Category Archives: Running

Focus on the Core (6/15-6/21)

June 21, 2014 Kim 36 Comments

This week I decided to make the daily 44 all about core work!!! I try to do some core work every week but this week I hit it even harder.

Sunday 6/15 – 44 oblique crunches with a leg lift.

I liked this move!!! I counted a left-right as 1 rep so it turned into a total of 88 crunches!!

Monday 6/16 – 44 alternating leg kicks while in a V-sit position.

This move required a lot of balance which is even more of a core bonus!! (I counted a right-left kick as 1 rep)

Still trying to lift weights consistently so it was Chalean Extreme Burn Circuit 3 (lots of shoulder work).

I also got in a nice hard run!!!
9 miles in 57:49 (6:26 pace) followed by 1.75 easy miles. I haven’t been running hard much lately but I still try to occasionally push my pace just to make sure I still can.

Tuesday 6/17 – 44 plank hold with a double knee tap.

I must be holding my breath in the bottom picture because my face is really red – oops!!!

I decided to follow Monday’s hard run with an easier run.
10 miles in 80:07 + 1 super easy mile.

Wednesday 6/18 – 44 “rope climbs” with legs extended.

This was a great move for keeping constant tension on the abs!

Lifting day – Chalean Extreme Burn Circuit 1 (last time through this circuit – next week I will start the Push Circuit!!).

I wanted a little more after lifting so I did The Firm – Skills, Drills & Thrills. This is a nice workout with a mix of cardio and toning using the wobble disc –

Thursday 6/19 – 44 plank with elbows on the wobble disc – step out with right leg, back in then pull the right knee in – repeat on left side for 1 rep.

I should have timed how long I had to hold plank while doing this – oh, well!!

And, I’m still trying to bump my running miles up so it was another day of running.
13 miles in 1:42.13 + 1.4 easier miles.

Friday 6/20 – 44 knee crunches while holding boat pose on wobble disc.

Can you tell how hard it was to balance? My arms were flailing the entire time just trying to keep me from falling over!!!

The only workout for the day was Chalean Extreme – Burn Circuit 2 (all about biceps and triceps) – I can finally do all of the tricep push-ups on my toes!!!

I knew that I had a long day of cleaning, moving furniture and ironing ahead (8 hours is what it ended up taking) so I didn’t do any cardio after the lifting!!! That ended up being a good choice!!!

Saturday 6/21 – 44 grab & crunch with medicine ball!! This was a fun new move. Start by laying on your back with your knees at 90 and a medicine ball (I used an 8 pound ball) resting on your legs –

Crunch up and grab the medicine ball –

Take the ball with you and extend arms over head –

Crunch up and place ball back on legs to complete 1 rep –

Not only did this work my abs/core – I felt this in my hip flexors a lot!!!!

I had planned to run again but woke up with a stabbing pain in my eye (gotta love sinuses!!!) so I decided to skip the run for now.

I just realized that my total mileage for the year (hard and easy miles) is just over 900. That is more than I had for all of 2013 – maybe learning to run easier is paying off!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Biceps, Core, Fitness, Lunges, Push-Ups, Running, Squats

Balance Is Key (6/8-6/14)

June 14, 2014 Kim 51 Comments

This week my daily 44s were all about working on balance. I used my wobble balls for each move –

Sunday 6/8 – 44 leg abductions while standing on wobble ball.

You can see that I stood on the flat side for this move. And, after I did 44 abductions with my left leg I had to switch and do another set!!

I promise I really was standing on the wobble ball – sometimes the pictures don’t come out exactly like I want them to!!!

Monday 6/9 – 44 decline push-ups with my toes on a step and my hands on wobble balls.

Not gonna lie – this move was HARD!!!!

I’ve been lifting fairly consistently again with Chalean Extreme – this day was Burn Circuit 3. I also did a workout that I don’t do very often – ReeBok Cardio Tone. Pretty much this was my version of a recovery day!!!

Tuesday 6/10 – 44 squat pulses on stacked wobble balls (to make an actual ball) –

probably not super safe but..... — probably not super safe but…..

Just balancing on the stacked wobble balls was entertaining!!!

