It's Official

I am crazy. I gotta be. Wednesday night, I came up with the bright idea to do not one, but two Jillian Michaels workouts the following day. If I've been slacking, I'm the type to do some ridiculous workout as a come back. If you follow me on DailyMile, you'll see days of inactivity. Then all the sudden, BAM! I did everything in one day. I do the same thing with running too. If I haven't run in a while, my first run back is short, but HARD. I always push the pace when I should be easing into things. I figure, pushing it will get me back to where I need to be sooner. Get the pain out of the way now and it's smooth sailing from there.

So I started out with Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. This was the workout I was afraid to do after previewing it. I put it off and didn't tackle it until about 2 weeks ago. The exercises I thought I would hate were okay. And the ones I thought would be okay SUCKED. Lots of plyometrics and such. Lots of muscle burning. When I did it yesterday, it wasn't as bad as the first time. But it was still a tough workout. I was completely expecting to feel somewhat beat down at the end of this (53min including warm up and cool down). But I was cool. I refilled my water bottle, ate some raisins, did a couple things around the house, then started the next workout about 10min later.

I moved on to No More Trouble Zones. Now remember, this is the workout that had everything but my face sore. This was my third time. And I must say, the more you do it, the better. As long as you get the first workout out of the way, it's all good from there. Even if I haven't done it in over a week, it feels easier. Somehow my body remembers what it's supposed to do. My abs, shoulders and arms were nice and tender from the previous workout. Any time they were engaged, the burn was extra special. But when it was all said and done 52min later, I still felt good. Actually, I spent the rest of the evening wondering when I'd feel like I was hit by a bus. It never happened. I woke up this morning sore. But it was the I-can-tell-I-worked-out sore, instead of Oh-my-God-did-someone-just-beat-the-crap-outta-me-with-a-bat sore. Two completely different feelings.

Out of all the body parts I worked, my traps were the most sore today. That's nothing. So I did about 30min of yoga. There was a portion dedicated to abs. And I worked them hard. But then I decided to do another one of Jillian's workouts, Level 3 of 30 Day Shred. This was my first attempt at Level 3. The Shred workouts are much shorter (26 to 27min). For the most part, if you've done her other workouts, the moves are nothing new, except a couple. But she picks the ones I hate to do most (walking planks, mountain climbers, sumo squats, jumping lunges, traveling pushups, plank rows with leg raises, and jump squats). In this short amount of time, sweat was dripping off my face onto the mat. I was trying to keep it out of my eyes. Mind you, I had the fan on. Yeah, it really didn't matter. Needless to say, I got that Yeah-I-worked-out-and-kicked-ass sore going on. Who knows what I will feel like in the morning. But I hope to get a swim in before Saturday night's festivities. I'm heading to NYC to act a fool celebrate a friend's birthday. Whatever soreness I got going on won't keep me from traipsing around the city. Should be lots of fun. On that note, I'm out. Enjoy your weekend!

Cooking with Chef Christie

Anyone who somewhat knows me knows that I cook. Anyone who really knows me knows that I tend to cook at the oddest hours. No matter what time it is, if I'm hungry or have the taste for something, I will cook it. I'm the type to not keep too many convenience foods around. For one, they're not healthy. Two, they're crap. Three, my food tastes better anyway. Four, I discovered that I actually like cooking. If you ever have stuff on your mind, start chopping onions or something. It's therapeutic. Okay, well not the eye burning part. But I've noticed that my eyes aren't irritated if I'm wearing contacts.

So last week, I got a sweet tooth and ended up baking pumpkin muffins around 1am. Last night, I was determined to get into my spaghetti squash. So I started cooking in the wee hours again. If you were on twitter last night, you were probably wondering what the hell I was doing up so late (or early depending on how you look at it) getting my Lidia's Family Table on. Yes, I can throw down like a big boned, Italian wench (with some veg friendly and healthy modifications) when I want to. So it was about 3am when I finally ate. I woke up with my kitchen still smelling like Lidia was in there putting in work.

And now for the Cooking with Chef Christie show that I put on last night:

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil.

Add tomato paste and red wine. I'm using burgundy.

Add spices. I got oregano, thyme, basil and marjoram going on.

Add whole tomatoes. Then break them up with your spoon. Don't forget to add a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity. Just a pinch. Don't go crazy with it.

Add salt and red pepper flakes to taste. I like mine spicy. Then let it simmer.

Add tofu for protein. I like a balanced meal. Use your protein of choice. Continue simmering.

Time to tackle the spaghetti squash. I don't think my knife is big enough.

Got it open without a struggle. Time to scoop out the seeds.

Spaghetti squash is easy. Just microwave face down.

