Where's the Beach?

As a runner, I am always looking for ways to safe-guard myself from injuries, ideal strength training workouts, and ways to improve my overall performance. It's not always easy to incorporate in the necessary cross-training into running, especially when you itch to get out and run, run for fun. I will admit that I had gotten really lazy about my leg workouts, but finally forced myself to re-incorporate them into my workouts. Not just for aesthetic reasons, but for injury prevention and power/strength. Another way to increase your power and strength is through plyometric exercises. Another admission is that I've slacked off with plyo workouts. I used to do them at least once a week, sometimes twice a week in conjunction with leg workouts. You're probably asking, "Why is this a bad thing?" or "What's your point?" As a personal trainer and running coach, it's not just important for me to train properly, but to learn how to train others properl...

Brunch for Dinner Last night we decided to go with Brunch for Dinner. I thought a vegan frittata sounded like the perfect lazy day dinner. I had some kale to be used and a new package of tempeh bacon, so I went with a Vegan Kale and "Bacon" Frittata . Vegan Kale and "Bacon" Frittata Ingredients: 1 package extra firm silken tofu 1-2 tbsp spicy mustard 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Splash of soy or almond milk To taste: salt, pepper, basil oregano tomato spice blend, turmeric, nutritional yeast flakes (approximately 2 tbsp) 1/4 red bell pepper, diced 1/4 green bell pepper, diced 1/4 white onion, diced 4 slices tempeh bacon, diced 2-3 leaves of kale, chopped To taste: salt, pepper Daiya Vegan cheese (optional) Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In food processor, puree tofu, mustard, vinegar, milk, and first set of spices until thick and creamy - almost like a mousse. In non-stick, oven-safe skillet, saute remaining ingredients up to "chees...

Morning Run & Noon Lifting Since it's gotten so hot and humid this week, Jason and I opted to go for a run this morning. We got up at about 5:40 then hit the pavement. It was muggy, but at least it wasn't sweltering. The temperature was already at 68 degrees though if that gives you an indication of how warm it is this week. We did a fairly easy run - it was still early and all. It was really nice to just be out moving. I did go home and do my weights at lunch as it was Upper with Plyo. Since I had run, I only did 4 plyo moves. The weights were done in 3 sets of 8 rep as supersets: SS#1 Back - Double-arm rows Biceps - Preacher curls SS#2 Shoulders - Dumbbell shoulder press Triceps - Overhead extension SS#3 Chest - Chest flyes Biceps - Hammer curls Plyo moves: Explosive running man Wide jump ups on step Plie jacks Ski hops It was a pretty good workout. I was able to increase the weights. I did hit failure with the hammer curls on 2 of the sets, but I m...

Plyo Recap I had a couple of people ask about what plyo moves I had done. I will also include some of the plyo from Imax 3 as it really does incorporate a lot of plyo moves in the "blasts". Using a 12" step, I did: Wide Jump Ups - start standing with feet together, then jump up and land in a wide stance on step, then jump back into starting position. Crossovers - with weight in hand, start with one leg on step in squat position then crossover into squat position on other side and repeat. Slow Straddle Jumps - start standing on bench then jump down (like jumping jack) landing in deep squat then jump back up in deep squat. In Imax 3 , some of the plyo moves include: Plie Jacks - start with legs wide, plie down then jump up and click heels, return to wide stance and repeat Air Jacks - start with feet together then jump up before sending legs out to the side.  Tuck Jumps - start with feet together then jump up bringing knees up high. Plunge Lunges -  Alternatin...

While we haven’t had snow here, it’s been cold nonetheless. Although, if it’s going to be this cold, some snow might be nice. Anyway, I was very glad that my workout was an at-home workout this evening. I made it through STS Disc 35, Plyo Legs . It consisted of alternating between weighted exercise like squats or static lunges and plyo exercises like lateral jumps over a step or plyo jacks. Legs are sufficiently fried thank you Cathe. After the workout, I really didn’t want anything too heavy or too labor intensive. And with it being cold, I’ve wanted cold-weather dinners like soup and chili. I had some leftover roasted butternut squash from my Butternut Squash and Black Bean Quesadillas. I also had a can of pumpkin puree. So, what do you get? A pumpkin soup of course. Here’s how it went: Pumpkin Soup Ingredients: Olive oil (just enough to sauté onions 2-3 carrots, chopped  1/2 white onion diced 1 cup roasted butternut squash (cubed) Minced garlic to taste 1 can pump...