Quick Look At My Workouts From Last Week

I hope everyone had a nice Passover and Easter. With my workouts from last week listed below, I don’t really have much to add in terms of details!

A few runs plus lots of yoga and pilates thanks to Melissa Wood Health is feeling like the absolutely perfect balance for me these days. My workouts leave me energized and feeling great without taking up too much time, which to me, is everything.

Monday – 30 Min Full Body Power Flow

Tuesday – 30 Min Run/15 Min Lower Body Focused Flow

Just an easy run today and then I came home for a quick yet super effective lower body workout using body weight.

Loving my new Ghosts!

Wednesday – 30 Min Run/15 Min Standing Arms & Abs Series

Another easy-paced run today!

Thursday – 37 Min Yoga with a side of Pilates (so good!)/5 Min Arms Using Body Weight

Friday – 40 Min Full Body Yoga/Pilates Flow

Saturday – 5 Miles/15 Min Abs Focused Flow

I wanted to do the same workout combo as last Saturday because it was a good one!

I ran 5 miles in the relentless cold wind followed by the same abs flow from last week because it just feels so good after running.  It’s not an easy flow yet I find that it still stretches and lengthens which feels nice after running. Even though it’s “ab-focused” it does truly work the whole body.

Sunday – 5 Miles

I felt like running again today, so I did. It was mostly an easy run with slight pick-ups in speed at various points. After my run, I did my own yoga stretching before getting in the shower.

 

Weekly Workout Recap (11/4 – 11/10)

 

A super quick look at last week’s workouts.

What is there really to say beyond the sudden shock of winter cold temperatures? While the temps will still go up and down at this point in the season, I am now prepared to be at the gym more often on days that it is too cold for me to run outside. I just don’t handle the cold weather as I used to, especially first thing in the morning!

Monday – 5 Miles (outside)

Tuesday – Off

I didn’t have time.

Wednesday – 5 Miles (outside)

Thursday – 45 Min Walk (outside)/20 Min Pure Barre

Friday – 30 Min Treadmill Workout/Free Weights in Gym

10 min warm-up followed by 1 min hard/1 min easy and then 2 min hard/1 min easy after the 20-minute mark. Hard minutes were all above 8.1 (and more like 8.5 – 8.6), easy minutes at 6.5  — felt great!

Saturday – 4 Miles (outside)/30 Min Pure Barre

I think it was about 30 degrees outside? Over the last two winters, I’ve decided this is fairly close to my limit for outdoor running. Today was definitely on the border of too cold for me and my thumbs let me know that — they HURT towards the end of this run even though I was wearing my favorite running mittens.  I didn’t bother to try to stay outside and came home instead for a Pure Barre workout.

Remember my most favorite lululemon fluffover mittens? I’ve sworn by these mittens for keeping my hands warm while running for years now. Not sure why my thumbs weren’t happy today. Hopefully, it’s not a regular occurrence. 

Sunday – 25 Min Pure Barre/40 Min Walk (first outside, then on the treadmill)

I attempted to walk outdoors but it was still too cold for me.

Today should be an okay outdoor run today — not so sure about the rest of the week!

New Blog Design + Weekly Workout Recap

 

Do you notice things look a little bit different around here?! We made the blog theme switch yesterday morning and since then, I’ve done my best to not get sucked into working on all of the little details that go along with updating a blog. There are so many spots that require new coding and changes!

For the most part though, things are in place. There are still some areas and pages to sort out, organize, and edit plus things I want to implement but I don’t think that they are huge details that will affect anyone’s ability to read the site.

So far, I really like how it looks! Do you like it? Please let me know. And please let me know if anything isn’t displaying correctly for you!

So while I’ve been busy with my blog (and half following the news and social media/half trying to steer clear because I can’t handle it, especially my facebook feed), I quickly put together my recap from this week’s workouts.

Monday – 35 Minutes Treadmill Intervals

I guess we can call this 4 miles of intervals plus cool down to 35 minutes. Initially I only planned to run 3 miles with a cool down to 30 minutes but at the 30 minute mark I was closer to 4 miles than 3 miles so I kept going, hit 4 miles and then cooled down (slower speed on incline of 3.0 – 4.0) to 35 minutes total.

