A Gutsy Girl

Heal your gut. Heal your life.

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Week 5 Bigness Project

Filed Under: Fitness, Inspire, Love, Wellness, Workouts Tagged With: , , ,

It was a hard week for me, but nonetheless, on Sunday I finished week 5 Bigness Project, the 14-week hybrid strength training journey I’m on.

  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 1 Bigness Project.
  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 2 Bigness Project.
  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 3 Bigness Project.
  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 4 Bigness Project.

Week 5 is the same as week 4 with regards to exercises, sets, and reps. 

And honestly, it wasn’t even the lifting that made my week so hard. In fact, most lifts, I continue to feel stronger.

Week 5 was a major struggle on the running circuit, though.

I am starting to feel like an elephant with rollerblades on when I run, and this is not to correlate elephant with “I feel fat.” The correlation is just that my legs feel heavy, and my training runs feel awkward and harder than usual.

I improved zero with respect to running this past week, except maybe a little improvement mentally because I had to.

The beginning of the week was just very average, but by Friday on through to week 6, I just felt so off. 

I don’t want to make excuses because I try my best to avoid that, but on Thursday I had to do a 12-hour SIBO breath test strict diet followed by a 15-hour complete fast. And on Saturday when I woke up for the weekly long run, my never-a-friend aunt flo came to visit. 

The SIBO test re-triggered my SIBO, and if you want to know the truth, I spent most of Saturday (yes, even along the way during my run) after the long run and all of Sunday in the bathroom. 

(enter sad, sarcastic face) It’s so awesome that I can’t even describe it to you. 

But this is a blog about doing life fearlessly while living with autoimmune + SIBO (more on all of this soon, hopefully tomorrow).

And again, I’m not making excuses. But I also know that for me, super strong runs barely ever happen unless I’m near 100%.

Week 5 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com Workout Fitness

Week 5 Bigness Project

Click HERE to join along the journey via Instagram (+ I put a ton of food + my workouts on Instagram Stories, too!)

Monday: Off! Just a long walk.
Tuesday: Leg Day, Quad Dominant, followed by 3 x 1200’s paced at 7:37.
Wednesday: Chest and Back. Later that day I did 7 miles at 8:21/pace.
Thursday: Leg Day, Hamstring Dominant. 
Friday: Off!
Saturday: Long Run (13.62 miles at 8:23/mile pace). I did this run in the vicinity of where the March 26 half is at. It was hilly, and I realized that I am nowhere near in good enough shape for hills. Back to the drawing board.
Sunday: Arms and Shoulders, and then a long walk.

This week, week 6, is actually just a cut week for lifting. By “cut,” I mean, there will be no lifting (most likely). (I’ll resume week 6 either next week or right after the half, depending on how I’m feeling.)

I’m heading to Expo West on the official blogging team. 

It’s supposed to be “peak week” for my training since Saturday will mark 2 weeks until my next half marathon. My goals are to run, run, run through it all, and just work through my mental challenges. 

This is just a bump in the road, and definitely not a battle to quit. 

Week 5 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com Quote Quotes Life

Xox,
SKH

Week 4 Bigness Project

Filed Under: Fitness, Inspire, Love, Workouts Tagged With: , , ,

On Sunday I finished week 4 Bigness Project, the 14-week hybrid strength training journey I’m on.

  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 1 Bigness Project.
  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 2 Bigness Project.
  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 3 Bigness Project.

During week 4, many of the exercises get an added set. The notch is turned up during weeks 4-5, but I had to listen to my body.

After last week and the awful quad burning I got during my runs, I reached out to a super strong runner I know from way back in the day when I worked at a health and fitness club. She gave me three main tips, all of which I implemented immediately. They were as follows:

  1. Don’t overdue the strength training leg days so they are so burned out you can’t run.
  2. Run at least 1-2 slow miles almost every single day, just to keep them going.
  3. Slow down the long run.

Results? A much better week for the old quads! I never felt that deep burning sensation, and yet, quite honestly, not too much changed.

I kept the arms and shoulders + chest and back according to Bigness Project plan. On the leg days (both quad and hamstring dominant), I reduced the amount of sets from 5 to 2-3, depending on how much it would work the parts of my legs that were overworked (i.e. squats).

