Planning and Tracking Workouts

on June 22, 2009
in All Posts

For some yummy recipes, check out Jenna’s new E-Cookbook! All proceeds go to the fight against cancer.  Visit her blog for more info.

 

The bright spot of the morning was definitely kissing the Husband good-bye and watching him drive off in his new car!  He looked so happy.  🙂

 

Snackies included:

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Apricots + supplements.  I’m starting to take a new Chinese herb called Gotu Kola (aka Heavenly Water) because, to be honest, my PMS has been really out of hand lately.  The Husband’s teachers swear this stuff works wonders, so I’m willing to give it a go!

 

Plus, a platter lunch!

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Hummus + mini whole wheat pitas (I love these things).

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Plus, crunchy carrots + celery and grapes.

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My little cow helped me eat some of the carrots.  Watch out, she’ll take off your finger!

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James is so much more delicate:

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🙂

 

Planning and Tracking Workouts

 

My quest to 5.0 milers is shaping up quite nicely!  Week 1 of 6 is done!

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I’m a big believer in training schedules when you are trying to reach a specific fitness goal (like running a new distance or trying a new activity, like biking) because it helps you understand the steps necessary to reach your destination.

 

My current goal is to be running 5.0-milers again by the end of July.  My longest distance since the 15.0-mile trail race in April has been a 5K, and I want to gain distance SAFELY and SLOWLY to ensure I don’t aggravate my knee injury.

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I keep an Excel spreadsheet on my computer and highlight days I do the work in green, and I highlight the days I skip exercises in red.

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I’m fine with being flexible — if I don’t do the scheduled workout, but I do something different, I highlight it in yellow and write what I actually did in the space.  Towards the end of this schedule, I start doing back-to-back running days, which my PT has said I want to ease into.  If I end up not being able to do that, then I’ll just modify my plan and do cross-training instead.

 

For a list of my recommended training plans, check out this post.

 

How do you keep track of your workouts?  Do you use training programs?

{ 43 comments }

 

  • Trainer Shauna June 22, 2009, 9:09 am

    I love that you are so organized with your training schedule! It really does help doesn't it! Your lunch platter looks super yummy!

  • Julie June 22, 2009, 9:50 am

    Wow, look at you all organized with an excel spreadsheet! I wish I was as organized as you. I don't keep track of my work out because I do basically the same routine, just different days. I do cardio 5 or 6 days a week (ellip, run, and 2 or 3 spin classes), and strength train maybe 3 times a week. I should probably bump that up though!
    How fun are new cars?! I just got mine in Novemeber (07 nissan sentra) and it's my baby. I keep it clean and drive like an old lady half the time. My old car (00 ford focus) was my nightmare. I hated that effing thing. It gave me nothing but trouble!

  • Stacey June 22, 2009, 9:54 am

    I keep track of my workouts with my blog, haha. Serves as a reminder of what I have done for the week 🙂

  • Marissa June 22, 2009, 9:56 am

    What a great idea t track it in Excel!

  • Danielle C. June 22, 2009, 9:57 am

    I love your layout for the training plan. I like to use the training plans on coolrunning.com to layout my plan for new distances.

    In the past I've been great about logging my full workouts, but I've been slacking for a few years now. This is one of the reasons I just started up my blog, so I can keep track of my progress and not become stagnant.

  • Peanut Butter Swirl June 22, 2009, 10:05 am

    because of you I now have an apricot obsession 🙂 haha

    I also have a question – I am training for a 1/2 marathon (yayy) and I was wondering if running 4-5 days a week with 1 rest day and 1 light day (usually the elliptical) is a good strategy to prevent an injury from overuse. thank you!

  • J June 22, 2009, 10:07 am

    I just use a calendar (a MS Word template actually) and type in my training schedule. I print it out and keep it on a bulletin board and just cross out things as my workout plans change. This way works for me because I can also note when I'll be on vacation or other things that affect my workouts.

  • Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point June 22, 2009, 10:10 am

    PB Swirl – well i cannot tell you that running 5 days a week is a good game plan for preventing overuse injuries b/c that exactly how i got my knee injury LOL but plently of people can run that much without issue. it's really just up to your body. if you are prone to overuse injuries, i would recommend running 3 days a week and cross-trainign th other 2 – 3 days, if you are planning on exercising 5-6 days a week. you can definitely train for a half with three days of running.

  • Low June 22, 2009, 10:10 am

    I've been thinking about starting a training program for awhile now, but this post totally got me motivated to actually do it! I figure I'll train for a 5K just to get myself in better shape and then do a 10K program for my 10K in October!

