Check-In Wednesday: New Rules of Lifting For Women

In an effort to add more strength training to my plans, I re-started the New Rules of Lifting for Women program on June 2nd, 2013.  On this program, you gradually increase weight and sets (but reduce reps as the weights increase). I'd made it through stage 1 once before (back in 2012) and looking back, didn't really have decent results then either.  I did things a little differently this time.  In 2012, I was completing the workouts 3 times a week instead of the 2 times a week this round (I just couldn't fit 3 in with triathlon/relay/half marathon training without going completely nuts).  I also didn't alternate the exercises the way they prescribed because I found an app to help keep track and I couldn't get it to work that way, so I did them all in straight sets.

Maybe these 2 changes are why this time it was a fail - again.

Or maybe I'm still not eating right.

Or maybe I just suck at strength training.

In any case, here are the changes I made over the course of just over 8 weeks:



If you scroll through my training logs, you can definitely see I increased the amount of weight I could lift.  But who's to say I couldn't lift that much from the start.  I also topped out pretty quickly on some of the weights.  I could never go higher than 15 pound hand weights for the shoulder presses, for example.

Now for the measurements.  They ended up a little better than I thought they would, but I'm still not very happy with them.



I haven't posted a weigh-in for about 3 weeks now because of some really stupid choices and events.  I had managed to get back up to almost 149 and I know a lot of that was salt/water but it still pissed me off.  This week I'm basically back to where I was 3 weeks ago (I lost 2 pounds last week and another 2.6 this week).  Pretty awful because that means the 5 pounds I gained weren't just salt and water or they would've been gone the next day.  I tried cutting out beer completely but I just couldn't do it.  At least I cut back quite a bit, but what can I say? It's summer and beer tastes good.

I started investigating the Whole30 plan and decided I'd probably rather be fat since according to their plan, EVERYTHING I eat and drink is WRONG.  No sugar, no grains, no legumes (like hummus!), no alcohol, no dairy.  No running fuel like honey stingers or gummy bears.  No carb loading.  How the f*ck would I still train and run?  Carry broccoli on my long runs? Pack a steak in my spibelt?  They say start today, no matter what events you have coming up - you can plan around them.  Um...How would I run my relay next week?  I'm pretty sure we aren't packing a grill and oven in my van.  I know there are a lot of vegan and paleo runners out there who have figured this out and major props to you.  I just don't see how I'd make it work.  I finally figured out what I can have without feeling like I'm going to puke or bonk and all that is wrong too.  It's pretty frustrating if you ask me. They say you can do anything for 30 days, but I can't cut all that out without wanting to cut someone for a cookie, so I think for the safety of my family, I need to stick with what I've been doing.  Even if I'm forever stuck in the mid-140s.  Maybe this shows I really don't care enough or want to be skinny bad enough.  I think I'm starting to be ok with that.  I like to have a life and be able to go out with friends and order off the menu.  Even have a beer if I so choose.

Tri Training Tuesday: Weeks 5 and 6

Since I had to talk about my awesome 10k last week, I got a week behind on my training posts.  Hope you didn't mind :)

Here's the last 2 weeks.

Monday 6/24 - RUN 4.1 in 42:40 (10:24 pace) - completely BAKED outside on this lunch run.  Then went into the gym and did STRENGTH - NROLFW workout A.
Tuesday 6/25 - BIKE/RUN brick - It was storming so I did a 50 min spin class and then just 1 mile RUN on the treadmill, but that mile was at a 9:20 pace :)
Wednesday 6/26 - STRENGTH - NROLFW workout B, then SWIM about 15 min in the pool for 500 yds.
Thursday 6/27 - RUN 3.2 in 32:15 (10:04 pace) Another steamy one.
Friday 6/28 - BIKE/RUN brick - just a baby brick, 7.45 mile bike in 28:33 (15.7 mph) and a .5 mile run in my new shoes at a 9:07 pace.
Saturday 6/29 - RUN - Reeds Lake Run 10k and a killer new PR!!! Ran my first sub-60 and finished in 58:50 (9:29 pace).
Sunday 6/30 - SWIM/BIKE brick - swam for 20 minutes in my girlfriend's pool and then she took me out for a very hilly ride on real roads. 13.12 miles in 53:47 (14.6 mph).  This ride kicked my already shredded legs collective ass.