Most days I ran, but slowly. In fact, I made note that on those days I was even singing to myself. Running and singing…..ah, bliss.

And last week’s long run was significantly slower than the prior week. I ran 11 miles, pacing at 8:33/mile. 

Week 4 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com Half Marathon Training

Finally, I actually started foam rolling. From my How to Build the Best Home Gym blog post, I quick ordered the PROCIRCLE Foam Roller, and it’s just lovely. We keep it in our room, so throughout the day and at night before bed, I’ll roll a little. The grooves in it really help dig into the quads (and my lower back). I highly recommend it! 

Week 4 Bigness Project

Click HERE to join along the journey via Instagram (+ I put a ton of food + my workouts on Instagram Stories, too!)

Monday: Off!


Tuesday: Leg Day, Quad Dominant, followed by 2 easy miles paced at 8:59/mile.
Wednesday: Tempo Run. A total of 5 miles with the middle 3 around 8:49/mile.
Thursday: Leg Day, Hamstring Dominant, followed by 1.5 miles slow and 6 x 400 sprints.
Friday: Arms and Shoulders.
Saturday: Long Run (11 miles at 8:33/mile pace).
Sunday: Chest and Back, followed by 2 stroller miles (with my main man Zay) paced at 8:42/mile. I actually had planned to do like 3-4 miles, but the BOB wheel was about to fall off. Such a pain, even though Isaiah thought it was funny!

I am trying yet another new thing this week to see if it will help my training even more. I’ll report back next week!

I feel like I continue to see such positive changes, both mentally and physically, and after talking to a friend this past weekend, realized that I really don’t want to be a year-round marathon training bug. I just don’t think I have it in me to be a marathoner, and that’s okay because this is my journey.

 

If I had a #Paleoish dinner party, and I was the host, this is the apron you’d see me wearing. I got it at @owlboxvintage……and I love it. Here’s why. . . . You know how you come online, to Instagram, blogs, or anywhere else and you start to think, “I wish?!” Well, I don’t. I used to. And then I woke up. . . . I’ll never have bikini washboard abs. I won’t be the perfect mother. I won’t have a clean house – like ever. I won’t be the fastest, greatest, strongest, or anything that ends with -est. Because I prefer the -ish. . . . Here’s the deal…..the journey I’m on was created a looooooong time ago through bad choices, no choices, and even unforeseen choices. I didn’t **choose** to have many of the outcomes I do today, but at the same time, I now **choose** thank GOD daily for the ones that emerged. ????????✨ . . . You must love your journey. And guess what?! When you do, and you stay in your own lane there is no traffic. ???? . . . Have a beautiful Saturday night, friends! Xox ✨ . . . #iin #paleoishmama #iamwellandgood #healthylifestyle #quotes #shareyourbliss #inspire #love #life #Saturdaynight #zen

A post shared by Sarah Kay Hoffman (@paleoishmama) on

I do, however, kind of feel like I want to be a year-round half-marathon training bug. Doing so still allows me to do things like the Bigness Project, and gives me a sane(r) schedule. Plus, I really love the 10-mile mark!

Week 4 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com Jen Sinkler Kourtney Thomas

Tell me: Do you prefer half or full marathon training? And why?!

Xox,
SKH

Week 3 Bigness Project

Filed Under: Fitness, Inspire, Love, Wellness, Workouts Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Yesterday marked the end of week 3 Bigness Project, the 14-week hybrid strength training journey I’m on.

  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 1 Bigness Project.
  • Click HERE for the recap of Week 2 Bigness Project.

The highlight from week 3 was probably not even a lifting day, but instead my weekly long run. Yesterday morning I set out to run a practice half marathon. In the process, I ended up running it very well and did my fastest half marathon ever with a pace of 8:04.

Week 3 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com Half Marathon Training Strength Fitness

I am truly shocked by the energy I feel when I run. My breathing is spot on, and quite honestly, after reading How to Choose a Goal Race Pace by Amanda last week I had planned to do this run ensuring a LHR (lower heart rate). My heart rate stayed fairly low the entire time, and when the run was over, I averaged about 159 bpm. I know you’re looking at that number thinking it’s higher than the 140-150 range, but for me, that’s low. My heart rate is already super low so my numbers are a little different.

