MONDAY - Power 45 class
TUESDAY - 15 minutes of lower body strength work, yoga class
WEDNESDAY - Zumba class, 3.5 miles of speedwork (10-minute warm-up, 8 intervals at 1:30-1:00 tempo/recovery ratio. Tempos done at 7.8-8.0 MPH, recoveries done at 3.5 MPH recovery. Cooldown 0.5 mile)
THURSDAY - 45-minute circuit training session, 10 minutes of lifting
FRIDAY - Yoga class
SATURDAY - Run 4.1 miles on the treadmill
SUNDAY - 35 minutes on the stationary bike, strength work on shoulders and back
- After so many weeks focused solely on running, yoga, Zumba, and weight-lifting, it felt good to mix up the routine with the Power 45 class and the circuit training.
- My current workhorse running shoes (Saucony Ride 7) are 40 miles away from retirement. I got new running shoes last week - the Saucony Ride 8 - and now I don't feel like wearing my old shoes anymore.
- Speedwork on Wednesday went well. Normally I do my recovery intervals at a slow run, but this day I elected to walk. It made a WORLD of difference - I felt a million times stronger. I talked to one of the fitness instructors about recovery interval strategy. He said the magic of speedwork occurs during the tempo intervals rather than the recovery, so there was nothing wrong with walking during recovery. I will definitely continue this practice going forward. It will keep me much more motivated to do speedwork on a regular basis!
- Today I am going to try a HIIT Core class for the first time. I've heard this class is very challenging so please wish me luck. Afterwards, I very well may end up looking like this:
Here are some other nonworkout highlights from the week:
Go Cubs go... Go Cubs go... Hey Chicago, whadya say...
Last Tuesday, my team and I had the company's Wrigley Field suite tickets to watch the Cubs versus the Padres. I enjoyed the atmosphere very much. Cubs games are pretty much just one big party, no matter what. But since both the Cubs and the White Sox are playing so well right now, there's quite the increasingly palpable baseball buzz around the city!
Graduating and birthdaying!
On Saturday afternoon, Adam and I went to a graduation/birthday party for our friend, Jocelyn, hosted by our friend Rose. Congratulations and happy birthday, Jocelyn!!! It was a blast catching up with old and new friends, and there was enough food to feed an army.
That's the Chicago way!
Saturday night, Adam and I went to see Chicago the Musical. It's very appropriate to see Chicago the Musical at a theater in Chicago, yes?
The show was entertaining and of course I left humming the melody to "All That Jazz." I got a kick out of all the local city references thrown in to the plot. I've never seen the movie, but Adam has and said the musical was a different interpretation. He thought Richard Gere played the role of Billy Flynn more dramatically than John O'Hurley. And for all you Seinfeld fans out there, Adam said he could still see the J. Peterman character in John O'Hurley. =D
Progressive Partying
Last night, our condo building's social committee organized a progressive dinner. A total of six units participated, and Adam and I hosted the salad course.
I had never heard of the progressive dinner concept until just a few weeks ago - but now I really wish I had known about it earlier. I had so much fun getting to know so many of our neighbors! Here are a few snapshots from the night:
The event format reminded me of living in the residence halls in college when we would go from room to room to hang out. It was a blast seeing everyone's beautiful homes and trying everyone's delicious culinary creations. The group was essentially a giant traveling party! It was an awesome way to close out the weekend.
How was your week/weekend?
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| Clockwise starting from upper right: My awesome team and me in front of the Wrigley marquis; me from our seats (sorry for the bad picture quality); our view of the game; and the dessert cart |
On Saturday afternoon, Adam and I went to a graduation/birthday party for our friend, Jocelyn, hosted by our friend Rose. Congratulations and happy birthday, Jocelyn!!! It was a blast catching up with old and new friends, and there was enough food to feed an army.
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| Top: The crowd singing Happy Birthday to Jocelyn Middle right: Adam, me, and Jocelyn Bottom right: Cheryl and me Bottom left: Me with Jocelyn and Annie |
Saturday night, Adam and I went to see Chicago the Musical. It's very appropriate to see Chicago the Musical at a theater in Chicago, yes?
