The Little Things
February 13, 2012

I thought I’d start this Monday out with a bit of inspiration from pinterest. Here’s a few of the pins I’ve found recently that I like or that got me to think a bit:

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I really like these quotes. A lot.

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s the next dream you would like to accomplish? How might your health choices today affect your future?

February 12, 2012

I’m disappointed. This disappointment has kept me from writing this weeks recap all day, because I would rather just move forward. But not all training weeks are awesome, right?

Alright, so here’s what the past week looked like:

Do you see all those rest days? Sigh.

Total Miles: 2 miles running + no cross training= 2 total miles

Lesson Learned: Sometimes we shouldn’t “just do it”. I’ve been battling with some shin pain, on top of a nasty head/chest cold that left my almost completely voiceless this past week. I took the week to get some extra sleep, eat some nutrient rich foods, and ice a couple times a day.

Biggest Struggle: Yesterday was the first Saturday of 2012 that I haven’t gone on a run. I noticed all morning and afternoon I felt antsy, and kept standing at the window looking outside. I was surprised that I actually missed my long run day. Does this mean I’ve actually become a runner?!

So, this week was pretty blah in terms of exercising. I have much higher hopes for this coming week.

Now it’s your turn to share: What’s one of your accomplishments from the past week? 

February 11, 2012

I’m fairly sure that I’m getting the dreaded shin splints. I’ve tried to do everything right, but, you know, sometimes things just happen. i really haven’t increased my mileage too much or too quickly, and I always foam roll, stretch, and ice after runs. I went on a 2 mile run on Tuesday that was absolutely fantastic, and that was the last time I worked out. After 5 weeks of working out 4-5 times a week, I did almost nothing. I thought I would still bike so that I still got cardio, but at the same time my shins started hurting I got this nasty cold that has left me coughing frequently, I almost completely lost my voice for a few days, and a sore throat. So, while I was disappointed to do this, I decided to listen to my body and take the week off.

In reality, this was pretty good timing, as this was a drop down week in my training schedule, meaning I only had 2 2-mile runs and 1 3-mile run scheduled. Because of this, I at least don’t feel like I’m missing much of anything important.

I think I caught them right at the beginning, because after 1 day of rest I stopped feeling them as I was walking around. I’ve iced 3-4 times a day, worn compression socks in the evening, and sat with my leg elevated. I haven’t had any pain in my shin for a number of days now, but obviously don’t want to start running again too quickly and aggravate them further.

For those of you who’ve experienced shin splints at some point: What’s one of your favorite things to do to help heal shin splints? How long of a break would you take if you were in my position? 

February 9, 2012

As I type this I’ve almost completely lost my voice, and it hurts to strain and speak. This is bad news because I have 2 lectures to give on Friday. Between now and then I will be drinking lots of hot tea and trying to speak as little as possible. I guess it’s great that today I get to focus on things I’m thankful for right now!

I’m thankful that I’ve built my mileage up to 6! In my wildest dreams a few years ago I would’ve never thought I could run 6 miles. BUT I DID, and I felt great the entire run! I felt strong, and I had a great time:)

I’m thankful for hot water and hot tea: This has allowed me to get through my days seeing clients while keeping my voice! It’s amazing how much a simple cup of hot tea helps a sore throat and a hoarse voice!

I’m thankful I can still talk. I haven’t completely lost my voice, so that’s a great thing! My dad suggested making two signs to hold up in my sessions: 1 would say “mmhmm” and the other would say “how do you feel about that?”. Funny guy. Needless to say I didn’t actually do that, and made my way through 6 clients today while still keeping my voice! Yay:)

I’m thankful that I had time to put some rest weeks in my training plan. I think I’m starting to get shin splints, which is not only annoying, but can definitely create some difficulties in training. Luckily this week I only had 7 miles on my schedule, and I can cut some of those if needed. Rest, ice, and elevation are more important! I’m thankful I started training early enough that I can take a week off without stressing.

I’m thankful that I get to see my family this weekend! I’m really excited about this fact:)

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you thankful for today? 

February 8, 2012

I’ve never been a person who regularly photographs their food, logs food intake, or counts calories. However, the last few wednesdays as I’ve taken pictures for a “What I Ate Wednesday” post, I’ve been interested to see my food choices. I think I’m realizing that fresh veggies are one of the most difficult things for me to fit into my meals. Hmmmm… So here’s what I ate today:

Breakfast: 1 Banana, 10 oz orange juice, 16 oz coffee w/almond milk (unpictured)

Lunch: Bagel w/lots of almond butter (unpictured), Greek Yogurt, 2 clementines

Afternoon snacks: 1 Pumpkin Spice Protein Bar, 3 handfuls of nuts

Dinner: Pasta w/red onion, red pepper, spinach, garbanzo beans, & feta cheese

Yummmmm!

