Bashed, battered, and all the stronger for it! Okay not really bashed and battered, but definitely worked, worked, and then worked some more. I had a double batch of Lead Pilates goodness today. Started the morning at 8:30 with TRX and Restore. Great workout that pushed me in a few new ways. A couple new moves involved that I don't think I have done in TRX class before. And even one new restore item with the foam roller to get more to the side of the hip/glute area in a nice way.
Then there was an hour break for me. I used some of that time for a bit of solo restore - some psoas release and a bit more of the hip/glute roll out that I had just learned.
The next class was Pilates Core Fusion, not sure I have done that class before (I think maybe I had done the Pilates Cardio Fusion before). At any rate this was a crazy difficult ab class. So much work on the abs - and then a whole lot of work on the legs and glutes.
Now I am sitting here and still feeling the effects of that double workout but in a good way - it feels like the blood is pumping through my body in a more energetic way if that makes any kind of sense at all. We will see how much I like having had this double workout tomorrow when I am doing my swim workout for the Just Tri It sessions.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Consequence Free - NOT!
Had an awesome run with the Just Tri It crew today! As I was coming home in the car Consequence Free by Great Big Sea was on the radio. What a great song and I love the "All the rules are made for bending, and if I let my hair down would that be such a crime". I don't really want to be consequence free, but making the choices to be free is fantastic, but I want the results of my actions to reflect those actions.
Really, I am just giving another listen to this song and it is no wonder I love it so much - a tonne of messages in it that I wish I had learned when I was young, and feel happy to be closer to them now as an adult.
Anyhow, enough philosophizing for today. The run was great. I was with the 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking group. We did a bit over 3 kms today and it felt great. Before the run we had a speaker who talked about good running form and cadence. Had never considered cadence much before but the optimum is supposed to be somewhere between 168 and 190 I think she said. We did a couple tests and unless I was counting incorrectly I am between 160 and 180 (first test I counted at 180, second at 160). So that is pretty great since it gives me something to work on from a decent base.
I admit I absolutely didn't want to go for the run today, it was cold and spitty misty rain. But boy am I ever glad I went. The consequence of making a great choice!
Really, I am just giving another listen to this song and it is no wonder I love it so much - a tonne of messages in it that I wish I had learned when I was young, and feel happy to be closer to them now as an adult.
Anyhow, enough philosophizing for today. The run was great. I was with the 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking group. We did a bit over 3 kms today and it felt great. Before the run we had a speaker who talked about good running form and cadence. Had never considered cadence much before but the optimum is supposed to be somewhere between 168 and 190 I think she said. We did a couple tests and unless I was counting incorrectly I am between 160 and 180 (first test I counted at 180, second at 160). So that is pretty great since it gives me something to work on from a decent base.
I admit I absolutely didn't want to go for the run today, it was cold and spitty misty rain. But boy am I ever glad I went. The consequence of making a great choice!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Still Tri'ing It
This week was a great one on the triathalon front. It was really great all around. I wrote the other day about the run which was great.
Sunday - Swim
The breakthrough on the breathing plan really did pay off. We worked on endurance on our swim so I got to just work on getting my stroke a little better. It felt much better just breathing on the one side, I had way fewer moments where I had to break out of my stroke to deal with needing to take a breath outside of the pattern. There were still some of those moments to be sure, but less than previously. I think my next goal with the swimming is going to be keeping my arms in a bit closer, sometimes I feel they are winged out quite far to the sides. Always good to have a next thing to work on.
Monday - Biking
I had really been kind of dreading this, don't love riding on the roads. Thankfully we were riding in a place where there wasn't a lot of traffic. And all I can say is that it was great. I finally learned how to shift purposefully. I always used to just kind of find a mid range difficulty of pedalling and just stuck with that - much easier when you actually shift to get benefit from the gear you are in! I definitely could have ridden longer and farther. Hopefully next week I will get a bit more riding distance in. Maybe ride out to the meeting point???????
Tuesday - Off schedule run
An extra run?? Can I get a WHAT? Yes that is right I opted to do a short little run on my own (well jog/walk - or jalk). It was only say maybe 1.5Km, but it was a nice little bit of a run before supper time. The fact I did it at all is a happy making moment for me. I want to get myself at least close to being able to run the full 2K of the triathalon race and I won't get to that state if I don't do some additional runs beyond the ones on Thursday. So this is a start.
Excellent training days ahead!
Sunday - Swim
The breakthrough on the breathing plan really did pay off. We worked on endurance on our swim so I got to just work on getting my stroke a little better. It felt much better just breathing on the one side, I had way fewer moments where I had to break out of my stroke to deal with needing to take a breath outside of the pattern. There were still some of those moments to be sure, but less than previously. I think my next goal with the swimming is going to be keeping my arms in a bit closer, sometimes I feel they are winged out quite far to the sides. Always good to have a next thing to work on.
Monday - Biking
I had really been kind of dreading this, don't love riding on the roads. Thankfully we were riding in a place where there wasn't a lot of traffic. And all I can say is that it was great. I finally learned how to shift purposefully. I always used to just kind of find a mid range difficulty of pedalling and just stuck with that - much easier when you actually shift to get benefit from the gear you are in! I definitely could have ridden longer and farther. Hopefully next week I will get a bit more riding distance in. Maybe ride out to the meeting point???????
