Sole Sisters Run - 11/30/09

Today was the third Sole Sisters run!!! I LOVE them! They are so great for me! And I think everyone else loves them too... At least I hope so! ;)

Today we had Kiley, Julie, Karen and a new Sister: Jane! Also, the dedicated Amy joined us late since she overslept. That's right, she slept in and still came, parked randomly on the side of the road and found us! What dedication!!! :) We're so glad you did, Amy!!!

Julie and Karen jogged and the rest of us ran intervals of run 4 minutes, walk 3 minutes--a favorite pace of mine. :) We went for ~42 minutes. And I thought we were going 3.24 miles but mapmyrun.com and reality do not always agree so there were some roads that I thought were there that weren't...

Next workout: Tomorrow, repeat weight routine and 30 minutes of cardio all in zone 3.

Sunday Workout. Check.

Lifting and cardio today. The cardio assignment is HIT, {3 minutes zone 2, 1 minute zone 4} 7 times, for 28 minutes.

The lifting:

Squat Press: 200 lbs, 15 reps (after the last two sets walking lunges across the room and back, then rest)
SB Chest Press: 17.5 lb dumbbells, 12 reps (last set alternating)
DB Deadlifts (straight leg): 20 lb dumbbells, 12 reps
Cable 1 Arm Row: 32.5 lbs, 12 reps
Roman Chair: 10 reps (only 2 sets)
FM Shoulder Press: 25 lbs, 12 reps
Assisted Chin Ups: 120 lbs assistance, 12 reps
Assisted Dips: 115 lbs assistance, 12 reps
Rope Upper Back: 37.5 lbs, 12 reps
Chest Fly: 65 lbs, 12 reps

For the HIT, I did the zone 2 at 3.5 mph and the zone 4 at 6 mph, with the exception of the last interval when I did 7 mph. I did the whole thing on an incline of 2.0. My Stats:

Calories Burned: 291 (Treadmill)/635 (HR Monitor in total)
Total Miles: 2.15
Total Time: 33:00 (including cool down)/1:15:45 (in total)
Ending Heart Rate: 124

Next workout will be my Sole Sisters run tomorrow morning. As for the evening (if any assignment at all) or the rest of the week, I don't know, because my [slacker] trainer has not yet gotten me my assignments.

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming...

Today was my first swim day in months! I asked ZTT to incorporate them in and he did!!! He originally assigned me 8-10 laps without stopping, break, repeat in 25 minutes. I informed him that the amount of laps and the amount of time did not agree. I am slooooooow. So we determined swim 6 laps without stopping, take no more than a 5 minute break, then 6 more laps without stopping would be best! I had never done more than one lap without a break before, so I was excited for the challenge of 6. :)

It really wasn't too bad. I did some breathstroke (BS) and some snake-chicken-eagle (SCE) (really not sure the real name, that is what Amanda F. called it when she taught it to me--you are on your back and you make your arms like a snake, then chicken, then an eagle, then repeat... It isn't as weird as I making it sound).

Lap times:

Lap 1: BS, 1:36.26
Lap 2: BS, 1:56.28
Lap 3: SCE, 1:55.65
Lap 4: BS, 1:59.90
Lap 5: SCE, 1:57.94
Lap 6: BS, 1:57.16
Rest (way shorter than 5 minutes since I wanted to look busy so no one would try to share my lane) 1:35.53
Lap 7: BS, 1:55.69
Lap 8: SCE, 2:02.63
Lap 9: BS, 1:56.13
Lap 10: BS, 2:09.17
Lap 11: SCE, 1:47.43
Lap 12: BS, 2:07.71
Hot Tub: 4:08.16 :)

Total: 29:05.64

So, excluding the hot tub, I really hit the 25 minute mark well! And I am super proud of myself for doing 6 laps without breaks!

"Give Me ONE Session With Her..."

Is it bad when other trainers make comments like: "Give me *one* session with her, Zak. It'll only take one..."? I think maybe it is...

I went to workout today and spent a few minutes chatting with ZTT about a backlogs of emails that he had yet to respond to. I maintain that email is the *least* intrusive form of communication I can utilize. ZTT is able to read them and respond at his leisure. Today Zak _joked_ about giving me an email cap of 8 per week, any additional would be automatically deleted. Ha ha, Zak. Implement that and I will start calling. Your cell phone number is on your business card. I'm just saying...

