I can't hang, but I'm hangin' in there

When I left you all last week I was setting out on an optimistic adventure of insanity. I'd worked out a schedule of 30 minutes running, followed by an hour of either Insanity or P90X every morning. Thursday had an hour and a half of yoga with no run. Saturday would be a long run, followed by an hour of stretching.

I created a 4 week schedule: 3 weeks hard and heavy, plus a step-back week of lighter recovery-type workouts. I planned to basically go through the motions at first, focusing on getting to know the workouts and not hurting myself in the process. Getting to know the workouts is a misnomer, since I'll repeat very few of them this month. I should really say something along the lines of "get an idea what I'm in for." I have several workouts to choose from for each muscle group, which is how I have the week divided. The schedule is still evolving (and subject to change based on real life events), but looks something like this:

I just added the PM workouts Friday. They started out as additional miles toward my 1K goal, but that darn life thing makes evening running difficult. The ab workouts don't take as long, and I need core strength as much as I need additional mileage anyway. Also, I need more stretching than I originally billeted. I believe if I stretch more I will hurt less, both from exertion and from being broken. I'll have to get the mileage in either by running faster in the morning, or by running longer on the weekends. I can and will occasionally fit an evening run in (like tomorrow, before my new standing Monday evening event begins next week). I might also be able to throw down a speed mile or two here or there on the treadmill, depending on if I actually get off work on time (which hasn't been happening).

Not surprisingly, this past week's schedule didn't exactly play out as planned. I am much weaker than I like to think, specifically in the upper body and trunk area. Duh. That's why I'm doing this insanity. I'm also broken, which I have to keep in mind and work around.

Monday I woke up knowing how to fix a leak that had water coming into my basement, so since it looked like rain I did that instead of my run. After, I did P90X Chest and Shoulders with my wimpy little 1lb weights. I didn't want to hurt my back right off the bat, and I didn't know what to expect. This week I'll be using the 5lb weights.

Back when I was in Tae Kwon Do, I could do tons of push-ups. Right now I can't even do them well on my knees, and did not do all the ones in this program. I probably would have done a little better if I hadn't played with my new 5lb weights the day before (thank you again, Aunt Gertie!).

Tuesday I ran 2 miles. I planned to do the Plyometric Cardio + an ab workout, but found I really only had time for the cardio. I'm not good at plyometrics, which is basically a lot of jumping around. I also don't have the right shoes. My running shoes are all minimalist, which means not a lot of cush or support for jumping. I do have one pair of shoes with more cushion, which I will try this week. I am not inclined to purchase yet another pair of shoes at this point, so if those shoes don't work I may not be doing a lot of the plyometrics. I was able to get a pretty good workout without the jumping, but that's mainly because I'm so woefully out of shape.

Wednesday I also got in 2 miles, then did a legs and back workout.

My new toy

I've wanted a pull-up bar for quite a while. I've wanted to be able to do pull-ups for probably 20 years. When I saw the P90X back workout required one, instant gratification girl went right out and got one. I'm pretty pitiful, but I have fun playing just about every time I pass it in the hallway.

Thursday's have an hour and a half of yoga on the schedule. This is the P90X version, which gets rather advanced. I didn't even get through half of it, though I probably would have been ok if I'd stuck it out and modified what they were doing. The first 3rd of the video is a lot of variations on sun salutation, which means you're down on the floor, then up on your feet, then down, then up, then down, then up... I couldn't get back up as quickly as they could, so my stretches were rushed and I was frustrated.

Thursday's video also broke me for a short while. There's a portion where you're in downward dog, you swing your leg up behind you, stay there for a moment, then come through into runner's stretch. Every time I swung my leg up behind me, my lower back popped. I was aware of the popping, but didn't think too much of it until later that day at work. If you remember this post, I recently had an issue where something was pinched or pulled or something in my groin. Well that's what happened again. Whatever popped apparently inflamed something, and something pulled or pinched in a way that made walking quite difficult.

I realized, while walking was difficult and painful, the longer I walked the easier it became. This is why Friday I went for a walk instead of running and doing the workout on my schedule. I walked about 2.5 miles, and was almost normal by the time I got home. Unfortunately this did not fix the issue, and I was quite uncomfortable every time I stood up throughout the day. I spent a lot of time trying to stretch the area out, which helped a little. It wasn't until Saturday morning I thought to use my Rumble Roller to try working out some of the other kinks from the week. That somehow did the trick and I was able to walk pain free!

I had a long run on tap, but was not inclined to tempt fate with the groin issue, even if it was feeling better. Also, Friday night I got a text from Energizer Bunny, saying she and a portion of her brood would be at my local pool Saturday morning for a swim meet. My local pool is literally the other side of my back yard, so I couldn't not go!

My niece in the orange cap, getting ready to swim backstroke

My nephew has a sweet freestyle stroke

I spent the morning walking back and forth and all around the pool area, following and chatting with Energizer Bunny. This was a far better workout than a long run, considering the state I was in.

Can you tell we're sisters?

Last night was a karaoke night, which did not involve anywhere near the amount of dancing I usually do. It was fun though, with Goddess and Mo Mo.

Today I spent cooking up a mess of pasta with garden tomatoes, making my own little version of hummus with a variety of beans + pesto, and taking another stab at a cliff-type energy bar. Except I just now realized I forgot the protein powder.

Brownie mix with 1 cup sugar free applesauce instead of oil, and 1 egg. 2 cups chopped mixed nuts (no peanuts since I'm allergic), 2 cups chopped dates. 2 cups chopped raisins. 1 cup instant oatmeal. 1/2 cup flax seeds. 1/4 cup chia seeds. Bake in mini muffin tins for about 25 minutes.

I've been trying to find a quick, easy fuel source for my early morning runs. Clif bars are too much for me that early in the morning, but lately my runs have petered out at about the 2 mile mark and I think it's a fueling issue. These are about two bites, small enough I can eat one just before I head out the door. They are mostly healthy, and have enough fuel for a short run. I can then eat another when I get home to fuel the 2nd portion of my workout.