Abs of Bronze

As everyone finishes up the school year and comes home for the summer I've been seeing more familiar faces around the house lately. Yesterday I went to the gym with two of the guys, both my younger brother and one of his friends. They went off and did their own thing while I did mine. Monday meant legs day for me and chest day for them. But then my brother had to leave and I was on my way out, too, when his buddy challenged me to a game of Ab Tag.

I had never heard of Ab Tag but I'm always down for a challenge. He explained the rules for me. Each person takes turns picking an ab work out until one of the people can't keep going anymore and you have to quit. Sounds great, right? Especially after I had already finished doing my abs for the day. But I didn't want to give up before we even began so I grabbed us a couple of mats and we were ready to go!

We were at it for about an hour when he finally gave in. Which was good because I had to get home to make dinner! After we left the gym I wrote down everything we did since it had turned out to be a great workout!

Running Shoes

For a shoe addict like myself it shouldn't surprise anyone that I have a large collection of running shoes, and lifting shoes, and spikes, and fashion-over-function sneakers, and too-sentimental-to-toss grubby old shoes with hundreds of miles worn in.

That being said, I'm on the hunt for a new pair of go-to running shoes. My current favorites, the Nike FLEX TR, had long been discontinued and have only really got about 75ish miles left in them. I absolutely adore these shoes and wish I had known how much I would love them at the time because I would have bought up as many pairs as I could before they were gone!

So now comes the time I wish I worked for Runner's World and had access to all their different shoes to test out! Sadly, that's not the case. But luckily for me they did just send out their 2014 Summer Shoe Guide in their latest issue. And those results are all available online as well!

I'm someone who cares just as much about what's going under my foot as what it looks like, hence the super stylish white cheetah print pair on my instagram, and most of my running gear does match my Nike FLEX TRs (because running clothes can be just as stylish as the rest of your closet). This time around, however, it was the knowledge that I've got 700 miles between me and my next big race that had me feeling like I would have to sacrifice looks for practicality.

Fortunately, the designers at New Balance understand a woman's desire for both function AND fashion. They've partnered with Heidi Klum for a line that looks as amazing as it performs. And with the excellent reviews from Runner's World I went with the New Balance 890v4 in one of the Heidi Klum designs.

HKNB 890v4 Graphic in White Mint

HKNB 890v4 in Grey with Cosmic Coral

In fact, two of the Heidi Klum designs. I couldn't decide which I liked better so I ordered both! I justified it by saying the store doesn't carry anything smaller than a 6.5 and I didn't know which size I needed but I really just had to see them up close before making the final call. The womens' shoe comes in 17 different colors and narrowing it down to these two was hard enough that I needed to make the final decision in person. I'll let you know what I go with when they arrive next week!

Doughnut Dash

This morning I made my way down to Greenlake for the 5th Annual Top Pot Doughnut Dash 5k! The weather had been incredibly temperamental lately so everyone was dressed like a bunch of crazy people who did not look like they were all supposed to be in the same place.

 I, for one, was wearing my all-time favorite workout shorts from Lululemon (yes, I know they say they're for yoga but I love running, rowing, lifting, tumbling and dancing in them, too), partnered with an over-sized rain jacket from The North Face. There were others in long tights and tank tops, and everything in between.

My latest pair of my favorite workout shorts

Standing in the corrals waiting for the starting gun to go off felt like we were in a wind tunnel it was freezing! The runner next to me commented that she had run a race in February in DC in 30 degrees and this still felt colder even though the weathermen were telling us it was in the upper fifties. Turned out, it was only one side of the lake that was freezing this morning because when we rounded to the sunny side it felt closer to 75 than 50. The runners in tights were giving me the jealous looks I had been giving them when we were waiting to start. I guess everyone and no one dressed right today.

The race was a beautiful, cloudless, lap around the lake that also took over a couple sections of the nearby streets. I finished just sigh of a new PR (and yep, I'm totally blaming it on the headwinds I hit on the last mile) but I was still happy as I crossed the finish line and got right into the que for an old-fashioned glazed doughnut. Totally worth it.

Strong Shoulders

Thursdays are my cross training days and always super important when it comes to preventing injuries! But I don't just swim or bike on Thursdays, I work on those shoulder sculpting lifts, too! Here's what I did today as an example of what you can do to stay active even on days when you're not expected to be out running.

Whenever you do a 2000m Row always do it for time! That way you can watch yourself improve as you keep at it, my record is just under ten minutes.I love doing it at the end of a workout because it feels harder than when I'm full of energy when I first get to the gym. I definitely feel all my muscles working together the last 500 meters. If you're not sure about form please ask someone at your local gym or find an instructional video online, using improper form can really mess up your back!

How to Make Mondays Enjoyable

How do I make my Mondays enjoyable? Simple, I head to the gym. I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible people who make even the hardest workout a good time. But that comes from constantly being at the gym and getting to meet new people all the time. While I'm usually more of an introvert my extroverted side comes out when I'm working out. Something to do with all the extra endorphins I guess. But something about having an encouraging group around you definitely makes a colossal difference.

My gymnastics group is like a second family and the guys I lift with are like a pack of the coolest older brothers a girl could find. So, naturally, when I'm looking to make my Mondays a little more bearable I know working out is gonna be the fix I need.

Today I did a workout I had made up last week that I'm really starting to love. I'm able to tweak it each time I do it so that I'm always challenged. Some days I'll try to set a new record for my 2000m on the rowing machine, or I'll increase weight on my calf raises, or add additional reps for my abs circuit. No matter what I choose to focus on I know this is a great one to target my core and abs without taking up an entire afternoon. I can usually finish in a little under an hour depending on how many breaks I take or how long I choose to stretch out after.

Got Your Back

As spring break continues Ela and I have spent most of it in the gym. Yesterday was all about the biceps and back muscles.

We even tossed in some clapping planks for fun! (I know planking doesn't sound all that fun but when you're high-fiving your partner the whole time it tends to take your mind off the strain of muscle against gravity.

Legs for Her

Today I had a wonderful surprise when my best friend, Ela, stopped by work to visit me after she had finished with her finals. And although we didn't get the chance to work out together I did write up a little something for her to do while I was busy.