Category Archives: Treadmill

Running, running, running (8/17-8/23)

This week was all about running!!!!

Sunday 8/17  44 barbell clean and press with a row.

ready
ready
flip bar and squat down
flip bar and squat down
use legs to push bar overhead
use legs to push bar overhead
bring bar down by flipping it and keeping it close to your body
bring bar down by flipping it and keeping it close to your body
dead lift
dead lift
row - squeeze shoulders
row – squeeze shoulders

I liked this move because I felt like it worked pretty much every muscle in my body!!!

Monday 8/18  44 stair push-up with a jump.

This move was fun – it got my heart rate up and because of the angle of the push-ups I was sore for a few days!!!

This was the starting day  of a long run streak:
10 miles in 79:41 + 1.5 miles easy.

Tuesday 8/19  44 stability ball single leg oblique punches with a dumbbell.

ready for right side
ready for right side
pull left knee in and punch with right hand
pull left knee in and punch with right hand

I did all 44 on one side and then switched sides for another set.

2nd side
2nd side
right knee in and punch left
right knee in and punch left

These were hard – the hardest part was keeping my balance – part of why the pictures are blurrier than normal!!!

And a shorter, faster run:
7 miles in 50:22  with an easy mile to finish.

Wednesday 8/20  44 plie squat jumps with a small band around my ankles and a lateral raise with dumbbells (5 pounds).

ready
ready
jump out and lift arms
jump out and lift arms

You can’t really tell that I jumped but I did!!!

Back to a double digit run at a slower pace:
10.5 miles in 86:50 + 0.7 miles

Thursday 8/21  44 triangle leg taps (this move is from Taylor @ Lifting Revolution – bodyweight workout for your lower body.

ready (I think I was supposed to have my legs a bit lower - oops!!)
ready (I think I was supposed to have my legs a bit lower – oops!!)
tap right leg
tap right leg
tap right leg
tap right leg

I counted a left & right tap as 1 rep.  By the end of all 44 my hip flexors were dying!!!

A long run at a quicker pace:
11 miles in 86:56 + 0.6 miles

Friday 8/22  44 butt kicks in plank (also from Taylor and the bodyweight workout for your lower body).

ready
ready
kick your butt
kick your butt
other side
other side

I sort of kicked to my opposite side.  And, when I went back to link to Taylor’s site I realized that I”m an idiot – she did them on her elbows – oh, well – a great move either way!!!

Another double digit run:
10 miles in 77:23  followed by 1.1 easy miles.

Saturday 8/23  44 squat pulses while standing on dumbbells.

ready
ready
down and pulse
down and pulse
side view
side view

(hard to take pictures of pulses without them being blurry!!)

Today I did a shorter run outside while Hunter had cross country practice – wish it would have been earlier since it was already close to 85 degrees!!!

4 easy miles and then 20+ minutes walking around waiting for Hunter and the other kids to get back to the school.

Overall it was a good week:
52.5 miles + 4.9 easy miles for a total of 57.4 miles.

I have a few more days of long runs planned and then I’m going to back off a bit.  (Can you tell I have a race coming up????)

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Back to Work!!! (5/18-5/24)

This week has been all about getting back into a solid workout groove.  For the past couple of months I sort of let my weight training and cross training take a back seat to running.  Even though I plan to keep logging lots of miles, I need to add in the other work again!!!

Sunday 5/18  44 shoulder burners!!  This move was a front raise, flip arms over and do a bicep curl with arms out in front (and up), shoulder press, then reverse each step for 1 rep – oh, and I stood on my wobble balls just to increase the FUN!!!

ready
ready
lift arms
lift arms
flip arms over - palms up
flip arms over – palms up
bicep curl
bicep curl
shoulder press
shoulder press
back down
back down
ready to reverse the curl
ready to reverse the curl
out
out
flip
flip
finally finished the rep!
finally finished the rep!

