Great workout, home-made Pizza and a blinded Nutella-study

This morning we had a great workout at bootcamp, I loved it. Michael and Jenn were teaching the class. We worked out in a parking garage, it was awesome. On the way to the garage, we did an Indian run (which I still dislike…), it seemed like it took forever. At the parking garage, we did timed sprints from the bottom to the top (3 levels), 3 times (70% max, 80% and 100%) and then another set of two. My times went from 34 seconds down to 29 seconds, I was so happy to run it below 30 seconds (for the first time). In between, we did a lot of arm- and shoulder work using resistance bands. We also did many crunches (tilted downhill) and push ups. It was a lot of fun but at the end, everyone’s sweat was just dripping on the ground, it was a tough workout. I really want to push myself harder, I want to be faster, I want the challenge. I love Basic Training, I love the pain that comes with it.

Today was my last day at work as a Postdoc, my visa expires tomorrow. My new work visa won’t be effective before October 1st (if everything goes well) so I have to take a 4 week-vacation (I know, life is hard…). I have many plans for the following weeks, but my main goal is to use September to focus on my fitness and endurance. Bootcamp workouts, long runs, Bar method but of course I also want to travel, get some rest and go for hikes and bike rides. It will be awesome!. September will be my month of change. I am so excited to have one month just for hobbies, my friends and family, it will be a blast!

Tonight, my roommate Meghan and I had friends over for home-made Pizza (the slice with the most cheese in the picture was mine...), red wine and a blinded Nutella tasting. No one usually believes me that German Nutella tastes different than the US/Canadian version (I even have been called a "Nutella snob"...), so the test had to be done. I honestly don't like Nutella that much anyway, but I definitely think that there is a big difference in taste if you compare the US product with the German one. They only had Nutella "made in Canada" at safeway, so that was our US-sample...well, it's close ;-) We made crepes for dessert that we then filled with the different kinds of Nutella. 3 out of 4 people thought that the German Nutella tastes better and everyone agreed that they do taste quite different. See, I told you! I personally like my crepe best when it comes with strawberry jam :) Thanks Meghan, Kendra and Janet for this fun evening!

Hello sunshine!

Good morning world! What a beautiful morning!!! Seems like finally summer has also found San Francisco!! Today was our running day again and we ran quite a bit. We started heading towards planet granite (I guess that’s 1.5 miles or a little less), did some crocodile walks and 20 jump squats. Then we were sent off for another lap around the green, it seemed like a long lap (may be 0.7 miles?). We did two more exercises for the arms/back before we were sent for another lap. Came back, did pull ups and partner-rows and then…yes, you might guess…another lap. It felt like a lot of running especially since there wasn’t really a chance to recover in between. But I enjoyed it, it was such a beautiful sunrise, a gorgeous morning! We did more exercises for the abs (Russian twists and regular crunches), triceps dips, side planks and dips, more rows, one last exercise for the hamstrings and then we ran back to the parking lot. I am sure we ran at least 4 miles. I feel like I took it a little too easy on the runs (which I now regret), but tomorrow is another day. I have signed up for another Bar method tonight, I am starting to get addicted to my workouts again. I really hate the thigh work, but when I think about it, it’s really only 7 minutes in a 60 minute-class – and I love all the other exercises.

I stepped on a scale this morning…I avoided the scale the last 6 weeks. I kind of knew that I probably gained 3 or 4 pounds since “Sue’s 6-week-challenge”; I have been working out a lot but I didn’t watch my diet too much lately… The good news is that since January, I lost 10 pounds :))) That’s not bad, right? The bad news is that I still like to lose another 10 pounds, that would be awesome (and indeed, I am 3 lbs heavier than after the 6-week-challenge…but that was my lowest weight ever during the last 4 years anyway). I think I can reach my goal by the end of this year. I can’t really do a diet, it makes me cranky and I also don’t believe in diets. But I will try to watch my food a little closer this week and make good choices. The goal is to drop 2 lbs this week, should be manageable. Wish me luck :)

