Core & Stability Workout

Several of you have asked what sort of strength program I follow. Ask and you shall receive (eventually). The following workout was developed with my ultra trail marathon in mind (It’s coming up on June 29th). So all of the exercises are very specific to the run and trail running. Developing good muscle balance and core stability to stay injury free throughout my ultra training was of #1 importance to me.

This is one of three workouts that I rotate through. All workouts focus on leg strength (for climbing those big hills, core and stability training (for ankle and knee stability and a strong core- abs, hips, and back), and shoulder strengthening (my shoulders tend to get really sore on my long runs).

Core & Stability Training

Warm Up: 10 minutes on the Step Mill or the Row Machine gradually increasing my speed until I am sweating.

I perform Exercise 1 for 10 reps, then Exercise 2 for 10 reps, then Exercise 3 for 10 reps. Repeat for a total of 3 sets.

Round One: 3 sets of 10.

1. Step Ups with a Knee Lift- I perform the Step Ups one leg at a time and really drive the knee up. I do this exercise fast but controlled. I use no weights.
2. Wide Arm Push Ups- My eyes are forward and not looking down.
3. Ball Plank-Pike- I perform this exercise with my hands on a platform (usually the one that I just did my step ups on) and my feet on the ball for the added difficulty.

Round Two: 3 sets of 10

1. Lunges on an Upside Down Bosu – I hate this video, but you will get the idea. This was an exercise that I really struggled with at first because of my poor ankle strength. My feet would cramp up like crazy. I would perform this series of exercises without my shoes on and I felt like I was more stable.
2. Single Leg Deadlift with a Dumbbell Shoulder Press- I use at 15 lb db for this exercise. I really feel this sucker in my hammy’s!! I perform all 10 repetitions on the right side, then 10 on the left.
3. Side Plank with a Twist- I perform 10 twists on one side then 10 on the other.

Round Three: 3 sets of 10

1. Power Knees with Cable- I perform this exercise (minus the jabs in the video) one leg at a time. Just like with my step ups, these are done at a fast but controlled pace. My resistance is set at 12.5 lbs.
2. Box Jumps- Instead of stepping back down as demonstrated in this video, I hop back down.
3. Plank Hip Touch- I start in forearm plank, then lower the right hip to the ground and then back up to center. Then lower the left hip down to touch the ground and back up to center.

So, there you have it, my fun little strength routine. Give an exercise or two a go and tell me what you think of it. Any good exercises you like to incorporate into your training?

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50K Training Recap Week 8 + Menu

I’m sore. I don’t often get sore from running, especially after a long run. I might get sore after a tough speed workout, but hardly ever after a long run. My quads are sore (hello down hill), my hamstrings are sore (hello uphill climbs), and my poor feet are sore (hello rocks and roots – I think I need trail shoes). But it’s a good sore so I ‘ll manage. Enough of that fussing.

So, I hit my goals for last week so that’s pretty cool. It was a good week all around so it’s always a confidence booster to have a few of those. I’m also linking up today with Laura at Mommy Run Fast for her Menu Planning. It’s a great way to get new recipe ideas and get out of your comfort zone in the kitchen. I set my menu every Sunday for the week. If I’m lucky, I also get Noah’s nap time to do some food prep for the week. Sometimes this happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, I like to have a good idea what’s on the menu for the week to keep the stress levels low for me after work.

Last Week’s Stats

Total Miles Run: 48

Strength Workouts: 2

Yoga: 0 classes, but 5 days of home practice for at least 30 minutes.

Splurges: almost an entire  16 oz container of peanut butter consumed in a week.

Monday- off. I had to leave work early to go get the Noah Bear because of an eye infection. He seemed to feel okay but had goopy eyes so we just lounged around the house that afternoon playing puzzles and trucks and watching Thomas the Train.

Tuesday- AM Strength Workout + PM 6 miles 48:45 (8:07 pace). Noah was feeling better so we went to the gym for an hour so I could get a quick strength workout in. It felt good to get back into the gym after the week off. That evening I went back to the treadmill instead of the track for my speed workout since we were getting some nasty snow moving in…again. Here is what my workout looked like:

1 mile warm up
4 sets:
2x200m @ :42 (6:00 pace) w/ 200 recovery jog + 1×800 @ 3:00 (6:00 pace) w/ 400 jog
1 mile cool down

And here is what my backyard looked like.

