a major artery there, I'm weary to get to the point of pins and needles. I have a friend who would use it for their tennis elbow, and swears by it. It runs around $25.

So balls and flossing. They've been some of my adventures lately.

Work Out of the Day

I grabbed this off the CrossFit site from January 2nd.

Do as many round as you can for 20 minutes.

5 minute warm-up

5 asst pull-ups

10 push-ups

10 squats

Cool down and stretch.

Playlist: Blacklisted

I also used a foam roller and massage ball for about 20 minutes in the morning while Victor was playing in his exercer-saucer. Felt wonderful!! 

Happy New Year!!!

2014 treated me pretty damn well. I'm hoping for more of the same in 2015. I spent my New Years Eve drinking some vodka and watching some stand-up comedy. I managed to stay up till a little past midnight and then fell asleep till 7am. Zim treated me to a morning to sleep in a bit. It was NICE! 

New Years Day I decided to see how busy my gym was to get in 40 minutes on the elliptical. It surprisingly was pretty dead. Thought everyone and their mothers would be there. I was happy.  I got my 40 minutes in and headed home. 

On another note:

I started reading Dr. Kelly Starrett's book Ready to Run. It's marketed as the new running bible. It's pretty interesting. It's more less attempting to keep you injury free, correct your form, and raise your mobility. There a bunch of crossfit type stretches and excerises that are interesting. I'm not totally on the crossfit boat, but I think a lot of it is useful and also can kick your ass. Other stuff I'm not so into, like it's cultish nature and the lack of running in it. But I'm just going on what I hear. I'm about halfway through and it's been helpful. One thing I've neglected for years is flexibility/mobility. This book is really going to help me with that. Definately worth a read or a look so far.

Here's the rest of the week thus far:

Friday: Legs

Warm-up

1) Lunges a)12/18lbs b)12/18 c)12/21

2)calls: a)20/60lb b)20/70 c)20/80 (with dumbells)

3)wall squats: a)30 sec b)45 sec c)1 min

4)hamstrings: a)12 b)12 (took it easy coz of the sciatic)

5)weighted squats: a)10/45lb b)10/55 c)10/60

6)plank: 2:15 minutes

5-10 minutes ab work

Cool down

Saturday: cardio

45 minutes on the elliptical. I do interval sprints after 5 minutes. 15 seconds normal, 15 sprint, 15 normal, 15 sprint. I add seconds to my sprints after the 30th minutes. The last minute I sprint the whole time. The a 3-5 minute cool down.

Sunday:

Rest day. Stretched out for 10-15 minutes.

Monday: upper body 

Warm-up

1)lawnmowers: a)10/20lb b)10/25 c)10/30 d)10/35

2)barbell bench press: a)8/50 b)6/60 c)6/65 d)6/70

3)dips: a)20 b)20 c)20

4)dumbell bench press: a)12/18 b)12/18 c)12/18

5)curls: a)10/18 b)12/18 c)12/18

5-10 minutes ab work

Cool down