weekly workout reflection

Weekly Workout Reflection for Sunday, January 22nd to Saturday, January 28th

My goals for this past week were:

• Increase my back squat weight by 5 pounds on Monday (75 pounds), Wednesday (80 pounds), and Friday (85 pounds). This is a big goal for me; the key to accomplishing this goal is to be mentally tough.
• Increase my intensity in strength training workouts by quickly moving from one exercise to the next; longer rest periods will be taken in between “circuits,” not in between exercises within circuits. To ensure quickly moving from one exercise to the next, I will need to plan my circuits before I begin them.
• I am planning to combine my short, continuous run with hills this week. Last week, I incorporated 4, .25 mile hills into my run. This week, my goal is to incorporate 5, .25 mile hills into my run, and to follow this routine for hills: 3% incline, 4% incline, 5% incline, 5% incline, 6% incline.

On Sunday, which was my first workout day of this past week,  I accomplished one of my goals: I am planning to combine my short, continuous run with hills this week. Last week, I incorporated 4, .25 mile hills into my run. This week, my goal is to incorporate 5, .25 mile hills into my run, and to follow this routine for hills: 3% incline, 4% incline, 5% incline, 5% incline, 6% incline. It felt awesome to meet one of my workout goals right-off-the-bat on Sunday and begin the week on a positive note, but it was tough. My legs–not necessarily my lungs–were feelin’ the burn on the incline intervals. As I approached my fifth and final incline interval, I battled with myself about sticking to my goal. “I could do 5% incline for half of the interval, and then finish with 5.5% incline, or I could do 5.5% incline for half of the interval, and then finish with my goal incline of 6%.” But, my cross country training encouraged me to stick to my goal and push through the fifth incline interval at 6%. At cross country practice, I always found the strength to push through the pain and finish strong; just because I was running on the treadmill and not at practice did not mean my work ethic should slack. One of my favorite blog authors, Kristin of Iowa Girl Eats, has said, “Pain is temporary. Accomplishment is forever!” She is right; the incline intervals were painful, but at the end of my workout, although I felt wiped-out, my pain was gone, and only feelings of accomplishment remained.

(Source)

(Source)

In addition to Sunday’s run, Tuesday’s Long Run and Thursday’s Short, Continuous Run (+ Speed) also evoked feelings of accomplishment when completed. Before pressing “Quick Start” on the treadmill to begin my Long Run, I asked myself for 3.5 miles; I wanted to run this distance because I increased the distance of my Short, Continuous Run to 3 miles, and my Long Run should be longer that my Short, Continuous Run. I completed 3.5 miles, plus almost an additional mile: 4.40 miles. For the first half of my Long Run, I could not fall into a rhythm, physically or mentally. When I reached ~2.40 miles, I spontaneously decided to set the treadmill speed to 7.0–no more frequently changing speeds–, and I changed my goal of completing 3.5 miles to completing more than 3.5 miles. My goal distance was not determined; I simply wanted to continue running. I kept my focus straight ahead, and although the second half of my run was challenging, I was finally in a physical and mental rhythm. At the completion of my run, I was spent, but I was also ecstatic about my accomplishment.

I partially met my first goal of this past week, which was to: Increase my back squat weight by 5 pounds on Monday (75 pounds), Wednesday (80 pounds), and Friday (85 pounds). I only increased my back squat weight to 75 pounds, and I lifted with this weight on all Strength Days. I am not too disappointed to not have met his goal, for I know my body (and mind) can handle 75 pounds, and next week, I will be ready to tackle 80 pounds.

I believe I met my second goal of this past week, which was to: Increase my intensity in strength training workouts by quickly moving from one exercise to the next; longer rest periods will be taken in between “circuits,” not in between exercises within circuits. To ensure quickly moving from one exercise to the next, I will need to plan my circuits before I begin them. Because there are so many student-athletes participating in the strength training sessions at my school, waiting at points throughout a strength training workout is inevitable. However, I made a conscious effort on both Wednesday and Friday (and Monday, when I completed a partial strength training workout at the gym) to increase my intensity throughout my workout; I put my full effort into completing each and every exercise.

My goal for the coming week:

• Run outside! I have been completing my running workouts on the treadmill because of the cold weather and icy conditions–I do not want to risk an injury! However, I am becoming too comfortable with running on the treadmill, and it is time for me to run outside again.

