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90 hot yoga to start today with.



Difficulty with some poses and just tighter from more muscle work. I'm hitting a wall- not in a bad way but one that is going to truly challenge me. Sweating is double what it has been and I attribute that to my body starting to get used to and relaxing into what it is I am trying to do.



Not certain if I will run today, or tomorrow- I'll be playing it by ear as I am doubling up on my work as of this week and given where I was I need to remember my own advice of moderation.



There is plenty of time for me to push harder after my body gets used to this change.

90 Hot yoga flow.



O.o



Intense, by far the most difficult class I've done so far. It is only too bad that I will not be able to do it each week as often I have clients on Friday evenings.

60 min hot yoga.



Some challenges, but over all I be a sweaty pile o mush now.

4.30 miles



48:14 minutes total (including warm/cool down)



Weight 193



Still pain in the medial left quad 4/10 until warmed up then 3/10.

75 min yin/yang yoga



Excellent but very challenging class. I am ball of sinue and muscle waiting to pool into the feather mattress only to arise tomorrow for more of the same.

3.30 miles



Total time of 37:03

I didn't take HR



Weight 194

Hot yoga this am. Some difficulty with poses, I'm definately starting to strengthen as my flexibility is being more challenged. It's funny so many people view yoga as just stretching, but it is more- it is meditation with movement.



Perhaps that is why I like it so much, it reminds me of rowing and the fluidity that you create taking one powerful stroke to follow with being fully relaxed into the next power stroke. Yoga is similar, you go into a pose on your breath, and as you exhale you allow your body to deepen into the pose thus creating your power. Fully functional, and contradictory in how by non-movement you are increasing the work.



Over all since I joined the gym in October (was it really that long ago?!) I am feeling more like me... not me with expectations, but me finding my path and following where I should be- not where others would tell me to be. Looking back, I have no idea how I allowed this change to happen. Perhaps it was the dysfunction of my family- the hurt, pain and pure evil of purposefully hurting someone.



I may never know. But I do know this, I am feeling my strength- my true strength return. Not as it was before, but something more. I have many things to do, and because of this I will continue as I have for the past months. Projects that seem forgotten are not- but they cannot be a priority right now. Right now I am the priority, and in doing this I am still fearful and in awe of what was, could be and will be.



Namaste

Hot yoga tonight was a crunch- literally. There were 50 people in my class.



o.O



Remember the room is set to 37 degrees celcius... and with 50 people sweating? I have no idea but wow, it was intense hot and I got all bendy! Small pull in left hamstring but again the medial quad didn't bother.



Part of the problem might also be that I had a massage today as well. I'm off to the shower to get the sweat off, and then in the am back for more.



WooT!

(-)



60 Reformer session

30 min massage



Tonight I'll do a 60' hot yoga, and we'll see how I am tomorrow. Right now I just want to feed my face and take a nap.

Weight 195



5.95 miles

65 total time *warm up cool down included*

HR Ave 166-172

Spike last 2' at 178 (I increase drastically my last two minutes of a workout).



Well it seems I was right- the hot yoga was just what I needed to "kick start" my system. In truth I look like I've lost about 15lbs in the past few months as no one has noticed a difference with this last week- just the scales.



It's hard because women naturally do not loose weight fast at higher intensity work unless drastic diet changes are done. This is fine for instant results- however long term it leads to yo-yo dieting. While I've now done something that is encouraging my loss I must add that it does not take away from my training- and my diet is the same. I simply know how my body works better than most people do.



Sadly I am ashamed that I got to this point. No don't think I'm ashamed of me- it is different. I remember, and know better. However to everything there is a reason and perhaps my knowing how hard it is, why women pack on emotional pound etc is important.



But I'm sick of hiding. Seriously, I've known it all along- and my lies to myself haven't really hidden me much.



More change.

More goals.

More dreams.



I feel like I'm on the path again and I simply need to put one foot in front of the other.

Thursday night (+)



Yesterday 90min Hot yoga.



Today I go back to the gym to see where I'm at. I have new running shoes (desperately were needed) and I'm still trying to figure out how much hot yoga I will do from here on out.



Honestly I'm considering running in the am and following with the yoga at night. Might seem a bit extreme, but it winds me down and relaxes me. Plus I am in need of something that is not weight lifting to get strength back (I should say in addition) because frankly I'm just trying too hard to be where I "was" instead of where I am.



Ok one more cup of coffee and I'm off to the gym... why am I nervous? *sigh*

Last night I did Yin/Yang hot yoga.



The session was 75 min with 30 min of more intense work (yang) followed with the rest of it being passive yoga (yin) where you relax and let your body weight become the stretch.



I have to say it was nice last night but today, it was far more intense on my body than the other form (closer to Bikram, they call it Moksha).