But I digress. Zak and I were discussing the Black Friday deals at Lifetime. One of them is to buy one test and get one free. This is a really good deal, but as I told Zak, I do not want any tests. He informed me that I *will* be getting tests at some point, maybe not now so I should buy them now and use them in the 6 month period allowed after purchase. I again told him that I did not want the [stupid] test and I told him why. This test calculates your heat rates zones. I am observant and have noticed that EVERYONE who takes the test ends up having to work harder to stay in lower zones. What I mean by this is typically, a HR of 153 is the bottom of zone 3 for me. After the test it would be higher. See? You wouldn't want the test either. I am quite happy with my zones. Brandon the Other Trainer (yes, there are more than 2, but now I can call him BTOT ::grin::) came over at this point. I asked Brandon why I would want to get my zones tested. He gave some story about being successful (I wasn't really listening). I said, 57 pounds, Brandon, 57 pounds. He said that it could have been 65. Oh! BTOT! Speaking my language. The three of us chatted about this a bit longer and I may have been my sassy (ZTT's word not mine) self. Brandon turned to Zak and asked for one session with me with an evil personal trainer grin on his face. Note to self: Never train with BTOT. He will bring the pain.

Also, I decided to tell ZTT that I feel like I am ever-so-slightly turning toward the slippery slope. I am nowhere near it yet, but I feel like I used to spend my zone 2 intervals at the top of zone 2 and now it is at the bottom. Things like that. And I ate poorly in NYC and then on Thanksgiving. I am OK with these conscious decisions, but I feel like I need to get back to strict quick! I also gently reminded (or perhaps sassily, to use his word) ZTT that he is supposed to be tough with me. I told him I wasn't going to tell him what I ate on Thanksgiving and he totally let me... ::sigh:: He really needs to get my butt in gear. For serious.

Ok...enough stories. On to the workout! I lifted and did 30 minutes of cardio: {3 minutes zone 2, 2 minutes zone 3} 6 times.

Lifting Routine:

Squat Press: 200 lbs, 15 reps (after the last two sets walking lunges across the room and back, then rest)
SB Chest Press: 17.5 lb dumbbells, 12 reps (last set alternating)
DB Deadlifts (straight leg): 20 lb dumbbells, 12 reps
Cable 1 Arm Row: 32.5 lbs, 12 reps
Roman Chair: 10 reps (only 2 sets)
FM Shoulder Press: 25 lbs, 12 reps
Assisted Chin Ups: 120 lbs assistance, 12 reps
Assisted Dips: 115 assistance, 12 reps
Rope Upper Back: 37.5 lbs, 12 reps
Chest Fly: 65 lbs, 12 reps

Cardio Stats:

Calories Burned: 262 (Treadmill)/629 (HR Monitor in total)
Total Miles: 1.99
Total Time: 30:00/1:19:06 (in total)
Ending Heart Rate: 128

Zak gave me workouts for today, tomorrow and Sunday. He claims the rest will come tonight... We'll see. I plan on swimming tomorrow unless the pool is crowded:

Friday - repeat weight routine & cardio 30 min (3 min zone 2, 2 min zone 3, repeat....any piece of cardio equipment you want)
Saturday - cardio 30 min (steady state zone 2, you can walk at an incline or run) OR swim ~25 minutes (try to maintain a consistent pace for 6 laps if you can then rest no more than 5 minutes and repeat)
Sunday - repeat weight routine & cardio 28 min (HIT, 3 min zone 2, 1 min zone 4, repeat)

Oh, and...I am getting the test. ZTT 1, Erin 0.

Run, Cranberry Can, Run!

Turkey Trot today! Gobble, gobble! The Bel Air trot did not disappoint and the cranberry can man and the turkey showed up, as well as many others wearing reindeer antlers, santa hats, native american headdresses and pilgrim hats!

I followed the run 10 minute/walk 3 minute interval plan. My chip time was 39:07. I am not thrilled with this, but happy. The last 5K (the Monster Dash) I did 4/2 intervals in 38:15 (and had a 5 minute warm-up walk, which I didn't this time!). I wonder if I am more efficient with shorter intervals... Anyways, this course was very hilly. That may have affected things.

I *did* have an awesome time with my girls! Kiley joined us for the first time! What a treat! We ran together for most of the first two miles until I gave her permission to be free and go on faster without me! She did great!!!

Here is a picture of most of us with the Cranberry Can Man:

"How Is It That You Two Are Friends?!?!"

Today I was chatting with Zak the Trainer about my friend Lynn who is going to join Lifetime and train with ZTT (YAY!) and mentioned that she had not emailed him back yet about her upcoming training because she was thinking through her answers thoroughly. He laughed (seemingly uncontrollably) and said: "How is it that you two are friends??!?!?!" Burn. Well done, ZTT. Well. Done.

