C5W5D5 - 5k

I run for fun and this is one.
 

C5W5D3 - LBWO + 2 Miles

In order to increase my weekly volume while increasing my speed I will be doing a 2 mile run on Wednesday after my strength training. This means I need to be at the gym right when it opens at 5am to be "on time" to work. Ellen joined me even though her right hand was swollen from a kitten scratch. What a trooper!

I was shooting for a sub-15min run but my legs were burning from all the lifting. My legs felt like they usually do on the last mile or 2 of my long runs. Next Wednesday is an upper body workout so I will have more leg strength. I was still able to finish in 15:12.

C5W5D - HIIT/5K

We both got out of bed before 5am again today. Ellen whipped up some breakfast and threw it in the oven to bake while we workout. We drove to the gym parking low and Ellen went inside to use the elliptical while I headed to the sidewalk for an outdoor HIIT/5k run.

 It was nice and cool at 5:30 this morning when I started my run. I set out with the mindset "This is a training run not a race" due to all the new PRs I have been setting lately. I pushed hard at my high points and let myself recover at the low points. After the first mile I knew I would not beat my previous best distance. Each training run is a building block on the previous and I am working toward a long term goal, 26.2 miles. I just enjoyed the nice breeze and kept going at a level above comfort but below max effort. I did 2.4mi of HIIT in 20 minutes then finished out to a 5k in 25:37.

 This week I am moving up from running 3 days a week to 4 to prepare myself for the training volume increase in 4 weeks. I have been running 8-12 miles a week for the last month and even less than that during my 8 weeks of "Barefoot" Training. I will be working up to running 19 miles my first week of marathon training. I start August 7th.

Here is my new running schedule for the rest of the month.
Tuesday: HIIT/5k
Wednesday: 2 miles race pace
Thursday: Normal 5k run
Saturday: 7-9 miles

6 Month Progress Pics (Week 4 C5)

This morning a took my monthly progress pictures. These are my Week 4 pictures for my 5th BFL Challenge and my 6 month pictures for my 12 month fitness jounrey. I have packed on some pounds/fat in recent weeks but it was planned and I am still making progress in my 12 Month Challenge. Gone are the days of working hard and eating well for 3 months only to fall back during 2-5 weeks of poor eating. This is a 12 Month Long Personal Fitness Challenge. Up until Thursday I managed to stay under 172 for 16 straight weekly weight-ins. Thursdays weight in came the day after July 4th so I am not surprised 4 pound gain. I packed on 6 pounds Celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary with no regrets. I have drank beer regularly the past 16 days but today I am going back to weekend only. I have a feeling the bloating will drop by a large amount this coming Thursday.

I am miles ahead of where I was a year ago. (No pun intended)

11 Months (8-7-11 to 7-9-12)

11 Months (8-7-11 to 7-9-12)

Here is part of my blog I post a year ago (7-7-12)
"Still no workout yet. I forgot how easy it is to get out of a routine. Luckily I do not work Fridays and there will be nothing to stop me from a hard UBWO tomorrow. This heat is hurting my desire to run. yesterday it was 103f (39.4c) and today the high is 101 and 99 is the lowest temp in the 10 day forecast, it must be July (feels like August). I know I should run around 5am when it is a cool 79-80f (26c) degrees or just hit the treadmill at the gym. 19-20 days is the longest I have done with no workout since 2008. I did my weekly Thursday morning weight log in my spreadsheet and I am up 3 pound of fat my last log on 6/16. I am not looking for sympathy I am more doing a state of the union of my fitness world."

7-9-12

1-9-12 to 7-9-12

1-9-12 to 7-9-12

I was in the best shape in March and May

Better posture than last month

C5W5D1 - UBWO

Success!!!!! Today we both got up before 5am and went to the gym together. This marks my first Monday morning pre-work workout since March. I am so excited to have Ellen with me and starting an new UBWO routine today.

C5W4D7

I got started 4 hours later than planned this morning. I decided to go to the nice shady Greenbelt Trail and do a 7 mile out and back. I felt great the first half but the heat got to me in mile 3 as I ran in a clearing in direct sunlight. I took a gel pack but I was overheated. I took 4 or 5 walk breaks on the way back. I had planned to finish in 63 minutes but once I slowed down I was just aiming for 70min. At 6.75mi in I got a call from Ellen checking on me and it gave the motivation to keep going strong. 
31:42 out and 38:16 back finishing 7 miles in 70:10. The outdoor heat beats an hour on the treadmill any day.
It was 86-88f during my run.

C5W4D6 - LBWO

Monday I skipped my lower body workout and Thursday I was too tired to run so my workouts are shifted a day late. This is the final LBWO of my 4 week cycle. Next Wednesday I will be changing up my routine for another 4 weeks. 

Workouts 4 and 5 I switched from Horizonal Calf Press to Seated Calf Press due to crowded gym.

Books I have read since January 2009 (Primal Blueprint by Mark Sission is missing)

C5W4D5 - 5K

This morning I woke up on a mission, set a new 5k PR. I skipped my workout yesterday so today I am running in the morning and lifting lower body in the afternoon. I need to do laundry and my only clean underpants are my flash boxers and I only wear them to celebrate setting new running personal bests.

I decided to reverse the 5k route I have been running to give me 2 mile of flat and 1 mile of hills at the end so it is more like the Rahr 5k course. I started from my gym parking lot and ran up the side of Loop 288 in the grass for half a mile then turned on to Shady Oaks Dr. I was running right at an 8min pace I finished mile 1 in 8:03.

 I kept my pace and focused on my form and posture making sure to lift with my foot and not push off. I finished mile 2 in 8:01 right as the base of the the biggest hill. I sped up and pushed hard but I had slowed down to 8:25 when I reached the top. I used the downhill to get to a 7:15-7:30 pace and I felt good.

I came up on the second smaller hill with 0.25mi to go. I kept saying to myself "You can do this" and "Just do it" so I would not slow down. With less than 0.1 to go I gave it everything I has left and finished in 24:24 beating my PR by 38 seconds.

I am excited to see what I can accomplish in the next 4 weeks before I really increase my mileage. 21 min 5k does not seem that far off and 12 weeks until the Rahr 5k.

C5W4D3 - UBWO

We slept in until 11:30am today. An hour later I was headed to the gym so I could relax and enjoy the rest of the day. I missed my lower body workout on Monday. 

After my seconds set of chest I spilt my water bottle on the crotch of my shorts. During my 12 rep peak of dumbbell shoulder press my left shoulder gave out and I dropped the 50 lb dumbbell. I was pushing my limits since this is week 4 and I an changing up my UBWO routine on Monday.

Volume Charts

C5W4D2

I overslept this morning so I got to run in the nice sunny 97f weather. I took off too fast and had to walk for 30 seonds after 0.5mi to catch my breath. I sped back up and finished mile 1 under 8 minutes and kept going telling myself, "This is what sleeping in really feels like." I finished 2 miles 3 seconds faster than last Tueday morning. My goal is to get my 2 mile run under 14 minutes in the next 4-8 weeks.