Scoop out the 'spaghetti'.

Plate and serve with garlic toast and maybe some wine.

In case you're wondering, I'm not vegan or vegetarian any more. I eat fish occasionally (no creepy crawlies, no sea urchins, nothing in a shell, just fish with fins). Even knowing that, people still call me vegetarian. But whatever. I eat what I eat. Most of my cooking is vegan, since I don't eat eggs. If I make any type of pastry, baked goods, or pancakes and such, they are vegan (so I'm vegan on those days). I don't cook with dairy unless I specifically want dairy, like a grilled cheese sammich (making me vegetarian on those days). Then there are times I will cook a piece of salmon or tilapia to go with a side of veggies and a baked potato (making me pescatarian on those days). Most of the time, I use tofu or tempeh as my protein of choice . But hey, cook how you want to cook. Just make it tasty and healthy.

Nope. I'm not doing it.

I'm still not running. It's not about laziness or cold weather or whatever. I'm still injured. Before I had taken close to 4 weeks off. But I found out quickly that it wasn't long enough. It didn't matter how long or short the runs were, my hip region was still irritated afterward. It wasn't a problem during the run though. So it's quite tricky. Usually if you're injured, the discomfort hits you while running. But that's not my issue. I can still run. And I had run as much as 10mi with the injury. But it's after the run that would kick my ass. It's been, what, six weeks now? It has improved a lot. But it's not 100%. So I'm still not running. Part of me really wants to go out for a spin. I miss running. I really do. But I don't want to re-injure myself by not giving it enough time.

In the meantime, I'll keep up with my cross training. Well, somewhat. I got caught up watching the Australian Open at ridiculous times of the night and morning. It completely threw my schedule out of whack. So there was a week that I did absolutely nothing, not even yoga. But the tournament is over now. Back to business as usual. I've skipped my Y classes simply because I don't feel like going. But I replaced them with some kick ass Jillian Michaels dvds. I did No More Trouble Zones a couple weeks ago. And I was sore from head to toe. Everything, except my face, hurt. I did it again today and I have no post workout muscle soreness (yet). I also did 30 Day Shred a couple times. It's a lot less painful, yet effective. Next, I plan to tackle Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. Something about it scares me. I gotta feeling I won't be able to lift my leg. But we'll see.

Whatever I've been doing for the past few weeks has definitely been effective in the strength training department. You know why? Because I can do push ups now! I can't do a bunch. But I can do more than ten at a time. That, to me, is HUGE. My arms are easily cut because I don't carry my weight there. But my strength (and weight) is in my legs. Previously, I could only do modified push ups. And that alone, was enough work for me. My, have things changed. I hope that all this other stuff will make me a better runner once I get back to it.

Speaking of running again, I am seriously considering buying a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. There's something to this barefoot running thing. Heck, my dad even brought up barefoot running the other day. He's not a runner. I'm hoping it will cure whatever I got going on, if I start slowly. I read somewhere that it can be good for those who were jacked up but now coming back to running. I can't see running in them all the time, but it would be a great training tool. And I've seen a bunch of blogs/training logs of VFF runners who adore them. It's worth a try. But first, I need to stop being lazy and measure my foot. Where's my ruler?

Before I Forget...

Here's what I did this week:

1/11 - Swim (33:35 - 1250yd)
Yoga Class - (1:30)

1/12 - Yoga: General Practice w/Backbends (38min)
Chisel Class - (1hr)
Bike (50min - 10.54mi)

1/13 - Elliptical (50min - 5.47mi)
Swim (45:19 - 1600yd)

1/14 - Yoga: Finding Balance (36min)

1/15 - Yoga: Going with the Flow of Life (40min)
Elliptical (50min - 5.54mi)
Bike (50min - 10.71mi)

1/16 - Yoga: Open and Strong Heart (30min)
Strength Training (12min)
Dancing!

I tried to do something every day, even if it was just yoga. Actually, this is the most yoga I've done in a week. Yoga is the perfect thing to do when you feel like doing nothing. There are lots of days I want to do nothing. So instead of nothing, I'll do yoga. But today, I'm actually resting. I am so tired. And it has nothing to do with my workouts. My period is due this week. And right beforehand, I get so beat that I could fall asleep standing up. Well, not really but you get what I mean. When my body says rest, I do so. I dosed off numerous times during the football games. I just hope I can sleep tonight and wake up refreshed tomorrow. I hope to swim and such.

Usually, I would write more but I'm just not in the mood. I'm watching tennis. And I just feel like being lazy. So on that note, I'm out. Have a great week!

I love a challenge??