This move was a challenge!!! Once I actually got down into the squat position, I actually got about 16 pulses the first time and then 20 something the next time before falling off. Obviously, it took several attempts to get all 44.

And, it was a run day!!!
10 miles in 68:11 + 1.1 easy miles

Wednesday 6/11 – 44 side plank hip dips with elbow on wobble ball.

This move was hard – just holding plank while balancing on the wobble ball was a challenge!!! After I finally finished the first set I flipped over and had more fun!

Back to the weights – Chalean Extreme – Burn Circuit 1. Then I did one of my favorite workouts ever – Les Mills Pump – Combat!!!

Thursday 6/12 – 44 band bicep curls with wobble balls on band.

Adding the wobble balls made this move so much harder – it was a fun challenge!!!

I pulled out another DVD that I rarely do – Mari Winsor Pilates from Shape. It is a nice recovery type workout.

Friday 6/13 – 44 lunges on wobble balls.

another one that was hard to get into position for — another one that was hard to get set-up

This was hard to balance initially but once I got the position it was good. By the time I finished 44 my quads were burning!! The added balance challenge made it a lot different than a standard lunge. And, of course, I don’t want to be unbalanced so I switched sides and did another set of 44.

And, it was another running day.
10 miles in 79:18 (nice and relaxed today) + 3.1 really easy miles

Saturday 6/14 – 44 jump squats onto wobble balls.

This actually was a really fun way to do jump squats – the added balance challenge was great!!!

And, I wanted to get 3 days of lifting so it was another day of Chalean Extreme – Burn Circuit 2.

Lately I’ve been happy with my workouts – I’m trying to keep a mix of running, lifting and other workouts. In the next few weeks I will probably start to increase my running again – I have a couple of running events coming up and want to be ready.

How often do you work on your balance?

Happy Saturday!!!

Kim

Back, Butt, Core, Fitness, Lunges, Running

A Little Bit of Everything!! (6/1-6/7)

June 7, 2014 Kim 33 Comments

This week was full of running, weights, kettle bells for the daily 44s and of course – Hunter’s half marathon!!!

Sunday 6/1 – 44 standing chest presses with kettle bell (17 pounds).

Then it was 7 miles in 53:16 + 2 easy miles.

Monday 6/2 – 44 pile squat with kettle bell row (20 pounds).

Because I was so sore from all of last weeks workouts I thought about not lifting but…..

I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 to kind of work out the kinks. Then I was ready to go with Chalean Extreme Burn Circuit 3 (heavy shoulder work – joy!!!).

Tuesday 6/3 – 44 Russian twists with kettle bell (14 pounds).

I counted a right-left-right as 1 rep. Russian twists are never my favorite and adding the KB made them really hard for me!!!

And, it was another running day!!
15 miles in 1:56.37 followed by an easy 0.75 miles.

Wednesday 6/3 – 44 jump squats with kettle bell behind my head (20 pounds).

I had a video but technical issues so I went with the picture instead. Just know that jumping and landing in a squat without beating myself to death with the KB was quit challenging!!!

This was a double workout day!!!

First, Chalean Extreme Burn Circuit 1 – thankfully it wasn’t quite as painful as last week!!!

Then, I had to run since it was National Running Day!!!
5 miles in 34:56 + 2.3 easy miles.

Thursday 6/5 – 44 box step-ups with kettle bell (20 pounds). This is a move that Josie @ Yum Yucky did the other day (minus the kettle bell) as part of her full body fat burning challenge.

And after my left leg was shaking then I had to do a quick stretch and switch sides!!!

This move was HARD!!!

I did a DVD that I haven’t done in ages – Quick Fix Total Mix. This has 9, 10 minute workouts. I only did 6 because that’s all I was feeling – 2 different ab workouts, 2 for the butt and 2 for legs and arms!

Friday 6/6 – 44 alternating lateral lunges with kettle bell – figure 8s (20 pounds).

I liked this move!! I counted a right lunge/left lunge as 1 rep and just moved the KB in a slow controlled way!!

And, I ran again!!
7 miles in 47:50 + 2 easy miles.

