My workout from hell

I created a workout from hell last week and plan on hitting it once a week forever!  OK, forever may be a stretch.

I call it 'workout from hell' because it encompasses three fiendish elements:

1. Multiple hill repeats on a couple of local roads with steep inclines to both start and finish 
2. Stair repeats with Plank routines in the middle
3. Track repeats to build all-out speed 

It's only a little over 11 km in total distance but I push my heart rate up and down like a yo-yo and my legs feel like well cooked spagetti at the end.  But does it ever feel great!

For those of you interested in these factoids, you'll notice the change in my pace at the 41 minute mark where I'm doing the stair repeats and Planking and again around the 1 hour mark where I'm doing the speedwork at the local highschool track.  I don't have a heart rate monitor but take my word for it that I'm pumping pretty good.

It's pretty rewarding once I've finished this workout.  During the hills, stairs and on the track not so much.  I've invented some new swear words...I'll share those in Negril when a number of us meet up for Reggae Marathon.

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

190 lbs!

190 lbs...ish

190 lbs.  And that only took a couple of weeks!  I'll hit my 175 lb. weight target for sure by Reggae Marathon this December.  Piece of cake!

OK, so it's mostly water loss from sweating that's responsible for this weight loss so-far but I'll take it!  I'm using every trick I can think of:  I run first thing in the morning before eating then weigh myself right after coming back before drinking any water...hey, every ounce counts!

I have 175 lbs marked on the bathroom scale and now it's only 15 lbs. to go.  I'm not sure I'll be able to eliminate the beer or salty snacks but I've started to drink more water throughout the day and make sure I have a glass with every meal.  I've also included higher-intensity workouts each week but take a lot of care with those.  I don't want any recurrence of foot injuries (Broken foot).

The higher intensity workouts include hill repeats, negative split out and back runs and speed work and strides on the nearby highschool track.  I'm even using a Navin trick: Telling myself to run 'just a little faster'.

And while they don't burn a lot of calories, I Plank every morning before and after my run.

So 5 lbs down from 195 lbs feels pretty good.  Now if only I could cut out the salty snacks and beer...

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

Planks: My Abs Silver Bullet

Planks!  Where have you been hiding!

Last week one of my co-workers showed me how to do Planks. There we were in the middle of the office dressed in business attire with the rest of the office looking on doing...Planks!  For something so deceptively easy, it was brutal!  After barely 20 seconds my arms were quivering; After 40 seconds I failed!

A few months ago I challenged my friend, Larry Savitch to an Abs competition:  At Reggae Marathon this December Larry and I will doff our tops on the beach in Negril and compare Abs.  Larry is a few years younger than me but that's not what makes this crazy.  Larry works as a Trainer at a Corporate Gym.  He already has Abs.  I on the other hand sit at a desk working on a computer all day.  I have never had Abs.  How do I get myself into these things?

But with Planks, I now have a secret weapon and I plan to use it fully.  Starting today Planks will be a part of my daily routine. I've already started pre-run stretching to loosen and open up my hips so a few minutes Planking will be no problem. I'll be following the 5 minute Plank Workout in the illustration above.  After my 40 second first Plank experience I have a long way to go but I'm not scared.

Shhh....don't tell Larry!

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy