Mental Games

Do you ever find yourself playing mind games during a workout?  My twin sister, Jen, counts...she's a weird one.  I look around for new trails to take on my next run.  However, this week I used machines to workout TWICE!  That's pretty rare for me.  

On Tuesday I went to the gym and used the StarTrac elliptical after my swim because I wasn't feeling a run outdoors with the heat.  First of all, I must be super fast because according to the StarTrac, I ran 7.76 miles in 20 minutes!!!  Ok, maybe the machine was not quite calibrated correctly...

Then on Wednesday instead of hitting the track by myself, I chose to do my sprint workout on the treadmill.  I did a one mile warm-up and then 4 x 400m sprints - first two at an 8 min/mile and second two at a 7:30 min/mile, with a 400m jog at 10 min/mile in between each.  

So, where do the mind games come in?  Well on both of my machine workouts, I had to play mind games to keep from getting bored.  On the elliptical, I challenge myself to stay above 90 RPM for the minute, and if I fall below that, then I have to stay above 95 RPM!  It's good motivation for me.  Then on the treadmill, I promised myself that if I didn't ever touch the "speed" button and slow my planned pace down, then I would be able to enjoy 15 minutes in the sauna.  

What do you do to distract yourself when you're stuck on a machine?

More about Us

After reading SUAR's hilarious post, we decided to "consider ourselves tagged" and answer her questions.  Disclaimer - we are not NEARLY as funny as this lady is (and definitely not as fast).

1. Best run ever? 
Jess: My first ultra marathon - The Old Dominion 50-miler in Woodstock, VA.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I loved every second of that 9 hour and 51 minute adventure and met some amazing folks!
Jennifer: My third half marathon. I ran with a friend and her husband, and we managed to chat the entire time and surpass our goal time!

2. Three words that describe your running? 
Jess: Steadfast, clumsy, slow
Jennifer: Middle-of-the-pack (that's one word, right?), improving, mental

3. Your go-to running outfit? 
Jess: The t-shirt I got in my first 5k ever (from 1994) and my USMC black shorts....sexy, I know.
Jennifer: Almost any pair of my Nike running shorts and a dri-fit t-shirt from a triathlon, and sadly, my inserts because running without them is not feasible right now:(

4. Quirky habit while running? 
Jess: Snot rockets - no, it's not pretty, but it is a necessity!
Jennifer: I count. Nothing in particular, but I find that it helps pass the time.

5. Morning, midday, evening?  
Jess: Morning unless work gets in the way.  I'm more likely to run first thing in the day, less time to come up with excuses for why I can't do it.
Jennifer: Well this certainly took a personal turn...oh wait, you're still talking about running. I'm definitely a morning person...for both. (and for the same reasons mentioned by Jess)

6. I won’t run outside when it’s ______
Jess: Sleeting.  I'll do rain, snow, or wind, but sleet is a no go. 
Jennifer: Super dark. I can do pre-sunrise, but when it's really dark, it's just asking for an injury.  

7. Worst injury—and how you got over it.  
Jess: Crossing my fingers and knocking on wood here, but I've never had a serious running injury.  I had PF really badly, but what runner doesn't and I fixed that by running less and biking more.
Jennifer: When we were in 3rd grade, Jess and I were on the track team. At practice one afternoon, as I gracefully loped around the track, I managed to somehow fall into a hole (off the track) and broke my arm. Yes, I may quite possibly be the only genius with such an injury. I got over it when - after two days of telling me to suck it up - my dad took me to the hospital, it was pronounced broken, and I received a very shiny, very brand-new Sony Walkman.

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when ______
Jess: I wore my first running skirt EVER and ran a 5k PR during last year's Oceanside Turkey Trot.
Jennifer: I placed 3rd among female participants at a local 10k and I was pushing the Weasel.

9. Next race is...
Jess: no idea.  I just got back from Afghanistan and I'm still deciding whether I'm up for the Blue Water Triathlon in Oct.
Jennifer: The MCM!

10. Potential running goal for 2013? 
Jess: Hoping to find a 12-hour race that doesn't get cancelled and see how that goes.
Jennifer: We've just moved to NoVA, so my goal for the next year is to get comfortable running all these hills. Right now, I just do my out and back runs because all I can think about is how much it will suck running back up!

Everything's Amazing & Nobody is Happy

This clip from Conan O'Brien with guest Louis CK says it all!


Do you constantly hear people around you whining about EVERYTHING?  We've become so accustomed to having everything right away - instant gratification!  This doesn't just come with technology though...

Everyone wants to the miracle weight loss drug.  I want to be faster - NOW.  I want to be a better swimmer - NOW.  Not really too interested in putting in all the blood, sweat, and tears necessary to get there.

This post really has very little to do with running I guess, so it may not seem applicable to this blog, but I wanted to share this video because I got a good laugh from it!

Goal Update - Week 2

Interested to see how I'm doing on my goals?  Thanks for stopping by - I feel good about this week and it just keeps getting better.  I'm in a routine and that's good for me because I thrive on structure!  

Exercise Goals
1) Run 25 miles a week - Much better this week!  I got in three runs and covered 15.5 miles.  They were slow, but I attribute that to the hills and not being used to them.  

2) Swim at least three times a week - Two-thirds of the way there!  I got to the pool once and this weekend I headed to Camp Del Mar on Pendleton and swam in the jetty.  I got in a solid 2.5 miles of swimming this week!

3) Bike to and from work at least once a week - Not there yet, but I got the bike out and cleaned it up, lubed the chain and took her out on Pacific Coast Highway!  It was a quick 10 mile ride, and it was awesome!

4) 10-dead hang pull-ups - Still on track with the Recon Ron pull-up program.  This week I only got four of the five sets in, but that's okay because my right shoulder has been bugging me a bit.  This week the sets were 8-7-5-5-5.

Nutrition Goals
1) One caffeinated drink per day - Barely had any caffeine all week!  I actually feel like I have more energy these days too!

2) One carbonated drink per week - We went to see the new Batman movie on Saturday and I opted for a small diet coke as my carbonated drink of the week - it was delish!

3) Keep a food journal - doing great here thanks to MyFitnessPal, which I wrote about last week.  It's so easy to use!  You can even add your own recipes in there!