Evening Snack: Cucumber dipped in cottage cheese & some chocolate before bed!

Add into that mix almost 10 ounces of almond milk and about 55 ounces of tea for the day. I’ve almost lost my voice and being in a career where I talk with people all day is a bit difficult at the moment. Hot tea helped me keep my voice throughout the day!

Now it’s your turn to share: What’s your favorite veggie? When you have a sore throat or your voice gets hoarse, what’s your “go to” remedy? 

February 5, 2012

Overall this has been my least favorite week of training, but it ended on a high note, so I’m happy about that! I can’t believe I’m already 5 weeks into training, and I am now in uncharted territory for my long runs. Before I started training, the longest I’d run was 5 miles- one time only. This week I crossed that barrier, and I’m excited for each week of setting new distance records for myself!

Here’s the breakdown of the week:

Total Miles: 10.6 miles running +4.86 walking= 15.46 miles total  This is actually less total miles then last week, but more miles running. This week’s schedule was completely different then the previous 4 weeks due to traveling, but I stuck to my schedule pretty well. Thursday’s run was supposed to be 3 miles instead of 1.5, but I felt really sick, and wasn’t up for pushing myself.

Lesson Learned: Foam rolling & icing are two major components of me being able to work out well. I didn’t have my foam roller or ice packs (or access to things needed for an ice bath) for 3 runs at the end of last week/beginning of this week, and I was aching. Really really badly aching. My IT bands felt miserable, and my muscles were less then pleased. This week showed that I’m not wasting my time foam rolling and icing!

Biggest Struggle: Not being at 100%. Between traveling, bad allergies, and one night of actually being sick, I felt less then hot this week. I noticed that it was much more difficult to run multiple days. Also, I don’t think my stomach will like fueling while I run… we’ll see.

Now you get to share: What’s one accomplishment that you’ve had this week?

February 4, 2012

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I kept muttering this quote to myself as my alarm went off at 8 am and I grabbed a glass of juice and a Luna Bar. Outside, a mixture of snow and rain lightly fell, and slush was starting to cover the street. My training plan called for 6 miles today, which I was excited for because the longest I have gone before is 5 miles. After a week of beautiful weather, this morning the temperature was 31 degrees, with a “feels like” of 22. GAH. Why couldn’t the nice weather hold out for one more day?

Parts of the road was a little slick, so I took it nice and slow. My goal was to also stay fairly consistent, and have strength to run my last mile faster then in previous miles. I also hoped that I didn’t have to take a walking break, but would’ve been ok if I had to.

I dressed in smart wool socks, running tights, a dry-fit long sleeve shirt with thin running jacket on top, thin gloves, and a Nike Headband. Once I got going I was completely fine and comfortable the entire run. I’m sure I would’ve been ok not fueling, but decided since I was going to be gone for over an hour, I should eat a little something. Plus, I’d like to try out different fuels and get my body used to eating while running. I grabbed half a packet of sports beans and my spi belt, and headed out.

My first two miles I felt a little achy and stiff, but I loosened up, and by the time I hit miles 4-6, I felt fantastic. Why is it that the first two miles are often so difficult?

Despite the fact that it was nasty weather, I could hardly complain, knowing that this was still better then spending an hour on the treadmill. The miles tend to go by so much faster outside. Why is that? Anyways, my last 1/2 mile (5.5-6) I ran grinning from ear to ear, and may have done a tiny fist pump when I hit 6 miles. I’m still surprised I’m running at all, and certainly not pushing myself into more miles.

Looks like miles 5 and 6 were faster then 3 and 4!

I’m happy with my pacing, and I’m glad that I didn’t go out too hard the first few miles and wear myself out. I guess I’m getting a little better at that! I followed my run up with some stretching, foam rolling, and an ice bath while watching The Office. I’m feeling a bite sore already, so I’m a little nervous about how sore I’ll be in the morning!

Now you get to share: What’s your favorite article of clothing for cold weather running? Do you use a lack of perfect conditions (in any area of life) as an excuse for not doing something? 

February 3, 2012

An alternative title to this post might be “how being in shape saved me from an unfortunate situation.”

I’m following a training plan, so generally speaking when I wake up in the morning, I know what I’m going to do for the day. I’m organized and a planner so I enjoy this. However, occasionally we end up getting some workouts that we don’t necessarily plan. These are the things that happen because of things that pop up in life, whether it be an emergency, chores, yard work, or something similar to that.

