HIIT Me!

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Kristine

Ready for a run that will get your heart pumping for 30 minutes?

I went to the gym on my lunch break today with zero reading material. I just wanted to put on my headphones, and run. Fast.

So I bring you the Speedy HIIT Treadmill Run. (Adjust the speeds to suit you)

Running at 10.0 mph on a treadmill is a 6:00 minute mile. I felt like a badass running at the speed (even if it was only for 20 seconds at a time). You will too. The last couple of HIIT runs I completed, I made my sprint at around 9.5. Today I felt like pushing myself. Try it – for 20 seconds, you can do anything.

If you’re not familiar with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), the New York Times has a great article here.The article also gives a very simple explanation of it:

Basically it’s alternating short bursts of high-intensity exercise with easy-does-it recovery. For decades, serious athletes have used it to improve performance. But new evidence suggests that a workout with steep peaks and valleys can dramatically improve cardiovascular fitness and raise the body’s potential to burn fat. Best of all, the benefits become evident in a matter of weeks.

I will attest to the fact that it really helps wth speed. It’s a pain to be crazy attentive to the treadmill’s time (when usually we’re trying not to look at it), but it also makes the time fly by. Since the marathon I’ve been incorporating 25 minutes of HIIT into my runs (one run a week), as well as a tempo run once a week, and I’ve already seen my splits get faster. My (Hello 10 glorious sub-9:00 miles on Sunday!) My plan is to keep up a HIIT run, and a tempo run twice a week, and hopefully bash that 1:50 1/2 Marathon Goal in the first half of this year!

An added bonus? You get all of the heart-pumping benefits of a looooong run, without having to be on the treadmill for an hour. 30 minutes and you’re warmed up, HIIT-ed, cooled down, and ready to go.

After HIIT-ing for 25 minutes, I cooled down with a 6-minute walk (at a very, very slow speed). I was a red-faced, sweaty mess, but I felt amazing. A lovely shower (and a pat on the back for getting into the locker rooms before the yoga and spin classes got out), and I was back in the office within an hour.

Efficient lunch indeed.

Hope you have a Happy Tuesday!

Race Recap: DSE Waterfront 10-Miler

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Kristine

The first race of 2012 is complete! (And I still can’t feel 2 of my fingers).

About a month ago, I crawled out from the rock I’ve been living under, and discovered the Dolphin South End Runners Club, San Francisco’s oldest running club. I also discovered they hold a race just about every weekend in San Francisco. For $8. (If you’re a member it’s $3, which is less than Starbucks charges for a Grande Nonfat Latte.)

This morning marked their 4th race of the year, the Waterfront 10-Miler and 5K. I’d never raced a 10-miler, but knew I wanted more than a 5K, so I decided to give it go.

The race had a more casual feel to it, and thus I had a more casual preparation than I usually do for races.

The race started at 8am. I rolled out of bed around 7:05 to gulp down a cup of black coffee. By the time I had inhaled my coffee, synced my latest running playlist (Glee’s version of “We Found Love”, “I Like It Like That” by Hot Chelle Rae, “Moves Like Jagger” and Pitbull’s “International Love” were some of the latest additions), and gotten dressed, there was no time for breakfast. I grabbed a Luna Lemon Zest Mini (in the dark, had I known, I would have reached for the White Chocolate Macadamia) and set off for the start.

Damn you Adam Levine and your stupid Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show live performance to make me like your stupid song.

My walk to the start was the epitome of a San Francisco morning – runners, bikers, people walking their dogs (oh how I envy you pet-owners), in the silent, fog-filled city. It was beautiful, calm and peaceful and it almost made me want to become a weekday morning runner. Then I remembered how much more I like my bed.

I got to the start around 7:45 and I could already tell it was going to be a great race. There were no lines to get bibs , everyone knew each other and were saying hello (aside from new kid over here), everyone looked like they were really there to run and the race had just the right amount of people.

The weather was perfect – overcast, a little foggy, and (completely ball-parking it) low 50′s. In my opinion, it doesn’t get any better than this for running weather. Luckily since SF has no summer (wah wah wah) it’s like this almost year-round.

I ended up running into one of my very speedy friends, Danielle, and then found one of boyfriend’s friends, Matt, who decided last night to run the race as part of a training run for his upcoming half-marathon.

