Week 33

August 12th- 3.09 mile run

This week my family and I are at a beach house in Oregon for vacation. I got to explore the beach a little more by running along side the ocean. Running on sand was a challenge, but a great leg workout. Excited for some other routes I may run across while on this trip!

August 13th- Rest

I am so sore from my run on the beach yesterday. I decided to take the day off, but am excited to pick back up my runs tomorrow with another few miles on the beach!

August 14th- 3.56 mile run

I went for another run on the beach today, exploring the opposite side of where I ran on Monday. Running through the sand was a little harder today, as it was more loose that it was Monday.

It felt good to get out and get a run in after lounging around all day and snacking on junk food.

August 15th- Rest

August 16th- Rest

August 17th- Rest

August 18th- Rest

Week 31

July 29th- 6 min abs

Didn’t have enough time for a run, but right before bed I did a quick little ab workout. I was impressed with how tight my abs were after! I need to do this more often when I can’t get a run in.

July 30th- 2.7 mile run

Today was the day! I finally got a run in. I’m hoping to see more of these days as the summer quarter wraps up and my time frees. It was really hard to get back into it with all the hills around me, but it did feel good to get out and see the neighborhood again. Excited for what the rest of the week brings!

July 31st- Abs

Completed a 6 minute ab workout today.

August 1st- abs

Did another 6 minute ab workout.

August 2nd- Rest

August 3rd- Rest

August 4th- Rest

Week 30

July 22nd- Rest

Man I can’t believe we are almost done with July. I don’t want to be too hard on myself when it comes to reflecting in a week or so on my progress from July, but man did I start to slack off… to be fair classes picked up and I am taking double the recommended number of courses. In a couple weeks I will be finished with classes and focus my extra time on getting back into the groove of running and working out. Today was a rest day, I worked for a bit, headed back up to Bellingham, got coffee with an old friend, and met up with a group to work on a project due later this week. This week is going to be full of group work and studying.

July 23rd- Rest

July 24th- Rest

July 25th- abs

I did get a good 10 minute ab workout in tonight. Although it wasn’t too harsh of a workout, it did feel good to get those abs tight!

July 26th- Rest

July 27th- abs

I got another ab workout in this week. I did a shorter 5 minute session before bed!

July 28th- Rest

Family BBQ day with Alex’s side of the family! It was good to see everyone and catch up for a bit with the sibs. Also got to soak in some sun, which was awesome!!

Week 32

August 5th- 2.4 mile run

I ran through campus today. It felt good to get out again. With this being my first week off from classes, I am hoping to get on a solid running schedule for the rest of summer. The times I run will have to vary with work, but I’m hopeful I will be able to get a run in everyday.

Although my miles times were fairly slow, I am hoping to pick them up as the week goes on!

August 6th- 3.04 mile run

Quite a step up from yesterday, or last week for that matter. I have already put two days down for running and am hoping to get even more as the week goes on!

It feels really good to get out and enjoy the sunshine while running. I am hoping to continue to get back into a routine as the week goes on and I can’t wait to see how many miles I will get in this week!

August 7th- Rest

August 8th- Rest

August 9th- 3.35 mile run

I forgot how many hills there are around my parents house in Seattle. This was definitely a good leg workout!

August 10th- Rest

August 11th- Rest

August

It’s that time of the month again to assess how my month went. I know (before even looking at last months posts) that it wasn’t a great month for goals being accomplished. Taking double the recommended course load took a toll on my exercise habits and routines.

With August right around the corner and classes finishing up within the first week of August, I can’t wait to get out and get some good runs in. I know it’s going to be a challenge, as I have taken about a month off. But the sooner I get back into it, the better off I will feel!

Maybe I should sign up for a 5k or half marathon to help me stay motivated to run. I’ll have to check out Bellingham and see what they got going on. It would feel good to get to train for something and push myself to run further distances.

With this being said, here are my workout goals for August:

Run at least one 4 mile run a week

Keep arms toned at the gym

As I sit here and write this post, I can’t help but think how much of a burden this feels. Although not many people look at my posts, this is my way of recording what I am doing and what I am feeling. But I do think it is hindering my motivation to run and workout because I know I will have to write about it later.

I think what I am going to try to do for August is keep everything short and sweet in my posts. Just a quick couple of sentences of what I did that day and how it felt. Lets test is out and see how it goes!

Monthly stats

August had two really good weeks (31 and 34) with a good mixture of run, gym, and rest days. However, weeks 32 and 33 had more rest days than I would have liked. I am proud of what I accomplished this month, but still want to continue to push myself throughout the rest of 2019.

Week 29

July 15th- abs

I didn’t make it outside to run today, as I was stuck in the office getting trained for my new part time job! I was able to get a 10 minute ab workout in though. This was a little challenging, as I have not done core in a long time.

I have fallen off my routine of running and weightlifting. Last week was really hard to make time to go. With the 6 week summer quarter, I am having a really hard time of staying on top of all my work. There have been a lot of late nights at the computer lab and by the time I’m done I’m hungry, tired, and still have homework to do for other classes.