Tuesday – 50 Minutes Pure Barre (Essentials #2)

The Pure Barre workout I chose today from Pure Barre On Demand was called Essentials #2. It’s actually a former Pure Barre DVD which is now available through the On Demand streaming service.

I mentioned on Instagram after this workout that I’m really trying to focus during Pure Barre, more than in the past. I think when I was balancing running on the same days as Pure Barre or even just when I was running more in general, I went through the motions during Pure Barre more often than not. While yes, I still feel I got in quality Pure Barre workouts, right now I feel as though I can take Pure Barre to another level. I’m working on staying really focused, not allowing myself to drop my arms or legs when it starts to burn. It’s so easy to drop for a second but if you keep going through the burn, that’s truly when the real results and strength (mentally and physically) can develop.

Wednesday – 45 Minutes Treadmill

Is it weird that I rarely consider running outside right now? I’m really happy with treadmill workouts right now. Maybe that will change in the spring/summer – I don’t know. All I know is that the treadmill has been really kind to me and I’m enjoying pushing my pace and playing with the incline during my runs.

45 minutes which was 5 miles plus a 4 minute cool down. I ran intervals sort of, nothing timed or planned. I just played with my speed and when I dropped it to slower, I raised the incline. My inclines ranged throughout between 1.0 – 2.5.

Thursday – Gym Day

Calling this is a “gym day” because I was in the gym doing random things. I’m not even sure how long I was there but my guess is around 40 -45 minutes. I was super sweaty when I was done!

Here’s what I did:

10 min elliptical < – at speed/resistance more than just a warm up but nothing too hard

Free weights/upper body stuff/jumping jacks in between sets

10 min run on treadmill – came out to 1.25 miles

Jumping jacks/walking lunges with 10 lb free weights/squats and things like that

One fast mile running to finish

Friday – Rest Day

I decided on a rest day this morning, mainly for two reasons. One, I was super hungry yesterday and I rarely experience hungry days anymore so I thought that a rest day may help my appetite to calm down. And two, I was sore from yesterday’s workout! I don’t know exactly which part made my legs sore but a day off could only help my muscles to recover.

Saturday – 7 Miles (treadmill)

I think this is my longest run of the year so far! The weather wasn’t even that cold outside (maybe 29 degrees?) but I still opted for the treadmill.

Nothing special to report, just 7 miles in like 58 minutes.

Sunday – Pure Barre

Probably a 45 minute Pure Barre workout, not sure which one yet.

[bctt tweet=”NEW SITE DESIGN! Plus the week in workouts! #ontheblog #treadmill #workouts #running #purebarre @pure_barre” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

How was your week in workouts? Did the weather play a role in if you ran inside or outside?

Are you liking or hating the treadmill at this point in the winter?

What type of cross training did you do this week?

 

My Week Without Running (workout recap)

 

This is the first week IN YEARS that went by without me running at least one time. I am finding this so very interesting for a few reasons.

First, and I know I have mentioned this all week, dropping that shampoo bottle on my foot really couldn’t come at a better time. Seriously. It’s literally the worst part of the winter. Aside from the blizzard this week, we’ve been waking up each day to negative wind chills and single digits. We haven’t seen temperatures even close to reaching the freezing mark in over two weeks. And a cold snap like this hasn’t happened in New York in over 50 years which means it’s the first in my lifetime!

Second, and this is a little scary in some ways, I haven’t really minded not running.

How someone like me who runs as often as she brushes her teeth doesn’t really mind not running suddenly, without warning, is strange.

Or maybe it isn’t. I could use the break I guess. It’s not that I don’t think about running, it’s just that I really don’t mind babying my right foot.

Maybe it’s because I know I didn’t really injure my foot too badly? Like it’s just some precaution to prevent the bruising from actually creating an injury that would keep me sidelined for a long time?

Maybe it’s because I love Pure Barre just as much as running and I’ve been able to continue my Pure Barre routine?

Or maybe it’s because my appetite instantly returned to human and not running and eating like a normal person has been nice?

I don’t know.

I’ve been so beyond lucky as a runner to never be sidelined by a true injury yet at the same time, I kind of know that I am not the type to completely freak if I can’t run.

This mindset of mine and ability to easily switch running off when necessary may be the same mindset I had when my son was born. I naturally slowed things down during my pregnancy and then automatically, without really thinking about it, dropped my exercise routine in favor of raising him those first few years, moving my body in other ways like keeping up with him and stroller walking more for his entertainment than mine until I felt like it was time to return to gym when he started preschool.