Anyways, the point is that at no point during the run did I feel like I was sprinting or exhausted by any means.

My quads did, however, burn horribly starting around mile 9-ish. I’m still trying to understand if that’s just because they still aren’t used to long runs or if it’s because they are already tired from 2 leg workouts during the week. Thoughts anyone?

The only lasting effects from that run included a few hours of feeling less than great, and day-after mild leg soreness. The hardest part about running more than 10-miles is that recovery is always a work in progress for understanding exactly how to do it properly for my body given the fact that I also battle an autoimmune condition, SIBO, and “adrenal fatigue.” I’m beginning to work with a new doctor (in addition to Dr. Schweig) at the Institute this week so these are all things I’ll explore. More on that in a later post.

Each week I do this program I feel stronger, that’s for sure. I’m still not 100% sold on the idea that my body workout 6 days a week, but since I’ve been feeling so great, I am just trying to stay consistent. Once I need to pull back a little, I will modify somehow, and probably go down to 5 days a week or 4 days (with 2 of those “doubles”) so that I can have a full 3 days of rest.

Week 3 Bigness Project

Click HERE to join along the journey via Instagram (+ I put a ton on my Instagram Stories, too!)

Monday: Tempo Run, followed by a 1-mile for time (1-mile warm up, 5K at 7:45/mile pace, and a final mile at 7:19 pace). Note: this week, my runs gave me the added challenge of that mid-cycle cramping. This is a huge concern for the day-of races because when they hit, I have no choice, but to stop running for a few minutes to let is subside. 
Tuesday: Leg Day, Quad Dominant, followed by 4 x 800’s at a 7:45/mile pace. And yes, it’s hard to do these “sprints” after leg day.
Wednesday: Chest and Back. Still working on these eccentric pull-ups like a champ, but let’s be honest, it’s going to take my whole life to get them right.
Thursday: Leg Day, Hamstring Dominant. I really love these RDL‘s. I took the kids for a long walk that afternoon, too, because I needed to move my legs.
Friday: I had planned to workout today, resting on Saturday, but my body was screaming at me saying, “No, no you will not.” So I listened. I took this day off and it was lovely.
Saturday: Arms and Shoulders. This is definitely a vanity-style workout, but it still leaves me sore for a couple days always, which is something new for that part of my body.
Sunday: Long Run (13.1 miles at 8:04/mile pace, and then an easy – about 9:45 – mile).

I am really beginning to embrace the idea that everything from a health and fitness standpoint improves when aesthetics are the least of concerns. I fully believe now that the reason I am able to workout and run like I am is because I’m finally fueling appropriately, without “rules,” and listening to what my body needs.

 

Can I get an amen?! ???????? . . . Do you know why this is so accurate, especially if you’re a woman?! #Hormones ladies, hormones. The more you “diet,” the more you tinker with them. And once you’ve tinkered with them enough, the more your body will resist any “diet” you try. It’s a vicious cycle that, unfortunately, once you’ve dieted too much can be hard to ever reverse its effects. . . . You’ll see in my pictures + in my words because I don’t sugar coat anything. I don’t have abs of steel. I don’t have muscles for days. I’m not trying to show y’all some perfect image so that you aspire to unrealistic goals and life situations. . . . And this is because I’ve been there, done that, ruined hormones, triggered a nasty cycle of #SIBO and more. “Diets” are **so not worth it.** Nothing is. I promise. . . . Now stop counting, calculating, measuring, obsessing…..go eat and make your days, workouts, and life count. . . . #healthy #eatrealfood #FitFluential #IIN #Quote #Quotes #food #foodmatters #foodie #foodlover #❤️food

A post shared by Sarah Kay Hoffman (@paleoishmama) on

I would rather stay strong, confident, and enjoying the journey for healing mind, body, and soul than to whip out abs like I’m still in my 20’s.

The Bigness Project is totally helping see this all to fruition, so even if I made zero physical changes, those benefits are priceless.

Xox,
SKH

Week 2 Bigness Project

Filed Under: Fitness, Inspire, Love, Workouts Tagged With: , ,

Yesterday marked the end of week 2 Bigness Project, the 14-week hybrid strength training journey I’m on.