Is there a saying regarding running with faster people makes you faster? If not, there should be. I had a secret goal for this race to run all sub-9 minute miles. I’ve been working on speed, intervals, and shorter distances so I wanted to put it to the test. Running with a faster friend is exactly what you need to make you run faster than you think you can.

Since Danielle could probably beat Kara Goucher in a 10-miler, Matt and I started off running together. I have no idea our splits for the first 1.45 miles because I forgot to turn on the Garmin until we were passing through the start, and then mixed in with 400 other Garmin’s, it had a little trouble getting situated. Oops.

That being said, the rest looked like this:

Welcome to my life, sub-9 splits. We are going to get along just fine.

I held on to the 8:xx pace as best I could, and it (strangely) felt comfortable. It was one of those runs that reminds you why you do this day in and day out. It felt fantastic. I kept up with Matt until around mile 3.5, when he took off in the 7:xx range, and then I just tried to keep him in my sights and keep my pace under in the 8:xx’s on my Garmin.

There was a Cytomax/Water stand around Mile 4 and then again as we passed it around Mile 6 (the course was an out and back) and I took a cup of Cytomax both times. Not eating breakfast = necessary sugar/carbs. I felt hungry the entire race, but never like I was about to run out of steam. In hindsight, I should have eaten more pre-race, and dragged myself out of bed a little earlier. Live and learn.

Right around Mile 8.5 we hit Pier 39/Fisherman’s Wharf area (aka tourist central) and a little weaving happened, but thankfully it also started raining around that time, so the droves of tourists were minimal.

With just under a half-mile to go, I picked it up as best I could and crossed the finish line in 1:24:11. I think that puts my average pace around 8:32, and I couldn’t be happier with that time. First 10-mile race is an automatic PR right? Now I have something to work towards beating in my next 10-miler in April!

The post-race highlight? The spread of goodies at the finish line! I inhaled a few handfuls of food before trekking back home (via Starbucks for a latte) in the rain.

+ 12 minutes and 1.29 miles. (Also – that is rain, not sweat.)

Official Time: 1:24:11

Thanks for a fantastic race DSE – I will definitely be back for (several) more this year! Now it’s time to cheer on the Niners to victory! I’d love a reason to actually watch the Superbowl for the game, rather than the commercials/halftime show!

Have a great Sunday!

Friday Thoughts

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Kristine

Happy Friday! Hope your day is a little less rainy and a little less dreary than it is in SF right now.

First off – just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for all of the words of support and encouragement on the Pilates Teaching front. I’m SO excited to get started! (And yes you will all be notified when the time comes to complete my practice teaching).

I’m just shy of 2 weeks into Detox 2012 and I’ve never wanted a glass of wine or a beer more in my life. Ever. I think I was actually salivating while Boyfriend drank his ice cold, thirst-quenching, refreshing Anchor Steam last night.

What is Jersey Shore without a glass of beer/wine? I felt so un-American.

It’s amazing what changing your font on your Outlook can do to a person. I’ve been an e-mailing replying maniac all day.

I’m supposed to do a 10-mile race on Sunday. And it’s been raining since yesterday afternoon. If this keeps up I will be doing a 10-mile race on the treadmill.

I was eating peanut butter with a banana this morning, and someone asked me if I’ve tried “powdered” peanut butter. I’m sorry? She said it was fat-free and a powder. My peanut butter is more or less a solid, and contains peanuts. And that’s it. Peanuts contain fat. I’m a little confused how peanut butter can be “fat free”. And in powder form that you add water to. Does this concern anyone else?

I found this little piece of magic in my bag at work today while I was frantically searching for my badge to get me up the elevators. I’m not entirely sure how that got in there, but I’m not asking questions.

I have something to add to my 2012 New Years “Goals” (still not saying resolutions) and that is : NO online shopping. 99.5% of the time I online shop, it doesn’t fit, I don’t like it as much in person, and I end up returning it. Therefore if I see something I like online, I will march myself to the store to try it on before clicking “BUY NOW”.

I’m convinced this will be much more effective. While I’m at it? Goodbye RueLaLa and Haute Look. You only end up cluttering my inbox. (Gilt you and your Gilt City and Jetsetter glory can stay.)

