The Little Things
October 7, 2012

Eh. It was a week. This wasn’t my best week for cross training, mostly due to being at work early every day and having lots of activities to do after work. I tried to make it work as best as I could though. Just like a few weeks ago, I switched my long run this week from Saturday to Sunday, so on my weekly mileage it looks like I didn’t do a long run this week. I’m watching the live footage of the Chicago Marathon right now and getting motivated for my own long run. Congratulations to everyone who ran in Chicago today! Here’s what my week looked like:

Total Miles: 16.83 mile walk + 1.12 mile run= 17.95 miles

Between my brother’s soccer game, a lecture I gave outside of work time, unexpectedly picking a brother up from the airport, and another brother unexpectedly getting a concussion, it was a crazy week. The thing with exercise is that while it’s important to get it done, we also need to be flexible. Things pop up in life that we don’t plan for, and weeks get busy. When it happens, do what you can’t but don’t stress yourself out. It will be ok. I chose to do what I could and walk. And it was great!

Now it’s your turn to share! Did you run, spectate, or follow online the Chicago Marathon? How do you remain flexible when something changes in your schedule? 

October 4, 2012

It’s again time to work on strengthening our mental health by being thankful! (I hope we all focus on our mental health more than once a week though!) I’m going into a crazy next week and a half, so I’m taking a deep breath and jumping into the crazy. Here are a few things I’m thankful for right now:

I’m thankful for the beautiful fall weather. Seriously. We’ve had some truly beautiful days in the 60s and low 70s. Sunny brisk weather is my favorite to run in, and I’ve been enjoying it.

I’m thankful for a great run after being sick. I was sick in the middle of last week, and am so thankful to be feeling back to normal. I was also happy to have a great long run this past weekend despite taking most of last week off from working out (resting is good and healthy too!).

I’m thankful for compression sleeves. Not only do they help with shin pain while I’m running, but I feel like they help with recovery as well. Furthermore, when I wear them to work (not with skirts- obviously!), an added bonus is that they help keep me warm! My office has been really cold lately, so wearing my compression sleeves adds another layer to my legs.

I’m thankful for the moment. I’m busy this month. Very, very busy. When I think about everything I need to do in the next few weeks I get overwhelmed. When I break it down into bite sized pieces and focus on the moment, it is ok. I’m thankful that we have the ability to focus on the moment and not have to be so overwhelmed by the future.

I’m thankful for laughter. Isn’t it fantastic? I try to laugh a few times every day, even when I’m feeling frustrated. I have some funny websites book marked that I know will get my smiling and laughing every time no matter what.

Now it’s your turn to share! How do you prepare for crazy times in your life? What do you do to live in the moment? 

October 3, 2012

I love to make traditional foods into seasonal foods, and obviously pumpkin is a perfect way to make foods “taste like fall”. As I was out on my long run this weekend, I came up with this little recipe, and I’m fairly certain I ran faster because I wanted to try it out!

Ingredients

It was delicious! Seriously mouthwatering, and I’m fairly certain it’s the motivation I need to finish all my training runs earlier!

It’s especially delicious paired with pumpkin spice coffee:) Do yourself a huge favor and  make this as soon as possible!

October 2, 2012

Happy October! It’s time to fully embrace all that is fall in my life and enjoy this season for what it is! It seems like a long time ago that I sat down to type my August Recap. September was a very full and busy month, and October is looking like it will be even busier and crazier (including a trip to Europe!). Here’s a look back at this past month:

September, while the weeks seemed to fly back, actually seems like a long month. Like I said, I’m really looking forward to October. I get to see my family, I’m attending Homecoming at the college I attended, I’m going to Europe, and it’s my final few weeks of training before my second half! So much excitement, but it will also include the stress that comes with being busy and actively on the go. That being said, I want to stay as healthy as I can this month. Here are a few goals:

There you go: a look back at September and looking forward throughout October! This month is all about balance and health for me as I train and travel throughout these weeks.

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one accomplishment you had from September? What are you most looking forward to in October? How will you try to maintain balance this month? 