I really do okay with things like this. It surprises so many people but I can live without running for a bit, especially if it’s because a doctor says please be careful with your foot because you dropped a shampoo bottle on it and created a nice bruise.

It feels weird to not miss running more, to not be in a major hurry to return to the treadmill. A part of me knows that if it was beautiful outside, I would want to run yet a part of me really wonders if maybe going forward I will drop my mileage and run less than I was because not running hasn’t been the worst thing ever. Of course we will laugh when I am back up to running 40 miles a week like nothing but I need to put how I am feeling out there so you can see that even people like me can handle time off and not really mind.

And like my dad said, this is great for my running shoes! I’ve extended their life by not using them for a bit. 🙂

Okay so that was way longer than I expected but I had a lot on my mind to share! Here’s what my week without running looked like…

Monday – Rest Day

It was New Year’s Day and doing NOTHING was super fun. I shared Monday’s Meals in this post if you missed it.

Tuesday – 35 Min Elliptical/10 Min Pure Barre

I figured I could do the elliptical machine easy since my foot doesn’t actually hurt and then I chose a 10 minute Pure Barre workout for arms.

Wednesday – 30 Minutes Elliptical

I went to the doctor today and he told me to avoid the elliptical too, even though it’s less impact than running. Oops! I didn’t realize but I will listen now that I know! He did say that I can continue with Pure Barre so I will do that.

Thursday – 45 Minutes Pure Barre

With a blizzard out my window, it was nice to not leave the house and take advantage of the longer Pure Barre workouts. It wasn’t even too hard to modify the positioning for my foot! The hardest part was remembering not to go on my toes because my foot doesn’t hurt at all. I just don’t want to forget and injure it.

Friday – 50 Minutes Pure Barre

This is a Pure Barre workout I don’t think I have ever done and I really liked it. It followed the usual class structure, just with an extra focus on the core. Core work always gets my heart rate up! It’s much harder for me than lower body work for sure.

Saturday – Pure Barre Pure Results

A week since I dropped the dumb shampoo bottle on my foot and I woke up to see the bruise looking so much better!

I chose the Pure Barre Pure Results (focus on seat) workout.  It’s been a long time since I did this hour long workout so it was really nice to bring it back.

This Pure Barre Pure Results workout review is still one of my top viewed posts on a daily basis! I love that this workout is now available through Pure Barre On Demand – I used to subscribe to it separately before On Demand was a thing.

Sunday – Rest

[bctt tweet=”I didn’t run all week and didn’t really mind! More about this in today’s workout recap on the blog #running #runner #purebarre @pure_barre #workouts #fitfluential #run” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

How cold is it by you? Have you been able to run outside or mostly indoors?

Are you good about not running when you aren’t able to run?

 

Running & Pure Barre Workouts (10.15.17 – 10.22.17)

 

5 years ago this weekend I ran my first ever half marathon at Hershey Park. In some ways it’s just CRAZY to me to realize that my first ever half marathon experience was already 5 years ago and at the same time, it feels forever ago! I didn’t start my blog until a few months after the Hershey Half but I did eventually write a good recap of the race and my experience. Here’s the link if you would like to read it.

And 3 years ago this weekend I ran the Runner’s World Hat Trick of races which included a 5K, followed by a 10K and a half marathon the next day. Here’s that recap!

The half marathon definitely became my favorite race distance for a while there and I think in some ways, it would still be my response when asked about my favorite distance to race. However, as you know, I’m currently in a bit of a hiatus from running 13.1 miles simply because I don’t feel like it. I’m sure the desire will return again and in the meantime, I’m really enjoying the shorter distance runs right now SO MUCH for so many reasons. A separate post really needs to be written about it.

This week felt like a lighter workout week for me overall. My mileage still fell over 30 miles but I cut back I think on Pure Barre workouts.

It wasn’t overly intentional, I just didn’t feel the mental level of patience for completing 30 minute Pure Barre workouts, so I didn’t. Sometimes when work is really busy (as it currently it right now), I find that I lose my mental patience for completing my workouts during the week because I’m rushing/thinking ahead to getting home and checking my email.

