Pinterest Fanatic!

So I thought I would write my first official Blog post, ever! I am usually not a big blogger and I often tease my husband for doing these types of things, but I think Heather and Jackie came up with a really good idea! I'm excited to see how our training goes for the next few months and to keep up with my friends during the process. I hope whoever follows this finds it just as entertaining and maybe even a little motivating!

Now to get to the REAL point of this post....  After taking some time off from the gym during the holidays, I needed some good workouts to get me back on my feet and ready to start training for this half marathon. First things first, you all should know I am OBSESSED with Pinterest!! It may be unhealthy and I may need a 12 step program. I will Pin anything and everything from crafts, home decor, home remodeling, cooking, baking, home tips, photography ideas, fashion, and obviously anything to do with exercise.

I think the biggest obstacle I am going to have to overcome with this upcoming race is learning how to run in the cold. I am probably the coldest person you will ever meet. If it is 90 degrees, I will find a way to be cold. I even have a hard time running when it's 50 degrees! I feel like I can't breathe and my lungs freeze up. It's a terrible feeling and I am open to any suggestions anyone may have. Since the 1/2 Marathon is in April, the 12 week training officially begins February 4th, so this is something I need to learn fast!

So in the mean time, I have found some different Treadmill workouts to do via Pinterest. When I started running a few years ago, I used to love the treadmill because it was a great way to learn how to pace myself, but now, I hate it. I feel like a hamster on a wheel. Even with the best playlist and something entertaining on TV, I still get bored after 15 minutes.

Here are a few Treadmill workouts I have found to improve my endurance, while still keeping me entertained long enough to at least stay on the treadmill for 30 minutes or longer. These are based upon interval training, which is actually very good for your endurance and cardiovascular system.

1. Warm-up 5 minutes on 2.0-3.0 mph:
          Now for the workout:
                   - 1 minute at 5.0mph
                   - 1 minute at 5.5mph
                   - 1 minute at 6.0mph
                   - 1 minute at 6.5mph
                   - 1 minute at 7.0mph
                   - 1 minute at 7.5mph
                 - 2-3 minutes at 3.5-4mph
Repeat the whole thing 3-5 times depending on how long of a work out you want.

2. This website has a ton of different interval workouts on the treadmill. I have done the 500 calorie workout and the Pyramid Interval workout. 
http://www.fitsugar.com/Treadmill-Workouts-Beginner-Advanced-18625724

Between running days, Heather had suggested making strength training a priority when training for a long race like a 1/2 marathon or a marathon. She did a 1/2 marathon back in November and if anyone is familiar with the Hal Higdon training programs, he has you only running up to 10 miles. This FREAKED me out! I was thinking, wow you still have a WHOLE 5k to run on the day of the 1/2 marathon Mr. Higdon! Heather kindly reminded me that after 12 weeks of training, I will be running 5k's multiple times a week and it will be a piece of cake by then, or so we hope! She also felt that besides the excitement of the race, her strength really helped her in the last 3.2 miles to make it to the finish. So I decided to look through Pinterest and my exercise board for some good ideas. I am a big fan of circuits. I usually try and do 5-6 exercises with little to no rest breaks and then take a rest and water break before I repeat it 2 more times. This is a great way to get a little extra cardio in to burn a few extra calories and not waste your valuable time. All the meatheads at the gym drive me nuts when they knock out 10-20 reps of an enormous chest weight that is stressing their joints to the max and then proceed to check themselves out in the mirror for the next 5+ minutes for their rest break. (Yes, that's the PT in me talking, sorry.) Next thing you know, it's been 20 minutes and they have only done one exercise! Anyways, I will get off my soap box and post a few circuits I have found that I really like. These circuits are dedicated to one body part, which is a good way to increase muscle strength. I tend to put a combo of arm, leg, and ab exercises into my circuits and I get a good full body work out, but I don't dedicate enough time to one area to really build my strength.

Ab Workouts:
1. Planks:
    http://pumpsandiron.com/2012/05/23/plank-workout/
2. Itty Bitty Tummy:
    http://thehautebunny.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/itty-bitty-tummy-workout/
3. The Core Challenge:
    http://tribesports.com/blog/weekly-challenge-core-workout

Legs/Butt Workout:
http://thehautebunny.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/brazilian-butt-workout/
     - I will say this is a KILLER. My legs and butt were sore for a good 3 days!

I have been doing an ab circuit, rest break, leg circuit, rest break, and repeating 2-3 times depending on my time contraints and how long I spend doing cardio. I haven't found an arm circuit I want to stick with yet, but don't worry I am adding that in as well and when I find one or a few I really like I'll post it for you all to see! I do like to take the Body Pump class at the gym and I have integrated some exercises and principles from the class into my workouts. Body Pump is a class that is more geared towards toning vs. building muscle. However, I think I am ok with that, because I spent a lot of my younger years being bulkier from competitive gymnastics. To this day, I still can't get rid of some bulkier areas of my body and I am certainly not getting any younger, so toning works for me!

I think that's it for my first post! It definitely turned out to be longer than I expected! I hope you all enjoy it!