Check out my Workout Log for details on all of this past week’s workouts!

p.e. independent study + my first weekly workout reflection

For my P.E. credit this year, I chose to independently study the course instead of take a traditional gym class. With approval and guidance from a certified teacher, but with limited instruction, a student at my high school has the opportunity to embark on a personal investigation of the subject of his or her choice: an independent study. The independent study route is generally chosen when a required credit does not fit into a student’s schedule or when a required credit does not appeal to a student’s interests. My reason for choosing to independently study P.E. was the latter. I do not enjoy gym class because games that are often played,  like “Pickle Ball” and “Ultimate,” do not appeal to me. Plus, I never work up a sweat. I would much rather spend eighty-four minutes of my day working out in a more beneficial and more enjoyable to me way, such as through running and strength training.

My P.E. independent study, which is a nine week course, is broken into two phases. Phase 1, the Workout Phase (the physical part of “P.E.”), will take place during the first four weeks of the course. During these four weeks, my advisor has allowed me to count my already existing after-school weight training and cardiovascular workouts as my P.E. class. How will my advisor monitor my physical activity? With my Workout Log! I will also write a Weekly Workout Reflection blog post, published on Saturdays or Sundays, to reflect on the prior week’s workouts and to state my workout goals for the upcoming week. Additionally, because my P.E. “class” takes place after school, I have a free period in my schedule. Having this free period during the school day has helped make my transition from First Semester to Second Semester smooth. It has allowed me to become accustomed to my new classes and daily schedule, as I have time in the school day to work on homework, study, and accomplish other tasks, such as writing thank-you notes and filling out scholarship applications. I really enjoy my free period!

I am still in the “off-season,” or the part of the year where I am not participating in a sport. Right now, I am in the off-season between cross country and track (I am preparing for the spring track season.). It is my responsibility to administer my own workouts or attend offered workouts in preparation for the now quickly approaching season. My workout schedule combines cardiovascular (running) training and strength training. I create my own running workouts, but strength training workouts are offered at my high school. Within a week, I complete three running workouts and three strength training workouts (additional cardio may be tossed in occasionally). My running days focus on these four workouts:

1. Long run: 3-4 miles at a comfortable, “conversation” pace
2. Short, continuous run: 2-3 miles at a comfortably hard pace (faster pace than the long run pace); may be combined with hills if using the treadmill
3. Hills
4. Speed work

Phase 2, the Project Phase (the education part of “P.E.), will take place during the final four weeks of the course. Track practice starts at the beginning of this phase, and instead of completing two workouts each day, my advisor has graciously permitted me to center this period of my independent study course around fitness and health related projects. My free period during these four weeks will be used to work on these projects. Like always, I will still record my physical activity in my Workout Log, but I have yet to decide if I will continue with Phase 1′s Weekly Workout Reflection blog posts.

Weekly Workout Reflection for Sunday, January 15th to Saturday, January 21st

My goals for this past week were:

• Complete my long run outside
• Dedicate one running workout entirely to speed work
• Combine my short, continuous run with hills

This week, I met Goal #2 (Tuesday) and Goal #3 (Sunday). Goal #1 (Thursday) was not met because it is too dang cold to run outside! My favorite workouts of the week were Tuesday’s Speed Work workout and Thursday’s Long Run workout. For Tuesday’s workout, I embraced the unfamiliar challenges and enjoyed the change of pace from my regular running training. On Thursday, I was not really in the mood for a workout, let alone a long run on a treadmill, so completing my scheduled long run tested my mental toughness. Although this workout was challenging, at the end of my run I was flooded with the feeling of accomplishment, which is a great feeling.

(Source)

My goals for the coming week, Sunday, January 22nd to Saturday, January 28th:

• Increase my back squat weight by 5 pounds on Monday (75 pounds), Wednesday (80 pounds), and Friday (85 pounds). This is a big goal for me; the key to accomplishing this goal is to be mentally tough.
• Increase my intensity in strength training workouts by quickly moving from one exercise to the next; longer rest periods will be taken in between “circuits,” not in between exercises within circuits. To ensure quickly moving from one exercise to the next, I will need to plan my circuits before I begin them.
• I am planning to combine my short, continuous run with hills this week. Last week, I incorporated 4, .25 mile hills into my run. This week, my goal is to incorporate 5, .25 mile hills into my run, and to follow this routine for hills: 3% incline, 4% incline, 5% incline, 5% incline, 6% incline.

