I'm officially back on the wagon when it comes to early morning workouts.  I had a small hiccup when I was sick a few weeks ago, but last week I dutifully got up everyday at 5am and busted out my workout.

I followed my workout plan last week and loved having the structure of my whole week being pre-planned.  I'm definitely going to keep it up. One thing I underestimated though, was how much time I actually spent running.  I usually just run until I don't feel like running anymore and I guessed at the distances when I typed up my workout plan last week.  But during each run, when I hit my target distance, I felt like I was just hitting my stride and wanted to keep running.  So this week, I am definitely going to increase the mileage. 

My goal is to get back to running 5-7 miles at a time during the week, with a longer run on the weekends, so eventually I won't have time to get my run and weights done before work, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. 

Alright, on to this week's workout plan.  In addition to bumping up the mileage a little, I'm going to split the core work into rounds.  The sets of 50 weren't bad, but the planks were brutal by the end.  I need to break those up into 2 rounds for now.

Monday
Run - 3.5 miles
Legs - kill those legs (2 rounds)
Core - (2 rounds)

• 50 crunches
• 50 reverse crunches
• 30 second plank (2 rounds with 15 second breaks)

Tuesday
Run - 4 miles
Arms - tank top arms (2 rounds)
Core - (2 rounds)

• 50 supermans
  
• 50 side crunches (25 each side)
  
• 30 second plank (2 rounds with 15 second breaks)

Wednesday
Run - 3.5 miles
Legs - kill those legs (2 rounds)
Core - (2 rounds)

• 50 crunches
• 50 reverse crunches
• 30 second plank (2 rounds with 15 second breaks)

Thursday
Run - 4 miles
Arms - tank top arms (2 rounds)
Core - (2 rounds)

• 50 supermans
  
• 50 side crunches (25 each side)
  
• 30 second plank (2 rounds with 15 second breaks)

Friday
Yoga - 45 minutes

Saturday or Sunday
Hike, walk or run outside

Alright, here we go!  Earlier tonight, I talked about why I want to document my workout plans for the week and this is my first attempt.  I've been relatively active up to this point and I do workout now, but I don't necessarily tackle it with a plan ahead of time.  And I fear that I'm doing myself a disservice. 

So in an effort to change that, I'm going to write my goals down and choose workouts that get me closer to those goals.  Right now, my two main goals are increasing my running distance and gaining muscle definition. 

The workouts below are aimed at making the most of my early morning pre-work sessions and leaving my weekends to less structured activities like running outside or wandering a forest preserve.  Most of these workouts came from Pinterest or my memory banks of past workouts. 

This week of workouts is complete - my results are in blue below.

Monday
Run - 2.5 miles
Legs - kill those legs (2 rounds)
Core:

• 50 crunches
• 50 reverse crunches
• 30 second plank (4 rounds with 15 second breaks)

Monday was a good day.  The run was easy and the leg workout seemed easy, until a few hours later when the soreness set in.  But the good kind of soreness!  The kind that makes you feel like you're actually making a difference.  Each round of the leg workout took about 6-7 minutes and the core work was another 7-8 minutes. 

Tuesday
Run - 3.5 miles
Arms - tank top arms (2 rounds)
Core:

• 50 supermans
  
• 50 side crunches (25 each side)
  
• 30 second plank (4 rounds with 15 second breaks)

My run went well and I ended up closer to 4 miles because I was feeling good.  The arm workout was a good one too and each round took about 5-6 minutes.  The first round was easy and I was thinking "hmm, maybe I should do a 3rd round" but then the second round burned so good.  It was hard to complete it.  The core work was another 7-8 minutes, but I was really feeling it at the end with the planks.

Wednesday
Run - 2.5 miles
Legs - sexy leg workout (2 rounds)
Core:

• 50 crunches
• 50 reverse crunches
• 30 second plank (4 rounds with 15 second breaks)

Another run that felt great so I continued on and went for 3 miles instead of the planned 2.5  I kinda cut myself short on time for legs, but I got it done.  My legs were super sore from Monday still, so it was kind of challenging, but each round took about 7-8 minutes. 

Thursday
Run - 3.5 miles
Arms - dumbbells, smart arms (2 rounds)
Core:

• 50 supermans
  
• 50 side crunches (25 each side)
  
• 30 second plank (4 rounds with 15 second breaks)

I overslept a little bit today so I could only fit in my run this morning, but it was a good run.  I felt strong the whole time and I was able to run the last mile at 9 min mile (I'm normally closer to a 10 min mile).  I'll fit my arm workout in Friday before yoga.

Friday
Yoga - Beginner Yoga Routine (as many rounds in 60 min)
I ended up doing a different yoga routine that I have memorized since I didn't want to be looking at my computer to see what the next pose was.  It took about 45 minutes and then I did the arm routine that I skipped yesterday. 

Saturday or Sunday
Hike, walk or run outside
My friend Erin and I grabbed some coffee and took a nice walk along the beach.  It was a gorgeous day and the beach was dog-friendly so it was the perfect way to catch up with a friend. 

It's time for some new fitness goals up in here.  I've had it with my current routine, which basically consists of going for a run a few times a week (whatever distance I feel like at the time) and lifting some weights when I have time.  Not exactly a clear cut plan of action.

That changes this week.  Since I started my new job 6 weeks ago, I've been getting up before work to workout (minus a week or so when I was sick with a head cold) and I'm actually kind of enjoying the routine of it, but I'm not seeing a ton of physical results.  And I think it's because I don't have a good plan.

So, like a good little blogger, I'm going to create one and post it online.  I'm not going to do a daily post or track my weight, calories, etc.  This isn't really a workout or weight loss blog (although, if you like that kind of blog, here are a few really great ones), but fitness is a big part of our lives so I'm going to post my weekly workout plans and if anyone wants to follow along or post their workout plans in the comments, I'd love to follow yours too (and cheer each other on!). 

Since I'm not a personal trainer, I'm going to draw on workout plans created by those who know far more than I do.  Like Jillian Michaels and Pinterest.  I'll just post the combination of workouts I have planned for the week and my overall fitness goals.  Easy enough.  Well, except that part of actually doing the workouts.

I'll post this week's goals later tonight.  And I'll tag all of the posts with the category "weekly workout" so that you can see them all by clicking here.  In the meantime, tell me, what is your favorite source for workout plans?  Leave them in the comments!