Workout Frenzy!

Two exciting things happened last weekend: My soldier found out he has his first post-deployment PT test scheduled for the first weekend in April, and I found out about the Freakin' Eurekan 15K Trail Race...which I decided to sign up for with my friend Christie! It's February 11th, which is exactly one month from today...so I have some work to do!

The better half and I decided we needed to start working out together, and we started this week. Monday we kicked off the P90X dvd program. If you've read some of my blogs in the past, you may know that I am a fan of the Insanity program. I have never tried P90X until now...and I am definitely feeling it (it's kicking my butt...). I have always been skeptical (and still am...) of trying out P90X...mainly because every female I see in the videos or on advertisements looks pretty manly. haha...so I already told Walter that if I started to look/feel bulky, I'm probably going to quit on him. But for now, I am going to stay positive and give it a shot...use lighter weights and see where I end up. The good thing is, P90X is going to be really good for him to build up his strength and get ready for his PT test...and if we stick with it from here, we will finish up the 13 weeks JUST in time for his PT test :)  We took "before" pictures today...I thought about posting them on here, but then I figured I'd really rather not...haha. But if I am able to stick through the full 90 days, I will take an "after" picture and post them both at that point. I don't mind a little humiliation, so long as I am able to prove improvement...haha ;)

So far this week, we have been waking up early every morning to do P90X. I am going to do my best to stick to that schedule...I am a firm believer that morning workouts are the best. It reduces laziness and sleeping in by giving you a good reason to get out of bed, keeps your metabolism higher so you burn more calories and makes you feel more energized throughout the day, and makes you get tired at night when you're supposed to be tired so that you can get a good night's sleep and be fully rested for the next day. Consistency, both with working out and sleep schedules, is key to a healthy lifestyle.

Now onto #2: the 15K (9.3 miles)! I officially signed up today and spent the $35, so now I HAVE to do it...which will help motivate me to train properly! :) The last major run I did was a half marathon (13.1 miles) in mid-November. I was able to run the entire thing...which I was really proud of, and it was something I have wanted to cross off my bucket list for a long time now! However, I did not train as much as I should have for it, and it took a lot out of me. I was really sore for a few days after, and the last thing I wanted to do was run. Then came the holidays...and I turned into a big, fat slacker. I had hardly ran at all until a week or two ago. Fortunately, running comes back to me fairly quickly, and I have been able to get in two 3-mile runs this week. I am going to take a break tomorrow and do 4 on Friday and see how I do :) I looked online to try to find a good training schedule for a 15K, but I didn't have much luck...most of them were 8-12 weeks. Counting this week, I have just under 5 weeks until race day. So I made my own little training schedule:

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
1	3 mile E	2 mile P	3 mile P	REST	4 mile E	2 mile H	REST	14 miles
2	3 mile P	2 mile F	4 mile P	REST	3 mile E	2 mile H	REST	14 miles
3	4 mile E	3 mile F	5 mile P	REST	3 mile P	3 mile H	REST	18 miles
4	4 mile P	3 mile F	6 mile P	REST	3 mile P	8 mile P	REST	24 miles
5	4 mile P	3 mile H	5 mile P	REST	REST	15K!	REST	21.3 miles

E = easy; P = race pace; H = hills; F = fast

I started this on Monday, and I already skipped Tuesday...it was raining. haha. But I am going to try really hard to stick with this for the next few weeks. On days that it is rainy or too cold, I need to get the discipline to go to the gym and run on the treadmill...I just really hate treadmills. But I need to do it! haha. My goal is to run at a 9:30 per mile pace, so on days designated with "P", I plan to run at that pace. "E" days will be a little slower than race pace (9:45-10min pace), and "F" days will be faster than race pace (8:45-9min pace). This may improve over time and with more running, but for right now, that is my goal :) The days designated with "H", I plan on doing runs on campus - in case you haven't been to the University of Arkansas campus, it's really hilly. I have never personally seen the Freakin' Eurekan race trail, but I have heard it is rough. And Eureka Springs is a very beautiful, and very hilly area...so I can only imagine. So I figure it wise to at least incorporate some shorter, but super hilly runs into my training schedule. 

Here are some pictures I found that give me a glimpse into the Freakin' Eurekan Trail:

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It's going to be crazy, but I am super excited! I hope I can complete the whole thing and actually run the entire 9.3 miles :)

So there you have it...P90X in the mornings, running in the afternoons. I am going to be one busy (and sore) girl for the next several weeks. It'll be a good thing though...the wedding and honeymoon is approaching, and we are down to just over 4 months. I better look good, dangit! ;)