Day 86

So, I know it has been a few days since I posted, but there has been a bit of excitement going on around here since Jones and I are getting MARRIED!!! :)

Friday, July 20th Brian proposed at the St. Regis and we have been celebrating with family and friends non-stop.  We also have our big move coming up in exactly a week and my family reunion on Saturday. So many exciting things going on around here!  Needless to say, I've been trying to keep up with my workouts but have missed a few.  Last week I got an hour of cross training in on the stair master and did my speed run on the treadmill (the rain has been non-stop around here the past few days).  So this week is a new week and here is the plan:

 

Tuesday: 10 miles @ 11:15 (done, the info is below)
Wednesday: Cross training and abs
Thursday: 1 @ 11, 4 @ 10:15, 1 @ 11; arms
Friday: Cross training and legs
Saturday: Rest (Family Reunion)
Sunday: 11 @ 11:30

Day 78

Even though I got off to a great start last week, of course I hit a bit of a snag.  Because we had to sign our lease (woohoo!!) early Saturday morning then rush off to Mom's for the yard sale, the 9 miles didn't happen.  Nor did it happen on Sunday because of a bit of a hangover.  Nor did it happen due to rain.  Too many excuses?  I think so!!

Today (because of rain again) I did the stairmaster for an hour for some cross training and some ab work.  Starting over fresh with renewed motivation.  Here's the rest of the week's schedule:

Tuesday -- Stairmaster, Total Tummy Makeover

Wednesday -- Morning: No Weight Arms, Minute Plank Drills; Afternoon: 10 minute warm up and cool down, 4 x (3 minutes @ 9:15, 3 minutes @ 11)

Thursday -- Morning: Lunge Variation; Afternoon: Cross training (spin or stairs)

Friday -- Morning: Burn Fat Faster, Abtastic; Afternoon: 2 @ 11, 3 @ 10:15, 2 @ 11

Saturday -- 10 @ 11:15

Sunday -- Work on Weekends

Day 74

Woo hoo!!  I've done all of my cardio this week!  I have the speed and tempo runs below.  So far, the runs are a challenge but not body breaking so I'm encouraged :)

My plate was a little full this week so it was difficult to fit in the strength training.  I was only able to fit in a little core workout on Wednesday and if I feel like it this afternoon I'm hoping to add another core workout and an arm workout in.  Tomorrow is my 9 miler with a little faster pace.  Wish me luck!

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Day 70

So far, so good this week! I did my 8 miler yesterday and my spin class tonight. I had planned to arrive at the gym a little early to do my ab workout, but apparently they have decided to shut down my Toco Hills LA Fitness so my extra time worked out for me to get to another gym. However, no ab work today... I'm hoping to fit it in tomorrow.

Today's spin class was a good one! I had never had this instructor before and it was a nice change. She incorporated pushups into the spin and other arm workouts that made it a lot of fun.

Tomorrow I'm going to have dinner with Mom and go through some final yard sale stuff, so I'm hoping to get up in the morning and do my speed run. It's POURING outside right now with some CRAZY thunder and lightening, so I'm hoping that is gone before the morning!

Day 69

I know it has been a while since I posted but I had gotten out of the habit and started slacking on running.  However, the Peachtree is over (I finished in 1:02:46, 10 minutes faster than my last running Peachtree) so that means it is time to REALLY focus on the marathon training.  This past weekend Brian and I were in Fort Lauderdale shopping for condos so, although I probably walked 15 miles, there was no long run to be had.  So my schedule is a little skewed for this week, but I'll make it work.

This morning I ran 8 miles at 11:11 pace.  The FIRST program has me running the first few long runs at 11:15, which I thought would be far too slow but after this morning's run I found that I could run the whole thing without stopping and that the last mile was still very challenging.  Brian had told me about a Runner's World article about how important it is to run the long runs slow because your lungs develop so much faster than your leg muscles and ligaments do for long runs.  That's why the long runs in the beginning of the training are so slow, then towards the end you add more speed work and a faster pace to your long runs to continue helping your lung development.  I'll try it!

