Kayaking and other updates

Todd and I kayaked Weedon island on Saturday. We've been kayaking there before, but it was more of a fishing trip (fishing, not catching) and low tide so we weren't able to make it into the mangrove trails. This time, we checked the tide charts before heading out and were finally able to explore the trails! It was so cool! Like another world.

Navigating a tunnel

 

Crashing

Ducking for cover

 

Mangrove

My running has been going well, for the most part. I ran  a couple of 5 milers last week, but I think I wore myself out this weekend by not getting my rest day in (Kayaking on Saturday; strength training on Sunday- probably should have skipped this). So my Monday run was pretty craptastic, and I could barely get in 2 miles this morning. I'm doing Yoga tomorrow and then a proper rest day before trying for 6 miles on Friday! Wish me luck!

Update!!!

Hello! I've recently made some changes to my running plan... surprise, surprise. Last time you heard from me I was using Hal Higdon's free training plans for a half-marathon. Although I like these plans (umm... free is always nice) I felt like I needed more information in terms of specific strength training exercises, warm-ups, cool-downs, nutrition, etc., than what his plans offer. I was getting tired of doing my own research to fill in these blanks, so I went out and bought myself a book (this one). I LOVE it! I read through the entire thing the first night I had it.

I like how this book includes a wide array of information, from running anatomy to post race recovery plans, warm up exercises to strength training, as well as 5k, 10k, half, and full marathon training plans. This book is exactly what I needed, it was all the basic information in one place (my copy is already dog-eared, highlighted and note-written). I'm currently following their foundation plan to increase my mileage and speed. So far I love the plan! I like how it includes, and describes, different types of training runs; fartlek's, progression run's, hill repeats, etc. I feel like I'm becoming an actual runner with all this lingo!

Physically I've been feeling great. There has been no unusual pain in my leg like a few weeks ago.  I think my legs were just shocked by the exercise. They were like "what the hell is going on?!? Why are we running?" Now they're starting to enjoy our morning runs.

My next step is to actually register for a race. I've looked into the races that are scheduled for the fall and I believe that there are a few that would work for me. I definitely need to make a final choice and just register for it within the next few weeks. Oh yeah!!! I'm getting excited!

With all of that being said, here's how I've been doing this past week:

Decent 3 miler on Monday



4 miles on Tuesday! I thoroughly enjoyed this run-  It was an unusually cool 74 degrees, or thereabouts.

Friday 4 miler. This was a tough mental run for me. I was not feeling it, but I pulled through with a great pace!!

Talk to you soon, suckas!

Happy Friday!

Hello!!! I wanted to touch base and update everyone on my current running status and my plans for the future. I found the half-marathon that I 'm going to run! It's at the end of October and I'm (already) getting excited about it. It's a Halloween themed race in Ft. Desoto, Florida.  I'm going to train for the half-marathon using Hal Hidgon's novice 1 training plan (or novice 2, or a blend, we'll see). Both plans are 12 weeks long, so technically I don't have to start training until the first week of August.

However, I think I'll start training a few weeks earlier than that just to have a buffer zone for extra training (the novice 1 plan's longest run is 10-miles and you only run it once... I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that. I know that I would benefit from the peace of mind of running more than that before the race). I'm also going to use the time before-hand to focus on proper form, strength training, and building up my endurance.

Here is a recap of my "getting back into it after taking a break" week:




I was aiming for 2 miles, but duty calls and I couldn't quite make it.

Beautiful sunrise!

 

Feeling good!
 

2 miles plus a little extra. I really wanted to try and just focus on form, so I did a combo of walking/running for the last .5 mile. It feels so weird and uncomfortable to land mid-foot that I wanted to get a better feel for it.

 Speaking of form, a friend on google+ posted a video demonstrating proper running form. It's a great video and I'm really trying to incorporate the tips and techniques to get this shit right!

My leg is feeling great! I'm feeling great! I can't wait to build up my miles and just keep running!

Talk to you soon!

P.S. I added pictures to my RAP River Run Post, if you're interested.

RAP River Run!

Last Saturday I ran the RAP River Run 5k (yeah, yeah, I'm a little behind in posting this, but better late than never). I also don't really have any pictures, although, I'll probably add them in sometime this week, I'll let you know. I added them, lucky you :)

Anyway, the race went great! I didn't run at all during the week leading up to it because my leg was still bothering me, so I was a little nervous going into it, but it turned out to be a lot of fun! This was only my second race, but I already can't wait for the next one!

Here I am laughing at Todd because someone's head blocked the camera...

Exhibit A

 The race took place in downtown New Port Richey, FL. and the running route went along the Pithlachascotee River. It was a breezy, shaded route, perfect for a 5k! I really wanted to run the whole way, but ended up walking a little towards the end. With that being said, I still managed to finish 6th in my age group (out of 24, I believe)!! Sweet! My final time was 33:28. I'm happy with it.

Blurred the other people for their privacy

Here is a pic that I took on my phone while running; this guy:

USA! USA! USA!

