Sunday, January 29, 2012

Week of 1/29

We will be starting a new strength training plan tomorrow at 5am. Hope you can make it!

Spin Schedule
Monday -LA Fitness @ 5:45am class
Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 6:45 pm, Rivers Club @ Lunch
Wednesday - LA Fitness @ 5:45 am, Rivers Club @ Lunch
Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:45 am

Other Workout Schedule
Monday - LA Fitness @ 5:00am -Strength Training
Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Marathon Training & Swimming
Wednesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Strength Training
Thursday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Yoga & Swimming, Lunch time run time @ the rivers club
Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:00am -Strength Training
Saturday -Marathon Training @ 9am, leaving from my house for 18 miles

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Marathon Training Run by kcp487 at Garmin Connect - Splits

Great training run today. Lap 2 is the 7 miles after our "warm up" hill, E. Willock. Average pace of 8:35 which felt a little slow, but we were hold back for a strong finish. Lap 3 is the run from the half way point in the South Side all the way back to the top of 18th. Even running up 18th we managed a 8:18 average. Lap 4 shows us coming back all the way down Brownsville at a 8:07 pace & the final mile, Lap 5, was done at a 7:05 pace.

Nice work Chris Vario, Nicole Blefere & George Tomko Sr.!

Details below...

Marathon Training Run by kcp487 at Garmin Connect - Splits

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Week of 1/22

Looks like a standard week. I'm not planning on missing any classes, so I hope you're not either!

We leave for long runs from my house on Saturday mornings at 9am. Everyone's going at a different pace, so some of us stick together, others pull ahead, etc. The run is along Brownsville road and it's a crazy rolling course. Toughest part is a 6.6% grade, 1 mile climb about half way through. Let me know if you're looking to join us one weekend.

Spin Schedule
Monday -LA Fitness @ 5:45am class
Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 6:45 pm, Rivers Club @ Lunch
Wednesday - LA Fitness @ 5:45 am, Rivers Club @ Lunch
Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:45 am

Other Workout Schedule
Monday - LA Fitness @ 5:00am -Strength Training
Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Marathon Training & Swimming
Wednesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Strength Training
Thursday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Yoga & Swimming, Lunch time run time @ the rivers club
Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:00am -Strength Training
Saturday -Marathon Training @ 9am, leaving from my house for 15 miles

Friday, January 20, 2012

5K Test Day!




I am definitiely not a fan of running 3.1 miles really fast on the treadmill & calling it a 5k test. I also however am not a fan of running 3.1 miles at 9am on a Saturday morning in 4 inches of snow and ice along the river front. This leaves me with a dilema. What should we do about tomorrows 5k race pace test and the terrible weather that we're expecting

Here is what I'm thinking. The trail will definietly not be clear enough to run on in the morning. It's also unlikely that Brownsville road will be in any condition to run on (especially since it's not suppose to stop snow/iceing until noon.

I'm going to check out my calendar and possibly do the 5k test on Sunday morning. How does that sound for you? Leave a comment below and let me know! If we have a few people looking to do it Sunday, and the weather doesn't look like ice we'll make the call to meet. If not, you can still do the test this weekend indoors

If you are using the treadmill, here are a few things to keep in mind

  • Spend 10 to 15 min in a low Zone 2 warming up

  • Restart the machine for your 5k run

  • Initally set your speed at a quick pace and only slow down if you need to

  • If you are running faster than a 7min mile, you really need to add a 1-2% incline to account for the wind resistance you woul feel on the road


That's all for now. Let me know what you'll be doing!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Week of 1/15

Not much of an update this week other than to say that if you're running the Pittsburgh Marathon & haven't started training yet, get on it!

We leave for long runs from my house on Saturday mornings at 9am. Everyone's going at a different pace, so some of us stick together, others pull ahead, etc. The run is along Brownsville road and it's a crazy rolling course. Toughest part is a 6.6% grade, 1 mile climb about half way through. Let me know if you're looking to join us one weekend.

Spin Schedule
Monday -Stacy is SUBBING my LA Fitness @ 5:45am class
Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 6:45 pm, Rivers Club @ Lunch
Wednesday - LA Fitness Strength & 5am & Spin 5:45 am, Rivers Club @ Lunch
Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:45 am

Other Workout Schedule
Monday -Not sure when I'm working out today...you're on your own!
Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Marathon Training & Swimming
Wednesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Strength Training
Thursday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Yoga & Swimming, Lunch time run time @ the rivers club
Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:00am -Strength Training
Saturday -Marathon Training @ 9am, leaving from my house

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Week of 1/8/12

Looks like a normal week coming up! I'm not planning on missing any classes & my schedule is up to date below. I do plan on trying to fit in a few Yoga classes during lunch this week at the Rivers Club. It's been a long time since I've been in Yoga, but took a class last Friday and really missed it. I might through in some Yoga on Thursday AM at LA Fitness. Let me know if you're interested in coming.

I promise I'm going to get a detailed outline of the new 8 week program up asap. In the meantime, feel free to ask me about it. The strength & cycle portions take place Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at LA Fitness at 5am.

