Workout Recap - Running on Tuesday, August 13th

I REALLY didn't want to run this yesterday morning, but I forced myself to anyway. I had an early start to my day because of an experiment in lab, so I was planning on going into lab at 6:30, getting things started, and then going on a run. The rest of my experiment started at 11, so I had plenty of time. I started at lab, and ended my run at home, so I could shower and change before heading back in. When I woke up this yesterday morning I was just so tired - I hadn't slept well, and I just really didn't want to run. I hadn't allowed enough time to change my plan though, so I had to go straight in without any of my breakfast/lunch supplies, or my work stuff. It was easier to throw on workout clothes than anything else, and I just grabbed my phone, ID, headphones, armband, heart rate monitor, protein bar, and GU chomps and was out the door. It felt like soup outside - so wet and humid. By the time I got into lab I felt a bit better. I had my protein bar, and then decided to go ahead and do this run. The original run I had planned yesterday, when I was feeling much more ambitious, didn't feel right (it was 4 miles), so I replanned and made a 2.5 mile run that ended at home. The run itself felt pretty good, and I think it was a smart choice. I ran on Saturday and I'll run again on Thursday, so I don't want to push myself too hard. Plus I'm just getting back into running outside. I'll try for a 3 mile run on Thursday, then hopefully a 3.5 or 4 mile run on Saturday. Unless I can find a nice route, I might do Thursday's run inside on a treadmill.

Anyway, here's what I did! I had to stop twice because of lights, but besides that it was smooth sailing. I have my splits below, as well as the heart rate monitor data. It's going to be a sad day once I have to give it back to my co-worker! I'll have to get one of my own :)

Splits:
1/4 mile: 2:14, 8:56 pace
1/2 mile: 4:50, 9:40 pace
3/4 mile: 7:17, 9:43 pace
1 mile: 9:39
1 1/4 mile: 12:04, 9:39 pace
1 1/2 mile: 14:31, 9:41 pace
1 3/4 mile: 16:57, 9:41 pace
2 mile: 19:24, 9:42 pace
2 1/4 mile: 21:45, 9:40 pace
2.56 miles: 24:29, 9:34 pace

Note - I wasn't actually going that fast in the first quarter mile. I think it lost me for a second, or something like that, that screwed up the coordinates. I actually went almost the same exact pace the entire time, speeding up only at the very end.

Heart Rate Monitor:
Duration: 0:30:00
Calories Burned: 343
Average Heart Rate: 167
Max Heart Rate: 185
Time In Zone: 0:09:43

Workout Recap - Lifting on Monday, August 12th

Mondays are normally my kettle bell workouts. However, there are only two gyms that have kettle bells, and both of them are closed or open for minimal hours this week. The AFC is completely closed, which also means I can't go to any classes. Mem Gym is open from only 11-2, which would require a lot of planning on my part. Since I had done zero planning when I left the apartment Monday morning, I decided to just do a normal Wednesday lifting workout. Since I increased my running, I've been getting in enough cardio that straight lifting was a nice break.

When I first wrote the workout, I wasn't sure that it would be hard enough. That didn't end up being an issue. Since I was just in the apartment, I did it in underwear and a sports bra, and I could feel sweat dripping down my back. I also tried a few things that were new, which was an additional challenge. I really liked the plank variations. My hamstrings are super sore from that, even two days later! I didn't really like the split squat with chair, but I may have not been doing them correctly. I did like the single leg deadlift row. They took me a while to complete because my balance is so horrible, and they require a lot of it!

This is what I would recommend as general guidelines, for choosing which DBs to use for each exercise.
Any kind of front or lateral raise - go really light. Trust me. If you've been lifting for a while, use 5-6lb weights. If you're a beginner, use 2-3lb weights. Joey, who is crazy strong, usually uses 7.5 or 10lb weights, just to give you an idea. I used 5lb weights for these.

Hammer curls, biceps curls, squat pres - use a medium weight. I used 10lb weights, and probably would have used 12.5lb weights if I had any.

Russian twist, overhead triceps extension - use something a bit heavier, since you're holding it with both hands. I used a 15lb weight, although I probably could have used a 20lb weight and been just fine. Just be careful with the Russian twists, when touching the weight to the ground. Just hold the weight up in the air the whole time if you don't want to smash your fingers. I also used the 15lb weight for the deadlift row.