Who needs bikram yoga when you can sweat to death in your own living room? Okay, so I'm not really sweating to death. But I manage to get quite a workout. My yoga classes definitely improve my home practice. And I'm not sure why people get the impression that yoga is just stretching. If it were just stretching, then it would be called stretching. And I've never experienced muscle soreness from just stretching. Nowadays, my yoga sessions feel more like strength training workouts. My goal is to practice more at home, especially on days I feel like doing nothing at all. There are many people who get into yoga and eventually cut out everything else. If you can support your body weight with just arm strength, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you really don't need to do anything else. No, I don't plan to give up everything else. I just want to do more yoga. It's just good for you. It makes me feel stronger and stand taller. I'm trying my best to make 5'5 1/2" look as tall as possible :) By the way, I spent most of my life thinking I was an inch shorter. Then I measured myself a couple months ago. So I grew a bit after high school. Who knew?

Now that I'm doing this yoga thing more, I find myself wanting more of a challenge. Some people like to workout within an inch of their lives. They wanna feel like they've just had their asses handed to them. That is so not me. I'm totally okay with not feeling the burn. Sweating is a good enough indication that I'm working hard enough. Yes, I'm a wuss when it comes to working out. No challenge? No problem. But I find myself doing more intermediate yoga routines. Heck, I actually want to do the arm strengthening exercises. What? That is unheard of. My upper body is my weakness. And I hate working on my weakness. What's going on with me?

That brings me to swimming. I found myself in the pool on Friday because I wanted an upper body workout. What in the world? But I skipped chisel class this week. Mind you, this is the class I hate. I call it torture. Different muscle groups are burning in every class. And all the sudden, I find myself missing it. I felt like something was lacking. So to the pool I went. I got my fill with the breaststroke. I felt every bit of that. Front crawl didn't bother my arms as much. After 2 swim free weeks, I decided to throw in some 5 stroke bilateral breathing too. What was I thinking? At times, my lungs wanted to kill me. And other times, I felt like I was breathing normally. My goal is to get up to 7 stroke bilateral breathing, but I'm a ways off. And eventually, I want to practice with the Masters Swim team. But my cardio is not ready for all that. I don't want to die a watery death. In the meantime, I will practice, practice, practice.

Maybe this whole challenge thing is about measuring my improvement. I love, Love, LOVE seeing results in the activities I do. I guess that's why I have a love-hate relationship with chisel class. It hurts, but I get fast results. I went from feeling sore and broke down to feeling normal the next day. My arms look great and I'm a lot stronger. Heck, I'm halfway tempted to do pushups again with someone standing on my back. Okay, I'm not gonna take it that far, but you get what I'm saying. The more I improve, the more I want to do. It's funny how that works. So here's to putting my wussy ways behind me!

Oh, and here's a recap of my week in case you care...

1/5 - Elliptical (50min - 5.38mi)

1/6 - Yoga Class (1hr)
Elliptical (50min - 5.42mi)

1/7 - Yoga: Fire in the Belly (42min)
Dancing

1/8 - Yoga: Going with the Flow of Life (40min)
Swim (53:31 - 1800yd)
Dancing!

1/9 - More Dancing! (Is there a contraption to measure the calorie burn?)

Yes, I'm Still Alive!!

Hey Everybody! Happy New Year! I know, I know, I've been a sucky blogger. Honestly, it just hasn't crossed my mind. For one, I've been slacking. Not bad, but by my standards anyway. I stopped running again, because I'm still not completely healed. It's been maybe two weeks? Or is it three? I'm not sure. I caught a cold that had me coughing my lungs out. Yeah, didn't work out much then. I stayed home instead of infecting everyone at the Y. I hate when people insist on spreading their germs. I didn't wanna do that. Then it just got too cold to get outta bed. Yeah, I'm not motivated to do a thing when it's cold. And then the holidays. So yeah, lots of excuses for not being consistent. But I didn't stop working out all together. I post all workouts to Dailymile. And I'm always chit chatting on Twitter. So if you don't see me here, you can catch me there.

So what have I been doing? I've been getting my party on. Where there is good music, you can count on finding me on the dance floor. My cardio is still very much together. My clothes size is the same. I have my social calendar to thank for that. I dance, I socialize, I enjoy myself. There's gonna be a time when I won't be able to do that. So I'm gonna get it in when I can fit it in.

Now back to what this blog is all about...I'm getting back into my workout schedule. But I was extremely annoyed when I ran into all the New Year's Resolutionists at the Y on Tuesday. The parking lot was packed. My chisel class was packed, so I left. The actual gym was packed, but I managed to snag an elliptical machine. I'm always complaining about chisel class. It's torture from beginning to end, so it seems. But I can't complain too much when I see noticeable improvement in my upper body strength. Arm strengthening yoga poses are a lot easier because of it. So I have a love-hate relationship with the class. But it annoyed the hell outta me to skip it. Bummer! I have class tonight. Not sure I'll make it though. The social calendar calls.