    Thanks!!!!!!!

  • teacherwoman June 22, 2009, 10:12 am

    I kind of take into account many different training plans and figure out what works best for me and my schedule.

    I also keep track with calendars and spreadsheets. I love doing that kind of stuff, so I can be quite obsessive with my data, but I am flexible when I miss a workout here and there or change it up!

  • Matt June 22, 2009, 10:17 am

    I only use training plans as a guide. A training plan doesn't know how my body is feeling, so a lot of times it needs modifications. Sticking to a plan 100% caused me to get hurt and be out of running for 3 weeks.

  • leslie June 22, 2009, 10:19 am

    i think training schedules are a really smart way to stay safe, but flexibility is key. plus, then you can look back and see how much progress you've made!

  • brandi June 22, 2009, 10:26 am

    great idea for the training schedule/tracker!

    I don't keep track of anything, but i'm not actually training for anything right now anyways.

    maggie and james are so cute 🙂

  • snackpak June 22, 2009, 10:34 am

    I'm glad you posted about a Training Plan. I'm usually an ask myself how do I feel work-outer, meaning I literally sit and ask myself what I feel like doing and then do it. But the past couple days I've been answering, and quite honestly, "I feel like sitting." Haha — oops. I need a little bit more structure for sure. I'll borrow the Excel spreadsheet idea as a jumpstart! Thanks for another great post.

  • Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now June 22, 2009, 10:39 am

    I always love the pet pictures! And the mini pitas looks addicting!

  • recipesforcreativity June 22, 2009, 10:59 am

    I love how organized you are! I don't have Excel at home and am usually too lazy to actually plan out anything. I just kind of have a routine, which is at least 40 minutes of brisk & hilly walking each day plus 10-12 minutes of strength training after. When I trained for my half I did have a program up on my fridge that I followed, but since I'm not training for anything I just do what I want!

  • runnerskitchen June 22, 2009, 11:09 am

    Training schedules definitely keep me on track. When I was training for the Boston marathon, I used an excel sheet to plan out mileage. After I completed workouts, I logged them into running2win.com (an online running and cross-training log). I highly recommend the site!

  • Julia June 22, 2009, 11:18 am

    My training log is in my head… So I finally started writing it down. It will be fun to see it all down on paper. Your lunch looks great! And I know you will be able to safely run 5 miles by July! 🙂

  • Mrs. LC June 22, 2009, 11:20 am

    The Heavenly Water sounds like a miracle! lol

    I try to keep track of my workouts, esp with what strength training I do. It's no good to get stagnant with the same exercises, weights, reps, etc. over and over.

  • Susan June 22, 2009, 11:42 am

    I used to use excel to make schedules, I should get back into that, much easier on the eyes. I especially like your colour coding method 🙂 Right now I have a big agenda that I write all my details down in… how far, how long, heart rate, etc. I can't do long-term schedules because my work hours are always changing, but I do schedule week-to-week. I'm more likely to do it if it's written down somewhere!

  • Fitzalan June 22, 2009, 11:49 am

    I almost always use a training schedule. After training for so many marathons, half marathons, tris, I just have gotten so adjusted to this method. It keeps me motivated and keeps things different.

    I typically write mine out in excel and try to follow it. If I skip a workout, I rarely make up for it.

    My new obsession is using Nike+ website for training and tracking.

    Happiness Awaits

  • Jessica June 22, 2009, 11:56 am

    It's actually kind of funny because today I made myself a training schedule to help prepare for a 10k race in the fall! I like how you highlight yours so I might have to copy that.. 🙂

  • Meganerd June 22, 2009, 12:08 pm

    I like your system! I have an excel spreadsheet for planning, but I track what I've actually done on my Runners' World Online Training log.

    Should I go ahead and add the Friday runs to my schedule?

  • Bec June 22, 2009, 12:12 pm

    I write it all down in my calender and agenda!

  • Mica June 22, 2009, 12:25 pm

    I love Maggie's face! She is really into that carrot!

  • Ada June 22, 2009, 12:49 pm

    I wish I could be as organized as you are and keep a spread sheet! Maybe I will try doing that. Coffee oatmeal sounds divine by the way 🙂

  • Carolina John June 22, 2009, 12:52 pm

    i use a spreadsheet too, but it tracks plans for all 3 sports and strength/stretching plans all in separate columns so i can easily total. then other columns hold the actual results, so i can easily tell what I did vs what i was supposed to do.

