speedvegan

friday – 1000 meter swim
saturday – 50 min spin class
sunday – rest
monday – 1.5 hour beach bootcamp class
tuesday – 40 min run, 1200 meter swim
wednesday – 55 min spin class
thursday – rested

don’t let the name fool you. for some reason, this week’s profile wasn’t as challenging as the others i have created. perhaps it is because i hurt my knee last week and had to take it easy on Saturday. also my timing was way off on some of the songs. i’m debating whether to modify it or try it again. what do you think ?

i have decided to do a special class in two weeks (11/3). it will be a ‘proper form & technique’ class. i was apprehensive about it, but Geoff’s reaction was favorable and the girls in the class were ecstatic when i mentioned it to them. it will be a regular Spinning class with some modifications. i will use lyric-less music during the first half of the class so that i don’t have to shout over the songs. during this time, i will go over the 5 basic Spinning movements and all of their variations. for each of the movements, i will discuss the purpose of the exercise, muscles being worked, gear to use, HR zone, as well as proper form and ways to avoid injuries. i will also compare each movement to road cycling. we will perform several exercises which will help to perfect our form and be more efficient on the bike. we will then put everything learned into practice during the second half of the class. i am currently working on this so if you have any suggestions about what else to cover, feel free to let me know. i always appreciate your input !

Three Hills

Warmup 5:10 – Boys On The Radio, Hole

Sprint 5:58 – Adagio For Strings, Tiesto
60% effort
40 sec run, 20 sec rest

Climb 5:00 – Smooth, Santana and Rob Thomas
70% effort
20 sec seated climb, 10 sec standing climb at faster cadence

Climb 6:25 – Livin’ On The Edge, Aerosmith
80% effort
20 sec seated climb, 20 sec standing climb, 20 sec jumps on a hill

Sprint 4:59 – Famous Las Words, My Chemical Romance
60% effort
40 sec run, 20 sec rest

Climb 3:38 – Genie In A Bottle, Christina Aguilera
80% effort
20 sec seated climb, 10 standing climb at faster cadence

Climb 4:05 – Fly, Sugar Ray
80% effort
20 standing climb, 10 sec seated climb at all-out cadence

Sprint 3:59 – Children, Robert Miles
60% effort
30 sec run, 15 sec rest

Climb 5:03 – Underneath It All, No Doubt
starting with 70% effort, increase by 10% every 60 sec
each effort level = 30 sec seated climb, 30 sec standing climb at faster cadence

Climb 3:23 – Wake Up Call, Maroon 5
90% effort
fast standing climb, slow standing climb, fast standing climb, seated climb
each on 4 counts

Sprint 3:20 – Ooh Aah… Just A Little Bit, Gina G
60% effort
20 sec run, 10 sec rest

Cooldown 3:55 – Fragile, Sting

friday – 43 min run
saturday – 50 min spin class
sunday – rested
monday – rested
tuesday – 40 min run
wednesday – 50 min spin class
thursday – 33 min run

Geoff came to my class this weekend !! he’s a big fan of sprints so i chose a profile that included plenty of challenging ones.

Sprint Ladder

Warmup 3:12 – Get The Party Started, Pink

Sprint 4:00 – Go, Moby
60% effort
15 sec run, 15 sec rest

Climb 3:38 – In The End, Linkin Park
starting with 60% effort, increase by 10% every 60 sec
20 sec on saddle, 20 sec walk and 20 sec run at each effort level

Sprint 5:48 – Emballa, Cirque Du Soleil
60% effort
30 sec run, 15 sec rest

Climb 6:39 – The Climb, No Doubt
starting with 60% effort, increase by 10% every 60 sec
end with a standing climb at 100% effort for 60 sec

Sprint 6:58 – Southern Sun, Oakenfold
60% effort
45 sec run, 15 sec rest

Walk/Jog 5:36 – Hung Up, Madonna
60% effort
20 sec walk, 10 sec run

Sprint 7:33 – Call On Me, Eric Prydz
60% effort
60 sec run, 15 sec rest

Jumps 3:26 – Whine Up, Kat DeLuna
50% effort
8x slow, 8x fast

Climb 3:40 – Every Morning, Sugar Ray
80% effort
15 sec seated to beat of music, 15 sec standing at faster cadence

Cooldown 4:51 – Fake Plastic Trees, Radiohead

i subbed last Tuesday’s class. it was fine until one of the girls got off her bike. my inner self-critic took over at that point and i got out of sync with the music. the last two routines were a disaster. after class, she told me that she just had to use the restroom. this totally re-enforces the fact that some of my insecurity is all in my head and i don’t need to be so hard on myself all the time. must work on that !

