Training archives

Guess who's trainer made her double the weight she's bench pressing and use the real bench press bar?

I had been benching using a 40-lb. bar - the kind with the weights already attached - but today as I whipped through a set of those, my trainer said, "No way, missy. That's crap. Get over here." After three presses with the bar, sans weights, she said, "Clearly I underestimated you," and stuck 10-lbs. on the end of each side of the bar.

Now I know in theory bench pressing 75 pounds isn't a big deal, but trust me it feels like a big deal. At least it is to me. I've never been able to lift that much, and my weights are increasing every week. At some point I'm going to have to stop saying that I hate weight lifting because it's the majority of what I'm doing in the gym and I, well, I love it. Lifting weights, and seeing how it's transforming my body, is giving me an appreciation for what my body can do in a way that losing all that weight didn't do.

Here's the thing: losing weight made me thinner, and it uncovered a whole slew of body image issues I wasn't really prepared for. Lifting weights has shown me something new to try and love about my body, as opposed to hating or feeling self-conscious or apologetic for not taking up as much room anymore.

I feel strong. I am strong. I have a real bicep muscle! Look at that!

I lost another pound last week, and that was with my period. I'm still watching my diet pretty closely, though yesterday was an eating bacchanalia with things such as french toast sticks and fried chicken. Honestly, nearly everything I ate yesterday touched hot oil at some point. I'm paying for it today, but it was a nice treat. I weighed in at 141 pounds in case you're playing along at home.

The ear infection really curtailed my running efforts last week. I ended up staying at home sick for two days, and when I tried to do the cardio climb of death, my ears plugged up and I started hacking. I kept away from any serious cardio until this morning. And my thyroid issue is making me exhausted, so I'm not running on top of everything else.

If it was warmer out I'd be more irritated but since it's still cold here in Chicago, I'm not losing sleep.

Posted by Erin at 07:37 PM | | filed under: Training

I haven't done much running since the Shamrock Shuffle at the end of March. I attribute all this to injuring my IT band, having a pole dropped subsequently dropped onto my foot after I healed, and then a huge surge of interest in weight training.

You all know I've been lifting all winter. With the new routine devised by my trainer, and four lifting sessions per week, I'm stronger than I've ever been. I'm seriously considering taking pictures of my arms for you. I'm not sure what clicked - and it wasn't the new muscle definition as that's only a recent development - but I've gotten really into strength training.

But I've always defined myself as a runner. Not a fast runner - though it's true I've gotten faster by no real effort on my part, other than I've just been at this a while - or a competitive runner - though it's true I'm always looking to lap someone out there - but a runner nonetheless. After discovering for myself last year the joys of running outside, running indoors on a treadmill was the worst experience ever. Completely took the joy out of the one thing that brought me the most joy.

And I'll tell you that me and my fancy running gear were ready to run outdoors this winter had Chicago not been hit with one of the worst winters we have ever had. I've lived here all my life. I don't remember it ever being that cold or icy or snowy.

All this is to say that I'm out of the habit of running. I'm thankful I was able to find something else to occupy my workout time with - again, for real, I'm actually strong for the first time in my life - but it's warming up again and it's time to get back to running. The thing is, I don't want to abandon my weight training whatsoever. In fact, we're adding on a fifth day of training. All that plus an hour of hard cardio kickboxing mixed in there and it doesn't leave a lot of time or energy for running.

Running has always been my main form of exercise and I've always approached it as such. It just happened to make me happy, too. but now my focus has shifted, and my exercise is in the gym, lifting weights and grunting up a stupidly high incline, sweating buckets. So now I suppose I need to view running as less of a measure of exercise, and more something I do on the side a few times a week. And for as much as I love lifting now, I really don't want to lose the running ability.

How do you balance all of this you athletes out there? I know this means that my ability to run long distances may be compromised - though let's be honest, I've never been interested in more than six miles at a click anyway - but does that matter?

This week I'm going to make myself get out there at least three times to get back in the swing of things, even if it's at a slow pace.

In other news, I went in on Friday for more thyroid testing. When I hear something, you'll hear too.

Posted by Erin at 09:55 AM | | filed under: Training

Who here does burpies on a regular basis? Not me. The Trainer - we shall call her "Shannon" because, well, that's her name - has me doing them this week.

Seriously that woman is kicking my behind. It's all very inspirational working with her. She's got me doing these stupendously hard incline drills on this Nordic Track treadmill that, if you've got access to this particular treadmill and are in need of an ass kicking, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Today's drill was me walking at 2.0. No biggie, right? Well, the incline was set at 25.0 for three minutes. Most people set the incline at 1.0, tops. The next three minutes are still at 2.0 with the incline up to 35.0. After that, it's 1.0 walking at 50.0 incline for three minutes, working back down to 25.0 the same way you came up, so to speak, for a full 15 minutes. People, it's ridiculously sweat-inducing and hard and if you all don't start trying it you're crazy. Honest to God, if you need a kick in the pants, something to change it up, this cardio drill is for you.

I stepped on the scale Friday and saw that I'd lost 2.5 pounds last week as a result. At least I think that's why.

