Another Speed and Power Workout

Yesterday after work I repeated my tennis speed and power workout.  It took about 70 minutes and I burned about 300 calories.  Fortunately, it again was not very hot, although it was sunny, so I sweated a lot.  The plyo push-ups were particularly hard, since I'd just done a bunch of push-ups in my boxing classes over the weekend.

This morning I did P90X3 Decelerator, preceded by Cold Start.  This is the second time I've done this workout, and I think it's really a mixed bag.  Some of the stuff is plyo, but some of it is more strength.  I'm not sure it all works together.  I burned about 105 calories.

After the workout, I did a 20-min easy run on the treadmill to burn some extra calories.  At 5.2 mph, the distance came to 1.73 mi.

P90X3 & Easy Run

This morning I did P90X3 Total Synergistics, preceded by Cold Start.  I don't remember this workout being so hard, but it really had me dripping this morning.  I'm still pretty sore from boxing/running this past weekend.  I burned about 95 calories.

After the workout, I did a 20-min easy run on the treadmill.  This week, I'm increasing my easy run speed from 5.1 to 5.2 mph, so that's what I did today.  I was definitely still tired from yesterday's run.  The distance came to 1.73 mi.

Race Pace Intervals

Last night I played in the last match of the season for our 3.5 team.  Unfortunately, my partner, Mary, and I lost.  We won the first set easily at 6-2.  My spin serve is going really well lately, and it really flummoxed them.  Mary had great placement, and we just played really well in general.  In the second set, our opponents started playing more consistently and more aggressively.  They broke Mary's serve once, and we couldn't get a break back, despite having numerous chances, so we lost the second set 6-4.  In the match tie-breaker, we kept it pretty close until 4-4, and then they ran away with it.

Unfortunately, our team only won two courts - we were the deciding court, and we knew it.  It stinks to lose the last match that way, and we really thought we could win it.

This morning I went to my usual Sunday boxing class.  Since it had been about two weeks before yesterday since I'd done boxing, I was already sore from yesterday's boxing.  Today's class was good, and definitely added to my soreness.  I get most sore in my lats from boxing - lots of uppercuts, I guess.

In the afternoon, I did my next run on my training schedule, which was a race pace interval run.  First, I did 5 min at 5.1 mph to warm up.  Then I ran 3 x 1 mi at 6.7 mph, alternating with 3 x 4 min at 5 mph.  The speed of 6.7 mph is a pace just short of 9 min, so I just ran 9 min at 6.7 mph.  The run totaled 44:00 and 4.4 mi.  The race pace intervals were quite difficult, but I feel like I handeled them better than the last time I did this sort of run, which was about a month ago.

After dinner, my husband and I did a short walk around the neighborhood - the weather was beautiful and not too hot.

Boxing & Easy Run

Yesterday was my rest day, so I didn't do anything too active.  I did get a lot of yard work done in the afternoon, because it was NOT really sunny and hot for once!

This morning it was raining, so I had to cancel my practice with my tennis team.  Instead I went to a boxing class.  We had very few breaks in the class and alternated between boxing rounds on the bag and other exercises, which definitely got me a good calorie burn.  I burned 360 - 370 calories, when usually it's closer to 300 cal.

After the class, I hopped on one of their treadmills for a 20-min easy run.  I ran at 5.1 mph, which gave a distance of 1.7 mi.  This felt pretty easy, even after the hard class.

Speed and Plyo Workout

Yesterday after work I did this summer's speed and power workout again.  There was definitely some rain coming, but fortunately I only got sprinkled on for a few minutes.  The workout took about 70 minutes and I burned about 290 calories.  My shoulders were still feeling it from P90X3 The Challenge on Wednesday!

This morning I did my shortened version of P90X2 Recovery + Mobility.  And I just now realized that I forgot to check how many calories I burned!  The horror!  Not as much as I would've liked - I always have trouble taking it easy on rest days.

Evening Practice

Yesterday evening I had a practice with my tennis team.  There were only four of us; we played some singles and then some doubles.  In the singles, I tied my opponent 2-2.  In doubles, my first partner, Lisa, and I won 6-3.  In the second round, my partner, Whitney, and I were ahead 5-2 when we had to stop.  It was such a nice night for tennis - not as hot and humid as it has been lately.

