Here’s we go:

You may recall me mentioning I was going to tag on some themes to the days of the week, in hopes that I might be able to post more. [*cough* Post more... mental note.] As a matter of fact… that’s the real reason you haven’t seen me since September 3rd. I’ve been so busy coming up with creative weekday themes.

MEDICAL Monday

See that Dr. part of my title? Mmm, yep. I’m still workin’ my way there. And because I am in the field of Kinesiology - also referred to as sports and exercise science, exercise physiology, exercise science, movement science, sport science…. I think you get the picture – my medical tidbits are likely to be weighted towards that area of interest. Which is fortunate for YOU because I believe about 97% of my readers either consider themselves an athlete or active on some level. It’s a win-win. I learn, I share, I do well on my finals. You learn, you…. well, you learn. The end. Kidding!! I know I have some other pre-med/pre-PT/pre-health professionals out there, right? Say hi!!

TRIED IT Tuesday

Reviews of all sorts – products, gear, workouts, you name it!

WORKOUT Wednesday

I don’t think you’ll need too much assistance with this one. Whether it’s new to me, or new to you, you can look for a new workout, drill, or activity to shake up the routine. Contrary to the beliefs of my youth ( ), just because your a runner, does not mean you should only run. In addition to swim sets, ladders on the track, and intervals, you’ll occasionally find new playlists or power songs. Lord knows I don’t mix music and running… but my underwater mp3 player changed my life!

THOUGHTS ON A Thursday

You already saw an example of this one a couple weeks ago. It was pretty random. It will continue to be pretty random, but I can promise there will always be thoughts of some sort involved. Given my outlook on this fall semester… don’t be surprised if you see findings in sports psychology, motor development, amazing accomplishments of the human body, or Big 10 and NCAA news. Then again, you could also wind up with Buffalo Jerky, Sports Illustrated, or a giveaway. Oooh the suspense.

Friday CONFESSIONALS

You didn’t think I’d let that go, did you? I know it breaks all the alliteration I had going, but Friday Confessionals is a well established tradition, and I think ‘Fess up Fridays’ sounds lame.

WHERE’D YA GO? Weekends

That is the million dollar question. Being that weekends are so cherished, and yet so short lived, I make an attempt to disconnect on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s my goal to spend those two days catching up with family, friends, teammates, and the big man up top. OK… and maybe a bit of homework.

Can you feel this surge of optimism? No post for two weeks… and now I’m laying out a weekly schedule?! Let me tell you, if there is one thing I have learned about myself over the years, it is that I function 110% better with a plan. Whether it be for school, for training, for my closet, or anything else… give me my color coded sharpies, my fancy-shmancy 3 ring binder, or my iCal, and let me Martha it up! (Can we make organization a Olympic sport, please? THAT, my tibia can handle.)

Another thing I’d like to feel out with this new surge of inspiration is upping YOUR contribution. That’s right buddy… I’m lookin’ at you. You might be a blogger, a reader who has never commented, a company, or anywhere in between. If there’s something you want to share – a guest post, a race, an organization, a product, let me know, and we’ll hop to it! I have met so many amazing people through Dr.TriRunner… and I just want to spread the love.

SO. If you have any ideas, anything to share, any question, send it on over! Either leave it in the comments section, or shoot it to me at drtrirunner [at] gmail [dot] com!

THREE DISCLAIMERS…

#1 – I just gave you a Monday through Friday. That does not mean I will be posting all of those days. In fact, I can tell it to you right now that there is no flipping way. Unless you want to give me college credit, or money. This “schedule” simplifies my life in that it a) enables me to write ahead of time and schedule some posts, and b) gives me a basis on where to START, rather than “oh wow, I have so much to catch up on I don’t even know where to begin…”

#2 – Just because I said I disconnect doesn’t mean I’ll never jump online or throw up a post. Don’t try and call me out if you see me tweet!

#3 – You can ask any question you want, but I wont promise I’ll answer it. There are somethings I can’t share just due to contracts, and there are some things I wont share cause ya’ll have thrown some crazy stuff at me in the past. I guess in sum, just don’t be afraid to ask. 97% of questions I’ve received thus far have come from common sense, or logical curiosity.

ALRIGHT.