I was not good at keeping up with my work outs. I drank too much Friday night and had to spend all day baking cupcakes for my sister's birthday so I completely skipped the gym. Another day found me, unexpectedly, driving a total of 10 hours for a work-related event and there was nothing I wanted to do less after 10 hours in the car than work out.

So we try again this week. There really isn't anything that should keep me from getting all of my work outs in - four sessions with weights (one down) and a kickboxing class. In between all that will be some running with my dog and bike commuting to work. I'd really like for a week to go by and just stick with the schedule. Sometimes life just doesn't let you.

Wednesday is my day off so I'll be heading in to the doctor to get more blood work done. Hopefully my results will show something positive. Hopefully we can switch up my medication. My clothes all fit just fine, but I'd like to be able to eat a meal and not have it impact the feel of my waistband against my stomach.

I'm telling you, I feel those extra pounds. Being neatly in a size 10 is not as nice as a comfortable one.

Posted by Erin at 02:13 PM | | filed under: Training

So this morning I met with my new trainer at the completely reasonable hour of 7:30 a.m.

I have to tell you that now that I work downtown, my life is decidedly simpler. Like not having to get up at the crack of dawn to work out and make it to work on time rocks.

She was awesome. We had a solid workout together and we're very simpatico in terms of how we view weight training and the client/trainer relationship. Also she did not creep me out like the last trainer they hooked me up with, who made weird sexist comments about how "girls are" when working with trainers and who wanted me to report back to him every week with what I was eating.

The only caveat is that she made me promise to lift four times a week. I'm certainly better at lifting than I was - and let me tell you how much of a difference I could feel when she was putting me through the ringer this morning. Twenty push ups? No problem! Go me! - but Lord is that a lot of extra lifting. I'm going to do it, because I promised, and she said on the fifth day I do my cardio but I imagine I'll add some extra running in there. I just can't imagine not running every day again, now that the weather has shaped up.

Anyway, so we're going to meet every Monday morning now. A nice way to start out the week, I think.

I had a nice run with my dog on Saturday, even though it was still a bit too cold so I had to wear gloves. We're going running again tonight after work, though I suppose it'll be gloves again. Whatever. It's not freezing and it's not snowing so I'm not complaining.

****

It's only fair, I think that I share with you the moments where I totally lose my shit, where I fall apart into a pile of irrational goo, all made up of my insecurities and body image issues.

There were some decidedly unflattering pictures of me taken last week. The angle, the way I was sitting, the ten pounds of bloat on my face from the night before - which included much cheese and wine with my girlfriends as we celebrated an engagement - all contributed to these horrible shots. I about wanted to crawl into a hole and cry.

This reaction is so primal to me, so apart from my conscious thought. At the time, I felt really good about how I looked, and I know that the dress makes no cover up or excuses for my large stomach. It's a clingy, form-fitted wrap dress and I love it and it makes my tits look big and so I love wearing it. But those pictures seems to undo, or attempt to undo, all of the work that it's taken for me to be OK with not being perfect in a dress that asks nothing but, simply because I love it.

I took some deep breaths, quieted myself for a while, and realized that yes, I had gained some weight since January, but I was actively working on it - wine and cheese notwithstanding. Yes the medicine has done some damage, but this was a tough winter, too. I was sick a lot, tired ... I hibernated some.

Seeing myself in a picture that reminds me of my old life - when I didn't take care of myself and engaged in numerous bad habits of both the emotional and physical nature - shakes me up but it shouldn't. I am active. I work hard. I keep at it. I have faith in myself and trust myself enough that I'll continue to take care of my body so that I'm never that person again.

Not that "fat" person. Just that unhappy person.

I stepped on the scale Saturday morning to learn that nothing had changed since I'd last stepped on a scale, was captured in that picture, and that morning. 146. No ups or downs. Just 146 pounds. It's amazing, truly, what bloat, a night with no sleep and a bad camera angle can do.

My sister called me yesterday to tell me she found a picture of me from my 25th birthday party. "This doesn't even look like you," she said. My sister, you need to know, is not one to use this sort of language or point something like this out. "Your face was about three times bigger and your belly is actually hanging out."

The thing is, I remember these pictures. And that my bare belly ended up hanging out of most of them. Why no one told me is beyond me. Anyway, I remember these pictures and that I don't much resemble the person in those pictures anymore. And it's not solely because I'm older. Or because I'm thinner. Both are contributing factors, to be sure.

Mostly, though, those pictures don't much resemble me because I wasn't particularly self-aware in my twenties and certainly didn't value myself as I should have and it showed. I was, as I told my sister, a "hot mess."

Oy. I was a hot mess if ever there was one.

So anyway, it's still hard to see an image where I'm reminded of those days and not get upset. The difference now is that I've learned how to shake it off. It's hard, and it's still humbling, but it's better.

Posted by Erin at 02:09 PM | | filed under: Training

No, OK, I'm kidding, but last night's spinning class felt like it could have been my 7th grade sockhop there was so much 80s glam metal going on in there. Surprisingly, I don't mind it that much. This particular instructor is just the kind of instructor I like - hard, but reasonable about recovery - and at least it's not all techno dance that I can't sing along to in my head.

Still, when I did my lifting session afterwards, I set my iPod to The Weepies.

