Workouts this week Feb. 19

Sunday: Run + Yoga
It was too pretty not to run today. So around lunchtime we headed out to Sandy Creek park to try out the route for the trail 5K we'll be running next month.

We went to the park, bought an annual pass, and asked the attendant about the course. She didn't have a clue. So Matt (the Eagle Scout) took the paper trail with us on the trek. The middle of the trail wasn't obvious. Some of it wasn't even marked or obviously a trail. We ran through a lot of leaves (and I was silently hoping not to roll an ankle in a hole I couldn't see) and stopped about four times to consult the paper. Mile two was downhill and fun (but treacherous). Also there was some steep hills in the first two miles. I kept having to stop to walk :( We finished the trail and it looked remarkably like the route we were supposed to take. (Thanks Eagle Scout husband!). Yay Matt.

Matt actually wanted to do it again. I was dead and didn't. I told him I'd wait while he ran, but we went home instead.

Yoga
I skipped BodyPump and just went to yoga.

Monday: Rest
Took today off. So I could get an off day. Went to the pet store for cat food at lunch. After work I went to the grocery store and then we took Mojo on a walk. He walks a 30 minute mile pace. !!!

I did some scouting on the Chick Fil-A half. It's in about six weeks. What did I get myself into? The course just looks so big. Do I run that far?!

Tuesday: strength + run
I missed BodyPump last week, so I tried to get a strength class in this week. I didn't have to be at work until 8:30 on Tuesday so I tried the 7 a.m. Body Pump. Ugh. It kicked my butt. Like it always does. I didn't even try to up my weight. I just tried to survive. And of course died in lunges. I packed up a few minutes early (SORRY!) because I had to hike up the hill to a meeting. iPhone said 1/2 mile up a hill would take me 15 minutes. It took me 10 in heels. Carrying a laptop. I think I walked the same speed as the East West bus that came up right behind me. I made my meeting on time!

After work I went for a run. I was surprised my legs weren't dead from BodyPump. (Maybe it hadn't set in yet?) I think it was a good run. (Minus a pit stop in the middle. I should drink more water so I don't have GI issues). I tried running some new trails. I got 6.5 miles in. I was happy with my splits. I've had a lot of icky runs lately so this was really nice.

Wednesday: Gymnastics

A lot of people came to gymnastics this week. There wasn't a lot of room on the floor, so I played on the bars. This isn't my best pullover, cast, hip circle, but it's better than last week.

Thursday: Sick Day Run

I had some stomach issues so stayed home from work and slept most of the day. I needed to get in a run, so I went to the botanical gardens by my house and ran 5 miles that evening. (I thought running MIGHT help me feel better? Sometimes it does.) It just reminded me that I need to get better at hills. HOW DO YOU GET BETTER AT HILLS?

I used to run cross country. We ran hills twice a week. I run hills during my trails now and I guess that's not enough. I don't really want to run hills. Maybe I should practice these hills more. Sigh.

Otherwise it was a good run. I got some Strava medals and a course record for running down to the river. Yay! Now I just need a few more. I should run out here more (but don't because of the hills).

Friday: Yoga
I love Friday yoga. Played around with headstands some.

Saturday: Speed work

I always dread speed work. I try to avoid it. I spend forever stretching to put it off. The dread is probably worse than the running. Today was speed work at the track. I was hoping my mile time had come done, so I went to the track with the intention of doing mile repeats (which I haven't done in forever). But that first warmup 400 killed me. Ugh. (I haven't run at the outdoor track in FOREVER)

I ran a mile. And it was quite windy. The winds were 15 mph and were really bad on the back half of the track. It was like running in a wind tunnel. My mile was 7:14. Which I think I've run a 7:15 inside. I was hoping fore more than a second off my personal best. But I'll take it.

I decided to do an 8x400 workout, since that's what was in the Hal Higdon plan for the 10k I'm running in 6 weeks. So I did that and ran pretty consistently around 1:40 with a 200 meter walk in between. I ran a cool down mile just to up my miles. My legs weren't happy. I ran an 8:14, which is good for dead legs. (My quads were so tired after this workout!)

8 angle pose. With some awful form. 

Did you know weather.com has a Running Forecaster?

I can't say it's much more useful than the hourly weather tool, but still kinda cool.

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Trapeze hands

Trapeze hands

Today was my third trapeze class. We learned catcher's hang (from higher up), trapeze swings (run and hang on the trapeze) and a few new moves.

We started the class with a review of last week's moves: skater, bowsprits and catchers hang. From a hang like when you first get on, we out one of our feet down (forgot the name of this move). You bring one knee to your nose and then let it hang and arch your back. This move looks really pretty (my partner could touch her feet to her head.)

Dolphin—starts out like the hip balances from last week. Fold yourself over the trapeze and the balance yourself (like a balance) but with hands and feet up. From dolphin, you can fold yourself over into arrow (feet wrapped around the rope, head below the bar, an inverted arrow). From there, you can bring your hips up into catcher's hang.

We also worked on tree frog. You hang on the trapeze, hands closer together, on the trapeze, and bring your feet on the outside, also up the trapeze (butt up too.) This one just feels weird.

The hardest part of these moves is remembering what to do next, where your foot or hand goes. But it's getting easier.

We ended the class with the trapeze swings. You just run with the swing and then hang off of it for a while (with your feet up).

We had a bunch of new people in this class. Three, then four and then a few more trickled in. We'll see how it goes.

For now, I have some calluses that are starting to look impressive.

The gun show

This week I've been resting my knee—which has translated to more arm work at the gym.

I've been doing circuit training this week and avoid the circuits with jumping. My knee doesn't need the added strain. And the teacher has been giving me arms to do.

Skip TRX shootouts. Climb the rope instead. 4x. Skip cardio step-ups, do TRX I-holds instead.

Tonight my workout included rope climbs. Four of them. I got all the way up the first time. The second and third times I got about half-way up and the last time I got 3/4 the way up. The next station had 60-second TRX X-holds. And then 60-second intervals of battle ropes. The burnout was 4-straight minutes of plank holds with your feet in the TRX straps. There were some pendulum swings and bringing your knee to your chest and back, but it was a murderous workout. I was dead afterwards. So so dead.

The instructor said he was glad he wasn't doing it with us. Thanks.

But here is the result of my troubles—muscles.