Now that I’ve given you THE weekly rundown, I want to give you MINE. Maybe because I feel guilty for not posting for so long, but also because I want to share my schedule! It is WAY different than the schedule I was operating on during the summer, and WOW was it a rough adjustment. You will see that I have practice at 6AM, meaning my wake up time is 5 and I [am attempting to] go to bed around 9. In comparison to the summer when we didn’t even close the restaurant till 9:00, and I was lucky if I was ready to sleep at midnight. Yeah… first week was rough. Here’s what a week in my life might look like now…

I think you should be able to click it to enlarge. Why do I show you this? Two reasons… 1) to show you that it is possible to fit your work, schooling, kids, homework, fitness, church into your busy life. This doesn’t show some of my committments, like bible study, time spent on homework, or oh hey – time to relax? But it is doable. 2) To tell you that while I would love to say I make it to every single practice session, or every meeting or group I’m a part of, I don’t. Sleep is one thing I know that affects me more than anything else, and if I don’t get my sleep, 6am might not happen. I have finally learned the difference between ‘ahhh… but my bed is so warm!! It’s dark out!’ and knowing that a workout just wont be productive. I’d rather spend the hour catching up on sleep than wasting time in the gym not doing anything beneficial. Capish?

Because it is my first official Wednesday “with a schedule” … I leave you with a

WORKOUT Wednesday

And because I’m writing this from an elliptical, with a sport psych journal that I really should be reading, I’ll chose a quickie. My current POWER SONG of the moment… is Power, by Kanye West. Check it out!

POWER on YouTube

Reader Question: What’s your power song of the moment?

Hope I didn’t loose to many of you in the Dr.TriRunner drought! Catch ya SOON!

-Erika

Sunday Long “Run”

Poppin (Remix) – Christ Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Juelz Santana

Today, being a Sunday, would mean it’s a long run day. We haven’t discussed my running status much as of late, because well, there really isn’t a status. It’s been constantly changing! For the month of December, running was super minimal. (read: like 30 miles for the entire MONTH maybe?) No – its most def. not because I can’t handle the Minnesota winters – we all know I’ve got that covered. Unfortunately.. it would be the hip. Again. My next “big” Dr. appointment is February 8th. Maybe I’ll know more after that, but at this point, this is what I do know: (words of my lovely sports med doc:) “It’s not going to just break through while you’re out there – if you want to be running, and it isn’t excruciatingly painful, you might as well.”

High Definition – Lupe Fiasco ft. Snoop Dog & Pooh Bear

So since January, I’ve taken that and run with it, literally. My milage is still NOTHING like “normal”, but at least I’m running a few days a week. However, no weekend long run for me. So today’s “long run” is brought to you by my Octane Q47 (or what I refer to typically as my “xRunner”) machine… lookin a little like this:

Dirt Off Your Shoulder – Jay Z

And since I have two hours scheduled with this bad boy, I figured what a better time to give you my ellipti/run/music rundown. What you see in BOLD and PURPLE are the songs that are playing currently while I am typing. Yes. Blogging while working out is pretty much the only way I have time for this right now. And since right now I have, oh… an hour and 44 minutes left, you get lots of songs.  My iTunes is on Shuffle btw, but I’m skipping around a bit if I hit a song I don’t like.

Beggin – Madcon

As you can also see, I’m not writing a ton in between what are anywhere between 4-5 minute songs. That’s because blogging, as I’m sure all of you who have your own site know, takes mucho tiempo.

Track 7 – Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack

(Don’t know the actual name… really not a fan of this song… but it gives you an idea of the eclectness of my iTunes.) Which brings me to the next item on my agenda…

Future Updating Schedule:

Guarantees – Atmosphere

It’s no joke that I am super busy this semester. But this blog is really important to me, and I actually really LIKE doing it! My iCal last week looked a little like this, and this is even just a four day week, with school just having started, so not a ton of homework yet. This also doesn’t show the 6 credits of online classes I have currently going on! Ayyy. Contemplating dropping Physics this semester, but that doesn’t seem like a good plan because I still need to take it at some point. All the classes I’m taking right now are ones I need to eventually take! Thank you God for inventing iCal…

This Is What It’s Made For – Usher

Because of this insanity, my posting schedule will most likely be once or twice a week. It will also probably be a bit more to the point and content driven than all this extra curricular stuff. Actually.. no, it probably wont. That’s just how I roll. If you’ve seen some of my tweets lately though, you know I got a lot going on:

• 20 credits
• 2 labs
• 2 jobs
• boyfriend
• family/friends
• the Tri team
• Dr. TriRunner
• the Tri team’s website – I just took this one on, but I’m excited about it!

There’s no blame or fingers to be pointed (other than at myself )… this is what I get myself into. Welcome to the life of a Type A (+) overscheduler. Moving on…

Real As It Gets – Jay Z ft. Young Jeezy

On Friday I promised you a gear review, and that’s what I have for you now!