October 1, 2012

After getting shin splints while training for my first half marathon, I took a visit to sports medicine for some advice. Knowing that I was definitely not ready to give up running, I wanted to discuss some ways to try to avoid injury while training. While I not only got some great exercises to do regularly, he also gave me some great encouragement. He encouraged me to take walks (“look into the Galloway method”), and to train my heart to withstand exercise for the length of time I’d be running, and that didn’t have to just be through running. I took both of those to heart.

Almost to the finish line of my first half marathon!

This second time around, I’ve cut back on days of running and increased my days of cross training. I’ve also used the Galloway method, and I’ve loved it! According to his website, Galloway says this:

“Why do walk breaks work? 
By using muscles in different ways from the beginning, your legs keep their bounce as they conserve resources. When a muscle group, such as your calf, is used continuously step by step, it fatigues relatively soon. The weak areas get overused and force you to slow down later or scream at you in pain afterward. By shifting back and forth between walking and running muscles, you distribute the workload among a variety of muscles, increasing your overall performance capacity. For veteran marathoners, this is often the difference between achieving a time goal or not.

Walk breaks will significantly speed up recovery because there is less damage to repair. The early walk breaks erase fatigue, and the later walk breaks will reduce or eliminate overuse muscle breakdown.” (source)

I’ve definitely found this to be true. This method also supposedly helps to reduce your chance of injury, and obviously helps to reduce the amount of force your body takes while on runs. As I increase my mileage in training, I start to employ the Galloway method. Generally speaking I run 3 minutes and walk 1 minute (sometimes I do 4:1 instead).

One of the things I was hesitant about is that I’m already a slow runner, and I didn’t want to be even slower. I’ve found that I run faster during my running minutes because I have a chance to regularly catch my breath and recover, and my pace times haven’t suffered! In fact, many of my runs are actually faster when I use the Galloway method! It works!

I use the runkeeper app on my phone, and it audibly cues me when to walk and run, which I like. This is what it looks like:

This was at the end of my 7 mile run this past weekend.

So there you go. I use this method during my long training runs, and I used it to complete my half marathon in May. I hope that it will be more successful when I race my second half marathon in November since I will have trained this way (I didn’t really train this way for my first). Here’s to successful and injury free running!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever used the Galloway Method before? If yes- what do you enjoy about it? Have you ever crashed towards the end of a race before (I have. It wasn’t fun.)? 

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a certified fitness trainer. I’m simply sharing a concept that I’ve applied to my own personal fitness journey. Please talk to a doctor before beginning any new fitness activity. 

September 30, 2012

Well, this week was less than ideal in the exercise department. It started off ok, but on Tuesday night I got sick and didn’t work out again until Saturday. While it was the smart decision to rest, it not only gave me low mileage for the week and made me miss workouts (not that important really), but I also missed being outside in the awesome weather! Saturday I finally felt pretty close to back to normal, and I was able to get in my long run for the week! Here’s what the week looked like:

Total Miles: 7.25 mile run + 3.0 mile elliptical + 6.32 mile walk = 16.57 miles

It was ok. I missed my sprints run for the week, but given some recent knee pain that might not be so bad either. I wrote a whole post on my 7 mile long run already (which I linked to above), so I won’t talk about that either. Despite being sick, I’m happy I was able to get a run in, some walks, and a day of cross training too!

Now it’s your turn to share! Are you good at taking time off when you’re sick, or do you try to ignore the fact and work out anyways? What are you looking forward to this week? 

September 29, 2012

I woke up on my own this morning, without an alarm, on a Saturday, before 8 am. I guess I really am training my body to not sleep in so late! Remember in college when you’d sleep in until lunch (or maybe miss lunch all together)? Yeah- I kind of miss those days. This morning I bounced out of bed excited for a 7 mile run! I’ve been sick the last part of this week, so I haven’t worked out since Tuesday. I was excited to hit the road.

I started the morning with my traditional Luna Bar and Orange Juice routine, but also wanted to try out a few different fuel options this morning. Right before I left on my run I sucked down a CLIF Gel (mocha flavor)! I’ve only tried a gel one other time (my 10 mile training run last April), and am not a huge fan of the texture. The taste of the Mocha flavor was great though, and it sat in my stomach pretty well.

