My current schedule

Right now, this is what my exercise schedule looks like:

Monday: strength training DVD, followed by 15 to 20 minutes on my stationary bicycle.

Tuesday: running outside, usually around 3 miles.

Wednesday: 45 minutes to an hour on my stationary bicycle.

Thursday: running outside, usually 3 to 4 miles.

Friday: strength training DVD, followed by 15 to 20 minutes on my stationary bicycle.

Saturday: long run outside.

Sunday: REST...ahhhhhh.  :)

On the days that I run, I follow that with planks and push-ups.  I usually do push-ups after riding my stationary bike, too, on the days that I don't do a strength training DVD.  Currently, I'm up to two 75-sec. planks, one of which I do with toe taps (simply picking up one foot about a foot off the ground and then switching feet - if that's confusing, let me know and I'll explain it better).  Planks are amazing!  I loathe, hate and despise crunches, so when I realized that planks work all of my abdominal muscles in one move, I was thrilled!  Adding planks to my routine has made a big difference in how I feel during and after my runs.  It is easier to maintain good running form when I'm tired at the end of my long runs.  I've also noticed that my hip and lower back almost never bother me since I began doing planks regularly.  And, thrill of thrills, the other day I put my hands on my waist and realized that I could feel MUSCLES under my chubbies!  I was so thrilled!  And I owe it all to planks.  :)

I also have always hated push-ups, but I believe they're a great way to gain strength that translates to faster and more efficient running.  Plus, they help make your arms look damn good.  :)  I decided that I would begin by doing ONE push-up after each of my runs.  Pitiful, I know.  But these would be "dude push-ups", as Tyler calls them, up on my toes, and one of those sounded totally manageable.  Each week, I added one push-up to how many I would do.  I'm now up to 12 push-ups.  After I do 12, I go halfway down and hold that position for a slow count of 10.  That kills me!  But, I'm thrilled that I'm definitely stronger than I was.

***I should take a moment to make it clear that I am not a personal trainer.  I have no certifications or qualifications in that area of expertise (although, I think I may pursue that someday when Miss Tess is bigger...we'll see).  I am only sharing what works for me and in no way think that what I do to work out is what everyone should do.  I read Women's Running and Runners' World and have spent many hours researching all these topics, but that certainly doesn't make me an expert and I want to make sure I'm not misleading anybody.  So, take any and all "advice" I may dish out with a grain of salt, eh?

Today's workout was 30 minutes of strength training, courtesy of the lovely trainers at The Biggest Loser:

I've only used this DVD eight or nine times, but I like it.  So far, I've only done the Level 1 workout, so as I get stronger, I'll let you know what I think of Levels 2 and 3.  My one complaint is that Jillian goes through some of the exercises too fast.  I use another of her DVDs regularly, Shred-It With Weights, and I love the speed of that one.  It's a kettle bell workout and it kicks my bum EVERY time I do it!  It's slowly getting easier, though, so I think I may ramp it up to Level 2 in the next week or two.  

Normally, like I mentioned above, I hop on my stationary bicycle for fifteen or twenty minutes after I do a strength training DVD.  But after a rough night with Tess, I slept in as late as I could without having to skip my workout completely.  

I would like to run more than 3 days a week, but for right now, I think this is the optimal set-up to help prevent injuries.  I have a tendency to give in to my pride and run harder than I should (hence, my past injuries), so sticking to a routine with this much cross-training is currently working well for me.  

And now I'm going to go and make this for dinner: 

http://www.therunnersplate.com/2010/07/26/salmon-chowder/

It is SO delicious!  Also, the blog it is found on (www.therunnersplate.com) is a wonderful running blog.  I've met the author, Michelle, once and she's lovely.  I highly recommend reading it!  She recently had her first baby and he's completely darling.  

Later, all!