My family reunion came to an end as the  new week started. Time just flew by with everyone here and before I knew it, my packed home would go back to just the 4 of us again. Ed and his family left Monday night. It was nice of them to stay longer than they originally planned. Mom and I spent another full day in the kitchen. Tuesday was when my mom went back home. PJ and his family left Wenesday night. I was a bit sad to say good bye- even though it was just for now. Seppe didn’t want anyone to leave and cried when PJ left. He likes having people around. I guess it’s just too boring with just us.  It was a lot quieter But yes, less fun. But that’s how it goes. We all had to get back to our lives and routines.  Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we can get together again….

Seppe and his Aunt Sarah – he adores her.

Mamma, PJ, and me

Seppe loved having his cousin Sabella come with us to drop him off at school.

With their Auntie Nicky

Seppe was soooo sad when PJ and Sarah left.

I didn’t do any workouts until Thursday. I wanted to focus on enjoying the short time I had with my family. I did walk my niece to the park on Wed but that was it. Pushing a stroller up the hills was tough. I applaud all the mamma out there who push those big things around. I haven’t had to push one for a while now and I can’t say I miss it. hahaha.

Thurs- Sun workouts

Thur 9/11: 2 mile walk, Holidayi Arms x3, LoveYourLegs x3, InnerOuter Thighs – I woke up Thursday determined to be active and do something. I had to restrain myself for jumping out of bed and running. I wanted to run so badly but I knew that if I wanted to do my race in Oct, I had to lay off and let my ankle heal completely before I pushed. So I went back to walking. My neighborhood is very hilly and these hills are steep. I focus on engaging my abs and keeping fast pace.

Fri 9/12: 2mile bootycall walk and 4mile walk with Ben. – I meant to do a workout but I can’t remember what I did instead. I know I spent some time cleaning and catching up on my blog.

Sat 9/13: 2 mile walk with Ben and the boys and a quick WOD my brother Ed posted on FB:

10 rounds –

10 pushups (modified)

10 air squats

10 situps

For Time: 9:31

He did his in 8:38 :-P I did try to match him but the last couple rounds were really tough and I slowed down a lot on the pushups.

Sun 9/14: 3.5 mile walk with Ben and the boys, Back to School, SunkissedAbs x3 – Finished catching up on the toning workouts from the first week of the FriskyFall challenge. I spent some time planning out my workouts for the next week.

Mon 9/15:
2mile Bootycall walk
1hr spinning + strength circuit:
3 rounds
20 pushups
20 Plié squats (added 5 squats at every round)
90 sec plank
BikiniArms

First time doing the 1 hour spinning class. Different instructor and different style. Great music and still a great sweat session. I didn’t feel it until later in the day when my legs started to feel like jello at home :-/ I did grocery shopping today and prepped salads for the next couple days for Ben and me. Spent time visualizing a tighter and toned body.

Tues 9/16:
2mile bootycall walk
45min spinning – this shorter class is tougher than the longer one. I always walk out a sweaty mess.
BikiniYoga

Wed 9/17:
2mile Bootycall walk
1hr spinning class + strength circuit:
3 rounds:
20 push-ups
30 Squat w/ kick
90 sec plank
Saw the orthopedic doctor and got referred for physical therapy for my ankle. Found out I can’t run or play volleyball :-( I was lucky to get my therapy started the same day. 2x a week for 4 weeks takes me out of my next two races. Even if I was cleared to run before my Nov race, I wouldn’t be ready to tackle 13 miles. I was pretty depressed about it. We cancelled our travel plans we set up for the November Vegas race. I know that there are other ways for me to get my cardio in besides my running. But it just feels like a part of me is missing. I feel lost. I’m doing spinning as my main source of cardio because it challenges me. I realized just how much running has become a part of who I am. I know I will be get back to it but I miss it a lot. I’m forcing myself to be patient and allow my body the time it needs to heal properly so I don’t keep injuring myself. Apparently I have loose ligaments to begin with that make me prone to sprains :-/
I went to bed early – by 10p. I was worn out from the therapy session which aggravated may ankle so it was sore again.

