Adventures of a Six Mile Run

The first email I read when I arrived at work this morning was from my boss reminding me of the relay marathon I had signed up for. I've been training, right? Of course! If running means drinking, then yes, I have been training. I needed to go running, actual running, after work. One of my most favorite people introduced me to this website. It's freakin' awesome. You just plug in your address, it brings up a map of where you live, and you click where you're gonna go. It shows the mileage, you can save it, you can see where other people run - it's AWESOME.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/create/

Since it was the first day in awhile it was not snowing, raining, icing, freezing, or the like - I mapped myself out a nice six mile run. I was pretty exhausted after work, so I took a nap on the bus ride home. As soon as I walked in my door, I forced myself to throw on some spandex, strap on my kicks and take a nice healthy puff of my inhaler (yes, I have asthma).

As I ventured out, I realized I was not the only one. One nice day comes along and everyone feels the urge to get outside (and in my way), how dare them. First of all, I'm somewhat self-conscious of the way I run. During a pickup game of softball in high school, one of my friends laughed in my face saying "oh my GOD Smigs, you run just like Smigs!!".  He was referring to my older brother, whom he played football with. My brother is one goofy bastard and I don't want to run like him! I asked him what the fuck he meant by that, but I was holding a metal bat and he never responded. This was also the same friend that I hit so hard for making fun of my boyfriend that we didn't speak for two weeks. Ironically enough, I believe this was the same night I punched said high school boyfriend in the face - I warned him, and he deserved it. None of this involved alcohol and it certainly did not include the sketchy lake we used to have bonfires at.....

(Afore mentioned older Smigs)

Right, so I'm running and there are all these other people out running too. I am unsure of the proper Boston running etiquette when you cross paths with a fellow runner. Do you smile? Wave? Awkward head nod? I usually go with the head nod so if they don't reciprocate I can pretend I'm just looking up at the sky. And then you come across the random Hispanic guy wandering down the street that gives you the smile, wave and head nod. NO buddy, you're not running, you're not allowed to acknowledge my presence. I gave him a look of disdain instead.

I also like to push the limits on my pedestrian right of way. I don't look when I cross the street, I run in front of cars that are about to turn. I don't care! Go ahead and hit me! I have the right of way so I'll be able to take time off of work and get money from your insurance company. Plus, when they flip me off it pushes me to run faster.

That's another thing about running outside. There are way more instances to switch it up than on a treadmill. For example, the homeless people coming up? Yup, I'm going to sprint past them. The liquor store on my right? Hmm, maybe time for some "active rest".

By mile four I was starting to get a stitch - ugh, damn asthma. By that time I had made it all of the way up to Brighton Ave. Wow, bars sure do look different in the sober daylight!

I left my apartment at exactly 6:28 and returned at 7:15. Not bad.

I'm planning on hitting the gym before work tomorrow since I will be taking Friday off, kind of. I plan to get some cardio in on the Clery's dance floor.

I Pick Things Up - I Put Them Down

Tuesdays are probably one of my favorite days to workout. Why you ask? Because I dedicate my entire precious hour to lifting heavy things. I take a weight lifting class every Tuesday morning. I used to love it a lot more than I do now. The instructor switched up the routine a bit (fine), but pays way too much attention to her own personal workout (not fine). I like classes to be interactive and fun. This one isn't so much anymore - but oh well, it gets me up and going. Basically what we did is a set of three different exercises for 10 minutes straight - meaning you move from one exercise to the next without rest. This occurred four times and then ended with an abs set.

Set 1:


a) Pushups - 10 of 'em - just your standard drop down, push up, pushup. I could write an entire entry on form. I'll save that for a later date. If you get tired, just drop down to your knees, no shame in that! I drop down to my knees all of the time! (...ahem).

b) Lunge + Bicep Curl - 10 reps on each side. I used 15 pound weights

c) Jumprope for 30 seconds

So, you keep repeating this for 10 minutes straight. Take a breather if you're dying, but not for too long!!