Here is this week's schedule and today's run:

Sunday -- 8 @ 11:15
Monday -- Spin, arms, abs
Tuesday -- 13 minute warm up, 6x 1 minute @ 9:15, 2 minutes @ 10:45, legs
Wednesday -- Spin, arms, abs
Thursday -- 2 @ 10:45, 2 @ 10:15, 2 @ 10:45, legs
Friday -- Rest
Saturday -- 9 @ 11

Day 50

Happy Monday!  Week 2 of camp and only 6 weeks left until we move, total mixture of anxiety and super, duper excitement!

This weekend we completed the Possum Trot 10K (my run is below) and I did my best 10K time yet, but still think I could've done better.  Because I totally forgot about the race, I don't think I ran nearly what I should've the few days/weeks before.  Hopefully it can serve as a wake up call for the Peachtree that is only a few short weeks away!  We also sold some of our stuff in our first yard sale this weekend at Anne's house.  It definitely made me really realize that the move is getting close and very real!

Yesterday was Father's Day, so I took the day off from working out to bake a cake, pack up more yard sale stuff and spend the evening with the fam. 

Here's this week's plan:
Monday:  5 x 1000 @ 9:00; Total Tummy Makeover; Sexy Arm Superset
Tuesday: Spin; Lose Leg Fat
Wednesday: 6 miles @ 9:17; A fABulous ABtastic Workout; So Many Pushups
Thursday: Spin; Move Towards a Sexy Butt
Friday: 8 miles @ 9:32
Saturday: Enjoy Savannah with my boy!
Sunday: 3 miles @ leisure

Day 46

So, it took me a little longer than I thought to get my motivation back.  Camp is wearing me out!  But, yesterday I did the 20 minute abs and the shoulder video and today I ran three miles after camp and did the Lose Leg Fat workout.  Tomorrow I plan to do the Total Tummy Makeover and rest my legs because I TOTALLY forgot about the Possum Trot 10K we are doing on Saturday morning!  I plan to use the 10K to set my benchmark to beat on July 4th.

Tonight is a girls' night with Jen at The Big Ketch with some low cal cocktails.  I don't want to blow my little run :)

Day 43

After a long weekend of eating and drinking at the beach, today is a recovery day and tomorrow I start my new summer schedule.  I started my first day back at Pace Camp today and am working all summer, so I have to stay focused!  I did do a 6 mile run on Thursday while at the beach.  That's better than my usual vacations :)

Here's this week's schedule:

Monday -- Rest day
Tuesday -- 4 x 1200 @ 8:50 pace, Total Tummy Makeover, Shoulders Video
Wednesday -- Spin, 20 minute Ab and Core Routine
Thursday -- 3 @ 9:02, Lose Leg Fat
Friday -- Continuous  Movement 10 Minute Challenge
Saturday -- 8 @ 9:32
Sunday -- Yoga

Day 36

What a beautiful wedding!  Jones and I had such a good time with our friends this weekend and wish Myndee and Laney all the best!

After a great weekend of dressing up and celebrating, I'm really struggling with some motivation today.  I know in my head that I need to do a long run but just can't get myself out there to do it!  I leave for the beach on our girls' trip on Wednesday, so I know that sticking to my routine will be tough if not impossible.  Here's what I'm shooting for...wish me luck! :)

Monday -- A fABulous ABtastic Workout
Tuesday -- 7 miles @ 9:30; A Shapely Arm Superset
Wednesday -- KimFire Moves #2; Shrinking Jeans Boot camp Week 2
Thursday -- 1 @ short, 1 @ easy, 2 @ short, 1 @ easy, 1 @ short: Short @ 9:02, East @ 10:37; Leaner Legs, Tighter Buns
Friday -- High Intensity, No Equipment Workout
Saturday -- 9 miles @ 9:30; Total Tummy Makeover
Sunday -- Rest day

Day 32

Today was my last day at High Meadows, beginning my summer vacation and the start of the Lyndee WeddingPalooza!  It's going to be a busy weekend with lots of bad food and alcohol, so I'm hoping if I can't refrain from over-indulging that I can keep up with my exercise schedule.  So far, so good this week!

Yesterday was boot camp with Nix and they don't call it boot camp for nothing!  It kicked my butt and I am incredibly sore today.  However good of a workout it was, I don't think that is my kind of working out.  I would do it again, just not on a regular basis...  Below is the heart rate recording from yesterday morning.