Not gonna lie – my shoulders were dying by the time I finished all 44 of these!!!!  (and I only used 5 pound dumbbells)

I did a DVD that I haven’t done in a long time – Jackie Warner X-Treme Crunch Free Abs.  This is just over 30 minutes of serious ab/core work.  The first half is all done standing and the 2nd half is on the ground.  About midnight Sunday night I could really feel all of those moves!!!

I also did a treadmill run.  Lately I haven’t even tried to push my pace much and I’m still going to focus on running more miles at an easy pace but every once in awhile I need to pick it up.  

5 miles – 35:27 + 1 easy mile to cool down (all at 1.5% incline)

Monday 5/19  44 step-ups with a bicep curl.

ready
ready

Push off foot on step to lift up and curl at the same time.

up and curl
up and curl

After I did 44 on this side I had to switch sides – a total of 88 bicep curls!!!  (the main reason I stuck with 8 pound dumbbells!)

ready (not sure what I'm doing with the weights!)
ready (not sure what I’m doing with the weights!)
up and curl
up and curl

The nice thing about this move was that it got my heart rate up besides working my biceps, butt and quads!!!

I did one of my favorite workouts – Les Mills Combat – Extreme Cardio Fighter.  60 minutes of kicking and punching at a fairly high intensity!!!  Love it!

Tuesday 5/20  44 fall backs with medicine ball.

ready
ready
fall back - hold
fall back – hold

This move was HARD!!!  It is great for your core and also for your quads.

The rest of the workout was 10 Minute Solutions – Hot Body Boot Camp.  Not gonna lie, of the 5 10 minute sections my favorite this time was the stretching!!!  I think I was dragging a little!!!

Wednesday 5/21 – 44 waving triceps while standing on wobble balls.

ready
ready
right arm
right arm
left arm
left arm

Trying to stay balanced on the wobble balls and keeping my arms extended the entire time  turned this into a great challenge!!! (8 pound dumbbells)

This was a running day – 10 miles in 78:43  plus 1.2 easy miles.

Thursday 5/22  44 pull-overs while on a stability ball.  This move was from Nellie (Brooklyn Active Mama) and her weekly Wednesday workout.

ready
ready
arms back and down
arms back and down

I’m not sure I dropped my arms as far as you are supposed to but I was trying to keep my form good and not bend my arms – lots of muscles involved here!!!  (1 12 pound dumbbell)

I wanted to do something a little easier so I did The Biggest Loser – Weight Loss Yoga.  Ummm….there was very little easy about the workout.  Bob Harper knows his stuff and after 50 minutes of yoga I felt like I had worked out for sure!!!

Friday 5/23  44 triceps kickbacks while in chair.

ready
ready
back
back

I know that I should have been lower in “chair” but my quads were burning!!!  (8 pound dumbbells)

It was another run day and I decided to make it a bit of a harder pace because lately I feel like I’ve been running slower most of the time.

8 miles (1.5% incline) in 53:27 + 2.4 easy miles.  I try not to run hard too often anymore (I used to do it every single run – part of why I was injured more than not) but it was nice to push the pace. (6:41 average)

Saturday 5/24  44 leg lifts with a medicine ball between my lower legs.

ready
ready
up
up

Yikes – that move was hard!!!  The medicine ball I used was 8 pounds and I told Chris that the hardest part was the ball hurt my ankle bones!!!  Even with the whining, I still did another set of 44!!!

2nd side ready
2nd side ready
up
up

Hunter and I are supposed to be out running right now – his final long run but it is raining and I’m not a diehard!!!  I have zero desire to be soaking wet for over an hour and a half!!  We will run later or even in the next day or two – we have some flexibility since he is going to run quite a bit this week before scaling back for the final week before his race!

This week wasn’t a high mileage week for me but it felt good to get in a few runs again.  I’m ready to focus on a new goal and plan to keep my miles up while getting in more strength work again!!!

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

BOSU Fun (4/13 – 4/19)

This week the daily 44s were all about my favorite piece of equipment – 

BOSU
BOSU

Sunday 4/13 – 44 curtsy lunge on upside down BOSU.

ready
ready
down
down

After 44 on my right leg, I had to switch feet and do another set!!