Adapt to change

Yesterday, I went for my “long” Saturday run. It was the first time I used my iphone and its Nike+ system to track my distance… after 2h of running across the Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio trails I finally got the information that I ran 0.2 miles with an average pace of 0.00 miles/min. Ha! I know I am a slow runner but I am not that slow..! That was a little bit disappointing but I guess I ran app. 10 miles, it was fun. Originally, my plan was to cross the Bridge and hit the coastal trail in Marin, but then it was really foggy and I saw the big hills and I just didn’t feel ready… so I decided to turn around at the Vista Point and hit the trails in the Presidio. I am still really scared of running hills, I don’t know what to do about it. I guess the only way to get better is to run them more often… I saw a piece of art (see picture above) in the woods of the Presidio: “adapt to change”. It made me run up the hill even faster (after taking the picture). It is up to us to make changes in your life, and sometimes it might take a while until a change becomes a habit, but I guess the bottom line is that we always should be ready for a change.
In that spirit, I went to a Bar method class after my run, because my abs are certainly ready for a change, too…. I had another Bar method class with Keryun this morning and my abs feel much stronger now. I was wearing a new shirt for the class today which exposes more of my back and I couldn’t stop looking at myself in the mirror because I saw muscles at my back that I have never seen before. It was hard to believe that they are mine!! I guess other people watching me must have thought “jeez, she really loves herself"... It is the biggest inspiration once you start seeing changes in your body, it feels great.
To avoid a “too healthy” lifestyle I made some jam last night – I loved cooking jam in Munich but ever since I moved to the US, I didn’t make any. I guess part of it is because I prefer a savory breakfast…anyways, no I have peach-almond and strawberry-vanilla jam at home. Let me know if you’d like to have some!

Indian runs and timed laps

My legs felt really tired this morning (probably from the bar method class) but I promised myself after I got up to give my best. Today’s class was with Sandra, we were only a small group (6 people). After a warm up, we started our workout with an “Indian run” to the Safeway pull-up bars. For an Indian run, people line up one behind another and we start running. The first person is carrying a 10 pound-medicine ball and while we run, the last person in the line has to sprint up to the first person in line, taking over the ball, then the next person sprints from the back to the front, and so on…I personally don’t like Indian runs because you always have some really fast people in the group. Yes, you, A.”sub-6” H. and M. “I-am-even-faster-than-that” F. :) . It is challenging, you try to keep up with the group because if you slow down, you will slow everyone else down and the person who is up to sprint has to go a longer distance. If you quit and drop out, everyone else has to work harder to keep it going and has to sprint more often, so that’s also not a preferred choice. But i guess that's also the beauty of a bootcamp workout - you are pushed to do things that you usually wouldn't do and fast people also inspire me to try a little harder. In the end I felt ok although only 4 out of the 6 completed the Indian run (but I am proud to say that I was one of them, but I definitely slowed them down at the end…).

We got to the pull up bars and of course, my “old” bootcamp was working out there, too…never mind, I guess meanwhile they have seen me so many times with Basic Training that they probably know what happened. It still feels a little weird though. We did many squats and leg-exercises today and again more core- and abdominal work. In between, we did 2x timed runs around the green. I came in 3rd each time, so not bad at all, but my time was 8 seconds slower than 5 weeks ago (a 6:40 min compared to a 6:32 min)…that shouldn’t happen! Well, let’s blame the Indian run for it!

I am not taking a Bar method class tonight, I want to recover and be fit for my run tomorrow morning. I am really looking forward to it. I haven’t really decided where to go yet. I am not a good trail runner but I think I want to hit a trail – even if I have to walk some of the hills it will be a great workout. Thank God it’s Friday!

The pain with my veins

Ok, I know this is a weird picture that I posted today…It’s the crook of my arm. It all started in 1993, when I went for my annual physical checkup. The doctor wanted to draw blood but couldn’t see any of my veins. After the 3rd attempt and me slowly starting to fade, he finally found a vein to draw blood... In 1999, I decided to donate blood at a blood drive at college. They looked at my arms and sent me back out right away. Every doctor that saw (or didn’t see) my tiny veins recommended that I should do some cardio exercise (I wonder if that would really help? What if my veins are just “deeper” in my arm? And who said that couldn’t be a good thing from an "evolutionary point of view"?). In 2008, I went to a check up in San Francisco. I really don’t have a problem with needles or syringes, but after a certain number of failed attempts of a needle poking in my arm going left and right and back and forth, yes I do get dizzy, too…They tried 4 times (2 nurses) to draw blood, they failed 4 times. It seems like there is a law in CA that you are only allowed to try a couple of times to protect the patient or something (at least that’s what I said). I even offered the veins exposed on my wrist but they refused to give it another try. As a consequence, I had to go to a “special” doctor’s office to get the blood drawn…the nurse was great, she only needed one attempt (clearly a winner!!) and hit the vein right on the spot. The drawback of this place was that it was in the Tenderloin and I was probably the only non-drug-addict in there (which probably explains why the nurse was so good). A scary experience! So if you are a doctor and have to draw my blood, I won’t blame you if you need several attempts, I know it’s difficult. Anyway, yesterday I was sitting at my desk at work, looking at my arm and what do I see??? Veins!!!! Just like that, no squeezing, no belt around the upper arm, no pumping hand. I have never seen them so clearly. I know this might sound ridiculous but I was quite happy to see them. I wonder if this is linked to my running and the bootcamp workouts…may be, may be not, it’s probably boring for the rest of the world but I am clearly thrilled.