Set 2:

a) Deadlift + Military Press - 10 reps. I used 20 pounds in each hand

b) Chest Fly on the Stability Ball - 10 reps. 30 pounds in each hand. In this case, you're using the ball as your bench. This works the core too.

c) Crunches on the Stability Ball - 20 reps

Keep goin' for ten minutessss!!

Set 3:

a) Floor Leg Lifts - get on your hands and knees (yum), stick a 15 pound weight behind your knee keep your foot flexed (not pointed) and raise. 10 times each leg.

b) Lateral/Frontal Raises - 10 reps. I use 10 pounds. Raise your arms straight out to your sides, lower, raise your arms straight in front of you and lower (that's ONE rep - and keep your arms friggen STRAIGHT and DON'T SWING)

c) Tricep Kickbacks - 10 reps. Bend over a little - not too far! Keep your back flat for god's sake. Make a right angle with each arm and exteeeeend.

Set 4:


a) Bent Over Rows - 10 reps. I use 30 lbs each arm. Bend over more than the kickbacks. Almost a right angle with your body. I cannot express enough to KEEP A FLAT BACK. You should be able to balance a beer on that shit.

b) Overhead Flys with Stability Ball  - 10 reps. Use the ball as your bench. Use one dumbbell (I use a

30 pounder). Raise slowly over your head and pull it back up. Sloooooowly.

c) High Knees for 30 seconds - okay and none of that jogging shit. Get your knees up to your hips!!

Ok, you're done

Just kidding :)

abs. plank. 2 minutes straight. dooo it!! Okay, I must admit I had a pretty hard time with the two minute plank. But it wasn't even my abs that were shaking it was my shoulders. Drop to your knees if need be....

How do you feel?? Great?? Ready to conquer the world?? Ready to wait for you bus to be late and then wait in line at Dunks and then talk to 100 different weirdos on the phone?? Yes indeed!

I did feel much better after my workout this morning. I have to admit I didn't have a great start to my day. I woke up to a missed call and voicemail. Voicemail? What? Who could possibly call me after my 10pm bedtime?! I checked and ughh it was THAT guy. You know that guy. We all have "that" guy. You see, me and this guy have a looonngggg ugly history. I was honestly surprised by the call because we have not spoken in awhile - when that happens I assume he is dead or in jail. He's not dead apparently. He's the type of guy that will pop into your life when everything is going perfectly and fuck it up. He guilts me into going to dinner because "we haven't seen each other in so long!" and I ALWAYS end up leaving, disappointed, wondering why the hell I did that and swearing I will never see him again. I just can't get rid of him!! You see, this guy happens to be my father. ugh. Anyways, after the workout I deleted the message without listening and felt pretty good about it.

I should probably add pictures. But let me be honest, I'm pretty tired. I stayed late at work. I am unsure about my workout tomorrow. I usually love Wednesdays because that is when I have my basketball games. We have a bye round tomorrow, so no game. I've been getting pretty used to "sleeping in" Wednesday mornings until 6:30. I would hit the gym after work, but that never ends up happening....

S P R IIIINTS

I smiled when my alarm went of this morning, because clearly, obviously, there was some sort of glitch with my phone! It had only been a few minutes since my head hit the pillow....oh shit...nope, it was really 5:30am.

I needed to hit up some serious cardio today after doing absolutely nothing with my life yesterday, this does not include my 20 minute walk of shame - that counts for something, right? Solution? SPRINTS! I love sprints and you should love sprints too. It's one of the most effective ways to burn cals and it boosts your metabolism for the entire day. And since I hit the snooze on my alarm about five times I was running short on time. You can do sprints in a number of different ways, on a number of different machines. The main point is to go all out for a short burst of time, and then recover with some "active rest". I use the treadmill (duh) and increase my speed with each sprint. Goes a little something like this:

minutes 1 - 5: warm-up @ 4 - 6mph
minutes 5 - 6: sprint @ 8mph
minutes 6 - 7: recover @ 4mph
minutes 7 - 8: sprint @ 8.3mph
minutes 8 - 9: recover @ 4mph
minutes 9 - 10: sprint @ 8.5mph
minutes 10 - 11: recover @ 4mph
minutes 11 - 12: sprint @ 8.8mph
minutes 12 - 13: recover @ 4mph
minutes 13 - 14: sprint @ 9.0mph
minutes 15 - 16: recover @ 4mph
minutes 16 - 17: sprint @ 9.5mph
minutes 17 - 18: recover @ 4mph
minutes 18 - 19: sprint @ 10mph
minutes 20 - 25: cool down @ 6mph

