P90X Marathon Training - Week 5

Week 5 in the books....barely!

Well I had a set back on Week 5 =(. I was able to get some runs in, but out of nowhere, my GOUT attacked me like a ninja! I haven't had a gout attack in almost 2 years, at least a serious one, and it really hurts like heck.

I don't want to bore you with facts, but if you are not familiar with what gout is, you can just go here (wikipedia) and find out more about this terrible thing that is hindering me from running and doing my leg workouts.

Gout Sucks! 

(This photo depicts the pain rising from gout)

As you can see with my Nike+ Running Marathon Training for week 5, I didn't get all of my mileage in:

Week 5

Although I was not able to get all of my runs in, I was still able to do some of my P90X workouts, and of course eat healthy. I picked up some fresh cherries and some tart cherry juice to reduce the toxicity of the uric acid in my body. It won't help me recover overnight, but it can help speed up the process and decrease the uric acid levels. But, just not fast enough....grrrr =)

We will all have set backs, and there is just nothing you can do about it, so rather than just dwelling on the negative, it's best to focus on other activities such as reading, clean eating, and watching Netflix ha ha =) It is pretty difficult for me, not being able to run, especially when I see all my friends posting their running mileage on Facebook etc. but hey, I have to be happy for them, because I will be recovered and running with them soon!

Day 2, Week 5

7 miler + Focus T25 Total Body Circuit

Day 3, Week 5

P90X3 - The Challenge Workout

Day 5, Week 5

This is when my gout really started to flare up, I popped about 4 Advils to get this 9 miler done!

Day 7, Week 5

I felt a little pain on Day 7, but it wasn't that bad, so I popped a few advils and I was able to get a 16 miler in.

And that was pretty much my week. I did get some runs in, but it was pretty tough and did cause some pain for me. Week 6 will most likely be more recovery, but I'll keep you guys posted =)

Oh and although week 5 was a set back, the good news is that I was able to complete 158 running miles for the month of June, and I hopefully plan to shoot for 200 for the month of July. 50-60 miles per week leading up to my first marathon is my goal, but I would love to hit 100 in a week sometime, but it's one step at a time =)

158 Total Miles - June 2015

Need some running and workout motivation? Want a Free P90X Coach? Connect with me here on Facebook, I look forward to meeting you =)

Stay active my friends!

My healthiest meal of the day - Shakeology

Chocolate, PB2 Peanut Butter, Banana with Unsweet Almond Milk

Get Shakeology Samples - Click Here! 

Teriyaki Tofu with Brown Rice, Green Beans 

with a dash of sunflower seeds and low sodium soy sauce

One of my quick and easy meals!

P90X3 is perfect for building strength for athletes and runners! I love the workouts!

P90X Marathon Training - Week 4

Another week done, and month 1 in the books! I can honestly say that my legs are feeling stronger than ever. I haven't really had a chance to see if my race pace has gone up, since most of my runs have been tempo to easy, comfortable long runs on the weekends, but I must say that my pace on my long runs have been pretty steady, and my post run recovery has been surprisingly fast.

Here was my Week 4 running schedule. As you can see, I went about 10 miles over my recommended training schedule, and I only do this based on how I feel. I only go over my schedule if I am feeling over 100%, and if I am not feeling it, then I will just do the minimum mileage as posted on my Nike Marathon Training App. My goal is to eventually run 50-60 miles "comfortably" per week leading up to about 2 weeks before the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 16th, 2016.

Nike Running App - Marathon Training (intermediate)

Here are some of my P90X workouts that I did during my week 4 training schedule. If you haven't read my previous posts about my workouts, I am incorporating P90X workouts into my running schedule to keep my upper body strength and maintain muscle mass. I will also be participating in various obstacle course racing events, so upper body strength (overall fitness) is very important. The workouts that I do include P90X, Body Beast, T25, Insanity, Asylum, and some PIYO.

Day 1, Week 4

6 mile trail run + Focus T25 Lower Focus Workout

Take the Focus T25 Challenge - Only 25 minute workouts! 

