One more week to go! This past week saw some pretty good results with a 2.4 pound weight loss and down 1.75 inches. Despite a lot of rain this past week, I did my running exclusively outside. I had some obstacles to navigate on my usual trail – areas where rocks had been washed out onto the path, large pools of water that hadn’t had time to dry up yet, muddy patches. I think the obstacles were good for my muscles.
As was veering on to the grass for some stretches, and the fact that parts of my trail are gravel. I really felt my quads working and my bad knee is getting stronger. I think getting off the pavement a little more reduced the stress on my joints.
As I move into this last week I’m really going to focus on pushing myself and finishing strong. My schedule will be a guideline, a minimum so to speak. I will aim to accomplish the goals set out for the week – but more importantly push them and try to strengthen my physical and mental resilience.
A. Clean Eating
While my caloric intake and use of added sugar was well managed this past week, the tough thing for me to control was sodium. It really doesn’t take much for too much sodium to make it on to your plate. Especially if you haven’t prepared all of your meals yourself. For the upcoming week, I will use a no-sodium seasoning substitute or pink sea salt (which has less sodium). If I’m at a restaurant, I’ll try asking for my food to be prepared without salt. We’ll see what happens.
B. 30 Day Plank Challenge
While it will be important to keep planks in my routine after my June Jumpstart, I won’t miss doing them to the degree I have during the 30 Day Plank Challenge. During this last week there are two new versions on the scene – the Spiderman Plank and the Alternating Hand Plank. Those sound like fun don’t they? Ahem… Anyway, to finish up the 30 day challenge there are two extra days, one to rest and then on the last day to update the baseline.
This is the plan for this week:
1st Day – Spiderman Plank for 30 Seconds | Rest for 45 Seconds or Less | Repeat 4x
Hold Side Plank for 50 Seconds | Rest for 45 Seconds or Less | Repeat 6x
Hold Plank for 65 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 3x
2nd Day – Alternating Hand Plank for 30 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 4x
Walking Plank for 40 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 4x
Hold Plank for 45 Seconds | Rest for 45 Seconds or Less | Repeat 3x
3rd Day – Spiderman Plank for 35 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 5x
Hold Side Plank for 55 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 4x
Hold Plank for 70 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 2x
4th Day – Rest Day
5th Day – Alternating Hand Plank for 35 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 5x
Spiderman Plank for 40 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 3x
Hold Plank for 75 Seconds | Rest for 90 Seconds | Repeat 2x
6th Day – Rest Day
7th Day – Hold Side Plank for 60 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 4x
Alternating Hand Plank for 60 Seconds | Rest for 1 Minute | Repeat 6x
Update Baseline – How Long Can I Hold A Plank With Good Form?
C. Running
There’s going to be a push this week. I’m going to do a minimum of 10K (6.2 miles) a day, apart from rest days, even if I have to walk/run. I’m also going to push my long run to 9 miles – again, with some walking stretches.
I really concentrated on breathing last week and found after a couple of runs, that I fatigue much faster when breathing through the nose. Don’t know if it’s because the mold count was high here this week, whether it’s an anatomical issue, or whether it was the humidity. I did some more reading on the matter and I found more material advocating for mouth breathing because it relaxes the jaw and allows you to take in more air. I’ll work on breathing through my diaphragm rather than chest-breathing this week.
1st Day – Run/Walk 6.2 Miles
2nd Day – Run/Walk 6.2 Miles
3rd Day – Rest Day
4th Day – Run/Walk 6.2 Miles
5th Day – Run/Walk 6.2 Miles
6th Day – Rest Day
7th Day – Run/Walk 9 Miles
D. Cross-Training
Cross-training will always be opposite to my running efforts, so this week I’ll go easier on the cross-training.
1st Day – Rest Day
2nd Day – Rowing (2000 meters)
3rd Day – Elliptical (30 Minutes) Stairclimber (30 Minutes)
4th Day – Swimming (30 Minutes)
5th Day – Rest Day
6th Day – Biking (30 Minutes)
7th Day – Rest Day
E. Strength Training
So, I have successfully increased all of my strength exercises by 5 pounds (or 10 pounds in some cases based on machine limitations). I’ll stick to these new weights for awhile. My bicep measurements have gone up from prior weeks so I’m building more muscle there.
1st Day – Lower Body (Leg Press, Calf Raises, Leg Curls, Squats, Stair Climber)
2nd Day – Upper Body (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulder Presses, Lateral Raises, Flys, Chest Presses)
3rd Day – Lower Body (Leg Press, Calf Raises, Leg Curls, Squats, Stair Climber)
4th Day – Rest Day
5th Day – Upper Body (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulder Presses, Lateral Raises, Flys, Chest Presses)
6th Day – Lower Body (Leg Press, Calf Raises, Leg Curls, Squats, Stair Climber)
7th Day – Rest Day
F. Foam Rolling
Foam Rolling really makes a difference! My muscles really thank me for it – especially after running. I still have to motivate myself to take the time to do it properly though. Don’t see that changing any time soon.
1st Day – Foam Rolling (Calf, Hamstring, Piriformis, IT Band, Low Back, Mid Back)
Stretching (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Neck, Check, Back and Sides)
2nd Day – Foam Rolling (Calf, Hamstring, Piriformis, IT Band, Low Back, Mid Back)
Stretching (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Neck, Check, Back and Sides)
3rd Day – Foam Rolling (Calf, Hamstring, Piriformis, IT Band, Low Back, Mid Back)
Stretching (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Neck, Check, Back and Sides)
4th Day – Foam Rolling (Calf, Hamstring, Piriformis, IT Band, Low Back, Mid Back)
Stretching (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Neck, Check, Back and Sides)
5th Day – Foam Rolling (Calf, Hamstring, Piriformis, IT Band, Low Back, Mid Back)
Stretching (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Neck, Check, Back and Sides)
6th Day – Foam Rolling (Calf, Hamstring, Piriformis, IT Band, Low Back, Mid Back)
Stretching (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Neck, Check, Back and Sides)
7th Day – Foam Rolling (Calf, Hamstring, Piriformis, IT Band, Low Back, Mid Back)
Stretching (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Neck, Check, Back and Sides)
I have high hopes that as I finish this next week’s training schedule, that the ten pounds that kept going on and off of me will finally be in my rear view mirror and July will bring new challenges. Have fun this week!