Training Diary #1

Today I'm going to recap my training from the past week - Crossfit and half marathon training. I think it'll be great to refer back to, week to week, and also help me stay accountable as my mileage increases! 

Monday - Crossfit 7-8p

• This week we started barbell/lifting movements which I was super excited for! I've been lifting on and off since the summer but everything I've learned has been via youtube or bodybuilding.com. It's so nice to have someone watching my form and correcting my mistakes.
• Movements learned: strict press, push press, push jerk

Tuesday- 3 mile run

• I did about 3 miles at the gym on the treadmill but I'd much rather run in the cold at this point. I hate the treadmill! For some reason I run a little slower and just get bored more easily running in one place (go figure, right?). I also practiced some barbell stuff from yesterday. I need to start doing pull-ups and push up practice, as well!

Wednesday - Crossfit 7-8p

• I can't remember what we learned at this point (need to write these entries as I go next time). I do know that I'm loving barbell work and that I'm not a big fan of bodyweight exercises like burpees...which means I need to do more of them to get better at it. 

Thursday - Crossfit 7-8p

• In addition to the movements of the day (which I can't remember...) we also redid one of the first WODs we completed in the first week.  I was so excited that I took a whole minute off my time in just two weeks. I think the big helper was learning to row more efficiently (faster is not always farther)! My pushups are still pretty bad (more like belly flops) and ring rows are tough, too. It's pretty clear that my lower body is ten times stronger than my upper body and abs! 

Friday - Light Gym Day

I spent most of the day studying for my exam on Monday which wasn't too great for my back so we went to the gym in the evening for a short treadmill workout and some strength - just another review of the moves I learned that week. Nothing too exciting!

Saturday - 6 miles

It was time for my long run on Saturday afternoon between study sessions. The weather was pretty nice - sunny and in the low 40s but a bit windy. For long runs, I like to mix things up and run at different locations. The last thing I need is to be visualizing how far I am in a run. Instead I just try to enjoy my surroundings while listening to good music or a podcast!  

I swear, I thought my Garmin was incorrect - there's no way I averaged 10:16/mile!!! What??? I rechecked with MapMyRun and it seems legit. Is it too early to thank Crossfit for getting faster? I'm sure that's part of it!

Sunday - Crosstraining - 2 miles + 20 min elliptical

I intended to run 4 miles outside today per my training program but my knees were just not feeling it after 6 miles the day before. The weather was cold and snowy so I chickened out a decided to cross train instead. Definitely can't do that anymore, even when the weather isn't cooperating!

Overall I think the week was successful. One thing that is desperately lacking in my schedule is more time for stretching and mobility work. For the upcoming week, I really want to focus on daily stretching and lots of breaks during studying - I sit entirely too much and my back is paying for it. I also want to make sure I get all my training runs in this week - no excuses!

I'm kind of nervous to start "real" Crossfit classes in a week. Right now we have a lot of downtime during the hour where we are just learning the movements or watching demos, etc. When I compare what we do to what the regular class is doing, it's really daunting! They typically do a strength component followed by a WOD and some mobility and stretching so it's movement non-stop! When I talk to some of my fellow beginners, we're just like "how are we going to do THAT?" One day we will though and it'll be fun to look back to see progress.

How was your week? 

How do you get more stretching into your day?