Ankle Weight Routine to Strengthen Those Hips (& Booty!)

 Snow, snow everywhere. 

I think I'm going stir crazy. 

Wednesday was my usual speedwork, which meant I was inside on the treadmill. This week I had 10x400. I did a mile warm-up, then ran the 400s at a 7:19 minute mile pace. My recovery jogs were done at a 9:10 pace. Total = 6 miles @ 8:21 pace. 

I'm not positive why, but this workout especially left my legs fried. Wednesday night I kept getting cramps in my feet and my calves. (Has this ever happened to you? Was I dehydrated? More sodium/potassium? stretching?)

Good thing Thursday called for an easy 3 miler (also completed on the treadmill due to the dumping of snow we received.) After my run, I decided to do an ankle weight routine that I used to complete while in Physical Therapy for my hips a few years ago. I used a 7.5 lb weight. I did 4 sets of 15 reps on each side of my leg:

Donkey Kick

Side Lying Leg Raise

Lying Leg Raise Inner Thigh

To make the workout more total-body I also did a set of 10 push ups between each 2 sets for a total of 40.

My little station at home.

It's been a day and a half since that and my obliques are still sore! You really don't realize how much you use your core in every move you do! 

Please make sure I do these hip strengtheners more often! 

and when I'm trying to make sure I do an easy run I put on some very chill jams....

Pandora introduced me to Matt Kearney. I'm digging him....

 and my dinner that night. 

Seriously, I am obsessed with adding dried cranberries and sunflower seeds to my salads these days. I have it a few times a week. The salad dressing is a Pomegrante Vinaigrette. SO good together. 

I've got a short pace run to get done today (The race is 8 days away! It's all downhill from here!) but I've got quite a few clients this morning, so I'll have to try and squeeze it in this afternoon. 

I hope you had a great Valentines Day!

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes I made for my daughter's class, but school was cancelled due to snow.....Gotta find somebody to eat them.

They Ran Away From Me.....

In case you didn't know, the East Coast got a few inches of snow yesterday. You know what that means....treadmill runs. Boo. 

Tuesday I had 4.5 miles on the agenda. I tried, I really did, but I just wasn't feeling this run. My legs were still sore from this weekend's workouts and I just couldn't find my stride. 

I even turned on some music that was sure to pump me up.

Haha. Don't judge me. 

After 3.5 miles I called it a day. Better luck next time. I was in my sweats and on the couch watching Sex and the City within 15 minutes.

The motivation today was a bit better.  I had a 40 minute tempo run on the training plan.

This was the first song that came on......it was a good sign. :-)

I started at 6.5 mph and went up to 7.6, then came back down.  4.6 miles in 40 minutes. 8:41 pace.

During my run, 2 teenage boys came to the door. When I opened it, and they saw me dripping in sweat, they both looked at me like I was crazy and took a step back. I think they practically ran away.

I guess I did look a little rough.....they should have read my shirt and realized the sweat dripping off my forehead and chin wasn't nasty, it was just me being awesome.

A quick lunch came together right after.

Turkey and avocado, veggies and sweet potatoes. I'm trying to up my carbs these days and see if I feel a difference in my running. 

Butter Lemon Whole Wheat Noodles, baked chicken, and a spinach salad.

I think dinner helped me hit my quota.

When was your last "blah" run?

Do you make an effort to eat more carbohydrates? If so, do you feel a difference?

What's your current favorite song to run to?

Success Taste a Little Bit Like Vomit.

Tuesday evening I found myself in one of those moods. I was exhausted and tired and didn't want to do much. The game plan: Pick up Kaitlyn, go home and clean while she finishes her homework, eat dinner (in the crock pot), go to karate, come home for the bath/bed routine and be in bed by 8:30.

We got home and dinner in the crock pot was NOT done. From there the plan feel apart. We went out to eat (unnecessarily spending $ to consume too many calories, my favorite), followed by a walk to Rita's (insert same bitching here), allowing us to get home late and rush to karate. Were the teacher was late. It was a grouchy evening, that's for sure, but this pretty much made my night....

She got her outfit!! She is even more excited to be doing karate now! and even though we were 20 minutes late getting to bed because she wouldn't start practicing her punches, I'm not grouchy about it:-)

I vowed to make Wednesday happier. The key to this is (in my food-loving opinion) is to start with a good breakfast!

Quinoa, fresh tomato, 2 scrambled eggs, avocado, and red roasted pepper and garlic hummus. Drowned in Cholula post-picture. Damn good meal. Let's get this day started.

Instead of completing a workout during work yesterday, baby girl and I got one in together after we got home.  