Thurs 9/18: Day1 7DSD
I didn’t start off that great. I either slept through my alarm or it never went off. I got up and it was already time to get the kids up so no time for my usual bootycall.
Still hit the gym for my 45min spin class. It was tough. Afterwards, I came home for a snack and went back with Ben for his workout.
30 min elliptical intervals – 3.44 miles
Weights:
Incline chest press: 10×3 -20lbs
Shoulder Press 10×3 -30lbs
High Row 10×3-30lbs w/ 15 squats in between each set
Front pull down- 30lbs
Leg press: 10×3 -180lbs
Mostly testing how much I was still able to do since its been a while since I’ve been lifting. The 180 felt super heavy. I was testing how my ankle felt and it didn’t bother me so I’ll be back to working my legs n the weight room :-)
Took a nap after lunch because I was super tired and still bummed.
PM workout:
50 Kettlebell swings
BikiniAbs
50kettlebellswings
LoveYourAbs
50kettlebell swings
M1: Bombshell shot, egg whites, banana
M2: grapefruit
M3: salad
M4: slim down shake
M5: tilapia w/ broccoli, Brussel sprouts,cauliflower
M6: handful of frozen grapes
Water 75 oz
Not happy with my water intake. I was aiming for 90-100 :-(

Fri 9/19 7DSD Day2
2mile bootycall walk – looks like I kept getting slower as the week went on.
1hr spinning class + strength training:
3 rounds:
20 push-ups (modified)
20 Hip abductions each legs
2min plank, 90sec, 2min plank

Did not push as hard in spin. Forgot my ankle brace so I was hesitant to put too much resistance. The planks were hard today.

Ab circuit:
3 rounds –
30 plank leg lifts
15 downward dog tucks each side
15 side plank dips each side
15 v sits
30 bicycle crunches
15 Bent leg heel taps
15 supermans

Disappointed in myself today :-( I didn’t do the workouts I was suppose to do. Got carried away trying to fix something on my laptop. It was something that I could have set aside for another time so that I would have time for my workout, but I didn’t. I was sooo frustrated that I forced myself to do an ab circuit even though it was already late. At this point, I just want to give up and say F@&! It!

Meals were ok but fell short of my water goal again :-(
M1: banana, bombshell shot, egg whites
M2: tropical fruit from trader joes – went to pick up grapefruit but didn’t see any so I just picked up a small fruit tray with pineapple, mango, and papaya. So good. Also had a few raw cashews.
M3: Salmon Salad boats: Salmon mixed with roasted red pepper hummus, a small amount of plain Greek yogurt, dill relish, olives, salt, and pepper. Put it on top of romain hearts and topped with cucumber, carrots, and cherry tomatoes.
M4: slim down snootke
M5: sliced roasted turkey breast from Costco with green beans and broccoli sautéed in coconut oil and season with sea salty, black pepper, garelic and onion
M6: frozen grapes

Sat 9/20 7DSD Day3: Slightly better day. Still having issues with my computer that I can’t seem to figure out but unlike Friday, I didn’t allow it to control my day. I was hoping Ben would be up early enough to come to the gym with me, but he slept in and I decided that I didn’t want to wait for him. So I took Seppe with me (Gio wanted to stay home hoping Ben would wake up while I was gone and take him to break in his new bat) dropped him off and started my day with a cardio session on the bike.

35min Bike Session: Meant to do a spin class but I didn’t get there in time for it. So I modified the Insane Cardio routine. I did 3min, 2min, and 1min for 5 rounds. I didn’t do the second part of it because I still can’t do any plyometrics with my ankle.

WOD: created by my brother Ed who is working on becoming a cross fit coach :-)

Warmup EMOM – 10min

Plank, Situps, Hollow Hold, Pushups (modified) – The hollow holds were really hard. I wasn’t able to keep my legs up for the entire minute but I tried my best.

Tabata: 3 rounds

Single Arm Dumbbell Snatch – 15lbs : 9, 8, 9

Deadlift High Pull – 20lb Kettlebell: 12, 12, 13

Not sure I did the single arm snatch right. I watched a couple youtube videos and copied what they did. I’m sure my form wasn’t the best. I alternated arms. I might have been able to go heavier but this workout definitely had me sweating. Love that it was short and sweet even though I did 3 tabata rounds.

Followed it with Bikini Abs and Sunset Stretch.  Yoga felt sooo good! Ankle was a little tight for some of the moves but I was happy that I was able to balance fairly well in half moon on that side.