Rolling Hills

Warmup 3:48 – Starry Eyed Surprise, Oakenfold

Climb 3:58 – Bring Me To Life, Evanescence
70% effort
10 sec sitting, 10 sec standing, 10 sec standing at faster cadence

Jumps 2:59 – The Way I Are, Timbaland
50% effort
8x slow, 8x fast

Climb 3:17 – Smile, Lily Allen
80% effort
15 sec standing, 15 sec standing at faster cadence

Sprint 4:20 – By The Way, Red Hot Chili Peppers
60% effort
30 sec run, 15 sec rest

Climb 6:03 – Take A Picture, Filter
starting with 60% effort, increase by 10% every 60 sec
end in standing climb at 100% effort for 60 sec

Sprint 3:35 – Shut Up And Drive, Rihanna
60% effort
30 sec run, 15 sec rest

Climb 4:03 – Someday, Sugar Ray
10 sec seated climb at 100% effort, 20 sec standing climb at 100% effort
take off resistance and sit back on the saddle for 30 sec rest

Jumps 3:10 – Wind It Up, Gwen Stefani
50% effort

Climb 3:31 – Don’t Let Me Get Me, Pink
70% effort
15 sec to beat of music, 15 sec faster cadence

Walk 4:02 – Save Tonight, Eagle-Eye Cherry
60%-70% effort

Climb 3:44 – How You Remind Me, Nickelback
80% effort
15 sec seated, 15 sec standing

Sprint 3:45 – This Is Your Night, Amber
60% effort
30 sec run, 15 sec rest

Cooldown 4:37 – By Your Side, Sade

friday – rested
saturday – 50 min spin class
sunday – rested
monday – rested
tuesday – 50 min spin class
wednesday – 55 min spin class
thursday – rested

this weekend’s profile was a bit fiendish. one of the girls cried out “is it over ??” towards the end of the class. i think she was enjoying the challenge, though. it’s a very good workout if you’re hill-deprived like us South Floridians. i’m subbing another class tonight !!

Two Hills

Warmup 4:08 – Beautiful Day, U2

Sprint 6:30 – Destination Unknown, Crystal Waters
60% effort
45 sec run, 15 sec rest

Climb 5:22 – Rock Steady, No Doubt
starting with 60% effort, increase by 10% every 60 sec
end in a standing climb at 100% effort

Climb 4:40 – Can’t Stop, Chili Peppers
100% effort for 20 sec standing, 20 sec seated
resistance all the way off for 50 sec

Climb 4:03 – I’m Like A Bird, Nelly Furtado
80% effort
standing, 20 sec regular speed, 20 sec faster

Sprint 6:18 – First Down, Fatboy Slim
60% effort
45 sec run, 15 sec rest

Climb 5:13 – One Headlight, The Wallflowers
starting with 60% effort, increase by 10% every 60 sec
end in a standing climb at 100% effort

Climb 4:38 – Umbrella, Rihanna
80% effort
standing, 20 sec regular speed, 20 sec faster

Climb 4:22 – Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Green Day
100% effort for 20 sec standing, 20 sec seated
resistance all the way off for 50 sec

Sprint 6:37 – Climbatize, Prodigy
60% effort
45 sec run, 15 sec rest

Cooldown 4:37 – By Your Side, Sade

friday – 38 min run
saturday – 50 min spin class
sunday – rest
monday – 20 min elliptical, strength training: upper body
tuesday – 40 min run
wednesday – 55 min spin class
thursday – 30 min run

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, originally uploaded by cloudmonkey.

I gave Geoff an ice cream maker for his birthday. He talked about getting one for a while, claiming that he’d use it to make sorbets with fruit from his garden. I tried my best to discourage him with my minimalist philosophy on single-purpose appliances. It was a cunning maneuver I had to use in order to surprise him. Since his birthday, Geoffrey has made many a sorbet and one vegan ice cream which I absolutely loved. It was a variation of a couple of recipes we found online so I’ve decided to blog it for those of you who have ice cream makers too !

1 cup plain soy milk
1 cup fresh mint
1/3 cup maple syrup
8 oz plain soy yogurt
2 tbsp crème de cacao
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz chocolate bar, finely chopped

1. Put the mint leaves in a heavy saucepan with the soy milk. Heat until just steaming (do not let boil), remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Strain the soy milk mixture into a bowl, pressing against the mint leaves with a rubber spatula in the sieve to get the most liquid out of them.

3. Return the soy milk mixture to the saucepan. Add maple syrup to the mixture. Heat until just steaming again, stirring continuously. Remove from heat.

4. Pour soy milk mixture into a blender. Add soy yogurt, Crème de Cacao and vanilla extract. Blend until thoroughly combined and smooth.

5. Add chocolate nibs and pour into your ice cream machine. Freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.

I have to give full credit to Geoff for this delicious dessert. Typing the recipe is the most I did, unless you count eating it. I can’t wait to have this again. I promise to help out next time !

October 8th update: We made this again but used vanilla soy milk and vanilla soy yogurt this time. It was even more delicious ! I strongly recommend trying it this way.

vegan XOXOs