Training Update: The Test

So I have two one mile races to run, a biathlon and the 5th Ave Mile for Road Runners. So I decided to, once again, take the TNT test. As I mentioned yesterday, I did this test for the first time in July 2007, it is interesting that it was way harder for me then.

Goal and Description per my former coach:

Run from the S to the 1 Mile mark at a 'good speed'
You will do this 3 times. (that means you will run 3 x 1 mile fast , yahhoooooo !!)

How to run this Test?

This workout it's all about How fast you can run 1 Mile, simple as that !!

Of course, most of you never tried to run a fast mile, so You need to understand that when I say "1 mile as fast as you can", doesn't mean SPRINT for 1 mile, there's no way you can sprint for 1 mile.

You will need to figure out how far a mile is, and find out what's the effort you can maintain for that distance. And that brings us again to our 'breathing' use your breathing as your guide.

You know how you felt during the Effort level workout last week? Well…. you should feel/breath about the same or even a bit higher today.

E1(effort 1, also known as recovery) and E4 (effort 4, anaerobic threshold)

-E1is a really slow jog, the main goal of the E1 is to bring the heart rate down a quick as possible, so you need really bring down the effort
-E2 will be a little higher Effort than that, it's more or less what we call our 'Easy' pace, the pace that we usually run when we go for our 3-4 mile run.
-E3, will be a little higher than that, feels like you are kind of in the 'edge' of your 'comfortable' pace.
-E4 is definitely a challenging effort, you should not be able to talk much at all, maybe a couple of words here and there.

You have 3 attempts to get a good mile. Use you first mile to figure out things a bit. If during the 1 st you died/slowed down/crawled , you know you need to start the second one a little slower, on the other hand, if you are not breathing heavy by the time you cross the finish don't be shy ! push a bit on your next one.

You'll find out more or less how fast you can run 1 mile…my addition: this can be important as if you ever have to run for your life, you will know how fast you can anticipate moving.

Here were my results:

I did this on the treadmill, so it is not as pure as if done outside, but hey.

Mile 1: 8:05
3 minute walk at 3.8mph

Mile 2: 7:40
3 minute walk

Mile 3: 7:59

Not bad, considering how much I hate to get out of my comfort zone.

I did that on my lunch hour.


After work, I hit the gym for a regular workout ( I went to the other school gym, 'cause I really know how to live it up):


25 on ellip.

10 on rower

Arm flow weight series (based on Physique 57 arm series), 20 of each of the following with out rest: alternating bicep curls, double bicep curls, alternating curls palms facing in, double BCPFI, bent over tricep extensions, 20 pulses with arms straight out behind you. Return to upright standing position, bring arms straight in front of you bent at 90, open to look like a football goal post, in and out for 20, pulse up for 20, upright row with weights, transition to overhead press with weights, transition to overhead tricep extensions, put weights down and transition to flow push ups.

Then I did the Stay Slim on the Road Workout with a couple extra ab moves.

After that I promised myself a manicure for a job well done, showered, dashed to Sephora to do my make up and then meet up with friends for a party.


Tonight I have a running date! (Just a girlfriend who will literally chat me through 4-6 miles, my favorite way to run!)

Super Strength and Stretch

Strength work and stretching are not things I really like to do by myself. If I am in a class or being coached, it's fine--cause someone is making me do it, and everyone (except those few people who feel the need to rush out the second the "workout" is over) is doing it.

However, on my own, it's much harder to get motivated. My running buddy always makes fun of me for not wanting to stretch because "it's the easiest part!"

Recently, I have tried to do more of both. While strength can be a bit boring, you do see at least a little difference, pretty fast. We all know that stretching probably helps prevent soreness and injury, but I have really just started committing to it for vanity purposes. The added strength shortens the muscles, and I need to elongate at every change I get!

So I have started mixing up my strength by combining a few workouts out of magazines or blogs or just from exercises I know. I especially like killing two birds with one stone, such as lunges with shoulder raises, etc.

Here is what I did on Saturday

I basically do one set of each of the following routines, and then about 15 minutes of stretching, holding each pose for at least 20 seconds (more on stretching in another post).

