My First HOT Run of the Year

Hey there! How are things going? 

I cannot believe it's the weekend already. Let's hop right into things shall we? First and foremost, the winner of the race entry for the Williamsburg Half Marathon is RunningWithSass! Congratulations!!

Man. As much as everybody was bitching about the cold weather staying here forever, I'm certainly not too happy that summer is here and it's only mid-May. 

Thursday morning was a bit rough for me, so I decided to wait to run during work. 

But first, a volunteer organization was at our work serving steak lunches for free. Even though I'm not a huge fan of steak, this girl doesn't turn down free. 

So I had about 2/3 of a steak and the ice cream. 

and then I realized it was 78 degrees.

Meat and dairy before a HOT run? Suuuuuper idea, right? Determined, I left anyways. Not feeling to confident about my decision.

This beautiful little oasis saved my life though. (One good thing about running in DC is there are quite a few water fountains around)

DC water has never tasted so good!

(Check the new Brooks PureCadence 3 in the picture! I traded in the Transcends.....they just weren't working for me)

To my surprise though, the run totally rocked! I ran 5 strong, hot, sweaty miles and felt great. 

It's about time I switched my fuel from healthy grains to ice cream:-)

What is your best pre-race meal?

I have been doing dates recently. Delicious, quick energy.

Is it getting hot where you are?

It's going to be 91 degrees on Monday!

My Perfect Pre-Long Run Dinner and Breakfast.

I think I finally found my pre-race meal. If you're a runner, you know how serious this is to us! I had energy during my run, but I didn't feel too full. No GI issues. No cramping. Nothing. Just one smooth long run.

I'm getting ahead of myself though, let's start with my runs for the week:

Monday: Weights for 40 minutes

Tuesday: 5 miles @ 8:30 pace (+ 20 minutes weight training)

Wednesday: 5.3 miles @ 8;29 (Tempo run. Start at 6.5, going to 8.0, and coming back down gradually)

Thursday: 3 miles @ 8:30 pace + 30 minutes weight training

Friday: REST

Saturday: 5 miles at 8:34 + 20 minutes weight training

Sunday: 13.2 miles at 8:38. 

As I've been saying, I was really trying to up my carbohydrate intake recently and see how it effected my running. 

Greek Yogurt, sliced banana and homemade granola.

Implusive buy at Trader Joes. 

Two Whole Wheat Muffins, 2 scrambled egg and a sliced apple (with a shit ton of cinnamon)

Quaker oatmeal squares, raisans, peanut butter, shredded coconut, and tons of cinnamon.

Those are just a few of my favorite things.

Seriously, going heavy on carbs is a hard job, but somebody has got to do it:-) 

Back to the running....

Saturday night, I decided to top of my glycogen levels with a bowl of whole wheat spaghetti and homemade meatballs. 

Sunday morning I tried my honey whole wheat pancakes again. 

This time, I added a sprinkle of pecans into them while they were cooking. Healthy fats for the win! I ate them 2 hours before my run (instead of 3 like last week) and felt fully energized. 

I started off more conservatively than the week before too. 

Not exactly negative splits, but at least I kept it easy. 

Then I started to pick it up a bit. 

Nasty hill during mile 6, what are you going to do.......except maybe hill work. which will be something I do after this race.....

At miles 4.5 and 8.25 I took my Roctane GU. I don't want to commit to them after only one use but I definitely felt better this week using the Roctane than last week using the regular GUs. 

I was surprised but I liked the Blueberry Pomegrante much more than the Orange Vanilla.

I'm going to contribute those GUs to my last three miles.

All in all, this training run helped me feel much more confident for my race (in 12 days!). I wasn't exhausted when I finished, which is a great sign. 

I'm not going to commit to a pace, but my goal is to run a STRONG race and PR. (This shouldn't be hard since my last half marathon I PRed running on a broken foot for most of the race).

Just to end this post with a chuckle.

A Week of Blah Running

Remember how I was recently talking about  how awesome my running has been??

Apparently, I should have knocked on wood. This past week has been an extremely blah week for me running wise.

Lets see what I've been up to:

Monday: Rest 

Tuesday: 5 miles @ 8:35 pace 

Wednesday: 9x400s (+ warm up, active recovery, and a cool down) - 5.5 miles total @ 8:35 pace. 

Thursday: 3.5 miles @ 8.37 + 20 minutes resistance training

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 5 miles @ 8:40 + 20 minutes resistance training

Sunday: 11 miles @ 8:54 

All of the runs during the week were done on the treadmill because I was recovering from some pretty serious ear infections and thought it best to stay out of the cold. 

