New Shoes, New Workouts, Same Goals

Ok everyone so its been a couple of weeks since I posted and I have to say, i have been a wee bit slack, without being awful with my training.

Since we last spoke I have tried to keep away from running as much as possible (I think I have run twice in the last two weeks) while trying to keep up some form of cardio. This has been difficult.

With looking after my little man Sunday, Monday and Wednesday evenings when Mama On The Move is working its a bit of a struggle to go to my box fit classes, i try to go to at least one a week but feel it is just not enough. I have also tried to incorporate some high intensity weight training in to my weekly routine to get the heart rate up. Im doing a really good 15 min complex barbell set at the moment with 30secs rest between each circuit lasting around 4mins.( Complex routine explained at the bottom of post)

I feel this is serving me ooookkkk but i do miss my running and am lokoing forward to getting back out there.

Keeping with the running theme I went to the Podiatrist this morning to discuss what options I have for my Illiotibial Band Syndrome, He has given me a series of stretches to do 4 times a day and has ordered me to completely stop runnning for two weeks, go to physio, and he is fitting me with orthotics, hopefully this will get me back up and running so to speak.

I also purchased some new running shoes to help with my running issues as my other ones were fairly well spent. I got a great pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 8's (Pic below) that give me huge amounts of arch support and along with the orthotics will go along way to reducing injuries in the future.

Complex Workout

For anyone who is interested here is the 15min Barbell Complex Workout - Its tough I promise you!

Do every exercise for 30secs then without stopping move on to the next exercise. After you have completed all the exercises rest for 30 secs before going again. Complete the circuit 4 times.

1) Barbell Curls - 30sec

2) Barbell Squats - 30sec

3) Barbell Lunges - 30sec

4) Barbell Bentover Rows - 30sec

5) Overhand Barbell Curls - 30sec

6) Barbell Shoulder Press - 30sec

Rest 30sec.......Repeat three more times.

N.B. I use a 12kg bar. If you want to make it extra tough I add in 30 secs of push ups in between the Lunges and Rows, when I do that I rest for 45secs in between circuits.

So thats pretty well me for the minute team, some stresses but nothing I cant work through, I promise to upload some progress pictures early next week and post more regularly!



Tussock Traverse - The Injuries Continue

Hi all,

So it has been a little while since my last post, getting back in to the swing of full time work post christmas has left me a little worse for wear so unfortunately my blog suffered.

Since my last blog I have had a relatively low key exercise regime primarily due to my ITBS injury which has forced me to halt my running altogether. I have tried to keep up my cardio work with Box Fit classes at my local gym. This has been really good although due to baby and Mama On The Move working i can only really go once maybe twice a week. Im hoping to organise my programme this week to incorporate two Box Fits and a swim session.

Tussock Traverse
So, my first events, the Tussock Traverse was yesterday. I originally set out to run 13km but due to my injury had to drop down to the 6.5km event.

Mama On The Move and I left home at 530am and drove 3 hours to race registration at the base of the mountain, the day was perfect, I overheard an event volunteer saying it was the best conditions they had had in a long time. I felt confident that I could run the 6.5km even with my injury if I paced myself correctly and didnt push to hard, I was aiming for a time under 40 minutes.

At 1015 the competitors were herded to the start line and given course instructions before the official race start at 1030.

1030 came and the hooter sounded, my race started well and I was feeling good early on although the quick elevation of the track did have me exerting myself a little harder than i wanted i managed to regain my race pace shortly after but then.......DISASTER.......I badly rolled my ankle (the same leg as my knee injury) on an area of small football sized rocks, I completely bailed and went hands first in to the surrounding gravel right in front of a group of 8 or so people. I stood up and hobbled to the side of the track checking my ankle before attempting to walk on it, felt ok so started walking for 1km then began a slow jog, not long after my knee injury played up but decided to run through it.

I finished the 6.5km in 43m.17s but paid the price, a strapped ankle which has put me out of running for at least a week or two and more questions over my knee injury and whether running is the type of cardio I want to continue with.