This morning I did P90X3 Triometrics, preceded by Cold Start.  My shoulders and chest are definitely sore from the workout yesterday morning.  I think I figured out why Triometrics seems strangely hard to be compared to P90X2 Plyocide.  In Plyocide, there are more jumping moves, but they are usually only done for 30 seconds.  In Triometrics, there are fewer jumping moves, but they are all preceded by 30 - 40 sec of low-impact versions, which sort of pre-exhausts you for the jumping move.  Anyway, I burned about 135 calories.

Two Easy Runs

Yesterday after work, I did the next run on my training schedule, which was a 40-min easy run.  I did this on the treadmill at 5.1 mph, so the distance totaled 3.4 mi.  These runs really are becoming very easy.  Next week, I'm increasing my easy run speed to 5.2 mph.  We'll see how that goes!

This morning, I did P90X3 The Challenge, preceded by Cold Start.  This time, I did 24 push-ups and 5 pull-ups per move.  I did the push-ups OK and probably could've done a few more - that was a total of 192 push-ups in 30 minutes, which is pretty amazing to me!  I struggled with the pull-ups and didn't get quite 5 for each move.  I only burned about 90 calories, which is kind of depressing considering how sore I can tell I'm going to be.  Also, this workout really did a number on my left forearm/elbow - I'm not sure if it was the push-ups or pull-ups that did it.

After the workout, I did a 20-min easy run on the treadmill at 5.1 mph, giving a distance of 1.7 mi.  I watched some Jeopardy on TiVo while I did this - amazingly, if you fastforward through everything except the actual answer/question times, a full episode only takes about 16 minutes.  What a crock!

TCCP Club Night

Last night was the first summer Club Night at TCCP: round-robin tennis with an improvised mix of players, just for fun.  It was fun, although I didn't play that well.  I played a couple different rounds with my husband, and definitely did better the second time than the first time.  Most of the night I was playing with three guys who were really good, and I just couldn't seem to get into the play because the pace was so fast. 

This morning, I did P90X3 Agility X, preceded by Cold Start.  I did better at this than in the first phase.  I burned about 175 calories.

Third Phase of P90X3

This morning I started the third phase of P90X3.  I did Decelerator, preceded by Cold Start.  This is an unusual workout, since it has strength moves, plus some plyo and agility.  I burned about 105 calories.

Afterward, I got on the treadmill for a 20-min easy run.  I ran at 5.1 mph, so the distance totaled 1.7 mi.  I really want to lose the couple pounds I gained over Memorial Day, and I'm hoping a little extra cardio will help.  It will also help that I have a whole week with no special events with extra food!

Trip to Pensacola

We made a quick trip to Pensacola, Florida, this weekend for a wedding.  We arrived Friday evening.

On Saturday, we went hiking/walking on the Florida National Scenic Trail - the part that went through the Fort Pickens parts of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.  Fort Pickens was interesting, so we spent a few minutes looking through parts of it.  Then we got on the trail.  We hiked about 7 miles in about 2.5 hours.  The trailhead from Fort Pickens starts out as packed dirt.  After about 2 miles, it crosses over to go along the beach, so we were walking in sand.  We weren't really prepared for that - the sand was way too hot to walk barefoot on it, and so I got shoes full of sand.  Also, it was SOOOOO HOT!  Along the beach, there was a very strong wind that kept it bareable, but the "inland" parts were really pretty oppressive.  Even with the heat, it was worth it to get the chance to see the park - it's a very, very narrow island along the Gulf of Mexico.  There are lots of birds.  We saw a couple nesting ospreys, and lots of other birds.  There were supposed to be snowy plover chicks, but we didn't see any of those.

The hike was our big activity for the day, since the wedding was in the evening.  It was on the beach.  Fortunately we had a covered pavilion for shade, and the breeze, and once the Sun started to set, it was pleasant.  Once it got dark, my husband and I walked out the long wooden sidewalk (to get to the beach) in order to see the dark sky.  Lots of stars out - very nice! The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter have been having some very pretty groupings on the last few evenings, which are gorgeous.  The lower latitude made the entirety of Scorpius visible, which I always like.  Also, we happened to turn to look toward the north and fortuitously saw a pass by the International Space Station!  ISS passes take only about 5 minutes, so it was quite the coincidence that we were looking in just the right part of the sky at just the right time! I always enjoy watching it pass through the sky.