Since I'm not in the mood to recap everything I've done since I last blogged, I'll leave you with random pictures.

At the class reunion, Thanksgiving weekend

In my winter running gear about 4 weeks ago

Random trip to NY to party about 3 weeks ago

Pizza eating before said party

My friend's sister's pups. They're the cutest.

Pumpkin muffins NOT for the holidays but because I like to eat.

Chocolate chip w/walnut cookies. No special occasion except me being greedy.

Funny street sign in Philly

At the club a couple weeks ago

Yesterday after yoga and the elliptical

My lil guns thanks to yoga and chisel class

Today's breakfast: tofu scramble, breakfast potatoes, broccoli and toast

Happy Running Everyone, or whatever it is that you choose to do! Just keep moving!

Out and About

My birthday was on Tuesday. So for the most part, I've been out doing my thing all week. I still feel somewhat lazy with my workouts but at least I got my cardio in on the dance floor three times this week. And there's more partying to be had tomorrow. Can't wait! First things first...I haven't done much swimming. Something about cold, rainy weather makes me not want to disrobe and surround myself with water, even if the water is heated and indoors. Heck, I didn't want to leave the house. Anyway, I ended up hurting my neck during the swim. They were putting the lane divider back and I was raising my head out of the water during a front crawl set to make sure they didn't hit me. My neck is much better now. Chisel class is still kicking my ass. Just about every exercise we do, including tricep dips, includes some type of weights. My behind is heavy enough. I don't need additional weight making it difficult. The last class included all kinds of squats. That's cool and all but it didn't help that the zumba teacher had us doing all kinds of squats the next day. Speaking of zumba, I'm still enjoying it very much. And I wore the hip scarf again. I love it. Shimmies and hip pops are so much more fun with the noise it makes. So, I bought my own online. I can't wait for it to get here. I haven't broken out my belly dance dvd in weeks. Part of it is because someone is always here doing work on the house. I really don't need them looking at me like I'm crazy (I get that enough...LOL...I kid, I kid). I still haven't been to the Saturday morning step/sculpt class. Sleeping in is so much more important. Maybe I'd be more inclined to go if the pool was available after class, but it's not. There are tons of swim classes going on until noon. And I don't wanna get up early for class, come home, then go back out again. Waking up early on a Saturday is enough of a sacrifice. I get enough sculpting (and muscle burning) in chisel class anyway. I'm not missing anything. So I ran for the first time in almost three weeks on Wednesday. Honestly, I was on my way to the elliptical but the treadmill got in the way. I got on, started out slow, then proceeded to make a workout of it. It was nice. My hip was bothered BUT I have to say that it was bothered already from Monday's dancing. However, I did notice it wasn't as sore for as long after the run. I ran today too (graphs and stats below). My hip was irritated yet again from a night of dancing, but dang it, I couldn't pass it up. It was sunny 67°. That's not normal for this time of year. Mind you, I was just bundled up earlier this week. I would love to have a mild winter. I doubt it will happen, but I can't always dream. So as far as the run goes, it was the first outside run in over a month. And I really pushed it although I shouldn't have. I always do that when I come back from a hiatus. I say get the pain and struggling over with. Kick it into gear so your body knows exactly what to do next time you go out. In any case, this ended up being my fastest 3miler to date. That's pretty awesome for not running for almost four weeks (and for being 3lbs heavier than usual...weighed myself this morning). I'd like to see where this takes me. I still won't be running as much. I have all types of cross training to throw into the mix. I don't want to focus on tons of mileage and nothing else just to end up jacked up again. The weather should still be pretty decent this week, so I may get more swims in. Of course, there's all these classes I'm signed up for. And I already know, I won't be anywhere near the Saturday class. Oh well. And let's not forget, there is more partying to be had. I'm sure I'd still be out and about even if it wasn't my birthday. It's funny how I didn't do all this dancing in my 20s. In any case, I'll be out doing it until I'm not physically able. And how about there was an older couple out last night wearing the floor out. She was 57 and he was 63. It's not about the "club" scene, whatever that is. I don't go to places like that anyway. I (we) go for good music (which is not on the radio..the radio sucks), to socialize with friends, and most importantly, to dance. Once you find something you love to do, why stop? 11/9 - Lots and lots of dancing (and spirits) 11/10 - My Birthday!! Chisel Class (55min) Bike (50min - 9.15mi) 11/11 - Yoga Class (55min) Bike (50min - 11.07mi) 2mi Run (18:29 - 9:14 pace) 11/12 - Swim (43:09 - 1450yd) Chisel Class (1hr) More dancing (and spirits) 11/13 - Zumba Class (1hr) Bike (1:05 - 13.63mi) 11/14 - Much more dancing (and spirits) 11/15 - Running!!! (see below) Yoga - Hip Mobility (30min) Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 25 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -30 ft Date: 11/15/09 Up/Downhill: [+91/-121] Time: 01:24 PM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 67 F temp; 65% humidity 67 F heat index; winds NW 7 Performance Distance: 3.00 miles Time: 0:25:14 Speed: 7.1 mph Pace: 8' 24 /mi Heart Rate: 178 bpm (Avg) Calories: 336 Notes Cool Down = 1.10mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 41 +0' 17 6.9 -0.2 -27 ft 2 8' 26 +0' 02 7.1 -0.0 -7 ft 3 8' 06 -0' 18 7.4 +0.3 +3 ft end ** ** ** ** ** ft Versus average of 8' 24 min/mile ** Insufficient data to calculate this split