On Saturday, I couldn't take it anymore.

Those are some pretty serious bags under my eyes. Geez.

I had to run early because I had some clients in the morning at the gym. I also had time to get weight training in and wanted to share it because it was really quick, yet effective:

Split Squats - 15 on each leg

Incline Dumbbell Chest Press - 20 lbs - 12

(4 sets)

Cable rotation - 10 on each side - 20 lbs

Single Leg Squat to row - 6 on each leg - 12.5

(3 sets)

Seriously, split leg squats hurt so good. My ass has been sore ever since. *That's what she said. *

Today I woke up and decided to go a little heavy on the carbs. 

Honey Whole Wheat Pancakes and cinnamon apples.

but it didn't help. 

My run was weak. 

I was bored and unmotivated and I just wasn't feeling it. 

I came home and over analyzed it over my recovery meal. (I seriously just need to understand that this happens and just get out of my head!)

1/2 a grilled pork chop, roasted rosemary potatoes and carrot souffle. 

That's a lot of orange in one meal.

Do you get ear infections?

I've had double ear and sinus infections twice in the last month. WTH. My doctor said a humidifier would help, so we'll see if it helps. 

How was your running this week?

Do you do split squats or one legged squats?

They Ran Away From Me.....

In case you didn't know, the East Coast got a few inches of snow yesterday. You know what that means....treadmill runs. Boo. 

Tuesday I had 4.5 miles on the agenda. I tried, I really did, but I just wasn't feeling this run. My legs were still sore from this weekend's workouts and I just couldn't find my stride. 

I even turned on some music that was sure to pump me up.

Haha. Don't judge me. 

After 3.5 miles I called it a day. Better luck next time. I was in my sweats and on the couch watching Sex and the City within 15 minutes.

The motivation today was a bit better.  I had a 40 minute tempo run on the training plan.

This was the first song that came on......it was a good sign. :-)

I started at 6.5 mph and went up to 7.6, then came back down.  4.6 miles in 40 minutes. 8:41 pace.

During my run, 2 teenage boys came to the door. When I opened it, and they saw me dripping in sweat, they both looked at me like I was crazy and took a step back. I think they practically ran away.

I guess I did look a little rough.....they should have read my shirt and realized the sweat dripping off my forehead and chin wasn't nasty, it was just me being awesome.

A quick lunch came together right after.

Turkey and avocado, veggies and sweet potatoes. I'm trying to up my carbs these days and see if I feel a difference in my running. 

Butter Lemon Whole Wheat Noodles, baked chicken, and a spinach salad.

I think dinner helped me hit my quota.

When was your last "blah" run?

Do you make an effort to eat more carbohydrates? If so, do you feel a difference?

What's your current favorite song to run to?

Great Way to Start the Weekend

Hey Hey! How goes it? 

This morning started off bright and early with my all time favorite breakfast.

Wheat toast with jam (peach this time), runny eggs, and Siracha. Deeeelish....People are constantly telling me I eat the weirdest things......They just don't know what they are missing.

I woke up early on a Saturday because I had three appointments at the gym this morning. Unfortunately, my first client had to cancel last minute, so I decided to make use of my extra hour and get my run done. Today's run was supposed to be a 3 mile "pace run". Since I haven't committed to a pace for my half marathon, I decided I'd just run a bit faster than I usually do and see how it goes.

The temperature was 12 degrees and the trail was not as tidy as usual.

I almost turned around. The snow wasn't terrible to run it, but it got pretty icy where the sun had hit it the day before. I stuck it out though. I was already out in 12 degree weather! Might as well make it purposeful, right? 

So I ran, not expecting to much, but to my surprise....

Not to shabby! I feel like I'm finally getting my stride back! Which makes me very excited, yet very nervous.....One of my biggest goals in 2014 is to really listen to my body and respect it's needs. Take it easy when it tells me to and push it when I have it.

Perfect way to start my weekend.

After a couple of clients at the gym, and a trip to the center of the universe (aka: Costco), I was home and starving! 

**I would have gotten food before this time, but let's be real, who doesn't get a million samples at Costco? The best ones today: lentils, chickpeas, and Skinny Cow Chocolates....So GOOD. I may have tried more than one, just too be sure! (Please tell me you do this, too)**

I had a Morningstar Chipotle Spicy Black Bean Burger topped with Greek Yogurt Guacamole. (Promptly smothered in Siracha after the picture, and eaten with an Apple and PB).

