Mixed Bag

My workout this morning was quite a mixed bag. Actually, they've been a bit of a mixed bag all week. I haven't been completely following my training schedule because I've been sore, so I've focused more on cross training then running.

Saturday 

-12 mile run

Sunday

-2 hour walk/hike with Gina through Mines Falls

Monday

-30 minutes on stationary bike

Tuesday

-30 minutes on stationary bike in morning

-3 mile run (ranging from 6.0-7.0 speed) in evening

-Random strength training - mixture of biceps, triceps, shoulders and abs (I've missed a lot of strength training in the past couple weeks due to being sick, so last night I just did a mixture of exercises using higher weights and fewer sets then usual)

Wednesday

-Mixed bag treadmill workout

Mile	Speed	Incline
0-1	5.5-6.5 (warm up)	1.0
1-2	7.5	1.0
2-2.25	6.0	1.0
2.25-2.5	8.0	1.0
2.5-2.75	6.0	1.0
2.75-3.0	8.0	1.0
3.0-3.25	6.0	1.0
3.25-3.5	4.0	5.5
3.5-3.75	4.0	7.5
3.75-4.0	1.5 (side step)	2.0

This is how to side step:

Just kidding. I tried to take a picture while side-stepping, but as you can see, it didn't quite come out. Here's what it looks like (I took this after finishing the workout):

You need to keep the speed pretty slow (like my 1.5) because its a bit cumbersome to side step, but after a few minutes you really start to feel it in your glutes and your hip flexors. This is a good way to strengthen your hip flexors (which are really important for running, but hard to target). Weak hip flexors can lead to knee pain and IT band problems.

Tonight I'm trying a new work out! I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes :)

Happy Wednesday! Weekend is getting closer!

Tea and Crumpets (and a 12 miler)

Once again Trader Joe's has outdone itself. I stopped there on the way home last night to pick up some essentials, and came across these babies:

Cinnamon crumpets! I'm not sure if these are a new item or not, but I'd never seen them before and snatched them up. This morning I threw a crumpet in the stove for a few minutes and topped it with crunchy almond butter and banana slices. Yum! Great way to fuel for my run. I had a big mug of Irish Breakfast tea on the side to wake myself up a bit.

I set out for my 12 miler, expecting it to be in the mid-30s but it was only 24 degrees! The first few miles were a little chilly! I picked a new route to run - I've found that if I run the same route too many times I get bored and don't push myself as much.  

I usually wait to refuel until I feel like I need a boost, and at that point its too late and I start to lose momentum, so today I began a little earlier than usual - after 4 miles I started eating a Power Bar chew every 3 miles. I made an effort to kick it up to a faster past for the last 2 miles, and in the last 1/3 mile I ran as fast as I could. It hurt but it feels good afterward, and I believe that you won't improve unless you push yourself. 

I finished the 12 miles in 1:43:22 for an average pace of 8:35 minute miles. I'm happy with that!

When I got home I made myself a protein smoothie to drink while I stretched and foam rolled. Foam rolling really hurt this morning - everything was pretty tight. 

Smoothie included: 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup frozen berries and 1/2 cup frozen organic cherries. Cherries are said to boost recovery and reduce inflammation after a tough workout.

A little while later I had my first snack (of I'm sure many) today. More crumpets! I had a crumpet with butter and strawberry jam and some scrambled eggs (3 egg whites and 1 egg yolk) for protein.

Love these crumpets! Feel great after my run - just one more "long" run until the C-Ville Half Marathon (and that one will be shorter for tapering). 

Happy Saturday!

This Week's Recap

So last week I was a sloth, and this week wasn't much better. I felt the worst on Monday and stayed home sick. I spent the day napping and finishing season 5 of Big Love. Does anyone else still watch that show? I can't believe the way it ended! I was on the couch from 8am until 9pm (when I moved to my bed) and only got up to replenish my water/tea and snacks. Complete laziness, but it helped because I was feeling a lot better by Tuesday. 

