Week 9- Cleveland Marathon Training

Saturday-16 mi 9:35 average pace

Happy Easter!! I hope everyone is having a beautiful spring day full of family and tasty food. We celebrated last night with Kevin’s family for dinner and had brunch there today. Kevin and I are just relaxing tonight, although I am on spring break and will be relaxing all week. This week is definitely going to help me power through the rest of the school year, grad classes, marathon training, and house hunting!

Purple pants & Toms! Yay for spring!

It was an awesome running week. I loved my 16 miler with running friends and the miles flew by. Tempo and speed work went well too. Yahoo! The only mistake I made this week was with deadlifts during my short strength session on Thursday morning. Run Less, Run Faster has recommended strength exercises like squats, lunges, upright rows, and overhead press. I love deadlifts, but I haven’t done them in forever and they are not part of the program. The backside of my legs and glutes are still tight! I will be saving deadlifts for after May 19th.

Eats

Spinach salad + black bean and mozzarella burrito on WW tortilla

Another black bean burrito with mini-sweet bell peppers and low fat cottage cheese

Quiche with cottage cheese, mozzarella, broccoli & cherry tomatoes

Sweet potato fries on the side

Treats from Hawaii that Kevin received at work

I am planning a series of posts about spring foods that rev your metabolism and help with dieting. Kiwi is first on the list!

Any fun Easter meals or treats?

What do you have coming up on your race calendar?

Week 8-Cleveland Marathon Training

Today- 2 x 1600’s @ 7:45

Another week is done, done, done! Kevin and I made a brief trip to Cleveland this past weekend to visit his brother and family. I started to get excited for the weekend of May 19th to make that trip again for M(marathon)-Day.

Last week was an extra rest day kind of week. It was very much enjoyed! I loved my 15 miler, and ran 11 of those miles with a running group buddy named TJ. She is thinking of joining me for 16 next weekend. Boom! I have trained almost entirely on my lonesome this season, so it’s great to have some company.

Summary of the week:

Monday– Bike 40 mins + hip hop cardio

Tuesday-2 x (6 x 400m)

Wednesday-Rest

Thursday-6 mi tempo  

Friday-Rest

Saturday– 15 mi @ 9:25 average pace 

Sunday– Rest

Eats

My meals have still been a bit boring lately, besides some delicious kale chips. I have big plans for spring break next week to try some new recipes and foods.

Greek yogurt bowl with fruit and walnuts

Kale/spinach salad with cucumbers and black beans

Oats with PB2, blueberries, banana and walnuts

I read this great article about spring foods to rev up your metabolism. It made me excited for warmer weather and local produce! I was thinking of highlighting one food each week and including some recipes.

Any fun plans for the holiday? It means we get an extra day off to fit in more exercise!

Week 7- Cleveland Marathon Training

Monday- Bike 40 minutes + Hip hop cardio class

Today- 12 x 400’s @ 7:10 pace

Why hello there blog world. I have been a bit MIA lately, and I wish I had a super cool reason why. I just spend every non-working, non-running, waking minute looking for a house! No luck just yet. I thought we might get lucky on St. Patrick’s Day but the two we went through were no bueno.

Also, I have been dragging lately! I am so sick of the snow and cold temperatures. I need some Vitamin D stat! I keep hoping we will one day reach 45 degrees.

I am looking for new ways to refresh my eating habits. I have been a bit bored of the usual salads & sweet potatoes. Any new ideas are welcome!

Here is the only food picture I have taken recently. This is a post-run meal of egg, egg white & spinach omelette, 1 piece of WW toast, and a plain greek yogurt with strawberries.

Summary of the week:

Monday– 6 x 800’s @ 7:50

Tuesday-Spin class 

Wednesday-8 mi tempo (9:00’s)

Thursday-Rest

Friday-Bike 35 minutes + Abs 

Saturday– Rest

Sunday– 10 mile, 9:07 average pace

There you have it. Despite the cold temperatures and everyday boring life stuff the running week was a highlight. I’m excited for the weeks to come!

Tell me what you are loving to eat right now!?

What workouts are you looking forward to this week?

Week 6- Cleveland Marathon Training

Today- 6 x 800’s at 7:53

I have reached that sweet spot in training where everything feels right. I am adjusted to my schedule of run 3 days, cross 2 days, and rest 2 days. I look forward to my weekend long run the most! This past Saturday rocked my world. It was a beautiful morning and everything just clicked.

Huge shout out to Kate’s Downtown for letting my sweaty self use their bathroom and grab a cup of water. Kate is so sweet and told me to stop in anytime! Plus their brunch is fabulous.

I use a lot of mind tricks while running (long & speed work). Today during my 800’s, I dedicated each 1/2 mile to someone in my life. I thought about that person the whole time so I could take my focus away from the treadmill punishing me. First was Kevin, my mom, my dad, sister-in law Melissa, bestie Colleen, and one to my(kick-ass)self. It really helped pass the time.

Lately at the gym I have been listening to Lana Del Ray or Lumineers pandora stations. Pop music is more upbeat, but I focus on the music more with these stations. And then if I need a last mile pick-me-up I switch to Mike Posner.