Saturday 6/7 – 44 knee repeaters.

(clearly not me – for some reason I can’t get my videos to load right now)

I love this move – it is a great warm-up for the day. And of course, this is a move that had to be the same on both sides!!!

And, the rest of my workout is fixing to take place!!!

Hunter and I are off to the races. We are running Storm the Dam half marathon. It is a trail race so that will be new for me.

I am so excited to run with Hunter in his first half – it will be awesome!! Hopefully he will share about his training and race experience soon!

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Back, Chest, Fitness, Hamstrings, Push-Ups, Running

Furniture as Fitness Equipment (5/25-5/31)

May 31, 2014 Kim 48 Comments

This week I decided to take a basic piece of furniture and use it for all of my daily 44s. I used one of the little footstools in our basement –

Sunday 5/25 – 44 elevated plank with extended arm and opposite arm row.

Can you tell that my arm is in front of me? Positioning my arm like that instead of under my shoulder made this move HARD!!!! And, I had to do a set of 44 with my right arm!

I think I need to do more planks with my arm out in front – I felt that for days!!!

Monday 5/26 – 44 triceps dips with hands on my step and feet on the foot stool (so they were higher than my hands). This move is similar to one that Josie (Yum Yucky) showed recently – advanced tricep dips!!!

Total burn during this move!!!

I did a fun workout – Prevention 3-2-1. I like this workout because the format makes the time fly by. You do 3 minutes of cardio, 2 minutes of strength work and 1 minute of core for 6 segments!!!

Tuesday 5/27 – 44 split leg dead lift with one foot on the foot stool.

After finishing one set and having a hip on fire, I had to do 44 on the other side!

I love dead lifts and this was a fun way to do them – the key is make sure that most of your weight is on the leg/foot on the ground!!! (12 pound dumbbells)

I started back on one of my favorite weight lifting programs – Chalean Extreme – Burn Circuit 1. (for the record I’m still sore today!!!)

And, after that, it was time for Hunter’s final long run – his best one ever!!! We continued with our 5 minutes of running/1 minute of walking because he likes that and wants to do that for the half – 10.65 miles in 1:41.26 (average pace 9:31).

Wednesday 5/28 – 44 single arm bent over row with one foot on the foot stool and a wobble ball under the foot on the ground. (12 pounds)

This week had lots of days that had 2 sets of 44 – always fun!!!

For some reason, I spent all of Tuesday night with a stomach ache so when I got up Wednesday I decided to do something fairly simple – I just walked 8.25 miles with an 11% incline. (It took just over 2 hours!)

Thursday 5/29 – 44 hip lifts with feet on the foot stool (toes up).

Another day of weight lifting – Chalean Extreme – Burn Circuit 2.

Friday 5/30 – 44 push-ups with feet pressed against the side (at the top) of the foot stool.

And, for the record, Chris took a bit to take the 2nd picture – pretty sure I said “Holy Hell, take the picture already!!” This move was HARD!!!!

It was a running day again – 9 miles in 67:47 with 1.5% incline + 2.5 miles easy!!!!

Saturday 5/31 – 44 box jumps using the foot stool – fun times!!!

And, yesterday when I was reading blogs, Taylor @ Lifting Revolution had this great Weekend Warrior Workout as well as a statement that I took as a challenge – she said to set a timer for 30-40 minutes for the workout but that “we weren’t going to finish and that’s the point.” Of course, that meant I had to try it!!!

The workout includes:
1 mile run
500 jumping jacks
400 squats
300 leg raises
200 push-ups
100 burpees (either dead man or with push-up)

The moves can be broken up any way you want to but the plan is to keep moving for the entire time and see how much you can get done.

Total time – 48:40 broken down to 41:35 for the moves + 7:05 for the mile. I did all the push-ups on my toes and deadman burpees for all of them.

Pretty sure that I will be moving slowly the rest of the weekend after that workout!!!

Do you ever use furniture for your workouts?

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Biceps, Fitness, Running, Shoulders, Treadmill, Triceps

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

May 24, 2014 Kim 30 Comments

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!!!

flip arms over - palms up — flip arms over – palms up

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.

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

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!)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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