But it’s May 1st… my thoughts exactly!

Wednesday- 5 miles. Today I felt like doing some climbing and not slugging it through snow so I took it to the Step Mill for 30 minutes (got in 3.5 miles for an average pace of 8:34) then followed that up with 30 minutes on the treadmill at 15% incline walking at 3.5 mph (17:24 pace) and it was all I could do to keep from holding on. I actually had to hold on for majority of this workout. That night I met a friend for dinner and drinks. We had such a good time!! I think I also convinced her to join our EPIC Relay Team. Woo-Hoo!!

Thursday- 10 miles with Nina Machina in 1:23ish (8:17ish pace). I needed the support of a buddy today. I totally did not feel like running so this was perfect. We ran on the pavement of the South Platte River Trail. It was really nice out and there was not a trace of snow.

Friday- 6 miles with Stella Nutella. No watch. Just an easy run with me and my dog. Jim and I took Noah to Monkey Bizness (for their $5 night). He has such a good time at that place. The only thing I hate is that it is such an effort to get him out of there and it turns very dramatic, very quick. I’m talking throwing his shoes, throwing himself down on the floor, kicking and crying – it was quite the performance.

Saturday- off. Volunteered for the Columbine Classic 4mile/8mile race so it was an early morning. I got there around 6:30am and helped get the race shirts all organized until I was off to do my original volunteer task of working Mile 4 Water/Aid Station. They carted us off in the back of a trailer to the middle of nowhere for our Aid Station spot. We were all smiles…. until 2 hours later when we still hadn’t been picked up. Yep, they forgot about going to pick us up. And we were all hungry and getting crankier by the minute. I finally got home around noon just in time for some weed pulling and house cleaning. Woo-Hoo!

Sunday- 20.5 miles in 3:50ish (11:10ish pace). My friend, Lil Megan is training for her first 50 Miler, The Leadville 50 Silver Rush and she needed 20+ miles for the weekend as well. I knew I wanted to do something somewhat challenging and on the trails. Nina and I had done Roxborough State Park and had a good run and I have run Waterton Canyon on many occasions but have never tried to link these trails together. I scoured over maps the night before trying to figure out the mileage but could never find a definitive answer so I asked Megs if she was in for an adventure and a lot of “winging it”. She was, of course. It was an awesome run. Lots of climbing for our first 4-5 miles then our last 7 were all downhill. The in between was filled with lots of beautiful up and down trails. There were no falls, plenty of tripping over roots, creek crossings, deer sightings (and thankfully no bear sightings). We were alone on the Colorado Trail and it was so so pretty. I will never ever do this trail by myself but will gladly do it again with a willing partner. We walked up every hill and had great conversation all the way. Have I mentioned I had wonderful girls in my life?!!

Upcoming Week’s Training Goals:

• Yoga Classes 2-3 this week – a must!
• Strength Training 2-3 sessions
• Speed Work 1 day
• Long run of 16 miles on Friday due to my schedule (a drop back week)

MENU for the Week

I’m not stretching myself out of my comfort zone this week with recipes. These are oldies but goodies for this household. Plus, I set my menu after running a tough 20 mile run so I didn’t really feel like looking up too many recipes.

Monday- Crockpot Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots and a side salad

Tuesday- Sloppy Joe’s and Green Beans

Wednesday- Vegetable Tort. This is basically a veggie dump in a pie crust. Yum!

Thursday- Salmon w/ Spinach and Baked Sweet Potato (this is my favorite pre long run meal)

Friday- out or leftovers. Jim doesn’t really do leftovers (unless it is some sort of meat) so I have learned over the years how to modify recipes to cook for 2-3.

Saturday & Sunday- Jim is in charge of meals so for those who know Jim, this will be some sort of a one-pot cooking concoction. I think he should do a guest post on how to live in the kitchen on one pot, one bowl, one plate, and one cup. It’s really impressive, actually. I will be in Boulder going through the RRCA Running Coach Certification. Very excited!!

Any recipe recommendations for me??