I also did my three mile run today at an 8:50 pace.  I did have stop lights to help me catch my breath at times, but with my sore legs from yesterday I didn't think that was too shabby.  I did the Shrinking Jeans boot camp workout again today.  I know that I said it was a little too easy earlier this week, but I think it may have been just right today after the run and the boot camp soreness!  This run is below.

I'm off to the wedding weekend kickoff "Burgers and Brews" at Lyndee's house.  I'm taking a pitcher of Hungry Girl's Magical Low-Cal Margaritas. Yum! :)

Day 29

Well, I feel like I'm back on track after that long weekend of poor eating and little exercise.  I did my 400s and the new boot camp workout from The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.  The boot camp workout wasn't as intense as the KimF workouts, but I'll stick with them for this week to see if I change my mind.  Mixing it up can't be a bad thing.  Here's today's run:




Today's Shrinking Kitchen dinner was A Healthier Sloppy Joe.  We felt like we were kids at camp, but they were VERY yummy!  TSK is still one of my all time favorite Pinterest finds :)

Tomorrow is boot camp with Nix, very early in the morning.  We'll see how that goes...

Day 28 -- Three Weeks In

Happy Memorial Day!

Today is the infamous three week mark when a new action becomes a habit.  I'm feeling good about the workouts becoming a habit.  No, I don't stick to the schedule exactly like I'd like and no, I don't stick to my eating plan each week, but I do think the idea is stuck in my head enough that I know I'll reach my big goals.  So, this week I'm continuing to drive towards the big goals and will not let a small hiccup in the plan keep me down.

On another note, I've found a new website that intrigues me, The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.  I'm going to incorporate some of the boot camp moves from this site in conjunction with KimF.  Since I didn't post my schedule for the week yesterday, here it is:

Monday: Celebrating and recovering :)
Tuesday: 10 x 400 @ 2:01 with 1:30 rest intervals; Shrinking Bootcamp Day 1 replacing sprints with the 400s
Wednesday: Boot camp with Nix; Total Tummy Makeover
Thursday: 3 miles @ 9:02 pace; Shrinking Bootcamp Day 2
Friday: Spin; KimFire #2
Saturday: 9 miles @ 9:32 pace; A fABulous ABtastic Workout
Sunday: Yoga

This will be a busy week with a wedding weekend ahead of us and my last day at High Meadows being Thursday, so I will need to keep that "habit" mindset and focus on my big goals: Peachtree and Marathon!

Day 27

Today I changed the schedule up a bit since Friday ended up being a day off with a tiny bit of liquid refreshment.  I did my spin on Thursday, but I've decided that the Thursday night spin class at Toco isn't challenging enough for me.  I've posted the heart rate for it below.  This morning I woke up and did the Kenpo X  from the P90X program.  It was a nice change up to the usual workout and what I needed after a night of drinking...

Day 25

Yesterday was my first day back into the routine, and it was a good day!  I completed the plank and upper body exercises while our Shrinking Kitchen Red Beans and Turkey Sausage simmered on the stove.  Delicious!

I'm still struggling to keep the paces that the program is calling for me to do, but right now I'm just happy to see my pace improve.  I was able to hit all those hills through Morningside and still keep my overall pace under a 10 minute mile.  That's enough success for me!



Today is spin and legs, hopefully I won't be too tired after the last day of school to hit it hard.  And to cook the Simple Tomato Ricotta Pasta!

Back From Vacation

Whew...what a weekend!  Brian and I traveled to Fort Lauderdale and Miami this weekend for a nice few days on the beach with some work mixed in.  It turned out to be a huge weekend seeing as I accepted a fourth grade teaching position at Miami Country Day School for next year!  So, it looks like Brian and I will be doing a majority of our training for the marathon out by the ocean :)

So, now that we are back home, its back to reality.  I did manage to get a run in Saturday morning and probably walked 100 miles around Fort Lauderdale, but other than that, I ate poorly, drank, and did little exercise...so its back to work this week!  The Shrinking Diet menu starts back up tomorrow and the workout schedule is going to kick back in full swing.