Oh! Also. I told Zak all about this total jerk at the gym on Sunday who yelled at me FROM ACROSS THE WEIGHT ROOM to tell me not to take weights he was "using" and by "using" he meant wanted to use after he completed the current weights he was doing ACROSS THE WEIGHT ROOM. As Amanda F. would say: You can't claim two machines, jerk! I was caught so off guard I gave him his stupid weights back. Won't happen next time... Anyways, he was there and I pointed him out to Zak and Zak told me that no one likes him and that he does all of his lifting completely wrong and shows off but is going to destroy his body fast. :)

Today was a weigh-in day. I am up one pound. :( Booooo. Understandable though because I ate poorly in NYC. Zak also thinks that my body is still processing all of the badness and should even out in the next few days...whatever. It's done. Moving on... :)

I really feel like ZTT is pushing me and I love it! We did roman dead lifts today!!! Pansy girl ones, but still did them!!! It's really difficult to get the form right and I am glad we did it with the 20 pound dumbbells. It requires a lot of thought on my part to keep the right parts of my body straight and stuff. But I still did it!!! And Zak said my form was good. Good!

My lifting routine for the next 2 weeks (3 sets each unless otherwise noted):

Squat Press: 200 lbs, 15 reps (after the last two sets walking lunges across the room and back, then rest)
SB Chest Press: 17.5 lb dumbbells, 12 reps (last set alternating)
DB Deadlifts (straight leg): 20 lb dumbbells, 12 reps
Cable 1 Arm Row: 32.5 lbs, 12 reps
Roman Chair: 10 reps (only 2 sets)
FM Shoulder Press: 25 lbs, 12 reps
Assisted Chin Ups: 120 lbs assistance, 12 reps
Assisted Dips: 115 assistance, 12 reps
Rope Upper Back: 37.5 lbs, 12 reps
Chest Fly: 65 lbs, 12 reps

Everything but the Squat Press went up in weight, and ZTT added the lunges to that. I love seeing that kind of progress! Makes me feel like I am doing something right!

As for the next two weeks, ZTT and I sat down and made a general outline, but he has yet to email me the official breakdown. From memory without specifics:

Wed Nov 25th: rest
Thu Nov 26th: Turkey Trot 5K in Bel Air--run 10/walk 3 intervals
Fri Nov 27th: lift and cardio
Sat Nov 28th: light cardio
Sun Nov 29th: lift and cardio
Mon Nov 30th: Sole Sisters run and maybe light cardio
Tue Dec 1st: lift and cardio
Wed Dec 2nd: cardio
Thu Dec 3rd: lift and cardio
Fri Dec 4th: rest
Sat Dec 5th: rest
Sun Dec 6th: Columbia 5K--intervals either 10/3 or push harder based on feedback from the turkey trot
Mon Dec 7th: rest
Tue Dec 8th: Lift with ZAK!

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

My pink flip flops were reunited today!!! I lost one at the gym a week or two ago. When they are wet, I do not like to put them inside my gym bag, so I lay them on top. The day Amanda F. and I did our pre-half-marathon-prep-outdoor-run, I had lots of wet items since we ran outside. I stacked them all on top of my bag and drudged to my car. When I arrived home only one flip flop remained. I went to buy another pair and not only did the store not have my awesome flip flops (they really are nice flip flops)--they didn't have any! It's like it is wintertime or something. So, anyways, on my way out today I asked member services if they had a lost and found cause I lost my pink flip flop and this other guy overheard and said: I found a pink flip flop in the parking lot! We went to lost and found together and lo and behold! my flip flop was there!!! Oh, what joy. Oh, what bliss!

This great news couldn't have come at a better time because I am poopy today. Not that poopy, just a little, but I did give ZTT a hard time. He totally walked right past me and turned his head away from me as he passed. BURN! It was a most amazing shun. I promptly texted him that he had just totally ignored me and called him a 'jerkface' which he was. He came over a few minutes later and told me that *someone* would be doing ten minutes of planks in her session tomorrow for calling her trainer a jerkface. I am calling this bluff. I don't believe he will do it...

So today the assignment was 15 minutes of zone 3 cardio on the treadmill and 15 minutes on the (evil) stepmill. I did it. And I didn't like it. I am a bit concerned that it is becoming very difficult to reach and maintain zone 3 while walking. I have to go to high inclines or run. Boo. I mean, I guess it's a good thing and probably means I am healthier, but it means more work. Bleh.

My stats:

Treadmill:
Calories Burned: 195 (Treadmill)/163 (HR Monitor)
Total Miles: 1.33
Total Time: 20:00

Step-Mill:
Total Miles: 0.90
Calories Burned: 132 (Step-mill)/318 (HR Monitor-in total, including above)
Floors Climbed: 43

Next workout is tomorrow with ZTT. Possibly with 10 minutes of planks...