 

 

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50K Training Recap: Week 7

It was one of those weeks with some high highs, but low lows. I’m super proud that I found my way back to a daily practice of Yoga at home. I practiced at least 30 minutes every day this week. However, I didn’t make it to the gym once this week for strength training or Yoga. At first, I was pretty frustrated about it (lack of motivation and just bad time management of my day) but I truly think that it was the best thing I could’ve done. I was having some hamstring tightness that I just couldn’t relieve. Plus, I had some elevation I would be running on Saturday so I really didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that training run. I chatted about it with my trainer friend and he agreed that I needed a “back off” week.

My Stats
Run Mileage: 41 miles

Yoga Classes Attended: 0, but I did do 30 minutes every day of arm balances and various flows.

Strength Workouts: None

Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Eaten: Don’t Ask!!!

Week Seven:

Monday- off. I missed my Yoga class, dang it.

Tuesday- 4.5 miles in 38:42 (8:36 pace). This was a snowy run (yep, snow. Again). I ran this in my Yak Trax and winter gear. Have I mentioned that I seriously want to burn all my winter gear??!!

Dear Colorado, I love you; I really do, but this weather… well it sucks! And you’re making it hard to love you. I don’t mind snow, really I don’t. I know how much we need the snow and how important it is for our water supply. Plus, it can be lots of fun; so October through March, I accept it. However, it is not acceptable to snow every week in April. And now May 1st too?? Not okay. 

Wednesday- 6 miles in 48:23 (8:03 pace). This was one of those runs that I never got in a groove and never felt good. Normally, it might take me a mile or 2 to get in a groove, but not today, I never found it. This doesn’t happen often, thankfully. One of those low, lows.

Thursday- 10 miles in 1:22:13 (8:13 pace). First day in shorts and a t-shirt. Woo-Hoo!! I ran a hilly route and took it easy. I was just out enjoying our awesome weather and loved being out every minute. One of those high, highs.

Shorts and t-shirt weather!! Finally!!!

Friday- off. 

Saturday- 17 miles in 3:03 (10:45 pace). The North Fork 50K/50 Mile Race Director organized a group run for us on part of the course this past weekend and it was going to be my first look at the course and get a good feel for this trail running thing. It was perfect (dare I say, a little hot) outside and we were all so happy to be out there. We started at a conservative pace and then each found our run groove. I fell into pace with 3 guys who run with the Denver Trail Runners each week. We ran together for the entire 17 miles and had a great time. We each took turns leading the run and had steady conversation. We all agreed that we should try to run some of our bigger runs together again since we ran so well together on this day. If nothing else, it will be a huge morale boost to see each other race day when we are hating life at mile 27. We might’ve had a celebratory beer afterwards…

My running buddies for 17 miles: Stu, Adam and Jason

we made sure to walk up the hills, at least halfway. I’m telling you, it takes practice for road runners or marathoners to figure out that you HAVE to walk during an ultra. No shame in that game!!!

The Columbine girls screaming down the trail. They must’ve heard we had beer waiting for them.

Kelly, Adam, Me, and Melissa. Post run celebration. I’m not flexing, by the way… I’m holding onto all my food – very important stuff- beer (Java Stout), tortilla chips, pretzels and a chocolate chip cookie.

That afternoon, Noah and I had a big time at the park. I pushed that kid on the swing for, I swear, 30 minutes. We went to the pool for a bit and then settled in for a movie on our sleeping bags.

Sunday- 3.4 miles in 30:15 (8:53 pace). I pushed Noah in the stroller. Man, I forgot how tough that is. Phew. I am out of stroller shape. I would liked to have gotten in some more miles, but it just didn’t work out that way. So instead, Noah and I ran some errands and then went for a little hike in the gorgeous weather!

That’s one cool dude, folks!

Looking ahead to this week, I would love to fit in my strength workouts and Yoga classes to my running schedule. I feel such a big difference when I am consistently cross training! However, I struggle each week with finding that family/exercise/life/work balance so I have had to learn that flexibility is the key to  my training. So, here are my goals for this week’s training: wish me luck!

• 3 Strength Workouts
• 2 Yoga Classes or 5 days of home practice for at least 30 minutes
• 1 day of Speed Work
• 20-22 miles – I don’t know if this will happen Friday, Saturday or Sunday. It depends on my work to-do list, how long I will be volunteering at the Columbine Classic Saturday morning, which day is the least annoying to the husband, and what the weather will be like (snow or no snow, 90′s or 50′s).

