Juggling College and Fitness

I successfully made it through week one of the Spring 2012 semester AND stuck to my training schedule for the week.  It was not easy.  Granted, I spend more time in the gym than the average person but it was often difficult to carve out that 1 to 1 1/2 hours each day to exercise.  I don't handle multi-tasking very well so when my mind is full of chemistry and biology nonsense  coursework I find it hard to switch gears to the exercise mind-set.  

The key to sticking with a training schedule, at least for me, is establishing a routine.  If I tell myself that I can go to the gym whenever I want to during the day then I will invariably put it off and run the risk of not going.  If I establish a routine of going to the gym after class (or at a certain time of day) I'll be much more likely to get the workout done without having to force myself to go.  So far this is working well as I can stop by the gym on my way home from college.  

This week I ran 2 miles in 15:40. That isn't my fastest time ever. My PR is 15:20 which I ran in 2007. I believe I can beat that PR. After all, I wasn't running as if I was racing for that 2 miles, I was just following the pace dictated by the training schedule. It wasn't an easy pace but I wasn't completely wasted afterward either.  I haven't concentrated on speed at all really during the past year as I've been focusing mostly on building up my endurance.  It was a boost to my ego to see that I wasn't too far off my 2 mile PR especially a PR I set over 4 years ago.

I've volunteered to help with the Peachtree 5k/10k next weekend.  I figure that I owe a lot to the volunteers who have given me water, cheered from the sidelines, and handed me food and other goodies at the finish line so that it's only right for me to volunteer for a couple of races this year.  I haven't gotten word on exactly what I'll be doing or anything but I'm looking forward to being a spectator at a race for the first time.  I hope it'll be fun or at least fulfilling!

Tempo Run For Fun

Ah, the joys of a tempo run.  Some (non-runners mostly) would think that the slow run days are the most enjoyable but that's not always the case.  Usually my favorite runs are tempo runs.  Tempo runs are really meant to be run at just below the lactate threshold but I really have to gauge that mostly by feel and by min/mile pace because I've never had my lactate threshold exactly measured in a lab setting.  You'll see a few different definitions of tempo run out there; some give you a heart-rate percentage and others a pace based off of various race distances.  For me that translates to running a pace roughly equal to my 10k race pace (9 min/mile) but for a much shorter distance (2 - 4 miles).  Today I ran 3 miles at that pace.  As you can see, I'm no speed demon.

I suppose the reason I find these tempo runs so enjoyable is that I get the chance to run at a speed I feel is respectable without killing myself in the process.  Once it's all said and done I feel that I've gotten a decent workout in but haven't had to run really fast or for very long in order to do it.  Sort of like a college class in which you know today's class time will only consist of a quiz.  You'll feel like you've put in some effort at the end of it but there's a good chance you'll get out of class early because of it.  Sounds like a win/win to me.

Before indulging in my favorite type of run though, I did a core strength training workout.  I'm on a constant mission to find abdominal exercises that aren't sit-ups as I had to do those in the Army and hated it.  I'm not a fan of crunches either.  I did bite the bullet today though and did some incline sit-ups but the bench wasn't really designed for someone 5'2".  A lot of exercise machines at the gym aren't really designed well for someone my size but I can usually make do after making some adjustments.  The sit-up bench's incline can be adjusted but that doesn't help my legs to fit well under the padded supports at the top of the bench.  Instead of my legs pressing up against the support I'm having to use some leg strength to keep my feet hooked under there in order to avoid rolling ass over tea kettle off the back of the bench.  I'm sure that would be entertaining to others but would likely abruptly end my workout for the day. Somehow, I made it work.

Today's Workout Routine

3 sets of Knee Raises on the Captain's Chair x 15
3 sets of Back Extensions on bench x 20 
2 sets of Side Extensions on bench x 15
3 sets of Incline Sit-ups x 12

Three mile tempo run on the treadmill at about a 9 min/mile pace finishing in 26:30