Day 13 – 50 min cross

This day, I decided to do a few things. I started with 20 minutes on the stationary bike. I wanted to stay on for 30 minutes, but it was just too boring and my glutes weren’t enjoying the ride. After that good 20 minute warm-up I did 15 minutes of jump rope. After this, I finished up with 15 minutes of shadow boxing with 5 lb weights. I would say that this day was a pretty light day. I definitely did not want to push it too hard because I had a 7-mile run the following day.

Day 14 – 7 mile run

Day 14 was a pretty awesome day. First of all it was Easter Sunday and I just felt good when I woke up. I started my run early because I had 12:00 Mass. I got to the city, found parking right in front of AT&T Park, and started my run around 9:30am. This was my first outdoor run where I listened to music and my goodness did it make a difference. I love music, but I never really wanted to listen to any when running outdoors; before this day, I always wanted to hear “nature” when I ran outside. The music actually helped me during my run, especially the last part of my run. And I shouldn’t say I listened to “music” because in actuality I had one song on repeat: Tygas “I’m Faded” Listening to this song on repeat helped me zone out a little easier because I liked the song and didn’t have to fidget with my iPod to change the track. At about mile 5 or 6 I began to get a bit tired, but I kept up with the rhythm of the song and it prevented me from slowing down too much. I finished the 7.12 mile run in 1:03:22 and I felt really good after. It was a beautiful day in the city and the running conditions were just perfect for me. During my run, I saw a few runners who had just completed the US Half Marathon and it motivated me to keep running; I can’t wait for my first Half on May 5th!

Day 15 – Stretch and Strengthen

Stretch & strengthen?!?! HAH! I didn’t bother to do anything but sit on the couch and watch these beautiful little girls all day. Sometimes I need to remind myself WHY I run and these 2 girls are 2 big reasons why. I want to be healthy for them and I want to be a healthy father when it’s time for me to have children of my own. I love these girls!

Day 16 – 4.5 mile run

This is what I posted on my Facebook  account when I checked-in to Lake Merced:

“It’s going to be a grind: rain, sweat belt, beanie, gloves, sweater, 4.5 miles. Get some!“

I’m glad that I ran despite the rain and wind because I know that race day conditions won’t always be favorable. I focused on attacking the hills, letting my legs “go” during the downhill parts and pushing through the wind as opposed to allowing it to slow me down. It was a great/challenging run and it made me a better runner.

Day 17 – 3 mile run or cross

I don’t know if it was because I skipped my workout on Monday, but I felt pretty damn good today! Not only did I do a 3 mile run, not only did I do some strengthening exercises, but I also went to my first Bikram Hot Yoga class this morning! Ok, for all of you who have been to a bikram hot yoga class before or for those of you who go on a daily basis, let me say this: YOU GUYS ARE FREAKIN’ NUTS!!!! OMG, that had to be the craziest 90 minutes of my life!! No joke, I was in the “Savasana” pose for the last 45 minutes of the the class (for those of you who aren’t familiar with yoga, the “Savasana” pose is better known as the “Corpse” pose where you just lie on your back like a corpse and just breathe). The first 20 minutes of the class I was an All-Star though, attempting each exercise, not wiping my face with my towel, not even touching my bottle of water, etc., then the downward spiral began. My heart was racing, my vision was getting blurry, I was disoriented, every breath burned and I felt like there was absolutely no way I was NOT going to pass out at some point during this class. I looked over to my girlfriend 30 minutes into the class to see how she was doing and it seemed like she had been in Savasana for a good 10 minutes already, so I joined her LOL. Even in this corpse pose I felt like I was going to pass out; it felt like there was no escaping this, everything I did just made me more hot and miserable. It was such a crazy experience, but I’m glad that I did it. After the class I felt rejuvenated and refreshed; I felt gooooood. And I’m so very proud of my girlfriend for staying in there for the whole 90 minutes, she’s such a trooper. Oh, and we’re going tomorrow morning again! But we’re not going to try and be All-Stars like we did today, we’re going to take our time, take more breaks, and put lots of ice in our water bottles.

Well that was my last 5 days of HMT, only 23 more days til my first Half! I’m so excited! I hope all have a great rest of the week, Cheers!