Fingers crossed. I had to leave work early Monday to pick up Noah from his little school because of an eye infection. We got some eye drops from the doctor but… have you ever tried to put eye drops in a 2 year old’s eyes?? Wow, seriously one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I had to hold him down with one hand while he was screaming and thrashing about and with my other hand pull open his eye lids and try to squirt the drops in. Terrorizing for both of us. I hope he doesn’t have nightmares about me now. He’s doing better, but I did keep him home from school today. So, we’ve had plenty of play time today. Now, Mommy needs a run!!

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Weekly Recap: Nailed It

I hit all my workouts. Amazing, but I’m tired. Really tired. Like I think I’m coming down with something, kill me now tired. But man I had a good week of workouts!

Miles run: 46

Yoga classes: 3 one-hour classes

Strength workouts: 3

Monday- Hot Power Fusion Yoga class at Core Power Yoga in the evening. It was a light class and gentle on my body. It felt good.

Tuesday- 10 miles. Got in some morning miles with Stella dog. 4 miles in 32:16 (8:03 pace). Changed clothes, grabbed Noah and off to the gym we went. I did my strength workout routine for an hour then splashed around in the pool with Noah for a while. He has gotten much more adventurous in the water which is fun to see. Normally, he is a pretty cautious kid.

That evening as the temperatures dropped and the rain/sleet started to fall, it made me awfully cranky to think about going to the track for our speed workout. So, I bailed on the track and took the workout to the treadmill- I can’t believe I actually chose the treadmill over an outdoor workout, but I’m just so over the cold weather. Anyway, it turned out to be a really great speed workout.

1.25 mile warm up, 5 sets of (2x200m @ :45 (6:15 pace) w/ 200m recovery jog, 1x400m @ 1:30 (6:15 pace) w/ 400m recovery jog), .5 mile cool down. 6.05 miles in 45:20 (7:29 pace). I was a sweaty mess after this one.

Wednesday- 4.8 miles. Core & Stability session with a personal trainer. I was sore this morning so he spent about 10 minutes rolling out my hips and legs (it hurt while he was doing it, but loosened me up a lot afterwards).

I was suposed to do a hill workout but after last night’s speed work and this morning’s strength, I was toast so I settled on an easy jog. But this easy jog felt hard. 4.8 miles in 42:20 (8:47 pace).

Thursday- 8.4 miles. My goal was to run for 75 minutes. I knew I wanted to do a hilly run so I went to Green Mountain Trail for 8 miles of gorgeous weather and scenery. Last time I was here, Nina and I had frozen faces with ice crystals on our cheeks and eyebrows from running in sub zero temps. This day was much much better. No worries about pace just wanted 75 minutes of hills. 8.4 miles in 1:20 (9:37 pace). Here are some pictures. Yes, I’m bragging, but man it was a gorgeous day!

Green Mountain Trail Loop in Colorado

Friday- Today was a cool treat because I got to take 2 yoga classes from 2 of my favorite instructors. After a morning trip to the library, Noah and I went to the gym so I could take a yoga class from Daniel. He always has a different style flow and will give you the chance to work on arm balances (today we worked on Peacock and Flying Pigeon). That evening, I took a C2 class at Core Power Yoga from Venus. Love her. When she has you holding a pose so long that you don’t think you can hold it for one second longer, she will say in such an encouraging and sweet voice – “Yes You Can”.

Saturday- 16.5 miles. I met Nina for 10 miles and then ran home for another 6 miles. I finished up with 16.5 and felt good. The weather was great and I had no tummy issues so that was even better. Jim and I headed off to the gym later in the morning. I attempted to do my workout from Wednesday but I was rather uninspired. I finished it, but it was nothing spectacular. I just wanted the couch.

