Pulse Pilates

Today was my second EVER Pilates class!  Sean took me to a mat class at Pulse Pilates in Carlsbad on my first weekend home.  Having never done Pilates, I was a bit nervous and pretty much had it in my mind that it would be way too hard for me and I would end up looking really silly trying to do all kinds of "weird" stuff.

As it turns out, it wasn't awful and today Sean and I headed back for my second mat class with Natalie Dent.  She is amazing - patient, positive, and challenging!  I was incredibly awkward with all of the movements, especially the ones that left me shaking because my body was revolting...but she guided me through each movement as I needed help.  The class size was small, nine people total this morning, which is perfect for me.

The class is challenging but fun.  It forces you to engage your core and work on flexibility, which I really, really need to do based on the fact that I can barely touch my toes!  So for anyone looking to bolster their training plan, challenge themselves and have fun - check it out!  If you are in the Carlsbad area, I highly recommend you check out the Pulse Pilates studio where you can meet the lovely Natalie Dent.  

Big Discovery, New Shoes, and Some Interesting Products!

On Wednesday morning, a fellow Stroller Warrior posted an invite to a CrossFit Workout the following morning. Lo and behold, this event was taking place in my "backyard!" I live about 7 minutes from MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) New River. Apparently, for the last 10 months, MCAS has provided the space and equipment necessary for any CF workout you could imagine! Who knew? What a big discovery. The best part is this: they have an enclosed play area for kiddos, or if they don't want to play there, you can have them right beside you in the stroller as you workout. HUGE BONUS! 

So with the Weasel in tow, we headed to MCAS, located the warehouse that enclosed the gym and met up with some ladies to grab a quick workout. There were two active duty Marines on hand to instruct us and provide us with the WOD. We did a 1k row to warm up and then got right to the WOD: 15 minute AMRAP - 6 toes to bar, 8 hand release pushups, 12 squats (repeat 3 times), 400m run. That Thursday morning, there were approximately 15 ladies kicking butt at this huge gym...it was AWESOME!

Sorry for the awful pics, but I only had my iPhone.

After the workout, I decided to drive down to Wilmington to visit TrySports in search of some new shoes. I'm a mid to forefoot striker, and I was desperately in need of new ones:

The fella at the store watched me run, listened to my concerns, and then gathered up several pairs for me to test on their treadmills. I have been a loyal Saucony wearer for YEARS, so I fully intended on selecting yet another pair. After testing Sauconys, Brooks, Newtons, and Asics, I was shocked to find myself veering away from my "old standby" and selected the Asics! 

Since we were in Wilmington, home of many hippies, Weasel and I decided to hit up the Tidal Creep Co-Op where we ate some lunch and did a little shopping:

I grabbed several of these packets in search of some new great sources of protein and other healthful boosts:

I'll have a review later, but I'm stoked to try them out. And I even got some to send to Jess over in Afghanistan! After we got home, we hung out for a bit and then after a total nap fail, I packed Weasel in the car, headed back to MCAS and did a 3 mile loop to test out my new kicks. I'm happy to report that they feel great and I already notice a difference in the way my feet and legs feel with full cushion and support! Talk about a great day!!

My New Trainer

Last month, I got some money in a few birthday cards, and I immediately knew what I was going to spend it on. With the addition of the Weasel into my life, I do not get to ride my bike nearly as often as I would like. If I want to ride, I have to strap the bike to the Subaru and drive 30 minutes (we live in the country!) to drop her off at the hourly care facility, and then drive 10 more minutes to a decent place to ride all the while stressed out that I won't get back to the car in time to pick her up. Or, I can pay our sitter $10/hour to watch the Weasel and try to stay alive on the 55 mph road that we live off of. Neither option is all that enticing, so my bike has been collecting dust over the last year. 


Well now I'm the proud owner of this:

Source

It's the Travel Trac Century V fluid trainer and I'm thrilled with it thus far. First of all, there are hundreds of options out there for trainers, ranging from $100 to $3000. It was not an easy selection. I happened upon this guy on one of our local yardsale sites and the seller was asking for $90. What a steal, right? Well, after much communication, I finally managed to meet up with him and handed him a crisp $100 bill. He only had a $20 for change, so I got the trainer at an even better bargain...$80!!  