One other aspect that is great about hot yoga is that is requires that I make certain I'm hydrated or I will not be able to complete it.



In a half an hour I leave for a 60 min Moksha session. While tired, I'm looking forward to getting this going!

90 min Hot yoga



Considerable improvement from the last time. I swear the hardest thing for my body is just to adjust to the heat. Starting to get more flexibility and I'm really sorry that it's so difficult for me to get there during the week.



My plan right now is when I get back to running next week to do hot yoga on the weekends. ahhhhh nothing is better than being warm to the core!

So this week I just might exclusively do hot yoga- why you might ask when I'm doing so well with my other training-



Simple:



1. Pulled L medial quad

2. Weight not changing although body composition has

3. Stress



These may not seem like the right reasons to someone focused on winning a race- however what I've learned is not to overwork and to learn when you need to step back to remember why you enjoy what you do. I do not want this pulled muscle to become something serious so a break is needed.



At the same point I am seriously weak- not compaired to others, but for my body and my muscle mass- I have to build back into working my extremities as I focus so much on core due to my disk herniation back in 1999.



Looking at what is going on, the reflective quite of yoga, and the heat will do two things. One warm me up as we hit the coldest part of our winter, and two encourage my body to finally start letting the weigth come off. It does "shock" my body- but in a gentle way. As we get into spring I will do more yoga after my runs to simply help the body detox from the strain on it.



Stop

Breathe

Stretch

Hold

Breathe

Release

Still



Even if you are not working for something it is something we all NEED in our lives. Stillness.



Namaste

I am simply wiped from the last week. I feel energetic enough- but not for a work out. Since my number have me ahead, I'm simply not going to fight tonight and rest. Tomorrow is a maybe day as I have a hair appointment in a nearby town and don't know how long that will take.



Sunday Hot Yoga :D :D :D



I can't wait!

1.75 miles

20 min total



HR 178



Today would be blow out. I had brought enough food to work for a workout time of 3 or 4 pm. Instead I went at 6:45... no wonder I was not able to complete my workout. Also to note my medial quad is pulled. I don't think running is hurting it more- it's more of an annoyance.



Tomorrow I will either try for today's work or it will be off. Saturday will be light and Sunday long. BAH I hate workouts like today they leave me just wanting...

Miles 4.11

total time 50 min/ 10 warm up- cool down



HR P 172

HR 162-166

3x10 rep 75lb squats

3x10 rep 30lb one arm row

3x10 rep 20lb press on ball

100 sit ups



1.4 miles warm up/cool down

stretching



As time goes on I will increase the work, but to start I wanted it to be doable and not make me so acidic that I can't keep running.

Active rest day

Weight 200



Miles 4.26

HR P 121

Average 117



Watched UltraViolet during my work out... woot to movies making long walks seem easy!

3.90 miles

total time 45 min - 10 warm/cool

HR P 178

Ave 168



Weekly total 16.73 miles



Yesterday was rest day and I kept it to no work. It was hard getting going today because of that, but once I hit pace it started to ease up.



I don't know what the heck I pulled but the track I did my test on had very tight turns *I was warned* and today my groin has a minor pull. Nothing that bothers me when I run but when I stretch and sit here :(



Tomorrow is active rest.

Max test day



500m 1:46.6

Mile 8:20

1min sit up (feet loose full sit up) 36

1 min push up (on knees) 27

Weight 200



So now I have an idea of my base 2.5 months into training. Next week I will do a 2k (rowing) to see where that is. Over all I didn't push quite as hard as I did with the weights, but that is typical of testing on your own.

3.82 miles

HR 182

HR Ave not taken



Weight 199

3.82 miles

45 min total time/10 warm up, cool down

HR Peek 180

HR Average 164-166



Outcome from yesterday- stretching was more than in order, it was needed... can we tingle tingle?

Squats 40% = 75lbs

50% = 95

60% = 115

75% = 142.5



Bench Press 40% = 36lbs (bar is 45)

50 % = 45

60 % = 55

75% = 67.5



Arm pulls 40% = 58lbs

50% = 72.5

60% = 87

75% = 109



One Arm Row 40% = 35lbs

50% = 42.5

60% = 51

75% = 64



These will be the weights I use based off of my testing. Any other weights will be determined based off the results.



Break down for those who don't lift much- 40% is for endurance training as in high reps low weights, and the 60-75% is for more standard lifting of sets of 10.



Next testing will be done around Feb 16th.

Max Test day



Being the brain I am I forgot to do one exercise- but will add it in the future. As it stand now I'm between 40-60% of what my max used to be. It's hard seeing how weak I am now.



