Here are some things/stuffs I am loving/living this week.
1. First, and foremost. My Brooks Launch 2’s. I love them. They are like clouds on my feet and I wish I could sleep in them…ok….maybe a bit much but still.
Brooks Launch 2’s
2. I chew gum when I run. Some question folks who can talk and chew gum at the same time. I MUST run and chew gum at the same time or my cadence is completely OFF. Brand? Extra, of course. Orange or Watermelon are my go-to flavors.
3. As I near my 1 year anniversary at work, I find myself almost waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am so in love with my job (minus weekends, holidays, and the occasional snarky person) that I keep shaking my head. Every day is better. Every day I feel like I am making a difference with the best crew I’ve ever supervised. Someone. Pinch. ME. now.
4. Single parenting is tough. We’ve discussed this before. But sometimes we surprise ourselves and realize we CAN do it alone. Going on the better part of the month, alone and – WINNING.
I may have served 20 years, but I still have years to serve as a spouse.
5. Dreadmill runs are extremely difficult for me. But as I ran tonight my virtual RBFF texted me continually telling me I COULD do this. Thanks, Maria.
pretty much…
So at the end of the day, I am living, running, moving, and loving EVERY single step of my life.
We’re in week 3 of marathon training, and so far, so good…I’ve been using a modified version of Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 training plan and am admittedly happy that this weekend is a cut back week for my long run. His plans have a progression of miles for 2 weeks, and then a slight cut back on the 3rd week. This gives my weary legs time to rest which is exactly what this middle aged runner needs. My knees have been a bit achy this week, and I’ve yet to determine if it’s the weather, or just the increasing mileage. Regardless, I am thankful my long run is only 6 miles this weekend. I haven’t decided if I’ll go back to the track, or try and knock it out on my treadmill. We shall see!!!
Hal Higdon
Time:
I often hear people tell me that they don’t have time for this or that…”I don’t have time to run like you,” is probably the best one I’ve heard. We all have busy lives between work, family, maintaining a home etc. But it’s a choice we EACH make to MAKE time, or make excuses. I choose to make time for things that are important to ME. Running happens to be one of those things. I have no need for snarky comments on how I make the time, either. Thank you very much. 🙂
Trust:
This one is near and dear to me, as I don’t trust very many people with my heart. Be it friends, family or coworkers, the people I chose to spend my time with are held very dear to my heart. But sadly sometimes that trust is broken. And it hurts. The snarky comments from people when you’ve repeatedly given of yourself, well, hurts. I suppose no matter how hard you try, it never is enough for some. So be it, right? It’s all about movin’ forward. THAT is something I’ve got no TIME for. Ha!
Questions! Do you use a training plan? Do you hear snarky comments about how you make time for things, and if so how do you deal with them? What are you thoughts on trust, and forgiving past hurts repeatedly?
So after finishing my temper tantrum from the weekend, I decided this morning to pick myself up and start over today. Despite struggles, single parenting, and normal teenage drama I needed a clean slate. So here….we….go….
truth.
This morning I woke up on time, and allowed myself an extra snooze. I smiled as I cuddled my dog, and I took my time getting ready since I only had ONE child to tend to this morning. And it felt great. This is a new day.
Work was great, and I had time to organize and file a lot of paperwork that had been collecting dust on my desk. YAY to organizing, right?!
My hubby offered to take our youngest to ballet even though it’s something I normally do, stating, “You need a break.” He’s right… I do.
Can I get an Amen? Pic: veryfunnypics.eu
So I cooked the family dinner after work, and jumped at the chance to run. My legs are still very tight from Saturday, so it felt GREAT to stretch ’em out on the ‘mill. WAIT…did I say that out loud? A dready run that wasn’t so dreadful. Winning.
quick dready run that wasn’t so dready…
After my run, I ate dinner, showered, and have been sitting quietly at my computer working on the recipe section of my blog for about an hour and a half. Have you checked it out yet? It’s just a start, but I’d love for you to try some of my favorite recipes! You can check it out here! Feedback, comments, and ideas are always welcomed!
It felt great despite laundry duty to give myself a couple hours to do something JUST for me. Running. Writing. And cataloging recipes. Does it get better than that?
How do you spend your down time? Do you allow yourself time to just do YOUR thing at least once a week? If not, I highly recommend it. I tell ya what…my uninterrupted shower tonight was off. the. chain. LOL
Thanks, y’all! I look forward to hearing from you!
First off, I finished my second week of marathon training strong! My first 20 miler week is complete and I am quite pleased. A couple of the miles were walked, but the majority were spent running and I even finished my first double digit run of TEN miles on the indoor track in a neighboring suburb on Saturday. 8 laps equaled ONE mile, so yeah…you can imagine how this MIGHT have felt. But it went surprisingly fast mostly due to my awesome friend Janel providing me with great conversation as well as keeping track of the miles with a clicker. I set out for 8 miles, but felt so good I did an even 10 miles for the day. I don’t do a mid week long run, so often times add a mile or two to my weekend long run. All in all-WINNING. (My only set back for the week was missing my yoga work out, but I made sure to foam roll and stretch today to help with the soreness. I also took a 25 minute Epsom salt bath tonight to help ease my sore muscles).
Runner love right here!!
I came home to be informed that although my hubby had returned from his 3 weeks of travels just this past Friday, that he would be leaving again on Wednesday and suddenly my runners high was deflated. First I got mad, then I cried, and then I decided to just take a hot shower and try to move forward with my weekend.
As you all know, his travels are a bitter chip that resides more times than not on my shoulder. I wish I could kick this chip’s butt, but darn it the anger sure seems to win most times as I tackle the single parenting gig. Keep in mind I have a job too, kids that are in school/have activities to be taken too and a house that needs tending to…after a while, any normal person would break, right? Please say this is normal…lol
So this morning I awoke after FINALLY sleeping most of the night for almost 9 hours and I felt…better. It’s Sunday, and with Sundays in our house comes Sunday Supper. We decided to have a chopped challenge as well, and my 5 ingredients were:
Beef round roast
Tomatillos
Beets
Mangos
Mussels
So here’s what I came up with:
Appetizer
Mussels steamed in white wine, garlic and saffron with red pepper flakes served with a salad over tomatillo dressing.
For the tomatillo dressing, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, husk and rinse your tomatillos and quarter. Dice 1/4 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and add in the tomatillos. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for about 45 minutes. Transfer to your food processor or blender, and liquefy the mixture. Strain for seeds, and set aside.
For the mussels, in a stock pot melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter and extra virgin olive oil, and add in 3 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of saffron. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, and add in 3/4 cup of white wine, and a splash of water. Bring to a boil. Add in your previously cleaned mussels and cover the pot, shaking every minute or so. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until the mussels open. Pardon my spelling error…
This was…divine! .COM
Main course
Beet and chipotle pepper soup serve with braised beef.
First, season your roast with your favorite Mexican spices. I used cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sear on all sides, and transfer to a crock pot or dutch oven. Add 2 cups of beef broth (unsalted), 1 cup of red wine, and a large onion that has been sliced. Let simmer for 2 hours.
Secondly, for your soup…
In a soup pot that has been preheated to medium high heat with extra virgin olive oil add:
1 onion-diced
3 cloves of garlic-minced
4 large beets, peeled and chopped
1 chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
Sauté for about 5-6 minutes until just tender
Add in 3-4 cups of unsalted beef stock and bring to a boil. In a separate cup, add a teaspoon of corn starch to cold water. Mix well, and keep the soup at a boil for a couple of minutes. Reduce to a simmer for about an hour.
Puree the soup, and just before serving add a couple of tablespoons of greek yogurt. Mix well, and serve! Don’t forget to check for seasoning! I sliced the beef thinly, and served with the soup!
Gosh, isn’t it pretty? ❤
Desert
First off. I don’t bake. I hate to measure, and baking makes my crazy. But I decided to use the mangos in a desert type style, trying to keep with my Mexican type theme of cooking.