I'm really bummed about being sick because its ruining my big plans for the Charlottesville Half Marathon! The race is two weeks from tomorrow and I haven't gotten in the training I'd hoped to. This is all I managed this week:

Monday: nothing

Tuesday: 35 minute walk/jog on treadmill

Wednesday: very abbreviated speed interval workout

On treadmill at 1% incline

Mile	Speed
0 – 1.0	5.5-6.5 (warm up)
1.00 – 1.25	8.2
1.25 – 1.50	6.0
1.50 – 1.75	8.0
1.75 – 2.00	6.0
2.00 – 2.25	8.0
2.25 – 2.50	6.0
2.50 - 2.75	8.2
2.75 – 3.00	6.0
3.00 – 3.25	8.2
3.25 – 3.50	6.5
3.50 – 4.00	6.0-5.5 (cool down)

Thursday: 3.65 mile run (I didn't wear my Garmin watch but it felt reasonably fast) and Jillian Michael's 6 Week to 6 Pack video

Friday: today is a rest day on the schedule, and I think I'll take it so I'm refreshed for my 12-miler tomorrow.

Its not terribly appealing to hit the road for a run when your head is pounding and all you want to do is sleep. I've been trying to go to bed early all week, and hopefully this weekend I'll shake my viral infection for good.

I barely cooked this week, or did much of anything else. In addition to finishing the 5th and final season of Big Love, Pat and I finished season 2 of Mad Men. Love that show! I also enjoyed my Spicy Stir Fry and Coconut Rice for lunch every day this week - I didn't get sick of it at all. In fact, I wish I had more. I think I'll be making it again soon! The rest of the week Pat and I ate other leftovers or got take out. One night we got Subway, which I haven't ever been a very big fan of. The times I've gone in the past my veggies weren't fresh and I never liked my meal enough to finish it. This time was different. I don't know if Subway is getting better or perhaps I went to a bad one before, but my 6-inch sub didn't stand a chance!

Veggie Delite on 9 Grain Wheat Bread (I added avocado at home!)

On Wednesday I was starving before dinner, and didn't have too many options. I saw a bag of potatoes on the counter and decided to make some french "fries". They were delicious!

Its very simple and requires only a couple ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, then wash 4 or 5 potatoes. Slice them into wedges (leaving skin on) and put in a bowl. Pour in 1 tablespoon olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Spray a large oven pan (the bigger the better because potatoes get crispier when they're more spread out) with cooking spray and transfer potatoes into pan. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15.

 

Remove from oven when they have reached desired crispiness. Allow to cool for a couple minutes, then serve!

Mmm. I might have to make some more of those tonight, they were quite tasty!

And last, I made an exciting purchase on my lunch break today (again, bear with me on my definition of "exciting"). New running shoes! It was getting to be that time to replace my sneakers (you should every 400 miles or so) - I got my last pair in the beginning of November. I've been wearing Asics Gel Keyanos since my senior year of college (I don't remember what I wore before then, but that's really when I started running). My mom bought me my first pair for my birthday, and I've never worn anything else! 

Even though I love these shoes, I've never tried another type, so I thought that it'd be a good idea to find out what shoes I should be wearing. I went to the Marathon Sports in Brookline (one of my favorite stores for running goods) to have them take a look. They watch you walk and run (gait analysis) and tell you which shoes provide the best fit.

On Beacon Street - Mile 23 of the Boston Marathon!

Saucony, and the newest version of Asics) guess what I was told? I've been wearing the right shoes all along! I have to admit, I was happy to buy another pair of my precious keyanos!

Now I'm set and ready to go for my 12-miler tomorrow morning! All I need is some more french "fries" to carbo load...

Do you always buy the same sneakers, or switch it up? What are your favorites?

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Emily

Tropical Smoothie

I love smoothies. They're quick, easy to make, good for you, and the combinations of flavors are endless. Smoothies are pretty popular - you can find them on the menu at many restaurants and ice cream shops, and some fast food chains are even offering them now. There are also establishments that only offer smoothies - Jamba Juice is my favorite (although its sadly not on the East coast). I'd bet that anyone reading this has had at least one smoothie in their life, perhaps many. I'd say that I pretty much grew up on smoothies. Before they were available from restaurants and specialty food stores, my mom was making smoothies at home. Now I'm not going to get all I'm-Al-Gore-and-I-invented-the-Internet on you, I'm not claiming that my mom invented smoothies. I'm just saying that she was ahead of the trend and we enjoyed quite a few smoothies growing up. Smoothies were especially important when you were sick, since it was a great way of getting lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants at once. One of my best friends, Katie, got mono and strep throat at the same time (I think we were in the 5th grade) and she was in the hospital for five days. She was living on ice chips and fluids from her IV, but my mom made her two large smoothies and we brought them when we visited her. Katie drank them both - I remember being happy that she had something other than ice.