So thats about where its at with me at the moment, some questions to ponder and injuries to recover from, tomorrow is weigh in/photo day but i'm not expecting great things given the last two weeks!

I will be posting pictures of the Tussock event ASAP.

Cheers!

Injury and 9-9-9 Workout

So unfortunately after my 21km run 5 days ago an injury has surfaced which has forced me to change my training plan for the week.

The injury is called Illotial Band Syndrome (ITBS) and is due to inflammation of the iliotibial band. The iliotibial band begins at the hip and extends to the outer side of the shin bone (tibia) just below the knee joint. The band functions in coordination with several of the thigh muscles to provide stability to the outside of the knee joint. ITBS symptoms range from a stinging sensation just above the knee joint (on the outside of the knee or along the entire length of the iliotibial band) The pain may not occur immediately during activity, but may intensify over time, especially as the foot strikes the floor

Hopefully through a refined training regime over the next week and exercises to strengthen the area I can overcome the injury before the Tussock Traverse 13km run in 9 days time. 
I am currently having a break at the beach at the moment and while wanting to maintain my running regime I have been forced to find alternatives to keep up my exercise levels.

Over the last two days I have gone for a run/walk and a 9-9-9 workout (see below), the walk run still inflamed my knee so have decided to eliminate running altogether for now.

The 9-9-9 Workout
This is a high intensity circuit training routine that covers 4 basic moves. The goal is to complete 9 sets of 9 reps in 9 minutes - my PB is 12m 37s.

I usually jog to the local school and use the playground to do this routine, easier to find a bar for the inverted row.

Heres the routine:

9 x body weight squats
9 x press ups
9 x inverted row (if I dont have a bar handy I swap inverted rows for tricep dips)
9 x jumping jacks

That is 1 set, try and do that 9 times in 9 minutes, its a challenge!!


With the weather being so good here Mama On The Move and I hope to go sea kayaking later today which will be a good upper body workout and may fit in a bike ride after that.

Check in Monday for updates in weight etc!

An Up And Down Week

Hey Everyone,

First off I had a body composition done this week and when compared to my previous composition on 29th August last year it makes for interesting reading.

                            August  2011      January 2012        
Weight                       94.4kg             84.9kg           - 9.5kg
Body Fat Mass              22.6kg             18kg              - 4.6kg
% Body Fat                   23.9%              21.2%              - 2.7%


These are just the main markers i'll give from the composition as the others takes some explaining. Obviously I am really happy with these results and hope to keep the downward trend going. An interesting point was noticed in the recent composition my Target weight had dropped from 84.4kg to 78.8kg this means that I have lost muscle mass which isnt ideal so hopefully will see a difference on my next composition in 6 weeks time.


This week has been a little bit up and down, the week started really well with a 10km run Monday, a Box Fit class Tuesday with Mama On The Move (from now on Shaz) then another 10km run on Tuesday.......it went a little pear shaped for a couple of days after that.....

I was working for two days at the beach and Shaz and our little man came for the trip as well, I don't know what its like for you but if I get out of routine I find it really hard to keep my healthy hat on, such was the case this time, unfortunately we had a veg out on lollies and chips and a few ice creams, felt bad after it but had resolve to get straight back on the exercise horse.

Saturday Shaz and I went for a swim in morning which was really good on a warm morning although the biggest surprise came earlier today when I set out for a 14km run........and ended up running 21.55km....thats half marathon distance! The run felt great and a constant steady pace of around 9km/h was really good for me to run further rather than try and up the pace, needless to say this has put me in a great frame of mind for the 13km trail run in 2 weeks time.

Heres the plan for the week ahead:

          Monday            Rest Day     
          Tuesday            Box Fit 
          Wednesday      10km run
          Thursday          Rest Day
          Friday               10km run
          Saturday           8km run
          Sunday             36 holes of Golf (Trials)

I'm interested to see how my body will recover after todays big run, with 28km to run this week lets hope it recovers well!

Week 1 Results!!!

Hi All,

Well the first week is over and the results are in...a 2.5kg weight loss! I am really happy with the result as it shows my hard work and discipline is paying off which only helps to build the momentum!