Monday 7/1 - I was really sore from the weekend and just did NROLFW workout A. This week it upped to 3 sets and I even upped my weights a bit more.
Tuesday 7/2 - RUN double.  3.1 miles in the morning in 32:38 (10:21 pace) then 2 miles in the evening with my girl in 21:25 (10:42 pace)
Wednesday 7/3 - BIKE Upright spin bike at the gym, 20 miles in an hour.  For the record, I don't think that's accurate at all.  STRENGTH Lifted for 25 minutes.
Thursday 7/4 - Wanted a preview of the Tri Del Sol bike route, so I biked it, but I missed a turn and added 6 miles to the route.  BIKE 20.75 miles in 1:31:11 (13.7 mph).  Then RUN 1 mile in 9:55.
Friday 7/5 - SWIM did a 20 minute open water swim.  It went ok.
Saturday 7/6 - RUN 10.11 miles in 1:51:42 (11:02 pace).  HOT HOT HOT run. I downed over 50 oz of water and still felt like it wasn't enough.
Sunday 7/8 - Trifecta! Brick in the morning: BIKE 14.5 miles in 58 min (15 mph) followed by RUN 2 miles in 19:21 (9:40 pace). Then before dinner: SWIM 20 minutes at my friend's pool so I have no clue on distance.

I'm going to start freaking a little bit that Tri Del Sol is now less than 2 weeks away. I feel much less prepared than I did for my first tri last year but the last few brick workouts have been pretty good and I'm becoming more comfortable on my bike and in the water.

Tri Training Tuesday: Week 4, the one where I kicked my own ass

I won't lie...last week was really hard.  I struggled mentally and physically, but I made it through the week with only some sore muscles and maybe a new perspective on double workouts.  Here's how the week played out:

Monday 6/17: RUN and STRENGTH.  I ran to and from the gym for 2.8 miles in 28 minutes (total - 1.4 miles each way) and while I was at the gym completed workout A3 from NROLFW.  I upped the weights this week and didn't die, so I'll call it a win.  
Tuesday 6/18: Triple workout day.  Oh.My.Werd. RUN 3.2 in 33:56 (10:36 pace) in the morning.  SWIM 20 minutes in a LAKE in the afternoon.  Then RUN 4.5 miles in 45:35 (10:02 pace) at the Grand Rapids Marathon Beerrun.  I was extremely proud of myself for nailing these workouts.
Wednesday 6/19: NOTHING - I took the day off. 
Thursday 6/20: BIKE 14.2 miles in 58 minutes (about 14 mph) in the morning then a RUN of 4.2 miles in 42:26 (10:06 pace) at lunch time.  Loved the convo and running with a friend but was reminded why I never run at lunch time.  Holy HOT.  And then I might have eaten 1/2 a bag of tortilla chips on the way home from the store. Don't judge.
Friday 6/21: NROLFW 3B - Mentally, this day was really tough for me to the point of sitting in the parking lot at the gym for the longest time before I'd even go in.  I didn't want to work out but I sucked it up and did it anyway.
Saturday 6/22: RUN 9.34 miles in 1:38:24 (10:32 pace).  This was my virtual 15k for the We Get LOST in Running Race Series.  It was so humid that I was praying for rain to dry me off.  All I got was a dude's sprinklers for about 3 steps.  This run was hard, I ran out of water, and it overall sucked and hurt but I stuck with it.  In all likelihood, my relay and half marathon in August will be worse than today, so I might as well get used to it.
Sunday 6/23: I mowed the lawn. Calling it good.


How was your training this week?  Any fun races this past weekend?