Thursday through Monday Morning

Wow! I have been AWAY from the blogging...but I'm back!!! A recap:

THURSDAY: Woke up too early and lifted. Zak the Trainer and I agreed that since I only lifted once last week due to the half marathon prep, getting 3 in this week was important. So, I did! I did the strength circuit (3 sets of each except when noted otherwise):

SB Chest Press: 15lb dumbells, 15 reps regular, 12 alternating, 12 inclined
Squat Press: 200 lbs, 15 reps
Cable 1 Arm Row: 30 lbs, 12 reps
SB Leg Curls: 15 reps
Assisted Chip Ups: 125 lbs, 12 reps
Assisted Dips: 120 lbs, 12 reps
Chest Fly: 60 lbs, 12 reps
FM Shoulder Press: 2 sets 20 lbs, 1 set 25 lbs, 12 reps
Rope Upper Back: 32.5 lbs, 12 reps
Planks: 40 seconds each, 2 sets
Roman Chair: 10 reps, 2 sets

When I was finished, I saw Zak. He gave me 100 out of the 118 pushups he owed me. I get the other 18 tomorrow (with claps). Good enough. :)

FRIDAY: Was in NYC with my friend Rebecca and her mom! Beccers and I went to Central Park for some HIT per ZTT. We did the 3-2-1, as we affectionately deemed it. 3 minutes walking (zone 2), 2 minutes jogging (zone 3), 1 minute running (zone 4). We did this 7 times and warmed up and cooled down.

SATURDAY: Chewbecca and I went to Central Park again but this time did run/walk intervals of 3 minute run, 3 minute walk. We did this for about 45 minutes if memory serves.

SUNDAY: This was a rough day to fit everything in--but I pretty much did. My train arrived 30 minutes late into BWI so that put me behind, but I booked it to the gym, lifted (same as Thursday) and did 27 out of my 30 minutes of cardio. Then I showered, scarfed some food down and went to the movies with Amanda F. My stats:

Calories Burned: 235 (Treadmill)/560 (HR Monitor in total)
Total Miles: 1.58
Total Time: 27:13 (including cool down)/1:07:37 (in total)
Ending Heart Rate: 128

MONDAY: Sole Sisters Run!!! We grew in number by ONE! A very special one, Karen B.! Today we split into runners and run/walkers. Everybody did AWESOME! I was particularly impressed by Julie V. jogging alongside the walkers the ENTIRE 45ish minutes...impressive! The runners (to include me) did 4 minute run/3 minute walk intervals for a little over 3 miles! We went for just shy of 42 minutes with a 5 minute warm-up walk.

Next workout: in about an hour and a half! Short one: 15 minutes zone 3 on treadmill and 15 minutes on the (yucky) stepmill. Then tomorrow is my session with ZTT.

ZTT, You Smell Like Beef and Cheese!

ZTT sits on a throne of lies. He is supposed to do pushups every session we have--one pushup for every glass of water I drink the day before. He hasn't done one. We came to a total of 92 for this week. He said that he would do them when I came in today. I add my water from yesterday, obviously, and told him he could do 104 pushups today. When I saw him I reminded him of this. He was working at the computer and said he would come over to the treadmill and do them in a bit. Next thing I knew he was in session with Amanda F.!!!!! I walked over when I was done on the treadmill and he gave me his "I'm with a client" line. I told him Amanda didn't count cause we are BBFs. Then I told him he was a liar. And he should do double tomorrow morning. Yup, 208. We will see...

Today I did HIT cardio -- {3 min zone 2/3, 1 min zone 4} repeat 11 times. My Stats:

Calories Burned: 411 (Treadmill)/409 (HR Monitor)
Total Miles: 3.51
Total Time: 54:00 (including cool down)
Ending Heart Rate: 121

Zak emailed me my workouts for the week:

Wed - cardio (HIT, 45 min (3 min zone 2/3 jog, 1 min zone 4 sprint, maintain consistent speeds)
Thu - repeat weight routine
Fri/Sat - cardio 45 min (3 min zone 2, 2 min zone 3, 1 min zone 4, repeat 9 times)
Sun - repeat weight routine & cardio 30 min (all zone 3)
Mon - cardio 30 min (15 on treadmill zone 3, 15 on stepmill zone 3)
Tue - lift with Zak

Yes, that is a quote from his email, he referred to himself in the third person. You may also notice that his times do not add up. :) Today I did 44 minutes and the Fri/Sat will be 42 (7 repetitions). Friday and Saturday I will be working out in the hotel in NYC!!! Or in Central Park, depending on the weather. These are quasi-optional. I should be doing something but if time does not permit, something shorter is ok, per ZTT. I will not be blog posting until Sunday night or Monday. Try not to miss me too much. I will be having fun in NYC!!!

2 Pounds!

It was a weigh-in day today! I am down two more pounds, so that makes 58!!! 60 is so close!

The session with ZTT was good and I was only in mild pain from the half marathon--really just my hamstrings. Zak had no sympathy on my leg pain and pushed the weight up anyways. Thanks, ZTT...