Somebody got a brand new "Big Girl" bike so is more than excited when I offer a bike ride instead of an evening in. PS - The tires on that thing are CRAZY thick. It's an ass-kicking bike.

My training plan called for 9 x 400s. So we ran up to the school near our house and I did a lap around the track to warm up. Stretched for 5-10 minutes (let's be honest, probably more like 5....I suck at committing to it) then lined up.

Here are what they looked like:

1:39

1:40

1:38

1:35

1:40

1:40

1:44

1:37 <---Jimmy Eat World's "Pain"

1:35 <---Papa Roach's "To Be Loved"

I'm not going to front. This was a HARD workout. I only increased the speed by 5-10 seconds per lap and did one more than last time but when I finished I knew I was going to feel it today. My legs and chest were screaming and uncomfortable those last couple laps. During the last 400 I actually felt vomit start to rise.....So I know I was pushing it.

My only thing to work on is the recovery time. I went in thinking that I would only rest 45 seconds between 400s. HA! That lasted for only one time. Then it was more like 2 minutes. Crazy how fast time flies when you can't breathe:-)

Two very sweaty, hot, tired girls.

We made the 1 mile run/bike home and I whipped us up a quick dinner.

I know that doesn't look that appetizing but let me tell you, Kaitlyn and I pretty much fought over those roasted brussel sprouts. The beans are a lentil/and black bean mixture on brown rice.

I was pretty damn sore when I woke up today. My hammies felt like I had rocks in them. I rolled with the stick a bit this morning and made myself promise to take it easy. 4 easy miles, about an 8:45 pace with one circuit of weights. Assisted pull-ups, assisted dips, and the leg press. 12 reps, 3 sets, lots of stretching in between.

The Fruits of Their Labor.

Monday's workout called for 3 miles and strength training. I quickly ran on the treadmill, then got right into the weights. As much as I wanted to do my normal class, I realized that it's been quite some time since I did my ankle weight exercises for my hips. So I made up a little circuit using a 12 lb ankle weight:

Inner Thigh Lift (Lie on your back with your right left bent, your left leg straight out with a flexed foot turned out to the left): 25 reps

Side Lying Leg Lift: 25 reps

Donkey Kicks: 25 reps

**Repeat twice**

After I did 2 sets on each leg I used the resistance band and did:

Tricep Press: 12

Chest Fly: 20

Bicep Curls: 15

Then you switch the weights on your legs and repeat everything 4 times. Hell of a workout.

Today's workout was not as intense. I had 4.5 miles to do and didn't want to push myself too much since I am doing a speed workout and have my race on Sunday. When I saw that I had forgotten my head phones at my desk I decided to push myself more mentally.

I got on the treadmill. The boring treadmill....and I ran. No music. No book. Nothing but me in my own thoughts (When I said that to a coworker she said "WOW that's a scary place to be. LOL. nice). I maintained an average pace of 8:20 and felt damn good about it. Maybe I'm closer to my goal 5K pace than I think:-)

After my run I went to a 45 minute yoga class. I got back to my desk feeling like a big bowl of amazing.

Staying true to my ways, I'm done talking about working out and on to food.

Can you check out this frickin' apple?!?!

Look at how big it is!! It's incredible! Almost half the size of my child's head! (and she is a BIG 6 year old). Let me tell you what, the taste amazed us even more than the size!!  It was SO delicious and crisp.

Do you want to know where you can get this beauty? Southern Maryland.

I'm not a fan of Maryland for a number of reasons. Firstly, there are cops EVERYWHERE. Not that I'm hiding anything but they can, and will, pull you over for every.single.thing. They even have speed cameras on the damn highway! That's sick.

Secondly, you can't buy beer in grocery stores. You have to go to a liqour store. A nasty, run down, shady-looking liquor store. For my beer?? That's ridiculous. I should be able to buy beer with my groceries. And if I want wine?? I have to go to an entirely different store!

Thirdly, the grocery stores suck. BIG time. No Wegmans, No Harris Teeter, No Whole Foods, No Trader Joes. They have Shoppers. Don't you dare try to find a Kashi product or gluten free product in them either, because you can't.

**Forgive my rant, back to the apples**

Despite all this, Southern Maryland has the BEST Farmer's Markets and produce stands ever. All of their products are delicious, juicy and cheaper than any grocery store/farmer's market in VA.

We bought 5 of these apples for $4 (Seriously, what a bargain!!)  at a stand on the side of the road on Saturday. That beauty was our last one.

It was SO big I cut it into thirds. Kaitlyn and I each had a third of it for breakfast, I had the other third for lunch.

With some crunchy, salty almond butter and scrambled eggs with avocado and Cholula.

You know where to find me this weekend. Buying more than one bag this time.