This Weekly Workout Reflection may be short, but I spent time throughout the week reflecting on almost each day’s workout in my Workout Log. Have a great weekend!

butternut squash muffins

From breakfast to lunch and mid-afternoon snack to dinner, I try to make balanced, nutrient-rich food choices. I typically have dessert daily; it is my day’s indulgence. However, my day’s indulgence is not always a slice of German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Icing, a bowl of Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, or chocolate chip cookies. I try to keep my day’s indulgence reasonable and preferably wholesome; most importantly, I try to be conscious of what I am truly craving and make what I call conscious indulgences. In order to not have dessert become a habit, but a reward and a little celebration, I need to listen to my body. And, more often than not, at the day’s end, chocolate-y ice cream or cookies is not what I crave, but something doughy and bread like…muffins!

Butternut Squash Muffins recipe slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction

What I love about having a muffin or slice of quick bread for dessert is that is satisfies my craving for something sweet, but I also receive nutritional benefits, like whole grains, fiber, healthy fats, and sometimes fruit or vegetables, because I always strive to bake with wholesome on my mind. Butternut squash is very similar to pumpkin; like pumpkin, the butternut squash provides moisture, works magnificently with whole wheat pastry flour, and pairs deliciously with warm, deep cinnamon. When I make these muffins again (and trust me, I most certainly will, as between my dad and myself, we have polished off 7 of the 15 muffins…in less than 24 hours!), I will use more butternut squash. The flavor of these muffins is spectacular, but I would like the butternut squash to be more prominent, as it is very subtle; I would not guess the muffins contained butternut squash!

• 1 cup butternut squash purée (To make your own using a whole butternut squash, follow these instructions. I did not make my own purée because I had a can of butternut squash in the pantry. To mimic the butternut squash purée from the linked recipe, I mixed 3 Tablespoons of melted (salted) butter, 2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon into one cup of canned butternut squash.)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse grain salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. Whisk butternut squash, canola oil, water, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth.
3. Gently fold in dry ingredients until batter forms and no flour clumps remain.
4. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full with batter, and bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean.
5. Allow the muffins to cool in muffin tins for approximately 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
6. Yields: Approximately 15 standard-sized muffins.

Enjoy!

pumpkin muffins with cinnamon-sugar topping

This morning, I ended 2011 on a challenging, thigh-burning, but fun note; I met up with a few of my cross country teammates, one of my cross country coaches, and two other friends for a beach workout. The bulk of the workout was sand hills. Although the workout was tough, I reveled in the (beautiful) change of scenery from the gym and the streets of my little town (where I now complete my longer runs), as well as the change of workout: I love to work my body in unfamiliar ways. Enjoying the beach scenery and sublime weather, moving my body, and being with friends was not only a great way to start the day, but a wonderful way to celebrate 2011.

Now a senior in high school, it is strange to think that earlier in the year, I was still a junior. Instead of measuring one year from January to December, I tend to look at one year as August to May, as I begin a new chapter of my life–a new school year–every August and end a chapter every May. Nevertheless, I have learned and experienced a lot in 2011, and I am so excited to welcome 2012!

My last baking endeavor of 2010 was blueberry pie, which, as it was the first time I made pie, was an intense, time-consuming undertaking. 2011′s last baking project was not nearly as involved, but it was certainly quite delicious: these pumpkin muffins are moist, dense, dunked in melted butter, and spun in cinnamon-sugar, which adds sweetness and a pleasing little crunch.

Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

• 1 1/2 cups, approximately 12 ounces, pumpkin purée (I do not think using an entire 15-ounce can of pumpkin purée would hurt the recipe.)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• Cinnamon-sugar (I made a mixture of 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons white sugar & 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin tins with muffin liners or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, using a whisk, combine pumpkin purée, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
3. Gently mix in dry ingredients.
4. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full with batter, and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until an inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay, as this insures the muffins are moist).
5. Allow the muffins to cool in muffin tins for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool for an additional 10-15 minutes.
6. Once the muffins are almost completely cool, but still slightly warm, dunk the tops in melted butter and spin in cinnamon-sugar.

Have a celebratory New Year’s Eve and a happy start to 2012!