My Lifting Routine (3 sets of each except when noted otherwise):

SB Chest Press: 15lb dumbells, 15 reps regular, 12 alternating, 12 inclined
Squat Press: 200 lbs, 15 reps
Cable 1 Arm Row: 30 lbs, 12 reps
SB Leg Curls: 15 reps
Assisted Chip Ups: 125 lbs, 12 reps
Assisted Dips: 120 lbs, 12 reps
Chest Fly: 60 lbs, 12 reps
FM Shoulder Press: 2 sets 20 lbs, 1 set 25 lbs, 12 reps
Rope Upper Back: 32.5 lbs, 12 reps
Planks: 40 seconds each, 2 sets
Roman Chair: 10 reps, 2 sets

Next workout tomorrow. Zak will email me the schedule later today. Basic plan:

Wednesday: cardio, TBD.
Thursday: Lift
Friday/Saturday: some sort of cardio for hotel gym (NYC!!!!)
Sunday: Lift and light cardio
Monday: Sole Sisters Run!!!, maybe evening cardio

Monday Morning Sole Sisters!!!

I was so blessed today to get to run with my Sole Sisters for the first time!!! Julie, Kacy, Kiley and Amy met me in the church parking lot at 5:30am!!! Now, I was wide awake at 4:13am due to my excitement. :) I got to the church at 5:15 and stretched my achy, achy legs. Felt good!!!

After a 5-minute warm-up we ran 60 seconds, walked 90 seconds and repeated for about 2 1/4 miles. Everyone did great!!! We had all skill levels, walking, getting back into running, and runners. We stuck together for this one, but if more people start coming and/or the runners wanna go further or faster, we may route two different tracks that maybe will bump into each other or something.

What an amazing way to start the day! Would YOU like to start your Monday this way??? If you want to come to Ellicott City, you can!!! We'd love to have you!!! Join us!!! :)

The girls from this morning:



Next workout tomorrow with ZTT! (BTW, ZTT approved this to be my Monday cardio so I did not go to the gym today!).

One of the Best Days Ever

Today was awesome!

Executive Summary:

Jen X walked sub-15 minute miles for 8K.
Julie and I shattered our goals and completed the half marathon in 2:56:51.
Andrea and Amanda J. shattered the sub-5 hour marathon goal and finished in 4:45:17!!!
Elizabeth saved two lives (ok, she called for help for two people, I am sure they are grateful!)

Wow. I feel amazing. I completed a HALF MARATHON!!! I am still trying to process that...but I am definitely owning that. :) Erin Corman, Double Shot of Deliciousness, Half Marathoner.

Julie and I started with a 2 minute warm up walk. The intervals are as follows:

Walk: 2:00
Run: 9:59
Walk: 3:00
Run: 9:59
Walk: 2:59
Run: 9:59
Walk: 3:00
Run: 9:59
Walk: 3:00
Run: 9:59
Walk: 3:00
Run: 10:00
Walk: 5:00
Run: 3:59
Walk: 3:00
Run: 3:14
Walk: 4:04
Run: 3:59
Walk: 5:04
Run: 3:59
Walk: 5:00
Run: 3:59
Walk: 5:00
Run: 3:59
Walk: 5:00
Run: 3:59
Walk: 4:59
Run: 3:59
Walk: 5:00
Run: 3:59
Walk: 4:59
Run: 3:59
Walk: 5:00
Run: 3:58
Walk: 2:34
Run: 1:57

We started strong with the 10/3 plan. Made it to mile 6, then I needed to stop. julie thinks it may have been mental for me, since that is the furthest I had been before. I think I agree with her. Then we toyed with 4/3, then 4/4 and ended up with 4/5--a great pace for me at this point. The breaks were a bit long for Julie and she was cramping up so she ran slowly next to me during most of the walk breaks. And, of course, we sprinted the end and totally passed this guy feet from the finish. I so hope the photographers captured that. :)

The shot blocks and me did not get along. I only took 4 (1 1/3 serving) the entire time. :(

This is me a minute or two after I finished. I was exhausted and elated, both depicted quite well in this photo:



This is all the girls! I am so proud of all of us. Today was near perfect (except the nausea that came in waves most of the afternoon...):



I am so proud of all the girls and honored to be a Sole Sister (and a HALF MARATHONER!!!)

P.S. Chipotle was amazing. ;)

I Will Leave a Girl...

...hopefully return a half marathoner. (BTW, I am _freaking out_ internally).

The plan:

5 minute warm up walk
{10 minute run, 3 minute walk} repeat until I cannot anymore
{walk until I feel better, 4 minute run} repeat until I see the finish line
sprint to the finish. ;)
die.
come back to life.
walk the 1.1 miles from the finish line to Chipotle.

One serving of Shot Blocks will be taken 15 minutes before the race and every 45 minutes into the race.

Wish. Me. Luck.
Pray.
Think of me.
Send positive thoughts (to Richmond, VA, not MD!!!).
Do that thang you do.

Cause I need it!!!

Look forward to my blog post about it Saturday night or Sunday!!!