The rest of the day has been spent lounging around with my awesome little family and enjoying quiet times after the hectic holidays. Sometimes a lazy afternoon is just needed. 

8 miles on the agenda tomorrow. Longest run in over a year.....wish me luck:-)

Do you ever go to Costco? Do you ever take more than one sample? 

Do you run in the snow? 

Throw some new breakfast ideas at me!

I bought english muffins today and want to try a french toast bake tomorrow. Breakfast is definitely the best meal of the day!

Spicing Up Your Workouts

My workouts this week have been amazing! I have been excited to do every single one that I had planned. As a runner, I think it's extremely easy to become bored with your routine, especially when we're training for an event. Everyday, day in and day out, we run. As much as I love running, it becomes sort of like a chore when I'm seriously into my training.

30 degrees outside? Too bad. Suck it up.

Raining? You ain't made of sugar.

Windy? Bring some chap stick.

Oh, so you're tired? You can sleep when you're dead

(haha. I may have gone a tad bit overboard on that last one.)

The point is, sometimes we need to switch it up a bit. Not only does it mentally recharge you, but it's better for you physically. If you don't challenge yourself, if you're afraid to feel uncomfortable, you're body is never going to change. You're never going to get faster, or lose those last 5 lbs, and you might end up with an overuse injury. (Lord knows I've had enough of those)

So I'd thought I'd give you guys a look at what I've been doing this week. How I've been switching it up, and why I'm having so much fun.

1. Run on a new course. I think this has to be one of my favorite ways to change up my workout. I usually run on the Indian Head Rail Trail, which is great. It always has traffic. It's close to home. It has porta potties and water fountains.....but it's a straight line. Seriously? Do you know how mentally challenging it is to run in a straight line for an hour? Sometimes I'm just not up to it, so Sunday I headed somewhere knew. I went to a new park, Smallwood State Park, and ran on the trails there.

My glutes were definitely a bit sore after doing those steps twice through.

Not only does running trails keep you constantly engaged (if I lose focus for a second I WILL eat dirt. Or slam a shoulder, skin a knee, you get the idea. I've done it enough times) but it was much more challenging then 3.5 miles on the pavement would be. There were hills, turns, declines, grass, gravel, dirt, etc.

2. Take a class. After my trail run on Sunday I headed to a 90 minute yoga class. Yoga is SO beneficial for everybody, especially runners though! We are so hard on our bodies, we need to give it a little relief. Even though I know this, I don't stretch as much as I should, or focus on my breathing (I think most runners are guilty of this). I HAVE to force myself to go to class to get it done most of the time. I always walk out of there feeling relaxed, rejuvenated and ready to conquer some shit.

3. Pick up some weights. Seriously. As strong as I feel running, I feel even stronger by doing weight lifting. I've really been focusing on weights for the past couple of months and I'm really starting to feel/see a difference. Plus, it's always a plus to walk over the free weight rack, with all the men surrounding it, and feel like you're just as bad ass as they are.

4. Do a speed workout. Most people hate doing speedwork. It's hard, it's uncomfortable. It may not last as long as their normal run. However, it's a necessary evil if you want to improve. You're legs are not going to learn to turn over quickly unless you force them too. Thursday's workout for me was 400s. I did a mile warm up, 4x400s (with an active recovery 400 in between each) and a .75 mile cool down. I finished with enough time to really focus on some foam rolling and stretching (things I'm usually lacking on).

5. New music. This one is pretty self explanatory, and I feel like the majority of people already know this, but it's worth stressing. I am a HUGE music fan and blasting some new tunes in my ears always get me pumped. I'm a Pandora user, so you never know what's coming and it's a great surprise.

I've been loving the Rise Against Station recently....

 

And just because every blogger loves food, I'll share a picture of today's lunch. I went to Truckeroo and had Korean BBQ for the first time.

 

 

Delicious Bolgogi taco with Spicy Kimchi Slaw.

 

I may have also had an Indian veggie empanada and some cappuccino crunch ice cream that I ate to quickly I forgot to take a picture of:-D

 

How do you spice up your workouts?

 

Ever had Korean BBQ?

 

Do you go to food trucks? (It's a huge thing in DC these days)

 

 

 

Food Obsessions

 Monday morning when I woke up my foot was still in quite a bit of pain. Fail. I called my orthopedic specialist and made an appointment for that afternoon. To put things bluntly, the good doctor had no idea why my foot is in so much pain. The x-rays looks good and there isn't any intensely centralized pain, bruising, etc.

 

I have an MRI scheduled for tomorrow night that can hopefully provide some more insight.