2nd side
2nd side
down
down

The pictures were actually after Hunter and I did his first 60 minute run!!!  We ended up doing 61 minutes so we could do an even 6 miles!!!  For the run we did a 5 minute run/1 minute walk cycle and he did great!!!

Monday 4/14 – 44 tricep dips on upside down BOSU.

ready
ready
down
down

By the 25th rep my arms were shaking – 44 of this move was no joke!!!

And, I decided to run a marathon!!  Actually, I wanted to get in a long run of 2-3 hours.  When I got close to 3 hours I thought I would keep going to 25 miles and then I decided to just go to 26.2!!!

26.2 miles – 3:40.57   + 0.8 easy miles

Tuesday 4/15 – 44 push-ups with one arm on the BOSU.

left arm
left arm
down
down

And, of course, I had to do 44 more with my right arm on the BOSU.

ready
ready
down
down

(I know I have on the same clothes from Monday’s pictures – Chris took the pictures on Monday morning before he left to go out of town for a few days!!)

I only did 22-24 on each side on my toes and the rest were on my knees.

I wanted to do an easier workout since my legs were tired from Monday so I did Poise-Core Training.  It was a lot like pilates and a nice 45 minute workout!!

After school, I ran with the boys – 30 minutes (we did 3.25 miles) and then walked 0.25 miles.  The first couple minutes were rough and I almost stopped but by the end I was happy I had gone with them.

Wednesday 4/16 – 44 side leg abduction on BOSU.

ready
ready
lift
lift

This was another one of those moves that I had to do one set of 44 and then switch sides to do another set!

side #2
side #2
lift and hold
lift and hold

I tried to hold each lift for a couple seconds and then control my leg on the way down – my base leg was shaky!!!

And, since the week was already about the BOSU, I did a couple of BOSU DVDs –  BOSU Balance Trainer and BOSU Reactive Strength & Power.  Both of these workouts had a mix of cardio, strength moves and some core work!!

Thursday 4/17 – 44 crunches on BOSU.

in position
in position

The start position was nice because it was a good back stretch!!

crunch
crunch

It wasn’t a big crunch (otherwise I would have rolled off!) but it was very effective!

And, I ran again!!  8 miles (63:03) + 0.5 easy miles.

Friday 4/18  – 44 BOSU butt bridges.

down (butt slightly off ground even in this position)
down (butt slightly off ground even in this position)
squeeze and lift
squeeze and lift

I liked this move – I don’t think I work my hamstrings as much as I should but this move definitely did the trick!

I did a fun DVD – Cross Training for Fitness.  It is a lot of kickboxing with some great core work thrown in.

Hunter and I also ran.  It was a 35 minute run but we ended up coin 36:51 so we could finish our 4th mile.  Hunter is doing a great job with his training – so far he is still enjoying it and I love the time we spend running together!!!

Saturday 4/19 – 44 squats with a twist (holding a medicine ball) on upside down BOSU.

ready
ready
down
down
side view
side view

I did all 44 to the right side and then switched and did 44 more.

twist to the left
twist to the left

You can look back at the week and see that I did several moves with the BOSU upside down.  If you have never tried using the BOSU this way, you should!!  The balance challenge is incredible!!!

There are so many ways to use a BOSU – I think I will have to pick another week soon to focus on it again!!!

Weekly mileage 47.45 + 1.55 easy miles for a total of 49 miles.

Happy Saturday!!!  Have a great Easter weekend!

Kim      

It’s All About the Weights, Running, Moving

So the title is my poor attempt at a catchy song – but I think I’ve always said it wrong!!  I thought it was supposed to be,  “It’s all about the money, money, money.”  Ummm….maybe it’s supposed to be “It’s NOT about the money, money, money.”  

Oh, well – this week has been all about weights and running!!!

Sunday 3/30 – 44 stacked leg oblique crunches with dumbbell (15 pound)

start - right leg on top
start – right leg on top
crunch to the left
crunch to the left

After doing 44 to the left, I switched my top leg and crunched the other direction.

left leg on top
left leg on top
crunch right
crunch right

Reaching with the dumbbell made this move a challenge!!!

