back on track

Whew!   It’s good to be almost home.  The past few weeks were alternately exhausting and restful and I came back to the states with a horrible allergic reaction rash.  I didn’t want to move yesterday but by today, it had almost disappeared so I felt a workout would be fine.   We went to my favorite YMCA- the NYC Westside YMCA just above Columbus Circle.  I was a member of this Y when I was in school and though the workout equipment has been upgraded, the gym has maintained its classic city vibe.   There are even still some of the same trainers and guys in the weight room.

I parked myself first on a star trac spinning bike and punched some buttons to find a preprogrammed workout.  This is the first time I’d seen one on this type of bike and I was curious.   Five minutes later I found myself spinning to terrible music, staring at a buff blond guy sitting on a spinning bike in the middle of a big blue void, looking like he was having the time of his life.  He continually instructed me to check my posture and crank up the resistance.  The screen also registered my RPM, asking me to maintain enough resistance to stay between 60 & 70 RPM.  Bored after some time of this workout, I hopped on the treadmill and decided to do a mini-brick.   Wildflower is just around the corner and I have never been more unprepared.  The goal of this next month will be to get myself to a high enough fitness level so as to finish the race not feeling miserable.  This means I need to work up from my current state of no biking all month to 25 miles, no swimming all month to a mile and running at the end of it all.  I am feeling most confident about the running and least about the biking but much can happen in a month and I’ll be extra careful to listen to my body so I don’t overdue it.

I am also adding in strength training.   This is not usually encouraged in the last month before a race, but as my focus is more long term at this point (my August wedding), I will add a bit each day.  Today I did arms a chest.

The workout:

20 minutes biking or spin bike,  rolling hills outside or medium-high resistance, RPM 60-70, HR zone 3, 6.1 miles

10 minutes easy run, 10 min/mile pace, 1 mile

strength training- arms and chest

3 X 10 reps each

pull-ups, dips, pushups…   I use the assisted pull up machine with three different arm positions for pull-ups, the same machine for dips and three varieties of pushups (on my knees, not full yet).  I do wide arm, chaturanga, and off-set pushups.  I just read about this one in Shape’s new Bride magazine (airplane reading!)

core exercises

Nikken Wellness:

jade greenzymes to begin every morning on the road or at home!

magnetic insoles to keep me awake and energized while I get over jetlag

haitus

… not from exercise, just from writing about it, as I will not have computer access for most of the next two weeks.  It was strange but rather pleasant being unplugged over the weekend and I am looking forward to more of it… focusing first on three days in the recording studio upstate with my trio then time out of the country with my friend and her baby!

Storm

No chance of a workout today. We were without power and water because of a massive storm and my future in-laws bravely moved foreward with hosting our engagement party. It was lovely and I stuffed myself with so much good food. I’m looking forward to exercising tomorrow!

charles river

We did an early run along the Charles River this morning.  I woke up feeling refreshed and had surprisingly enough slept quite well on the sloping hide-a-bed couch.  Guess that’s what exhaustion does!  The idea was tempo run so we picked up the pace in the second third of the run and pushed it to the top of one bridge, only to realize upon turning around, that we

had a strong head wind to deal with all the way back to the hotel.  I found this handy map with distances after our run but I’ll use it to plan my route next time I’m in Boston!

Breakfast at The Paramount was a tasty way to refuel before beginning another travel day.  I totally forgot about eating a vegan meal yesterday (this week’s wellness challenge) and breakfast would have been the realistic meal for eliminating animal products today  but I just couldn’t see eating oatmeal again when there were so many other good options!

$ travel trip: I am now on the train back to NYC and found out too late how to save money on Amtrak:   The AAA discount only applies three or more days in advance and ticket prices go up progressively as more people purchase tickets.  Better luck next time.

The workout:

4.1 miles out and back,  strong headwind on the way back, turn it into a longer tempo run if you don’t have a headwind!

skip

I woke up this morning and took stock of how my body felt then decided to stay in bed longer.  My arms were exhausted and I knew a swim wouldn’t help.  There was no chance my legs wanted to run three days in a row.  And I was about to spend four hours in the car so I didn’t want to sit in a stuffy room on a spinning bike first.  I did my yoga then walked a few blocks to get some fresh air and find a bite to eat.

We drove to Boston, settled in then attempted to rehearse for an hour.  I took it really easy and tried to reserve energy for the concert tonight.   The concert at Harvard Music association was really fun and I’m completely exhausted.  More travel tomorrow!