Posted from bimactive.com

I Got Mojo Y'all!!

Let me begin by saying that yesterday's swim was AWESOME!! I swam 14 laps straight of front crawl. I was just gliding. It was so good that I almost forgot that my shoulders felt like they were gonna fall off from chisel class (will discuss later). And I didn't feel like I was gonna die or that my lungs would collapse. It helped that I stopped taking breaks at the end of the pool/laps a while ago. I definitely recommend switching to an easier stroke to get the endurance up. Whatever you do, don't stop swimming. If I need to cough or get water out of my nose or something, I handle that all underwater during the exhale. It was just wonderful to have my mojo working. And I thought mojo only occurred when running. Now if I could just get in the zone on the bike.

Friday night, I took my first Zumba class. It was so much fun. I was expecting all Latin music. I was very surprised to hear Proud Mary by Ike and Tina. The song speeds up so you can definitely get your shake and wiggle on. In any case, the instructor referred to me as the new girl showing up the more experienced students. My response, "Hey, I just love to dance." My favorite part of class was getting to wear a hip scarf for some belly dance moves. It looked like this but it was black. I love the sound it makes when you hip pop. I need to get one for my home practice. The scarf makes it that much more fun.

What's not fun is chisel class. The class description says sculpt and tone using weights, bands, balls, and bars. I don't like weight/strength training one bit. I know it's necessary but I don't do it. I figured that going to an actual class will make me do it. Some exercises remind me of pilates but just with weights involved. We all know that pilates hurts enough on it's own. That's why I don't do it. My first class was on Tuesday. It's wasn't so bad. She had us use some gliding discs that I'm not a fan of. You can really break something with all that sliding. I'll pass on them next time. Thursday's class was a skeleton crew. I guess everyone was so broke up for the first class, they needed more recovery time. In any case, I think she was able to concentrate on torturing the 5 of us who showed up. Abs, arms, legs, butt...BURNING!

I was supposed to do a step/sculpt class Saturday morning. But since I got in around 3:30am from socializing, it wasn't gonna happen. Maybe this weekend? We'll see. I was a complete bum on Saturday. Actually, I've been slacking in my cardio and home yoga sessions. I try to stay active. I really do. I am lazy by nature. The title of this blog used to be Becoming an Ex-Couch Potato. I try to keep stuff on the calendar to make sure I get up and do something. Actually, I'm itching to go out for a run. It's been over 3 weeks. My hip is feeling good, not 100% but a lot better than before. Oh, and I must clarify. It's the side of my pelvic bone that gets irritated, but it's still the general hip area. I've done googling and such but can't find anything about pain in this area. I just know that it's feeling good, the weather is beautiful, and I'm tempted to run up the block to test it out. Hopefully my next post won't be about me jacking myself up. Wish me luck.

10/30 - Swim (1:01:33 - 2000yd)

11/1 - Yoga (38min)

11/3 - Chisel Class (50min)
Bike (35min - 8.14mi)

11/4 - Yoga Class (1hr)

11/5 - Chisel Class (50min)
Bike (50min - 10.89mi)
Swim (50min - 1650yd)

11/6 - Zumba Class (1hr)
Swim (35min - 1150yd)

11/8 - Bike (50min - 10.90mi)
Swim (1:08 - 2300yd)

I'm Making Progress

No. Not on my hip. That's still jacked up. There's a sensation in the joint that shouldn't be. My guess is that it's healed when I don't feel it anymore. I also suspect that the elliptical irritates it. I may lay off that for a while. But darn it, I'm not a fan of the bike. You have to be on it for a while to burn some serious calories. And you know me, it's all about the calorie burn. Well, I could just swim more.