Sunday morning I got up early and did a 40-min run on the treadmill in the hotel's fitness center.  I ran at 5.1 mph, so the distance totaled 3.4 mi.  Mostly I just wanted to burn some calories, since I definitely ate too much on the trip.  We flew home after breakfast.

Long Easy Run

Yesterday after work I did the next run on my training schedule, which was an 80-min easy run.  I did this on the treadmill at 5.1 mph, so the distance came to 6.8 mi.  It really was pretty easy - I did not feel nearly as worn out as I expected for running that long.  Hopefully my aerobic capacity is improving!  I watched the movie Jumper while I ran, which was a fun, fluffy SciFi movie.

This morning I did my shortened version of P90X2 Recovery + Mobility.  I burned about 75 calories.

Today we are flying to Pensacola, FL, for a wedding tomorrow.  I'm going to take a short walk this morning to try to burn some calories, since we're going to be sitting in the plane and car the rest of the day today.

Easy Run

Last night I was supposed to have a practice with my tennis team, but it looked like it was going to rain, so I canceled.  It never actually rained, which was very frustrating!

Anyway, I did an easy run on the treadmill instead.  I ran for 40 min at 5.1 mph, which came to 3.4 mi.

This morning I did P90X3 Dynamix, which burned about 50 calories.  Then I did some foam rolling.

Tennis Speed and Power Workout, Again

Yesterday after work I did my tennis speed and power workout, which I did for the first time last week.  I did the same moves; I had thought I might add an extra spider drill in each direction, but I decided that I wouldn't be able to do them at full speed, so I didn't.  That's a tough drill!

It was a pretty hot day for the workout, but not as bad as it could've been - the humidity was going down a bit, and clouds were coming in, so it wasn't sunny.  This time I remembered to look at my calorie burn on my Basis Peak to get the total burn for the workout, and it was about 300 calories!  Not bad!

This morning I did P90X3 Accelerator, preceded by Cold Start.  I'm not sure why this workout is put into the recovery week, since it is a cardio interval workout.  I dogged it a bit on purpose, since I'm supposed to be taking it (somewhat) easy this week.  I burned about 135 calories.

Easy Run

Yesterday after work, I did the next run on my training schedule, which was a 50-min easy run.  I did this on the treadmill at 5.1 mph.  The distance came to 4.25 mi.    The problem with these easy runs is that they do get boring, even when I'm watching TV!

This morning I did P90X3 Isometrix.  A lot of these moves are difficult for me to do with good form, which I suppose is the point.  Sadly, however, I only burned about 45 calories.

Very Hot 3.5 Match!

Last night I had a 3.5 match with my team.  It had been hot and humid for the past few days, and so the indoor tennis courts were extremely hot, humid, and stuffy.  It was exhausting.  I played singles, and unfortunately I lost.  My opponent was 11 minutes late, so I started out ahead 2 games.  However, she had a very good serve that I completely flubbed up the first few games, and throughout the match, she had some excellent angled short shots.  I really needed to hit with more pace to push her back, but I felt like I could hardly hold onto my racquet because of how much I was sweating.  I lost 5-7, 2-6. 

Fortunately, some of my teammates did much better.  We won three courts, so we won the match overall!

This morning I started on my P90X3 recovery week.  Today I did the full routine for P90X3 Dynamix.  I burned about 50 calories, which was kind of depressing.  Well, I suppose that's how it's supposed to be helping me recover.

Speed Intervals

Yesterday I did the first speed interval run on my training schedule.  I did this on the treadmill.  First, I did 5 min at 5.1 mph.  Then I did 12 x 1 min at 6.9 mph, alternating with 12 x 1.5 min at 5 mph.  I finished up with 4 x 30 sec at 7.5 mph, alternating with 4 x 45 sec at 5 mph.  The total time was 40 min, and the distance came to 3.81 mi.  This was a very do-able set of intervals.  The fast intervals were hard, but not horrible.  In fact, I wonder if I really should have done them faster; however, I followed the guidelines for the pace that were in the training plan.  So trust the plan, I guess.

