Falling back into running & Housewarming

 

Time is seriously flying by this fall! I can’t believe this weekend is the Detroit Marathon. I will be spectating and cheering on all of the amazing runners. I have been enjoying the beautiful fall colors and great weather and savoring every minute!

I have been running again for the last three weeks and its going really well. I feel like a newbie which is kind of fun. I have accumulated about 15 miles total, with most runs between 2-3 miles. I am planning a 4-5 mile run for this weekend. I am taking it slowly and my achilles feels great!

We had a family housewarming party this weekend and it was a blast. Our home really feels perfect now that we have had everyone we love over. We had a caramel apple station, turkey chilli, and family members brought other appetizers and desserts. It was so special and wonderful for everyone to celebrate our new home with us.

 

What is your favorite fall workout?

Apple Orchard & Birthdays

 

The weekend before last, we celebrated Melissa’s 30th birthday! We went to an apple orchard and out for a family dinner downtown. It was such a fun and beautiful fall day. I can’t believe Mel is running the Detroit Marathon in less than 2weeks! Amazing way to celebrate a big birthday.

Has anyone else been apple picking yet?

Coconut Oil

Tuesday-Late afternoon walk

This stuff is everywhere! I made a greek chicken recipe last week and I used coconut oil. It didn’t give off a coconut taste, and was really easy to use.

Here is some sautéed kale, and I used coconut oil in my homemade mac and cheese.

Health Benefits

There are a great many health benefits from coconut oil. Coconut oil can reduce your cholesterol because of the saturated fat called lauric acid.

Also, the oil helps the body use energy more efficiently, which can lead to weight loss and the loss of belly fat.

Coconut oil can boost thyroid function which improves your metabolism and energy levels.

How to Use it

Coconut oil can withstand heat so it is great to cook with and still maintains its nutritional value. For the greek chicken, I just melted the oil and poured it over cubed chicken. It has a solid consistency at room temperature but melts easily. I have also used coconut oil in place of butter or olive oil. I still need to try a dessert with coconut oil! Yum!

Have you tried coconut oil yet!? What about other products like coconut flour?

Weekend

Exercise Update: Lots of walking, biking, and dreaming of running.

Have a great week!

Injury update + meals

Saturday-8.5 miles with Melissa

I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing weekend. Kevin’s family is in town and we have been enjoying games and beach time. I went out for a run with Melissa on Saturday (sorry running group friends!) and it was somewhat successful. I wanted to try to run a bit longer to find out how my recovery is going. Melissa rocked 14 miles! I did a 3 mile run this past week with no pain during or after.

During the 8.5 miles I started to get pretty sore in the last few, and I had some soreness that day and the following. I need to make some decisions about upcoming races and it is really tough for me. I am most likely going to be skipping my favorite Crim 10 mile race in Flint in two weeks. I know the hills would be pretty brutal on my achilles.

As for Detroit Marathon in October, I’m not making any decisions just yet.  I want to see how running feels in the next month. I could always run the 1/2 and be there to cheer Melissa in at the finish. Lot’s of good options.

Roasted vegetable salad w/ shrimp from California Pizza Kitchen

Chicken salad w/ walnuts & cranberries in a kale wrap

Turkey, swiss, & kale roll-up with veggies

Sunday morning coffee & smoothie outside

 

Anyone else on a kale kick?

What seasonal produce are you enjoying?

The dreaded first injury

Today-60 min walk

Well friends, the reason I haven’t been writing about running is because I haven’t been running. I pulled my achilles tendon a few weeks back while doing some speed work. I know I pushed myself too hard on those sprints, but I still wonder if this was a one time pushing off the ball of my foot deal or if it was more cumulative.

I have taken 17 days off and got back to running a little this week. I ran twice, 3 miles and 3.5 miles. Both felt pretty good, but left me sore the following day. I am now taking more days off between runs, using icy hot, and massaging the area. This is my short term solution. I am going to try and see how far I can run this Sunday to give me an idea of how I need to change my future race plans.

The long term solution is to take 6-8 weeks off and rest it completely. I’m being honest when I say I will probably wait until the winter to take time off for complete healing. My goal right now is to make sure it doesn’t get worse.

*Walking, super sunny

I have been walking, doing some strength and core, and some biking. It’s not quite the same but it’s helping me feel somewhat normal. Talking to my injury coach Melissa makes everything better too!

In other news, I have been experimenting with adding chicken and turkey back into my diet. I have been eating it daily for a while now, and I haven’t noticed any difference in how I feel. It has been nice to share dinners with Kevin, and have more options at restaurants though.

 

*Spinach salad with chicken and turkey pita with kale chips

I have been loving smoothies lately too!

And crab!

Tell me about any injuries you have faced. How did you get through it?

What are you eating in August?

