See Diva Run

In January, I averaged an hour of exercise per day. This month, I got a whole 9.4 hours. Most of the credit goes to illness, but work and travel also played a role. I will attempt to get back on track in March.

February

* You exercised 11 times on 9 days, for 9.4 hours, and a total of 41.56 miles.
* You did flexibility 1 times on 1 days, for 0.3 hours.
* You did other (rowing) 2 times on 2 days, for 1 hours.
* You ran 4 times on 4 days, for 3 hours, and a total of 15.13 miles.
* You did strength training 1 times on 1 days, for 0.2 hours.
* You walked 3 times on 3 days, for 4.9 hours, and a total of 15.53 miles.

To try to get back on a healthy diet, regular exercise or adequate sleep!
I was up early Monday and rushing to Arlington to let my son’s dogs out. I had to take Mr Diva’s car because my ignition wouldn’t turn. After work I had to rush to Mr Diva’s office and pick him up so we could rush back to Arlington to let the dogs out. I was up even earlier on Tuesday to see Mr Diva before he left for the airport. Tuesday after work I finally had time to have my car towed to the dealer. Wednesday was the last day of class and I had to finish up my project and turn it in. I got in a 30 minute rowing workout at 9, but then had trouble getting to sleep. Jasmine woke up with a wicked eye infection on Wednesday, but I was so busy at work I couldn’t take her to the vet until Thursday after work. Was home by 7 and could have run on the treadmill but chose to eat dinner instead. This morning work called on the “Diva phone” at 5 something while I was still asleep. Big trouble, save us Diva. It was an epic battle, but the world was once again safe for databases at 9 tonight. I hear the sun will come out tomorrow

I hope your week was better than mine!

You are only as strong as your weakest part! My weakest part is my right hip. Last week we stretched it. This week we will strengthen it. I was excited to see that the subject for this week’s Take it And Run Thursday would be 6 1/2 Minute Strength routines, because I’ve been researching strength exercises, and this is my chance to create a mini-workout that I can do just about anywhere.

The first three exercises are from Hip Training Programs for Endurance Athletes

Side lying hip abduction (3 sets of 10)

While lying on one side, raise the top leg six to eight inches. Often this exercise is performed incorrectly with a substitution pattern created by stronger anterior hip muscles. To correct for any form deviations, lie on the ground with your back against a wall. Now when you raise your leg maintain your heel against the wall. As able, add ankle weights to further develop strength.

I have problems with tightness in my hips that makes this exercise extremely painful if I don’t stop and stretch between sets, but I am making progress

Prone hip extension exercise (3 sets of 10)

Assume a prone position and bend one leg to 90 degrees of flexion. Lift the thigh off of the surface two to four inches, lifting from your hip and avoiding spine extension.

Single leg balance with one arm row (3 sets of 10)

While balancing on one leg, perform a one-arm row using a cable or band on the opposite side. The key to this exercise is to maintain optimal hip-knee-ankle alignment as you perform the row against the resistance provide by either a pulley or exercise band.

Bridge - I do 3 sets of 10, holding for a 2 count. Then I rest for a moment and hold the bridge for 2 minutes.

Plank - 90 - 120 seconds

I didn’t time the overall workout, but it should be close to 6 1/2 minutes unless you go crazy and hold that plank too long!

It wasn’t exactly a bad weekend, but it was a very busy one. The kind where you don’t even have time to sit down and write a short blog post. You may recall that Saturday was Valentines Day, and I swear that I will mail my Valentine cards tomorrow. I get partial credit if they get there this month, right? Oh yes, back to Saturday. Not only was it Valentines Day but it was also the date for the Freakishly Flexible 5K, where the running blogging world paid tribute to our beloved friend Nancy, who is so flexible that she has damaged her hip and brought a premature end to her running career. This has been devastating news, not just for Nancy, but for the many people who have come to love her (in the platonic, blogging-running kind of way). Nancy has been a source of moral support to just about everyone in the running, blogging community, and this was our chance to “share the love”.

I confess, it wasn’t too difficult to get out for a run Saturday afternoon. The sun was out, the sky was blue. I had planned to head over to the trail, which is not flat, but at least more gentle terrain than that in my neighborhood, but I was pressed for time, so I decided to go for a lap around the lake. I grabbed my Garmin and headed out the door. The lake was so beautiful with Mount Rainier in the background, I opted to head down the big hill so I could enjoy the view. I went way too fast, and paid for it for the rest of the run. My course was not very precise, and I ended up running 3.29 miles in 35:48, which depressed me because a 5K shouldn’t take so long, or be so hard.

Later, when I checked out the stats from the Garmin, I got a few surprises.

1. My first mile was in 10:04
2. My average pace for the run was 10:53
3. There were 5 hills with a grade of 10% or more in the first mile
4. There were 16 hills with a grade of 10% or more (max grade 33%)
5. I’ve been doing my faster treadmill runs at 11:20 - 11:30 pace
6. No wonder I was tired!
7. Have I mentioned that it is hilly here?

When I wasn’t thinking about how hard it is to run uphill, I was thinking about Nancy, and how much fun it would be to have her running with me in her cave girl outfit. I’m sorry that we won’t be able to run together in the future, but I appreciate all of the kind thoughts and funny anecdotes she has shared. I wish her all the best in her recovery, and hope that she continues to blog so we can keep up with her and those adorable little boys! Nancy, if you are reading this, best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. I hope you find a satisfactory running substitute!

Speaking of sharing the love. The Runner’s Lounge has extended the deadline for submitting articles for their book project until February 28. All runners are welcome to submit articles. Visit The Runner’s Lounge for more details.

Woohoo, it’s still Thursday on the west coast, and this week the Take it and Run Thursday topic is actually something I can do! This week’s subject is One Great Stretch. I’ve been doing the same stretch all day because my right hip flexor is as tight as it can get thanks to the events of the last week.

I call this stretch the reverse lunge, but if you Google reverse lunge, the pictures will not quite match what I do. Sorry, I don’t have time to lose 20 pounds for a photo shoot, so try to use your imagination

Standing with your feet together, step back with your right foot, bending your left knee, but keeping the right one fairly straight. Press your right heel to the floor and hold your torso upright. Don’t lean forward. You should get a nice stretch through your hip flexors, as well as in your calf and achilles tendon. You can stretch the hip flexor even more by slowly lowering your right knee toward the floor. Straighten your right leg and step forward with your right foot. Repeat the process by stepping back with your left foot.

To get the most out of any lunge stretch, including side lunges, hold your torso upright. If you lean forward, it allows your hip flexors to contract.

Every now and then I surprise everyone with actual meaningful, running related content! On Friday, I’m going to read all the other TiaRT posts and try all of the stretches!