I've been recuperating from a particularly hard work out last Thursday, when I did an hour's worth of lower body work, combined with 20 minutes of farklets on the treadmill. I limped around in some serious pain until Sunday I decided that the only answer was some Bikram.

So that's what I did. It was just what the doctor ordered for my very sore muscles. It ended up being one of the best practices I've had in months. I was so inspired by the class and my mindset that I bought a five-day pass. Of course, there is no guaranteeing that this Sunday will be the same blissful experience, but I know that going into it, which is what is so challenging about Bikram in the first place, and why it's such a lovely experience to take with you into your daily life.

I was able to cop a spot right in front, at the mirror, where I was subjected to my less-than-perfect form for 90 minutes as it struggled through pose-after-pose, sweat dripping everywhere, and it occurred to me that the only way to get through it, to do well, would be to look myself straight in the eye, and not wander and focus on my partially spandex-clad body with all of its imperfections. If I focus on the negative, I'll never break my way through to the positive.

There are so many knowns and unknowns that can hurt our efforts, but mostly if we let them. So I spent Sunday doing my best to shake off my insecurities about my body and rejoice in the fact that I got through every pose without having to sit out, knowing I did my very best and I'd be rewarded with legs and a back end that hurt less than they did 90 minutes earlier.

And they did.

Posted by Erin at 01:48 PM | | filed under: Training

So tonight I had, yet again, another first training session with a personal trainer.

I wonder if I will ever have a trainer stick around long enough to work with me longer than a month or two. There always seems to be so much drama tied up with being a personal trainer - my new one seems no different. He started talking about having only been here five months, being "tired of bullshit" and ... he trailed off. Honestly, it's just as well. Kick my butt and then send me on my way. I don't need to know about your personal life.

But he's a nice guy and a good trainer. VERY into his work. Definitely not one to go through the motions and he seriously kicked my butt. He made me do bicep curls and hammer curls and shoulder pressed with 12.5-pound hand weights and I never use more than 8. I'm not looking forward to the pain I most surely will be in come morning. I'm headed to spinning at 6:30 a.m. since we've got a work party tomorrow night.

One thing that was really different about this session: it was the first time I worked with a trainer where I didn't tell him that I wanted to lose weight. He asked if there was a size I wanted to be in - "Oh God no. I'm so not about to put that on myself." - and if I had a weight goal. I flat out told him that I was done worrying about my weight. Over. Finished. I let him know that I've lost 45 pounds and with the exception of a brief personal crisis in 2006, managed to keep it all off over five years, and that all I really wanted was to start myself on a weight training program and stick with it because it's good for me.

I didn't talk about "still having ten pounds to lose," which I always seem to do, and when he complimented me on the definition in my arms already, I thanked him. And later when he said he couldn't believe I find lifting boring because I was super intense through the whole thing, I laughed and said I hated it but I don't shy away from hard work.

Most importantly, I didn't apologize for things for which I have no business apologizing. I'm not perfect, and I never will be. Why should apologize for that? I told Scott that sometimes I feel like I spend my life waiting for the day that I look like the "After" shot because I feel like that's the goal. It's not the goal. The goal is to become someone who works hard and takes care of herself because she values herself. The goal is stop giving a shit if I ever really "lose the buddha" or not, and instead go out and run five miles because I love it.

The goal is to get the fuck over it and just be the "After."

I am trying really hard to live this way, and I won't lie to you when I say it's a constant struggle. I've said before that a healthy body image just seems to be one more thing we women are pressured into possessing or perish. As much as it is a struggle for me not to dive face-first into a plate of cheese fries, it's still tough for me not to beat myself up for caring.

The important part, I guess, is that I try.

Posted by Erin at 09:05 PM | | filed under: Training

At 4:30 p.m. I'm heading over to the Bikram studio near work. I haven't taken a class in months, which makes this week officially the Week of Stuff Erin Hasn't Done in Months.

I'm a little excited about having a month-long unlimited pass to do Bikram and it's most fervent hope that I use the damn thing. I mean, it's only $29, but Bikram is usually $16 a class, which is why I don't take it that often. There are 8 a.m. classes available, every morning, which means I could totally go at least three times a week for a class and make it to work on time.

(We have a shower and a locker room with towel service here at work.)

Here's to hoping. Seriously.

In other news, I am eating chocolate as though it were my job. I'm not kidding. It's out of control. I'm officially making myself just knock it the hell off. There is no reason why I should be throwing back Hershey Kisses in the fashion I have been. I mean, ten dark chocolate kisses in a day sort of negates the whole antioxidant work since you end up consuming so much sugar.

And the crazy thing is that I do not like chocolate all that much. I really don't. I'm not what I would consider a chocolate person. And yet? I am fully convinced that right now my body is running solely on cocoa.

Hmmmmm. Cocoa. Mini marshmallows ...

Ahem. Never mind.

Posted by Erin at 01:18 PM | | filed under: Training

So I know it won't be the same thing, but today when I took a tour of the gym facilities at work, I learned they have a kickboxing bag! How cool is that?

Of course there aren't kickboxing classes, but that doesn't mean I can't do simple series of punches and kicks on the bag. I wanted to find something instructional to give me a guide tomorrow afternoon when I go in there to work on the bag - In the afternoon! When I want! I can totally do that at my job! - and God bless the Internet. Seriously.