Here is this week's schedule:
Wednesday: 5 miles @ 9:17, Make Love to Planks and Upper Body Madness
Thursday: Spin, No More Thunder Thighs and Leaner Thighs, Tighter Buns
Friday: A Kickboxing Workout
Saturday: 9 miles @ 9:32
Sunday: Spin, Total Tummy Makeover

Day 17

Tonight's Shrinking Kitchen dinner was.....Pork Chops Marsala!!  I'm really liking the low cal, healthy cooking that this website provides. It certainly isn't for the quick fix mealers or those that hate to chop, but for me who loves the cooking process it is fabulous!

Today's workout was some cross-training with a hard core spin class.  Whoever the teacher was at LA Fitness tonight was ready to kick our butts!  I also did one round of the core exercises from KimF.  It said to do two, but at that point I was tired and ready to eat dinner so one round it was.


I'm planning on meeting Jennifer after work tomorrow for some much needed off campus catch up time, so I'm hoping to get my booty out of bed and run my four miles before work. We'll see.... :)

Day 16

So my new favorite website is the Shrinking Kitchen!  After signing up and receiving my first week's worth of dinners, Brian and I tried the first one tonight, Chinese Chicken and Asparagus Salad with some brown rice mixed with soy sauce and water chestnuts.  Yum!!

On the running note, I completed the 4 x 1000 run today at the river.  Okay, if I'm being honest it was 1 x 800ish and 3 x 1000 but that's only because my watch was acting funny on the first one and I had to start the workout over.  That's why you'll only see 3 of the 1000 meters on the run below.  It was one tough run!!  I'm hoping that I can get better fast so I don't feel like I'm dying at an 8:00 pace.  I haven't done my pushup workout yet, but I'm planning on it before bed.  If I don't, I'm making myself get up in the morning to do it before work!  Tomorrow is some cross training and core work.  Gearing up for the trip to Lauderdale this weekend :)

Day 15

My hips were a little sore after my run on Saturday, so I chose to forgo the speed run today and did only the abs and legs workout.  I'm planning on doing the the speed run tomorrow, possibly down by the river since its a little flatter (and cooler) than out here. Looking forward to see how I do with a fast 1000 meter!

Day 14

Well, if I'm sticking to the 80-20 lifestyle I definitely spent my 20 today!  What a yummy Mother's Day brunch and some tasty Mexican treats to watch golf!  I'll have to make sure I stick to that 80 this week...

 

Here's this week's schedule:

Sunday -- Fun free day! :)
Monday -- 4x1000 in 5:10; Upright Abs, No More Thunder Thighs
Tuesday -- Spin; So Many Pushups
Wednesday -- 4 miles @ 9:02; Core Exercises
Thursday -- Spin; Move Towards a Sexy Butt and Killer Abs
Friday -- KimFire #2
Saturday -- 9 miles @ 9:32

Day 13

Today was my first long run (over 5 miles) in about 6 weeks.  I was shooting for the scheduled 9 miles, but with keeping with my new learned lesson, I stopped after 7.5 because of some hunger/thirst pains in my side.  I also decided to not pay too much attention to my pace as long as I was keeping it over the "easy" pace of 10:37 and under the the "long" pace of 9:37.  I kept a pretty steady 10 minute mile for most of the run, which isn't too bad since I think the FIRST program doesn't account for the hills, heat, and humidity of Atlanta!  Now that I've set the benchmark for my long runs, I'm going to continue to try and speed it up and am thinking of purchasing one of the drink belts so I can drink some while running to avoid those thirst cramps. If I'm using my long runs as practice, then I think my key mile to intake some Gatorade or the running jellybeans for the first time is mile 6.5 or 7. 

No yoga tomorrow because of Mother's Day, but I'm hoping to squeeze in the KimFire #2 workout from KimF for this weekend before brunch with the ladies.  