Day 3, Week 4

10 mile trail run + P90X Chest and Back Workout

Day 5, Week 4

5 miler + P90X Shoulders and Arms

Day 6, Week 4

12+ miles (actually did 13 miles that day) 

Kale Salad with Chicken and a Cup of Fresh Fruit after my long Saturday run

Sono Cafe - Downtown Tampa

To wrap up Week 4, it was great. My long run on Saturday killed me because of the scorching heat! I learned to never do that again, and from this point on, I will be starting my long runs very early in the morning before the crack of dawn! The Florida heat kills my breathing and my motivation. I wanted to give up a couple times during my long run, but I kept on going, and I'm glad that I did, otherwise I would've finished my run on a treadmill at the gym, and I'm not a fan of the treadmill unless I am doing a short run, speed work, or hill repeats.

All is well, and week 5 is in full effect! =) Feel free to connect with me on Facebook here.



Get the Beachbody on Demand Challenge Pack - $3,000 worth of Online Beachbody Workouts with Shakeology Nutrition for only $140 - Free Coaching from me =)

P90X Marathon Training - My First 3 Weeks!

Someone is trying to #BQ (get Boston Qualified) and that person is me! I am a bit nervous, but as I mentioned in a previous post, I am very determined.

I will be blogging about my weekly progress on my P90X Marathon Training and my hopeful road to the Boston Marathon. If you are wondering why I am incorporating P90X into my training, it is merely because I am also an OCR (obstacle course racing) athlete and I plan to continue participating in various ocr events during my marathon training. OCR is not just about running, it involves overall strength and endurance, so I must stay on point with my upper body strength to remain competitive, at least in my age group, so I use P90X to help maintain strength.

I have already started my P90X Marathon Training, and I am now at the end of my 3rd week of my 16 week program. I am currently using the Nike+ Marathon Training Program (Intermediate Schedule). So far everything is doing great, and I feel pretty strong. Today I did a 10 miler in Downtown Pensacola, FL and it was hot as "you know what", but I had to get it done, so I just went at a pretty slow easy pace as recommended on the nike+ training schedule. I have rest day on Sunday (last day of week 3), but I plan to do an upper body P90X3 workout at a moderate intensity level, but no running.

Nike+ Marathon Coach Training Program

(Intermediate)

Here was my running schedule for the first 3 weeks:

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Click here to see how I incorporate P90X into my running schedule

I also have some other good news!! I just registered for my first marathon, the Walt Disney World Marathon in January 2016, so this is when I will see how I do. I would like to try to qualify for Boston during the Disney Marathon, but my research is telling me to just focus on finishing my first marathon, and then try to improve my speed and possibly qualify for Boston on my 2nd or 3rd marathon. We shall see =). Most of the research that I have done have been from very credible marathoners, so I just might have to suck it up and listen to them. If I qualify for Boston during my first marathon, then it will probably be a miracle, and last time I checked, miracles do happen =).

So when I finish my 16 week P90X Marathon Program, I will still have about 3 more months until the Disney Marathon in January 2016, so I may go right into another program by Hal Higdon. I will most likely not be able to finish the whole program, so I may start after the 2nd month of his program as most of his coach programs are 18 weeks. I'll figure it out =) Hal Higdon is a 2:21 marathoner, and has coached hundreds of people, so I am excited to use his program after my completion from the Nike+ Marathon Program. I will still continue to use P90X with Hal Higdon's Program, but will have to discontinue all supplementary workouts 2-3 weeks prior to my first marathon as recommended.

Day 3, Week 3, P90X Marathon Training

(P90X Chest and Back)

Day 6, Week 6, P90X Marathon Training

(10 mile run + P90X - X Stretch)

Again, I am nervous, but also quite excited to be training for my first marathon, but I am even more excited to share my journey with you. If you have any tips or advice for me, please feel free to comment below, or connect with me on Facebook here. I also have a FREE Fitness Support Group if you would like to workout with me, we can keep each other accountable and motivated, so feel free to add me on Facebook!


P90X is one of my favorite Strength-Based Programs - Get P90X Fit! 

My Strength Marathon Training Program with P90X

My Strength Marathon Training with P90X

I started running back in mid-2011 at the age of 40 years old. Contrary to what some of my friends believe, I was actually never a runner! In fact, just the thought of running made me sick to my stomach. I was always active when I was young, and was involved in extreme sports such as skateboarding, surfing, martial arts, and mountain biking.....but never running!