Speaking of swimming, I'm improving. Well, at least, I think so. No, I haven't increased the front crawl set yet. BUT I'm working my way from 3 stroke bilateral breathing to 5 stroke. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I remember going from 2 stroke to 3 stroke, and I felt like my lungs were going to collapse. But I stuck with it. And now bilateral breathing is just natural for me to do. I've also learned that the key with breathing is to make sure you exhale as much as possible before you inhale. About time I get to the end of the pool, it feels like there was less effort involved. So I guess with my breathing getting better, I'll be increasing front crawl sets soon. Right now, I'm still switching to breaststroke every 50yd. Maybe in a few more weeks, I'll begin to cover more distance in a shorter time frame. I'm excited.

So I took a couple pictures after I got out of the pool yesterday.

I like blue. Can't you tell?

Me and my fins. I use them for kicking drills.

Oh, and I was also showing off a yoga pose. No, it's not that serious. I'm wearing jeans and a sweater.

My arm used to tremble. I thought my yoga teacher was crazy.

And it was luck that I got into this position. I tried to do it last week, and it was extremely difficult to reach my hand around my back to my foot. I guess swimming helped loosen me up a bit.

Ardha baddha padma paschimottanasana..Say what? Say that 3 times fast.

And with that, I'm off to the pool. Have a great weekend!!

10/24 - Yoga: Practice for the Spine (47min)

10/25 - Bike (35min - 7.72mi)
Elliptical (35min - 3.44mi)
Swim (1:02:11 - 1900yd)

10/26 - Yoga Class (1:30)

10/27- Swim (1:06:50 - 2000yd)

10/28 - Yoga: Wringing Out the Old (36min)
Shimmy (Belly dancing - 25min)

10/29 - Swim (52:01 - 1700yd)

Christie Runs, Right?

Right. Right? Well, in theory, yes. In real life, not so much. I haven't run since last Friday. I still have this nagging injury to my left hip. Well, it's the hip/pelvic bone region. It's been an issue since August, when I was doing some serious mileage. I can run on it. And it usually doesn't bother me during the run. But the fact is, it just gets more aggravated afterward. So I'm back to square one. It didn't help that a few days after my last run, my hip was still talking to me. Makes no sense to keep injuring the thing. I think it was about Wednesday when I decided to be serious about not running. My hip had a lot to say.

What's funny is that now I'm not pressuring myself to run, I want to run. I step into the Y and want to walk over to the treadmill. I hate the treadmill. I'm kind of jealous of the people I see getting their run on. I'm like I can do that too. For real! I'm pretty good. But you wouldn't know. I'm injured. In the meantime, I'm embracing the elliptical. It's a lot easier on me than actual running. I found myself constantly increasing the resistance yesterday. That just tickles me because I really, REALLY hated that contraption. Anyway, I finished up drenched in sweat. It was a good workout after all.

In the past, when I've stepped away from running for whatever reason, I did nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was an all or nothing type thing. When I came back to it, I would hate it. I could still manage a decent pace, but my heart rate would be through the roof. The most uncomfortable and horrible series of runs ever. But now, I'm completely caught up in swimming. Talk about some ass kicking cardio right there. With that, I think that my first run after however long will be pretty decent.

Speaking of swimming, yesterday's session was on point. I don't know what happened but all the sudden, it just started to feel easier. I was able to breathe more deeply. I didn't feel beat when I got to the end of the pool. The thought of increasing front crawl sets scare me. I wonder how I can make it through without my lungs collapsing on me. But if my swims continue to be this way, it won't be so scary after all. Mind you, when I started in swim class, I'd stop 2 or 3 times before making it to the end of the pool (only 25yd). It was torture. And once I got down there, I needed to catch my breath AGAIN so I could struggle on the way back (stopping along the way). I've improved a lot but still have a long way to go.

So Christie probably won't be running for a few weeks. And that's cool. I'm not just a runner anymore. I think I've evolved into an athlete. In the meantime, I'll be improving my swim technique and expanding my lungs. When it's time to run again, I'll be so ready to kick asphalt!

10/22 - Yoga: Finding the Balance (45min)
Belly Dance: Basics and Beyond (38min)

10/23 - Yoga: Shoulders, Arms, Wrists and Hands (16min)
Yoga: General Practice Routine (42min)
Elliptical (35min - 3.52mi)
Swim (48:43 - 1600yd)

10/24 - I'm sore. Maybe a little yoga. Maybe a lot of couch. Still up in the air.

Yesterday was a waste...

But today was not. Here's how it went down...

With some stuff going on at home, I wasn't able to get to the pool until about 8pm. Come to find out, they're shutting down the pool because some dumb #$%@& threw up in the pool. The story was that homegirl was actually sick before getting in the pool. Hard headed wench got in anyway. She then tossed her cookies and ruined it for everyone. Doggone it!!