Click HERE for the recap of Week 1 Bigness Project.

Week 2 just flat-out rocked again! My energy levels are super awesome currently, which helps make progress even sweeter.

This past week I finally signed up for the Livermore 1/2 Marathon, March 26. It’s on! I feel excited, but also somewhat nervous because now that I’ve decided I don’t want to spend the time training for a full marathon, I know that at some point during 2017, I’ll need to PR at the half-marathon distance.

My current 1/2 marathon PR is 1:48:30, which was achieved in 2009 when I was much younger! In case you’re not sure what pace that it is, I averaged 8:17 per mile. I will beat that at some point in 2017, but in order to do so, I need to train hard, rest harder, and stay focused. 

Below are last week’s workouts.

{Side note: I put this post on Facebook last Thursday after my long run –> Fact: a woman went to my blog, saw pictures of me post-workout and sent an email saying how awful I look with “red” under my eyes.

I just finished running 10 miles right now. This is what I look like, UNEDITED!

Ladies, if anyone looks like a supermodel right after a sweat sesh, more power to you. But if not….oh well. Be you. Don’t edit your life for anyone. Promise?!} 

I stand by this 1,000%.

Week 2 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com

Week 2 Bigness Project

Click HERE to join along the journey via Instagram (+ I put a ton on my Instagram Stories, too!)

  1. Monday: Legs, Quad Dominant. This week we started doing 4 vs. 3 sets on all workouts. 
  2. Tuesday: I did an early morning 10K, which is 6.2 miles at an 8:14/mile pace. 
  3. Wednesday: Chest and Back day. I’m really trying to work on these awful pull-ups. Still the weakest link, but still super excited to watch me get stronger with them.
     

    Thanks for joining the #BignessProject today, @eminem (sound off) ????????????‍♀️✌????@jensinkler @kthomasfitness . . I was on my tiptoes on a bench doing these wide-grip eccentric (then super-paused) #pullups today because this #exercise is (by far!) my weakest link. Everyone shows their “best of” on IG. This is my “worst of.” And in it, I find *opportunity.” #strength doesn’t happen in a bubble. When the box is opened, you find it in every aspect of life. ✨ . . . #girlswholift #lifting #pullup #paleoishmama #Paleoish #Paleo #IIN #Fitness #iamwellandgood #fitfluential #eatliftlive #crossfit #homegym #sweat #fitmoms @fit_moms_of_ig @fitfluential @targetstyle @target #targetstyle @lucyactivewear

    A video posted by Sarah Kay Hoffman (@paleoishmama) on

     

  4. Thursday: 10.1 miles, broken up into two runs. I did the long run today because I wanted to get it out of the way before my birthday. I ran the first 7 miles at an 8:35 pace, and then the next 3.1 miles at an 8:21 pace. 
  5. Friday: My birthday! I had a super awesome arms and shoulders workout and then at all the Paleo Birthday Cake with Rainbow Unicorn Frosting. 
  6. Saturday: OFF. Know what I did on this day? A 90-minute massage. Recovery is critical!
  7. Sunday: Legs, Hamstring Dominant plus 4 x 800’s (7:45 pace). I’m not sure I’ll do the sprints on legs day anymore. I might move this to the arms and shoulders day. It felt like too much yesterday, and I’m all about listening to my body these days so more progress can be made.

I learned some new things last week about fueling my body for these workouts. I learned that more is better, and I learned that a difference of about 40-50g of carbs will make all the difference. When you eat for healing meshed with performance, good things can come. And by the way, last night it was all about the white rice, and this morning’s tempo run was absolutely amazing!

Questions: What are the best songs on your running playlist? How about on your lifting playlist? Do you use iTunes or Spotify or something else?

Xox,
SKH

Week 1 Bigness Project

Filed Under: Fitness, Inspire, Love, Wellness, Workouts Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Yesterday marked the end of week 1 Bigness Project, the 14-week hybrid strength training journey I’m on.

Week 1 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com Handstands

I worked out on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. You read that correct. It was a 6-day workout, but I’m feeling great!

During this first week, I felt re-inspired for some new things so in addition to sharing the past week of workouts, I thought I’d share these things.