Cycling & Winter Running Socks: Review

You – Atmosphere

First up, my loves of all time: SMARTWOOL. More specifically, their Ultra Light Cushion Women’s Cycling socks:

These were a gift from the boy, and damn, does he know how to pick em’! I love the way these hug my arches in just the right spot, and I don’t have to fold them over because they’re so effing big or have the “heel” be sitting at my ankle! I wear these in spin right now and they are PERFECT! They come up just high enough so my shimano shoes don’t cut into my leg, but they’re still “ankle socks.” Final Grade: A

Dirt Off Your Shoulders Vs. Bittersweet Symphony Remix – Jay Z & The Verve

Next: CRAFT Pro Warm Quarter Running Sock

Alright.. when I told you everything  you’d ever want to know about WINTER RUNNING… I told you how much my feet/hands circulation sucks. Well that post needs a revision: my feet/hand circulation SUCKS when I’m not properly prepared!!

Jesus Walks – Kanye West

This was also included in a x-mas gift from the boy (he’s winning in all corners here!) and DAYYYNG. I. Love. Keep in mind that these were not sent to me by the company – this review is solely based on my usage of said socks and happy warm toes. These. Are. FANTASTIC. On a run where my fingers were frozen solid through… think permafrost frozen… my feet were SO toasty, but not sweaty! Just happy, happy toes. Thankkk you to novio and thank you to Craft! Final Grade: A+

Real World – Match Box Twenty

(Haha! I told you it was on shuffle!)  While were on the subject of SOCKS, I will say that I am yet to wear my supafly Kayano Left and Right specific running socks that my mom gave me for Christmas. I feel like these need to be reserved for races or special occasion / monumental runs only. Q: Do you have any clothes like that? I definitely have a racing only sports bra!

Push It Remix – Camron ft. Jim Jones, Juelz, and Lil Wayne

Annnd that’s one hour down! Love it! What I don’t love is this weekend is “Open House” weekend at my gym. Read: Way super overcrowded!! Un momentitio chicos… bathroom break.

OK! Hour two.. start it off with an all time favorite:

I’ll Be Missing You – P. Diddy ft. Faith Evans

This is also where I switch to going backwards and up the resistance a bit! Annnd make sure I’m continuing to hydrate:

Baby It’s Cold Outside – James Taylor ft. Natalie Cole

(Hahaha!! Don’t judge!) Ok so I’m starting to really enjoy this live blogging thing. Pictured above (excuse the blurriness.. I took it one handed and moving) is the new LEMON LIME Powerade Zero! But not only Powerade kids.. that would be Lemon Lime PowerDew. If you haven’t done the PowerDew yet.. hop on it. And make sure to tell me what you think!!! And because we’re talking about beverages and hydrating….

Nilla’ Mint Coffee Recovery Shake:

Hotel California – The Eagles

I also told you last Friday that I had a recipe coming! I fell in love the second this cool, creamy shake of shining glory touched my lips. Not exaggerating.

Always Coming Back Home to You – Atmosphere

Thankfully that was not a 4:26 am photo! Here’s what we got goin’ on:

• Chocolate Mint Coffee, (.5 – 1 cup, depending on preference of taste and texture) cooled (a la Ghiradelli – sent to my by my absolute fave SwimBuddy Lizzy)
• 2 scoops Vanilla protein powder
• Xanthan gum
• Ice ( I use about 6 regular sized cubes)

If you tragically are not able to find this miraculous mint coffee, as I no longer am because I ran out and apparently this is a seasonal delicacy, I have moved on to using regular coffee (or espresso to be more accurate), dark coco powder, and mint extract. Place all ingredients in blender of choice, and get to town.

Say Shhh – Atmosphere

(If you’re from MN.. GET that song. Has been a favorite of mine for a lonnnng time!) Depending on the type of protein powder you choose to use, you can get upwards of 20g of protein here! Other variations: you could use chocolate flavored protein powder and nix the cocoa powder. You could do half coffee/half milk (or milk alternative). If you’re lucky enough to have any leftover Girlscout Thinmint cookies stashed in your  freezer… send them all to me one or two blended up in the drink would lead to nilla/choco/mint ecstacy. Caution.

When’s the Last Time – Clipse ft. Pharell

As you can see, I did this in my Magic Bullet and it barely fit. I’m still praying that the folks from VitaMix HQ over in Cleveland, Ohio will find this lil runner/triathlete/future doctor and realize:

Dang – this girl really needs a Vita Mix in her life. Her future depends on it. How can we help?