Monday – 60 Minutes Running

I noticed that Runkeeper was not accurately tracking my distance so I switched my mindset to an effort/time based run rather than distance.

20 minutes easy + 20 minutes half marathon effort + 20 minutes easy

I’m not totally sure how off the tracking was but it had to be at least .25 miles total. I think. Whatever, it was still a strong run and definitely over 6.5 miles but not quite 7. Even without tracking my mile markers, I can judge my effort in relation to the time to see that I was well within my target range.

Tuesday – 30 Min Running/10 Min Pure Barre

It’s still amazing to me how running a 30 minute workout can feel as invigorating, if not more exhausting, then a 60 minute easier run.

5 min easy + 5 min 30 seconds hard/30 easy + 10 min hard + 5 min 30/30 + cool down < – One of Laura‘s workouts.

This was a run by time focused workout but I am pretty sure I got Runkeeper working again so the splits are correct.

I didn’t plan on doing any Pure Barre workouts today but then I went with a 10 minute thighs & seat workout.

Wednesday – 30 Min Easy Running/10 Min Pure Barre

I almost didn’t run or do anything today but then I remembered I had a hectic day ahead and an easy run would make me feel better.

3.25 miles in the cool air followed by two 5 minute Pure Barre workouts. One for arms and one for seat. I love the 5 minute Pure Barre workout options!

Thursday – 30 Min Fartlek Workout (5 Miles Total)/Pure Barre

I tried Laura’s 30 minute fartlek workout and LOVED IT. I am telling you – when you just jump right into running of these 30 minute workouts with speed, you will finish wondering what the heck you just did. It’s so challenging in a short amount of time that you feel as though you ran much longer than you did. I ended up with a longer cool down than planned (2 extra miles) and then came home for a quick 10 minute seat and abs workout.

Friday – 4 Miles/Pure Barre

Just an easy 4 mile run before coming home for 15 minutes of Pure Barre. I combined a 5 minute seat workout with a 10 minute arms & ab workout.

Saturday – 10 Miles

I decided early on in this run to do 5 miles easy + 2 X 2 miles at half marathon effort (2 min easy in between) + cool down to 10 miles.

I started out averaging an easy 9:15 per mile until mile 5 when I slowed a bit and thought that maybe I was tired and not in the mood to keep running. I’m glad I pushed myself to give the rest of the run a shot because I did really well! I never pause Runkeeper for the 2 min easy so even with that in the mix here, I was definitely up to speed with my half pace.

Sunday – Rest Day

I have to be out of the house early this morning to take my son somewhere and we were out late last night at the Islanders game so no time for a Pure Barre workout for me.

[bctt tweet=”running & pure barre workout recap! #running #purebarre #workouts @pure_barre ” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Where was your first half marathon?

If you use Runkeeper or other mileage tracking app, do you find they are accurate or do they get screwed up when you do phone updates?

Does work ever interfere with your workouts in the morning in terms of mentally feeling rushed?

30 Minute Workouts + Skipped My Long Run (workout recap)

 

As I mentioned in Friday’s Favorites post, my son’s new school schedule allows me the time to sleep and run later in the morning.The only issue is, I like to walk out the door at the same time he leaves for the bus stop.

This is an issue because he doesn’t want to see me at any point while he is waiting for the bus, getting on the bus or while riding the bus out of our community. I am totally understanding of this ninth grade attitude of mom being a loser so I do my best to adjust my running route around the school bus situation for the first mile or so of my run. However, my son seems to spot me anyway which then involves text messages at me while I’m running until he leaves the neighborhood. I can’t win!

Just another day in my life, just another day.

My workouts were slightly scaled back this week with the return to school. I can’t say it had anything to do with school or the bus stop issue, it was more my mood.

I didn’t feel like running more than what you will see below. In fact, I spoke to Laura the other day about really wanting to give her 30 minute running workouts a try, especially this one. Maybe what I need right now is a shake up to my workouts in terms of time and intensity.

Or maybe what I need is just to have 30 minute workouts as options in my head for the days when I just don’t want to be outside running for a long time.

We were laughing about how distance runners feel like 30 minutes is just a warm up when the reality is, you can work super hard in 30 minute workouts and get an incredible workout in a short amount of time.

30 minutes used to be my go-to workout window. Maybe I will get back to that on a more regular basis, rather than just using 30 minutes as my easy run/low effort day.