So I head to the other Y. The swim team hogs the pool until 9pm. That means only 30min left to swim. But dang it, I was getting in a pool somewhere. I get there, watch the swim team a bit. Then I go to grab my swim gear. Towel..check. Swim cap..check. Ear plugs..check. Fins..check. Goggles..goggles? Where the heck are my goggles? I had them at the other pool strapped on when I found out about the fool in the pool. I check the car to see if they fell from my bag. Nope. Nada. Damn. Oh well. I did kicking drills. I always do drills, but not for the entire time. The day was wasted.

Today was completely different though. I went to Sports Authority for a new pair of goggles. Got to the Y, jumped on the bike. It was cool because I got to read my book. It started getting juicy as my time on the bike came to an end. Jumped on the elliptical next and continued to read. Had no idea those things had a nice little ledge to put a book or magazine. Good stuff. On my way out, I check the ARC trainers to see if they had ledges too. And they do! Maybe I'll tackle that next time. I had a date with the pool.

Couldn't read in the pool but that was okay. I forgot my fins and ear plugs. That was okay too. Ear plugs are important when you're not entirely comfortable in the water, learning a stroke that requires your ears underwater. But the more I front crawl, the more comfortable I am with it. Still need lots of improvement though. Tried to do some catch up drills but didn't work out too well. The more I concentrate on the drill, the less comfortable I am, the more rigid my body becomes, then I feel like I'm sinking instead of floating. So I did away with that. Better luck next time. In other swimming news, my endurance is slightly better. Before I would alternate between front crawl and breaststroke every 25yd. This allows me to swim nonstop. I don't take breaks to breathe at the end of the pool. Now I've started alternating the strokes every 50yd. My next goal will be every 75yd. Baby steps.

Also, I've been doing bilateral breathing for quite some time now. I breathe every third stroke. My goal is to eventually breathe every fifth stroke. It's helpful because I notice now if I'm not rotating properly to one side. Some days I have problems with the left side. Other days I have problems with the right. How do I know? Because I end up with a mouthful of water. No rotation issues today though. I have yet to figure out why I may not turn enough on one side. Maybe it's just an issue of not being completely relaxed. I don't know. I just know that today was a good rotation day.

Finally, I had yoga class. It was just what I needed after today's workouts. I'm feeling like such a yoga pro. Well, not really. I can't do any handstands, but I'm pretty thorough at what I can do. And I always finish feeling strong. I actually start to sweat. No, I'm not doing bikram, hot yoga or power yoga. But what I am doing gets my muscles working. I guess I'm moving from beginner to intermediate.

Now here's a recap...

10/16 - 3mi Treadmill (27:39 - 9:13 pace)
Elliptical (25min - 2.35mi)
Swim (1:00 - 1850yd)

10/17 - Yoga: Going with the Flow of Life (40min)
Shimmy (Belly dancing - 18min)

10/18 - Swim (1:07 - 2000yd)

10/19 - Yoga Class (1:30)

10/20 - Swim (24:25 - 900yd) <--Wasted day

10/21 - Bike (35min - 7.93mi)
Elliptical (35min - 3.39mi)
Swim (56:05 - 1650yd)
Yoga Class (1hr)

Gots ta get it in when I can fit it in

Didn't make it to yoga yesterday. And I was planning a swim too. But I was stuck in the house getting some stuff repaired. Life happens, I guess. Since I was a bum, I went to the Y to get it in. Jumped on the treadmill. Hated every minute of it. Haven't had a really, really sucky run for a while. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's business as usual. What possessed me to jump on the elliptical after a crappy run is beyond me. Well, I did need to waste a lil bit of time before jumping into the pool. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I actually wanted to stay longer. The torturous device that I once hated is now cool with me. We peaced it out. Finally, the swim team left, so I jumped in the pool. I thought I was gonna feel tired. But it was Kool and the Gang. I felt strong. I'm kicking better. I guess the kicking drill warm ups are doing their job. And with all that, I'm officially tired now. Activity Route: Treadmill Elev. Avg: 0 ft Location: Mount Laurel, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 10/15/09 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 07:30 PM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 3.00 miles Time: 0:26:07 Speed: 6.9 mph Pace: 8' 42 /mi Calories: 320 Notes 1mi @ 9:16 2mi @ 8:39 3mi @ 8:12 Cool Down = .32mi Elliptical Distance: 1.62mi Time: 18:00 Calories: 151 Swim Distance: 1450yd Time: 45:54 Calories: 390 1x400 Flutter kick w/fins 1x1050 Front crawl + Breaststroke

Posted from bimactive.com

When all else fails, SWIM!

