Week 49 Recap

This was a nice recovery week where I just enjoyed being active. I ran 3 times, and they were all pure joy. The focus was on enjoying the run with friends and it was a blast. It was nice not having a prescribed workout and exploring new routes. I even managed to bike a little, to and from the run, and it felt great being on my bike again. I didn't walk as much as the previous week because I didn't do any walking on the weekend, but every weekday I walked at least 3 miles and some even 4.

The star of this week was yoga with 4 hours over 9 sessions! That means I did yoga twice on some days, even if some were only for 10 minutes, and it really helped keep me energized throughout the week. This morning I overslept so I didn't get to do my morning yoga, and I felt really lethargic and stressed all day. I know my body needed the extra sleep, but I really feel much better when I start the day with some exercise so I need to keep making that a priority.

This week I'm trying to focus on eating plenty of fruits and veggies. I can earn an additional point for the HBBC challenge everyday that I eat at least 7 servings of fruits and veggies, and this is a lot harder then I thought even as a vegetarian. I really think I'm counting wrong because I've been keeping track the last few days and the most I've eaten is today at 5.5 cups. I've lost my lead, but I'm going to keep at it -- I think some participants are mislabeled and should really be in the advanced category. But it's all good because I am doing this for me, having fun being more active and focusing on healthy eating to balance all the challenges of parties and eating out that the holiday season brings.

I get to run long again this Saturday, and I'm super excited! I LOVE slow long runs and I get see several from my group do their longest run ever. That's always really exciting.

Week Summary:

• ran 18 miles
• walked 17 miles
• biked 11 miles
• 9 yoga sessions; 4 hours
• HBBC Week 3: 54.5 points

TTT: Chilly Run, Chaturanga, Walking

#1: Chilly Run - It was 44º this morning and when you factored in the 11 mph winds the feels like temp was 39º Brr! But that did not deter me or 3 other hard core members from my group from having a great run this morning. I ran a 1 mile warm up in 11:36, which was faster than I intended but I was freezing, then ran another 4 easy with the group @ 11:52 pace. My legs feel a bit sore. With enough clothes, running in this weather is not bad at all. Here's a list of everything I wore, and while I unzipped my jacket a little, I was never hot. I did shed the buff after 2 miles and the gloves during the last mile, but was very comfortable the entire run.

• Nike Pro Fitted Short Sleeve tech shirt
• long sleeve tech shirt
• windbreaker jacket
• C9 tights
• windbreaker pants
• thick socks
• headband & skull cap
• bondiband buff
• gloves

#2: Yoga - I've been rocking the yoga lately. Yesterday I did a sun salutation flow from Yogamazing and it had a LOT of down dogs, planks and Chaturanga poses (where you hold the down position of a push up). It was a great upper body workout, even though what I meant to do was an energizing flow. My arms and shoulders are quite sore today. I've been trying to do at least 10-20 minutes of daily yoga, and I love starting or ending my day this way, but I'm taking tomorrow off. Right now my body is asking me for extra sleep, so I will oblige by setting a later alarm. If I happen to wake up earlier on my own and have time for yoga then great, otherwise I'll take the extra sleep.

#3: Walking - I've also been a walking machine lately. Our bus route got changed so now I have an extra half mile walk each day. I've also been walking to a further bus stop when I get there before the bus, and try to get a little extra walking here and there whenever the opportunity presents itself. I track my walking during the day whenever I walk at least a 1/4 mile, and I've been getting in at least 3-4 miles each day.  It's great cross training and a quick way to earn extra HBBC points ;)

HBBC Update - Week 1 & 2

At the end of week 2 of the Holiday Booty Buster Challenge, which started November 19th, I am on the top 3! I am in shock! Of course, week 2 included the marathon and all the walking I did as active recovery. Now I am determined to maintain that lead so  in the next few weeks there will be a ton more walking, taking the long way when possible to get in any little bit of extra walking, lots of yoga, and I may even start biking to work again! :) Below is the score tally for the first 2 weeks.:

week 1: 

• walked 16 miles 
• ran 17.2 miles 
• 28 minutes of yoga (1.4 points)
• total = 34.6 points

week 2: 

• ran 31.4 miles
• walked 17.1 miles 
• biked 5 miles (1.7 points)
• 69.5 min of yoga (3.5 points)
• total = 53.7 points

Total after 2 weeks = 88.3 points

And I already have 35.9 more points for week 3! I gotta step it up because I already see that I'm losing that lead, and we can't have that :)

HBBC Starts Tomorrow!

Amanda's Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge (HBBC) starts tomorrow! From November 19 through January 6, you can earn points by making your health and fitness a priority during the holiday season for a chance to win some amazing prizes. Here's a breakdown of the points system:

• 1 Point per mile (run/walk)
• 1 Point per 3 miles biked
• 1 Point per 20 minutes of weight lifting, Pilates, yoga, stretching or abs
• 1 Point per 15 minutes of low impact cardio (i.e. low impact aerobics, easy biking, skiing, skating, water aerobics, snow shoeing)
• 1 Point per 10 minutes of high impact cardio (i.e.spinning, kickboxing, lap swimming)
• 1 Point per day where you reach a minimum of 7 servings of fruits and veggies

You can still sign up and join in the fun, so what are you waiting for?

I'll be including my progress in HBBC in my weekly recaps. I'll kick things off tomorrow with at least 10 points, starting with a 9 mile run with my Galloway group. It will be my last long run before the marathon, and I'll be helping 2 of them finish their longest run ever of 23 miles. I'm so excited for them and that I get to share that milestone with them. I'll probably do a quick yoga stretch after the run, another hour on Sunday morning, then relax for the rest of the weekend and last week of taper.


Countdown to Launch: 8 Days, 12 hours =)

Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge 2011

I participated in the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge last year, and it really helped me stay on track during the holidays. I'm doing it again this year because it will be just the motivation I'll need after the marathon.

The challenge runs from November 19 to January 6, to cover Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. You earn points by working out like you normally do, plus extra points for a few other things geared towards taking care of your entire body, mind, and soul.

This year she has 3 different levels so we all have a chance to win some fabulous prizes. She also gives away random prizes just for participating, so check it out and make your health a priority this holiday season.

Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge

I just joined the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge hosted by RuntoTheFinish. From November 20 to January 7, I'll be earning points on this challenge for the chance to win some fabulous prizes by doing the things I'm supposed to be doing anyway. The goal is to help keep me motivated to stay active and not gain weight during the holiday season. I did it last year on my own while training for a marathon, but I could use a little extra support this time because all the recent setbacks have hindered my motivation to exercise. 

I'm trying to get back into the groove, but it's hard when I have a good week followed by a bad week. I'm constantly afraid of getting hurt again and not being able to run at all, so I am even more conservative than usual at the first sign of illness or injury. I don't dare sign up for a race too far in advance for fear of being injured on race day. This helps keep me from throwing money away, being disappointed when I can't run a race for which I registered, or worse risking injury when I run it anyway unprepared. However, it also means that I don't have a tangible goal for my running. I know I shouldn't need one. I love running, but I also love setting and achieving goals, and seeing my improvement, all of which racing helps me do. Racing helps keep me motivated to run when I don't want to or when it's too hard because of time, weather, etc, so that I can achieve those goals.  I'm still going to try a few races, but this challenge should help keep me motivated the rest of the time. Join me!