I've used it twice (and I'm about to hop on it now before the Weasel is up for the day). It's much more challenging than riding outside in my humble opinion. My garage is like a small sweat chamber, but I kept myself motivated by watching Ironman videos on my iPhone:) I'm about to steal Jason's small laptop that he took to Afghanistan so I can watch DVDs while I train. 

Now I've just got to build up my biking muscles so I can ride for longer than 20 minutes. It's a great way to cross train during nap time and now I can sign up for a triathlon without worrying about how I hardly trained on the bike. 

Do you have a trainer? Do you have any great workouts you do on the trainer? 

Good Initiave, Bad Judgement

The title refers to a common sentiment I heard when I was on active duty. Basically, it means, "I appreciate the effort and idea, but seriously, you've got to be crazy to think that's a good plan." Which brings me to my latest bright idea:

Source

As I'm sure I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm currently training for a half marathon. I was crushing my training plan (well, at least the novice one that I was mistakenly using here) through the end of December and even a bit into January...and then my husband got home, we were out of town for 3 weeks, and I remembered how much I love beer. No worries, after a couple weeks home, Jason is back to work and I've made it to most of our group workouts and logged a couple "long" runs. So, feeling somewhat confident about my readiness for this upcoming race - did I mention it's in a little over a week and a half?! - I went a little crazy. In fact, I've gone totally INSANE!

Inspired by a friend's FB post, I decided to take the Insanity Fit Test on Monday. Terrible idea! I was so sore for our run on Tuesday. But I pushed through in order to make an even worse decision. I did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit following our run. Hey, the Weasel was sleeping, so I took advantage. Yeah, with the half marathon right around the corner, I'm seriously rethinking this brilliant idea. I think I need to push pause until the race is over. But so far I love the program. 

One thing I'm confused about though...the text book definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." So is that really a good name for this style of training? Just wondering... 

Live From Afghanistan...

One Month Off…   

              

Greetings from the desert!  I wish I was able to stay more active in the blogosphere, but things are so busy out here and the Wi-Fi connection isn’t always very reliable.  Due to the current schedule that I follow, I haven’t really had time to squeeze in a daily run like I do when I’m back stateside.  Instead, I’ve taken to going to what we’ve nicknamed the “Prison Gym”.  Essentially we’ve got very resourceful Marines who have acquired some workout equipment and put it here in our compound.  We have a lot of free weights, several straight bars for bench/squat/etc, and some newly arrived cable machines! 

I’ve been doing mostly strength training, lifting weights between 5 and 6 times a week.  I don’t ever have a plan, but I have a workout partner who creates our schedule!  One of my goals when I got here was to be able to do 10 pull-ups.  When we first arrived I was unable to even eke out ONE…but now I’m up to SEVEN!  So, there are positives to weight training!

However, my running, which provides me peace of mind, solitude, and sanity, has sadly fallen to the wayside.  On Saturday, for the first time in almost a month, I got back out on the road.  We did a three-mile run with 2 min jog, 15-second sprint.  It was tough, but mostly because my cardio has gone out the window! 

It was a welcome feeling to be back in my Inov8’s and on the road.  Sometimes you just don’t know how much you need something until it’s missing from your life!

Cross Training

Running magazines often tout the benefits of cross training. It reduces stress on joints while still actively working out. It changes up your normal routine to keep you motivated. And somehow, it improves your running.

This morning, after a relaxing 3.2 mile jog with these girls:

I met up with a friend for a bike ride. Ideally, I'd like to ride twice a week; however, due to day care issues and daily life, I've been happy to knock out one per week. And luckily, our fearless Stroller Warrior leader, Steph Geraghty, rides with me. We rode 19 miles today (a bit shorter than we would have liked, but such is life) at about a 17-19 mph pace. Throughout most of the workout, we are able to ride side-by-side and chat, making it pass much more quickly. And although my legs were smoked at the end, I'm confident that it will improve my overall endurance and running. I also try to include some Crossfit workouts.  

What type of cross training do you do?