Meals: Met my water goal today :-) 93 oz.

M1: banana and bombshell shot

M2: egg whites and plum + coconut water

M3: salad with roasted turkey breast, spring mix, cucumbers, carrots, dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes w/balsamic dressing + grapes

M4: Cliff Mojo Bar – not what I wanted to have but I didn’t have the stuff for my shake cleaned so I grabbed something quick.

M5: Tilapia seasoned with lime juice/garlic/onion/seasalt + asparagus

M6: frozen grapes

Sun 9/21 7DSD Day4 – Got up and hit the gym. Hamstrings were a little sore from the WOD my brother had me do. Sunday’s are tough because I’ve become a football fan and I love watching the games. Decided to do the frisky fall toning workout I missed during the week at half time.

30min Bike Intervals
15min Elliptical Intervals
Quicke Workout x3 at half time of football game

3.2 walk with Seppe before dinner: He did really well and was so excited to see all the deer. We got to see a bunch pretty up close. He earned his pizza for dinner :-)

WOD from brother:
Bicep Curls / Lunges – 8lbs:
20/1 descending curls ascending lunges end with 1/20
For Time – 29:20
SunkissedAbs

Meals – Another 90oz water day. It was sooooo hard to watch the boys eat pizza. It smelled so good but I made my favorite TIU recipe for dinner.
M1: bombshell shot, egg whites, banana
M2: plum
M3: Salad
M4: Slimdown Shake
M5: North Shore Garlic Shrimp

Week 7 – Aug 25-31

Week 8 of training started off really well. I was glad to be back home and ready to push hard in my training to get my speed up.

Mon 9/1: Week8 Day1 – 5 miles. My hip was really bothering me on this run. I started to foam roll before my runs to help loosen it up and then did a lot of stretching afterwards. I took the boys to the mall to get shoes for school. Gio really didn’t need any but Seppe needed some. I walked out with 4 pairs (2 each) for $100 :-)

Tues 9/2: First day of school for my boys. Finally! I was so excited to be heading to the gym after I dropped them off. I actually looked forward to my speed training.

Week8 Day2: 3.75 miles – .75/.25/.75 with a 1 mile warmup and cool down. Followed it with a leg workout. My original plan didn’t work out because the machines/stations I wanted to use were being occupied so I improvised.

Machine Leg Press 15×4 – 160lbs

SuperSets:

Deadlift 20×4 – 50lbs

Bench Crossovers 10×4

Squats 20×4 – 45lbs

Fwd/Bkwd Lunges 10×4 each leg

Weighted Glute Bridges 15×4 – 40lbs

Single Leg Bridge 10×4 each leg

Back Extensions 10×3 – 35lbs

Followed by lots of stretching

Wed 9/3: Legs were sore from Tuesday’s workout but I pushed through during my run.

Week8 Day3: 6miles – once my legs warmed up they felt pretty good.

Thurs 9/4: Remember when I posted that my NWM was just not meant to be? Well today was why. I started off great with a good paced 5k on the treadmill for Week8 Day4. I decided to go downstairs and do a short leg circuit using the Bosu ball.

10 Plyo Side Lunges

10 Plyo Lunge Hops

10 In/Out Squats

I got through one round and then I twisted my ankle during the side lunges :-( The same ankle I sprained in May. And that was it. When I fell to ground grabbing my ankle from the pain, I felt my whole world crumble. Luckily, there was another lady in the weight room with me who called for help. The trainers working up stairs came down to check me out and they called the ambulance. I just cried the whole time. I was so upset because I knew that my goal of a PR on my next half was not going to happen. I thought that I wasn’t even going to be able to do my race or go to the Tone It Up retreat. I was pretty worked up. They gave me morphine for the pain. They assumed my ankle was broken. If you saw how swollen it was, you probably would have too. They rolled me out of the gym and I got my first ambulance ride to the hospital. Ben came from his over time shift as soon as he got the message. We didn’t have to wait long for me to get my X-rays done and I was thrilled that my ankle wasn’t broken. Just a really bad sprain. They gave me more pain meds, wrapped my ankle, prescribed meds for home, gave me crutches and then sent me home. It was probably the fastest we’ve ever been in an out of the ER. I started to feel sick from the meds as soon as I got into the car and trying to use the crutches to get into the condo was really difficult. Everything was spinning. Ben had me wait by the elevator, unlocked the door and came back to carry me in. He put me in the recliner, propped my foot up on a pillow and put ice on it and that’s where I stayed for the entire day. I got so sick from the meds. Anything I ate or drank just came right back up :-( Ben took really good care of me and did all the cleaning I had planned on doing. Gio was super nice to me and Seppe was his usual emotional self. I had to reassure him that I would be ok. I slept when I wasn’t up being sick. It took until about 10p before the meds wore off enough that I could stay awake for more than a few minutes. I finally ate something and kept it down around 11p. Ben carried me to bed and I slept some more.