I make protein smoothies pretty regularly to have as recovery drinks after long runs. When its hot in the summer I make a big blender of smoothie and Pat and I have that for breakfast. And when I'm sick, I make smoothies. There's something comforting about a cold smoothie that makes me feel better. Last week I talked about my transformation into a sloth - well it turns out that my lack of motivation and constant tiredness was due to a viral infection, which was also causing me constant headaches and a sore throat. I needed a smoothie - stat!

I made this smoothie on Thursday, and have had several since.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Silk Pure Coconut
• 2 handfuls organic frozen strawberries
• 2 handfuls frozen mango
• 1/3 banana, sliced

I just tried Silk Pure Coconut Milk (original flavor) for the first time. I am in love. I've been really obsessed with coconut lately - I can't get enough. The downside to this is that coconut is pretty calorie-dense and usually comes with a lot of artificial sugar. I came across this coconut milk at the store and had to try it. Cup for cup, it has the same amount of calories as a glass of skim milk and has 50% more calcium! It tastes so thick and creamy and satisfies a craving for something sweet. I couldn't wait to use this in different recipes.

*Note that the coconut milk only has 1 gram of protein, as compared with 8 grams of protein in skim milk. If you use milk as a protein source, be sure to add some alternative protein to your diet (like protein powder to a smoothie or oatmeal).

This smoothie came out so well! It literally tasted like a cross between a daiquiri and a colada...just a lot less fat, and no booze, so no buzz! I felt like I should be sitting on a white sand beach, staring out at the turquoise sea while drinking it. Or at least somewhere hot in a bathing suit.

Last week I took it pretty easy - just went for a couple easy runs and tried to rest as much as possible. I missed my speed workout completely, which bothered me, but felt good enough to do my long run on Saturday morning, which I think is the most important part of training. I decided that I would just do as much as I could, focus on getting the mileage in, and not worry about my speed. I looked down at my watch halfway through the run and saw that I'd run 5.51 miles in 51:51 (minutes:seconds). That was a 9:24 pace. I finished the 11 miles in 1:40:50 - my overall pace was 9:09. Not very fast, but I did achieve negative splits (my pace for the second half of the run was 8:55) so I'm happy with that.

And you can bet that I followed up my long run with a nice big smoothie!

On a side note, you know that wedding season is approaching when you get three bridal shower invitations in the mail in the same day:

Here we go! :)

Sloth

I've been so tired this week and feel like I'm seriously lacking in the motivation department. Is it the time change? I'd be surprised if one hour could really make that big of a difference...but I don't have anything else to blame it on. I'm sleeping more than I normally do, eating my fruits and vegetables, and haven't had a sprinkle of sugar all week! But still so tired...

It all started on Monday afternoon when I got home from work. The plan was to go home, change, and go to the gym. I got home nice and early so I should have had time for a long workout and then was planning on doing some other really fun stuff (laundry, dishes, etc.). Well something happened when I walked in the door - I no longer wanted to go to the gym, in fact, I was exhausted, starving, and freezing. I had a handful of cashews and told myself that I could relax for a little while and then go to the gym (I still had the whole afternoon and evening, after all). So I put on my gym clothes (to ensure I'd have the motivation to go later), got some snacks, and piled myself high with blankets on the couch as I began to flip through channels on the TV. I ended up watching HGTV - there was a marathon of Property Virgins on and I've always loved watching people buy their first homes (maybe one day I'll be on the show!?). As I lay there munching on more cashews and some popcorn I kept setting time limits for myself. 

I'll go at the end of this show.

Okay at 5:30 I will leave for the gym.

No matter what, I am getting up at 6:00.

Needless to say, none of my time limits stuck. I stayed on the couch for several hours - I watched a few episodes of Property Virgins, then an episode of Friends, and finally it was late enough to catch E! News. What was wrong with me? I had a lot of stuff to do, but no will to do it. Pat called me from work to see what I was up to and I reported the news: I'd turned into a sloth.