Birthdays & local news

Today- 6 x 400m repeats

I had to get out super early to run today because the heat and humidity have been so tough. I forgot how peaceful the early morning hours can be. I need to keep it up!

I celebrated my birthday over the weekend. Kevin had drill this weekend so we waited to celebrate until yesterday. I had a wonderful weekend and I’m looking forward to closing and moving into our house the following. Here are a few highlights.

 

My mom and I celebrating our birthdays. Walleye and pickerel, so good!

Birthday flowers delivered to the door. Thanks Kevin!

 

Sailing with my dad.

Yoga at China Lite yesterday.

Out to dinner with Kevin + outtakes

Another fun little something is that my picture was in my local paper this past Sunday. The photos were taken over a week ago during one of our training runs for the Blue Water Half Marathon. I was unhappy with the picture but the article is really great! I’m excited for this race.

What have you been up to!?

Anyone racing this next weekend?

Post-run routine

Today-8 mi with Melissa

Last night I went to play Whirly Ball for Mitch’s 30th birthday. It was a really great time. I stayed the night and Melissa and I hit the pavement before she had to leave for work. I stopped at Dunkin Donuts on my way home for an iced coffee and egg white breakfast sandwich.

Everyone has different running routines. I meet runners all the time that hit the same routes as me, but they might take a different sidewalk or skip a particular corner. It’s interesting when someone changes their habit because you can tell it is new/different for them. I think runners in general might be people of habit. I know I am.

After my first marathon

Usually post-run I like to walk a little to cool down, especially in the summer. While walking I check the run stats on my garmin. Next, I like to grab water and find a good spot to stretch, usually my driveway. Then I head inside and find someone who will listen to the summary of my run.

After seeing eyes glaze over I either shower or change into dry clothes. If I wear my sweaty clothes for too long I start to get chilled. I usually stretch some more, make a coffee, and figure out something to eat. I try to eat within 30 minutes of exercise to refuel and maximize recovery.

What is your routine after running?

WIAW-What I ate Wednesday

Today-Extreme Fitness Class & Spin

This WIAW post is dedicated to my brother-in law Mitch because he did a great job turning 30 on Monday.

On Monday I took a really awesome yoga class. It was at a local Chinese restaurant in a back banquet room. Interesting, right? The class was 90 minutes long and it was only $3.00. I can’t wait to go again next week.

I had overnight oats for breakfast before my exercise classes. Last night I combined a 6oz container of chobani greek yogurt, 2/3 cup oats, 2 tbls chia seeds, & 1/2 cup almond milk. It was a huge serving so I only had half for breakfast with strawberries, and the other half for an afternoon snack. Yum!

I went to lunch at Panera Bread again. I promise I don’t go everyday. I went with my mother-in law today and we had a very nice meal. I ordered 1/2 tuna salad sandwich & cafe salad. I love seeing the calorie counts on the menu so I can make healthy choices.

Tonight Kevin and I celebrated my mom’s birthday. We had tuna noodle casserole & fruit salad.

Followed by strawberry shortcake minus the icecream!

Tell me about your yummy eats & treats!

Healthy Living Apps

Today-Glutes-Guns-Guts class + 5 mi tempo

Here are a few pictures of lately!

 

Sandwich on marble rye bread with craisins & walnuts

Spinach, whey protein, frozen banana, frozen mango & flax seed smoothie

Did I tell you that I have a new iphone? I bet you could tell based on my great pictures recently. I am really enjoying having a phone that can handle the newest apps. Apps are really amazing tools for healthy living too!

My go-to tracker for food & exercise has been Lose It. I really like this app and it’s super easy to use. It has any and every food and workout you can imagine. You simply plug in your workouts and eats for the day and it will keep track of your progress toward your goals. The app tells you how much to eat if you want to lose a certain amount of weight.

I am trying out My Fitness Pal currently. It is very similar to Lose It but it has a few more stats on the food that you are eating. It can tell you the amount of protein, fiber, and fat in a food item. The only problem I find with tracking workouts is I feel the “calories burned” estimate is always a little bit high. A 3 mile run for me at a 9 minute pace wouldn’t burn as much as someone just starting to run. And when I strength train I move quickly and sweat like crazy so I know I’m working really hard and probably burning more than the estimate. I try to balance the predicted calories burned with my perceived exertion to determine what range I’m in.

Another app that my friend Alli told me about is called Fooducate and this another way of tracking food. I really like this app for checking on foods to see their rating on the program. You can check certain food items to find out which are top rated as healthy. For example, Kashi Autumn Wheat cereal is rated A-, and has notes such as 100% whole grain, 24% daily fiber, and natural added flavors. To compare, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal is rated a C+ because of low fiber, amount of sugar, and highly processed with additives like BHT.

Some other apps that I have heard of for exercise are Runtastic & Couch to 5k. All rave reviews!

Working out & eating healthy have never been easier.

What apps do you use for healthy living?