  • Sarah (Running To Slow Things Down) June 22, 2009, 1:45 pm

    My blog sort of reminds me of what I've been running, but I'm currently not really working up towards anything big…just maintaing my usual weekly mileage. 🙂

    Some weeks its a little less if I fit in biking or extra walking, and some weeks its more if the weather just makes me crave a good long run. 🙂

    If I was ever training or working up to something though, I would do an excel spreadsheet probably…yours is so organized! Love it! 😀

  • Helga June 22, 2009, 2:10 pm

    Hi, Caitlin! I recently stumbled upon your blog and it's so inspiring! I'll definitely be coming back.
    And your Excel schedule is really impressive! 🙂

  • NoMeatAthlete June 22, 2009, 2:21 pm

    I've always written my runs down on paper, or even in Excel, but recently I've started using DailyMile.com. I like it because you can display your workouts in a blog widget, and also because there's a community aspect to it so you can see friends' workouts. Now I just need to get some friends on there…

  • Oh She Glows June 22, 2009, 2:51 pm

    Have I ever thanked you for inspiring me so much with exercise? You are seriously my go to girl for eercise inspirating, goal setting, etc! I LOVE your excel spreadsheet…I really am considering doing it now!

  • tammy (Defining Wellness) June 22, 2009, 3:12 pm

    I keep an excel spreadsheet that adds up my mileage — and the only reason I do it is so that I can track when to purchase my next pair of running shoes! I get new shoes every 350 miles to avoid shin splints!

  • peaceandpeanutbutter June 22, 2009, 3:14 pm

    Hi Caitlin,

    I just wanted to leave a quick comment about "Operation Beautiful". I think you are initiating a WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL Movement 🙂 Your energy is amazing! Thank you so much for fighting AGAINST fat talk, and fighting FOR self acceptance.

    I've been in recovery from Anorexia for 5 yrs, so I understand the body/self image struggles all too well. To see someone else taking a stand FOR women is so beautiful. I will definitely be participating, and will mention you in my post 🙂

    Peaceandpeanutbutter.wordpress.com

    Thanks again! And remember….YOU are beautiful!!!

    ~Erika

  • K from ksgoodeats June 22, 2009, 3:25 pm

    My dogs like to bite my finger too so I've developed the 'drop.' You hold it just long enough for them to realize they're getting a treat and then you drop it 😉 They usually bite it mid-air.

  • healthy ashley June 22, 2009, 4:35 pm

    I agree- training plans are the best! I make them flexible but having a reminder of what I should aim for is the best.

    You'll do a great 5-miler next month!!

  • Niki June 22, 2009, 4:43 pm

    Right now I'm not training for anything yet so I am just kinda keeping track in my head. But in a month or so when it's time to start my training a training pan is definitely used!

  • Becky June 22, 2009, 5:19 pm

    I also love having a training schedule when I have a goal. It really does keep you on track and accountable. It's good to be flexible though… I remember training for my marathon and after my 18-miler training run I was still really sore 2 days after, when I had a run planned. I think listening to your body is key! 🙂

  • Christina June 22, 2009, 6:01 pm

    I don't use training programs but have a fitness journal where I write down my workout after I've done it. It helps me keep track and to know when I need to take a rest day!

  • Ania June 22, 2009, 7:59 pm

    Your coffee oatmeal is so creative!!! I never thought of that combo! : )

  • Raya June 24, 2009, 8:59 am

    Hey girl,

    I'm wondering how that new supplement is working out for you for the PMS symptoms? I tend to get more "emotional/mental" symptoms as opposed to physical symptoms…but I'm seriously thinking I need to get some of that! Let me know how it works for you pretty please 🙂

    Oh and P.S. I don't normally make my training schedule, I just keep it in my head but when I decided to register for my first 5K, I wrote out my training plan immediately so I could make sure I stuck with it! It's funny because it's almost the exact same way you did yours. That's so funny…and I JUST figured out how to make it into an image and upload it the other day! I was so proud!

    -Raya @ Confessions Of A Black Belt

  • Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point June 24, 2009, 9:13 am

    raya – i think i need to give it a month before i decide whether or not it works. but it cant hurt to try it! i will talk about it on the blog if i feel any results. im sure i will, those chinese know their stuff! 🙂

  • Elina June 25, 2009, 5:03 am

    Wow, I do the exact same thing with my training schedule… right down to the colors I use! So funny. I guess they make sense… kind of like stopping lights 🙂 I make my spreadsheet in google docs so I can access it anywhere.
    The pictures of your dogs are always adorable! Let us know how those supplements are working out.

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