Progressive Partying
Last night, our condo building's social committee organized a progressive dinner. A total of six units participated, and Adam and I hosted the salad course.
I had never heard of the progressive dinner concept until just a few weeks ago - but now I really wish I had known about it earlier. I had so much fun getting to know so many of our neighbors! Here are a few snapshots from the night:
How was your week/weekend?
Sounds like a great week, Em!!! I love Chicago!! I can never get enough, and box seats to the Cubs? Yes please!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Michelle! All of us that live in the metro area are very lucky to have all of Chicago's amazing resources available to us! Now, if only spring would finally get here, yes?
DeleteHow was the dessert tray at Wrigley? I wonder if my neighbors would go for the progressive dinner idea? Sounds fun!
ReplyDeleteThe dessert tray was very well stocked! All kinds of cakes, pie, cheesecake, ice cream, cookies, brownies, chocolate, you name it. The portion sizes were huge so my team members and I shared a few items amongst ourselves. Definitely suggest the progressive dinner concept to your neighbors - it's such a brilliant concept!
DeleteNow you have me humming All That Jazz. I haven't seen the musical but enjoyed the movie, especially the music.
ReplyDeleteI still have All That Jazz running through my mind two days after watching the show. =) I've heard rave reviews about the movie so now I want to see it too!
DeleteHitt Workouts go by really fast, and you feel it the next day!
ReplyDeleteOh baseball! how fun!
Chicago the musical, sounds like a lot of fun!!
Great week of training!
Oh my goodness, Ana - I was DYING during the HIIT workout. I'm already feeling the aftershock and I shudder to think of how much I'm going to feel it tomorrow with the DOMS!
DeleteThanks so much! Both the baseball and the musical were fun times, and it was nice to mix things up with the usual workout routine!
What a fun wkend. Parties and a musical. Goodluck at your HIIT class. I have never took one. You'll have to let us know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I've always been intimidated by HIIT classes and I was reminded today of why! It was the hardest fitness class I've ever taken. Kudos to anyone who does HIIT on a regular basis!
DeleteYou had a busy and fun week! I went to an Insanity class by mistake once and I swear I almost died. I'm glad you survived. HIIT is no joke. I'm the same way with new shoes.. Once they're in the house, they're pretty irresistible. John O will always be J Peterman to me. ; ) I've heard of progressive dinners but have never been to one. Looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marcia! Yikes - I can only imagine what an Insanity class would be like, especially with a name like that! I would definitely die within about 10 minutes and just lay on the floor while everyone else continues on around me, LOL. The new shoes just call to you, right? John O will always be J Peterman, no matter what role he plays. He IS J Peterman. =D
DeleteAh, lucky you! My company has a suite at Wrigley as well (you can see it in your picture of the field, in fact!), but I'm not important enough to get to use it :( Haha. Maybe someday if I befriend the right people :P When I did my internship in Chicago, our internship program organized a progressive dinner between apartments of people in the program, but I was out of town that weekend so I couldn't go. I was really bummed, though - it sounds like such a cool idea, and I'd love to do one some time!
ReplyDeleteBethany @ Accidental Intentions
Thanks Bethany! And I should note that I'm definitely not considered important at my company by any stretch of the imagination! It was more like, it's a random Tuesday night in May with potential rain, nobody else wants to take clients, and they don't want to let the tickets go to waste. =D Bummer that you were out of town during the progressive dinner across your fellow interns! Hopefully you were out of town doing something equally as fun. =)
DeleteThat is really cool that your complex did the progressive dinner! I've never done one, but my Grandma participates in similar things where she lives (all separate houses) and really digs it. It's a fun way to meet people and be nosy and see their place. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI know quite a few people who walk their intervals and it totally works for them! That's awesome it made the speedwork so much better for you :)
One of the woman at the dinner said when she lived in the suburbs, they did progressive dinners at separate houses where everyone had to drive from place to place. That would put a different spin on the festivities! But yes - my favorite part of the event was getting to see everyone's places. Some folks really know how to decorate! It was like an HGTV tour!
DeleteThanks for the thoughts on the recovery intervals! I am glad to hear it works for others, too - YAY!!!
That dinner party sounds like so much fun!!! What a great way to meet your neighbors!!