I have an extra kidney if any of your employees need it. We could work out a deal. KIDDING!!! Kinda…

Bout It – Yung Joc ft. 3LW (Step Up Soundtrack)

Alright – decision time: I have half an hour of this “run” left… and there are still about a billion things I have on my “to post” list. I wanna give you a GU2:10 (or Goal Update for those who haven’t mastered the Dr.TriRunner terminology…) but I think I will wait till January is over and  give you a complete one month perspective.

Maria Maria – Carlos Santana ft. Wyclef Jean

(Yes, I really did only type that much in the time it took to play all of Bout It. Not a short song.. but I’m sweating more liquid than my shower gives on a good water pressure day. Haha what an attractive mental picture..) What I think needs to happen right now, since I neglected it on Friday, is a little guilt relief. That’s right kids – sounds like a…

Sunday Friday Confessional:

What We Talkin’ Bout – Jay Z ft. Luke Steele

You know the rules of the game: there are none. Nothing is off limits. You fess up, I fess up. We all feel better. This is a practice I have very much loved ever since my very first ever Friday Confessional back in November of 2008. One year ago I was fessing up to this:

1. I’ve become rather spiteful without running. I’ve seen other people running outside or hearing them talk about running and wished they couldn’t run too. It’s like if I can’t run, no one else should. 
2. I stole my roommates pack of Cinnamon Spice gum off her desk. Sorry Laur – I owe you.
3. I ODed on Cinnamon Toast Crunch one night in the beginning of the week. I literally had FIVE bowls. Just dry. Back to back.  And I felt sick as hell afterwards/the next morning. It was completely emotional and very delicious. But I don’t need to do that again.
4. I paid $55 for unlimited group fitness at the Marino. And I’m yet to take ONE class. I signed up for abs tonight and spinning tomorrow morning.
5. I accidentally brought home a pool belt from the Y. And it is sitting under my bed. And it’s mine.

Ever The Same – Rob Thomas

Have I changed? Let’s see…
#1 – I am currently running, but nothing like “I used to.” But my thoughts on that one are much more stemming from frustration.. not “spite.” Or at least I’d like to think so.
#2 – No stealing gum. I have a plentiful stock of my Stride favorites.
#3 – No more CTC sadly – I no longer have “the caf,” and therefore no longer have open access to crack this goodness. Probably a good thing.

Nothing Ever Hurt Like You – James Morrison

#4 – $55 seems like a steal when you’re paying $68/month for a gym membership. Nuff said.
#5 – That pool belt fits me perfectly

This week I’m going to confess only one thing to you in the blog word, because a) I only have 7 minutes left and I want time to make a song wrap-up, and b) I’ve been pretty darn good this week if I do say so myself. Here we go:

Move If You Wanna – Mims

1. I have become increasingly reliant on sleep aids. Tylenol PM, Simply Sleep.. the melatonin ain’t doin jack isht. It’s at the point where if I don’t take anything, I just don’t get tired. No matter what. Friday night – took nothing. Fell “asleep” around 4 am. Was already awake when my alarm went off at 8am. I’m fessing up to this one because it’s actually a problem. I plan on talking to my doc about it at my next appointment. Which I am yet to schedule. :/

That’s all I have time for kids! This was a GOOD POST if you ask me! Sorry if I overwhelmed you with all of  this at once though. Here is the…

Long “Run” Song Wrap-up:

Encore – Jay Z (good song to end on!)
Poppin (Remix) – Christ Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Juelz Santana
High Definition – Lupe Fiasco ft. Snoop Dog & Pooh Bear
Dirt Off Your Shoulder – Jay Z
Beggin – Madcon
Track 7 – Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack
Guarantees – Atmosphere
This Is What It’s Made For – Usher
Real As It Gets – Jay Z ft. Young Jeezy
You – Atmosphere
Dirt Off Your Shoulders Vs. Bittersweet Symphony Remix – Jay Z & The Verve
Jesus Walks – Kanye West
Real World – Match Box Twenty
Push It Remix – Camron ft. Jim Jones, Juelz, and Lil Wayne
I’ll Be Missing You – P. Diddy ft. Faith Evans
Baby It’s Cold Outside – James Taylor ft. Natalie Cole
Hotel California – The Eagles
Always Coming Back Home to You – Atmosphere
Say Shhh – Atmosphere
When’s the Last Time – Clipse ft. Pharell
Bout It – Yung Joc ft. 3LW (Step Up Soundtrack)
Maria Maria – Carlos Santana ft. Wyclef Jean
What We Talkin’ Bout – Jay Z ft. Luke Steele
Ever The Same – Rob Thomas
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You – James Morrison
Move If You Wanna – Mims

[Change of location - the workout went wonderfully! No pain, sweated my a$$ off, and feel good. At home now.] Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did! I have two pages that should be up and running soon: music, and the return of my blogroll (finally)! There are more layout/style changes to come too. For now, if you’re looking for music (like the Reader’s Choice Ultimate Mix) just click on the “music” tag in the right column! Gotta go for now peeps – my VIKES are playing tonight!

