THAS Work-out

Yesterday after shopping at Ann Taylor loft for a few winter items I became very aware of the fact that the backside needed some fine tuning. O.k.... a major over haul! I admit I'm not exactly joing the cast of biggest loser but I am 30 now and going to have to put a lot more effort into keeping my ars where it belongs.

I developed a few lower body work-out routines for my WOW class (women on weights) in FL. These are known as my "THAS" work-outs. Thighs and ars baby, and they pack a punch! The girls and I also used to do some parts of them at the park after short runs or sprints on the black top. "POSSUM!"-inside joke.

THAS #1 ( the one I did last night)

3x10 sets each position- squats: wide stance, hip width, feet close

3x10 each leg-single leg squat

3x10 each leg-back lunge to high knee

**30lbs on squat bar**

3x10 each leg-single leg deadlifts(30lb bar)

3x10 each leg-hinge lunges off the tallest bench

3x10 each leg- cross, step ups on the tallest bench

(the last 3 exercises are done in a series burning out each leg at a time)

I ran 2 miles before the THAS work-out. After, I went to the mat(ewww) for planks and bosu crunches. Then I jumped back on the mill for another .5mi run at my max speed.

I didn't stretch afterwards because there were a couple of sweaty dudes practicing their wrestling moves on the mats. They were grunting and groaning and I was not about to get in their way.

I've never seen anyone, other than myself wipe the mats off after abs or stretching so I do my best to avoid contact with them. People give me odd looks when I wipe them and then put paper towels down for "protection". Times like these make me miss the Y and the courteous members that cleaned up after themselves!

What a pain in the neck!

During our stay in GA for the holiday I had planned on swimming at the YWCA and doing a lot of running on beautiful St. Simons Island. However, after my run in with the tractor trailer on I-95 on the way to GA it was immediately apparent that working out was not happening. The ironic thing is that after the accident, once we got to a hotel, I was so hyped up I could of put my shoes on and murdered the treadmill. Maybe if I had I wouldn't of been as sore the next day. The following day I woke up feeling like I was turning 80 instead of 30. I remained extremely sore for the next few days. My biggest complaint was my aching, throbbing neck!

My neck is still sore in the morning when I first wake up but improves as the day goes on. I think I may need to find a chiropractor. The heating pad has become my new best friend.

After almost two weeks of no running or exercise I finally got a work-out in today.

run: 2mi
weights: 4 sets of 10 deadlifts standing on the bosu (20 lbs)
3: 15sec planks
3: sets of 8 bosu push-ups

It felt good to sweat a bit. My plan is to get three more runs in this week, two spin classes or rides on the trainer and two more days of weight lifting.

Jingle all the way...maybe.

I am really missing running and racing with my girls but I didn't realize how much my kids missed it. The other day they started telling me that "we" need some running friends and that we should do some races in MD. Drew added that he even missed "getting up at the crack of dawn" to go to races. That was amazing to me.

They officially motivated me, so I've been looking for a race for us. Ideally I'd like to do the 5k and the fun run for the kids. The Jingle Bell kid run is only $5 and includes a t-shirt!

We've spent a few afternoons in Solomons and it is a beautiful waterfront area. I'm sure the race course will be gorgeous.

Even if I don't get to do the 5k it will still be fun just to be back in the race atmosphere!

Road Running-No honking please!

Yesterday I headed out on Dares Beach Rd for what was supposed to be 3mi with a few intervals. It turned out to be 4mi with a few hill repeats.

The weather was a sunny 52 degrees. I wore shorts for two reasons. 1: I need a little sun on my legs and 2: I really need to invest in some running tights. Thankfully I was wearing a bondi band, which I promptly pulled down to cover my ears. The wind was in my face and I found myself running at a swift pace just to get my blood flowing and to warm up a bit. My Garmin is still out of commission so I'm not sure of my exact pace. I didn't have my phone either. Yes, I was out running on a busy country road with no phone. I promise to never do that again.

In following a tip from my Runners World magazine, I ran facing the traffic and took my time to make sure I wasn't in harms way when crossing roads/driveways. Running on the road alone was not as intimidating as I thought it may be. The shoulder was a lot wider than it looked from driving by and I felt there was plenty of room between me and the passing cars. However, the honking from the occasional passerby was a bit annoying. Especially since I didn't have my ipod. Earphones work as mufflers from the blaring air horns on wheels. There aren't a ton of runners on the road like in FL so apparently seeing a runner out in the cold is reason for celebration.

To all you honkers out there. A wave will suffice.

