10K Training Update + TIU Beach Babe DVD Review

Hello darlings. I haven’t talked about fitness on the blog in forever so I think we’re due for a little sweaty chat, don’t you?

First can we talk about the ridiculousness that took place in my mouth for the second time this week?

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Brandon had a meeting in Berkeley today and he was sweet enough to stop back by Cinnaholic to get me another vegan cinnamon bun. He chose a coconut frosting with a graham cracker topping and it was amazing. Not as good as the cookie dough but still awesome. Luckily, neither of us have to go back to Berkeley any time soon or my waistline would be in big trouble.

Okay, where were we? Oh right, how I plan to burn off the calories from that cinnamon bun.

So the results came in from the 5k we ran and my official time was 29:16 with a 9:26 pace. I would say I’m happy with that, considering the unexpected terrain.

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As soon as I was done with that race, I started training for a 10k that I’m signed up to run in October. The good news it that I will be running among the vineyards, just not the ones in Napa. The hotels proved to be a little too pricey for my wallet so I’m sticking to the East Bay Area.

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As far as I know, it’s not a trail run but I’m still trying to tackle a few hills around my neighborhood as I train. Actually, it’s kind of hard to avoid hills around here unless you want to run the same half a mile over and over again. #boring

I decided to switch up my training plan and went with this one from Women’s Health.

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By the way, you can sign up to run your own 10k with an app through Women’s Health and the proceeds will donate ten meals to those in need. Isn’t that awesome? I’m thinking I will have to do that sometime soon.

So far my runs have been going really well and I’ve managed to keep them under or right at a 9:00 minute pace.

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Saturday Long Run

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Speed Work (walking for recovery)

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Easy Week Day Run

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Saturday Long Run

I know, my Garmin is so old and crappy but I’m too cheap to buy a new one.

Quick side note/beauty tip: I like to put an oil treatment in my hair on my long runs since I will be a sweaty mess after and have to wash my hair anyways.

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It’s all about time management, people. Oh, and it makes your run smell good too.

I am officially on week three of the training plan and so far I am shooting for a 9:00 race pace. I struggled to keep up with that pace on my last long run because the heat got to me and I had to stop back at home to get a drink of water at about 3 miles in. I think I’m going to have to get a Camelbak to help keep me hydrated for my future long runs.

The only downfall to the training plan is that it only has one day of cross training which doesn’t leave room for much progress in the weight lifting department. As a result, I have been slacking with weight training so my goal for this month is to focus more effort on that.

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I miss Body Pump…wah

I got burned out on the 321 DVDs but I’m still incorporating some of the compound moves I learned from them while I do circuits in my garage. I’m hoping that changing the scenery a bit will help motivate me.

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Schnazzy, right?

It might not be pretty but Coco still loves hanging out in the fresh air with me. Plus, she makes a great workout partner.

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Even though my weight training has suffered, I have been working to improve my core strength since I’ve found it really helps with my posture and overall performance with running. I’m also doing a little bit of yoga afterward to keep my muscles from getting tight.

I bought the Tone It Up Beach Babe DVD a few months ago and it has come in great use for both of the reasons I mentioned above.

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First of all, just looking at these two makes me want to work out. At times I even wondered if this DVD was really made for women. Specifically when they zoom in on certain body parts but I guess that’s supposed to be motivating…?

Anyway, the DVD is filmed in Hawaii (sheer torture) and it includes seven different workouts:

  1. Surfer Girl Workout (25 minutes: full body toning with HIIT & surfer moves)
  2. Bikini Sculpt Routine (40 minutes: full body toning routine)
  3. HIIT The Beach (18 minutes: 4 HIIT intervals + 2 toning moves between)
  4. Bikini Booty (12 minutes: full booty workout)
  5. Bikini Abs (16 minutes: full core workout)
  6. Summer Arms (12 minutes: 3 circuits of arm exercises with some booty work)
  7. Long & Lean Routine (9 minutes: yoga poses for stretching)

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I’ve done every single workout more than once and they are all sure to get your heart rate up and make you feel the burn. I did find myself getting bored with a few of them: HIIT, Summer Arms, and Surfer Girl; mostly because they require extra energy and aren’t paired with motivating music but they are all great options to have on hand.

I absolutely love the Bikini Booty and Long & Lean routine and have been doing them every week after my run. The Bikini Booty is taught by Katrina and she walks you through moves like single leg squats, deadlifts, curtsy lunges, and the heat wave.

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Seriously, your bum will thank you after that one.

The Long & Lean Routine is taught by Karena and it features classic yoga moves like downward dog, the warrior pose, and the pigeon pose to help stretch the hips and glutes.

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I really like that it isn’t too long and the sound of the crashing waves in the background is so relaxing. It’s the perfect way to end a long day and I actually look forward to doing it at after my run.

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Doesn’t the back of my head look zen?

I’ve also been doing the Bikini Abs at least once, if not twice, a week and all of the moves are killer. Actually, some of them are almost too hard for me.

For example, there are a lot of side planks (which I usually love) but instead of doing them on the elbow, they are done with the arm fully extended which really hurts my wrist.

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Maybe I’m doing it wrong? Or maybe it’s because my twiggy wrists aren’t meant to hold my 5’9” frame? IDK.

Other than that, I find all of the abdominal moves to be really effective and one of my favorites is the mermaid.

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Haha. I think I caught her at the end of the word lift there.

Overall, I think it’s a great DVD to have for a few quick workouts after my run. I’m excited to check out their second one too!

By the way, I saw on Brittany’s blog that Athleta is offering free online yoga classes for the entire month of September in honor of National Yoga Month. I’ll definitely be taking advantage of that at some point!

 

Other Links of Possible Interest:

 

What are you currently doing for weight training?

How do you stay motivated?

How do you stay hydrated on long runs?