Summary of the week:

Monday– 2 x 1200’s

Tuesday-Bike & strength

Wednesday-7 mi tempo (8:50s)

Thursday-Spin class

Friday-Rest

Saturday– 14 mi LSD @ 9:15

Sunday-Rest

Here is some pizza from Casey’s in Port Huron. Kevin and I dined on pizza and icecream Saturday night!

What are your workout plans for the coming week?

Any big exercise milestones?

Sweet Saturday & Spinning

Today-14 mi 9:15 average pace

Oh Saturday, you treat me so well. I had an amazing run this morning, and I’m becoming a believer in Run Less Run Faster. My last 2 miles were in the 8:50 range! I had 2 running group friends join me for the first 5 miles, and the rest was solo. Great weather and great morning!

After the run, Kevin and I went to check out a few houses. Melissa and Mitch joined us in our search and it was fun to have them with us. No purchases yet!

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I was chatting with my friend Alli this past week and we were talking about spinning. We both said how fun it is and that the instructor is crucial to a good class. If you haven’t tried a spinning class before here is what you need to know!

Spinning for Beginners

1. Arrive early to get fitted on a bike. The instructor will set the bike up for your height and you should write the numbers down for next time.

2. Bring LOTS of water! A plastic lunch size bottle won’t cut it.

3. Grab a towel to throw on your handlebars for sweaty rides.

4. There are a few different types of rides including Endurance, Strength, Interval, and Race. The names are self-explanatory and you can expect different heart rate targets for different rides.

5. There are 3 positions for spinning class. Seated climb, standing flat (standing straight up with handles gently resting on the handlebars closest to your body), and a standing climb (standing with your back arched over, booty sticking out and back, and hands touching the top of the handlebars).

6. Instructors may do some jumps where you go from sitting for 4-8 counts, to standing for 4-8 counts. Try to keep this movement smooth and count out the beats on your own instead of following the crowd.

7. Another training method is to work one leg at a time. This strengthens both sides equally. The non-working leg continues to rotate but the strength should come from the one side.

Gear

• Towel
• Water
• Capri workout bottoms
• Any workout top & sports bra
• Optional: Cycling shoes that clip into the pedals

*Try a few different instructors to see who suits you best. I like a teacher that uses upbeat music and has a lot of fun. My fav instructor often has theme rides like “Prince vs. Rolling Stones” and “Jungle Ride”. Funny.

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Here are two yummy meals. The first is whole wheat pasta with these brussel sprouts. And second is a little carb-loading meal of PB2 & banana grilled sandwich plus a spinach omelette.

 

What is your favorite type of fitness class?

Any fun plans this weekend?

Week 5- Cleveland Marathon Training

Sunday-Rest

Last night Kevin and I went on a mini-vacay. He had national guard drill this weekend, and we decided to meet half-way between home and his base. We went out to dinner at Palm Palace and then stayed the night at a little hotel. Kevin had to head back to base early this morning, so I slept in and had continental breakfast. I was planning on swimming, but the pool was closed. Boo!

It was a great running week and I’m excited for more to come!

Summary of the week:

Monday– 3 x 1600m @ 7:45

Tuesday-Bike/elliptical

Wednesday-3.5 mi AM, 5.4 mi PM 

Thursday-Spin class

Friday-Rest

Saturday– 12 mi LSD @ 9:30

Sunday-Rest

Anyone have a vacation planned?

Knock Out Stress

Friday-Rest

Saturday-12 mi, 9:30 average pace

Everyone has stressors in their life. It is easy to forget when you are so caught up in your own world and all the craziness of life. Lately stress has been affecting my skin (I need a facial) and my eating habits (I need a nutritionist). While chatting with a coworker and my sister-in law Melissa, I realized that everyone feels the effects of stress and it’s just a part of life.

I think stress is a little like a rollercoaster, with time periods that are more or less stressful. I would say the last year has been pretty low stress until lately. And I can already feel things calming down currently.

I have been searching for ways to relax and keep calm, so here they are.

Ways to Knock Out Stress

• Keep exercising! Don’t let life get in the way of your very important sweat session.
• Drink H2O and lots of it. Keep yourself hydrated.
• Add calming activities to your schedule. Reading, yoga, chatting with friends, or having a coffee break are ways to relax during a crazy time.
• After your calming activity, go to sleep! Try to keep your sleep schedule the same and shoot for 8 hours. I know my sleep is disrupted when I’m stressed, so I try to get even more than 8 hours a few times a week.
• Treat yourself. Grab a coffee Friday morning, a new sweater at the mall, or get a massage or haircut.
• Talk to people about your stressors but don’t obsess. If I talk about an event all the time and to everyone who will listen, I am letting it take over my life. People or events that stress you should not get any “free rent” in your brain. You can choose your conversations and thoughts so keep them uplifting. (A little venting is allowable though).
• “Accept life’s challenges. Try to see challenges as opportunities that will help lead you toward joy in your life.” MESSA Health magazine
• Eat some of these bites of heaven!

Do you have the winter blues? Bring on spring!

How do you handle stress?