Squat 190

Bench press 95

Arm pull (not a true bench pull) 145

One arm row 85



Weight 202



Tomorrow's run and the next day's should be interesting. I will probably do my speed work Thurs am, but we'll see what my schedule is like.

Active rest day



4.19 miles

65 min total

HR peak 141

HR Ave 124-131



Today was one of those "amped" days where I just wanted to run and "blow my wad" but I knew that after 4 hrs of sleep (I went out last night) that I would later regret pushing quite so hard.



My plan is as I increase my workouts, and number of days that I work out that eventually Sat/Sun will be my testing days. This means they will also be my "long" days/runs. So to start adjusting to the longer workouts I'm doing active rest (HR no higher than 140- and typically around 120) to start to transition.



This will do two things: it will allow my body to adjust to longer workout periods slowly, and it will also give my body time to repair while not being total rest. My plan once I start marathon training is to have one day with active rest and then another with nothing and the third to have active rest with repair work (acupuncture, massage, and/or chiropractic). This way I will eventually be at 6/7 days of training a week but of those days only 4-5 will be hard training. This is important when pushing thresh holds of fitness to remember rest, and if you are not taking full days off- to include things that actively promote your body's recovery.



Other ways to recover:



Anti-inflammatory foods- eating can and will enhance your healing.



Epsom salt baths- actively help the body not only release toxins but can assist when athletes hit the point of "not shutting off".



Sleep- this should be a no brainer, but I'm amazed at how many people train and don't get 8 hours of sleep. That should be the minimum. The harder more intense your training the more you need. Typically athletes that are in top form will sleep 9-11 hours a night (I include any naps in this). Studies also show that EVERYONE, not just athletes does best with 8.5 hours of sleep that way you hit REM 3x in a night and not just two.



There is so much more I can say, but for now- this is where it starts. Strange how much it feels like a "switch" has been turned on and



I remember, my body responds and once more I am.

Yesterday -



Miles today 3.78

HR spike 189

HR average 162-166

Total time 45min

Weight 199



More laboured today for the work, as my heart rate spiked high during what is normal aerobic areas of my run today. I expect as I increase my work load I will have more of these days where I have to ease up to maintain the pace I'm working at.



Also to note, this month marks my 10 year anniversary of being forced into retirement. Strange the symmetry in what I'm doing now and how I'm feeling. Almost like I slept through an entire decade. Still I am a long way from where I was, both in growth and in atrophy.



Currently I'm 24lbs off my "standard" weight. By that I mean the weight I naturally was at while training. My racing weight was about 10lbs less than that. I expect due to my gain happening from BC I will be rather toxic as I finally get my body to let go of the crud it stored. YAY to emotional baggage that stores in our bodies. No I don't care if you don't believe in cellular memory or how it can affect us- because women tend to be way more emotional, we go through TONS as we do anything physically. There is no difference from our physical health and our mental health- they work together... which is why hormones affect us so much. Men have similar patterns but the hormonal surges are far less- unless they are amping them with steroids or male hormones which tend to make them angry and just asshats. Women- we cry (damnit).

3.77 miles

HR 166-172 spike of 184

Average 11:20-10:35 mile, peek of 8:30 mile



Next week I do my max testing. First day of testing will be weights; squats, hip sled, bench pull, bench press, single arm rows and I'm still thinking about what else.



Second day will be one mile test, 500m erg, one min in sit ups with bar, one legged squats, plank till exhausted, push ups and like the other still considering what else if anything to add.



After next week I add 5 min to my training runs so instead of 45 total min it will be 50 min total time.



I'm actually nervous for next week. I'm really scared to see how weak I am :( Yes I know I'm still stronger than 99% of women out there- but it is hard knowing where you've been and then seeing yourself as I am now. That said I am happy with my HR as it is functioning as if I'm much younger than my actual age. While the ranges I give for many are "above" aerobic, they are not difficult and actually quite easy for me to maintain as most workouts start slower and gradually increase the speed. With my shape and conditioning- I shoudl not be at these HR's so quickly or easily.



A part of me finally is starting to feel "normal" again- I had no idea how bad things had gotten, because I was in the middle of it and I think this time was spent getting my head back to where it needs to be instead of where it was then.



Now if I could just get myself to not be so judgemental about my person, I might actually be pleased.

May 9th provided I am injury free I will be on track to start training for my first Marathon.



Which will put me right in peak form for my first Marathon around Sept 5. Depending on the race I choose, will depend on how soon after May 9th I start the actual training for the event.



I have to say I'm actually surprised that I'm right in track for the building into phase, as I thought with just 10-15 miles per week I would be way off. Still for those looking for a simplistic site, that actually gives good information (keep in mind you will still need to have a good basis on how to train to fully get what they are talking about) I would goto to:



Marathon Training