Keep in mind that we are in Florida; it was in the 80's and humid! Now if the sight of him doesn't kick your ass into gear, nothing will.

In the home stretch

The RAP River Run benefited the RAP (Runaway Alternative Project) House. The RAP house provides shelter, food, services, clothes, etc. to 10-17 year olds who are homeless, runaways, foster kids, or who are otherwise in need of a place to stay. What a great cause!

Overall it was a great race and I will definitely like to do it again next year. Maybe I'll even do both the 5 miler & the 5k!

Peace out!

P.S. My leg has been feeling great and I've been easing back into running by doing 1-2 miles every other day. I'm going to keep increasing my mileage slowly until I can jump back into doing my marathon training plan! Woo!! I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Hello!

So I had my 5k this past Saturday and it went great! I've started to write my recap, but I left my camera at my parent's over the weekend, and I want to include pics in the post otherwise it's boooorrringggg. Oh well.... you'll just have to wait and see (oh, the anticipation!!).

I do have one picture I took while running:

USA! USA! USA!

My leg has been feeling much better, so I actually went out for a short and sweet 1 mile run this morning.



Bleghhhh

My plan is to ease back into running and build back up to 3.1 miles over 2-3 weeks. This way I can start training properly for my half marathon! I think I'm going to do a Halloween themed one in October. I haven't registered yet; I want to see how the next three weeks go first. I should just register and call it a day, but I'm scurred!

Talk to you soon!





Update

Hi! I just wanted to give a quick update. I went for my usual 3.1 mile run on Monday, but my leg pain was back with a vengeance and I could barely walk, let alone run. Knowing that I had my 5k this Saturday, I decided to not run at all this week and just hope for the best. Today is Thursday and my leg feels soooo much better. I was tempted to run today, but I really want to make sure I heal before I just start up again because it is way to early in my running career to have a fucking injury.

My painful Monday run. I really had to push myself for those 2 miles.

I've been doing my glut strengthening exercises (ITB rehab routine). I'm starting to think that my "injury" is due to a weak left leg, causing my right leg to work more. Depending on how I feel after this Saturday's 5k, I'll either slowly start running again, or take a few more days off. Either way, when I do start again,  I'm going to take it slow, try to focus on form, and continue the ITB rehab routine.  I also heard about a running store in one of the malls around here that will video you while running on a treadmill to determine flaws in your form, pronation, etc. Maybe I'm wearing the wrong sneakers?? I'm definitely going to check it out, so we'll see....

I've also been continuing with my Yoga routines, and arm/core strengthening while on hiatus. So don't think I've been slacking!! I'm actually getting to the point where it's hard for me not to workout. Which is great considering I hardly ever worked out last year. I hope my leg would just stop bothering me, I want to run!!

Anyway, I'll let you know how my race goes!

Just for fun, here is a pic of a sweet cuddle session I had:

Melvin, me, Walter

Weekend Warriors

 

Hope everyone's weekend was as nice as mine! On Saturday I went for a nice hot 4 mile run, before heading to my company's family picnic. It was a lot of fun! We played corn hole, and learned that I suck at corn hole, ate some food, and lost all the raffles.

 

Saturday run...eh it was really hot.

 

On Sunday Todd and I had to run some errands then decided to stop by the Buddhist temple for some brunch. 

 

creeper

Beautiful watermelon carving

So pretty!!

The actual temple

The delicious spring rolls from the temple.

 

 

I decided to get in some strength training, even after a couple of  Dos-Arita's... probably not a great idea,  but I went for it anyway. I did a new routine I found on Pinterest (duh), which turned out to be a pretty good work out, especially since I did it outside in the heat and humidity:

 

 

 

 

After a delicious dinner of lobster, shrimp, and asparagus (check it out here) we decided to go on an evening bike ride around the hood.

Cruisin'

 

I love chill weekends!  Back to running tomorrow morning... last few runs before my 5k on Saturday!

 

 

Peace out!

 

P.S. I also added a "Find Me" page that links to my other social media accounts! It's also on the left sidebar :)  

Yoga

 

I love yoga! I took a Yoga/Tai-chi gym class in high school and loved it so much! I can still remember the Tai-chi routine that we did (well, the beginning of it at least). Back then, my favorite yoga pose was the dead man because I could nap in the back of the gym without standing out! (literally). Take that, gym teacher!

 

Now I love incorporating yoga into my daily workout routines. I like yoga because it's a deceptively hard, yet effective work out. I mean, it's not exactly an intense weight lifting or cardio session, but man does it make you sweat and you definitely feel it the next day.

 

Here are some of my favorite Pinterest routines (you can click on a picture and view them as a slideshow in a pop-up window, FYI):

 

Bikram yoga poses. Feel your muscles burn!



Work them legs!
 

I love this little routine! Especially #7- so relaxing!



Good ol' fashioned Sun Salutation... You can never go wrong with this sequence.