If you want to track our progress, I recommend tracking Julie since I am switching races, my tracking my be messed up. To do this, follow these instructions:
1. Go to www.richmondmarathon.com
2. Click on the link that reads: To sign up for participant tracking via text message/email, click here. in the middle of the top of the page.
3. Create an account.
4. Search for Julie (not me) by entering Last name: Fitzgerald and Race: 2009 McDonald's Half Marathon.
5. There should be two results, select Julie.
6. Enter your cell phone number and service provider (or email address if you prefer emails).
7. Voila! You're done!!!

Outdoor Run Domination

Today Amanda F.* and I dominated our outdoor run. In the rain. Which at one point was very hail-like (i.e. the raindrops bounced on the pavement). ZTT instructed me to do intervals of 10 minutes running, then 3 minutes walking. I honestly didn't think I could do it. I mean, I know I could do one, but it was the subsequent intervals that concerned me.

Amanda and I set off, well-bundled and excited. We did a 5 minute warm-up walk then did the intervals. We were able to do the intervals as Zak dictated for the whole 3.64 miles we ended up going. We did 4 intervals and a 5-minute warm-up walk so we went for right about 54 minutes. That's just under 15 minute mile. This confuses me since I can run/walk much faster than that when I run 4 minutes, walk 3. Hmm... There was the moment I ran in place while Amanda tried to help a man in a car find something, but it didn't take THAT long...

Here is the route:



Either way, I was able to do it..and it wasn't that bad! I feel like I could totally start that way on Saturday, but if I can go faster with shorter intervals...? Will bounce this off of Zak and see what he says...

Also, I tried the cran-razz flavored shot blocks that ZTT bought for me and they were super-tasty! They also never bothered my stomach during the run. I will eat them on Saturday before the half!!!

*I feel the need to add an initial since I have so many friends named Amanda. Off of the top of my head: Amanda F., Amanda J., Amanda M. and Amanda T.

Can I have CHIPOTLE?!?!?!

Today began with a fun time in the LifeCafe with Julie!!!! Then we warmed up together and I abandoned her because today was a ZTT day. I wasn't too worried because anything would be better than last week. And I lost 3 pounds. I'll take that. :) That brings the total to 56. Yessssss.

Zak led me through a lifting routine but I won't be repeating it due to the half marathon prep and rest, so I don't have a copy of it. But it was good. And I was flat out giggly. There was a LOT of laughing going on. Again, Zak said he would much rather giggly-Erin than what he got last week. :)

So, we were talking about my meal Friday night to prepare for the half marathon. I said that I had to grab something in the greater Arundel Mills area due to my schedule. Immediately I thought: Chipotle. Where better to get carbs??? I proposed this idea to Zak the Trainer and he is *actually* thinking about it. My standard: tortilla, pinto beans, steak, cheese, lettuce and sour cream. I told him I would forfeit the cheese, but the sour cream would HAVE to stay. He commented on how he could not believe we were discussing this in a gym and said that he would think about it. Yessssssss. Cannot wait to hear his answer. If it is yes. ;)

Also, he bought me a present!!! He bought me shot blocks for the race on Saturday!!! What an awesome trainer... Zak, if you actually read this--which I don't think you do--you are the best!!! EVEN if you are bailing on me for the outdoor run tomorrow. (Which he is. Totally. But Amanda is saving the day and running with me!).

Plan for the week (to be solidified later tonight in an email):
*Wednesday: Outdoor run. 3-4 miles. Intervals TBD.
*Thursday: Rest.
*Friday: Rest.
*Saturday: 13.1 miles.
*Sunday: Rest.
*Monday: Cardio of some sort (TBD).

I finished this excellent day with a full body massage. It. Was. AWESOME.

October 9, 2011: Andrea, Me & ZTT.

Today was HIT (High Intensity Training)! I did cardio: 5 min warm up, {3 min zone 2, 1.5 min zone 4} repeat 8 times, 5 min cool down. It was intense (hence the name), but doable.

My Stats:

Calories Burned: 424 (Treadmill)/411 (HR Monitor)
Total Miles: 3.02
Total Time: 46:00 (including cool down)
Ending Heart Rate: 133

I also chatted with ZTT some today. Oh, I should mention that I am upgrading from the 8K to the Half Marathon on Saturday in Richmond. Yes, I am crazy. Yes, I got ZTT's permission to do it. He is surprisingly supportive, which confuses me because he was so adamantly against it when I asked at the beginning of October. So, my friends and I had come up with 3 theories as to why, and I presented them to him today:

1) After our tif last Tuesday, he is scared of me. (courtesy of Andrea)
2) He was so impressed with my performance at the 10K, he now believes I can do it. (courtesy of Lynn)
3) He sensed I didn't really want to do it when I asked in October and supported me. (courtesy of me)

He said it was part #2, part #3 and part #4. He was quite defensive that it was not #1. A little too defensive, if you know what I mean. ::wink::

4) I have a good group of friends who support me in this in an awesome way and so he wants to support me in it. (courtesy of Zak).