Tri Training Tuesday: Week 3: #vlog #triathlon

Anyway...here was how the week panned out from a training standpoint:

Monday 6/10: RUN a most incredible 5 miles in 46:34 (9:18 pace) with Corey in the morning and then NROLFW workout A2 in the afternoon.
Tuesday 6/11: SWIM 1200 yards in 36 min - Couldn't managed to swim freestyle the whole time like I'd wanted so ended up doing 300 free/100 back three times.  Also tried to drown by inhaling water up my nose, going under and flooding my goggles, all while doing the back stroke.  I should also note this was in the pool with a deep end and I couldn't touch bottom.  It was definitely one of my finer moments. Go ahead. Laugh. It's ok.  I live to amuse.
Wednesday 6/12: BIKE - the one where I fell down.  Only  made it 1.5 miles before I wiped out and then had to bike 1.5 miles home.  It wasn't a good day.  My scrape has crusted over very nicely  now and the bruise on my elbow is quite colorful.

Thursday 6/13: RUN 3.2 miles in 31 minutes (9:44 pace).  I was very stiff from Wednesday's fall and wasn't sure how this would go, so I just left a watch on the porch and took off.  No music, just me and the wildlife.  It actually turned into a pretty decent run, in spite of the sore areas and God-awful humidity.
Friday 6/14: NROLFW 2B - I was supposed to do this on Thursday along with the run but my forearm, hand and wrist were entirely too sore to try lifting weights, so I scrapped the planned rest or swim and did the strength workout I missed on Thursday.  Didn't go nuts this time but still used the same weights as last week.
Saturday 6/15: RUN 8.1 miles in 1:26:28 (10:40 pace).  This just felt all sorts of wrong the entire time. Had to refill my water at the 1/2 way mark, never felt like I got into a groove. It was just a really crappy run.
Sunday 6/16: BIKE 10.5 miles in 43 minutes (14.6 mph) - My plan called for a 1 hour ride but I'm just not comfortable going out onto roads yet so I stuck to the trail. I was feeling really negative when I left and wasn't any better when I got back, but at least I didn't fall.  

Vlogs? yes, no, want more, don't care?  I hope I wasn't too annoying.  Ever notice things about your speech when you record one?  I know I do.

Fitness Friday: SORE!!! #NROLFW

source

I'm not sure I agree with the "happy pain" part, but the sore muscles I definitely have.  This week I started the New Rules of Lifting for Women workouts again.  I've only done the first two, and combined with a hard run on Tuesday night and then essentially running a double by running again Wednesday morning, I've pretty much destroyed my legs.  I'll be the first to admit I haven't stretched or foam rolled nearly enough, because frankly, IT HURTS LIKE A MOFO!

I'm not sure if I just overdid it or if I'm really that out of shape.  I didn't even start my weights back where I left off a year ago but backed them down a bit.  Who knows.  In any case, I'll try to update on my progress from time to time.  I have a google doc that I've created to keep track, plus I'm using the jefit app at the gym as I work out. My only complaint about the app is it doesn't really work for the alternating sets, but I'm figuring it out.

Here's my first week's log:

Anyone else out there ever done the New Rules workouts?

Fitness Friday: What's Next?

So, this week I've let myself be lazy.  I haven't worked out at all unless you count the 2 walks I did on Sunday (for a total of 2.5 miles but they were very slow miles after the Bayshore 1/2 the day before) and about 15 minutes of abs work on Wednesday (that I'm still feeling today - out of shape much??).  My poor DailyMile is still sporting a giant goose egg.  I never even zapped the zero this week.  I know I needed the rest but I feel like a fail.  I could've biked or swam or done something but every day after school I've either had kid stuff or the weather hasn't cooperated (the pool isn't open if there's thunder/lightening and I won't bike in that crap either).  I need to make a plan or I'm afraid this lazy-ass trend is going to continue.

These are my thoughts - feel free to weigh-in.

