New Runners Check-in for September 28, 2009

Thanks for starting a new thread!!

Morningstar ~ I wasn't tired from my run yesterday. It was more of an emotional tired. I got up yesterday and did my 4 miles and then had to rush to get to my parent's house to sit with my dad. I didn't get home until 4 and I just was too drained. I regretted it a couple of hours later because I like to do my weight work but whatever. I have a tendency to workout too much sometimes.

Lisa ~ I found the breakdown for Newport and Firepower. For some reason I never connected with Newport. I love Firepower though. Anthony uses 2 kettlebells for some of the moves. You can use single bells and just switch arms after 30 seconds.

[FONT=&quot]
Newport[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]There is a one minute rest between each round.
Round 1:Cossack Stretch. Squat/thrust
Round 2: Squat/Press & One Arm Swing
Round 3: 2 Handed Swing & Hot Potato
Round 4: Punch Matrix & Plank
Round 5: Side Snatch & Overhead Lunge
Round 6: Squat/Kick Sots Press & Standing Oblique Crunch
Round 7: Hand to Hand Clean & Dragon Lunge
Round 8: Kettlebell Push-Up & Dive Bomber/Cobra
Extra Round: Snatch, Turkish getup and Windmill
Bonus round: 5 minute Snatch test

Firepower:
1 alarm once through, long rests 30 min
2-alarm once through, short rests 25min
3-alarm twice through, long rests 55 min
4-alarm twice through, short rests 45 min

Round 1 Turkish get up
Round 2 alt clean and press-double row
Round 3 super burpee-figure 8 to hold -super plank
Round 4 alt double clean - suitcase deadlift-alt chest press-russian twist
Round 5 hi-pull/snatch-seesaw press-figure 8/lunge-renegade row squat/triple crush
bonus round 5 minute snatch test [/FONT]
 
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Good morning ladies,

I played hookey today from work. I didn't feel that great when I woke up had a little bit of headache so I am taking a mental health day.

I am going to try and go for run today and just relax.

Hope everyone has a great day ahead of them.
 
HI runners!

I went to a ChiRunning workshop on Saturday and didn't get to exercise yesterday - lots of housecleaning, errand running instead. I'm going to write up some details from my day on Saturday when I have more time - hopefully later today.
 
Hi everyone!

I had a great time climbing yesterday - we went to Table Rock and did about 300 vertical feet of easy/moderate climbing. Combined with the hike in and out with the pack full of gear, I called that my workout for the day.

This morning I ran - I did CC V5 (about 4 miles for me) while the dogs did their usual random state workout including sniff/squirrel sprint intervals. We had a stray dog that added a little drama to the run and increased my heartrate a wee bit.

Jane ~ Thanks so much for the breakdowns. I haven't quite figures out the Turkish get-ups, looks like I'll need to! The plantation sounds gorgeous. I've only spent a little bit of time in Georgia (Jekyll Island - it was incredible!) but would love to see more of it. I have done the Cooper River Bridge 10K in Charleston SC a couple of times and love that low country atmosphere.

Morninstar ~ I know a lot of races don't allow ipods but my understanding is that is rule is really only enforced for people who are competitive. Since I rarely risk placing in my age group :D, I go ahead and wear mine anyway. I don't put them on until we are nicely started and then I just put one earbud in and keep the volume low so I can hear what's going on around me. I do that when I'm running in traffic or with the dogs so its normal for me but still provides the motivation I need.

I'm trying to figure out everyone's name/avatar but that will take a couple more days I think. Apologies to anyone I missed or overlooked!
Lisa
 
I do the same thing, Lisa. If you are not competitive, I'm sure the race organizers don't want to risk losing the entrance fees by banning ipods entirely. Racing is a big business and with runners having so many choices, I'm sure that plays a part in how the 'rule' is enforced.

My notes from the ChiRunning Workshop this past weekend:

The ChiRunning workshop I attended ran from 10-4. We were outside the entire time except at the end when we were reviewing our video tape.

ChiRunning is an approach to running that emphasize alignment and posture (similar to Tai Chi) in a running context. They believe a midfoot strike reduces injury and that their ‘lean’ approach uses less energy than traditional running forms so you can either faster/longer with the same energy output OR you can learn to run what you currently run with less energy expenditure.