Sunday- 5.8 miles. After volunteering with some of my fellow Colorado Columbines (so fun cheering for everyone) for the Platte River Half Marathon, I ran Deer Creek Canyon. I have been wanting to do some running with a significant amount of elevation and this was certainly a good step for me. This climb offered me a little more than 1,800 feet of climbing. I felt like I was moving pretty good and required no walk breaks. This will not always be the case with these types of runs. I feel like these Sunday runs will teach me a lot of a walk/run approach to the ultra trail running. I did 5.8 miles in 1:03 (10:50 pace). Pieces of the trail were still snow covered and required you to be very careful (I actually did walk through some of these spots now that I think about it). I ran up to Plymouth Mountain and was greeted with such amazing views of Chatfield State Park.

silly snow, so stubborn. why are you still here???

the views from the top: Chatfield Reservoir

This coming week I will be in week 5 of my 50K training plan. Here’s the pdf.  50K Training Plan (1-6). On Saturday I’m running in the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon that my friend Jill is organizing. It’s in Oceanside, CA near San Diego (twist my arm). I have 18 miles on the schedule for the day so I will probably squeeze in 5 miles later that afternoon if my body isn’t beat up too much. I’m really trying to not race this race and just use it as a nice trail training run with some hill climbing, but we will see how that works out for me Jill has also convinced me to do some kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding in the Oceanside Harbor so I’m going to call that my cross training for Sunday. Pretty excited to see, smell, and hear the ocean!!!

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Building my 50K Training Plan

I’m not an elite runner, by any stretch of the imagination, but I do take my goals seriously. And my goals for this training plan are simple.

1. Challenge myself.
2. Work hard.
3. Stay injury free.
4. Have fun.

So, with my lifestyle, personality, family and work commitments I have learned that my endurance training needs to be flexible. Now, that doesn’t mean that I don’t put in the work. Not at all. It just means that I have learned that I can’t have a “set-in-stone” 16 week training program. Flexible not flimsy.

I’m not a runner who enjoys running everyday. It becomes a chore for me when I think about “having” to do it every day rather than “getting” to run. I like doing yoga, cycling, weight training, aerobics classes, laying on the couch. I like those other things. And I think those other activities make me better (a better me).

What I have found that works best for me is that I approach it week by week. I have an overview or an outline of the general plan, but working in special events, I don’t always have a “regular work schedule”. So on Sundays, Jim and I will talk about what our weeks look like and with his schedule and my schedule, I build my training/workout schedule for that week. It’s not an exact science and it may need to be readjusted throughout the week.

A Few of the Basics

Here are some of my basic thoughts when I was putting together this plan.

• I want to make as many of the Tuesday evening track workouts with the Colorado Columbines as I can this Spring.
• Get on my bike once a week.
• I want 2-3 strength workouts each week.
• I want to do a Yoga class 2-3 times a week.
• Keep my long runs on Saturdays if possible.
• Do a tough mountain run on Sundays on tired legs to practice the hike/jog approach on ultra trail running I hear so much about.
• Complete 4-5 20+ mile runs (20, 22, 24, 26 mile runs) on this training plan.

A Typical Week for the next month will look like this.

Monday- Bike trainer at home in front of the tv for an hour.

Tuesday- Strength in am+ Track Workout in pm

Wednesday- 45-60 minutes hilly run (6-8 miles) + Yoga

Thursday- 75-90 minutes (10-12 miles) + Strength

Friday- Yoga

Saturday- Long Run + Strength

Sunday- 60-90 minutes hiking or attempting to run up and down a mountain

Here is a pdf of my weeks 1-6. 50K Training Plan (1-6)

I have a meeting with a personal trainer this Thursday. I have worked with him in the past and have become friends with him since. He is going to help me build a good strength program while trying to talk me into doing metabolic heart rate training (I’m still on the fence about this). He is an endurance cyclist and crazy mountain biker so he understands the runner/cyclist “crazy” mentality and what we call fun. I told him I wanted to focus on solid leg strength and ankle stability (hello single track trail running), core work (because, duh), and some shoulder and back exercises (they fatigue the quickest when I’m running for hours and hours). I will keep you posted.

What do you think?

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Views From the Top

I didn’t do an awful lot of running last week, but when I did, the views were amazing.

Tuesday I met up with Nina Machina for a New Year’s Day run at Bluffs Regional Park. It wasn’t my finest run most likely due to the number of drinks the night before ringing in the new year, the remnants of a nasty little cold, and a big ol’ brunch I had eaten earlier that morning. We were hoping for 8-10 miles, but I just couldn’t do it. 6 miles in 56 minutes.

