Friday, February 4, 2011

Fartlek Friday, Dynamic Stretching, and Guys Trip

Today is the day that Matt Fitzgerald tells me to do some good ol' Fartleks. (If you are new to Fartleks see here.) I'm beginning to look forward to my Fartlek Friday workout. Instead of doing it at my usual time of 6 or 7 at night when I'm pooped from the long day, my mom is generous enough to come over around noon so I can go after lunch.  We'll see if my body has more energy.  Not so sure about this since most my energy is going into taking care of my three sick kids while my awesome and well deserving hubby is off shredding it up on his snowboard with his buddies.  I know that we all need these getaways with our best friends.  A time to refresh and let go of our normal responsibilities....
                        freedom, vacation, escape.
 It is good for our marriage as well as our well being as an individual. When things get crazy and I find myself trying to dig up a babysitter so I can go on a run, I keep reminding myself of my trip to Napa Valley with my girls.  
 I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid.  You know, what is it about guys' trips where men get their balls out of their lady's purse (just teasing, I'm a cool wife), start drinking beer and thinking they are 20 again?  Hopefully he will remember that he isn't 20, hasn't "shredded it up dawg" in years and probably should try to keep his "wicked and kickin' tricks"  to a minimum.  I am already holding my breath just thinking about him trying to pull off a 360 while his friends encourage him by video taping.  Good grief...who knows what kind of stupid tricks they are trying to pull of.  Testosterone is a dangerous thing when you put a bunch of it together. I'm hoping that they will all act their ages (ranging from 32-40's) and remember that they have families to come home to.

I'm still only on week 7 of my 24 week plan so my workouts are still pretty easy....I'm just building a base here.  In a couple weeks I start with Build 1 Phase.  Then I will start some mile repeat and Tempo run workouts on Fridays and some mixed interval workouts on Wednesdays.  Looking ahead, some of the workouts planned in the Build 1 and Build 2 Phases look INTENSE.  I hope I'm cut out for this plan. This is why it is even more important for me to be keeping myself injury free and doing preventative things now!  Yoga, adjustments, dynamic stretching, rolling, icing, sleep, eating right, etc.  I'm thinking I'd be happy if I just stayed in this Base building phase for the entire time.  Here's my Fartlek Friday workout that Mr. Fitzgerald has planned for me on week 7:
6 miles @ base pace (7:50-8ish) w/ 6x2 minute intervals at 3,000m pace "sprinkled in"  (I'm shooting for a 6:18ish pace)

Here's a Runner's World Video on Dynamic Stretching that shows some of the stretches I do before runs like this:






Do you and your significant other make time for trips away with your friends?  If so, what kinds of trips?
Do you do Dynamic Stretching?  


Oh, I almost forgot, Please please go visit Eat, Pray, Run...a new blog that I love. Lisa is a great writer with a fabulous sense of humor.  What she has written so far is worth catching up on and she's definitely deserving of a "follow" from you!  So, go check her out!  Eat, Pray, Run.

Happy Friday!
Amanda

20 comments:

  1. Why, yes indeedy Wild Bill and I spend plenty of time apart. Sometimes I go with friends, sometimes not...he ALWAYS goes off with his other women. They are both named Yamaha...weird...

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am a cool wife, too. My husband takes little trips often. Usually they are to go see one of his six older kids (who are all grown ups now). For awhile they were spread across the country. He has gotten to go to photo workshops in Mexico and New Mexico (usually to photograph naked women... I am just sooooo cool ;-) ). And he gets to go visit his brother every year for a long weekend in Tahoe. Me? I don't get to go anywhere. He would be totally fine with it if I were to arrange kid help for him since he needs to work (even on the weekends usually). But finding someone to help with 4 kids is kinda challenging! And my littlest is still nursing, so that makes it tough, too.

    Dynamic Stretching?! My PT just sent me in that direction! I hope to be doing it soon :)

    Hoping your hubby comes back in one piece, refreshed and reinvigorated!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I totally agree with having 'girls trips' and 'guy trips' and what it can do for your marriage!! Ryan goes hunting, to football games, or snowboarding over a weekend and he always comes back able and wanting to help me more. I LOVE my girls weekends!! wish there were more of them. I've even been thinking about a solo trip just to have some time to be alone with my thoughts and God. Scary. Never done that before! So much more fun to be with friends! :)

    I really need to incorporate some more dynamic stretching. Thanks for the video!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I do a week-long bike tour with my aunt every year. I love it!! I make sure all the childcare arrangements for our youngest are made so Jeff can relax while I'm gone (the older boys go to their dad's). I've been trying and trying to convince him to go to Spring Training with his sister (I've got school, plus I'd be bored to tears), but so far he won't.