Sorry for the little bit of complaining above, but I guess what I’m trying to say is I need to figure out how to fit gym time or a run into my busy schedule!!!

July 16th- 2.6 mile run

Alright I did it.. got out and run. Now that midterms are over, I feel myself having a little more time to focus on other work.

This run was fairly challenging. I had a mile time of 9:45, which in my opinion, is pretty slow. I could feel how out of shape I was from taking that last two weeks off. It’s time to figure out how to get a run in at least every other day while on this hectic schedule for the next 3 weeks.

July 17th- Rest

Today was another long night in the lab and when I got home a night filled with homework and no downtime. Going to try and get that run in tomorrow though!! Remember: every other day.

July 18th- Abs

Today was a ab workout kind of day. I got back kind of late but was still wanting to make sure I got some kind of workout in. My abs were definitely tight after the 10 minute straight workout!

July 19th- Abs

I went down to Everett to surprise Alex for the weekend. We ended up seeing the new Lion King movie. After the movie was done and we got back home I made sure to get my abs in again, as I did not bring my workout clothes down with me.

July 20th- Rest

Saturday was the first full day off I have had in awhile. I decided to not worry about homework, or anything else that came to mind. I made sure to spend the day soaking up the sun and enjoying my time with Alex.

July 21st- Rest

It’s game day!! Sounders play Portland and Alex and I got tickets to go to the game. After spending the early afternoon catching up with a friend, we headed down to Century Link, enjoyed the high 80’s and sun and watched the soccer game. Although the sounders ended up losing, it was a fun game and was great to get out before the week starts up again.

Week 28

July 8th- Rest

I spent the day traveling down to the courthouse in downtown Seattle for Jury Duty. The day consisted of a lot of sitting and waiting until finally being excused for the day.

After that was finished, I met up with Alex and his brother to grab lunch downtown. It was fun to see them again and get out to enjoy the warm Seattle day!

July 9th- Rest

July 10th- Rest

July 11th- Rest

July 12th- Rest

July 13th- Rest

July 14th- Rest

Well, this week didn’t go too well when it came to working out. It was midterm week and a lot of late nights in the lab preparing for them. I spent over 12 hours on campus most of this week and didn’t have the energy afterwards to get out and exercise. Next week will be different. I plan to run and hit the gym Monday through Friday!

Week 27

July 1st- 3.3 mile run

I am starting July out on the right foot! I wasn’t originally going to run today, but I stepped outside to take the trash out around 8 pm and couldn’t help but notice how refreshing it felt outside.

I quickly ran back inside, got ready to go for a walk and ended up talking myself into a run down to Fairhaven and back. I ran all the way to the boardwalk, took a quick break to soak in a bit of the sun, then continued my way back to the apartment.

This run felt really hard with all the hills, but I did feel really good to get a longer run in then just 2.5 miles. In June I got stuck around 2.5 miles and didn’t venture too far from that millage. I want to continue to increase my millage this month and consistently run at least 3 miles. I am excited to see what July will bring for results!!

July 2nd- Abs/ Gym Day

I decided to do a shorter workout day today, as I have been really busy with classes and trying to get all my work done for the week.

I mainly focused on abs, but am hoping to be a more thorough workout in tomorrow!

July 3rd- Gym Day

I spent the evening at the gym focusing on arms, abs, and a bit of legs. I got a few reps in with the dumbbells and also used quite a few arm machines. I utilized the stairclimber as well for a bit. Using the gym during the summer is a lot different than during the normal school year.

There’s not as many people in the gym, meaning almost all the machines are open when I want to use them. This is a great change compared to the “normal” quarters up at WWU. It makes me more motivated to go and also stay longer knowing the machines I want to use will be open.

July 4th- Rest (Camping)

Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸 Today I spent the day traveling with Alex’s family over to Pateros in Eastern Washington for the long weekend. I don’t know how much exercise I will get in while over there, but I am looking forward to jet skiing, swimming, and laying out in the sun.

July 5th- Camping

I’m a little behind on my posting due to not having service while camping and then midterms last week in summer classes. I’m hoping to get caught back up by tomorrow at some point (7/14).

Anyways, today was another day of jet skiing, laying out in the sun, swimming in the lake, and spending time with Alex’s family.

It has been really nice detaching from my phone and getting away from all the college stress. It’s important to take time to relax and unplug. I wish I went camping more often, as it feels like I have tons of time on my hands and I haven’t been in any rush to fill that time with meaningless scrolling, judging, or yearning on social media.

July 6th- 2.6 mile run

Wow was this run hot!! Alex’s mom, sister in law, and I decided to get a quick couple of miles in around the campsite before heading into town for dinner with the rest of the family.

It was around 4pm and mid 80’s out. I can’t remember the last time I sweat this much from a run. It felt really good to get out and run after snacking and lounging all day.