Sloths are very strange looking animals (I most closely associate them with Chewy from Star Wars).

Source

Some (most?) are really ugly!

Source

But a few can be cute...

Source

Sloths are known as very slowly moving animals - some stay in the same tree for years at a time! I was tired, slow-moving, and I didn't really want to do anything but stay on the couch and eat my snacks. I was a sloth. I managed to tear myself off the couch when Pat got home and we went to the gym together. My sloth-like qualities did not improve much once off the couch - I started running on the treadmill but my whole body felt like lead (maybe it was all the cashews and popcorn?) so instead I walked at a 5.5 incline for 15 minutes. Then I did back strength training (since I did biceps on Sunday) and called it a night. 

Things didn't get much better on Tuesday. On my schedule was an easy 3 mile run at a 9:17 pace. I brought my running clothes to work and ran outside. I did the 3 miles at an 8:41 pace, but I didn't feel good. My body still felt like lead and I was huffing and puffing the whole way.

Today should be my speedwork day, but you can bet that I couldn't drag myself out of bed this morning to do it before work (on the contrary, I overslept by an hour!). Tonight I'm having dinner at my boss' house, so it won't get done tonight either. I'll chalk today up as another sloth rest day and hope that a good night sleep will give me energy tomorrow and motivation to take on my speed workout!

Have you ever felt like a sloth? How do you snap yourself out of it (aside from eating cashews and popcorn, because that only seemed to increase my slothiness!)?

Weekend Workouts

Monday already? Even though it went by way too fast, I had a great weekend and managed to fit in lots of fun stuff and all of my training workouts.

Friday was a rest/cross-train day. After work Pat and I went to the gym and did a warm-up on the treadmill, then did chest, triceps and some abs. While we were at the gym we called ahead to our favorite pizza place ... a little counter productive, no? 

We were going to go out for sushi, but instead opted to get take-out and watch a few episodes of Mad Men. Since there's no meat on Fridays during Lent we ordered a pepper, onion and mushroom pizza. Delicious!

I added some pieces of avocado to my slices and heated it up more in the oven - you must try this, its absolutely mouth watering.

I also got a seaweed salad to have on the side from a Japanese restaurant (I was still in the mood for some Asian food even if we weren't getting sushi).

I didn't have any sweets on Friday night - so I successfully made it through my first week of no sweets!

On Saturday morning I woke up a little early to do my run - 10 miles at a 9:18 pace was on the schedule. I had some whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana slices and also had an energy drink that I bought at the Hyannis race expo. It was peach tea flavored and really good.

I didn't really plan a route for my run, so I just turned on my Garmin watch and took off. I headed out in the opposite direction I normally do for a change of scenery. My goal was to do the 10 miles at a 9:00 pace (so to finish in 1:30) - which I do in races, but I don't know that I've ever maintained on a training run before. I had a lot of energy and felt great - perhaps because I didn't load up on sugar the night before, or because drinking caffeine an hour before a long workout is proven to help endurance, but something was certainly on my side. I kept looking at my watch to check my pace and saw a lot of numbers in the 7:30s-8:30s range. Whenever I saw a pace above 9:00, I just picked it up a bit, and I tried to push harder on the hills and recover from them more quickly.

During my run I ate a couple of these to maintain my energy stores:

I always try to speed up at the end of every run, whether its a 2 mile jog or a long training run. I think this is good practice for race day when you'll want to use your last bit of energy to rush the finish line. Whether you sprint for the last block or last couple miles, I've found this to be helpful.  For this run I picked up my pace for the last 1/3 mile - running about 6:30/mile.

And I ended up finishing the 10 miles in 1:25:40!

More than four minutes faster than my goal! My average pace was 8:33, which I know I've never done on a training run before. I was so happy when I finished - I felt great throughout my whole run and was really pleased with my time. I realized that of all the training plans I've followed over the past few years, I've always focused on mileage, never on time (aside from some speed workouts). I don't know how I expected to improve my time without focusing on it. This schedule tells you how fast you should be running each mile, which is really helpful for me. I have more confidence in my running after these past few days than I've had in a while.