Monday – Pure Barre

I chose to skip my run in favor of staying home for a 55 minute Pure Barre workout. This Pure Barre workout in particular had a focus on arms which incorporate weights throughout, meaning ab work and lower body work involved arm work too!

I swear I will review Pure Barre On Demand soon, I swear!

Tuesday  – 5 Miles

Um, nothing special here. I don’t even remember this run other than it was the first day of school so I had to play around with my usual route to avoid the kids at the bus stop.

Wednesday – 1 Mile + Gym Time

It was super humid outside so after one mile, I chose to head indoors to the gym. Instead of the treadmill, I went with the elliptical for 30 minutes followed by some work with the kettleballs. Please don’t ask what kind of kettleball work I mean! I’m just a runner who pretends she knows what she is doing in the gym when she isn’t doing cardio.

Thursday – 7 Miles

A bit cooler out this morning made it more comfortable for a good run.

Friday – 30 Minutes Running/Pure Barre

I just wasn’t in the mood to run any longer than 30 minutes (a little over 3 miles). My legs were strong yet mentally, I was over it before it started.

As for Pure Barre, I went with my favorite Tone in 10: Seat & Abs plus a 5 minute Pure Barre arms workout.

Saturday – 6 Miles/Pure Barre

A long run sounded like the dumbest idea in the world today. Like, run for miles on end? Why would anyone do that?

I am clearly losing my usual mind, I know. 

Anyway, why push the distance and time on your feet if you don’t really feel like it?

That’s what I said to myself so instead of running long, I ran a mile easy (which wasn’t tracked because I hit pause without knowing) before jumping into Laura’s new 30 minute workout.

This 30 minute workout involved intervals of hard and easy with a 10 minute steady-pace section. Oh boy did I love it! 30 minutes flew on by and then I cooled down before coming home for Pure Barre.

Sunday – Not Really Sure

I usually reserve Sunday’s for Pure Barre but I threw off my usual Pure Barre routine this week! If I end up running or choosing a Pure Barre workout, I will include it in next week’s workout recap. 🙂

[bctt tweet=”running + pure barre workout recap #purebarre #running #workouts @pure_barre #fitfluential @thisrunrecipes” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

How do you feel about 30 minute workouts? Do you use that time frame for days when you don’t have a lot of time or aren’t in the mood or are you able to use 30 minutes for incredible workouts by pushing the intensity?

 

New Running Shoes + Training Plan (workout recap)

 

 

It was an overall hot, humid and busy week! Running still felt nice as I already know to adjust my mindset and pace according to the weather. I am really just happy to run every morning, not caring about specific workouts or pushing myself to move any faster than what feels comfortable on any given summer day.

This is exactly what I told Laura as she prepared my new TRAINING PLAN!!

YES. Tomorrow begins a month of training with Laura before she creates a half marathon training plan for me to follow.

I haven’t exactly narrowed down which Fall half marathon I will be running but I asked Laura to create a training plan for now that would just be something a little different from my usual routine. With my schedule busy and the weather so humid, I asked her to give my routine a shake up without heavy speed work because I just can’t even go there just yet in the summer!

Of course I will keep you updated on the workouts and how I like the change to my routine. It’s not overly different from what I am used to, she just mixed up my daily mileage while applying slight workout-styles to the mileage without pushing me too hard. Pure Barre is still in the mix but the next two weeks it will be on what looks like a reduced schedule.

The best part of starting a new training plan tomorrow is that I FINALLY picked up a new pair of my Adidas Energy Boosts. I haven’t worn them yet so the first run in them will be tomorrow. Can’t wait!

Monday – 30 min running/30 min Pure Barre

I woke up so tired today and I don’t even know why. Of course being tired also coincided with the one day of the week that I am in the rush to get moving in the morning. I went with my favorite 30/30 combo of running easy outside for 30 minutes followed by a 30 minute Pure Barre workout.

I chose the Pure Barre workout that involves using a towel as resistance which I love. This workout really works on your balance along with strength.

Tuesday – 7 Miles

It was warm and humid and my running shoes had absolutely reached their last run. I still made it 7 miles because I wasn’t in a hurry, didn’t feel rushed and just ran where my pace felt comfortable.