Tuesday - Off schedule run
An extra run?? Can I get a WHAT? Yes that is right I opted to do a short little run on my own (well jog/walk - or jalk). It was only say maybe 1.5Km, but it was a nice little bit of a run before supper time. The fact I did it at all is a happy making moment for me. I want to get myself at least close to being able to run the full 2K of the triathalon race and I won't get to that state if I don't do some additional runs beyond the ones on Thursday. So this is a start.
Excellent training days ahead!
Friday, April 18, 2014
Followup, less happy
Super awesome freezing rain and sleety snowy yuck. All that weather to ruin my plan for today which had actually been to get out there and get in another run, since yesterday's run was so great. In lieu of that good healthy run I instead sat down here at my computer and immediately engaged in my best time wasting activity. Thankfully, that stupid game keeps crashing so I suppose that is a good thing. Although it doesn't seem to be spurring me on to other active endeavours.
But laundry will be on the agenda after I post. Then I just need to think of something else to do that would be a good compliment for a day indoors. Perhaps the music should turn on and I can have my little solo dance party. What should be the musical theme for the day????
But laundry will be on the agenda after I post. Then I just need to think of something else to do that would be a good compliment for a day indoors. Perhaps the music should turn on and I can have my little solo dance party. What should be the musical theme for the day????
Because I'm Happy
The power of a great, upbeat song. Today before going to my run I was tired and seriously considering skipping it, it was cold out, I was tired blah blah blah you know the litany that can happen in the old noggin.
Well before going one of the wonderful lead pilates folks posted this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AmTJzoYfqE#t=111 and how could I not be impressed with the skill demonstrated, but also the joy that song can just bring out?
So, off I went to my run. I went with the 2 minutes running and 1 minute walking group and that worked really well. Was doing fine, not really pushing myself a tonne but enjoying myself. Then someone did something on the run, going near a statue or something that just brought the video and song to my mind. So here I was right near the end of the run and that song came into my head and I was onto an awesome runner's high and I was going, carrying on even after our last 2 minute run stretch, and then I was zig zagging and just grooving along. Felt great despite my frozen legs and rear end :)
Makes me happy because I am pretty sure I will be able to manage the 3 minutes and 1 minute next week! That is pretty exciting. Not to mention that on the way home Debbie needed to stop at Safeway so I took the opportunity to shuffle along home - I ran most of that way as well (only a few blocks but still it was a nice bit of extra run).
But now it is late, my cocoa is almost done, I am going to roll out my quads and then off to beddy bye time.
Well before going one of the wonderful lead pilates folks posted this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AmTJzoYfqE#t=111 and how could I not be impressed with the skill demonstrated, but also the joy that song can just bring out?
So, off I went to my run. I went with the 2 minutes running and 1 minute walking group and that worked really well. Was doing fine, not really pushing myself a tonne but enjoying myself. Then someone did something on the run, going near a statue or something that just brought the video and song to my mind. So here I was right near the end of the run and that song came into my head and I was onto an awesome runner's high and I was going, carrying on even after our last 2 minute run stretch, and then I was zig zagging and just grooving along. Felt great despite my frozen legs and rear end :)
Makes me happy because I am pretty sure I will be able to manage the 3 minutes and 1 minute next week! That is pretty exciting. Not to mention that on the way home Debbie needed to stop at Safeway so I took the opportunity to shuffle along home - I ran most of that way as well (only a few blocks but still it was a nice bit of extra run).
But now it is late, my cocoa is almost done, I am going to roll out my quads and then off to beddy bye time.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Just Tri It
I am just into the third week of a mini triathalon training program. It is a really fantastic thing http://justtri-it.com/ that I am grateful to my neighbour Debbie for suggesting.
The group meets 3 times a week to train (swimming on Sunday, biking on Monday, running on Thursday). It has been a lot of fun, I have met a quite a few people doing it. And it is a fantastic way to get me out and about instead of sitting here in front of my computer so much.
Swimming is by far the hardest component of the training. I am not a terrible swimmer by any means, but I don't have anything even approaching good technique. The worst part of which is my breathing technique. I always used to just turn my head side to side (with it lifted too much so that doesn't help with body position). Working on this breathing was just HARD, I felt all drowny every time across the pool. It was my focus on every single drill we did, all I thought about was breathing properly. Today I feel like I had a small breakthrough. I just realized I am MUCH better at one side than the other for taking in that air. So I am just going to concentrate on that side for now so I can really just improve the other things without always being fully focused on the breathing.
Yay for breakthroughs!
The group meets 3 times a week to train (swimming on Sunday, biking on Monday, running on Thursday). It has been a lot of fun, I have met a quite a few people doing it. And it is a fantastic way to get me out and about instead of sitting here in front of my computer so much.
Swimming is by far the hardest component of the training. I am not a terrible swimmer by any means, but I don't have anything even approaching good technique. The worst part of which is my breathing technique. I always used to just turn my head side to side (with it lifted too much so that doesn't help with body position). Working on this breathing was just HARD, I felt all drowny every time across the pool. It was my focus on every single drill we did, all I thought about was breathing properly. Today I feel like I had a small breakthrough. I just realized I am MUCH better at one side than the other for taking in that air. So I am just going to concentrate on that side for now so I can really just improve the other things without always being fully focused on the breathing.
Yay for breakthroughs!
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