Halloween Horror....the dreadmill

Last week I was busy preparing for the Halloween weekend and didn't have much time for blogging. We had company coming for the weekend and cleaning this house is no small task. I considered cleaning my cross training for the week. Two of my children had oversized costumes that had to be altered and my 7yr old wanted to be Indiana Jones but hated the "store-bought" costume. Thus, sending me on a wild goose chase for an Indiana hat, jacket, whip and satchel. I'm proud to report I was able to find all of his desired items and they were all happy with their costumes. Whew! Three happy kids is no easy task.

Between my husbands odd schedule and running errands all over Calvert county I atleast got three runs in last week. However, the only cross training I did was cleaning and a little weight training after one of the runs. I'm using "the book" by following the intermediate 5k program. Total miles for last week was 11. Hopefully this week I'll be able to get in my three runs plus a few cross training days. My last few weeks of running have ALL been on the treadmill. Better known as the dreadmill. I've decided that aside from cold + rain, I will do all my runs outside. The leaves are changing, the weather is cool and I am heading outside!

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

With the weather getting cooler I find myself baking more often. Although I am not 100% vegan I love to bake vegan. Why use all the milk, butter, eggs and refined sugars when you don't have to? I have a wonderful book "Vegan with a Vengeance" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz that has some of the best EVER vegan recipes. This book has something for everyone ranging from Tempeh Reuben sandwiches to Fauxstess (like hostess) cupcakes.

These pumpkin muffins come from this book and they are awesome! My kids had them for breakfast, asked if I'd put one in their lunches and later had them for an afternoon snack. Needless to say, the batch didn't last long in our house!

The Best Pumpkin Muffins

13/4 cups all-purp flour
11/4 cups sugar
1 tblspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground/grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup veg oil
2 tablespoon molasses

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease muffin tin.
Sift together dry ingred's.
In a separate bowl combine wet ingred's.
Pour the wet into the dry and mix.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake 18-20mins

You could also add a cup of cranberries or chopped walnuts.

I altered the recipe slightly by using equal parts white and brown sugar, light soy milk and canola oil instead of veg oil.

These muffins come out very light and moist and your house will smell amazing!

Thirsty Thursday

Yesterday, even though Matt was home and I could of ran outside I opted to hit the mill instead. The weather was in the 40's and raining. Is it October or December? I'm confused. I headed to the gym to do my second work out from "The Book" and get a little weights in before picking up the big kids from school.





The schedule called for 1mi warm up. 3mi at 9:56. 1mi cool down. Not bad. Unfortunately, I wrote this off as too easy and only had two cups of coffee and a pumpkin muffin for fuel. I ate at 8am. I ran at 1pm. Terrible, I know. Notice I didn't mention water.





The treadmills are a little wacky and I'm pretty sure they need to be re calibrated. I started off on a treadmill set at 12min pace. However, I crossed the proverbial "finish" line with the clock reading 10min. That was supposed to be my warm-up mile. My "pace" miles were supposed to be at 9:56. I decided to jump on a different mill since obviously that one had issues. The next mill had me at 10:00min pace at 6.0 but at 5.9 it read 9:22 pace. That's a HUGE difference. I opted to keep it at 6.0. I'm not sure if it was the stopping and starting with switching mills or the two cups of joe but my heart rate was thru the roof! I let myself walk .10 to let my rate slow down but by the end of mile 2 it was way up again. I'm all about pushing to 80-90% max but I was feeling bad and I know enough to listen to my body. I allowed myself another .10 walk at the end of mile 3. By this time I had also slugged down my water bottle and would of stolen the bottle of the chick next to me if it wasn't flu season! At this point I was just ready to get it over with and since I figured my pace was off anyway I cranked it up a bit and finished the 4th mi with as much dignity as possible. I was breathing like an asthmatic and my feet hitting the treadmill sounded like a heard of buffalo. I ran the 5th mi at this mills 11:30 pace, which was much more comfortable. Total time on the mill was about 50min. That tells me just how off the treadmills were and no wonder it felt so hard.





I jumped off the mill and headed to the water fountain to fill-up my water bottle. Then I took my sweaty, red-faced self over to the free weight floor to pump a little iron. I started off with alternating sets of bosu dead-lifts with the 40lb bar and lunges off the bosu. After my hamstrings were significantly punished I grabbed the bosu and headed over to the bench press. I continued with alternating sets but this time with a set of bench press followed by a set of bosu push ups. 4 sets of 10 each. I finished with obliques on the ab bench, a quick stretch and then off to get the kiddos.





This work-out was a reminder of just how bad I need to fix my Garmin or invest in a new one. Also, a reminder to fuel better!!