Wednesday – 4 Miles/Pure Barre 30 Min Burn

In my head I planned to run 3 miles but once I approached the 3 mile mark, I just kept going until 4 miles total. I was running easy and enjoying my music so I saw no reason to stop!

Came home for a Pure Barre workout and went with a Pure Barre 30 minute burn. This particular workout really works all muscle groups at once because quite often you are holding weights while doing lower body. Love this Pure Barre workout!

Thursday – 7 Miles

Okay it was way too hot and humid for me to run outside, even at 6:30 am! I started outside but only made it about 1.5 miles before running myself right to the gym for the treadmill. It was great actually to get right on the treadmill to find myself warmed up and ready to jump into some speed.

I played around with the incline and speed for 5 miles and then ran a cool down (but not really) outside for almost half a mile before going home.

Friday – 5 Miles/Pure Barre

It was overcast and maybe a bit damp rather than oppressive humidity so these 5 miles weren’t too bad. I was running easy and chatting on the phone so the time flew by. If you think talking while running is hard, try laughing while running. My friend Meaghan had me choking from laughing. I wonder if the dog walkers in my neighborhood were listening to my end of our conversation.

Quick Pure Barre combo when I got home! I combined three of the 5 minute workouts: thighs, arms and seat.

Saturday – 10 Miles

It was 100% humidity but overcast so I guess it could have been worse.

Sunday – Pure Barre

Definitely not running today but I am super excited about my new training plan AND new running shoes for tomorrow morning!

Quick Note!

Laura has given me this next month of training as a birthday gift and I can’t thank her enough! Remember, I trained with her last year for the Long Island Half Marathon and value everything she says and every workout she plans.

Laura is currently offering my readers 15% off a month of training so if you are interested, definitely reach out to her and tell her I sent you! She says I will also receive 15% off if you sign up but that’s not why I am referring you – I loved training with her last year and she helped me achieve my current half marathon PR– she is really good at what she does. And she’s my good friend now too. 🙂

[bctt tweet=”workout recap & new training plan! #running #runningshoes #Adidas #trainingplan #run #fitlfuential @thisrunrecipes” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

How was your week in workouts? Did the weather affect you at all? Was it really hot and/or humid?

Are you registered to run any fall races yet? Will you be following a training plan?

When was the last time you replaced your running shoes?

Race Recovery Week & Pure Barre Beta-Testing (workout recap)

 

This week in workouts was a good mix of recovering from last Sunday’s 10 mile race and Pure Barre.

As I mentioned in recent posts, I was selected to be a Pure Barre Beta Tester for the at-home Pure Barre online workouts and I COULD NOT WAIT to get started.

It’s been a fun week of starting to try all of the different Pure Barre online workouts. I have access to SO MANY that vary in length and class style that it was hard to decide where to begin.

 

I do have two months of access so I have plenty of time to calm myself down and try all of the workouts. So far I just scroll the Pure Barre link and pick the workouts that fit into my morning and my mood.

The Pure Barre variety has been really fun, that’s for sure. It’s amazing how different the workouts can be and how invigorating mixing things up can feel to my workout routine.

Monday – Pure Barre/30 Minutes Elliptical

I picked a 40 minute class style Pure Barre online workout and really liked it. My legs felt the need to move a bit after yesterday’s race too so I went to the gym for an easy 30 minutes on the elliptical. I wasn’t really up for the running which made it okay that it was raining. I wasn’t missing much out there!

Tuesday – Pure Barre/3 Miles

Today I chose a 30 minute Pure Barre workout which involved using a towel as resistance throughout the class! This was fun and different for me so I really enjoyed it. It’s amazing how you can feel the burn in your arms using a towel instead of weights. I made it outside for 3 super easy miles.

Wednesday – 45 Min Elliptical/In The Gym

I woke up early but not in the mood to run. This worked well since it was raining (again) outside so I headed to the gym for the elliptical. I broke up my elliptical time with free weights, squats and jumping jacks.

Thursday – 6 Miles/Pure Barre

I would call this my first real run since Sunday’s race. It was super humid outside but not raining so that was a plus. I ran mostly easy but picked up my pace for the last .25 of each mile.

Of course I needed to test out another new to me Pure Barre online workout! Today I chose two Tone in 10 Workouts which are from a different series than my usual Tone in 10 workouts.

Tone in 10 Seat: Much harder than the series I am used to but I loved it.