Fri 9/5: I spent half the day in the recliner while Ben finished up cleaning. We had a lot to do because I had my family visiting for the weekend. My brother Ed and his family showed up around 4 and my mom’s flight came in later that night. I had my brother PJ arriving early Saturday morning and my younger brother and sister coming Saturday night. Having my family around helped keep my mind off my ankle and kept me from getting depressed.

With my mom, brothers and their wives, and my youngest brother and sister

Just the Girls

Sat/Sun 9/6-9/7: Lots of laughs with my family. My dad even came and visited on Sunday. That’s a big deal because he never comes and visits.  We cooked lots of  yummy Filipino food. I helped and watched my mom cook so I could learn how to cook the food on my own. I held and played with nieces. I was able to walk around on Sunday without the crutches :-)

The “Big” kids with my dad

Week 7 was a tough one. I’m not use to trail running so I was cautious on my runs, even with my shoes. They worked great and I didn’t have any problems with slipping but I never ran with headphones, even on my mid length runs. I wanted to make sure I was aware at all times. I didn’t worry about pace and just focused getting the miles in.

Week 7

Mon 8/25 – Week7 Day1: 5 miles – Ben went with me for a mile and half then turned around to do 3 miles. I went on to 2.5 miles before turning around. I did stop a couple times to check signs to make sure that I was going the right way. I wanted to avoid that steep hill we did on our first run.

This was our last full day at the Elk Prairie campgrounds. Ben and I planned on doing a hike to Golds Bluff Beach (we camped there in 2009) and meet Gene and the boys there. We were a little confused on the distance. One sign said 9 miles and the other said 4.5 miles. The camp host said it was 4.5 so we went for it. It turned out to be 9 miles based on how long it took us. We went a little further because we started from our campsite which was about 2 miles from where the trail to Golds Bluff Beach started. We wound up getting there at the same time Gene and the boys got there. We had lunch and the boys decided to play in the ocean. I can’t believe that they didn’t freeze. I was covered in a towel the whole time. Ben fell asleep.

Golds Bluff Beach

Tues 8/26: The boys were very sad to leave their new friends but it was time for us to pack up and head over to my grandpa’s property at Hatcreek. I knew that it was going to be another long day in the car so I didn’t plan on doing a run. We made a long ride even longer by deciding to go to Eureka for lunch. We tried to avoid the fire in Weaverville by going on the 36 and that was just a Bad Idea. I got sick :-( The windy roads were just too much for me. We decided to take the 3 to get back to the 299 and that was just as bad and we had to stop again because I was so sick. Gio got sick too. I emptied my stomach. We managed to get to my grandpa’s before dark. We had stopped in Redding and had pizza (not me) so all we did was set up camp and go to bed.

Wed 8/27 –  Week7 Day3: Was suppose to be an 8 mile run but I only did 4. I did a loop a couple times and my stomach was not happy. I felt sick after the first lap and pushed through to get the second one done.  I decided to cut it short and try to make it up later if I could. My grandpa’s property is at a higher elevation too so I wasn’t use to the thinner air.

My grandpa’s property is a very special place for my family. I am so grateful that I get to share it with my kids. I spent almost every summer there as a kid. I took it for granted then, but I love it so much now. I want to go as often as we can in case it winds up having to be sold.

We spent most of the time relaxing. It’s private so it’s just us. The stars were amazing at night. Ben got to shoot his guns. The boys went fishing – mostly Gio. My grandpa came to hang out for a couple days and I got to catch up with him.