And my next run wasn’t until Saturday. And what a run it was! Nina and I wanted to do something different so we drove 20 minutes to Roxborough State Park to do one of Nina’s bucket list trails Carpenter Peak. It was a gorgeous day with snow packed on the trail. We decided against the Yak Trax and it was fine if you just took it easy on the sharp turns.

Roxborough State Park: the view from the parking lot

It’s a tough climb. It does nothing for the ego when your GPS yells out at you “Average Pace 12 minutes 45 seconds”, but we were working hard out there and that 12:45 pace was all we could handle climbing 1,400 feet.

3 miles in and we were still climbing.

See that mountain on the left? That’s where we are running to.

We got to the top and enjoyed the beautiful views and goofed around for a few minutes before running back down.

Me and Nina at the top. A really nice hiker took this picture for us. People are so nice.

Nina’s plotting her photo opt.

arm balance at 7,160 feet

There was no way I could even think of doing an arm balance on my rock. It was all I could do to stand on one foot.

Tree Pose on Carpenter Peak

Sorry, Mom if that just gave you a heart attack.

The run down was lots of fun and we made up a lot of time. We had to run a little further apart because if Nina had to slow down due to slick spots, I didn’t need to barrel into her.

Ready for my Runner’s World cover shot

Natural Born Trail Runner, that Nina Machina

Can I just tell you how happy I was at this point to be on something flat.

That’s me jumping for joy at the sight of a flat trail

We added on another trail at the bottom to get some more mileage, but I was spent and had to walk up a section of the hill, Ugh. Not a Happy Camper. Just ask Nina -there was cursing involved. But all in all it was a fabulous day! 9 miles in 1:43 (11:26 pace).

This week has already started off to be a good one with a great Monday evening run. Tonight: Yoga Sculpt + Easy Run. I’m piecing together a race calendar, any suggestions?

 

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Running Hinson Lake

Living in Colorado, I am blessed with beautiful places to run just outside my door. And trust me, I do not take it for granted. When Nina Machina and I are running together, you can be sure the phrase will come out of one of our mouths “Look how pretty this is!” or “Man, it is gorgeous out!” So, one of the things I love to do when travelling somewhere is to check out my trail options or other good places to run when I am visiting another city.

I will do a quick websearch on the town, local running clubs, state or city parks, etc and go from there. I also use Map My Run to help me map out a long run, otherwise I will just lace up my shoes and go.

In small town Rockingham, NC (home of Jim, aka “the hubs”) they have the beautiful Hinson Lake. It is 1.52 mile trail around the lake that does have some other smaller trails that weave in and out of the trail to maybe give you a little variety. Now, normally I would not enjoy a loop because I think I would be mentally battling wanting to stop with every loop, but it wasn’t the case for me this time. There is also a lodge that I have been to once with the hubs for his high school class reunion. Plenty of picnic tables for a quiet lunch on the lake watching the birds, if that is what suits you. I couldn’t help but think how much Noah would love throwing sticks into this lake, and rocks and dirt and his shoes…

Hinson Lake is also the home of the Hinson Lake 24 Hour Ultra. That’s right, 24 hours of running around in a circle, but people love it! The race only costs $24. It’s held in late September and caps out at 240 runners. Runners can loop this sucker up to 80 times -wow! The neat thing about it being such a short loop for an ultra is how often you are supported by your pace team. They can check on you often making sure you are taking in fuel and such. I’m kind of interested in it now. I mean, I could always use it for a really long run (as the hubs rolls his eyes)…

The marshy area

running on the wooden bridge over the lake

the trails around Hinson Lake

the magical forrest

As you can see, it really is a peaceful place to run. I hope you all get out and about exploring!

Red Rocks Trail

Red Rocks is a must see when you are in the Denver area. Concerts, “Film on the Rocks”, wildlife, a quick hike, a trail run, one huge workout gym, it’s got it all. Wanna see what I’m talking about?

How about a concert with an amazing view? Here you go. Red Rocks will put out their calendar starting in March. They also do “Film on the Rocks” during the summer where they show movies like “Ghostbuster” and “The Goonies” plus a little music. Fun!