Heart Rate Monitor:

Duration: 0:47:19

Calories Burned: 290

Average Heart Rate: 119

Max Heart Rate: 148

Time In Zone: 0:13:57

Recipe - Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches

I've been wanting to try to make homemade breakfast sandwiches for a while now. There are very few options for vegetarians in stores. I've seen some breakfast burritos, but they're usually pretty high in calories and fat. Lean pockets are delicious, but don't have a ton of protein. Joey found some egg and cheese pitas at Kroger that were pretty tasty, but I guess in the end, I don't love relying on processed food to get me going in the morning. We've talked about making our own, but I just never was sure how it would work - making the eggs in advance and then freezing them.

Last weekend, Joey finally forced me to try it. I found a website that had a lot of helpful information. We went to Sam's Club and got a ton of supplies. We got 36 eggs, 9 english muffins, 16 sandwich thins, 42 slices of cheese, and some sliced ham. Joey had a few breakfast sausages on hand, and had meant to buy more, but forgot.

We tested out two methods of cooking the eggs - baking in ramekins, and cooking on the stove in ring molds. Baking in ramekins was super simple -  you just spray the ramekins with nonstick cooking spray, then put in one egg per ramekin. Use a fork or knife to break up the yolk slightly and spread it around, then sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until egg is set. On the stove, you lightly butter a pan and put over medium heat. Center the ring mold on the pan. Crack an egg into the mold, break the yolk slightly, and sprinkle with black pepper. Carefully pour 1/4 cup of water around the mold, and then cover with a lid. Bake until set, ~5-7 minutes. For us, we baked in ramekins for putting eggs on the sandwich thins, since it made a larger egg, and in the ring mold for the english muffins. We haven't noticed a significant difference in texture.

We made up 18 egg sandwiches so far, with the two different methods, half with meat and half without. We tried freezing the parts individually and then stacking, as well as cooling everything and then assembling. Freezing didn't appear to help, so I think as long as everything is cool, you don't need to freeze first.

So here are the instructions:
* Cook your eggs (detailed instructions above). Lay on a paper towel and cool in the fridge.
* Fold your slices of cheese as necessary to fit on your bread of choice
* Open up your bread - whether it's a sandwich thin, english muffin, etc
* Once everything is cool, layer cheese on the bottom of your bread, then top with the egg, desired meat, and the top of the bread.
* Place on a piece of wax paper, wrap up tightly.
* Put in a freezer-safe ziploc bag
* To heat - remove from wax paper and wrap lightly in paper towel. Microwave on full power for 30 seconds, then flip and microwave for another 30 seconds (do 45 seconds each side if sandwich has meat). For best results, toast an additional 1-2 minutes in a toaster oven.

We calculated both the cost and nutritional information for our different sandwich varieties.
Here are the exact brands of everything we used:
Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins
Thomas' Light Multi-Grain English Muffins
Castle Wood Reserve Mild Cheddar or Pepperjack Cheese - 0.75oz/slice
Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausages
Castle Wood Reserve Thinly Shaved Ham

English Muffin + Egg + Cheese
Cost: $0.73
Nutrition: 248 calories, 11g fat, 26.6g carbs, 8g fiber, 18g protein

English Muffin + Egg + Cheese + Sausage
Cost: $1.01
Nutrition: 368 calories, 18g fat, 27.6g carbs, 8g fiber, 31g protein

English Muffin + Egg + Cheese + 2 slices ham
Cost: $1.05
Nutrition: 278 calories, 12g fat, 27.1g carbs, 8g fiber, 23g protein

Sandwich Thin + Egg + Cheese
Cost: $0.68
Nutrition: 248 calories, 11g fat, 22.6g carbs, 5g fiber, 17g protein

Sandwich Thin + Egg + Cheese + Sausage
Cost: $0.96
Nutrition: 368 calories, 18g fat, 23.6g carbs, 5g fiber, 30g protein

Sandwich Thin + Egg + Cheese + 2 slices ham
Cost: $1.00
Nutrition: 278 calories, 12g fat, 23.1g carbs, 5g fiber, 22g protein

English Muffin + Egg + Mild Cheddar