I had the opportunity to get in some speed work on Monday. Now, speed work was not listed on my training plan for the day, but I found myself in a situation where it was a necessity. I was flying home from a weekend trip on Monday morning, and had a very short layover in an airport. Unfortunately, by the time I got off the flight my next flight had been boarding for about 15 minutes. I had 2 terminals to get through, plus riding the little tram. Carrying a 20 pound back pack and dragging my carry-on suitcase behind me, I got in a solid 25 minute speed work run. I would sprint as fast as I could for a few minutes, and when I could hardly breathe I would speed walk for a minute or two to bring my heart rate down, and then I’d sprint again. I was dripping (I’m not exaggerating here) with sweat by the time I arrived at my gate, but I made it. Whew. I’m definitely not used to sprinting with all the extra weight on me. LUCKILY I had worn my running shoes on the flight, because if I was in heels I definitely wouldn’t have made the flight. I made it with about a minute to spare, so any slower and I wouldn’t have made it.

And this is where I see the benefits of exercising pay off. If I wasn’t in shape and if I wasn’t used to running, there’s no way I would’ve been able to sprint the 25 minutes and make it to my next flight. I would’ve missed my flight, and would’ve been stuck in the airport for hours trying to get in on a later flight. I wouldn’t have gotten home in time to go grocery shopping and unpack before going to bed, and I wouldn’t have had food for lunch on Tuesday. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have made that flight, because I wouldn’t have been fast enough. A lot of people I know would’ve missed the flight. See. Exercise DOES pay off.

And also, if you were in the airport on Monday and you heard a girl screaming “EXCUSE ME” down the walk way as she was sprinting by, sorry about that. I did what I had to do…

Now you get to share: When have you gotten in an unexpected work out before? What is one pay off of exercising or healthy living that you have seen lately? Do you wear practical shoes while flying, or do you like to dress up a bit? 

February 2, 2012

I love getting to start February off by focusing on some of the things that I’m feeling thankful for at the moment. Here’s a run down of some of the things that are making me happy at the moment!

I’m thankful for shirts with thumb holes in them. They are great to sit around the house and watch tv in and fun to run in and keep my hands warm. I’m fairly certain that I would build an entire wardrobe around these shirts if I could!

I’m thankful for a fun weekend trip! I had the opportunity to pop down to Florida for a long weekend this past weekend, and I had an awesome time! The weather was great, and it’s almost always enjoyable to get away from “real life” for awhile! From start to finish it was a great time! Yay for visiting people you love!

I’m thankful for ice packs. After my runs in Florida I wasn’t able to ice, and I got the chance to see how much less sore I am when I actually am able to ice after my runs! Those little guys are a huge lifesaver (ok… not really lifesaver, but they save me from soreness!) in my life right now.

I’m thankful for texting. I’m able to keep up with my family members pretty much every day, as all of them (including my parents) text frequently! It’s fun to be kept up to date with what they’re all doing, and we also love to send random pictures from our day back and forth. This is a great little piece of technology to keep relationships strong at a distance!

I’m thankful for this amazing weather right now! I’m not a fan of the cold. AT ALL. For the last week I’ve been in weather between 50 and 75 degrees, and I’m loving the fact that I don’t feel like my hands or feet are going to fall off at the moment. LOVE IT.

I’m thankful that all the episodes of How I Met Your Mother are on instant view of Netflix! Love the show, and think it’s just a modern day version of Friends. It makes me laugh, and the short episodes are great to watch on my lunch break!

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you thankful for today? Have you ever watched How I Met Your Mother?

February 1, 2012

This is actually much more of a “What I Ate Wednesday” post. Today was a pretty typical day, minus a few foods I’m currently out of. I need to go to the grocery store, but I don’t like going during the week if I can avoid it.

Breakfast: 10 ounces orange juice, 16 ounces combined coffee & almond milk (unpictured)

Mid-Morning Snack: 4-5 handfuls of mixed nuts (unpictured)

Lunch: Whole Wheat & Flax Wrap w/hummus, ham, and spinach, 1 apple, Blood Orange Chobani

Lunch almost always consists of a sandwich, 1 pice of fruit, and yogurt. Sometimes a soup or other “main dish” replaces the sandwich

Late Afternoon Snack: 1/2 Lemon Luna Bar to get me through my run after work

Dinner: 2 eggs with fresh spinach, ham, and red onion w/nutritional yeast on top, 10 ounces orange juice, and canned pineapple slices

My lunch and dinner was made up of many similar items although this rarely happens. The pineapple slices I had in the back of my cupboard, and I’m out of all other fresh fruit except for apples. There will be some pre-bedtime snack, but I’m undecided on this right now.

And that’s a sort of typical day for me, although definitely on the boring end of what I eat. I try to have a banana or something like that for breakfast, but again, I’m out.

In other news, today starts the Plank Challenge that I’ve set for myself this month. I will be doing 45-50 minutes of planks this month! Does anyone else want to join in with me?

Now you get to share: Do you eat breakfast, drink something for breakfast, or skip it all together? What’re your favorite snacks to eat throughout the day? Do you have a plank goal for yourself this month?