  1. No Marathon. Dangit almighty. I’m already giving up one of my 2017 New Year’s Goals. I’m laughing as I write that. But here’s what happened to help make this final decision. On Saturday, I ran over 12 miles. And it rocked! I might have been running with a frown, but I was super happy, and it showed when I snapped the below picture at the end. Despite getting the female monthly friend just one hour prior to the run, my energy levels felt great (though my quads still fatigue fairly early on). Breathing was easy, and I actually feel like I’m getting back into the “cardio shape” I want to be in. But when the run was done, I had zero desire to keep running for a longer amount of time because there were so many other things I wanted to do with my day. I enjoyed the 2-ish hour “me time,” but really didn’t feel that dedicating more time was worth it, not from a fitness standpoint, personal standpoint, and in general life standpoint. Do you know what it means to train for a marathon? Even if I would continue on a basic 3-day per week training schedule, ultimately, the long runs would need to increase more and more and more. You can’t run a marathon training on a half-marathon schedule. I mean, you could, but not if you want to excel. And at this point in my life and on my fitness journey, doing things “just because” won’t cut it. I’m extremely goal driven, and for me “just because” isn’t really a goal. So here’s the deal, yes, running a marathon could prove me unafraid. But back to the Bigness Project…..so could building muscle. And that leads me to….  Week 1 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com Jen Sinkler
  2. Tough. Again, dangit almighty. Week 1 of the program showed me that I’m not nearly as strong as I thought I was. Like, at all. By far, the most challenging thing I did were the bodyweight assisted eccentric pull-ups. I’ve always been used to doing pullups with a grip where palms face each other. This pull-up version, though, has palms facing out, and the tempo is a very slow one. There is no cranking out pull-ups “kip-style.” I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was super frustrated. For a minute there I thought to myself, “No way. This is not for me. I’m not strong enough for this.” But that’s the point of being unafraid. Just because it wasn’t coming naturally to me, doesn’t mean I need to be afraid of it. Clearly, I have a lot of strength to work on, but after I reminded myself that it was OK to start at the beginning, I became excited for all that could be if I stayed consistent.


I still have every intention of running several races this year. I’m still going to run a half marathon at the end of March because I really love the 13-ish-mile distance. Now that I’ve already (almost) hit that distance, I can practice getting faster (which is a huge challenge in and of itself).

Week 1 Bigness Project

Click HERE to join along the journey via Instagram (+ I put a ton on my Instagram Stories, too!)

Week 1 Bigness Project sarahkayhoffman.com Kourtney Thomas

  1. Monday: 5K, paced at 8:08/mile.
  2. Tuesday: Legs, Quad Dominant. I had not done BB Back Squats in quite some time, so it felt great to hit those again.
  3. Wednesday: Chest and Back. In addition to the pull-ups, I will say that my chest and back are, by far, my weakest links. I hate training them, and it shows. But I’m going to work really hard on both to gain some much-needed strength there.
  4. Thursday: Legs, Hamstrings + Sprints. I love leg day, especially when it is hamstring-focused. I have not done Curtsy Lunges and/or BB Hip Thrusts in a very long time, and I’m excited to see how much stronger I’ll get with those exercises over the next several weeks. I did my sprints on our treadmill. All of them were 400’s. The first 6 toggled down to a 7:20 pace, and the last one was a gradual hill climb. This ends up being a fairly long workout when it’s all said and done, but the time spent with and by myself is worth it.
  5. Friday: OFF. Ryan and I took the kids for a long walk that night, though (we tend to do this a few nights a week). 
  6. Saturday: 12.4-mile run, paced at 8:24/mile.
  7. Sunday: Shoulders and Arms. Focusing so much on eccentric training, I had to greatly reduce the weight I’m used to doing for shoulders. But still, they are my favorite body part to work! 

I’m heading into Week 2 Bigness Project with the mantra/quote I put up on Instagram Saturday after my run,

If you continuously compete with others, you become better, but if you continuously with yourself you become better.

That quote is super legit.

Up today…..back to the Quad Dominant leg day and increasing to 4 vs. 3 sets. Back squats here we come!

The possibilities are endless.

Xox,
SKH