I peeled and chopped the mangos, and added them to my food processor. I added in brown sugar, cinnamon, and a splash of water and mixed well. Set aside.
Take 2 sheets of puff pastry dough and roll out. Cut 8 circles out, spoon in the mixture, and pinch the edges tight. Crimp each tart with a fork, brush each tart with a fork and sprinkle some more brown sugar over the top. Back at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
In my defense I only half of one, and skipped the vanilla ice cream but YUM!
So at the end of the day, I’ve trained, I’ve cooked, and I’ve shed a few tears. But I’ve kept moving forward.
How was your weekend? Did you cook? Are you training for any races? How do YOU deal with stress?
Today I am linking up with Marcia’s Healthy Slice for some good ‘ole Runfessions! This is my first time participating, so sit back, and relax for my monthly confessional in regards to running and all it entails.
Winter has officially killed my love for running, temporarily I know, but enough to give me a heavy heart. No matter how blessed I SHOULD feel for having a treadmill and access to indoor running, I found myself in tears again last night after my 2.5 miler on the ‘mill. Why is it so hard for me to enjoy a good dready run? I’ll tell you…
Running is my escape from the real world. I wouldn’t say I am running away from life. On the contrary. I am running towards a better me. Because running outside allows me to clear my head, and leave the work stress, parental drama and chaos in general BEHIND me.
Yet when I am running in the basement of my own home, on a hamster wheel treadmill with the dog clawing at the basement door or perched happily on the couch staring at me the entire time, I find it hard to ‘let go’ of all my stressors. Oh, and the kids fighting upstairs usually can be heard around the block, so the basement is of little escape or solitude.
BUT…I keep reminding myself that despite the snow and sub zero temps in the 7-day forecast spring IS on it’s way…
Eventually…
RIGHT?!?!?!!
Oh…and my new Brooks Launch 2’s are the BOMB. They feel like I am running on clouds, and I can’t wait to take them for an 8 mile spin on the indoor track tomorrow with my friend Janel!! We haven’t ran together in ages, and this will be my first long run on the track! Wish me luck!!
What runfessions do you have this month? What is your longest run indoors?
My day started out like any other. My alarm went off just before 6 a.m. although I had been up since 3…WHY? I had terrible nightmares of being tortured and I kept trying to scream for help, yet my scream wouldn’t develop in to any sort of sound. So I kept trying to scream until I woke up in cold sweats and had to walk around the house for a few minutes to calm myself down. Where do these dreams come from? You just never know, I suppose. I maybe fell back asleep for a few minutes, but as I reached over to push the snooze button and peaked down the hall to my eldest daughter’s bathroom I realized she had overslept. Crap…there goes my 8 minutes of snoozing (like it really matters, right?). I got up, woke her up, and prodded down the hallway to wake up my youngest. She’s always smiles in the morning, but something was off today…I asked her several times if she was ok? “I’m fine, Mommy.” We got ready, had breakfast, and did the routine of drop offs as we’ve done for the last 3 weeks.
This…the happiest girl in the world even when she is sick.
And then I got the call from my neighbor who takes my youngest to the bus. She had developed a fever, had the chills, and I needed to come pick her up. I of course had just made my last turn before arriving to work. I pulled over, called the lab and my boss letting them know I needed to stay home. Thankfully I work with amazing and understanding people. So after my 30 minute commute back home, I picked up my youngest and we spent the day on the couch watching Disney movies. Her fever broke around noon and her appetite came back briefly. We settled back in to our movie watching with my worry alert brought back down to normal and I found myself daydreaming a lot, and thinking even more about this whole thing they call life.
Since retiring from the Air Force in 2011 after 20 years of service I have fought to search for my niche in life. I think I have found it between all my hobbies of running, writing, cooking and photography but still find myself just another 40+ year old woman that is trying to reestablish herself. We tend to lose ourselves in our kids, our marriages and our careers but what really makes US, well, US? Having had been through a lot in my life and overcoming more than can be even put in to words I created my FB page that stems from this blog. I have spent the last 2 1/2 years posting, reaching out to others to remind them they are #more and #worthsomuch and to always #keepmovinforward. It was MY way to give back to the world because I know…I know what it means to hear those words, read that story or hear that song that touches you RIGHT at the VERY MOMENT you need it to. I know.