You get the gist. You can tailor this any way you like. I also did similar sprints on the bike. I do 30 seconds "on" and 45 seconds "active recovery" with the bike. Let me add, by the end of your sprint, you should pretty much feel like you're dying. A good kind of dying - but still, dying. If you're not, then turn that shit up!

Then I hit the elliptical - even though I hate the elliptical (I get bored, and need to switch up my machines about every 20 minutes)

FUNNN!! I sweated a lot. Have I mentioned how much I love to sweat when I workout? True sign that you're working hard.

The only crappy thing about my sprints this morning is the annoying effect it had on my annoying shin splint in my right leg. Let me tell you all something. I have smashed my face into the side of a dock during an ill timed backflip, I have had internal bleeding in my arm (you DON'T want to know that story), I have had stitches in my foot (bicycle spokes, ouch!), I just got over a black eye, I have had six piercings and a tattoo....NONE of these things hurt or annoyed me as much as these damn shin splints do. The worst part is that you can't really do anything about it, you just need to "run through them", or "rest" (yeahhh right). Anyways, I'm currently in my bed frustratingly icing my shin.

Moving on.....I found this article by FAVORITE fitness guru/go-to man/author and I'm psyched to try it out....not that I need help in that area ;)

Better Sex Workout

Introducing My Blog...

Happy Sunday Funday!

Well, after popular demand I have decided to share publicly the ways I stay fit and maintain a fairly "unhealthy" lifestyle. Anyone that knows me understands that I am a fitness freak. I love to workout, play sports, and eat healthily. However, I also drink a lot, go out a lot, don't sleep well and work at least 50 hours per week. I am here to share how I stay active yet keep the life that I like to live. I mean, who seriously eats a strict low fat, low (or no) carb diet rich in fruits and veggies EVERY DAY?? Come on, that's bullshit. I try to the best of my ability to eat well, but let's be honest, I ate an entire buffalo chicken calzone yesterday along with two 40's and multiple shots - it was Saturday!! Although I did hit the gym for two hours. It's all about moderation. I am usually pretty strict with my diet during the work week and slack off on the weekends. I am typically pretty dead after work, so I frequent the gym (I go to the YMCA in Oak Square) before work from 6am to 7. I am going to try to update every day my workouts and diet. I am just hoping some of my friends will learn some new things and share what they do too!

My first entry is dedicated to weight lifting. My BIGGEST pet peeve is chicks that don't lift weights because they don't want to get "big" or "buff". OMG SHUTUP. You will NOT get big from lifting weights. Actually, on the contrary, you will shrink in size. Muscle mass burns calories at rest. Meaning that today while I sit on my ass and check facebook, I am burning more calories than someone who doesn't lift. Girls, pick up the damn weights, and please, challenge yourselves. Five pound bicep curls are not really building muscle. For some perspective, I typically use 20-25 pound dumbbells for bicep curls. So please, next time you're at the gym - jump of the treadmill or elliptical (don't even get me STARTED on how useless the elliptical is...) and hit the weights. Let me share part of my workout from yesterday:

Set of 21 bicep curls - using 25 dumbbells:
- 7 from bottom to halfway
- 7 from halfway to top
- 7 full curls
- then HOLD halfway for 20-30 seconds. The fancy term for that is called isometric contraction.

You should normally work the opposing muscle group as well. In this case that would be triceps.

I did several sets of 10 reps of tricep bench dips. I use two benches. One to place my hands (fingers facing your body) and one to place my feet on.

(that is not me btw)

I also did some hammer curls (20pounds) - this works a little different area of the bicep, so you can look more jacked all over!!

bicep curls using a 60 pound bar

One armed tricep overhead extension (20pounds)

(mmmm)

TRY IT!!  I am sore and it feels totally awesome.