I found these videos and boy howdy do I think they rock.

First off, the fact that every move is shown step-by-step is fantastic, but also that the quality is good and done by professionals. Plus, there are a couple of instructors from which to choose, if you like one more than the other. I would mostly only recommend these videos if you've taken a class, but these aren't bad for the basics and tooling around a bag.

So, I'm excited.

Plus today when I got home I had a big ol' package waiting for me from the fine folks at Glamour magazine - Core Secrets. I'm about to go pump up the balance ball now. It was a nice surprise to come home to and I'll report back tomorrow and let you know how the workout was. I'm going to try it out in the morning.

Thanks, Glamour!

Finally, I weighed in this morning to learn that after all of that eating and drinking last week, I gained ... not a single pound. The body works in mysterious ways.

Posted by Erin at 10:44 PM | | filed under: Training

So here's a tip from me to you: don't run outside when you've got horrible allergies and haven't done much to curb them.

Yesterday afternoon was the Pumpkins in the Park 5K and it was one of the worst races I've run in eons. I'm embarrassed by how horrible my performance was. Egads. I just checked the results - 11:54 minute miles, for a total of 36:57. Actually, looking at it - maybe that isn't so bad considering we had to stop TWICE. Once for all the damn baby strollers clogging up the course - Can we please stop allowing these things during races? I've yet to run a race where the course is big enough to accommodate thousands of runners AND a ton of these big-ass running strollers. - and another because I got a stomach cramp so bad I thought I was going to lose it. It wasn't a side stitch but rather felt as though I'd pulled a muscle.

Then you consider that my ears plugged up. As though I had swimmer's ear. Ever since the weather shifted, my ears have been plugging up. I know it's all allergy related, and I took my Flonase-type stuff before I left but it didn't do me a bit of good. It was just awful. I couldn't regulate my breathing well because with each breath my ears plugged more. I couldn't talk or hear anything ... miserable.

I bought some homeopathic medicine after the race which cleared things up. Too little, too late for the race, unfortunately. By the time Scott and I headed out to dinner, though, I was fine.

I love running with my friend, Shelane, though. We've got a similar pace and since she's one of my very best friends, we don't run out of things to talk about. And it's a nice way for she and I to spend time together sans cocktails, which we really, really enjoy, too.

My vacation is over, unfortunately. I had a nice week, although it was tripped up a bit by how sore I was as a result of the kickboxing. Plus, my diet could have been a wee bit better, but nothing I'm wrestling with as a result. If I'm looking forward to nothing else, it's normalcy in my life again, with a regular meal- and workout-schedule. It makes all the difference in the world.

Posted by Erin at 08:50 PM | | filed under: Training

Right now I am tired and my ass hurts and my back is a little tender, but I did it.

I biked the two miles down to Belmont Harbor, from there I ran two miles along the lake to Castaways, ran back to the Harbor, for a total of four miles, stretched a tad, and got back on my bike and did the two miles home.

A couple of things:

* Running on the lake at the beach is harder. The sun was beating down on me, pretty much the whole time, and it's also windier at the lake. Also? Sand. Everywhere. There is a trail, but there was still sand. And it rained yesterday so it was a little sloppy.

* It is very hard not to let yourself get tripped up by all of the incredibly fast, in-shape, awesome runners on the lake. These folks are SERIOUS. Running the hood is a lot more solitary and not many, if any, people pass you by. Here, different story.

Despite how tired I am, and I'm getting a bit of a headache right now, I'm going to try and make this a regular Wednesday thing. It was nice to run near the water and to watch the skyline as I did it. Plus I forgot that there are a billion fountains so I won't have to carry my pesky water bottle with me. THAT was a pain in the ass.

All in all, a good experience and a seriously solid workout.

Lastly, today I am wearing white pants and a navy t-shirt. It is the first time in the history of owning these pants - four years now - that I have not worn my denim jacket over the whole thing.

Fuck it.

It's hot, the pants fit awesomely, and it's not like I'm doing anything more than perpetuating the issue for myself that I'm still too fat to wear certain things without camouflage of some sort. Because I am not.

I'm not going to wait until I'm "good enough" to wear white pants. Screw that noise. I just worked my ass off this morning. I earned this shit.

Posted by Erin at 12:21 PM | | filed under: Training

We got the bikes out this weekend. Or, I should say, I got my bike unlocked this weekend and shook the dust off of it a bit.

It's a piece o' crap, make no mistake, and I'd buy a new one if I had piles of money laying around for such purposes. Alas, I do not. So I have to make do with what I have, and to be quite honest, I never caught on to cycling like I thought I would. I just like using a bike as an alternate mode of transportation in the summer. As long as it gets me from Point A to Point B, I am happy.

So my boyfriend and I decided to make our way to the Pride Parade Sunday morning using our bikes, and it was awesome. We buzzed in and out of all of that horrible traffic with no problems and got some extra exercise to boot. For weeks now, I've had a hankering to do some running on the lake front. It's been a couple of years since I've done so, mostly owing to the fact that I live farther west than I used to, making trips to the lake a pain.

But Sunday night I decided that I would test myself and at least one morning this week ride my bike to the lake, lock it up, and run four miles on the beach, then ride home.