    Can't wait to get home and check out the stretching videos. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your comments about your husband and friends acting their age were hilarious!!

    My husband and I don't really go on trips with our friends, but we do spend some time with them. Usually, it's centered around some sort of exercise. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. We totally have separate trips and they are a GREAT thing. I believe in it completely (and have been very happily in love with my husband for 18 years. I love my running and girl trips, he likes his cigar smoking trips (ugh) and we ski together - it works out for everyone.

    Girl - your paces! YOUR PACES! You are SO freaking FAST!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Super Hubby is off to Lake Tahoe for Superbowl weekend. Yes it is annoying to think of how he and his friends think their 21 again. While he is gone, me and two of my friends are doing a 6 mile trail race tomorrow, getting massages, going to a fancy dinner, staying at my in-laws cabin in the foothills and doing wine tasting Sunday. I think trips with your friends are important.

    Dynamic Stretching? All about it these days. Since my recent ITB flare up in September, dynamic stretching is a necessity.

    ReplyDelete
  8. How'd your fartlek run go? You're so funny! I hope your hubby returns in one piece!! We don't go on trips with our friends but we do go out for separate friend nights every now and then. When we actually have time off (we both work 6 days per week) we try to do something with each other or family. Maybe someday!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. no trips for us...I would be ok with him going with his friends though..they are just to lazy to organize anything..it takes months of notice just to get a beer somewhere...no no they are not 77 yrs old...just 43..!
    me well my friends are all too far so now I miss all the girls weekend...I get them on skype when they go places but a lot of times it makes me so homesick and sad that I end up regreting doing the skype thing...

    ReplyDelete
  10. The fartlek sounds like it was a great workout! How did it go?

    ReplyDelete
  11. We've never done extended trips but the occasional nights out apart are great!

    You are so speedy! Hope your fartleks went well. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. One of the biggest mistakes that I made before getting married was that I did not negotiate in guy trips and the like. All I asked for was to spend every St. Patrick's day sitting in a bar. I've done that every year but a trip could be, well, dangerous. To whom, though, is the question.

    ReplyDelete
  13. We don't take more than one overnight away, though I tend to have to go to conferences for work. But, Chris goes out at least one night a week, usually 2, to watch sports with friends. I love the time alone and he loves the time with his friends. We are both super independent, which is something I love.
    Keep doing those great things for your body and stay healthy:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Since I am commitment phobic, I don't have to worry about such things.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm all for trips that are separate for spouses. I don't think that we need to be joined at the hip. In fact I'm having a sisters' getaway next weekend. All five of us are going to have a post-wedding hens weekend. And I'm really looking forward to it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think you need to join our next girls' race weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hope your kids are feeling better:)

    Very funny writing on the guy's trip. I had to read that to my husband!

    Joe travels a lot with work so we are quite used to living separate lives at times. He is SUPER supportive of me going off with the girls. I maybe take 2 weekend trips a year but I go out many evenings with my friends. I'm equally as supportive of him going on his annual golf trip with his HS buddies (who still act like they are in HS) or his hunting expeditions. We respect each other, don't push our limits, and know the time apart makes the time together better:)

    Off to read your next post!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hahahaha....balls....purse... I love it!

    I WISH I could get rid of my husband for a few days sometimes! When we first got married, he took on a project that had him working out of town through the week and coming home on weekends. It only lasted like a month, but I cried every time he had to leave on Sunday night. Now sometimes I'd give anything for him to take another project like that!

    ReplyDelete
  19. i used to meet up with my girlfriends from high school once a year pots college...but then they all had babies. so now i think we're in a holding pattern until the little ones are a tad older and can be left with the hubbies...

    ReplyDelete
  20. I am glad that your hubby got to go with the "boys" . Mine always returns happier to be home after those excursions :)

    Also- you are doing so well with your training! Good to read. Your mom sounds like she is AWESOME.

    ReplyDelete