Tag Archives: workouts

Boot Camp for Marathoners

When Katie told me about a boot camp for marathoners class, I was intrigued. Like most runners*, I don’t strength train often enough. 

(Back when I worked out with my trainer, strength training obviously wasn’t a problem. But, obviously trainers are not cheap, and now that I’m not trying to reach a specific weight-loss goal, I don’t feel like I need one right now. As awesome as Joel is.)

This class was awesome.

We never used weights heavier than a kettlebell, and a lot of the workout focused on the core. We started of with a circuit of  running low, jumping jacks and burpees for 30 seconds each. We did a ton of plyometric exercises and kettlebell swings. The hardest exercises for me were exercises that we did in plank position and moved our legs like mountain climber with our feet on glides (think round disks like paper plates.)

Towards, the end we went out into the hall to do a little obstacle course. We did some plyometric jumps around and over rings on the floor and high knees over a ladder on the floor…and then ran up a flight of stairs and down a hallway, and repeated the whole thing.

I had wondered if “boot camp for marathoners” was just some clever marketing. Nope. It was hard. But I can definitely see how it will make me stronger and faster over the next five weeks…despite the side-eye I gave Katie quite a few times.

When I got home, I threw together a quick dinner.

Chicken sausage, spinach, salsa, mushrooms and Greek yogurt over brown rice.

No pictures of breakfast and lunch because they were boring, but I brought oatmeal to work for breakfast and last night’s leftovers for lunch. So far so good on the Eat in [More] Month challenge, aside from buying coffee and a bottle of coconut water because I still had a headache.

Pro tip: coconut water works wonders for dehydration headaches.

*While I sometimes struggle with calling myself a runner, it’s less awkward than calling myself “someone who runs.”

I have a Junior League meeting tonight, so I had to work out at lunch today. I did 15 minutes of intervals on the treadmill—45 seconds of running at 6.0mph at 6.0 incline and then 1 minute of walking at 4.0mph at 6.0 incline. I think I used to do a higher incline, but this felt plenty hard today after not doing interval training for a while.

For actual lunch, I got a BBQ turkey burger, brown rice and sweet potatoes, not broccoli. (I reused a pic here.) I never seem to be hungrier if I work out in the morning or at night, but after I work out at lunch? Ravenous.

Does this happen to anyone else?