This morning I did my usual Sunday boxing class.  It was good, and I didn't feel as tired as sometimes.  I'm still not sure if it's exacerbating my left forearm/elbow problems.

Saturday Morning Practice

Yesterday was my rest day, so I didn't do any intense activity.  My husband and I went for a short walk around the neighborhood after dinner.

This morning I had a practice with my tennis team.  I played OK; I definitely don't play as well outside!  In the first round, my partner, Bhanu, and I lost 5-4; we had been way down, so that was good!  In the second round, in which I played singles, the score ended up 7-5, 2-2 for me.  In the third round, my partner, Joan, and I won 4-2, which was unexpected, given who we we were playing.  It was a good morning!

Easy Run

Yesterday after work, I did an easy run.  This run wasn't on my training schedule, but I figure it's better to get some extra running in if I can.  I ran for 40 min on the treadmill at 5.1 mph, which came to a distance of 3.4 mi.  These runs really are starting to feel pretty easy, which I suppose is good.

This morning, I did my shortened version of P90X2 Recovery + Mobility.  I burned about 75 calories.

Tennis Speed and Power Workout

Yesterday after work, I did my summer 2015 version of my summer power/plyo workout.  This summer I'm focusing on tennis speed, agility, and upper-body power.  Here are the exercises that I did:

• Spider drill:  I have seen lots of versions of this.  For my version, I sprinted to 5 points on the court, then either sprint side-shuffled or sprint-backpedaled back.  I started from the center of the baseline, and sprinted to the right end of the baseline (1), the right end of the net (2), the center of the net (3), the left end of the net (4), and the left end of the baseline (5).  I did this twice going in the counterclockwise direction, and then twice in the clockwise direction.  (I took a break after each 5-point sprint.)
• Forward bounding: about 20 bounds per side; I repeated this once.
• Sprint: I sprinted the length of the baseline and walked back (then repeated after a break), and then I sprinted the length of the side and walked back (then repeated after a break).
• Big skips: about 20 skips per side; I repeated this once.
• Side-shuffle sprint: I sprint side-shuffled the length of the baseline, and then walked back.  I did this four times in both directions.
• Backpedal sprint: I sprint backpedaled the length of a side and walked back.  I did this four times.
• Overhead throws: I threw an 8-lb medicine ball with both hands over my head at the wall; 8 throws.
• Side throws: I threw an 8-lb medicine ball side-arm at the wall; 8 throws per side.
• Slams: I slammed an 8-lb medicine ball down on the ground with both hands from over my head; 8 throws.
• Squat throws: I held an 8-lb medicine ball in a "set" position at my chest with both hands, squatted, and then threw the ball up as I squat-jumped; 8 throws.
• Plyo push-ups: 8.  I did 5 rounds of all of the upper-body drills (overhead throws through plyo push-ups.)

The spider drills were hard!  The constant forward-and-back and changing direction was physically difficult and mentally challenging.  I felt like I just got going, and it was time to change directions!  I can see why this is a good drill.  Similarly, the other sprinting-type drills seem like they will be useful for tennis.  The upper-body moves were the same ones that I did last year, and I think that they have helped my serve.

Overall, the workout took me about 65 minutes.  I definitely took a lot of breaks to make sure I recovered, since the idea is to be able to go all-out each time.  I am sore today, but not incredibly so.  I burned about 225 calories.  The next time, I may increase the spider drills by one in both directions.

This morning I did P90X+ Kenpo Cardio+.  I was supposed to do P90X3 Triometrics, but I wasn't really in the mood for it, so I went back to one of my favorites.  I burned about 215 calories.

Evening Practice

Yesterday evening I had a practice with my team.  It was a beautiful night - not too warm.  I played pretty well, even though my partner, Becky, and I lost.  We lost the first set 7-5, and then were losing 3-1 in the second set when we had to quit.

This morning I did P90X3 Eccentric Upper, preceded by Cold Start.  I lowered my weights on a couple exercises, because my left forearm/elbow was bothering me.  I burned about 80 calories.