Doesn’t matter if you see a show sitting in the very back row – just look at the scenery!

Feel like going for a workout without going to a “gym”. Try doing what the freaks of nature do and do a squat jump up each and every one of these stairs. Not enough? Do a push up as well? Just so you know, I once ran down each and every row and it was a total of 3 miles. I just wanted to know.

Now just imagine doing even just one pushup up everyone of those stairs.

Here is the view once you get to the top of those stairs.

Or if running some stairs with a personal trainer yelling at you is your bag, then we’ve got you covered as well.

Want to see some wildlife frolicking?

Want to go for a quick hike? You’ve got the Trading Post Trail that starts and ends at the Trading Post. It’s about a 1.5 mile hike and when you’re finished you should go into the store and buy some fudge for your efforts. Here is your view.

If you want a great trail run, make sure to hit up the Red Rocks Trail. You’ve got ups and downs and a fun little climb over some big ol rocks! It’s a great 6 miler.

Here I am gearing up for my run wearing my New Skin gear of course.

Don’t forget to give me a call if you are heading out to Red Rocks!

On a side note: my ankle is doing better. I took yesterday off and will attempt a run today. The left ankle is still tender and my right shin is scraped up but doesn’t hurt as bad. My mom called me fussing at me for going alone on the trail. So just for the record: It was a popular trail medley that loops around. I actually had 2 ladies see me fall and offer to help and then another trail runner ask if I needed him to carry me back. For safety, someone always knows where I am running and I never go to a terribly remote area alone. Plus, I had my phone with me. I didn’t feel like I was in danger or was taking unnecessary risks by trail running. It is part of it. It was my first big trail running tumble and I wear it as a badge of honor.

Want to see other fun things to do in Colorado, check out this fun blog Love Living in Colorado.

Have you ever taken a tumble on the trail? Did it shake your confidence or did you just shake it off?

Related articles

• Marvelous Monday: trail running (runservecook.wordpress.com)
• Exercise Outdoors: Run the Trails (sierraclub.typepad.com)

Fitness Recap

This wasn’t my best week for fitness. I let a lot of things get in the way of fitting in my workouts. The excuses just build up for me with the passing hour of each day. It’s silly really. I never regret a workout so I should just make it happen. Work will still be there. The hubs will still be there. Noah will still be there. Life will still be there. But I am better equipped to handle life if I fit my workout in. I will need to remember this next week.

Monday- seriously, this always ends up being a rest day because it is a busy day and if I don’t get it done first thing in the morning before anyone wakes up, it ain’t happening.  Must see what I can do about this next next!

Tuesday- Me and Stella Nutella went out for a nice jog. 5.2 in 41:51 (8:02 pace). That evening I took a 50/50 Cardio Strength Class that I have been wanting to try. It was fun and I gave it my all. I knew I would be sore. There was this one section of class when we had to do pulsing pushups. Oh my word, they were ridiculous – and I’m not someone to complain about doing pushups (it is my favorite strength move) but pulsing pushups after your umpteenth pushup is just insane. That is all.

Wednesday- Stella and I went out for an evening jog that quickly turned into a nighttime jog and I did not have a headlamp or street lights. So we booked it home as I heard the coyotes calling. Seriously creepy to hear coyotes yelping while you are running in the dark probably 20 feet away from them. 3.3 miles in 25 minutes (7:42 pace). How is it dark dark by 5:30 pm??

Thursday and Friday- if it didn’t happen in the morning, it wasn’t going to happen and it didn’t. Laziness. I blame the hubs. And food. And jammies. And wine. Actually, Jim, Noah and I went to a Wounded Warrior Event down in Colorado Springs. They do amazing work. Check it out. Volunteer. Give money. Whatever you can do. Jammies and wine happened after the event.

Wounded Warriors Thank You Reception. No, WW, thank you!

Saturday- Ran the beautiful Red Rocks Trail. 6.03 in 60 minutes (9:55 pace). Afterwards I climbed the stairs up to the amphitheater, because if you ever go to Red Rocks, you have to. Plus, it’s awesome to see so many people working their ass off running the stairs, plyo jumps up all those stadium stairs, pushups and dips on the stairs – it’s a cool vibe! I will post more on that later this week.

The start of my red rocks running.