I ran 9 miles (72:51) + 1 easy mile.  Trying to continue to increase my miles for about another month (big race coming up!!).

Monday 3/31 – 44 alternating shoulder press while standing on wobble balls.  I used 10 pound dumbbells and that was hard by the end!

ready
ready
right
right
left
left

I love using the wobble balls for moves like this because you have to keep a slight bend in your knew to hold the balance and that helps take pressure off of your low back!!!

see how little they are?
see how little they are?

This was also a running day!!! 8 miles (59:57) plus 2 nice and easy miles.

Tuesday 4/1 – 44 combo shoulder/arm move (5 pound dumbbells – this was hard plenty!) Start with palms facing body  –

ready (don't forget to look bored!)
ready (don’t forget to look bored!)

Raise arms straight up in front –

up
up

Rotate weights so that your palms are facing down –

palms down
palms down

Pull arms back (squeeze your shoulder blades together) –

pull back and squeeze
pull back and squeeze

Lower arms down to side –

down
down

Curl arms down so that you are back to the start position.  

I liked this move – it was a great way to work my entire upper body!!!

I needed a little break from running so I did a 10 Minute Solution DVD –  Sculpt, Tone and Reshape with the Figure 8.

figure 8 band
figure 8 band

There are so many fun moves with this band – I love what a great workout you can get with it.  This DVD was just over 50 minutes and I worked my entire body!!!

Wednesday 4/2 – 44 triceps kickbacks (10 pound dumbbells)

ready
ready
back
back

This was a challenge with the amount of weight I used but I don’t want to have saggy arms!!!

I did Shelly McDonald (a Caribbean workout) Core Pilates.  I had a horrible headache (woke up around 1:00 am with it and it never went away) so I thought some pilates would be a good choice.  I made it through almost the whole hour before I quit!

Thursday 4/3 – 44 side bend with shoulder press (8 pound dumbbells).

ready
ready
down with right hand, really reach up with left hand
down with right hand, really reach up with left hand

After doing 44 to one side, I had to switch and do another set!

ready to go again
ready to go again
go
go

By the time I finished, I had worked not only my core but also my shoulders – just holding an 8 pound weight up for the entire time was a workout!!!

I did a double run on Thursday to break in my new shoes!!!  Well, really just to get used to running on tired legs but….

new shoes - Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3
new shoes – Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3

First run – 10 miles (79:24) plus 1.15 easy.
Second run about an hour and a half later – 5 miles (36:53) plus 2.35 miles at a nice pace.
Total – 15 miles of hard running and 3.5 easier miles!

Friday 4/4 – 44 bicep curls in Warrior I (5 pound dumbbells).

ready
ready
curl
curl

I had to do another set after I finished 44 that way!!

switch sides
switch sides
culr
culs

5 pounds doesn’t seem like much until you do a total of 88 bicep curls and keep your arms extended out the entire time – then it feels like at least 20 pounds!!!

The workout was a fun one – Turbo Jam – Cardio Party 3.  50 minutes of pure fun with Chalean and her crew!!!

Saturday 4/5 – 44 lateral raise on wobble balls (first 22 with 8 pounds, second 22 with 5 pounds).

trying to stay balanced
trying to stay balanced
ready
ready
go
go

This move is always hard for me!!!  After the first 22 I knew that I couldn’t continue to use good form unless I dropped down in weight!!!

And, today was another day of running!!  9 miles – 63:17 plus 1.1 to cool down.

Overall, this was a great week of strength work and running!!!!

41 miles of hard running plus 7.6 easier miles for a total of 48.6 miles!!!

Did you move this week?

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Burpees, Burpees, Burpees 3/23-3/29

I usually mix up my 44s from one day to the next but this week I decided to make it all about the burpee!!  (I don’t know what I was thinking!!!)

Sunday 3/23 – 44 side burpees.  First off, this one was actually 88 total burpees – crazy!!!  Instead of jumping back, I jumped out to the side – push-up – jumped back in then repeated to the other side and counted that as 1 rep.