I checked the weather and it was a brisk 47 degrees, but based on the time I figured I would be done with my run, it was supposed to be 60 degrees. I used to struggle with what clothes would be appropriate, but today the choice was easy. I popped on my tank top I did my triathlon in and the running skirt I did my half marathon in, and it was the perfect choice for the weather!

I headed out for my run, and started off on a cross-country trail that I love! Not only does it provide a softer surface for my joints, but it’s also gorgeous. Case-in-point: look at these gorgeous flowers I ran past this morning:

Pretty fall flowers!

This morning the ground was covered in dew, and by half a mile in my feet were soaked. I wasn’t a huge fan. I jumped off the trail as soon as I could and did the next 6 miles around a college campus. I love running on college campuses, especially when they are more quiet in the morning. While most of the college kids were still asleep, some were up running around campus with other members of the community. It’s a great atmosphere, and I could almost feel the love of running as I passed so many other runners during my 7 miles!

The last mile my right knee and hip started to hurt (IT band tightness)? so I stopped and stretched briefly. I’m continuing to do the 3:1 run:walk method, and it’s going great!

Happy to be running!

Today was truly one of the most perfect runs I had. The weather was fantastic: brisk with the sun shining, the location was perfect, the trees are starting to change, and the love of running was in the air. Perfect morning:)

I followed the morning up with some delicious coconut water while stretching! So refreshing, and one of my favorite parts of finishing a run!

Then it was time for 2nd breakfast! Pumpkin spice coffee and pumpkin spice french toast. Delicious!

Happy Saturday!

September 28, 2012

Happy Friday! Does anyone else still hear “It’s Friday….Friday…” in their head on Friday? No? Just me? Ok. I’m looking forward to relaxing this weekend. I’ve felt a little sickish the last few days, so I’m excited to be a little more low-key. I must’ve caught some sort of bug. Multiple co-workers are sick and I’ve definitely had a number of sick clients the lat two weeks. Here are a few links that stood out to me this week:

Do Chia Seeds Deserve Their Health Hype: I love chia seeds (especially in oatmeal!) so this article immediately caught my eye. It was an interesting read.

Come Bearing Food: Great advice on things to do and not to do when a friend or relative has a baby!

Safely Go: Heather reviewed a phone app to help keep you safe while driving!

12 Lunges to add to your workout: Tina did a post on various types of lunges to add to a regular workout routine. To be honest, lunges aren’t something I normally do, so I found this interesting. I also “starred” it in google reader so I can try them out!

As Corn Prices rise, Farmers Add Candy To Cows’ Feed: Cows eating candy, huh?

Obese Children Less Sensitive To Taste: Interesting. While the researchers couldn’t give a specific reason to why this was, I found this study to be interesting.

Ways To Exercise For Free: Great ways to exercise for free (or at least much cheaper than some options)!

Now it’s your turn to share! Did you find out anything interesting this past week? What’s one way you like to work out for free?

September 27, 2012

It’s time to be thankful again! I’m all about healthy living in multiple areas of life, not just physical. I try to do a number of things beyond eating well and exercising to increase my health, and regularly focusing on the things I am thankful for is one of those things! Here are some of the things that I’m feeling thankful for right now!

I’m thankful for a really great last year of fitness. When I sat down to write my 1 year “blogiversary” post, I really was amazed at how many amazing opportunities I’ve had this past year. I’m thankful for those opportunities and for the ways I’ve been challenged in the last 12 months!

I’m thankful for endorphins. Seriously, it’s one great instant reward from working out, and they make me happy! And, as Elle Woods says “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” (Legally Blonde) Let me be clear and say that this quote does not mean that I would kill someone if it wasn’t for exercise (I wouldn’t, nor do I feel that way- just to clarify in case people were wondering!), but it’s the quote I always think of when I think of endorphins. Which means I think about that movie almost every day I work out.

I’m thankful for lactose free cheese. I’ve missed cheese SO MUCH the last 5 years. A few weeks ago, for the first time, I found real cheese that is also lactose free (no “cheese substitute”). It’s delicious and I want to put it on EVERYTHING right now (like this and this)! I feel like I’ve been reunited with a long lost friend!

