Fitness

I may not be very fast, but look at how I picked up the pace when I left the boys behind and started to run.

Last week, I came to grips with the fact that maybe, just maybe, my focus should be less on running and more on cardio and strength conditioning. This simple change in mindset has made all the difference this week. Even though my first 5K is only five weeks away, I don’t feel the same kind of pressure that I felt just last week.

The Plan

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Kickboxing
• Wednesday: Pilates
• Thursday: Kickboxing
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: Gym (cardio and TRX)
• Sunday: Walking/running

Last weekend, I did a nearly 5-mile hike with my friend, Kristin, followed by an afternoon at the driving range. Two sets of rarely-used muscles used back-to-back. By Monday, I was pretty much crippled. By Tuesday, the delayed onset muscle soreness had me walking like an old lady. Nevertheless, I decided to go to kickboxing, figuring that it would either fix me or kill me.

Much to my surprise, it did fix me, at least until the afternoon when I sat down for two uninterrupted hours at the computer. The old lady walk had returned. Yet strangely, by Wednesday morning I was perfectly fine. Explain that one, body!

On Saturday, I spent some quality time with the TRX at the gym. After a 20-minute warm-up on the elliptical, I went to the TRX station to do my usual push-ups, pikes, mountain climbers, planks and skiiers. But this time, I threw in some extra lower-body core strength exercises that I’d seen on YouTube. I’ve posted the video below, and I assure you, that guy makes it look really, really easy. My plan to do three sets of eight reps was reduced to feeling very proud to have made it through two sets of five reps.

TRX TV | February, Week 2

Sunday was a great family walk along the Iron Horse Trail. Much to my surprise, the boy managed to do 3 miles at a decent pace, about 18 minutes/mile — not bad for someone with a 17-inch inseam. We did an out-and-back route and as we neared the car, my husband suggested that maybe I’d want to run ahead. I upped the ante and told him to meet me in a restaurant parking lot about a mile south of our parking spot. I handed him the car keys, runwalked to the designated meeting place, and was proud to arrive before the car did.

Tags: 24 hour fitness, gym, kickboxing, rehab, rehabilitation, running, training, TRX, walking

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