I also do DDP Yoga. Yes, that stands for Diamond Dallas Page Yoga, as in the wrestler. It's as awesome as it sounds. I got this DVD set because Todd showed interest in it, and him showing interest in any sort of fitness/health related program should be celebrated around the world. It leans more toward a cardio type of Yoga because you move pretty quickly through all of the poses while focusing on "dynamic resistance" (basically using your own muscles to resist the movement.. it's hard to explain). It's pretty cool.


Let's move onto stretching. I LOVE stretching. I stretch all.the.time. In the morning, before bed, at my desk, watching TV, cooking; whenever I get the inclination I just go for it. It feels so good! Stretches, stretches and more stretches:

Stretch YO SELF!



This hip stretch is amazing. You're welcome

I'm going to look through my pics to see if I can find a good "before" pic of me to compare to how bulging my muscles are now. I'm definitely going to take some pics now anyway and hope that in a few months my after will show a big difference! (I really don't want to get super buff, just lose some weight, be toned, and healthy; all that good stuff).


Here's a picture of Walter & Melvin ready for their morning nap:




So sweet!

Happy Friday!

PS. I meant to add my Pinterest link for those who care: http://www.pinterest.com/constanceblabla/

Here's my Instagram too: http://instagram.com/constancevp

Checking In

Happy National Running Day!! In celebration, I did not run today...  I totally forgot about it and today was a strength training day for me, so I ran 10 miles in my head in honor.

Here is a summary of my last couple of runs:

I actually had negative splits on this run!! So close to sub-10 miles

I was talking to a friend who recently started running, but is frustrated over slow weight loss, so I told her to incorporate strength training... her response: "Yuck." I decided that I should share what I do in regards to strength training in hopes to show that it is not so bad!!

I find most of my routines online. I love perusing Pinterest (so they have to be legit, right?) in search of new moves and routines that I can use. I should also add, that I do not belong to a gym, so I always look for workouts that don't need a lot of equipment. I do have a bench, dumbbells (5, 10, 25 pounds), kettle ball, stretchy band thing, etc. With that being said, here are some of my favorites:

This is a great reference chart; I'll do 2-3 sets of 10 reps of each move. I love that it is a total body work out.

Straight forward butt workout

 

 

I love this abs work out from Neila Rey. I've been doing this for a few weeks now, and can totally feel a difference from when I first started. I love the routines she posts on Google+, definitely recommend.

Next up, I'll share some of my favorite yoga routines, and stretches! Also found on Pinterest, so also totally legitimate (with the exception of my DDP Yoga DVD's, which are definitely legitimate and ridiculous).

Hope my meager workouts show that even the bare minimum, easy, basic shit can lead to results! And you don't need fancy equipment nor a gym membership, win-win! Now get to it!

Peace out meatheads!

And I'm Back!

Went for a run today!! First time in nearly a week... and if felt good!

My leg isn't 100%, but it feels so much better, and felt great while running. I've been doing an ITB rehab routine that strengthens your hips and gluts. Apparently this can help prevent injury. I like the routine so far; I can definitely feel it working. Wooooooo!!!!!!!

Here is a picture of Melvin:

So handsome!!

Running Recap & More!

Last week was not good in terms of my running, I was just not in the running mood. I did have one highlight though; a 2 mile run with a sub 10 minute pace! Wooo!!!



Last few runs..

By Sunday my right thigh started to feel a little sore, dampening my style. What was supposed to be a 5 miler turned into 3.18 hard miles!!  Not good.  Since I'm not even training for a particular race, I've given myself a break and have been taking it easy on the running this week. By that I mean that I haven't run at all. Just doing some strength training (free weights) and light stretching.

I did, however sign up for the Rap River Run 5k on June 14th!! I'm pretty excited!

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Just for fun, here are some highlights from Memorial Day weekend:



Tailgating at the Ray's game




Thank you tree for your shade on a hot & sunny day!



Rays win!!!



My neighbor Rex and his spotted ear.

Saturday Kayaking

We have not been doing so well when it comes to fishing (up until today neither of us had caught anything other than sea grass). So we were determined to do everything we could to catch some fish while kayaking today. That meant waking up at 5 am and being on the water before the sun had risen.

No sleep 'til fishing!

Why hello there Sun.

We got the inside scoop on the best place to launch from Todd's co-workers (he works in the fishing industry). We kayaked out to a little known spot called the "North flats", and lo and behold we caught some fish! Todd caught a big Jack fish that almost capsized him, and we both caught Snooks! None of them were keepers, but we did manage to snag a friends keeper redfish! Fresh fish is on the menu for lunch today.  Oh yeaaaahhhh!!!

There it is... Todd's tiny Snook!

Todd and his Snook and his hat

We had a nice time out on the water today, but now I'm ready for a nap. Tomorrow we're going to the baseball game with my parents and Monday we're hitting the beach with some friends. Can't wait!

I'll be posting this week's runs at some point this weekend as well. I have another 5 miler tomorrow... we'll see how that goes.

Peace out suckas!