Identical Weekend

Ohhhhh can we go back to Sunday, please?!?!?! I really feel like I could use another day off this week! Oh well...just looking forward to next Sunday now!

This weekend was pretty identical to last weekend. Saturday started with an early morning lifting session.

Ivonne deadlifting/talking.

This time around, my friend Ivonne came to lift with me. I was deadlifting this week, so she did the same.

Allison's guide to lazy weightlifting. 

 My workout looked as follows:

Deadlifts:
10 @45 lbs
10 @65 lbs
10 @85 lbs
8 @105 lbs
6 @115 lbs

3 rounds:
8 jumping pull ups
10 goblet squats (35lb kettlebell)
12 ball slams (20 lb)

3 rounds:
10 ab wheel roll outs
10 hollow rocks
20 spiderman planks

The rest of Saturday was fine, but boy was I GLAD to be out of work at 1pm!

I took the rest of the day pretty easy, except for a long walk with Milo and then I still felt like moving so I did some hill repeats on a steep hill near my apartment. The heavy breathing felt wonderful on a cold, rainy evening!

Milo's Sunday morning position.

Sunday mornings are by far my favorites! For one, I get to sleep in! Which feels so nice after 6 days of early get-ups. Second, it is the only morning that Milo and I get to just hang out. I usually let him up on the couch for some cuddles.

After a few hours of Milo cuddles and Netflix watching, I headed out into the mist to another complimentary yoga class at Lululemon University Village.

Always have to remind myself to breathe. Good thing it says to on my mat. 

My hips were SO TIGHT after deadlifting the day before. I could barely get my hip to the floor in half pigeon.

This class was very different from last week. The instructor did A LOT of talking. Especially to start the class, and even during savasanah. Sometimes I like a guided meditation of sorts, but I was just not having it. I needed the quiet apparently.

I still really enjoyed the class and was really glad I went. My legs were so happy for some stretching!

Later in the day I took Milo to the park where he found a good gaggle of pups to play with.

Poppin' sticks.

He ran around with the other dogs for a good 10 minutes before he pooped out on the ground with a stick. My little baby weirdo. I can only imagine how parents feel, but I get so much joy from watching Milo run around and have fun. I swear he has a smile on his face and it just makes my heart happy!

Aaaaannndddd on to another week! Hope you are having a good Monday.

Holy Leg Burn

Happy hump day!

I've had some great workouts the past few days!

Monday night I set out for a run. I didn't really have any mileage in mind. I wanted to do at least 6, but since it was POURING rain, my best bet was to tell myself I only had to do three.

I absolutely LOVE running in the rain. What I do not love is having to actually get started in the rain. It's so hard to motivated when the wind is howling and the possibility of curling up on the couch is so tantalizing!

Monday, I finally got my butt out there, and it was WONDERFUL!

I ended up doing the 6 miles, and did it as a progression run. I was feeling great when I started out and decided to see how fast I could make it! I ended up averaging right around an 8 mile per hour pace and although I can't remember my exact time, I know it was close to my 10k pr!

I finished with around a 7.20 mile and felt like I was flying! It's these kinds of runs that make all the tough training worth it!

Tuesday, I was planning to run to work to teach my class and back, but I didn't really feel like running. It was cold and I knew it would be dark. The prospect of getting hit by a biker did not sound fun. So I decided to drive to the gym early and lift some heavy shit.

Heavy things that need to be lifted.

I'd already taught a class earlier that morning, but felt inspired to do some deadlifts. After I got to the gym, I decided I wanted to do deadlifts AND back squats. Um, overload much?

I warmed up on the rower for about 5 minutes and then built up to a semi-heavy 8 rep back squat and deadlift. Yes, I had to set up two separate bars. I ended up with:

105 lbs back squat
115 lbs deadlift

I did 8 reps of each for three rounds. And WHEW am I feeling it this morning! Ouchhhhh!

After that I decided to work on pull ups. I hadn't done any pull ups in weeks! I have had some issues with my wrist and hand, so grasping the pull up bar was tough.

I did 10 pull ups, deadhang until failure and then I kipped. I superset that with 5 dumbbell snatches on each arm with 25 lb. dumbbells. The lat burn feeling was awesome!

Not much else to report! Have a good one!

The Mountain Runners

Last night I got the opportunity to stay up past my bedtime (yawn!) to see a documentary called The Mountain Runners.

The film was shown at a local Trail Shoe store called Seven Hills. And I must say I'm excited to go back and get fitted for some actual trail running shoes soon. Goodness knows I can't continue running trails in my road shoes. I need more stability!

The story is about the first trail, or mountain race that happened on Mount Baker in 1911 and the men who conquered such a feat so long ago. It really was a pretty incredible story. The race included cars, trains, and, of course, running. While nowadays it's incredible to complete ultramarathons, I cant imagine how much more difficult it was back then. Without the help of proper nutrition or gear, the men who completed this race ran up Mount Baker, through snow and terrain that is quite unimaginable. It was a pretty inspiring movie, I must say. If you ever get the chance to see it, I'd recommend it!

Earlier in the day, I went to CrossFit (duh). We ended up deadlifting, which is not my favorite. Again, heavy things scare me. My coach, however, started pushing me, and I was challenged to work with a much higher weight than usual. I don't keep track of my PR's (I know, I know. I really need to start), so I'm not sure if it was a record for me or not. I certainly was proud of myself, however, for pushing past my comfort zone!

Our workout was a short, but sweet one. To get the most out of this workout, you have to push yourself as hard as you can while you are working. If you float through with giving it your all, it's not going to be much of a workout.

We did two 45 second intervals per round, always ending with a weighted sit up. And rested for 30 seconds between rounds.

It has been another long week, so I was happy to have a shorter workout today. Short and intense isn't usually my cup of tea, but today I was grateful for it! And now it is finally Friday! Have a great one!