Workouts This Week

Been busy studying this week (anatomy and physiology) and prepping for our trip to Switzerland, so I haven't logged all my workouts. Here's what I've done so far this week (a cut-back week):

Monday: 2 easy miles on the treadmill; lifted back and biceps.

Tuesday: 6.5 miles total: 5 miles continuous running, walked up the steep hill out of the Isar River valley to avoid stressing my left calf, 1.5 miles easy jog home.

Wednesday: Horseback riding. Had a new horse - Napoleon! He was very nice, but a HUGE horse. 1.75 m high at the withers! (The withers is where the neck meets the shoulder on a horse. Germans measure horse height in metres, whereas in North America we use "hands" (one hand = 4 inches). So this horse is 1.75 metres tall at the base of his neck - taller than me! I'm only 1.68 metres tall (5'6").) Even with the mounting block, I still had to let the stirrup down four holes so I could get on! But he was very nice. Didn't like the whip, so I gave my dressage whip to my instructor, and he went very nice. My instructor said he can be a bit lazy without the whip, but this morning he was fine. My legs did get a good workout though! His only real fault is that he doesn't like to stand still at the halt and let you adjust your stirrups or the girth, so he had to be held while I adjusted my stirrups. So now I've found another horse that I really like.

Thursday Thirteen

#18 - 13 of Caylynn's Favourite Hobbies

1. Running - it will come as no surprise to any regular visitor that running is one of my favourite hobbies. I usually run between 3 and 5 times a week, and I'm currently training for a spring marathon (the Vienna Marathon) so my long runs are increasing - last week my long run was 14 miles, and the next several will be 16, 18, 20 and 20 miles. I've run numerous races, including several 10Ks (6.2 miles), three half-marathons (13.1 miles or 21.1 km), one 20K, and one marathon (26.2 miles or 42.2 km). I'm very slow, but I can run forever. After fracturing my L2 vertebra falling off a horse while jumping back in 1993, I'm just happy to be able to run at all!
   
   
2. Horseback riding - Yep, even though I fractured a vertebra while riding, I still love it! There's nothing like the connection between a horse and a rider when it works. I ride English-style, and in the past I've mostly ridden hunter seat. Since my riding accident I have jumped again (mostly for psychological reasons, to prove to myself that I wasn't afraid) but I currently take dressage lessons.
   
   
3. Teaching Group Fitness - Many of you will know group fitness as "aerobics" but those of us in the industry don't use that term anymore, since group fitness classes encompass so much more than traditional aerobics. When we were living in Canada, I was teaching between 4 and 6 group fitness classes a week. Here in Munich, I only teach once a week. I love it! I'm a certified group fitness instructor with CanFitPro, and I also have a Resist-A-Ball Level I certification. My favourite classes to teach are Step and Stability Ball. I can also teach High-Low (traditional floor aerobics), Body Sculpting/Muscle Conditioning (strength training/weights in a group setting), and any combination of the previous classes. The class I currently teach is Step and Tone - step choreography alternating with muscle conditioning.
   
   
4. Taking Group Fitness Classes - I also enjoy taking classes from other instructors, especially formats that I don't teach, such as Pilates, or Advanced Step. (I teach basic to intermediate step.)
   
   
5. Strength Training - I love lifting weights. I love the way it makes me feel and the way it makes me look. I like being strong! I lift heavy weights, because that is the most effective way to develop strength, and most women won't bulk up, even when lifting very heavy weights. I only know a few women who , due to their genetics, actually develop large, bulky muscles when lifting heavy. For most women, lifting heavy will just help them develop strength, acquire sculpted muscles, and burn fat. By the way, most women, unless they are genetically blessed, cannot develop "six pack" abs unless they get their body fat down to an extremely unhealthy level.
   
   
6. Reading - I'm a voracious reader. I read every night before bed - it's my way of relaxing and unwinding at the end of the day. I read mostly fantasy and historical fiction. I also enjoy reading non-fiction (history, science, running, horseback riding, etc.) but now that I'm a student again (working towards a Masters degree in Physiotherapy) I don't read as much non-fiction. I get enough of it in my studies! Some of my favourite authors are L.E. Modesitt Jr., Katherine Kurtz, Kate Elliott, R.A. Salvatore, George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, J.R.R. Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, Diana Gabaldon, Lindsey Davis, Dick Francis, and many others, too numerous to mention.
   