Spin Schedule
Monday -LA Fitness @ 5:45am at LA fitness
Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 6:45 pm, Rivers Club @ Lunch
Wednesday - LA Fitness Strength & 5am & Spin 5:45 am, Rivers Club @ Lunch
Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:45 am

Other Workout Schedule
Monday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Strength Training
Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Marathon Training & Swimming
Wednesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Strength Training
Thursday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Marathon Training & Swimming
Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:00am -Strength Training
Saturday -Marathon Training @ 9am, leaving from my house

Thursday, January 5, 2012

F Your Resolutions

(Unless you resolved to set some goals!)

I love New Year’s Eve! From the parties, to the tacky rock shows on TV and everything in between, it has always been one of my favorite nights of the year. I suppose it’s because New Year’s Eve usually forces us to look back at the past year. We might assess what we accomplished with a smile or resolve to do something differently next year. If you’re like me, you probably chuck a little bit into each column.

The problem, however is that most of us only make resolutions with no follow through plan. Of course resolutions to make a change are awesome, but they should only serve as a first step. You need to set specific goals in order to achieve your resolutions.

Let’s take the classic example: “I’m going to lose weight this year and get healthy!”

Awesome, right?

Well, if you’re reading this blog, you probably know exactly who I’m talking about. In fact, you probably saw them there with us on January 2nd, up on the treadmill, in my spin class, chilling out over at the triceps machine and even in the hot tub. They looked excited, engaged and ready to work didn’t they?

So why won’t we see them come Valentine’s Day? They’ll just disappear! What went wrong? How can so many people fill up the gym in January only to vanish a month later?

It’s because their resolutions were not goals. They had nothing to measure against an no idea what success would look like.

Don’t Fall into this trap. Use these tips when setting goals for your 2012. We’re focusing on fitness here, but these tips apply to all aspects of your life. If you need some help with your fitness goals, ask you’re an instructor, trainer or other professional at your health club!

Goal Setting Tips for 2012

Make your goals SMART!

SMART is a cheesy acronym, and one of the few things I learned back in my college days. Here’s what it means:
  • Specific –Your goal needs to be specific, “I want to lose weight” is only a start.
  • Measurable –Can you measure what you want to do? “I want to lose 10 pounds” is starting to sound better
  • Actionable –Is there an action you can take? “I want to lose 10 pounds by adding 60 minutes of cardio work to my day, 3 days a week.”
  • Realistic –Is this a goal you can achieve? That doesn’t mean setting the bar low, you want stretch, but “I want to lose 20 pounds in 5 days” is not realistic.
  • Timely –You need to set a time in which you will accomplish your goal. “I want to lose 10 pounds by March 1, 2012. I can accomplish this by adding 60 minutes of cardio work to my day, 3 days a week and maintaining a 1600 calorie diet.” Now, that’s a goal!


  • Make your goals, YOUR Goals

    Guess what, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds because your wife wants you to lose 10 pounds…it ain’t gonna happen! You need to set goals for you and align the expectations of others. That’s not to say you shouldn’t let others help define your goals for the better or encourage you to stretch, but at the end of the day you need to set goals for you.

    Write your goals down

    Guess how many goals get accomplished when they’re not written down. That’s right, it’s 0! A goal is not a goal until it is in writing. Keep your goals in a journal, notebook, or post it note at your desk. Just be sure that it is written down and you refer back to it on a regular basis.


    Keep these tips in mind as you look ahead to all 2012 has to offer. If you havn’t already made resolutions for the year, resolve to set goals! Once you do, define them for all aspects of your life including your physical well being, financial situation, career, home life and more.

    Make 2012 the year YOU WIN!

    Best,
    K

    Sunday, January 1, 2012

    Week of 1/1

    After a few weeks off I'm back at it! Hopefully all the Overkill readers had a great holiday and will be ready to "get back at it" this week! I'm currently working on putting together a new, 8 week program that will incorporate both strength training & spinning. The spinning aspect will focus on speed for our Race to Any Place riders. We still have slots available on my race teams, so if your interested click on the Race to Anyplace link in the nav bar above.

    Check back in the next few days for a detailed outline of the new 8 week program. Until then, here is the overview of this week. See you in the gym!

    Spin Schedule
    Monday -Stacy is subbing @ 5:45am at LA fitness
    Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 6:45 pm, Rivers Club @ Lunch
    Wednesday -LA Fitness @ 5:45 am, Rivers Club @ Lunch
    Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:45 am

    Other Workout Schedule
    Monday -Marathon Training
    Tuesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Marathon Training & Swimming
    Wednesday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Strength Training
    Thursday -LA Fitness @ 5:00 am -Marathon Training & Swimming
    Friday -LA Fitness @ 5:00am -Strength Training

    Monday, January 2

    More to come on the blog tomorrow, but just as a hears up I will not be teaching at LA tomorrow am. Stacy is subbing and I do plan on being at all other scheduled classes this week.