ReplyDeleteYeah birthdays and graduation...great celebrations!
I have always wanted to see Chicago...oooh and in Chicago...how neat!!
How was the ab class....but did you die?lol!!
Great workout week!
What does the trainer mean about the recovery happening during tempo. I do track workouts on Thursday and looking to make sure I am getting the most out of it.
Have a great week!
Thanks Tamieka! We are definitely at that time of the year where there are lots of graduations and weddings. It's a fun season to party, party, party!
DeletePlease come visit Chicago sometime - I would love to show you around my hometown! If you want to do a racecation, there are so many options, too. In general, I recommend coming between May and September but there are some fantastic races that occur in April and October, too. Let me know. =)
I DIED during the class yesterday. Hardest fitness class I have ever taken in my life, no doubt about it. My abs are on fire today! It hurt to get out of bed, LOL!
Regarding the interval training, the trainer said that you reap the benefits of speedwork during the tempo intervals, as opposed to the recovery intervals. Basically, it's less important what you do during the recovery intervals - but we should focus on pushing the tempo intervals. For me, I can push harder on the tempo intervals if I really take things down during the recovery intervals. Does that make sense? If not, please feel free to email me (eeseto@gmail.com) and we can talk more about it. =)
I hope you have a great week, too!!!!!!!
I'm jealous of you getting to see Chicago! We were planning on getting last minute tickets on Sunday and our schedule got screwed up and we weren't able to make it! I've still been singing All that Jazz though anyway ha
ReplyDeleteBummer that your schedule ended up changing on Sunday! Hopefully you are settling well into your new digs, though. =) All That Jazz is definitely one of those songs that gets stuck in your mind the moment you hear it!
DeleteKelly, I try to get my shoes to 300 before I retire them. My stride is kind of janky so I wear my shoes out pretty quickly. And admittedly sometimes I get so excited about new shoes on the horizon that I'll retire my old shoes a tiny bit earlier than 300. That's cool that you can get yours to 500! Saves a lot of money on shoes over the long term!
ReplyDeleteSo cool that your neighborhood does progressive block parties! Seeing the inside of others' houses is definitely the best part. I am nosy too. =)
Thanks Karen! My belief is that ideally we do what makes us want to KEEP doing it in the future, if that makes sense. Doing slower runs during recovery was tough for me to maintain so walking will definitely be what keeps me going. Good for you for trying both ways, too! And hey - I also believe even a little bit of speedwork is better than none, yes?
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed with the variety in your workouts! But Zumba? There's no way. I am so uncoordinated--and I'd be frustrated just trying to figure it out!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy! Zumba definitely took me a few classes to get familiar with the steps and learn the instructor's style. And here's the secret - I don't look at myself in the mirror during class. =D
DeleteSounds like a great workout week! Hope your HIIT core class went well. I've heard good things about HIIT classes in general. Hubby is excited with how well the Cubs are doing this season! I've never heard of progressive dinner but it sounds like a fun way to meet your neighbors!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sharon! The HIIT Core class was KILLER. Hardest workout class I've ever taken by far. Clearly I have a lot of work to do on strengthening my core! I was surprised how exceptionally well the Cubs are doing, too - apparently they had the best starting record since 1932??? Yes, the progressive dinner made it very easy to get to know some neighbors and it's such a simple idea! I am a huge fan. =)
DeleteWe did progressive dinners way back in the dark ages with the youth group at church. Maybe they are making a comeback? At that age, we were only interest in the food and not the homes. HA. I usually have to walk my rest intervals. I'm too pooped to even run slow. It would be very cool to see Chicago in Chicago. Ah, Seinfeld. My husband is still addicted! Thanks for linking with us Emily.
ReplyDeleteLOL - as a child, I would only be interested in the food at a progressive dinner, too. Plus maybe I'd want to see the toys that were available at each house? You and me both on the walking during the rest intervals - I am way too pooped to run slowly, too. Seinfeld is a classic! The episodes in syndication are still fun to watch, even to this day! Thanks to you and Tricia for hosting the link-up, as always!
DeleteBox seats for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago the musical in Chicago! Sounds like an awesome week to me!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Debra! This is by no means typical for me, btw. =D
Delete