-E

To derail for a quick sec – would you guys like if I kept an updated list of workout music? I was thinking of making a new page with either playlists or just a continually updated list of new music to rock out to. Let me know!

Aright – here are the songs you gave me both in the comments section and on my facebook wall. It’s your…

READER’S CHOICE PLAYLIST

• Sexy 8itch – David Guetta
• Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
• Dropkick Murpheys
• My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarckson
• Halo / Walking on Sunshine – Glee versions
• Telephone – Lady Gaga / Beyonce
• United States of Pop – DJ Earworm
• Lovers in Japan – Coldplay
• Fire Starter – Prodigy
• Military cadences
• Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – The Beatles
• Don’t Back Down – Tom Petty
• Till I Collapse – Eminem
• Even Flow – Pearl Jam
• Gold Digger – Kanye West
• Get Psycho – Disturbed
• The Riddle – Karl Lux

Since this whole post is about music… I guess I can throw a little more in here while I’m at it!

My absolute favorite new song of the moment is CRAWL by CHRIS BROWN. I wouldn’t necessarily put it on my tempo run playlist, but with the stuff that I’ve been going through recently with my hip and xyz… I mean c’mon – listen to these lyrics:

So we’ll crawl
Till we can walk again
And we’ll run
Until we’re strong enough to jump
Then we’ll fly
Until there is no end
So let’s crawl….crawl….crawl
Back to love
Yeah
Back to love
Yeah

I also wanna give you one of my hill workouts for SPIN!!

I recently updated this one in possible-prep if I start teaching again! This is for a 60 minute class, with a good warmup and cool down, and five rolling hills. There is a “recovery” song between each hill, but “recovery” only in the sense that you get your but down on the saddle, flush out some of the lactic acid, and pick up the speed. It is not an excuse for you to let your HR drop way down – you’re still supposed to be working! I also have one “check out” song.. you’ll see details below. This one’s for you chica!

I used to be super protective of “my music”… for whatever reason, and I guess putting this online for anyone to use makes me realize I still am! If you want to use this for a class or something, that’s great (and let me know! I’d love to hear how people liked it!) but I guess I would ask please just give credit! Okk, no more dinkin’ around (haha.. my coaches favorite words!)…

SPERLY:SPIN:HILLS:3

warmup
Will You Be There – Michael Jackson (3:41)
hill1 – put on that resistance!
A Star Is Born – Jay Z ft. J Cole (3:48)
Already Home – Jay Z ft Kid Kudi (4:30)
resistance off, alternate between seated surges and running in 2
Always Coming Back Home To You – Atmosphere (4:00)
hill2 – resistance back on, short hill so make it worth it!
Say Shh – Atmosphere (5:10)
quick recovery – surges
Diamonds – Kanye West (3:53)
hill3 – also short, I do isolation during this one
Stronger – Kanye West (5:12)
resistance off – team sprints!
Guajira – Yerba Buena (4:12)
hill4 – crank it up!
99 Problems – Jay Z (3:54)
Sexy Back – Justin Timberlake ft Timberland (4:03)
my “check-out” song – lights off, spinners focus in and challenge themselves at whatever level/resistance/position they think is going to help them achieve their goals.
Black & Gold – Sam Sparro (4:33)
hill5 – last one! Make it count!
Kick, Push – Lupe Fiasco (4:14)
Flashing Lights Remix – Lil Wayne ft Kanye West & Jay Z (5:23)
cool down – I don’t stop the legs till the end of the song. Stretch out the UB. Smile knowing you worked hard!
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You – James Morrison (3:54)

I love closin’ on James… he’s my man.

And speaking of my man, that’s who I need to go see for this epic Vikings game that is starting right now! If I’m lucky I’ll get there by halftime. Yes, I am elliptiposting right now, so something tells me if there is going to be alcohol involved I should also go find some food to put in my stomach first!

Have a lovely Saturday everyone! And let me know if you want a separate page for music/playlists! I’m out!
-E