I didn't dance as hard as I wanted to last night. And you know, it just doesn't feel right if some part of my body isn't sore. I had a headache all day, but that doesn't count. I wanted to run, but my hip wasn't feeling it. Instead, I took myself to the pool at the last possible minute. Headache and all, I felt like I needed to do something. It wasn't the best time I've spent in the pool. Like running, I have good days and bad days. But I tell you what, my triceps and quads are back to being sore. So all is right in my world again :)

1x400 Flutter kick w/fins
1x50 Front crawl
1x1050 (1x25 Breaststroke + 1x25 Front crawl)

1500 yd Total

I may run tomorrow depending on how the hip feels. Thinking about swimming again too. But I definitely have yoga class. My teacher gave us handouts and wanted us to pick two poses to practice at home. I haven't done my own practice since last Thursday. I covered one of the poses then. And I did another in yoga class on Monday. I wonder if it's cheating since I didn't do one at home. I wonder if anyone took her seriously and actually practiced. I guess we'll see tomorrow.

It's Been How Long?

I know, I know. I've done a terrible job at maintaining this blog. For one, I'm always logging everything on dailymile. It posts to Twitter and Facebook. So if you follow me on there, you know what I'm up to. Two, I was in a funk. I took some time away from all things running..my blog, your blogs, and of course actual running. In the midst of the funk, I had an injury too. It's still here. So I've cut my mileage way down. Yeah, I ran 113mi in August. Then ran less than 30mi in September. Big difference. Gained a couple pounds from inactivity. I even stopped hitting the club while in my funk. If you know me, you know that I love to dance and that I dance hard (like hard running in a race). But it's cool. I'm active again and those couple pounds are gone. And I was out last night wearing a groove in the floor. So all is good. I ran today and it was cool. Pretty graphs below. I also pulled out my bike for the first time in ages. It was a short ride (3.24mi). I was riding to the track to get a run in, but there was a football game going on. I took the scenic route home and ran in the park instead. As far as my current running state goes, I am not following a plan. Maybe another time, but not now. No need to pressure myself, especially when there's an injury involved. If I feel like running, I run. If I'm not feeling it, I don't. Usually my hip lets me know anyway. It can go from being sore, to being okay, to feeling like I've been shanked. Gotta play it by ear. But my goal is to run 3 or 4 days a week, allowing plenty of rest. In the meantime, I've spent a lot of time swimming and doing yoga. I had my last swim class a couple weeks ago. And I'm really keeping up with my practice. I'm at the pool 2-4 times a week. If I have the time, I swim for at least an hour. I have two yoga classes this session on Mondays and Wednesdays. The Monday class is 90min long and more intense than Wednesday's 60min class. The classes really help my home practice. Yes, I'm doing yoga on my own too. I feel strong. No, I'm not balancing my whole body on my finger tips. I may never do that (too much junk in the trunk for all that). But my arms look like I hit the free weights. And we all know how I feel about strength training. HATED IT! Another thing I've been doing in my spare time is belly dancing. No, I'm not taking classes. I bought another dvd. Yes, another. I have one from a few years ago, but it's not very good to learn from. But the instruction on this new dvd is on point. Love it! That reminds me, I'm signed up for Zumba next session. We all know how I love all things Latin. Along with that, I'm signed up for more yoga (the same two classes), a chisel class (because I hate strength training but really should), and a step/sculpt class. I'll be busy, busy, busy and hoping to love every minute of it. Why am I all YMCA class crazy? Because it's free with my membership of course. It may not always be like this, so I gotta take advantage when I can. On that note, I've done all the catching up I'm gonna do for now (because I'm tired). I hope all is well. And I plan to catch up with y'all soon. Well, that's if my Google reader hasn't exploded :) Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 26 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -27 ft Date: 10/11/09 Up/Downhill: [+173/-200] Time: 02:10 PM Difficulty: 1.8 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 64 F temp; 42% humidity 64 F heat index; winds NW 8 Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:45:47 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 09 /mi Heart Rate: 172 bpm (Avg) Calories: 561 189 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .45mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 17m 36% 1.92 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 25m 54% 2.71 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 07m 14% 0.70 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 00m 0% 0.04 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.03 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.00 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 39 +0' 30 6.2 -0.3 153 -49 ft 2 9' 24 +0' 15 6.4 -0.2 169 0 ft 3 9' 08 -0' 01 6.6 +0.0 175 +13 ft 4 8' 55 -0' 16 6.7 +0.2 181 +13 ft end 8' 39 -0' 30 6.9 +0.3 184 -3 ft Versus average of 9' 09 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com