The Need for SPEED!

Ok, I’m officially addicted to speedwork.  My 5K made me want to push myself harder and harder and get faster and faster.  Of course, I still love long distances, but with my knees being the way they are, my new passion for short and fast is probably a VERY good thing!

I did a very speedy session on the treadmill tonight! It was exhausting, but thrilling and empowering.  I managed to hold a 7:00-minute mile sprint three times!

My speedwork workout involved running a 5K:

• Warm up: 5.5 mph, 1 minute
• Sprint 1: 7.5 mph, 2 minutes (a 8:00-minute mile)
• Rest: 6.5 mph, 1 minute
• Sprint 2: 8.5 mph, 2 minutes (a 7:00-minute mile)
• Rest: 6.5 mph, 1 minute
• Repeat Sprint Cycles 1 and 2 two more times.
• Repeat Sprint Cycle 1 two more times.
• Rest: 6.5 mph until the end of the 5K.

Luckily, I am not one of those people who are concerned about what others at the gym think about them.  I was hauling ASS, sweating and swearing, but it felt GREAT!  I completed the 5K in 25:50, almost two minutes slower than my race time.  Announcing a new Running Goal: I want to break a 22-minute 5K! 

After my run, I did some tricep curls and bicep curls, and I did ab work.

December Challenge – Making Abs Fun, Day 5

The December Challenge is going pretty well.  I’ve done ab work 5 times now since December 3, which isn’t "every other day" as originally intended — but trust me, it’s more than I would be doing normally!

To recap, here’s the December Challenge so far:

• Day 1: Planks!
• Day 2: Table Leg Leg Lift
• Day 3: Captain’s Chair
• Day 4:  "V" Sit-Ups
• Day 5: Bicycle Crunches

Yes, ladies — bicycle crunches!  Pretty much the staple ab exercise.  I used to do these 3 or 4 times a week, but I just fell out of habit.   Maybe I’ll get back on the bandwagon now, but they *are* pretty fun and easy (and you can watch TV in the process!!).

How to do a bicycle crunch:

• Lay on your back with your arms resting behind your head. 
• Twisting to the side, crunch your right elbow to your right knee, extending your left leg straight out in front of you and hovering about 4 inches above the ground.

• Keep your chin away from your chest.  Pretend there is an invisible apple in between your chin and chest!  Don’t stretch your neck forward with your hands, either.  No straining!
• Pause for 1 count and slowly switch sides.  Keep your stomach tight as your do this.  Pretend your belly button is pressing to the floor.

• And…. repeat! I usually do 3 sets of 30 reps (each side is 1 rep).

Sorry I look so sweaty and gross! I was straight from the gym.  Also, I never know where to look in these pictures — so I have zombie eyes. 🙂

Afternoon Eats

My light lunch kept me surprising FULL!  I needed some fruit, so around 1 PM, I snacked on raisins…

And pecans…

And around 4 PM, I had Kashi Puffs with vanilla yogurt and a few slivered almonds.

And… James and Shamu stared out the window all day long.

Dinner – Fish Burritos

For dinner, I used this recipe to make fish burritos.  I added in green peppers and skipped the salsa.

This brand of wraps consists of 100 calories and contains no trans fat.  Whoo hoo!  I had two wraps.

And one tiny Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate Square was enough to tame my sweet tooth…

Time to shower, relax, and SLEEP!  Have a wonderful night.

Oh and…. exciting news! I have a NEW contest to announce — you could win $100 for a new pair of workout sneakers!! Get excited…. details are likely coming on Wednesday!