The other night after Modern Family, ABC was still on and the show “Revenge” came on. I have absolutely no idea what it’s about, or what is going on, but I didn’t take my eyes off of that TV for 60 minutes. I now need to catch up on this entire season.

I’m also willing to forgive Emily Van Camp for being endlessly annoying on “Brothers and Sisters” because although I have zero idea what is going on on this show, I think I like her character already. And something needs to distract me from the terrible Blair/Chuck storyline on Gossip Girl.

(I would also recommend not Googling “Revenge” without the words TV SHOW afterwards – the images that come up are a little disturbing.)

With that, it’s time to finish up the week! This weekend includes a whole lot of relaxing, and cheering for the 49ers! (Although to be fair/full disclosure, I only watched the 1st and 4th quarter last weekend. Make it exciting and you have my undivided attention 49ers. Just win. I need a reason to actually watch the Superbowl for the football aspect, not just the commercials/halftime show.)

Have a great weekend!

Just Do It

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Kristine

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”

-Benjamin Mee, We Bought A Zoo

Cue the dramatics.

Not to be self-indulgent (who am I kidding, this is a blog about my life), but I made a decision the other day. A big one. A decision that I’m extremely excited for.

I decided to go for my Pilates Teaching Certification.

It was a big decision to make (and I know it will take up a lot of time, but ultimately health, nutrition and fitness are my passions, and I wanted to take the first step into making it happen.

Pilates truly changed everything for me – even more so than running. It transformed my body, my mind, and it makes me feel strong every time I take a class. I’d never actually incorporated any type of strength training or toning into my workouts (aside from a 6-month yoga binge in which I convinced myself 90 minutes of yoga was equivalent to running for 90 minutes- the pants fit great that summer, believe me) and once I did, I’ve never felt better.

I look forward to the 3 classes I take per week, and when it’s time to stretch, I always find myself wishing the class were longer. I’m obsessed with having perfect form, and using the correct muscle groups in each exercise, and finding out how everything is connected to everything else in there. So… enter teaching training.

How It Works

The class itself includes lectures twice a week (6 hours total per week), and meets for 15 weeks. We then have 6 months to complete the hours of practical apprenticeship, practice teaching, self integration, etc.

Luckily the classes are on week nights and weekend mornings, so it doesn’t interfere with my job, and the instructor has assured me that people with full-time jobs can certainly balance both.

This all-inclusive 450+ hour course includes:

Pilates Mat Repertoire
Universal Reformer
Cadillac/Trapeze Table
Wunda/Combo Chair
Fundamental Pilates philosophy
Client assessment and alignment protocol
Anatomy, terminology and biomechanics taught in an interactive environment
Small apparatus skills: jump board, magic circle, rotating discs, balance/wobble board, foam rollers, thera bands/balls
Creative training and programming skills for any level of proficiency
Verbal and tactile cueing skills
Attitude, confidence and composure of a professional instructor
Studio etiquette and equipment safety
Ethics and scope of practice
Understanding specific injuries/dysfunctions and special circumstances

What It Is

An extremely comprehensive program, and extremely in-depth – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do this right, and come out of it the best teacher I can possibly be.

Assessment Based Certificate/Diploma issued upon completing all course requirements including, but not limited to:

• 120 hours of Classroom Experience with a Master Trainer – Provided

• 75 hours of Observation/Apprenticeship of qualified instructor

• 100 hours of Practice Teaching/Charting with classmates/family/friends etc. (who wants in?)

• 40 hours of Self Integration (additional Pilates private/semi private or mat class experience with qualified instructor) I’m credited this due to the last 6 mos of 3-4x weekly classes.

• 45 hours Client Assessment and Programming Project – assignment

• 25 hours of an Anatomy Thesis Project – assignment

• 15 hours Pilates Professional Video/DVD Observation

• Passing scores on tests, practical exams and projects

The End Result?

Start teaching evening/weekend Pilates classes once I’m fully “graduated” and certified!

I’ve given this a lot of thought, researched programs, consulted a 30-year Pilates vet on her opinion (her answer: this was the best program she’s seen), and talked in great detail and length with boyfriend and my family. I want to teach Pilates, and I want to help people change and understand their bodies, their frame of mind, and their lives, and be the healthiest, and the fittest they can be.

And I can’t wait to get started!