Tone in 10 Full Body: Another good one and different from the full body Tone in 10 that I usually do!

Friday – 4 Miles/Pure Barre 30 Minute Burn

Oh boy. The Pure Barre 30 minute burn really did burn! I remain fascinated that the slightest changes in Pure Barre exercises and positioning can really create a whole new burn of a workout. This workout involved holding a light weight even while doing seat work. Wow, I could barely keep my arm in the air!

Saturday – 13 Miles

I can’t even remember the last weekend that I ran 13 miles. Has it been a month already? I think so. Anyway, today’s 13 mile run was actually great. Since I didn’t run much this week, I felt rested and ready to go.

With no plan in mind, I averaged under 9:00 min overall which usually signifies a strong long run for me.

Sunday – Pure Barre

I am looking forward to selecting another Pure Barre online workout this morning. 🙂

[bctt tweet=”workout recap: race recovery and a whole lot of Pure Barre! #running #runner #workouts #purebarre #fitfluential @pure_barre” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Do you routinely do any at-home workouts? Which ones?

Have you ever used a towel as resistance? Do you find it challenging?

Are you a barre fan? Which barre workouts do you do?

 

Running & Workout Recap (1.30.17- 2.5.17)

 

Oh, hi. Happy Sunday. I mean, Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Not that I really like football or anything. I am more of a hockey girl.

Anyway.

Overall I would say that running was SO MUCH BETTER this week as compared to last week’s workouts. No more random soreness and thankfully, my hip which was slightly bothering me is feeling much better.

I made sure to stretch each morning before my workouts with my favorite Yoga For Runners: Pre-Run. I have this particular yoga practice memorized so I don’t even need to follow the video!

Monday – In The Gym (3 Miles)

What bothered me most about today’s workout was knowing that had I been able to run outside, I would have easily completed at least 5 miles. I just wasn’t feeling the treadmill today at all. My legs felt a little heavy and just sort of stuck in one place if that makes sense.

After 3 miles, I switched to the elliptical which turned out to be a great 20 minutes plus some free weights and these arm machines. My arms were a bit sore by evening so I guess I worked a new muscle or two!

Tuesday – In The Gym (6 Miles)

I didn’t really have a plan for today so my workout ended up like this:

3 miles treadmill: 2 mile warm up plus one mile fast

10 minutes elliptical (I played with high resistance)

3 miles treadmill: speed intervals

I felt so energized after this run! If I had the time, I would have kept going.

Wednesday – Pure Barre/4 Miles

I wasn’t totally sure which Pure Barre workout I would do today but ended up combining two Tone in 10 workouts:

Pure Barre Tone in 10 Combo:

• Thighs & Seat
• Seat & Abs

After Pure Barre, I headed to the gym for 4 easy miles. When I say easy, I mean I tried to follow my easy run on the treadmill workout plan but bumped the speed up in the last two miles – no higher than 7.0 though.

I really wanted to keep the run at an easy pace which is sometimes hard for me on the treadmill.

Thursday – 7 Miles (OUTSIDE!)

It’s rare for me to get a run in outdoors in the winter during the week since the sun doesn’t rise as early as I like to run. I made it outside today though! I bundled up for a 7 mile run which turned out to be great.

2 mile warm up, 3 miles effort, 2 miles where I couldn’t decide if I should run easy or keep up the pace because I felt so good!

Friday – Pure Barre/4 Miles

After stretching with some yoga, I picked two Pure Barre Tone in 10 workouts:

• Arms & Abs
• Back & Cool Down

Two things to note:

The arm work in Pure Barre really brings my heart rate up – every time!

I rarely do the back & cool down workout but I didn’t want to fatigue my leg muscles with the other Pure Barre workouts so this was a nice change of pace. It involves more stretching than the other Tone in 10 workouts but also focuses on core and back strength.

4 miles (outside) at around 10:00 pace. This is why I need outdoor runs sometimes – on the treadmill I end up going faster than where my easy pace would naturally fall outdoors.

Saturday – 12 Miles

It was around 20 degrees with a decent wind but I didn’t notice! Between all my layers, hat, gloves and neckwarmer, I  was good to go.

I had no real plan for this long run other than to complete 12 miles. I started out a bit too fast in the warm up (9:11, 8:42 splits) but overall felt really strong with energy to spare at the end. For a minute I considered going another mile but decided it’s best to end on a good note and not overdo things.