Nikken wellness:

Greenzymes late at night to soothe my stomach after too much cheese, fruit & beer (the meal for the vegetarians among us after the concert)

kenkotherm wrist wraps to keep my hands in playing order all day

tired

I love spending time in New York City, even when every waking hour seems to be consumed with rehearsing and practicing.  I had a two hour lunch break today so I went for a short run.  The temperature was perfect and the sun out part of the time.  My track, the reservoir path near the top of the park.  My music, an odd mix of Zac Brown and Hadag Nahash.

I didn’t eat enough for breakfast and I think a good lunch might have been smarter than running and cramming down food on my way uptown because I was exhausted and tired all afternoon.   My heart rate was high from the start, most likely from hunger and not enough sleep last night.  I am feeling pretty run down but also like my exercise is what will get me through the next week in a fairly sane fashion.

The workout:

track or treadmilll

5 min easy job warmup

3 min quick pace/ 2 min easy jog  x 5

5 min cool down, walking lunges (forward and backward), toe/heel walking to prevent shin splints

HR in zone 4 & 5 the entire time

Nikken wellness:

greenzymes to start my day

kenko therm knee and wrist wraps after standing and playing all day

magsteps to soothe my feet at the end of the day

magnetic sport bracelet very lightweight while I practice, easy to wash after a workout

happy feet

Somehow I actually managed to complete most of my packing last night and I set an early alarm so I could run before sitting on a plane all day.   I meant to take it really easy but I was definitely tired from uphills by the end.   The point of today was just to get my blood pumping and counteract the rest of the day!

The workout:

5 min walk

25 min easy run

5 min walk

Nikken wellness:

greens- post run, pre yoga/stretching

kenkotherm wrist bands – they helped my hands stay un-swollen on the the flight again (the knee band is going on while I sleep)

nikken sport socks – these are a new acquisition and I haven’t actually used them for sports yet but for the first time ever after a long flight, my feet fit easily back into my shoes!

beach ride

Today was another long day… always so much to do when I’m only home a couple of days.  I woke up early to fit in a ride with the intention of going to the gym and sitting on a spin bike but it was gorgeous outside so I bundled up and headed out on my bike.  I did the flattest ride nearby (flat being relative around here) and was tired but not hurting by the end.

The workout:

15 miles, concentrating on spinning in low gear, high rpm throughout the workout

average speed 12.1 mph

Nikken wellness:

kenkotherm knee and wrist wraps- post bike and throughout practicing later

mini magnet– placed inside both wrist bands at points of discomfort

magsteps & greens, as always

kombucha

I woke up way too early this morning, as a result of sharing a hotel room with my sisters who had 5 am departures for the airport.   Somehow I couldn’t manage to get back to sleep and then my flight was delayed.   I made it home eventually and practiced all afternoon.  That left my swim for the evening.   The pool was absurdly crowded and somewhat of a free-for-all so when I couldn’t sit in the hot tub any longer, I chose the least crowded lane and jumped in.   Unfortunately that lane was the fast lane.  I seem to have the confidence to jump in the fast lane but neither the stamina nor the speed to keep up!  No such thing as a warm up or cool down tonight, just flat out sprint.  By the end I was exhausted and  looking forward to dinner at The Plant, one of my favorite fast, healthy restaurants.   I go there specifically for the most amazing veggie burger I’ve ever eaten and now also their on-tap Kombucha with fresh juice!

The workout:

900 yd sprint, breaks to let people pass me, mixed strokes

Nikken Wellness:

greenzymes to get me moving in the morning

magsteps to warm me up and keep me energized while practicing

High intensity

Lawrence, KS Holiday Inn

I managed to drag myself out of bed for a run this morning after a long night of restless sleep. The hotel was noisy and I somehow arrived here with only one earplug! We’ve got rehearsal, a concert, reception with board members, then a birthday celebration (mine!) ahead of us today.

The workout:
Treadmill or track (they’ve got two noisy treadmills in a small but decent workout room)

warm up 5 min
easy jog 4 min
:40 sprint :20 easy x 15
easy 800 yd jog (1/2 mile)
walk 2 min

leg soak in pool with easy stretching

core exercises

This workout builds fast twitch muscle fibers and is short but intense.   I watched my heart rate increase steadily but not move above the top of zone 4.