The coach is supposed to send us notes from the day, but I have yet to receive them, hopefully I will remember the topics we covered (they may be a bit out order):
- After introductions and a little background, we headed outside to be videotaped.
- Posture – we talked about alignment and posture and did a few exercises to check our posture and learn how to get in position.
- Lean – we worked on lean and the idea that running is more like falling to get the midfoot strike. This included a discussion on the harmful effects of heel striking and running on your toes.
- Gears – gears equate to the amount of lean you have. The more you lean, the faster you go. So we worked on leaning more and less as we ran around.
- Knees – we did some exercises to focus on keeping your knees down and lifting your legs behind you when you run rather than using your quads to raise your knees.
- Arms – we talked about how your arms should swing and how to use them to move forward – this part included a little refresher on alignment.
- Hips – we worked on using the hips like speed walkers do to not waste energy but use the energy in our core/hips to swing the legs
- Body looseners – we went through some dynamic stretches to warm up (these are very similar to what I have done in martial arts classes before)
- Cadence – this was probably the most interesting part for me. We got out a metronome and he watched us to figure out our natural cadence. Then we ran to the beat of the metronome and practiced changing gears to go faster without changing your cadence.
- Hills – up and down. We practiced applying the techniques to going up hills and down hills. We also talked about how to approach hills (up or down) that are too steep.
- Tape again and analyze – he videotaped us again to check the change in our form. Then we went inside and watched the before and after. Out of 5 of us, I would say 4 noticeably improved (myself included) and one woman just kept wanting to lean by bending at the waist.
- Shoes – throughout the day we talked about shoes and what are good shoes for running. Our coach is a big believer in barefoot or minimal shoes and is currently training for a marathon in the Vibram 5 fingers.

For me – there was a definite difference between my before and after. In my before video I thought I was running with a midfoot strike but was actually leading with my heels and even leaning backward. Honestly I looked like I was ready to just stop at any moment – no wonder I’m so dang slow! This is way better than the toe running I was doing years ago which caused my initial problems but still not right (which might explain the other less severe aches and pains I’ve had over the last year and a half). Also in my before video I had bad alignment with my right foot (very common I guess) where I would land with my right toes facing out rather than straight ahead which caused me to roll off my big toe rather than the center of my foot and overpronate – which were starting to give me pain in my Achilles. My after video showed me performing a midfoot strike most of the time (not perfect!) and I was either straight up or leaning forward which was a big improvement over my backward leaning. My right foot was also better aligned. Still – these are things I will need to keep working on, but I feel like the workshop was a huge help and now I have a much better feel for what I need to do. Now I just need to practice!
 
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Wow, guys, this may have been one of my worst runs ever. I was having a very bad day- a couple of them, actually. I really wasn't into it, but I told myself, just go do it. So it's a bad run. Even a bad run is better than no run. And boy, was it!

I will just give the lowlights and the highlights:

  • Rained
  • headache by the end of it
  • sore leg muscles throughout - all of them
  • even sore neck muscles by the end
  • felt nauseous by end of run
  • clobbered a woman by accident, but she was carrying a purse the size of Detroit- seriously, people three blocks over were trying to get out of its way
  • very low energy
  • tried to do an endurance run, couldn't, so started CardioCoach 7 instead. Stopped when I got home, about halfway through challenge 2

Oh, the highlight: it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to get around people; this may be because it was raining and everyone else was smart enough to get out of it.

What the hell. I did something, anyway. I hate running after work.

Think I'll go crawl into bed.
 
Cindi, that was really interesting. You've got me interested in checking to see if they give those kind of workshops where I live. Not right now, though, right now I have to go try not to upchuck.
 
Good Afternoon!

Ah - reading about running is the closest I am going to get for awhile. It is a salve to my running wound, and I am soaking in every detail.

Lisa, I am so impressed with rock climbing and then running the next day! I'll try really hard to not feel like a door stop tonight!

Jane - caring for parents is difficult and draining. It takes stamina, doesn't it!
I am not sure I could do it though. You're a good daughter. And exercising a lot to deal with the stress - well - it makes sense to me!

Jenn - Hi! Don't know if you saw my post on the last thread - ?? A wee little apology for forgetting to say hi the last few times I have posted. So, HI!!!

Morningstar - I hope you are ok? Sounds like a rough day was compounded by a rough run. Glad you made it through.

Cindi - I love it that you posted your notes from the workshop. I am going to copy them and read them more carefully. Chi Running sounds a lot like Pose and the guy who does the Alexander Technique running. Pose, or my bastardization of Pose, is what I was doing before I was sidelined. From what I understand, you have to work up to being able to run with the vibram's or barefoot, did he share any info on that?

Tricia - I can't wait to hear how today went. :D:D

Alisha - scrap booking today?

Hi to Sydney and Tana!

Well Runners, I swam today. I used my new cool toy - the swim woman, and loved it! It worked really well, I just need to adjust the volume and play with the ear plugs a bit. I swam for 35 minutes and jogged for 15, I cranked up the sauna but it never got hot enough, so I sat in the hot tub for 15. I also used my handy-dandy new lap counter, which is very nice to have. Now I know for sure how far I swam.

