Mamavation Monday: December 31

Christmas and everyone home on break really has thrown me off on everything.

Here's my workouts for last week:

Monday: No workout. Not having class really threw off my schedule.

Tuesday: Christmas. Yea … nada.

Wednesday: Les Mills Combat 45 Power Kata

Thursday: Observed (which means taking) a Silver Sneakers MSROM class. I'm a sub for this class and will be teaching it at another rec center soon.

Friday: Combat 60 Extreme Warrior Fighter

Saturday: Nada … I have no idea why.

Sunday: I was supposed to run with my buddy but then got distracted by baking and purging the kitchen after she needed to reschedule.

Here's the plan for this week (I've got it scheduled on my calendar so I refuse to skip workouts):

Monday: Les Mills Combat Kick Start 30 and teach Silver Sneakers Yoga Stretch class (DONE!)

Tuesday: 3-5 mile run

Wednesday: Start date of my Warrior Combat Challenge Group. Les Mills Combat Kick Start 30

Thursday: Combat HIIT: Power and Inner Warrior (Stretch)

Friday: Combat 30 and Core Attack. Then, teach YogaStretch.

Saturday: Combat HIIT: Plyo and Inner Warrior

Sunday: Run day and Combat 45 Power Kata

I'm sure there will be more running involved. I'm at a crux with my running and really trying to focus on strength and endurance right now. I'm purposely not scheduling runs so I avoid overuse injuries and boredom. I really think my Combat Challenge group will accomplish everything I'm looking to do right now and running will come back to me soon.

Weekly Check In: December 17

Wow, what a week! I was accepted into the Mamavation Sistahood, my Les Mills Combat DVD program came in and I turned in my notice at my "desk job" to pursue my career in the fitness industry full time! Here's my weekly workout check in:

Here is what I did last week:

Monday: Venus, Week 2, Day 1 and teach YogaStretch class
Tuesday: Les Mills Combat Kick and walk group
Wednesday: Venus, Week 2, Day 2, Les Mills Combat Core Attack and Inner Warrior Stretch & Strength
Thursday: Walk Group
Friday: Les Mills Combat Ultimate Warrior Workout
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: 5.35 mile run and Les Mills Combat Upper Body Blow Out

This is my plan for this week:

Monday, Les Mill Combat 30 LIVE and teach Yoga Stretch class
Tuesday:Les Mills Combat HIIT: Power and Inner Warrior and walk group in the evening
Wednesday: Les Mills Combat 30 and Core Attack. 
Thursday: Les Mills Combat HIIT: Plyo and Inner Warrior, then my evening Walk Group
Friday: Les Mills Combat 45
Saturday: Les Mills Combat Warrior 2 (or Lower Body Lean Out)
Sunday: Minimum of a 5 mile run. 

 I'm really excited to see how this cardio and strength program is going to affect my running. I had already decided to only run 3 days a week to see how it helps my knee, but my run was so awesome Sunday, I can't wait to see how the results of Combat really amp up my endurance.

What does your week look like? Do you have a heavy fitness schedule or are you taking it easy during the holidays?

The Ever Loving Battle with Alarms

We love to hate them...not our training runs (well, maybe), but I mean, our damn alarms. Two scenarios always happen:

1. They don't go off and you really need to get up early/on time/anything before 10 minutes before you absolutely have to get up
2. They go off and you begin the 5-10 minute dance of hitting snooze and sleeping in and you end up oversleeping anyway.

I've been having an intense love/hate relationship with my alarms the past couple of weeks. I get mad when my phone alarm doesn't go off and I sleep until P gently wakes me up with bright closet lights, noises from the kitchen and a gentle "B******* (I will not disclose his pet name for me), you need to wake up." All I hear is "Get your lazy a$$ out of bed, and it's too late for a run."

I'm two weeks into my Cowtown training, and I've ran, oh, like 4 miles out of the 25 I should have logged already. Tonight, I'm holding nothing back. A regular, loud, annoying alarm combined with the Jillian-Michaels-30-Day-Shred-music-please-don't-yell-at-me-anymore type alarm.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Yes, that's why I also enlisted some of my virtual running mama friends to not only text me at 5:30 a.m. to make sure I am running or have already ran, but also check in with me later in the day. Accountability, that's the desperate measure.

P will be hating my 5 a.m. alarms right along with me...at least he gets to doze off for another half hour, and not be out on a 5-o'clock run in the predicted 39° temperature for tomorrow morning. Cool (almost cold) and windy = [bad.ass], right?

There is no "Y" in Running

Found from I <3 to Run's Facebook page

...WHATEVER. THERE ARE NO TRICKS.
Run because you have to.
Run because you love it.
Run because you want to be fast.
Run because you want to be skinny.
Run to find some quiet time.
Run to sweat.
Run to eat.
Run hear your heart pound in your ears.
Run because you're a runner.
Run because you gotta keep the streak.
Run because you don't know why the hell you're running.
Run because you fought with your partner.
Run because your job is sh#tty.
Run because you got no money.
Run for the sunrise.
Run for a race.
Run because it's impossible.
Run because it's easy.
Run instead of doing the laundry.
Run instead of watching TV.
Run because no one else understands.
Run because the cool kids do it.
Run because you're tired of talking.
Run for numbers.
Run for feel.
Run to prove something.
Run because it f#@king hurts.

Or don't run. If you got something better to do.

Pace and Positive Motivation

Tuesday evening, I went out and ran my scheduled run. First I must say, I AM NOT an evening runner. I prefer pre-dawn or at dawn runs, period. Yet, I run when I can and try to not make excuses. Secondly, despite fighting a couple months of laziness and lovely Texas spring winds, my morale plummeted...quickly. I kept thinking about my pace and endurance, both of which has gone awry since December/January. All I could think about while doing my Galloway style intervals was: "I must pick up my pace. I must last. I have a race in 4 weeks."

I finished my run strong, not proud of my pace though. I then twisted my ankle stepping down stairs. The injury is slight, but in order to play in my soccer game on Sunday, rest for the days until then is required. I again thought about my pace and upcoming race (oooh! rhyme).

I logged onto Daily Mile today to post about my ankle, and I then read the #dailymission was all about motivation. As I read through post after post of motivation, I saw this:



This saying said it all for me. No matter my 14 minute+ pace right now, I'm still faster than everyone sitting watching T.V. or choosing to not do anything. This picked up my spirits like nothing else. I choose to get out there and run.

Running Buddies

For the most part, running is a solitary activity, and I like it. I am the type of person who enjoys alone time and plenty of it. Yet, it does help to share running adventures with someone once in a while. Online, I am part of two running groups and another group that should be a running group because basically all of us run. Three groups where I have met wonderful people where we support each other to keep running.

Every once in a while, I do wish for someone to occasionally run beside me, chat with, share minute-by-minute support, kind of a social fun run. I thought of joining an actual running group on their monthly social runs, but I'm hesitant, even though I have no idea why.

I think my wish is coming true. In the last week, a couple of people have come to me asking about getting together for runs. Of course, I am excited, but the kicker for me...these people want me, little ol' me, involved in their fitness progression. That in itself makes the helper in me happy, but kicks up my motivation for my own personal workouts.