   
7. Comic Books - My husband is a long-time comic book collector and reader, and he introduced me to the hobby. I now enjoy reading comic books almost as much as I enjoy reading regular books. My favourite comic book creators include George Pérez, Gail Simone, Brian K. Vaughn, Greg Land, Greg Rucka, Brian Michael Bendis. Titles that I'm enjoying at the moment include Birds of Prey, 52, Civil War, Ex Machina, Fables, Jack of Fables, Knights of the Dinner Table, Queen and Country, Rex Mundi, Runaways, Artesia, Ultimate Spiderman, Y: The Last Man, Age of Bronze. Favourite past runs include George Pérez' re-launch of Wonder Woman, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez' New Teen Titans, and CrossGen's Sojourn.
   
   
8. Watching TV - Yes, I also enjoy watching TV. I mostly enjoy watching shows on Discovery, National Geographic and History channels, although my husband and I also enjoyed watching regular T.V. My all-time favourite TV show is M*A*S*H. The best show ever made, in my opinion. Shows that we currently watch include Mythbusters, Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Smallville, Battlestar Gallactica (the new one) and the various Law & Orders.
   
   
9. Computer Games - I enjoy playing role-playing games(RPGs) such as Neverwinter Nights (1 & 2), Knights of the Old Republic (1 & 2), Oblivion, Baldur's Gate (1 & 2) and similar RPGs. I also enjoy turn-based Strategy Games such as Civilization III & IV, and City-Building Games such as Caesar IV.
   
   
10. Playing with our Sphynx Kitten, Dragonheart - Drake LOVES playing with wand toys, so we obviously need to play with him. He especially enjoys chasing anything that has feathers on the end. Of course, doing anything with Dragonheart is fun.
    
    
11. Blogging - It goes without saying, but blogging has become one of my favourite hobbies very quickly! I started a family blog first to keep in touch with our friends and family back home in Canada, then I started a blog to record my training runs, and now it has expanded from there. But I've met a lot of wonderful, friendly people through blogging, so I'm glad I started!
    
    
12. Writing - Unlike many bloggers out there, I'm not a writer, and I don't have any desire to write short stories or novels, or to ever be published, but I do participate in an interactive fiction/role-playing group called alt.starfleet.rpg. I currently have two characters that I write, a Chief Medical Officer, LCDR StarSong to-Ennien, MD, PhD; and an Operations Officer, LT Catharina Ledoux. It's a lot of fun, and I really enjoy writing with a diverse group of people to create our own adventures in the Star Trek universe.
    
    
13. Doing anything with my husband - We enjoy spending time together. Whether we're running, lifting weights, watching TV, or just doing ordinary, everyday things such as grocery shopping, we just enjoy being together. We are truly best friends and have a great time together, no matter what we're doing.
    

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Tags: Dragonheart, cats, group fitness, horseback riding, injury, memes, Thursday Thirteen, race, Sphynx, hobbies

Riding and Running

Today I had another horseback riding lesson. I rode a very sweet mare called Anubis. She's a warmblood. I liked her very much. Her canter was very smooth and easy to sit to. I've asked to ride her again next week. We practice a lot of shoulder in today. It went fairly well.

I also ran 5 miles through the Englischer Garten. The weather was beautiful for a run. Sunny, a light wind, with a temperature around 5°C. Kept my heart rate under 70% of Heart Rate Reserve. Wasn't a very fast run, but my legs were a little heavy from my riding lesson earlier in the morning.

Tags: running, horseback riding

Horseback Riding Wednesday, Tempo Run Thursday

So yesterday I was busy with visiting all the Thursday Thirteens, as well as studying Anatomy & Physiology, so I didn't have time to update my recent activities.

Wednesday I had a horseback riding lesson. It went well, although I felt a little strange at first, since they had me riding a Haflinger Pony! I haven't ridden a pony since I was 12 or 13 years old! But she was a large pony, so I wasn't too big for her. Although I didn't need to use a mounting block to mount - something else that I haven't done since I was much younger!

The pony's name was Luna, and she was a nice enough school horse. She was a little too inclined to follow the other horses, and didn't want to leave her friends, but other than that, she was a nice ride. It did take a bit of time to get used to the shorter stride of a pony, since I haven't ridden one in so long, but I quickly adapted.

Yesterday I ran a tempo run. It felt really good to stretch my legs and run fast. I did 2 miles easy jog warm-up, 3 tempo miles @80% of Heart Rate Reserve, then 2 miles run/walk cooldown. The tempo miles felt good. They were speedier than they have been for the past couple of weeks. Not quite as fast as they were before my layoff in October, but my speed is coming back, albeit slowly.

