Jun 6, 2007

Mmmmmmm grilled cheese.

So I just got back from a nice 3.6 run. I call this type of workout "grilled cheese". Not just because I follow up the run with one - but because I find comfort and fun in both grilled cheese, and this type of training run.

I was just going out to run 2 miles as that is what is on tap for today. Well... as I was running, I decied to play around with intensity, speed, cadence, hills, and hydration. SCORE! This was the most fun 3+miler I have had in a long time. I got in my 2 miles, plus some cadence drills UP HILL.

I fueled up this morning with a shake made with Carnation Instant Breakfast, 1/2 C of blueberries, and 1/2C of FF Milk, blended with ice. YUMMY! I then mixed up my waterbottle of Accelerade (fruit punch flavored), fired up the iPod to Phedippidations, and took off.

At the mile mark I was like - oh crap I have to turn around already? - but then I thought, why not see how far I can push myself. So I ran out another .71 miles then turned around. On the way back is nothing but hills - both up and down - so I worked on my down-hill cadences, as well as my up-hill sprints. Every up hill I ran at a 9:30pace. We are talking a 9:30 pace UP hill. For a half of a mile. Straight. ;)

Once I rounded the corner that leads me back to home, I decided to play with cadence once more. Amazing - I ran a solid sub-10 minute mile and felt wonderful. And of course once I hit the hills I upped it to 9:30. Then I slowed down on the last down hill, and gradually came to a walk, walking back home.

SWEET.

I felt good with the Accelerade. It is easy on my stomach, and I feel like I am getting hydrated as well as fueled. I don't care much about my overall pace - I just had fun out there. ;) It is good to have fun and get in good mileage. Awesome.


The remainder of the day is work, and then when Mike gets home from work - dinner and then the gym. We have started to eat dinner first then workout later at the gym. Personally, I like this much better because most people are gone by 9 or 10PM, and also we are fueled and not starving. Plus I am no longer getting home at 9PM and then eating, only to rush off to bed. It is nice and relaxing.

Last night I did chest and tris. It was nice because now we are spending far more time in the "Temple of Testosterone" (AKA the free-weight room) and less time on machines. I am finally feeling the workouts, and suprisingly, when I went to the pec deck to work on thegeneral overall chest- my strength had increased from doing 3 reps of 12 at 62.5lbs.... to 3 sets of 12 at 112.5lbs.... all in 1 week. What the.... oh. Right. I am actually getting stronger. I am just not so keen on gaining mass, so I am going to plateau off my weight for a while and maybe increase reps instead.

Tonight is back and bi's. Again, plenty of time will be spent in the free weight room. I am no longer scared of it. I am embracing it as yet another part of strength training. Also - by mixing up the workouts we do for the different muscle group pairings each time we work out, we are assuring that we will not get burnt out.

Doing the typical machines every third day started to be a drag. Yeah you see progress, but still with the free-weights you can really work and isolate muscles in a more varied manner than by machines alone. PLus you can feel the difference between isolation and mass0building exercises. Somehow on the machines I never really feel that. Maybe I aid too much with other parts of my body on the machines - whereas with free weights it is all... well you.

I am feeling stronger and getting sooo geared up for the Freep this year. That bridge will be nothng to me! ;)

Enough bablling off to work!

~})i({ RG

2 comments:

MNFirefly said...

It takes time to feel like intimidated in the weight romm. Awesome job so far.

teacherwoman said...

Nice job on the run! way to push yourself further...

... and you had fun as well!