As soon as I got home I made a protein smoothie to drink while stretching and foam rolling. I used the same ingredients as the smoothie I made last Wednesday after my tempo run, but this time doubled the spinach. I still didn't taste the spinach, but it certainly looked a little green!

Green smoothie matches the green walls in my kitchen!

After a much-needed shower I headed out to do some shopping, and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing with Pat before we went our separate ways for the evening (we may or may not have opened a couple boxes of the Girl Scout cookies he brought home from work on Friday).

On Saturday night I went down to Steph's apartment to celebrate her birthday with some friends. We went to Cobblestones for dinner, which was great (I'd been before with Chrissy and Callie). I got the tenderloin tip and wild mushroom risotto which was delicious - Steph and Allison got the same and agreed!

On Sunday morning we lost an hour from turning the clocks forward. It was another rest/cross-train day on my schedule, and I had just enough time for a 20 minute bike ride at the gym and to fit in biceps strength training. Pat and I then went to church, did all of the grocery shopping, and put together some lunches for the week. On Sunday afternoon we headed down to Boston to meet his mom and brother for an early dinner and the Celtics game!

Jack, Anne and Pat

Me and Pat

The Celtics crushed the Bucks, setting a franchise record for fewest points allowed in the shot clock era! The final score was 87-56. We had an awesome time and its always great to be there for a big W!

Let the Training Begin!

So yesterday I told you about my goals for the Bad to the Bone Charlottesville Half Marathon and found a new training plan to follow. After work I went straight to the gym (after sitting in traffic for two hours when I seriously thought I might pee my pants skirt from the 16 cups of water I'd drank) and got started. And no, I didn't pee my skirt. I made it to the gym just in the nick of time, thank you.

Tuesday Night Training

Easy Run (on treadmill at 1% incline)

2 miles at 9:13 pace (6.5 mph)

Strength Training

Back and Biceps

Post Work-Out Snack

Whole wheat toast with hard-boiled egg whites and avocado slices, sprinkled with fresh ground pepper.

Comments

-Though it was an "easy run" it was hard for me to stay at the 9:13 pace for 2 miles. Usually when I run on the treadmill I'll start at an easy pace and increase the speed every 2 minutes/quarter mile. It was tough to resist the urge to go faster.

-This snack was so good - the whole wheat toast provided carbs, the egg whites gave me protein (approximately 3.5 grams of protein per egg white) and the avocado is creamy deliciousness! Add avocado to anything and it will be great!

Wednesday Morning Training

Tempo Run (on treadmill at 1% incline)

1 mile warm-up (increasing from 5.5 - 6.5 mph)

4 miles at 7:53 pace (7.6 mph)

1 mile cool-down (decreasing from 6.5 - 5.5 mph)

Strength Training

Shoulders and Legs

Post Work-Out Snack

Protein Smoothie

 

Smoothie Ingredients: 1 cup skim milk, 3/4 frozen banana, handful organic frozen strawberries, large handful (about 1 cup) organic baby spinach, and 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder.

Smoothie Stats:

Calories: 290

Fat: 2 grams

Protein: 28 grams

Vitamin A: over 40% daily requirement

Vitamin C: 75% daily requirement

Calcium: over 50% daily requirement

Vitamin D: 25% daily requirement

Comments

-I was a little bit nervous going into this tempo run - it may not seem fast to a lot of you, but I'd never maintained a 7:53 pace on the treadmill for 4 miles and I wasn't sure I could do it. Last night I went to bed at 10:15 and got up this morning at 6:00 (which is really sleeping in for me!) so I felt refreshed and full of energy when I got up. I went to the gym and hit the treadmill - the first mile at the 7:53 pace was a little tough, but I found that it got better as I went. I'm so happy that I believed in myself enough to try - a couple months ago I think I would have just assumed I couldn't do it and would have ran it at a slower pace. I do kind of think that its cheating to do this on the treadmill because maintaining this pace outside on your own is harder - I'm hoping that most of my training will be able to move outside next week once its lighter later in the day and hopefully warmer, too!

-This smoothie was so good! It really filled me up and made me feel great after my hard workout. And for those of you who are skeptical about the spinach - you seriously can't taste it! This tasted like a vanilla-strawberry-banana shake!