Good afternoon! We’re back in Orlando, safe and sound.  The drive uneventful and pretty boring.   The only things that kept me going were:

A skinny vanilla latte (medium).

And a Kashi GoLean Crunchy bar (Chocolate Peanut), which was WAY better than I remembered.  There’s a blurb on the back of the packaging that talks about how the bar is low glycemic to keep you feeling fuller, longer.  It worked–I was satisfied WAY past my normal lunch time.

Pre-Run Snack

I was so tired when we arrived at the house, so I knew I better get to the gym ASAP or it would never happen.  Before I left, I had a protein shake (1 cup milk, 1/2 cup frozen peaches, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, and 2 scoops ImmunPlex protein powder).

A shake is a great pre-workout snack because it doesn’t ever sit "heavy" in my tummy.

Speedwork – 8 x 400

Since I missed two speedwork days on  my Advanced 10K Training Plan, I decided to make it up on my ‘rest’ day.  Speedwork is a GREAT way to squeeze in an intense exercise when you don’t have a lot of time…. or aren’t feeling up to committing an hour or so to a workout. 🙂

My schedule called for 8 sets of 400 meter dashes at an 8-minute mile pace.  400 meters is roughly 0.25 mile.  I decided to do my first speedwork session on the treadmill so I could accurately pace myself.

Here’s what I did:

• Warm-up: 5.0 mph; Minute 0 – 2
• Speedwork: 7.5 mph; Minute 2 – 4 (roughly a 0.25-mile dash)
• Interval: 6.0 mph; Minute 4 – 4:30
• Repeat Speedwork and Interval sessions 7 more times
• Cool-down: 3.0 mph; Minute 22 – 27

And here are my statistics:

• Duration: 27 minutes
• Average Heart Rate: 161 bpm
• Maximum  Heart Rate: 191 bpm
• Calories Burned: 241

Considering that I only burned 190 calories in 32 minutes doing regular cross-training last Monday, I’d say speedwork training is an extremely effective work-out…. AND I think it will help make me faster!

I also did bicep curls, tricep curls, and assisted chin ups at the gym.  🙂

Mid-Afternoon Munchies

As you may have noticed, I didn’t really eat lunch today.   I just randomly ate a bunch of mini-meals throughout the morning. 

After my workout, I went grocery shopping and (once again) ate a Z-Bar in line.  I saved the wrapper for a picture. 🙂

And, when I got home, I made Three Bean Spinach Dip, which is based on one of my favorite recipes (Two Bean Kale Dip).

I used black beans, kidney beans, and red beans this time, and swapped a white onion for a chunky red onion.  I used spinach instead of kale.  I prefer using kale in this dip because it makes the dip a little more tangy.  Also, we are super low on EVOO, so I skipped it, which made the dip dry. 

I ate my dip with a toasted WW pita.  Yum!

Now, we’re vegging on the couch. I’m so tired!  Our dinner plans include a yummy fish dish, Kashi pilaf, and brussel sprouts, so I’ll see you in a few hours. 🙂

What’s your favorite efficient workout?