Total? Four miles by bike, four miles by foot.

So that's tomorrow morning's plan. I think I can do it. The bike riding will be more leisurely, though obviously it will be a workout of sorts. Still, I think it's doable. It will make for an exhausting morning, but I imagine I'll feel pretty stupendous after all is said and done. Or ready to collapse. I have no idea.

In other news, I totally forgot what a bitch those leg lifts are when doing The Firm. Oh my Jesus. I did Super Body Sculpt this morning and ouch. My fanny better be lifted after all of those stupid things on that damn Fanny Lifter. Honestly, I hate that so much. SO MUCH. I do not know if there will ever be anything that will get me to enjoy weight lifting. So I will try my best to stick with this until I get bored, slack for a couple of weeks, and try something else.

I bid on eBay for a Turbo Jam set and while I lost, it looks like I'll be able to purchase the kit just the same. I am such an eBay novice, but does that happen a lot? I'm pretty excited as it's the exact kit I wanted, with the exact DVDs I wanted, too. I really like The Firm, all bitching aside, but I really want to do the kickboxing thing in addition to The Firm.

Lastly, has anyone seen the trailer for the new Adam Sandler movie, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry?" The movie itself looks pretty lame, but my boyfriend and I caught the trailer last night and, oh my God. Jessica Biel is in this movie and in one quick shot they show her in her bra and panties and I kid you not - HER BUTT JIGGLES. But in that good way. In that enviable way.

Seriously, the lady has a nice ass, and she's worked hard for it, quite obviously, and the thought of even having a fraction of my ass mirror hers one day got me through those leg lifts today.

Inspiration. Take it where you can get it.

Posted by Erin at 08:49 AM | TrackBack (262) | filed under: Training

... the Soldier Field 10 Mile!

Hopefully I'll toss in a 5K at some point beforehand, but how cool is it for a Chicago Bears fan to end a race at the 50-yard line of Soldier Field! My friend, Laura, she who finished yesterday at the same time I did without either of us knowing because there were about 30,000 people running, will be training for it with me. We've vowed to do our long runs together, which should be a blast.

And a challenge. Laura is eight years younger than I, and if you think that doesn't make a difference, I promise you that when I was 23 I did not feel as though my hips were about to pop outta place from a hard run. I bounced back like a champ. Now?

Not so much. Although tonight's restorative yoga class helped and I do feel much better. Not 100%, but definitely better. Good enough that Glin and I will be hitting the pavement tomorrow to clock two miles before work. After all, I only have nine weeks to get myself ready for a 10-mile race. I'm not going to push it too hard tomorrow but I'm going to get right back up and moving along.

Posted by Erin at 10:51 PM | | filed under: Training

Despite the fact that Monday is a stretch and strengthen day on Hal's training program, the break from the snow and freezing temperatures seemed like a good excuse to get out and run with the puppy.

Tonight, after I made lunches for the next few days (broiled salmon, okra and squash, and baked sweet potatoes), I checked the temperature outside and sure enough, at 9 p.m. it was still about 38 degrees outside, with little to no wind. I packed up my lunches, threw them into the refrigerator, and got to getting outside.

We only ran for about 25 minutes, but we had a great time. Glinny was a little on the slower side - for her - but we had a blast. She's muddy as hell, and is gated up in the kitchen right now because of it, but I'm glad I opted to spend time with her as opposed to going to yoga tonight. Tomorrow promises more of the same, and since The Boy and I are going out to dinner tomorrow night, Glinny and I are hitting the streets again in the morning. I already reconfigured a new route using Gmaps and everything.

Because in March I'm going to be ramping up my training for a triathlon this summer, I need to invest in a new pair of swim goggles. The ones I've been using for - yikes! - three years now just bit the dust last week and I can't get them back together again without them leaking. I've got my eyes on a couple of pairs, keeping in mind I really don't want to spend more than $20-30 on goggles.

Anyone have any suggestions?

It was a nice night and it was a good run. I can't wait for tomorrow morning.

Edited to add: It's 9 a.m. on Tuesday now and Glinny and I just got back from our morning run. We did two miles and came back in to get ready for work. At least I did. Glin is back in the kitchen, muddier than last night, sleeping.

People in Chicago - GET OUTSIDE. Seriously. While it's not particularly sunny, it is around 40 degrees and it's perfect running weather. There were some icy patches still, but we made our way around them just fine. This winter has been tougher than it's been in some time; I promise to never take nice weather for granted again.

Posted by Erin at 11:07 PM | Comments (4) | filed under: Training

We here in Chicago are buried - Buried! I tell you! - under so much snow. We're not Mexico, NY, mind you, but it's fairly brutal. The streets are a mess and it took me 2 1/2 hours to get home tonight.

I'd planned on going to the gym, to wait out the rush hour travels and hopefully more snow, until my father and sister both called to inquire as to whether or not I was "high" and why I wasn't making my way home. My father, actually, wanted me to get a hotel room but yeah, no. I wasn't about to spend the money, especially considering that all I had were running shorts and some deodorant spray. I knew I'd be better off getting home safe in rush hour, rather than waiting it out.