So here it is:

From David Kirsch's Bikini Body Workout

Your bikini boot camp workout
2 minutes - Light stretching including Good Mornings and Good Mornings with Knee Bends
1 minute - Jumping Jacks
30 seconds - David's Platypus Walks
1 minute - Shadow Boxing with crossovers, Uppercuts and Knee Bends
1 minute - Plié Squats with Calf raises
2 minutes - Reverse Lunges with Front Kick
1 minute - Squat Thrusts with Medicine Ball
1 minute - Scissors Reverse Crunches
2 minutes - David's Donkey Deluxe
1 minute - Bench Steups (if possible) with Tricep Kickbacks
1 minute - Pushups

Full details and description

Then one set from Chandra's workout....stealing!
Jump rope (fake) – 100 reps
Squats – 20
Jumping jacks – 50
Roundhouse kicks – 15 per leg
Jump rope – 100 reps
Donkey kicks – 15 per leg
Jumping jacks – 50
Walking lunges with curl/press – 20 reps
Run in place, high knees – 1 minute
Reverse crunches – 15 reps
Full body crunches – 15 reps

So see her blog for this workout and more fabulous ones!

One set of each from Jenna's lower body routine

2 minutes running on treadmill (to warm up)
4 sets of 15 walking lunges with 10 pound weights in each hand
3 sets of “jumping squats”—squat down, leap up, point toes, land back in a squat. 15 reps
2 sets of Hamstring curls on machine. 15 reps
2 sets of calf raises, 20 reps
2 sets of squats on that machine where you lay down and push the weight with your legs (Don’t know the name?)
2 forearm plank poses. Hold for 45 seconds each time
2 sets of reverse crunches, lifting legs and butt while holding onto post behind head on mat. 18 reps each set
2 sets of crunches holding 10 pound weight (legs at 90 degrees, crunch up while holding weight behind head)

I just found out I got off the waiting list for Physique 57 with my favorite instructor tonight, so she can kick my butt for me! It took two weeks to get off the wait list! Magen is so worth the wait!

MonQi Fitness

I was expecting great things from this studio, which spreads across three floors. The only free double class option opened when I called was the 8:30 spin, 9:25 abs and butt classes. So I made it to the studio at 8:15 wondering who else was crazy enough to be up and at em at that hour.

Not many people.

I waited in the very cramped locker area with two very lean upper east side women. (I couldn't help thinking that these were the type of women who must have subsisted on the froyo at 40 carrots in Bloomies during the '80's.) One was going on and on about how she was going to have to sell her country house, and how she was devastated for her kids. How she supposed they could just take a week vacation somewhere, but she just could imagine the thought of not having a home away from home for the summer. I am not perfect, but I try not to take anything for granted. I almost said something like, yeah I bet women in Darfur really miss their summer homes too, but I managed to bite my tongue.

Okay off the soapbox on to the spin bike.

The studio was huge with 40 bikes. There were only 6 people in the class, and for some reason a woman decided to sit on the bike right next to me, but whatevs.

The class was very challenging. It was a cross between the type of spinning where you kind of do a different activity each song (jumps, moving back and forth, changing handle positions, balancing on your fingertips, dancing on the bike, etc) and the continuous journey type ride. I am a fan of the former, it's so much more fun.

Music really makes a spin class for me, and despite my extremely low tolerance for remixes and techno, I liked the music. It really got us through some tough cycling.

I learned a good take home tip: Driving through resistance creates long lean muscles, whereas puttering through creates bulky ones.

I really had to focus and push myself through the workout. I just tried to remind myself that if I had to stop, my body would just stop moving, but I had to hang on until that point.

I was sweating like crazy halfway through, fortunately we had a mini break on low resistance to flush out the legs. The midpoint recharge was crucial!

I went immediately from the bike to the studio upstairs for abs and butt. There were only 5 people in the class.

The instructor played all my favorite workout class songs, golddigger, right there, milkshake, i do, and all those great hip hop songs, so that helped because I was definitely tired.

Her teaching style was not my favorite. She started out by saying how tough she was, and before any hard moves she would be like, "everyone hates these." I prefer more motivational, "you can do it types." But at least she wasn't annoyingly peppy. The class was tough, but not impossible, which is good. I wouldn't pay $30 for it because it was pretty similar to most ab and butt classes at gyms.

I wasn't blown away by anything at MonQi. The atmosphere wasn't anything to write home about, and the clientele was just not me. I felt like I was in the Real Housewives of Manhattan or something. Although if you are into gossip, this could be the place for you. As I was getting stuff out of my locker a woman on her phone was instructing someone to "buy the Post, page 9 is all about Jay!"

This review is of one trip to MonQi. It was a pretty unusual time to be working out, and so I would have to go back and try several classes to be totally objective. The citysearch reviews say great things, so I encourage you to check them out too. While I did think the spin class was pretty great, $28 a class is pretty darn pricey. So unless another great special comes around, I probably won't be back.