Here's today's run:

Day 12

So, the lesson I have learned this week is to listen to your body!  I took Wednesday off because of the Blood Drive (partially because I chickened out with how dark it was outside that morning for a run and partially because I told myself I might be too light headed if I did both).  I thought that I would be fine for a good long run yesterday, but found out quickly that I was pushing myself a little too hard.  However, I was impressed with my dedication to stick to the training.  I was meeting Mom and Dad for dinner in Marietta so I decided to park my car at the tanning bed and run the 6 miles to the restaurant. Well, I definitely did it but because it was a tempo run (and the hilliest route I have EVER run!) I had a very hard time.  I needed to stop several times because I was light headed or just didn't have the general energy to push myself.  I made it to the restaurant, but not in the fashion I had planned.  Needless to say, I got the run in but I'm not proud enough of the pace/time to post it on here :-/

I'm planning on taking it somewhat easy again today so my long run tomorrow morning can be successful.  I'm just going to do my ab and leg workout after work, then have a nice date night :)  Tomorrow will be a tough pace, but I'm determined to keep it anywhere between 9:50 and 9:37.  That will be a first on the Atlanta hills for a 9 miler!  Here's to looking ahead!

Day 9

Well, today has been a good day!  I got both my workouts (spin and arms) in with no issue today, except that my watch didn't want to connect to my heart rate monitor correctly so I couldn't record the effort.  But I promise I worked!


Tomorrow is going to be my first early morning workout attempt.  I am giving blood tomorrow at 2:45, so if I don't get up and do my run there won't be a cardio workout tomorrow afternoon.  I'm hoping that gives me good motivation to get me out of bed. 


Brian and I have decided to do a 10K on June 16th, the Possum Trot at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell.  That should be a good indicator for how I will be able to do at the Peachtree.  However, this race is supposed to be really fast and the Peachtree is very hilly and challenging.  I could set a good PR on the 16th, but probably won't be able to beat it on July 4th.  I'm totally okay with that!

Day 8

Happy Move It Monday!!  Not too much going on around the Elliott-Jones household.  We had a fabulous weekend with a great pre-party 5K on Saturday and a productive Sunday with yoga, clean house, pool day, and a nice sushi/tapas dinner at Twist.  Sometimes I'm amazed at how magical my life is, and that is all thanks to the Jones part of the household ;)

And now for the training update!  Today was a good day as I completed my first speed run on the road.  I could NOT have done it without my amazing Garmin watch.  I uploaded my workout to the watch so it told me when I needed to slow down or speed up to keep my pace and let me know when it was time to move on to another interval.  It was fantastic! I also completed my ab and back routine thanks to KimF.


I have changed my training program to the FIRST program using the Run Less Run Fast book.  Tomorrow is arms and spin, some hard cross-training. I'm ready!

Day 7

Week one was a success!  I set a new PR on the 5K yesterday, 25:48, which was a 1:20 less than my previous PR from January.  Definitely a success! :)

Here is this week's plan:

Sunday: Yoga
Monday: Speed work -- 200 m in 1:00, 400 m in 2:01, 600 m in 3:04, 800 m in 4:06 x 2, 600 m, 400 m, 200 m; Get Back Into It -- KimF
Tuesday: Spin in the morning; Upper Body Super Set, push up pyramid -- KimF
Wednesday: 2 miles @ 9:02, 1 @ 10:37, 1 @ 9:02, 1 @ 10:37, 2 @ 9:02; Total Tummy Makeover -- KimF
Thursday: Spin in the morning; Move Towards a Sexy Butt and Killer Abs -- KimF
Friday: KimFire #2
Saturday: 9 miles @ 9:32

One goal has been accomplished, time to meet a new one: two mornings of working out. Bring on a good week !

Day 5

Okay, so getting up to workout in the morning is definitely going to be my challenge to overcome!  Next week I'll make it up two mornings, maybe my subconscious knew I could only add one morning a week :)

Nevertheless, I just completed my full body workout.  It was a different one from what I posted on Sunday, but a good one -- KimFire #1.

Here is my heart rate reading from the workout.  I never went below 75% and hit 92% at one point.  Next week I'm going to do KimFire #2 and try to do two rounds of it.


Tomorrow is the Stache Dash and should be tons of fun!  Lots of our friends are doing it with us and Cinco de Mayo celebrations are to be had afterwards. So, after tomorrow we begin marathon/Peachtree training.  Long runs will be added and I'll be keeping up with the speed work to help with my Peachtree run.  We are still trying to find a 10K to do for the month of June.  Brian's goal was to do a race a month, even though we missed March : /

Also, we booked a condo in Savannah for the marathon!  As soon as I get a link to it, I'll post it.  We're hoping its not too far from the race's finish as I'm sure I will be having difficulty walking afterwards!