Today was day 3 at bootcamp, we worked out with Michael & Michael II. Michael II is new and I think he had a hard time with us… he was really friendly and tried to be funny, but somehow, our group wasn’t exactly responsive. But hey, it’s not that easy at 6 am in the morning jumping over little orange cones for minutes and still keep a smile on your face… ;-) We worked out at the Crissy Field center, focusing on legs (many squats, jumps, sprints and runs) and arms/back (pull ups, rows, tricep extensions, plank). I think I pulled a muscle in my back, it hurts a little… I tried to run faster than usual when we were going back to the parking lot… it worked, I was surprised, but at some point I thought I start hyper-ventilating… clearly, there is still a lot of room for improvement! I went to a Bar Method class with Keryun tonight, my legs are really tired now (especially my thighs) but I really enjoyed it.

Basic training, day 2: Lyon Street stairs

Ouch! Today I had another fun but hard workout with Basic Training. I woke up this morning, crawling out of my bed, my upper thighs were really sore. I guess it doesn’t help to do Bar method in the evening in addition to Basic Training in the morning to avoid soreness…But what do they say??? No pain, no gain!

I met up with Basic Training at 6 am, Michael and Charles were the instructors. Many people joined the class today. We ran up to the Lyon Street stairs. I still fear them but not as much as I did 12 weeks ago…it’s getting better. We ran the bottom stairs a couple of times and the upper ones only once, it was hard but manageable. When we were not running stairs, we did a lot of core- and arm/shoulder workout, mainly doing all kind of different planks and variations of static push ups. Added a few exercises for the abs and some more push ups and you get a great full body workout! It was fun, I liked it. It wasn’t my strongest day ever but considering that I did 2 workouts yesterday it was actually better than expected. The running felt much easier today, probably because we ran so fast yesterday…. Now I just had an egg-white-veggie omelet and a cup of coffee for breakfast, I feel great and I am ready for another day. Bring it on!

A home-made cherry-marzipan-cake

Since this blog is not just about crazy workouts but also about food, I'd like to post a picture of a cake I made today. It's a cherry-almond cake with marzipan in it (it was the last package of marzipan I had from Germany...the one that's made with with real almonds...). I never made this cake before, it looks ok, I hope it'll taste fine...We'll see tomorrow!

After a late class at the Bar method and the hard workout this morning my legs are about to fall off right now...I had broccoli with marinara sauce for dinner...great, isn't it? It was all that I had left in the fridge and after adding a little bit of peccorino on top it was actually eatable...I feel a little bit like a student again... well at least I can claim that I baked a cake.

Curious to see what Basic Training will come up with tomorrow. I'll pray for a miracle hoping that it won't be a "leg workout"...

Basic Training, week 1/day 1 - here we go again!

Today, a new bootcamp session with Basic Training (www.basictrainingsf.com) started. Week one, day 1 – and it was brutal. You think after 2 completed sessions (6 weeks per session) it should get easier for me at some point – it really doesn’t! Today, we worked out with Sandra. Monday is usually a “running workout”. We ran along the Marina Blvd with multiple stops for many many squats, lunges, push ups, crunches, burpees, mountain climbers and more squats. It was really exhausting, we were all sweating a lot and my legs feel really tired now. We were a small group (I think 8 or 9 people), the group ran a fast pace (it felt fast for me at least…). I really don’t know how they all do it, I wish I could run faster or push myself harder. And if I just mentioned last night that it feels so good to not be the last in the group, I have to take that back for today…I hope I’ll be better tomorrow! I am going to another Bar method class tonight, we’ll see how that goes. I hope that by then, my legs will recover a little bit… I bought a “soy-protein-drink” to fuel my exhausted muscles with protein and to eat healthy (this is considered my breakfast). I have to say, after having this drink…I do not understand the hype about soy milk. It doesn’t even deserve the name “milk”; it is an insult to a cow’s milk I think. It’ll better make me strong and beautiful because otherwise, there is really no reason for me to buy this again….

I am really excited for another session of Basic Training. I love Sandra’s workouts even though they are usually very hard and challenging. It’s funny how she tortures us 1h, but she does it with a smile on her face…and once the class is over, you will have that same smile on our face, too :)

The most beautiful cafe latte ever!