I’m thankful for my job. I say this frequently, but I very much mean it as well. I LOVE getting to be a counselor. I love getting to work with people and watching their lives change because of the work they put forward in counseling. I hope it never grows old, and I feel so lucky to have the job and career that I do!

I’m thankful for my fun running skirt! Seriously, how cute is it? Sometimes when I’m struggling through a workout that little bit of sparkle will bring a smile to my face. Besides that, it’s so functional with a zipper pocket and pockets on each leg! I ran my first half marathon in it, so it holds a special place in my heart:)

I’m thankful for the support, encouragement, & advice of the blogging & twitter community. You guys are awesome! Especially when preparing for my triathlon, I got so much fantastic advice that was very useful and helped me have a great triathlon experience. Let’s continue to encourage and support each other, because I think it’s great!

Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me what you’re feeling thankful for today!

September 26, 2012

I have an exercise partner, and I love it! Specifically, I walk with a friend on a regular (we try to do it 2-3 times a week) basis. While I had known her for the two years leading up to time we started walking together, we certainly weren’t super close.

I was surprised when, at 9 pm on a Tuesday night in early September of 2010 when my phone rang and she was on the other end. “Hey Caroline, I was wondering if you’d like to go on a walk tonight”. I had just pulled a loaf of bread from the oven, so I told her I’d meet her in 15 minutes. We walked a mile and a half that night. That first walk I started to think that it might be good to do this more often. 2 years ago I had no work out routine at all. I hadn’t been on my bike in almost a decade, I hadn’t actually gone on a run in years, and the only real exercise I would do is an occasional work. I wasn’t in good shape at all.

Throughout that fall we walked together 4 days a week, and our walks got longer and longer. By the beginning of November we were up to 7 miles, and it felt great. Somewhere along the way we became friends and actually started hanging outside after our walks too. It was great! Not only did I gain a new friend, but walking started getting me back into an exercise routine. Not only that, but it’s still a regular part of my workouts each week! Do you remember when I walked a half marathon last September? That was with her. And how about the time I had a 4 course meal at the melting pot? That was with her too!

Taken on a walk with my walking buddy.

Here are a few of the benefits I’ve noticed from having an exercise partner:

  1. It provides accountability. Those days I’m feeling lazy and would rather sit on the couch after work? When I have a walk scheduled with someone I’m less likely to back out. It sort of forces me into doing it, even when I really just want to sit.
  2. Exercising can be more fun! I really look forward to walking with friends. Maybe it’s because I grew up going on walks every night with my mom, but walking is one of my favorite activities. Sometimes it can feel like we’ve hit an exercise rut, but exercising with another person will throw a bit of variation into our schedules (or at least to the time we’re working out)!
  3. It’s a great time to process life issues. What else is the time for except processing through the tough stuff of life? (Besides having fun!) It’s like free therapy (which is kind of funny, because while the phrase “exercising is cheaper than therapy” is popular, we are both actually counselors!), and a great time to bounce ideas and concerns off another person.
  4. It can push you farther, faster, or to try something different. Some days I feel sluggish, but because the person I’m exercising with wants to go faster, I move faster (or go farther) and vice-versa. Working out with my brother means that I’ll lift weights differently then I normally would. These are all great things when it comes to a fitness routine!
  5. It can provide new friendships (or strengthen existing ones). Social support is a critical component to not only our fitness, but to our health as a whole. I was lucky enough to gain a great new friendship out of exercising!
  6. It provides an extra level of safety. I don’t workout outside after it gets dark when I’m by myself, so having someone to walk with allows me to be able to work out outdoors for half the year when I normally couldn’t. An exercise partner is also there if you get hurt or as a spotter in the gym.

I really enjoy having someone to work out with from time to time. It breaks up the week and challenges me in different ways. Of course I still enjoy having some work out time alone to think and process life, it’s certainly nice to have someone there from time to time!

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have any workout buddies? If so, what do you enjoy about it? If not, what’s holding you back?