So I didn't run today, but I'm hoping to make up for that tomorrow, especially since I have a very fun, very unhealthy dinner waiting for me after work tomorrow night. This means getting up early, but I can live with that for one day. I was going to just make tomorrow my rest day but now with this snowstorm tonight, plans have changed and it means I go to bed in about an hour so I can get up early and hit the gym by my house.

It's OK. Not perfect, but OK.

Tonight I made turkey burgers with feta cheese, since I didn't make them this morning, and steamed carrots. All you need is a pound of lean ground turkey, about a 1/4 cup of reduced-fat feta cheese, 2 Tbsp. of oregano (for my tastes, the more oregano, the better), and about a 1/2 Tbsp. of garlic salt. Mix it together, form into four (4) patties, toss in your broiler for about 8 minutes a side and you're done.

So good. All of that feta goodness. Yummy.

I've been using my broiler a lot more lately. Anyone have any ideas for what I can do with a salmon filet?

Posted by Erin at 09:27 PM | Comments (5) | filed under: Training

At the end of last week, my Chicago Fitness passbook arrived and let me tell you: I sat for a good hour, pouring over the damn thing, practically salivating at all of my options.

I'm never going to be bored.

Lately I've been as active as I've been in months: I go walking with my dog in the mornings and train at the gym either in the afternoon or at night, or sometimes both. And I'm approaching my trips to the gym with a whole new mindset, not placing any pressure on myself about an upcoming event or a weigh-in or ... anything. Just going to go because I'm going to do something I like doing, as opposed to what will burn the most calories at weigh-in.

As a result, I've stopped the mind fuck I've had going on for a year now and enjoying myself - and pushing myself - more than ever. I'm excited about training again. For maybe a triathlon, certainly for 5Ks this summer. Not any one in particular, just getting myself back into shape and having patience with myself during the process. I'm not in the shape I once was but I'm getting back there, slowly but surely.

It's frustrating at times, and I could kick myself for letting it all happen, but it's OK. Better late than never.

Since I don't have any intentions of quitting my gym routine, I'm looking for ways to incorporate all of these classes into my weekly schedule. So, first up?

Burlesque classes.

One of my passes is good for three classes at this particular studio, and although there are only two classes held per week, I can use my other one for a belly dancing class at the same place. Each week I'm going to use a pass to try something new, or just something old a new place. I'm excited about all of the kickboxing offerings as it's my absolute favorite activity and my gym doesn't offer it.

I'll try my best to report back each week on how it all went. I still plan on running and lifting during the afternoon, and daily walks with the dog, just so I keep myself in gear for races this summer. I don't want to push it, but I view the classes as more of a "fun" activity than anything else.

Any of you taking any fun and exciting classes lately?

Posted by Erin at 09:40 PM | Comments (3) | filed under: Training

This morning during our run, Glin and I were struck by how inappropriately dressed I was for the weather.

Well, I was. I think Glin was having too much fun watching the squirrels.

I mean, I had clothing on - long, spandex pants, long-sleeved cotton shirt, hoodie, scarf, ear warmer, Eucerin ointment, and gloves - but I know that everything we had on is probably a big no-no when it comes to running comfortably outdoors in inclimate weather. We were only out running for 30 minutes but it was clear that if it was just a little colder, I would have been screwed.

But winter running gear is EXPENSIVE. Oh my Lord. At least where I shop, and I know there has to be other options. Anyone out there have any suggestions? I'm also not 100% sure what I should be wearing. I mean, I know enough, of course, but ...

Thoughts?

Posted by Erin at 03:31 PM | Comments (11) | filed under: Training

I like making spreadsheets, mostly because it's never something my career has had a call for. Honestly, how I made it this long in the professional world without having to get waist-deep in Excel is beyond me.

So, I have a handy little spreadsheet I'm using to track my workouts and food choices throughout the week - - it's called "Weekly Workouts" because I'm incredibly original and it's located at the right-hand column of the blog, under The Buddha's Progress. Someone commented that I shouldn't "cut off my nose to spite my face," and I agree with that. As I said, WW taught me a lot. And I like tracking shit. I like having something to look back on to see where and what I did. It has little to do with obsession as much as it does with me liking lists and charts and whatnot.

Anyway, you're welcome to have a gander at it and play along at home if you like, whatever that means. Mostly just if you have questions about how it's going now that I've cut the umbilical cord with the WW mothership, the spreadsheet will probably best answer your questions. :)

Posted by Erin at 12:52 AM | | filed under: Training

Brad, The Personal Trainer Who Looks Like Justin Timberlake has Shelane, Hoppe and me go through several circuits of strength training that we go through twice before moving onto another. He works every muscle in our bodies and, thus far, has been the best trainer I've ever had.

Also the hottest but that's not as important. It just helps.

Brad uses just about every tool possible, from Bosus to benches, from free weights to machines, everything. Last night he brought out what looked like a ladder that my preschool teachers used to hang from the ceiling for us to climb during our gym classes. Brad placed it on the floor and explained that as an element of our second circuit, we'd have to jump in and out of each square, knees up, double time, similar to the exercise you see football players do in tires. Piece of cake, right?

Well, yes, if: 1) You don't perform this task directly after Brad traps two tight resistance bands around your waist, grabs hold of the handles and makes you sprint down the hall WHILE DRAGGING HIS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYING ASS. This was so hard that Hoppe and I got splitting headaches from the blood rush. 2) If I wasn't wearing yoga pants that offered no support to the buddha.