Later that evening me and Jim went to the gym. I went to the yoga studio as the sun was setting (there is a large window that faces the mountains) and I did a few yoga flows and worked on some arm balances: crow, side crow, headstand, handstand. I followed that up with 25 minutes on the elliptical (I wasn’t too motivated for much more).

Sunday- Jim, Noah and I spent the morning at the Wildlife Experience. Super fun! Once Noah went down for a nap I worked on his quiet book while Jim watched football for about an hour. Then I took off for Deer Creek Canyon to do a 7 mile trail run with a good bit of elevation gain. Halfway into the run I took a tumble. Scraped up my leg and twisted my ankle. I was able to make it back to my car fine. It’s nothing serious it’s just sore. So that kept me out of Hot Yoga that evening.

It’s looking steep and rocky, that’s alright, just take it slow.

now it’s looking slick, yikes. Didn’t know it was time for my Yak Trax!!

This week’s plan. Don’t end up like Sunday.

stupid slippery rocks on the trail and my shuffling feet. Pick your feet up Stevenson!

No seriously, here are my goals for this week:

• Hit up some strength classes at the gym
• 2 spin workouts this week
• 20-30 miles of running
• 2-3 yoga classes
• sub 23:00 at the Turkey Day 5K on Thursday

Overall, I didn’t do horrible last week, but I didn’t mean to take so many days off and will make a strong effort to not do that this week. And how in the heck do I run a 5K? McMillan Running Calculator tells me based on my 3:32 marathon time and my 1:38 half marathon time that I should bust out a 21:47 5K. But I’m no longer in 3:32 marathon shape, but maybe 3:45 shape so a 23:00 is more my speed. Maybe??

How do you set shorter distance race time goals when you are used to running longer distances?

Related articles

• Fitting Yoga Into My Workout Routine (everydayhealth.com)
• 4 Ways to Do a Pushup (washingtonian.com)
• The 15-Minute At-Home Yoga Workout (washingtonian.com)
• The Best Exercises For Better Sex (blackdoctor.org)
• Denver to Detroit: Marathon Week (kandjcolorado.wordpress.com)
• 4 Uncommon Kettlebell Exercises to Try (washingtonian.com)
• Fitness Recap (kandjcolorado.wordpress.com)
• Denver to Detroit: Marathon Training Week 12 (kandjcolorado.wordpress.com)

Needing a little yoga in my life

I’m looking forward to my Hot Vinyasa Happy Hour at 4:00 today, just so you know! I’m in a bit of a rut (read: cranky) and I believe this is just the ticket to help lift my spirits.

My running has been uninspiring this week but that is quite typical in the taper weeks. I need some extra motivation to get me out the door for my long run this weekend. There is a race in Highlands Ranch Saturday morning that I may just venture out to do. Nothing like a last minute 20 mile trail run. They are offering a 10 miler as well. I could just run to the race, do the 10 mile trail and then run home for a total of 16 miles (what I wanted to do this weekend) or I could just run the 20 miler nice and slow. We will see…

Focusing on the positive and not the crankiness that I seem to be exuding, I will tell you five things I am super excited about.

1.) I was asked to represent Team New Skin and promote their products. It’s a good fit since I already use their products. Anti-Chafing Spray, you are the bomb!

2.) I didn’t quite run 5 miles in 35 minutes like I wanted, but I did do it in 36 minutes.

3.) Noah has been on good behavior for the grandparents this week. He has already renamed Grandpa Stevenson to “G-Pa”. It’s too cute. He may or may not be blaming any sort of bad behavior on Stella in this photo.

4. Amy at Lavender Parking is running the Chicago Marathon this weekend and I am so so excited for her to experience her first marathon.

5. Brunch with the ladies at Rootdown in the Highlands on Saturday. Oh.Em.Gee. YUM! I’m going to kill it!

What do you do to put yourself in a better mood? Usually I just run it off, but lately I have needed something more. Like alcohol. I kid, I kid. Or am I???

Related articles

• Feeling Balanced (kandjcolorado.wordpress.com)
• Ultramarathon Training: The Importance Of The Long Runs (dallanmanscill.com)
• Saffron Walden 10k (knitnrun4sanity.wordpress.com)
• October Goals (evelinruns.wordpress.com)