That's it for me.:D
 
Yes Janis - he talked quite a bit about the various shoes and that you can't just go to a vibram or really light shoe without working up to it.

He suggested you move down in stages so if you are in a really stiff shoe, go to a softer but supportive shoe (so like from motion control to stability to neutral) and then from there try a light trainer like a lunar and from there to a 'waffle' racer (I don't know if that's the right term but it's like a flat racing shoe without spikes). Then the vibrams. And keep the distances shorter at first with the new shoes and where you are in your technique. If you are a heel striker - running barefoot or close to it will be really hard on your joints.
 
Hi everyone..

Today's run was an easy 5 miler. I did this on the treadmill. I can't help it, but I love, love, love to run on the treadmill!! My run was supposed to be @ 13:13 min mile pace; but I upped it to about 11:30 then ended the run @ 10:30 pace. only because my time on the treadmill would have been up at 60 min. I too was running with a headache today.

Well...no run scheduled for tomrrow (officially); but I have my 1st Army Fitness Test since having the baby tomorrow morning. I have to run 2 miles.I will log in tomorrow and let you all know how many points (out of 300) I get. good night ladies.. Thanks for letting me jump in here. It seems that the only rotation that I can follow all the way through is the Runner's World Smart trainer. This is my second time doing the 16week rotation. I really want to do the Insanity rotation as it's written, but I didn't want to give up running.
The pressure will be off after tomorrow (if I pass the fitness test), then I will be able to pick workouts that I enjoy doing as well as running.

Good night...
 
Good evening ladies,

Today ended up being a rest day for me. I even went bought the Nike sport kit but between a sinus headache that won't quit and the rain it didn't happen.

Tomorrow I have to go on a delivery run with hubby but when we get home, I am going to run.

Morningstar I hope your not getting sick. Take care of yourself and get a good nights rest.

Cindi thanks for posting those notes. Your class sounds very interesting.

Janis sounds like you had a great workout, your new gadgets sounds like fun. It is always great getting new fitness gear.

Hi Alisha, Jane and Tana hope you all had great days.
 
Beware the self pity party. . . Ever feel . .

f a t. ugh. I have gotten my appetite back with a vengeance, oh dear. Well, I'm making up an eating plan and tomorrow is another day. 2 cups kefir, 1 bowl of buckwheat cereal, about 1 cup of puffed rice/corn, broccoli/cauliflower, 1 vegetarian tamale, 2 yogurt/peanut clusters, 2 squares of milk chocolate (small), a salad, and 1 spoon of spoon bread (corn souffle, home made ;) ) 2 cups of hot tea, and some sports drink (no sport required.) 1/2 cup of mint ice cream (gluten free ;) )oof. I feel f a t. It was a ton of carbs but not too many calories. Still. Its not what I'm used to, so back to being mindful.

Planned eats for tomorrow:
breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 cup buckwheat gf cereal, green tea
snack: 1 cup kefir,
Lunch: squash and chicken
snack: pumpkin seeds
dinner: pork and asian vegetables (jicama, celery, carrot, bok choy, mushrooms) chamomile tea
 
this is the part where I'm not self centered.

Jane- Sometimes its important to take a mental health day.

Jenn- I hope your head is feeling better.

Cindi- how is it going? I always count housecleaning as a workout. Thanks for the post about chi running. So, you want to lean forward a bit and strike the mid foot?

Lisa- I’m of the opinion that any climbing qualifies as a workout.

My name is Alisha my avatar is supposed to be a photograph of some orchids, my handle is Rapid Breath. I am a frequent poster, I just can’t seem to stay away. I try to keep it to just one post per day (mostly.) I started this check-in because the other one I was in went away, that one was about yoga.

MStar- I’m sorry that run was less than stellar. I hope you feel better.

Janis- Speaking of a salve, I got this myrhh salve which smells like chocolate for my hands because they itch a bit as they are healing. I have heard a lot about the barefoot running, I wonder if leather shoes like a ballet slipper would work because here we have a lot of nettles/thorns. I would like to try a sauna.

Cindi- Have you ever noticed that if you are walking barefoot you tend to strike the ball first? Especially if you are avoiding hot pavement, rocks, and fire ants (really, I’m not being just funny or sarcastic.)

Sydney- I used to like to do speed walking on the treadmill until I met my friend, the owl, and now I prefer to go out and see the wild life (no not college students wandering home from a bender.) Good luck on the fitness test.

Hi Tana!

Good night everybody!
 