Sunday – Pure Barre Workout

I like to save the Pure Barre Pure Results workouts for the weekend since they are 55 minutes.

By the way, Pure Barre is running a deal right now of 25% off DVD’s and online workouts. They didn’t tell me to tell you that, I am just telling you in case you are interested in trying Pure Barre from home. You know I love it!

Here are some of my Pure Barre workout reviews in case you are interested:

Pure Barre From Home < – reviews the DVD’s that I use

Pure Barre Pure Results (focus on seat) workout < – online streaming workout (55 min)

Pure Barre Pure Results (focus on thighs) workout < – online streaming workout (55 min)

Pure Barre Tone in 10 < – 6 different 10 minute online streaming workouts

Let me know if you have any questions!!

[bctt tweet=”running & workout recap! #running #purebarre #treadmill #workouts @pure_barre” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Have you tried an at home Pure Barre workout? Which is your favorite?

Are you running today? Inside or outside?

What are you making for the Super Bowl?

 

running & workout recap 8.15 – 8.21

 

Since switching to Runkeeper from MapMyRun, I have fallen out of the habit of sharing my splits in these weekly workout recap posts. Runkeeper is awesome and I definitely like it more than MapMyRun but their screen for splits isn’t as screenshot friendly.

This has worked out just fine for me lately as my pace has pretty much meant nothing to me this summer to the point where I barely even stop to look at the splits screen when I finish my runs.

The heat and humidity have both been relentless these past few weeks that I find myself lucky to have been able to run outdoors at all, let alone care about how fast I am moving. Most of my runs this summer have been all about effort levels over watching my pace which I believe is more important for me when the weather is challenging.

In the next few weeks as the weather slowly cools down and I settle into training for the NYCRuns Falling Leaves Half Marathon, I will start to pay attention again to my pace for certain runs and do a better job at reporting my splits.

Monday – 7 hot miles & Pure Barre

They said the heat wave ended Sunday night but it was still very hot and humid early in the morning! I wanted to run longer but by the hour mark, I was feeling a bit nauseous out there so I headed home for a quick set of Pure Barre Tone in 10.

Pure Barre Tone in 10 combo:

• Thighs & Seat
• Arms & Abs

Tuesday – 10 Miles

2 mile warm up + 6 miles of fartleks + 2 mile cool down

I am loving fartleks this summer. I speed up and slow down as I feel like it which is perfect for summer weather running. No pressure or focus on time, pace or distance.

Wednesday – Pure Barre Mile High Series & 5 Easy Miles

I barely remember running these miles which I guess is a good thing. No news is good news.

Thursday – Yoga & 8 Miles

2 mile warm up + 2 miles increased effort + 4 miles alternating .50 easy/.50 effort

This was a great run but I was tired the rest of the day. I don’t know if it was from the run or just a lingering fatigue that I realized I was feeling all week.

Friday – Pure Barre (rest day from running)

Thursday’s exhaustion was not like me at all. I wasn’t sick but I was to the bone tired so even though I woke up feeling much better today, I knew I needed the day off from running.

Running a few easy miles as I normally do on a Friday morning seemed pointless in the grand scheme of things. It made more sense to skip the run and feel fresh for Saturday’s long run rather than push myself and possibly feel fatigued for future workouts.

I have been meaning to switch my rest day from running from Sunday to Friday so this became the perfect time to experiment with the change.

My favorite Pure Barre online workout with feature focus on thighs was enough to get me moving without sweating. I usually use 5 lb free weights for Pure Barre but dropped down to the 3 lb weights to keep the workout on the lighter side.

Saturday – 13 Miles

Yesterday’s break from running was super smart as I had extra pop in my step for this run. I realized I felt better than I have in a while out there so I like to think the rest day from running combined with lowered humidity helped move me along at a comfortably quick pace.

I even remembered to check my pace at the end of the run to see I averaged 8:45 overall.

My fastest split was mile 11 @ 7:53.

Sunday – Short, easy run

I plan to head outside for a few easy miles. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

[bctt tweet=”workouts from the week! #running #runner #runkeeper #purebarre #fitfluential” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Has it cooled down at all where you live?

Is today a rest day or a run day for you?

Best thing you ate so far this weekend?