The below picture is of an iPhone app called Weightbot. It charts your weight loss progress to the goal date you enter, it also offers a variety of other information but you will have to check it out if you want to know more. I will be posting weekly screen shots of the app as another visual of my weight loss.

In terms of this week it has started well with a 10km (1hr 6m 53s) run this afternoon on the treadmill as weather was average outside. This was a bit of a struggle I have to say and am not particularly looking forward to the next 10km run on Wednesday and 14km run on Saturday although it is all in preparation for the Tussock Traverse in 3 weeks time.

Coupled with the runs mentioned above I will be going to a Box Fit class tomorrow night and will fit in a swim session somewhere over the weekend most likely as I will be working at the beach this Thursday and Friday.

I'm looking forward to hitting the scales next week and see how much more I can torch this week!!

Cheers!

Week One Draws to an End

Hey everyone,

As week one draws to an end I can reflect on a successful start to the 2012 Reboot and look forward to the week ahead.

The 42 points per day I get on the Weight Watchers plan is ample and I have found myself sometimes not needing the full amount, although I know I need to make sure I do given my training.

After my 12km run I felt surprisingly fresh the next day given I have not run that far in quite some time and it exceeded my previous longest run in this training module by 4km. The fact that I decided to just 'plod' the run out and go for time on my feet rather than push myself with a faster speed and lower kms may have something to do with the way my body felt? Not sure but what ever the case the 12km run had not slowed me down for the week.

I backed up Mondays run the following day with a 45 minute Boot Camp training session (a high intensity circuit training app on my iphone, I suggest you check it out if you want to change up your workouts). The workout incorporated a few weights and but basically non stop rapid movement, I was well buggered by the end!

On Wednesday I ran 8kms but given that I am training for the Tussock Traverse that requires I carry 1.5l of water and some clothing in case it gets to cold on the mountain, or possibly even lost! I ran with a Camel Bak backpack hoping to get a feel of what it will be like, it really wasnt to bad and I hardly noticed that it was there after a while.

Thursday saw me go to the local pools for a 30min swim session which gave my body a good break from the high impact running sessions, the swimming was really enjoyable and i think it will be a great way to alleviate the boredom that can come from solely running.

Friday was meant to be a rest day but I went out for a game of golf which was essentially a 7km walk, very relaxing and a good way to spend my rest day.

Now its Saturday and I have been for another 8km run (29km for the week) and just finished two yummy chicken wraps for dinner. Tomorrow will be a total rest day which I am looking forward to and given the weather is forecast to be awful I think it is timed well!

Time to plonk myself in front of the tv and enjoy the rest.

Night all.

Day 1 of The Reboot - Better Than Expected

  

Measurements
Chest - 106.5cm        Bicep - 36cm        Stomach - 102cm
Hips - 103.5              Thigh - 62cm

Hey everyone,

So day one of the 2012 Reboot has come to an end, and I have to say I am very happy with how the day has gone, if I can build momentum with days like this I am confident I will be successful in reaching my goals.

As you can see above I have posted the first pics and measurements of the year, rather unflattering but hey, everyone has a starting point and this is mine. I will be posting body pics & measurements at the beginning of each month along with the initial ones to give you an indication of my development.

So getting back to my day, I started the Weight Watchers plan today and am allowed 42 points per day, at this current moment I am at 32 points and have just polished off a yummy steak dinner so I will likely sneak in an ice block and will still fall well under my 42 point limit. The points system is a great way to track your eating although it does become a bit of a chore having to weigh all your meals.

For my exercise today I set out to complete 8km at a slow pace as I am just wanting to spend time on my feet running leading up to my 13km trail run in late January. As I was running at such a slow place I reached my 4km turning point with relatively fresh legs. I decided I would run on further and push my self a bit. By the time I reached home I had been on my feet for 1hr 17min and clocked 11.8 km! I was definitely feeling it but I  finished strong which I always aim to do.

So all in all a successful start to the Reboot and a well deserved sleep ahead!