Excellent! So, me and Julie will be run/walking the half on Saturday. ::gulp::

Next workout tomorrow with ZTT!!!

Oh, and as for the title, Zak agreed to it. Andrea knows what I am talking about. I mean, it's so far away, things can change. But he's down and ::gulp:: so am I!!!!

A Taste of What May Come???

I spent this past weekend in Harrisonburg, VA at Massanetta Springs Camp & Conference Center for the Crossroads Church of the Nazarene Annual Ladies' Retreat. I had a lovely time with a quite lovely group of women!!! As determined ahead of time by Julie and myself, we ran/walked on Saturday. We invited women on Friday night to join us and determined that butt-early Saturday morning was better than during the 5-hour break Saturday afternoon (by "we" I mean everyone but me--I was all for sleeping). When all was said and done, Julie, Eva, Amy and I all awoke early and met at 0630 for a walk/run. Julie and I did more walking and Eva and Amy did more running, but we all managed to stay together for the whole time. It was so much fun! And hopefully a taste of what is to come for the Catonsville Chapter of the Sole Sisters... It's looking like 5 or 5:30 am on Mondays will be our weekly meeting time, but that is still very tentative! I had such a great time and I hope that we get this thing off of the ground running (pun very much so intended!). For the intervals, I ran 3 minutes, then walked 2 minutes. Including the 5 minute warm up walk, we went for 53 minutes total.

Also, I was a rock star with the food. I could not stick to my strict plan perfectly, but came pretty close. Even with Cracker Barrel for lunch today...Mmmm....

Next workout is cardio tomorrow: High Intensity Training--3 minutes zone 2, 1 1/2 minutes zone 4, repeat 8 times. Try to use speed instead of inclines to shift the zones.

I *Think* Me and ZTT are Friends Again...

...I mean, he told me he'd email me answers to my questions tonight with a smile, so either he is over being frustrated with me or really good at faking it. Either way, I'm happy.

Today I lifted and did cardio per ZTT's instructions.

Lifting:

Squat Press: 110 pounds, 15 reps (only did 12...whoops)
SB Chest Press: 12.5 pounds, 12 reps (the 12.5 pound dumbells were missing, did 15s...yeah, I did)
SB Leg Curls: 15 reps (only did 12...whoops)
Lat Pulldown: 60 pounds, 12 reps
Back Hyperextension: 15 reps (only 2 sets)
Assisted Chinups: 140 pounds assistance, 12 reps
Assisted Dips: 130 pounds assistance, 12 reps
Chest Fly, 55 pounds, 12 reps
FM Shoulder Press: 20 pounds, 12 reps
Bosu Crunches: 15 reps (only 2 sets)

Then I did cardio. The instructions were incline of 7.0 in zone 3 for 30 minutes:

Calories Burned: 377 (Treadmill)/605 (HR Monitor in total)
Total Miles: 2.12
Total Time: 40:00 (including cool down)/1:19:40 (in total)
Ending Heart Rate: 119

Also, I asked Zak (who was wearing a Yankees shirt..bleh...I told him I would wear mine on Tuesday...mine isn't as nice...) about the optional workouts. He said that he is not babying me, my body needs a break, so we decided on resting Friday, run/walking with the girls at ladies' retreat Saturday and resting Sunday. Good plan. :)

Next workout on Saturday, but will not be able to blog about it until Sunday!

I Hate the Step-Mill

I hate the Step-Mill. Today I did cardio: 5 min warm-up, 30 minutes on the treadmill at an incline of 5 and a speed of 3.5mph, followed by 15 minutes on the step-mill on level 4.

I hate the Step-Mill. My Stats:

Treadmill:
Calories Burned: 321 (Treadmill)/286 (HR Monitor)
Total Miles: 2.01
Total Time: 35:00

Step-Mill:
Total Miles: 0.99
Calories Burned: 135 (Step-mill)/449 (HR Monitor-in total, including above)
Floors Climbed: 43

Ending Heart Rate: 145

I hate the Step-Mill. Workouts for the rest of the week:

Thursday – Repeat weight training routine and cardio (30 min. Zone 3 at incline of 7)

Friday – OPTIONAL (personally I think you should give your body some rest because you have been doing great with your exercise and sometimes giving some added rest actually helps boost your progress; but if you do decide to workout 2 sets of 20 squats, 15 pushups and 45 second planks will work)

Saturday – OPTIONAL (I don’t want to give you specific guidelines on your retreat, but if you go for a walk/run try and do a 3 min. jog/run – 2 min. walk setup for whatever time you have available)

Monday – cardio (HIT, 3 min. Zone 2 – 1.5 min. Zone 4, REPEAT 8 times; try and use speed not incline the whole time to shift zones

I hate the Step-Mill. I have an outstanding email to ZTT asking if he really thinks I need this pansy optional stuff in my workouts or if he is catering to my bad mood and babying me. I don't need babying. You're my trainer, be tough. That's all I'm sayin'.