I ordered a "Vanilla-honey cafe latte" (yes, my European friends, I know....) at "Urth Cafe" in Beverly Hills 2 weeks ago. It is certainly the best looking cup of coffee I ever had! But unfortunately, it tasted horrible (who would have guessed...). But nonetheless, I wanted to share the picture with you :)

"Plank queen" getting ready for a new bootcamp session!

It’s time to write this blog a little more frequent again! Tomorrow, a new session of Basic Training bootcamp starts, so I will keep you updated on this again. Also, I signed up for another month of unlimited classes at the Bar Method. I started today and I have to say it was very painful…I didn’t do the Bar Method the last 7 weeks and I lost a lot of my strength… time to pick it up again, I am really excited! I want to get my abs back! Oh, speaking of abs… you can call me “plank queen” from now on :) You have no idea how proud I am! If you read my first blog (Sue’s 6 week challenge”) you might remember how hard the bootcamp was for me during the first 6 weeks – I was always the weakest member in the group. Last Friday, my second session ended and I am very happy to report that I am not the slowest/weakest person in the team anymore. It is amazing how much I improved over the last 6 weeks. I mean it is still very hard and I still have a lot of room for improvement, but I am getting faster and stronger and usually don’t come in last anymore. Last Friday, we did a little contest (it was the last workout of the session) and one of the tasks was to hold a plank as long as possible – guess who won? Can you believe it??? I held the plank for 4:20 min (4:19 min was when the last person still holding it gave up…); I never thought I am that competitive but I think Basic Training is revealing my competitive side…I guess I have to thank the bar method as well for giving me such a great core strength.

Two weeks ago, we did some timed runs – we had to run 1 mile at a fast pace, get a minute rest and then run another mile, but it had to be faster than the first mile… I ran 8:41min and the second mile 8:32min – I know I can do much better than this, I want to be able to run a sub-eight. The fastest person ran a 5:46min/mile, that was simply impressive. But considering that I usually run 10:30 min/miles I wasn’t too unhappy with my performance. So the next 4 weeks will be packed with Basic Training and Bar method workouts - the goal is to challenge myself more at Basic Training, get a better time on the mile, get my sugar addiction under control and - I am not going to lie - hopefully drop those last (really annoying) 8 pounds.

I still haven’t decided if I’ll run the Nike’s women marathon or not… somehow I have such a hard time to motivate myself for 15+mile runs…I love my current workouts so much that I wonder if I should really run 26.2 miles if I don’t enjoy it…And sometimes I feel like the marathon training takes the fun out of running for me because I feel guilty when I “only” run 8 miles – but that is a distance that I truly enjoy. So maybe I just shouldn’t go for a full marathon anymore…but then I also hate to quit…what shall I do? What if I only train for 15 miles… will I get through the race… will I be able to pick up my Tiffany necklace at the finish line…? I don’t know, we shall see!

Running SF Half marathon and gaining strength with Basic Training

Wow, the last 3 weeks just flew by! So many things have happened meanwhile but unfortunately I had no time to update my blog. But I will try to do better in the future. I ran the San Francisco Half Marathon 2 weeks ago, it was so much fun – until mile 10. In contrast, the last three miles were really hard. I guess this is because most of my training runs were around 8-10 miles, I only ran 2x 12 miles but that didn’t include as many hills as the course for the race. Oh well, I made it. My time wasn’t brilliant – I ran 2:16:25h, but at least it is 7 minutes faster than my last half marathon. I think I can do much better if I train a little more, I haven’t been doing a lot of running lately. I love running (and we run a lot with bootcamp as well), but I prefer runs that are 30-60 minutes rather then 2-3 hours…I have to decide soon if I'll run the full Nike women’s marathon in October (for which I am registered…) because if I do, I do have to ramp up my weekly mileage significantly. I’ll go for a run this weekend and make a decision…

I am still doing Basic Training (bootcamp) three times a week, I simply love it. We are currently in week 5 of the second session, and it is so amazing how much progress I have made during the last 6 weeks. In the first session I always used to be the slowest person in the group (being second to last felt like a victory...). It didn’t bother me too much because in the end, I do this for myself and I am fine with others being better. But now I am never in the last place – I am pretty much in the middle, it is unbelievable how much faster and stronger I am now. For sure, there is still a lot of room for improvement, but I can tell that I really benefit from my workouts. I also met so many nice people in the class, I am looking forward to see them and work out with them every day.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been doing the Bar method the last 3 weeks and I miss it terribly. But paying $250 for one month is just too much money if I only go 2 or 3 times a week. I hope to pick it up again in two weeks though, my abs start losing their shape and they got mainly formed by the Bar method. So overall, my workouts have been really good the last couple of weeks, I feel fit and happy. Life is treating me well at the moment :)