Ebook "Finish Strong"

A couple weeks ago I got the ebook Finish Strong by Jason Fitzgerald.  I got on his email list through the blog fANNEtastic Food. He and the blog author work together on some posts about running and eating that I think are pretty good, so I thought I'd like to try this book, which was on fueling for running: training and racing.  Well, the ebook turned out to be WAY overpriced for what it was: 60 pages of text with so much white space that it could've been on 20 pages.  And a lot of the space was taken up with tables that had things like the timing of three evenly-spaced fuelings for a 2-hr half-marathon.  Really?  I need a table to tell me to do this every 30 min?  Are we really so bad at math?

The other thing I was disappointed about with the ebook is that the quotes by past clients of Jason Fitzgerald's that were used to promote the ebook suggested that it would have some guidance for eating overall and specifically eating to train and lose a bit of weight.  Well, there was some very short and general guidance on eating overall, which basically could be summed up as "eat your carbs", but nothing on weight loss.  I should know better than to believe quotes, but it was annoying.

There were some good parts to the book, such as specific calorie values for eating before a morning run, and exact suggestions on how much to fuel for various race distances.  But overall it was not worth the money.  And it's a big loss for Jason Fitzgerald, because I won't be buying anything from him again unless I have much better reviews and sources that let me know it's worth it.

One thing the book did emphasize was the caffeine has definitely been shown to enhance performance in running.  The book suggested drinking coffee.  I don't care for coffee, so I decided to get some caffeine pills.  I got 100-mg pills, because for my weight the suggested supplementation was about 120 mg.  I usually would be taking them with a soda before a run, so that will add some caffeine.  We'll see if it helps.

Yesterday after work I did the next run on my training schedule, which was a 50-min easy run.  I did this on the treadmill at 5.1 mph, and the distance totaled 4.25 mi.  This run really was pretty easy, even though it lasted awhile, so I suppose that's good.  I'm not sure if it is because my aerobic capacity is improving, or because of my caffeine supplement.

This morning I did P90X3 MMX, preceded by Cold Start.  This definitely got a good sweat going.  I burned about 160 calories.  Afterward, I did my shortened version of P90X3 Dynamix.  I finally remembered to time it today, and it took about 13 minutes.  I don't really have the time or patience to do the whole thing when I'm doing it as an extra routine, but that much time is reasonable.

Grand Tour of DC Monuments

Yesterday was another pleasant day of walking around DC and showing my Mom and her friend the monuments.  It was a beautiful day.  In the morning, we went to Great Falls on the Maryland side.  The falls are always impressive, but we got to watch a couple kayakers actually going down several of the cascades - twice!  Pretty amazing!

After a picnic lunch at Great Falls, we went back downtown to walk around more of the monuments on the National Mall.

First we went by the Washington Monument.  Then we started around the Tidal Basin, hitting the Jefferson Memorial first.  Then we went through the FDR Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr, Memorial.  Then we went back on the Mall and stopped by the Korean War Veterans' Memorial.  Next was the Lincoln Memorial, and then the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial.  Finally, we went to the World War II Memorial.  It was quite a day of walking!  Unfortunately my sunscreen (apparently) was oozing into my eyes a bit and really making them sting for the last part of the afternoon.  I could barely keep them open!

This morning I did P90X3 Eccentric Lower, preceded by Cold Start.  This workout went pretty well today and did not feel as hard as sometimes.  I'm sure I'll be feeling it, though.  I burned about 90 calories.

Walking in DC

Yesterday before lunch, I did a 30-min easy run to burn a few calories.  I ran at 5.1 mph, so the distance came to 2.55 mi.

My Mom and a friend came to visit for the weekend.  We did a short walk around the neighborhood after dinner.

This morning, I had practice with my tennis team.  We had thought it would be rainy, but it turned out to be a beautiful morning.  In the first round, my partner, Bhanu, and I tied our opponents 3-3.  In the second round, I played singles; I lost the first set 7-6 and we tied the second set 2-2.  In the third round, my partner, Anda, and I tied our opponents 3-3.