Hi everyone! I finally had a date with my treadmill. Ugh...I've got a lot of work to do. I'll try again tomorrow when (hopefully) I have more energy. I guess it's a start and that's what I promised myself I'd do today.

Saturday we had a birthday party for my son (my oldest child) who turns 5 tomorrow. It was a pizza & bowling party and 14 4-year-olds were there (almost his entire preschool class). It was a madhouse! I've never felt that much excitement/energy in one room before. Sooooo birthday party = birthday cake and pizza and leftovers. No wonder I'm feeling sluggish....sigh. I need to detox from the cake.

I'll come back tomorrow and read what I've missed during the last 2 or 3 days.
Sweet dreams!
Tana
 
Hey everyone,

Well, I really think I am getting sick with some sort of virus; I have more sickie symptoms today. I'm taking today off work and am going to try to get a doctor's appointment. My annual physical should be coming up soon, but I have been feeling not myself for a couple of weeks now, and I want to know what's wrong now. So I will take today as a complete rest day (for a change) unless I have a complete turnaround (or get stupid and stubborn) in which case I will do kettlebells tonight. But I really do need to rest. No, really. (I'm talking to myself now).

Tana, happy Giving Birth Day! I remember throwing up all that cake and pizza after those parties when I was a little girl... Sigh...good times.

Alisha, I notice that when I run, I strike the heel first, but when I do other types of cardio, or even run in place, I strike the toes first. Usually kills my calves the next few days. I can't see running barefoot for me, because I need to support for my pronation and ankles. And it seems like that would hurt! You should tell Sydney that you get to see all that great wildlife, but you also get to twist your ankles and break your toe tips, just to give a balanced view!

Jen, we all seem to have headaches. Maybe the barometer falling suddenly or something?

Skyy, does that mean that you are joining the Army, or that you already have? How'd the fit test go?

Cindi, are Vibram shoes the ones with the little toes on them?

Janis, can you talk more about POSE? I keep hearing about it, but have no idea what it is. You always have such interesting new fitness programs that you are considering or researching. And on that note, what the heck is a Clubbell? Happy birthday to your DH! Of course it will be a happy birthday- he gets cake!

Tricia, how is the wine/margarita tasting going? You didn't topple out of the balloon, right?

Lisa, I can't figure out those Turkish Getups either! What the hell is he doing there, anyway? Can I just hold the KB up in the air, lay down on the ground and then get back up with it still in the air? Will that suffice?

Jane, that's the nice thing about working out a lot - if you miss one, you're still covered and it's really not the end of the world (that's what I'll be telling myself all day today). Thank you for posting the AOS breakdown. I found myself wondering "what is a 1-alarm? is that an exercise I just haven't learned yet?" Then I went "duh!" and smacked myself upside the head.

I sure hope I haven't missed anyone - we need a roll call or something at the beginning of the thread! Maybe I'll go back and edit it when I have more time, to add user names and real names!
 
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Good Morning Everyone!

I forgot to post last night. I had a busy day but I managed to get a swim in. Since I swim outside I'm thinking that was my last swim for the year. I swam for 45 minutes. I felt great but I didn't count my laps.

Tonight I will go for a 3 mile run.

Morningstar ~ I hope you feel better. Take it easy today. LOL about the 1-alarm on Firepower!:p

Jenn ~ Hope you feel better today. I get sinus headaches from time to time as well. Sometimes I can push through it but sometimes I can't.

Cindi ~ Thanks for the notes of ChiRunning. I think I have the book on my Amazon wish list but I never got around to ordering it.

Janis
~ Tell me about the swim woman and the lap counter. I used to count my laps but then got to bored to count so I just did timed swims. The most laps I counted was 125 (in a backyard pool) and that took me about a hour.

Sydney ~ Good luck on your fit test today! I'm sure you'll do great!!

Lisa ~ Turkish Get-ups take practice. I do well with the upper part of the body but getting the legs right requires more practice and skill. I learned with a dumbbell first and that seemed easier for me for some reason. Perhaps it was because of the weight distribution. That bridge run sounds like fun. There are bridge runs in Savannah and Brunswick I want to try. I've been to Jekyll Island once. They have some nice races there.

Waves hello to Alisha and Tanna. Hope everyone has a great day!
 
Hi everyone!

Forgive me if I miss somebody this morning. :)

Jenn - Hope you are feeling better soon.

Jane - thanks for sharing the information about kettlebells. I have a few an a few workouts but haven't really done them regularly.

Alisha - Sorry you had such a lousy run. Running is kind of like golf I think, some days it's just not going well and other days it's fantastic! It is the feeling from those fantastic days that keep you coming back.