We don't do much in the way of bouncing during our sessions and I'm smart enough to know that anytime I'm doing cardio I need to wear something to keep my boobs and belly from flapping around. It's not sexy, it's not a pretty picture but it's the truth. Because if I don't you have me last night: self-conscious and uncomfortable. The combination of those two things had me doing the exercise at a less effective level though there was a positive:

Fuck if I want to give into my PMS temptations if it means keeping this bely around any longer than necessary. Seriously, nothing is a better deterrent from eating cheese than the feeling of one's stomach flopping in the wind.

NOTHING.

Posted by Erin at 12:10 PM | Comments (4) | filed under: Training

So Shelane and Brad, otherwise known as Our Personal Trainer Who Looks Like Justin Timberlake, were talking tonight about the fact that in his eight years of training, he's never once slept with a client.

"Never ever," I said.

"Nope," he replied. "It's too weird. The whole paying thing would make it too awkward."

It made sense to us, of course, and that's when he said, "Besides, personal training is sort of the extra amenity of dating a trainer."

For some reason, this just struck me as hilarious. It could have been a lack of oxygen to my brain after all of those lunges but who knows. We've all decided that perhaps it's time for me to up my sessions with him and the girls to twice a week.

In other news, after months of hemming and hawing, on Wednesday I finally settled on a new gym - a chain with locations near my house and office. I had my first spinning class there last night and it was ... fine. The instructor went on and on about how "amazing" the Red Hot Chili Peppers are, and I'm here to tell you: the Red Hot Chili Peppers are many things, but amazing is not one of them. Maybe when I was in high school and Flea was still sporting socks on his penis. But not so much now.

Anyway, Shelane and I are going to take kickboxing on Sunday, which is wonderful because I love kickboxing and its been months since I've taken a class. She belongs to the same chain and surprisingly, this go round of getting myself into shape has been helped and not hindered by my friends joining along. I'm surprised by this since this has always been a solo pursuit for me.

It's nice.

Lastly, my iPod died this week. It's beyond repair and I figured it was time. We had a wonderful two years together, but this is the third time I've had something happen and this time it's not an easy fix. I'd rather just get the newer, 30 GB model. It has 10 less GB than my model, but I never managed to use my entire iPod anyway.

Plus? Movies!

Posted by Erin at 08:42 PM | Comments (1) | filed under: Training

I've never worked out in a bonafide private studio before. It was delightful. And still a million times cheaper than what I've paid for trainers in the past.

Seriously. Two months free at the gym, cheap trainer and the Weight Watchers deal. If I don't drop this weight, I have no one to blame but myself.

The session was awesome and I was surprised to find how much I loved working out with my friends. Brad - new trainer - works with all three of us at the same time, hence why it's cheaper. The time went by fast, he's a great trainer and I actually learned some things, which shocked my considering how many trainers I've had for how many years now.

Anyway, it's a great little studio and all of the trainers are these disgustingly hot, disgustingly young guys who are all disgustingly sweet. The fact that my buddha was hanging out for everyone bothered me not. Brad was kind and funny and encouraging. My butt hurts right now, though.

I'm headed to bed - spinning bright and early tomorrow. Boxing Saturday before WW. Slowly but surely, I'm coming back.

Posted by Erin at 10:41 PM | Comments (1) | filed under: Training

I don't do well sans routine, especially when it comes to working out. I can't just willy nilly decide that I'll run today and not know what's slated for tomorrow. But that's been my approach for the last month.

And it's worked out - HA! - OK, but I need to feel as though I have a schedule. There has to be rhyme and reason to what I'm doing. Especially since I'm still currently without a gym home. I need to remedy that, and it needs to be a gym somewhere close, but until I'm more flush with cash, which won't be for another month or so, I'm left to my DVDs and running outside.

I decided to pick up the ol' Couch-to-5K training schedule and make it my own. But then I realized that I'm probably a little more advanced than that and I can run 3.5 miles without blinking, making such a program a little ridiculous. So then I thought maybe what I ought to do is challenge myself with something new.

Enter the 10K training program.

I need to go out and map out the distance in my neighborhood to do it, but that's not a big deal. I've gotten rather fond of running outside in my neighborhood, which has been a surprise. I've never really liked running outside at all. But something is clicking with it, with me, now. Which is good since it doesn't cost me a dime. On one off day I'll do a FIRM tape, and then rest on the other. Probably rest on Friday. I hate working out on Friday's. Friday's are evil days to workout.

My good friend, Nicole, gave me the scoop on a new WW deal launching this week which, hopefully, will extend until the end of the month when I plan to go back to meetings. Well, September 2, to be exact. It looks as though I can buy the WW Monthly Pass and it'll do the job, including getting me my online access back, which expires on the 22nd.

That's about it for now. Have a good weekend.

Posted by Erin at 04:55 PM | Comments (5) | filed under: Training

In the past two weeks, I've been so dedicated to getting into shape, that today I had to sit back and take stock.

Actually, what I needed to do was sit back and let my very tired muscles relax since yesterday I pushed them to such an extreme that walking up and down a flight of stairs today is a challenge. I ache everywhere, most notably my butt and my thighs - Thanks, long-forgotten Firm tapes!