Thurs 8/28 – Week7 Day4: 6miles. I felt much better and was able to do three loops. Ben did a second day of shooting. He spent almost 5 hours playing with his toys. Reggie didn’t like all the loud noise and took off. We all separated to look for him. Seppe and I were the ones who found him. He was in the field next to my grandpa’s property. He wound up cutting his back on barb wire getting back to our side. Gene took him to the vet in the town first thing the next morning.

Fri 8/29 – Week7 Day5: 5miles. This was very slow because Seppe joined me for a few parts of it and he didn’t like being left alone. Ben, Gene, and Gio went fishing for a long time so it was just me and Seppe. They came back with 10 fish! They caught a total of 20 for the 3 days we were there. We took home 6 and had 4 for lunch while we were there. We left after lunch to get back before there was too much traffic.

It also happened to be Gene’s birthday. After we unpacked and showered (finally!!), we ordered some Italian for pick-up and got some cheesecake for dessert to celebrate Gene’s birthday :-) We decided that we would leave Sat instead of Fri night so we could rest.

Sat 8/30 – Week7 Day6: 4miles to make up for the 4 that I didn’t do on my eight mile run. I was pretty tired and my left hip flexor really bothered me. I didn’t do much stretching after my runs while camping because I was usually doing something right after I finished.  We drove back home so we could be home before Ben had to go to work.

Sun 8/31 – Week7 Day7: Long run day – 14 miles. My longest and furthest run ever. This was tough!! My hip hurt and my legs were tired. I had one bathroom stop and I stopped half way to stretch out my hip. I made it all the way to the San Mateo bridge before turning around.

My slowest week of running but I was glad that I was able to stick to my training and get my miles done.

June 21/22, 2014

Saturday –
Workouts:
3milerun
Pink Flamingo x2
2min plank

Meals:
M1: banana
M2: grapefruit
M3: north shore garlic shrimp/broccoli
M4: PerfectFit bar
M5: salad and 2 slices of pizza

Sunday:
Workout – 6mile run
Meals:
M1: banana
M2: eggs
M3: perfect fit bar
M4: veggies straws
M5: left over NorthShore garlic shrimp/broccoli/Brussel sprouts/ cauliflower

Saturday was a long day of baseball with a tournament for Gio. Luckily, the field he played on was right across the street from the bay trail so I could do a run while his team warmed up. Did 2 rounds of Pink Flamingo when we got home from his first game.

Dinner was at a pizza place after the second game. I had a very small salad but was still hungry. I had two slices of pizza. Luckily the slices were small. Not the best way to end the bikini series but I didn’t overdo it so I’m happy.

Did my long run on Sunday. It went well. My ankle is doing a lot better. The soreness is almost completely gone. I have more mobility with it.

Didn’t have time to take after pics so I will get to it during the week. I’ll do a post with my results and how this year’s bikini series went for me.

June 20, 2014

Workouts:
TIU HIIT the Beach II
3.8mile run
TIU BikiniAbs x2
2min plank

Meals:
M1: banana
M2: SlimDown scramble/ PerfectFit banana bread
M3: half of a PerfectFit green smoothies and bowl of cherries
M4: PerfectFit bar
M5: NorthShore Garlice Shrimp and broccoli
M6: frozen grapes.

Sunset Challenge: Family game night :-)

We also played Trouble. Seppe won Candyland. Gio and Ben won Trouble and I won Sorry! I never win board games and it looked like Ben was going to win. I was so thrilled to win :-)

June 19, 2014

Workouts:
45min spin class – 4.5miles
TurboFire Fire45
TIU BikiniBody x3
TIU BikiniBody2
2min plank

Meals:
M1: banana
M2: SlimDown scramble/grapes/PerfectFit banana bread
M3: Shrimp salad from Rainforest Cafe
M4: Panera black bean soup/ chicken Cobb salad – no dressing.
M5: perfect fit bar

Family fun day in the city today. We went shopping, explored Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, and had a late lunch at Rainforest Cafe. I stuck with a shrimp salad and water. We got back just before Gio had to get ready for his tournament game. We picked up Panera for dinner to take to the game. I had the black bean soup and Cobb salad with no dressing. It was tough to stay away from the snack bar junk, but I stayed strong :-)