Tags: running, horseback riding, run

Horseback Riding Yesterday, Run Today

Had a good riding session yesterday. I love dressage. Dressage is a style of English riding, done on the flat - ie. no jumping. It involves riding the horse through different "figures" and exercises. The aim is to have the horse obedient to the rider with the lightest aids possible. Aids are the directions the rider gives to the horse, with leg, seat, weight, hands, etc. Here are some sites that explain dressage: http://www.usdf.org/AboutUs/SpectatorsGuideToDressage.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dressage

I wasn't too fond of the horse I was riding, Jasca. Very much a typical school horse in some ways. A little lazy, and a little too inclined to follow the other horses and want to be with his friends. What I didn't like was the fact that twice when I gave him the aids to canter, he gave a little buck. The first time was okay, just a little playful buck. The second time he bucked a little more, and my helmet impacted his crest/neck when his head came up. I stayed on, and got him cantering after, but I had a headache afterwards. Other than that, the lesson went well.

Today was an easy run, 6 miles total at less than 70% of Heart Rate Reserve. Walked a half mile to warm up, ran 5 miles continuously, walked up the long, steep hill out of the Isar River valley (hills can put strain on the calf, and after my calf injury last month, I don't want to risk injuring it again), ran a one mile cool down, and walked an additional half mile to cool down.

The run was okay. I'm still really slow, much slower than I was 6 weeks ago. I'm sure the speed will come back in time, though. The weather was beautiful. Sunny, with just a light breeze. Warm too, with a temperature of 18°C. So I was running in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. Most of the Germans I saw out running, though, were wearing long-sleeved tops and tights! I would have been over-heating if I had been dressed like that.

Tags: running, horseback riding

Horseback riding and a run

My Friday Feast can be found below this.

I had my first horseback riding lesson in Germany today. I rode a horse called Anubis. She's a warmblood, and is black, with a white stripe. A very nice horse, and she answered the aids pretty well.

(BTW, the picture of my riding is not from today, but from one of my lessons in Ottawa back in the spring.)

The instructor ran us through the basics, in order to determine what level I am, and which classes I could join. We did the usual walk, trot (rising trot and sitting trot), canter, some circles, changes of rein, etc.

After all that, we went on a short (15 min) hack through the Englischer Garten. Lots of fun. This stable has regular "Ausritte" (trail rides) through the Englischer Garten, so I will certainly be taking part in some of those!

My level was about where I figured I would be: intermediate. I rode a lot when I was younger (age 12 to 19), but then during my university studies I didn't have time to ride, and then I was paying off my student loans, and then I just never got back into the habit of riding.

Last year, for our anniversary, my husband surprised me with a session of riding lessons (2 months worth.) So I started riding again in Summer 2005, and continued until this past April (2006), when things started getting really busy for us with our German language testing and our move to Munich. Now that we are settled in, and have established our regular schedule, I have time to ride again.

The riding school can be seen here. (The website is in German.)

This afternoon, when hubby came home from work, we went for an easy 5 mile run through the Englischer Garten and along the Isar. My legs felt quite heavy and tired, so I'm happy that this week's long run is part of a "cut-back" week, and so it's only 5 miles.

My hobbies

First of all, I'm a runner. My husband and I frequently run together. We've run three half-marathons and one full marathon together, plus numerous 10Ks. Hubby has also done 2 halfs on his own. Currently, we mostly run along the Isar river here in Munich, and through the Englischer Garten (a large park in the middle of Munich, much like Central Park in New York).

I'm also a certified group fitness instructor. I love teaching classes. My favourite fitness class is Step, followed by Stability Ball. I also teach High-Low Aerobics, Total Body Conditioning/Body Sculpting, Interval, and Circuit classes. I taught for several years at the University of Ottawa, and now I'm on a sub list at a gym here in Munich. Hopefully I'll have a regular class of my own soon.

I love horses and horseback riding. I ride English - hunter seat and dressage. I haven't ridden in a couple of months now, but I'm hoping to find a stable where I can ride fairly soon.

I'm a voracious reader, mostly Fantasy and Historical Fiction. My favourite authors include L.E. Modesitt, Jr. and Kate Elliott. My husband, a long time comic book collector, also has me reading comic books. My favourite comic book writers are Gail Simone and Brian Michael Bendis. My favourite comic book artists include George Pérez and Greg Land.

I also enjoy computer games, mostly role-playing games, city building games, and a few strategy games. Favourites include Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic (I&II), Civilization IV, and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.