In the afternoon, my Mom, her friend, and I went to downtown DC.  We walked around the Capitol, went into the Botanic Gardens, and then we went to Arlington Cemetery to see the changing of the guard.

Long Easy Run

Yesterday after work, I did the next run on my training schedule, which was a 70-min easy run.  I did this on the treadmill at 5.1 mph, so the distance totaled 5.95 mi.  It wasn't too hard, which I suppose is the point.  I hope these easy runs are really helping me!

Unfortunately my left forearm/elbow was really bothering me yesterday.  I had lifted some weights in the morning, which probably aggravated it.  Luckily, I won't be doing that again until Monday, so hopefully it will rest up a bit.

This morning I did my shortened version of P90X2 Recovery + Mobility.  I burned about 80 calories.  You know, right there is the reason that the Basis Peak can't be measuring calorie burn very accurately.  This calorie burn is about the same as I got yesterday doing P90X3 Incinerator (plus Cold Start), which involved push-ups, pull-ups, some weight lifting, etc.  And yet I didn't burn more significantly more calories?  I just think that when steps are not involved, it is not as accurate.  It's a bit frustrating.

Evening Boxing

Yesterday evening I went to a boxing class. I don't usually do that on weeknights, because it's across the metro area from where I work, but I feel like I've been missing a lot of Sunday classes with travel.  The class I went to was not taught by my favorite instructor:  I feel like he's phoning it in, and he usually does almost exactly the same thing every time.  However, since I hadn't been to one of his classes in awhile, it was OK and I got a good calorie burn.  I'm starting to wonder if my left elbow/forearm problems are from boxing, though.  It's hard to tell.

This morning I did P90X3 Incinerator, preceded by Cold Start.  This is a good workout, but it aggravated my left forearm more.  Gripping with my left hand is not so fun these days.  Very ironic, considering that I play tennis right-handed!  I burned about 85 calories.

3.5 Match Win!

Last night I played in a 3.5 match with my team.  We won four of the five courts!  My partner, Joan, and I won 6-4, 7-6.  We were pretty even in the first set until 3-3, and then we pulled ahead 5-3, finally winning 6-4.  I was playing quite well at the net, getting a lot of volleys and overheads, while Joan made sure to keep the point going for us - she got a lot of tough shots back.  One of our opponents started playing more aggressively in the second set, which did get them ahead of us, but then we came back to force a set tie-breaker.  We won the set tie-breaker 7-5 with just a couple minutes to spare in the match.  It was a good night for the team!

This morning I did P90X3 Triometrics, preceded by Cold Start.  I don't know why this workout always seems so hard for me, because it certainly doesn't seem like it should be harder than P90X2 Plyocide!  I was definitely quite sore today from Eccentric Upper yesterday.  I burned about 150 calories.

Monday Night Doubles

Last night was my last Monday night tennis doubles at TCCP for the season.  I played OK.  I actually thought my play was pretty good, but I played against really good opponents all night, so I didn't win.  In the first round, my partner, Anda, and I lost 6-4.  In the second round, my partner, Michelyn, and I lost 3-1.  In the last round, my partner, Whitney, and I lost 3-1.  It was fun tennis, though.

This morning I did P90X3 Eccentric Upper, preceded by Cold Start.  I didn't change my reps or weights from last time, since it's been about two weeks since I last did the workout.  I burned about 80 calories.  Afterward, I did a shortened version of P90X3 Dynamix to try to help with my mobility.

I have been having forearm pain lately in my left forearm.  It seems to be mostly related to gripping.  It really bothered me when playing golf at Hilton Head, but unfortunately the worst is with weight lifting.  I'm not sure if my grip strength is just too low, or if there are other issues.  I've been trying to stretch my forearm more, and I am going to try some myofascial release with a golf ball.  It's annoying, because I feel it in a lot of things.

Easy Run

Yesterday afternoon I did the next run on my training schedule, which was an easy run for 40 min.  Since it was quite hot and humid outside, I did the run on the treadmill.  I ran 3.4 mi at a speed of 5.1 mph. 

This morning I did P90X3 MMX, preceded by Cold Start.  This is a fun workout, although I had an annoying headache.  I burned about 160 calories.