You can tell in the video that the side push-up is just a bit different – my hands are more staggered and I sort of went down to one side each time.  This was NOT easy!!!  It took me around 10 minutes to finish all my reps because I had to have some breaks!!!

Monday 3/24 – 44 dead man burpees.  This one is sort of fun but my chest was sore for days after this.  When you go back, lay down on the ground and extend your arms to the sides – then push up from the ground.

This might have been my favorite move from the week.

I ran today – the plan was to get in at least one 20 mile run but that didn’t happen because my right calf has been giving me problems.  Instead I ran 4 miles and walked another 4.3.

Tuesday 3/25 – 44 sumo burpees.  Probably the “easiest” style of burpees I did all week.  I think being in the sumo position and doing wide push-ups is a little easier!

For the #HappyFitMarch challenge today we were supposed to set a new PR for wall sit.  I decided to make the wall sit extra “fun” and put wobble balls under my feet – 4:01.

Screen Shot 2014-03-29 at 7.33.11 AMI did a DVD that I haven’t in awhile – TaeBo Amped – Rockin’ Abs.  This is about 45 minutes of cardio and it is geared to working your core.  You use the “amplifier” – 

Tae Bo amplifier
Tae Bo amplifier

Using this stick adds all kinds of intensity!

Wednesday 3/2644 decline burpees.  These were HARD!!!!  They might have been my least favorite from the week.  Jumping my feet backwards onto the step was a little scary!!

The push-ups were not easy!

I did my Mash-Up Conditioning DVD that I won from Kim @ BusyBod and did 4 more of the Tempos (3, 4, 5 and 6).  I have done all but Tempo 7 now.  I like the format of the workout and I will like it more each time through.  The first time was a bit of a challenge because you lose a little time trying to figure out what the move is supposed to be.

Thursday 3/27 – 44 medicine ball burpees.  These were the only burpees all week that I took the push-up out!  I did one push-up with my hands on the medicine ball and about busted my face!!!

So, technically, I guess these aren’t true burpees but I’m counting them for this week!!!

I did one of my favorite workouts – Turbo Fire – Fire 60 and Abs 10.  Both of these are great workouts and I always have fun with Chalean and the rest of the Turbo Fire crew.

I also decided to try a run and see how my calf was doing.  I ended up running 10 miles at a nice easy pace (8:30) and then did 1.2 miles cool down.  Thankfully running slower didn’t really aggravate my calf!!!

Friday 3/28 – 44 side plank burpees.  Jump back – side plank – push-up – side plank other side – push-up – jump in and jump up – repeat.

These were nice because they had to be a little slower than a standard burpee in order to get the most out of the side planks.  But, I had to do 88 push-ups to complete all 44 reps!!!

My workout was nice and easy – 2 Pilates DVDs – Fat Burning Pilates and Burn & Firm Pilates.  I don’t do Pilates often but it really is a nice change of pace!

Saturday 3/29 – 44 BOSU squat jump burpees.  For my 7th day of burpees I wanted to do a good one.  I came up with a fun move using my favorite piece of equipment (besides my treadmill, of course) – 

BOSU
BOSU

The move was to jump off the BOSU – jump back and do a push-up with hands on the BOSU (this was a challenge for me since it was more of a tricep push-up) – jump in – jump onto BOSU – do a squat jump and stick it – repeat!

Fun times!!!!  

And, I ran today because we were supposed to do a mile for #HappyFitMarch and compare it to the previous Saturdays.  I did a total of 5 miles – 

Screen Shot 2014-03-29 at 7.48.29 AMMy final mile was 6:12 which isn’t my fastest but I didn’t want to push too hard today because speeding up I could feel my calf pulling again.

Overall, even with my calf not cooperating, it was a great week.  Lots of burpees  – 7 days, 7 different kinds – 352 total burpees!!!!

And, I’m almost to my March goal of 150 miles!!!  2 more days should definitely put me over!!!

What’s your favorite way to burpee?

Happy Saturday!!!

Kim