Janis - that new toy sounds really cool. I can't swim to save my life (seriously, I would drown). Are you planning for a triathlon in the future? Yes, I think Pose and CHirunning are closely related but I haven't read the pose book, just read about it on the internet. I think there are some new shoes on the market specifically for this style of running. I'll see if I can find them.

Sydney - That's great that you did negative splits on your 5 miler! Good luck today!

Rapidbreath - um yes, I do feel fat sometimes, too. I joined the 10# check in group which seems to be helping. Your planned food for today sounds really good. I love jicama. Yes Chirunning is more of a midfoot strike. I haven't encountered any fire ants but you are exactly right about walking barefoot. I have pretty tough feet. I grew up barefoot pretty much, so I can walk flat footed a lot of times.

Tana - Happy B'day to your little guy! I don't know how preschool and elementary teachers do it SO much energy coming out of those tiny bodies wears me out!!!

Morningstar - I hope you feel better soon and it is nothing serious. Watch for flu symptoms carefully!! Running on my toes kills my calves too. Step workouts do that to me as well as workouts where you run in place. And yes Vibram are the shoes with toes but the company also makes soles for hiking shoes and other products. I've even seen vibram soles on little doggie boots. Their claim to fame is the technology of the sole - I believe their founders are italian and somehow connected to tires.

For me, yesterday I did Extreme Intervals (Chalean workout) and ran 3 miles on the treadmill trying to put my chirunning training into practice. It was a lot to think about but I was happy with my progress. I was able to increase my speed for intervals past what I've ever done before. My average speed for the 3 miles was 9:40 with a range from 12 for the warm up to 8:00 for sprints. Felt really good in my new Lunar shoes from Nike except they rubbed my achilles-hopefully they will soften up so I don't get a blister there. I will probably wear them around the house for a few days to try to soften up that back part. ENjoy your day!
 
Hi ladies!
This morning I did Pyramid Lower Body and abs. I LOVE the pyramid dvds. I guess because they are as far away from step as possible! I also really like to know how many more reps I have (I'd rather do 5 sets and know the rep count rather than the endurance dvds where you're left going - how many more reps do I have to do THIS for?!? I guess that's also why I like intervals when running). Today is my long day at work so that will be all for me.

Lioness ~ The AOS dvds are onsale 20% off through the week so I'm going to try to pick something up. I'm thinking maybe the Clinic dvd since it gives good form instruction as well as a workout. We'll see, I'm so indecisive about which one to get next. And I feel like a total weenie when I see a new exercise and don't have a clue what it is or how to do it right. There is a good tutorial on the turkish getup on the AOS website, I'll need to go look it up again and start practicing.

Morningstar ~ Sorry your run sucked! At least you did it and now you know that you were getting sick so there was a reason you felt so yucky.

Do you drink coffee or tea? I run best in the the morning or late evening but find just a little half-cup of coffee can improve a midafternoon run for me. It gives me just that little kick that I need. Of course some people would have a hardtime getting to sleep with afternoon caffeine but it doesn't bother me. I hope you feel better soon.

Janis ~ Janis did you do pool jogging? I did pool jogging for a while in physical therapy (I swim kind of like a wounded cow - not so gracefully) and it really burned some calories. I would love to do more of it if I had access to a pool.

Sydney ~ Good luck with the fitness test!

Alisha ~ Thanks for the intro! I'm always bad with names. Wish I could see your orchid avatar. I teach horticulture and orchids are one of my things.

Hi to Tana, Jenn, Cindi, and Tricia!

Lisa
 
Hi ladies!
This morning I did Pyramid Lower Body and abs. I LOVE the pyramid dvds. I guess because they are as far away from step as possible! I also really like to know how many more reps I have (I'd rather do 5 sets and know the rep count rather than the endurance dvds where you're left going - how many more reps do I have to do THIS for?!? I guess that's also why I like intervals when running). Today is my long day at work so that will be all for me.

Lioness ~ The AOS dvds are onsale 20% off through the week so I'm going to try to pick something up. I'm thinking maybe the Clinic dvd since it gives good form instruction as well as a workout. We'll see, I'm so indecisive about which one to get next. And I feel like a total weenie when I see a new exercise and don't have a clue what it is or how to do it right. There is a good tutorial on the turkish getup on the AOS website, I'll need to go look it up again and start practicing.

Lisa

Lisa ~ I LOVE the pyramid series. It's one of my favorites!! I like the fact that I can go heavier than Cathe on the back and bicep sections!

I refer to AOS on form technique often. Anthony really breaks it all down so well. I think the Clinic dvd would be great for you. I don't have it but I have heard it's a good one!
 

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