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Katie

All Things Me

no real theme or direction...just a place to get out my thoughts, rant and share the occasional recipe!

Therapist, fighter of the system, hater of mean people, lover of all things good and kind, health-nut, cook, football fan, dog lover, news junkie...

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Filed under: fitness

H to the izzO, V to the izzA....

Wednesday's workout was a 4 mile run with an all Jay-Z mix.  I did a shuffle of the MTV Unplugged Album and the Blueprint 3 album.  

Jay_z
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That MTV album is super awesome and I highly recommend it.  Jay-Z is someone that I never really got in to back in the day.... I was always into the old school gangster rap like Tupac and Bone and the "booty" rap stuff like Kilo and Raheem.  Jay-Z fell in a completely different category of rap in my opinion.  But since I've been with Eric, he has exposed me to alot of Jay-Z and I like his stuff.  Eric says his "Black" album was his best but I haven't listened to that one much.  Also, in case you've been living under a rock and didn't know about Jay-Z's best selling book that came out last year, you should check that out too.  It's called Decoded.  

Thursday night I did group fitness classes - BodyStep and BodyPump - so no music to report there.  

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend.  RTR! 

9.7.11 Workout

I've decided that even if you're not a runner or gym rat that maybe posting my workouts and my music will inspire you.  Either you'll get some cool workout ideas OR learn about some new music.  Either way I like the idea of continuing to post them...it keeps me motivated! 

Last night's workout was a hodgepodge of sorts.  I normally do BodyPump on Tuesday night's but I was running late getting out of work and didn't make it for the start of class.  But I was super energetic -thanks to all the hot coffee I'd had- so I ended up having an awesome workout.  I warmed up with some intense cardio and then did a circuit type thing.  Here's what I did:

About 25-30 minutes hard on the arc trainer at a max 20 incline and resistance between 25 and 35
Rowing machine super fast for 5 minutes
(Heart rate sky high right now)
Platform jumps (with 4 risers) - 3 sets of 10
Pushups til I couldn't do anymore
Lunges - "Pump style" for about 5 minutes
Tricep pushups off the bench
Tricep dips
BodyStep "Power Knees" in intervals with jogging basics in between (2 risers)
Knee Repeaters (2 risers)
Walking planks

All of that was in about 50 minutes to an hour.  Kept moving super fast to keep my heart rate up! Booyah!

Music: I started out on an Alternative mix but then went Classic Rock for a while, then ended up in Pop.  When I started getting tired I turned to one of my favorite workout playlists:

Come As You Are - Nirvana
Follow You Down - Gin Blossoms
Habit - Jump, Little Children
Piece of My Heart - Janis Joplin
Roll Me Away - Bob Segar
Hey Hey What Can I Do - Led Zeppelin
Pinball Wizard - Elton John
Scream - Michael Jackson
Who Knew - Pink
Won't Back Down - Eminem
Made In England - Elton John
Take if Off - Kesha
Monster - Kanye West
Sing For the Moment - Eminem
Tangerine - Led Zeppelin (Cool down / stretch) 

Running/Workout Music

I've decided to start posting my run mixes on my blog.  Sometimes I shuffle, sometimes I create playlists, sometimes I pick one artist for the whole run, sometimes I shuffle within one genre - it always depends on my mood.  But I'm always looking for good workout mixes and I know other runners are too.  

Tonight I did 4.2 miles mostly on hills.  Would've liked to do more but there was a storm coming and it's getting dark much faster this time of year.  I love late summer/early fall runs when a storm is brewing.  It's windy and cool and the air feels electric.  Plus there's always that thought that the bottom might fall out any minute so you run faster trying to get the run in and get back home. A few leaves have started falling and they were blowing and rustling around and there was an eerie, cloudy darkness.  It was killer.  I made it back just before the rain started!

 

Tonight was REALLY random! ha!  But here it is....

 

Ryan Adams - Dance All Night 

Rolling Stones - Sweet Virginia

Limp Bizkit - Rollin'

Live - Selling the Drama

Kid Rock - Bullgod

Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

Beatles - Come Together

Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal

Prince - Seven

Neil Diamond - Amazed

Lady Gaga - Hair

Elton John - All The Girls Love Alice

Billy Joel - You May Be Right

Hanson - A Minute Without You (don't laugh - I used to FREAKING LOVE Hanson and I always smile when they shuffle onto my iPod)

 

 

my runner's high....

I have never loved running as much as I do at this point in my life.  I have been a runner for a few years now but I feel like I'm finally at the point that I can take myself seriously doing it.  My legs are finally really strong (thanks mostly to BodyPump...woot woot!!!) and I'm having less injuries.  I'm also finally at a weight that I'm okay with and I feel "lighter" on my feet I guess you could say.  But most of all, it's where I run and the scenery I take in on those runs that makes it so meaningful to me.  You see things on foot that you don't see from a car...you notice things and you take in the sounds and smells of it all... 
 
I love that it's that time of year that I have to dodge toddlers being pulled in red wagons on the sidewalk (happened twice today)!  I see lemonade stands, fathers and sons playing catch, mothers pushing strollers, sidewalk chalk masterpieces...  I've learned people's dogs and kids...I know that the blond headed boy down the street wants a Jack Russell and his parents are big Texas fans...he also does alot of sidewalk chalking!  I pick up the newspaper on almost every run and put it atop a set of steep front steps where an elderly woman lives.  She once asked me for help when I was jogging past ...and she said Emmett looked "handsome and regal!!!"  I like the thought of her opening her door and her newspaper being there waiting for her....without having to struggle with those stairs and bending over.  She probably doesn't remember me (it was over a year ago that she stopped me for help) and it doesn't matter.  It makes me feel good.  I love watching things change...additions and improvements to my favorite houses, pink and blue bows put up on front doors :)   I guess this is alot less about running specifically but these are things I wouldn't know if I wasn't constantly out running past these people and places and things.  Experiencing my surroundings in this way helps me feel more connected to it...more rooted there.  I feel like I belong there. 
 
Running makes me feel strong...something about saying "I ran 6 (or 7 or 8) miles today" makes me feel accomplished and proud.  But running also makes me feel more connected to nature.  I guess it's like I said before...when you are on foot and out of the car, you become more a part of everything around you.  It feels more primitive..like going back to a place where all we had to get around were our two legs.  Perhaps this is just the endorphins talking!  I don't know.  But anyway...I feel people have become too cut off from those around them...with our schedules and jobs and nightly lineup of tv shows.  But getting out and walking or jogging keeps you engaged with those around you.  Trust me...I know the "isolators" in my neighborhood.  I've lived there 2 years and I can count on one hand how many times I've seen them.  They can't be happy people ...
 
I also laugh at myself because I probably look like some sort of tech-geek-in-laces" -- ridiculously large 5th gen iPod on upper right arm, BodyBugg on upper left, BodyBugg display and left wrist, Road ID wristband on right wrist....and house key tied to my right shoe laces.  But at least I don't wear one of those stupid running belts with the water bottles and other attachments.  It's like the athletic, nerdy cousin to the fanny pack.  If I need water I stop at V. Richard's and hit the water fountain. 
 
I also love when I go on vacation and I get to take in some foreign city on foot...discover neat buildings and out of the way places....  But to me, there is nothing worse than running on a track or around a park, over and over, or in some neighborhood where all the houses are identical.  To me, that's no better than the treadmill.  Give me a destination, give me a city and sidewalks and life that's constantly on the move.  Ah...I love it!
 
So I guess my point is that running is great.  And I have some nerdy spiritual connection to it.  I just thought I'd share.  :)