Day 4

Well, I didn't get up this morning and do my leg workout like I wanted, but there's always tomorrow morning!  My goal was two mornings, that's still doable....

However, I did do the leg workout and, instead of spin, did 30 minutes on the Stairmaster.  A little cross-training does the running good!  Heading to Tin Lizzy's in just a few to get our race packets for Saturday, and maybe a beverage and taco, or two.... :)

Day 3

Well, today has been an emotional day as Brian and I have decided that we need to find a new home for Riley.  As we have continued to deal with Riley's continuous ailments and his destruction to our home, we have realized that it is time to part ways.  Definitely going to be an emotional roller coaster as we search for the best place for Riley to go...

On another note, I was able to successfully complete both my run and ab workout before the fateful vet visit this evening.  I ran 2 miles at 7.6 on the treadmill with an 800 cool down in between.  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!  Wish me luck as I try to reach my goal for the week and wake up early enough to do my leg workout tomorrow morning!

Day 2

Well, I made it out of bed 10 minutes early this morning and did my arm super set.  Not an impressive early rise, but a good start!  3 mile run up and down LaVista made for some sore legs, but I squeezed it in before a fun Braves game.  If I can convince myself to get up about 30 minutes earlier, that run could've been done before rushing off to Turner Field.

Here's today run -- excited about how the week is starting out!

Day 1 - Success

Day one has proven to be a great start to my journey.  I completed the upright abs workout (which is a little longer than I thought it would be) and my four miles.  I even did the four miles faster than I thought I could with my sore hamstrings (lots of kicks at the auditions yesterday) and the unusually warm weather.

*I forgot to stop the watch after finishing the fourth mile, so the average pace is a little skewed.  Mile one was 10:20, two at 9:38, three at 9:35, and 4 at 9:20.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a another high 80s/low 90s kind of day so I may try to do my three mile run in the morning rather than my arm workout.  We'll see if I can get up 30 minutes early or only 15...that will be the decider.

Yea for a good first day!!

This Week's Schedule

Ok, here we go!!  Here is this week's schedule for working out:

Sunday: Cheer Auditions
Monday: 4 miles @ 10:48; Upright Abs -- KimF
Tuesday: 3 miles @ 10:48; Upper body Super Set -- KimF
Wednesday: 2 x 1600s @ 8:45; Total Tummy Makeover -- KimF
Thursday: Spin; Leaner Thighs, Tighter Buns -- KimF
Friday: Beach Body Workout -- KimF
Saturday: One Love Stache Dash 5K

Can you tell I LOVE keepitmovingfitness.com?? :)

Knowing that the summer heat is coming, it is imperative that I start doing some workouts in the mornings.  Knowing myself like I do, that may be my biggest challenge!  So, this week my goal is to work out two mornings before work.  I'm going to shoot to have Tuesday's Upper Body Super Set and Thursday's Leaner Thighs, Tighter Buns workouts be before work.  Come on dedication!

...And We're Back!!

Ok, so after several months of working two jobs I have finally settled into my one salary budget and have the time to commit to a marathon again.  Today marks the beginning of my journey to the Savannah marathon on November 3.

Today I put a check on one of my bucket list items -- auditioning for the Falcons' cheerleading squad!  Although I didn't make the first cut, it was a lot of fun and I am super proud of myself for trying something with little to no experience.  What it did do was encourage me to continue on my path of healthy eating and fitness.

Saturday Brian and I will be running a 5K, the One Love Stauche Dash.  This is a fun little race for Cinco de Mayo at Tin Lizzy's in Buckhead.  So, this week I'm going to be concentrating on speed runs for that race, then I will start in on my long runs for endurance.

With the Atlanta heat already in full swing, I foresee the warm weather being a challenge this summer but will hopefully use my dedication to pull myself out of bed early in the morning.  My most recent run was a three mile slow jog on Friday afternoon:

I'm going to continue to use myfitnesspal.com to track my calorie intake and keepitmovingfitness.com to help me work in my strength/toning training.  Bring on summer and my journey to the marathon!!