 

Despite having to put my marathon training on hold, I've still been getting some good workouts in.

 

Sunday: P90X Ab Ripper and 60 minutes of yoga

Monday: Not a thing:-)

Tuesday: 20 minutes of ankle weights,48 pull-ups, plank, wall sit and a 45 minute yoga workout

 

Tomorrow I plan to take a Pilates class and run a few miles....As crazy as that sounds I think I want to slightly irritate my foot before my MRI so everything shows up nice and clear.

 

Since I can't talk too much about running, I'll move right along to one of my other favorite things, food.

 

In case you didn't know, I have a very obsessive personality. When I really love something, I eat it every day (sometimes more than once) for weeks and weeks. My current obsessions are:

 1. Oatmeal

2. Eggs

3.  Apples with nut butter (I seriously think I've eaten about 6 apples with sunflower or almond butter since Saturday)

4. Quinoa

5. Avocado

6. Wheat Thins

 

My dinners this week:

 

 

Quinoa, roasted broccoli, fresh red and yellow peppers, kielbasa, garlic hummus and my Cholula.

 

Kaitlyn asked me if we could make chocolate covered strawberries for dinner. Strawberries are another thing that we (mostly Kaitlyn) eat a TON of. I think I've spent $20 on strawberries in the past week.

 

I know they look like crap but that is Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate and it's amazing.

 

Quinoa, scrambled eggs, fresh tomatoes, avocado and my Cholula.

 

This was tonight's dinner. Super good and easy again. Scrambled eggs with sauteed onions and red pepper, avocado and my Cholula.....along with a couple handfuls of Spicy Buffalo Wheat Thins! How excited was I to find these! Love anything SPICY and seriously love Wheat Thins. I give them 3 days.

 

I plan to have the same exact thing for breakfast. Well, take out the Wheat Thins and put a whole wheat english muffin there, or apple w/nut butter (haha)...not that I'm above Wheat Thins for breakfast, because I'm not, I just wouldn't document it.

Good Food, My Run - Not So Much.

Sunday morning I had 12 miles to do. I really wanted to kill this run. The past week I have not had much success. Saturday, I didn't even attempt my 6 miles. I got up early and went to eat breakfast with Santa and my baby girl.

 

 

He was the shortest Santa ever and baby girl was just as nervous as she looks. A big thank you to Ft. Belvoir Hospital for putting this cute event on!

 

After breakfast, the boy and I hit the mall and got a good amount of Christmas shopping done. SCORE. By the time we got home, it was pitch black outside (and only 5:30 PM, I hate that) so I opted to stay home and make my man some dinner and have some quality time.

 

 Sunday's run had to go well.

 

My boyfriend and I took our time getting up in the morning. By the time we got up and got the coffee maker going, it was 9:30 AM, and it felt great.

 

Since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I love cooking (especially for that man) I took my time and fueled up with some runny eggs, sausage, home fries and toast. Plus a couple cups of black coffee of course. Addicted:-)

 

 

After I let that mountain of food settle and kissed the boy goodbye I hit the path. I didn't take my phone with me, so I don't have pictures of the trail but you can see it here.

 

The trail is mostly dirt, some gravel, and some blacktop. It is a 4.7 mile loop, so between the 2 loops  I ran some of the streets within the park, sometimes a change of scenery makes a run all that much better.

 

It didn't really work this time.

 

While I didn't feel terrible, I wasn't on my game. My pace was about 8:40, which is not good for me. I typically try to run about 8:15 for my long runs. I was coughing quite a lot and wasn't feeling it.  I managed 11.5 miles and headed home...with a nasty blood blister under one of my toe nails. Clipping and draining it was really fun. (I'm kind of sick haha) Good running socks are seriously important.

 

At least my recovery meal cheered me up.

 

Kashi Berry Crumble Cereal, Sliced bananas and Justin's Maple Almond Butter. Topped with ice cold milk after the picture was taken. It's odd because I don't really like milk too much (I usually eat cereal dry) but sometimes, when I'm in a cereal mood, it's money.

 

I also took a picture of dinner, which was this bad boy, because it was the best salad I've had in a long time.

 

Spinach, red, orange and yellow pepper, onions, tomatoes, pine nuts and tuna. The tuna MADE IT. I mixed it up with a dab of mayo, mustard, relish, seasoning salt and garlic salt.

 

Wish I had another one tonight.

 

Burke Lake Park = One Great Run

My favorite thing about marathon training is easily is the long runs. I love long runs. I love zoning out and just going. Physically seeing the distance that I have covered. Knowing that I'm strong enough, physically and mentally, to endure over an hour of constant running. It's exhilarating.