But, as these things often are, it's a nice pain. The pain that comes from hard work and it's been documented here and so many other places, but it's the kind of soreness that, with each movement of my body allows for a certain amount of self-righteousness. Emotionally, it's just as familar. I feel myself finding a certain center again, learning to channel any of my stresses or anxieties into whatever task is at hand. Whether I'm running or lifting, that rush is coming back.

Instead of my intended schedule today - Bikram and kickboxing - I decided to take the day off. This is how I get burned out. I start pushing too hard, too fast, and then I get smoked. Instead, I took a 20-minute walk to the Buddhist temple in my neighborhood and spent the morning meditating - as much as an Irish-Catholic girl from the South Side can meditate without any formal training, that is - and then went to my girlfriend's to do laundry and make lunch. We had grilled salmon, which I marinated in a honey-dijon and jalapeno sauce, baked sweet potatoes and salad. And now I'm home, cleaning and playing ball in the house with the dog.

It's all very content and quiet and peaceful.

I have a secret to tell you, and it's one I haven't revealed over at ejshea.com: I started smoking again. I've been smoking regularly since November. After nine months of not smoking, I picked it up, thinking I could ... well, it doesn't matter. I just did. Within two months of that first smoke, I was smoking a half-pack a day, sometimes more. And I knew it was going to bite me in the ass. I knew I'd start smoking regularly again. Sure enough, I was.

I was reviewing my finances last week, bemoaning how many corners I've had to cut in my lifestyle - damn do I miss my mani/pedi every other week - and realized that with the money I was spending on cigarettes, I could have a mani/pedi EVERY WEEK, not to mention a myriad of other goodies. And that was it. I didn't want to quit again - I love smoking, I do - but I did. This is Day Seven of me not smoking and I'm doing just fine. The cravings have left the building, and I attribute that mostly to me working out, eating well and drinking a lot of water. It's what worked last time.

Though you'll not believe how difficult it was yesterday to be running in my neighborhood, solely to chase off a craving, and run by people smoking outside the restaurants after brunch.

I feel good about what I'm doing and I know that it's best for me. I haven't felt very whole in a long, long time and I'm starting to feel that way again. It takes work and more dedication than I've had in a long time, but it's worth it.

I can feel it already.

Posted by Erin at 06:07 PM | Comments (8) | filed under: Training

Erik and I watched "Fever Pitch" over the weekend and I was reminded of how much I love Marissa Winokur and how I always get the impression that she never takes a role that a skinny chick couldn't just as easily fill. Love her.

In what had to be one of the more disappointing outcomes as of late, it turns out that I ran the Run Hit Wonder in 38:20. Can you beat that? Well, of course you could! It's a shitty run time! I'm trying to figure out what the hell happened, how it was that I ended up being 40 seconds SLOWER than the Chinatown 5K, a race wherein I STOPPED SEVERAL TIMES. Ugh. In all fairness, I suppose, it was a crowded race, a hot night, a ... oh whatever. The time sucked and I'm pissed.

Posted by Erin at 07:39 AM | Comments (5) | filed under: Training

Come join me here!

I still don't have DSL at home so bear with me for a spell. You wouldn't believe this but I am ITCHING to get back. Really.

Posted by Erin at 10:57 PM | Comments (1) | filed under: Training

So yesterday I was emailing with a friend of mine and he asked me about my training for the triathlon. I had to fess up to him that I bailed, that despite the training I did do, there was no way in hell I could take on a triathlon.

There is one in the fall I'm aiming for, I told him. He encouraged me to do it and even offered his assistance, even if that assistance is in the form of nagging at me to keep training, which he promised to do.

"Maybe what I need to do is get into the spirit of things," I said. "Maybe I need to do a 5K."

Posted by Erin at 10:14 AM | Comments (0) | filed under: Random , Training

Ass pain so fierce that when you walk you look as though you have been riding a horse through the desert, bare-back, for three days with no break.

Posted by Erin at 08:02 AM | | filed under: Training

Whew.

So this whole Crunch Time Training ain't no lie. I spoke with my coach yesterday and she emailed me my schedule for the upcoming week. There isn't a single day where I'm not doing something.

I'd best be a machine come the triathlon in July.

This morning's session included four miles at a moderate pace. Which I was able to do with little problems, though I must admit it's been some time since I ran four consecutive miles. There just hasn't been a call for it. At about 2.2 into it, I got pretty lethargic and was ready to find any excuse to quit ...

... until I realized that was just stupid and if I was going to do the triathlon, and pay the money for this coaching, I needed to finish.

So, I did. It took me 45 minutes, but I finished. I did a little upper body work after and did a fair amount of stretching. I think I pulled something, namely my entire right ass cheek. I've continued to stretch all day in the hopes of warding off any problems.

I'm back down to 145 pounds; I'd reached 147 before getting back into the game. While the two pounds aren't a big deal, I can certainly feel a difference in my shape and how my body is feeling, thanks to the weight lifting of the past two weeks.

I'm still not caring too much about food though.

Tomorrow? Swimming. I haven't been in a pool to swim in two years ...

Posted by Erin at 01:44 PM | Comments (0) | filed under: Training