Oh, and...I hate the Step-Mill.

I Should Have Chosen the Free Fit Test...

Today was my free session with Zak as a prize for doing so well in the 10K. Recall that I had a choice to do this or get a free fit test. I chose the session because: 1) I don't want a fit test; 2) I love my sessions with Zak the Trainer; and 3) I was going to have 2 weeks between my last appointment (Oct 27) and the next one (Nov 3). I was so excited for it. It seemed wonderful. But, alas, it was not.

I weighed in at the same weight as last week. This upset me. I work very hard. Very hard. I give up a lot. A LOT. I don't cheat at all. AT ALL. I worked out Sunday through Saturday last week. Every day. I took off Sunday and worked out Monday. And lost NO WEIGHT. Now, yes, I know I lost 8 pounds last week. I wasn't expecting that again. All I wanted was ONE POUND. Forward progress. That's it. And I was not happy about it. Also, we took measurements. I lost like 1% body fat. REALLY??? So, you might argue: Erin, your weight stayed the same, but you gained muscle and lost fat. NOPE. That would show up in the measurements. AWESOME. *sarcasm*. Well, ZTT didn't like my negative attitude and so the whole session was a lot of discussion about this. It wasn't fun. I should have chosen the free fit test.

In the discussion I told him everything I was thinking. That I wish I had eaten all those foods I didn't eat (the cake at Lisa's shower, the yummy rice at the Vyas house, the pretzels on the boat today). If I am not going to lose, I wish I could have had a few bites of deliciousness. He told me that this was self-destructive thinking. I told him I didn't get to my current weight with healthy thinking. I told him that I was also angry because every week I do not make progress costs me more money. The gym and ZTT are expensive! If I am not cheating and am working very hard, I want a return on my investment. This week of no loss = another week of money out of my pocket. Zak says that I can be angry if it inspires me, but he worries my current attitude will snowball into a downward spiral. He then told me lots of stories about "clients" who had problems that started off like this. I felt like he was threatening me, but he claims he wasn't. He did point-blank say that he would not help me re-lose pounds. I didn't like it when he said that. I am not sure how I feel about it now. I think I still don't like it.

Also, at one point we were going to do the leg curls on the stability ball and I grumbled and he asked very nicely: Do you not want to do it??? I looked at him and said: Don't cater to my bad mood! Don't ask me my opinion. Tell me what to do. Tough Love, Zak, tough love!

Ugh. I am frustrated. I feel like Zak is too. Somewhat rightfully so. I kind of feel like he's my trainer so he should have to deal with me when I get all moody and make me work through this. But then again, he does have some high standards for his clients and what they put into the workouts, so maybe he can be frustrated with me. I don't know.

So...for now. I am giving it another week. At that point I don't know what honestly. Will cross that bridge when I come to it. I really don't see myself quitting. But I hope I can get out of this funk.

Next workout is tomorrow. Zak didn't have it so he is emailing it to me. It will be cardio of some sort.

"Should I Just Bring the Crash Cart Out Now???"

Yes, loyal fan base. Zak the Trainer approached my treadmill during my warm-up for today and asked me the title question of this post. Now, for those who occasionally "feel bad" for ZTT for having to deal with me...he dishes it out as good as he takes it. That's all I'm sayin'. :)

Today was crazy-high-intensity-because-ZTT-thinks-I-can-do-crazy-stuff-like-this-and-I-can-but-for-serious-ZTT!-day. It was:

5 min warm up, {4 min zone 3, 2 min zone 4, repeat 7 times}, 5 min cool down.

Now, let me be clear. Zone 3 = a very fast walk or jog about 4.5 mph. Zone 4 = full out run at 5.5-6 mph. I never run that fast. But I did today for 14 minutes over seven 2-min intervals. (I will say that I feel really good that I was able to run that fast for that long...but that is beside the point, ZTT is still crazy). My intervals were basically, walk 3.5 mph at 0.0, then 2.0, then 4.0, then 6.0 then 8.0 inclines for the first 3 minutes of the zone 3. For the last minute, I dropped the incline to 0.0 and ran at 4.5 mph. The first 30 seconds of the zone 4 portions were at 5.5 mph and the last minute and a half was at 6 mph. This seemed to keep my HR where it needed to be. I stepped off that treadmill red-faced and out of breath. Awesome. :)

My Stats:

Calories Burned: 565 (Treadmill)/528 (HR Monitor)
Total Miles: 3.61
Total Time: 52:00 (including cool down)
Ending Heart Rate: 135

Next workout tomorrow with ZTT. We will be doing measurements! Excited to see inches lost and percentage body fat decrease...