I always do my long runs on Sunday. Last Sunday, my daughter was off visiting her grandparents, so I had no time constraints. I decided to mix it up a bit and head out to Burke Lake. Burke Lake is a wonderful park located in Fairfax, VA. It offers a "fitness trail" which outlines the perimeter of the lake, clocking in at a little less than 5 miles.
 

 

I did 8 miles in the dirt path and felt amazing. What a difference soft ground makes on these rickety hips of mine:-)

 

I even got a good 20 minutes of stretching in while taking in the beautiful view. As difficult as it is to run here (40 minutes round trip, plus $8 for parking) it really is worth it because of the ease on my body and the mental health benefits I get from being able to take it all in and forget the hecticness that is my life. I love my crazy, busy life but recently I feel like it's been catching up with me.

 

I came home and had a great recovery meal. One whole egg and one egg white, scrambled and put on top of toast with avocado and cholula and an apple with almond butter. Gotta love all those healthy fats:-)

 

 

Lazy Saturday Morning

**This post was written Septmeber 15, not sure why I didn't hit  "publish"**

This week's workouts followed by training plan to the T.

Monday: Body Pump + 3 mile run
Tuesday: Yoga + 4 mile run
Wednesday: Cross Train (spin class)
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 3 mile run + stength....

Opps. I lied. I didn't do any strength yesterday (and I ended up doing a 4 mile run). However, it's 8 AM on a Saturday morning and I feel great, so I can make up for that today.

Couple things that I used to fuel a great training week. (I realllllly suck at taking pictures.)

Pumpkin Pancakes topped with a bit of almond butter, blackberries and honey

This is what happens when I clean out the refrigerator. Everything is thrown on top of Spinach and Kale and called a salad!

Veggie Scramble and Mango topped with leftover steel cut oats made in the crock pot.

Today my training plan calls for a tempo run. I am very anxious! I don't have a Garmin (Probably the only runner on the planet who doesn't) so I think I'm going to pick the paces that I want to run and map the course and where I should be based on those times...The run is supposed to start with 10 comfortable minutes, gradual increase for 15, bring it back down for the last 10.

Right now I'm just sitting here, drinking my delicious coffee and eating some oats, downloading new tunes to knock this run out to.

Then it's time for KERFUFFLE! YES!

Failed Attempt at a Tempo Run and Desserts

Saturday's tempo run was.....well it happened. Seeing as though this was my first tempo run and I don't have a reliable way to track my pace while running I had to kind of just feel it out.

**Side note: I have the Nike App built into my iPod. It's very weird how it works. If I hit it while I am running it will tell me my pace, distance and time. The only kicker is the pace is NEVER right while I am running. It will say "6:45" one second (way too fast for me) and anywhere from 20:00 to 55:00. It is always right at the end of my workout though when it tells me my average pace. I just use the time and go to mapmyrun.com to verify the distance. Always right.

So I started slow and I think I nailed the first mile around 9:00, which is what I wanted. Then I started my gradual increase. I don't think I was too gradual. I burnt myself out by the 17 minute mark. I took a couple minute stretch break and went back too it. I started out faster than usual and went to a slower pace, but it was reallllly hard for me to not finish strong. It's just kind of what I do. I'll need to learn how to do this.

After the run, it was time for the fun! (rhyming IS cool)

I went to Kerfuffle with my family and friends.

Tailgating ensued. (We are on the DC101 website!)

While we were enjoying the tunes of Anberlin, Garbage, Sublime and The Offspring my brother got THIS for me.

Now I will die happy.

Sunday morning I woke up NOT in any condition to run. Little too much Bud Light and no water for 10 hours Saturday night. As I replenished my levels I got my legs going by walking to the Farmer's Market.

Check out the awesome colors. I love Fall.

 

I got a few things there (Okra! First time ever and I'm excited to try it) then walked to the grocery store and got a few more things for a day of baking/cooking.

Black bean soup. Looks like crap but it was delicious. I even used the dry beans and soaked beforehand, then let it cook for 4 hours. So domesticated.

I made my sister this pistachio cake with honey butter cream icing. Most labor intensive cake I have ever made and it was just alright....I made Chili Brownies too. Also mediocre.

During the midst of all the domesticated behavior I went on a 4 mile trail run. It was absolutely amazing! SUPER hilly and according to the Nike App I kept the same pace I do while running on the road. This just proves that I have SO much more in me than I really use. I need to push my body longer and further.