Things change as you get older, and for people who are in my age bracket, you are either a couch potato or super fit, there really is no in between, at least from what I've seen in my network of friends.

I started running when my brother introduced me into the sport of obstacle course racing, but around that time, someone told me about this marathon in Boston where you had to qualify. After doing my first obstacle course race, I made a decision to make running part of my daily routine. I ended up doing a half marathon even before I did a 5K, and finished with a 1:36 time with an average of a 7:19 pace per mile. I was amazed what my P90X training has done for me because I have never ran before in my life. It's amazing what that program did for me!

I got heavily involved with obstacle course racing in late 2011, and pretty much forgot about my Boston Marathon goal. The main reason why I loved OCR (obstacle course racing) was because it didn't just focused on running. As an OCR athlete, you are required to have overall strength and endurance especially if you want to be competitive. After years of racing and even developing a project to help the sport grow, I am now focused on my Boston Marathon goal once again. I just want to mark it off of my bucket list =)

My passion for Obstacle Course Racing

I continue to be involved in obstacle course racing, and if it wasn't for my love of the sport, I would not have become a runner. I really owe it all to my success with P90X (thanks to my brother), and the sport of OCR. Now I am focused on the Boston Marathon.

I have started a 16 week marathon training program in which I will have run over 600 miles in 4 months. But I will not just be running, I will also be incorporating strength workouts from P90X, Body Beast, and some interval training from various Insanity programs such as Asylum and Max 30. The tricky part about strength training while endurance running is finding the balance. You can't build too much mass or else it will slow your running pace, but you don't want to just run or else you will lose your muscle mass and upper body strength, and that's something that I do not want to do especially if I plan to continue obstacle course racing as well.

I decided to try out the Marathon Training Program from Nike+. The coach programs are absolutely free, and it is very easy to follow. I live a pretty busy life as a Full Time Beachbody Coach, so I enjoy working out and having a program to guide me, so I can think about other things like family, travel, and business. The Nike+ Marathon Training Coach Program fits into my lifestyle, and so far it's doing well. If you are not training for a marathon, there are other training programs for 5K, 10K, and half marathons, so it's great for all fitness levels.

Run a Faster 5K using Beachbody on Demand - Click here!

I incorporate about 3 strength workouts into my week. For the most part, I will normally plan a LEG DAY (such as P90X Plyometrics, Body Beast Build Legs, X3 Triometrics etc) on Mondays. On Wednesdays I do an upper body workout (such as P90X Chest and Back, Body Beast Bulk Chest, X3 the Challenge etc) and then on Friday will will either do another upper body workout or full body interval workout (Asylum Speed and Agility, T25 Total Body, Insanity Max Interval Sports Training etc). On Thursdays which are normally a cross-training day, I will either mountain bike or do some sort of stretching workout (such as P90X X Stretch or X3 Yoga). On Sundays, I will do more stretching and just relax.

A sample of my 16 week Strength Marathon Training Program:
- Monday (Leg Day + Run)
- Tuesday (Run)
- Wednesday (Upper Body + Run)
- Thursday (Cross-train and/or Stretch/Yoga)
- Friday (Upper Body or Full Body Interval Training + Run)
- Saturday (Long Run)
- Sunday (Rest and Recovery/Stretch)

That's just a sample of what my week looks like with my Strength Marathon Training with P90X. I am always listening to my body, so if I am feeling tired or over-trained, I will take a rest day to ensure that I do not injure myself. Recovery is very important to me as I have overtrained in the past many times, and it doesn't feel good at all. Safety first guys! Nutrition also plays a key role (80%) in my training program and I will be drinking my Shakeology along with my normal eating plan of fresh whole foods, lean meats, whole grains, nuts, and lot's of greens, fruit and WATER.

I have never done a marathon before, so I am pretty excited to sign up for my first one after I am done with my 16 week program. After my first marathon, I will see how much I have improved, and then I will go into my 2nd marathon training program which will be a lot more intense with longer runs.

If you would like to join me on Nike+ or workout with me online with either my Free Fitness Group or my Online Challenge Group, feel free to message me, I'd love to run and workout with you! As always, stay active my friends! =)