• Begin the New Rules of Lifting for Women strength training workouts again.  I made it all the way through Stage 1 last year and I liked the structure.  I downloaded the jefit app for my phone and I've found a couple of people there that have already built in the Stage 2 workouts, but no Stage 1s - boo.  I need to play with the app and put them in there because I hated dragging a notebook with me to the gym.  If I can't figure out the app, I might just re-create the logs as a google doc.  
• Put together a training plan for Tri Del Sol.  This sprint tri is on July 20th and I haven't even taken my bike off the trainer yet.  Truth be told, I'm terrified of riding it clipped in.  I will probably use the same basic plan I used for the Millenium Tri last year, but longer runs on the weekends so I keep my 1/2 marathon base up.
• Incorporate a few two-a-day runs to train for the 200 mile Fred Relay (August 9/10).  I've never done a relay so if anyone has a training "plan" for this, please let me know.
• After Tri Del Sol, get serious about the 1/2 again and make sure my legs are ready for the Wine Trail Half on August 25th.  I'm not worried about pace for this one because it's basically going to be a girls weekend with a 13.1 mile run thrown in the middle.
• I'm going to run tomorrow. Even if it's only a silly little mile, I'm going to run.  I miss it already.

Have you found a good strength-training app that allows you to track your progress/sets/weight/etc?  If you have, please let me know about it.

Numbers Don't Lie, or do they?

I'm finding it a little hard to believe that I've been following the New Rules of Lifting For Women strength training plan for a month now.  I finished workout 7A last night, which means I only have 3 more workouts left in Stage 1.  I'm not sure how that will work with my half marathon coming up on Sunday and then traveling for a week, but I might get the workouts in.  I'm not going to beat myself up though if I don't.

I had decided a few days ago that I wasn't going to measure or take "progress" pictures because, frankly, I didn't feel like I'd made any visible progress (I know I've gotten stronger because I'm lifting a lot more weight and the workouts really aren't very challenging at all - which means I'm not lifting heavy enough).  I certainly can't see any difference and my clothes are no less tight and today my weight was EXACTLY the same as it was a month ago (GRRRR).  There are definitely factors going into the fact that my scale hasn't moved in a month well, it's moved but up a little down a little but overall it's a wash.  My eating has been pretty crappy.  I haven't been tracking shit my stupid Livestrong app reminds me every freaking day at 6 pm that I haven't tracked, fraking technology.  

In any case, I decided WTF and measured myself this morning (no pictures though).  Now, maybe I didn't have the tape measure in exactly the same spots or something, but the numbers have changed.  If you have some weird curiosity as to what they are exactly, you can see them here (and please be kind - I don't post my weight because I like it).

• Weight - unchanged
• Bust - down 1/2"
• Chest - down 1/2"
• Waist - unchanged :(
• Hips - down 1/2"
• Right Bicep - down 1/4"
• Right Thigh - down 1"
• Right Calf - down 1/4"

I'll certainly take those numbers and hopefully at the end of next month I'll actually be able to SEE some changes.  Have you been following the NROLFW?  What do you think?  Seeing any progress?

Shrink Yo'Self in 2012 week 8

I hope someone out there is shrinking, cuz it sure as hell isn't me.  I'm down a whopping .4 this week (that's POINT 4, not 4 pounds) which is sad cuz my obsessive scale habits tell me I was down 2 lbs on Thursday, but I managed to finally find my appetite again and blew my flu-induced weightloss.

It is what it is.  Do I wish I was seeing more results (hell ANY results)? Yes.  What it is it is.

I do have something exciting in the works that might actually help my clothes start fitting better.  Beginning Monday, I will be adding in the strength workouts from the book The New Rules of Lifting For Women.  I'm working on getting the book read this week and I'd like to start incorporating some of the diet changes as well (mainly adding in more protein, NOT restricting calories so much, etc).  A few of us girls have gotten together and started another blog.  You can find us here.  We will be blogging our progress through the stages and including before/during/after pictures and measurements.  Wish us luck!