I also forgot how good it feels to have someone to run with. There was a lot of good conversation happening and it helped motivate me to keep up with the group and continue running despite the hot heat. This is something I do miss about running cross country and track in high school. You always had someone to run with and push you when you needed it.

July 7th- Rest

Today was our travel day back home. We spent the morning packing up and the afternoon playing in the lake and eventually hitting the road to come home.

July

“Some days it’s not about speed or miles, it’s just therapy… “

I cannot believe how fast June has gone. As I sit here updating my blog, I can’t believe it is time to look back at June and figure out what I want to change in July. To be honest, I am pretty unimpressed with my running and gym routines from this past month. I did not apply myself nearly as hard as I should have. I could sit here and make excuses about it being finals week, Alex graduating from WWU, or the gym not being open for the week of intercession. These are all valid concerns, but at the end of the day it has been my decision to not get out and go for an extra run or get creative in how I work out.

This is something I will change this month. I have a feeling being back on a set schedule will help with this. I will have access to the gym everyday of the week and will be on the same class schedule, which should help me figure out when the best time to go to the gym will be. I am thinking around 4 when my last class gets out will be the best option. Below is the schedule I have made for myself for the month of July. Unlike last month, I didn’t end up printing out a copy of this calendar. For July, I am hoping by printing out the weekly calendar below as it will motivate me to get out and workout each day I assign to myself.

Here is what I came up with for the month of July:

Monday- Long Run (3-4 miles if not longer)
Tuesday- Gym day (Arms, Abs, Cardio, Legs)
Wednesday- Run (2.5 or more miles)
Thursday- Rest day when Alex is here OR gym day (Arms, Abs, Legs, Cardio)
Friday- Abs and Arms
Saturday- Run (2.5 or more miles)
Sunday- Gym Day (Arms, Abs, Cardio, Legs)

I know this will change throughout the month, especially when I go on vacation and will have to alter what I do, but I do hope it gives me a good outline of what a “normal” week should look like.

Let’s hope July brings more results and motivation than June did and bring on that summer bod!!

Monthly stats

July saw my worst week so far this year with week 28 of seven rest days. Luckily this has not been a recurring habit and I don’t think it will be for the remainder of the year. The rest of July saw a good spread of gym, run, and rest days.

Week 26

June 24th- Rest

It’s my last rest day for awhile. I have come to that conclusion in the past few days. I have taken over a week off and tomorrow it is time to get back into a solid routine.

This routine will consist of going to classes Tuesday- Thursday and hitting the gym Monday- Sunday. I am going to deter from my original June calendar and make up a new routine for this week. I want to incorporate longer times at the gym and doing more than one activity.

My goal for Tuesday is as follows: Run at least 2.5 miles, dumbbell arm workout, and end with a quick core workout.

June 25th- Gym Day

Here’s how my Tuesday gym day went: I started off with a 2.5 mile run, did my full arm workout with dumbbells and ended with a 5 minute ab workout. I wanted to do a little bit of everything today at the gym to see how I liked it.

After completing the entire gym routine, I actually wasn’t a huge fan of it. The run was fine, but everything after that seemed a lot harder than normal. I think from now on I will only do these run days if I do a shorter distance run around 1 mile or so. If I do this, I have a feeling I won’t be as tired and skip out on arms and abs.

June 26th- Gym day

Alright, I tried the same thing I did yesterday but ended up focusing more on arms. I actually ended up using most of the arm machines, including doing my dumbbell workout. By the end of doing all the arm machines my arms were shaking and I could tell I wasn’t going to be able to lift anything else.

To help spread out the arm workouts and give them a rest, I ran a couple of laps around the track. I liked putting this in here because it gave me a break from lifting, allowed me to move around, AND I got to get some cardio in!

Towards the end of my gym routine, I also used the stair climber for a bit to help tone my legs. I was on there for about 10 minutes and could feel the burn after about 5. I ended with another 5 minute ab workout. With swimsuit season here, I thought abs should become another main focus of mine while I am at the gym!

June 27th- Rest

Today Alex came back up to Bellingham for the weekend, so I decided to try and spend as much time as I could with him before he goes back home Monday.

June 28th- Gym day

Instead of going to the actual gym, I downloaded a few different workout apps and tried them out. The one I decided to use today included abs, arms, and butt. I was actually really surprised at how hard these workouts are. I did a 5 minute timed session for each and was sweating a lot by the time I was finished.

These apps are something I need to keep in mind when at the gym! They have a lot of good routines and they actually go by pretty fast since you are switching what you are doing every 30 seconds.

June 29th- Rest

Today was another rest day. My abs are actually really sore from my workout yesterday, which is a good thing but it definitely put me in a not-so-motivated mindset.

June 30th- Abs

I used the app again to get a good ab workout in. I did another 5 minute session and could feel the burn. The ab workout is something I want to try and do almost everyday during July.

I am still in need of making a July calendar, but am hoping to get to this tomorrow (as tomorrow is already July 1st!) Where has the time gone?? It feels like June flew by!