But since the changes of FB algorithms my reach is down to nil, and the time I spend “talking” to others trying to inspire with my every day life has fallen on deaf ears. I’ve collected the data, studied the stats and compared the amount of time I spent posting anecdotes, quotes, work outs and recipes to my page. And WOW…the numbers are truly nuts. I will stand by the fact that if I can touch ONE life, help ONE person, my goal is complete. But I can’t do this when FB hides the posts of everyone who refuses to pay to promote. Out of nearly 11k followers on FB, I am lucky to ‘reach’ even just 100 people. And this number continues to decline.
Yet for the better part of 2 1/2 years I didn’t blink an eye at getting up early to post something to start people’s days, another lunch time post normally and after work I would try and motivate with my work outs or an inspirational post. At the end of the day there would be a real life adventure, or a truth post, and I would bid everyone goodnight. And it made me happy, every, single, day to reach people.
Pic credit: Pinterest
But with the changes, I can’t keep spending that much time in a venue that doesn’t value my posts ‘worthy’ of being seen. So tonight I posted my last longish truth post letting everyone know I was still there, but that they can find me here. I have a lot to offer, I think…I believe. I just have to find the right outlet. I just want to help people…I want to be that voice that says, YOU CAN. Don’t give up.
So I’ll be blogging more, and FB’ing a lot less…because I know I have things to say and share.
Here’s my day in photos….Thanks for being here, y’all.
For dinner, shrimp over romaine hearts, avocado, cucumbers, radishes and cherry tomatoes!1:3 interval training, ran one minute hard, 3 at a steady pace for 21 minutes.
Normally I love Tuesdays…it’s one day closer to hump day but this week has been an inward battle. Between the weather, and knowing another week of training will be on the ‘mill, I had to dig deep.
I’ve learned a lot this winter in regards to relationships. It’s hard to hang close to people you don’t spend time with a lot. BUT, that doesn’t mean you care about them any less. At least in my book.
In all honestly I miss my running friends. They’ve all remained tough and have ran outside ALL winter long. I, well, have not. So it’s hard to relate as we are all over the place. My sleep has been less than stellar as it is most winters (and when my husband travels) so I have taken advantage of any extra sleep I can get, even if it means missing run club. Why? Am I not hard core enough? Am I not dedicated enough?
A lot probably would say such things about me, and my running/training this go-round has been less than hard core. And I understand…while my friends are in sub-zero temps running miles outside, I am indoors with a tank top and shorts running in the comfort of my own home with indoor facilities and all the entertainment I need….right?
Oh HECK NO…I would much rather be outside, but the thought of my hands/feet going so numb it actually hurts (Reynaud’s syndrome-self diagnosed as my Mom has it) to the point I can’t take it keeps me inside in temps below about 35 degrees. So sorry, but I just can’t be sorry. I am simply exhausted and doing the best I can on my own. I know…insert the #poorme reference here. Sorry…
But here’s a good image that describes how I feel running on the treadmill…
pretty much…
I can’t find my groove, I can’t have that feeling of bliss. Ack…I am saying I can’t.
But I’m running. I am working hard. And it’s the hardest mental test I’ve given myself in quite some time.
Brooks Launch 2’s are officially MINE!5K done in my new kicks tonight!
Running a marathon was almost easier than running 6 miles on the ‘mill last weekend. If I have to do 8 miles on the mill this coming weekend, I may need to be pre-medicated. Just saying.
With that, I bid you all goodnight. Another sleepless night has left me feeling less than stellar, and I am praying for some beauty sleep. Sometimes I just can’t turn the ‘ole noggin’ off.
Pretty much! Pic from Pinterest
I ask, how do you deal with winter training? What do you do when you try to engage in conversation but things are always one-sided? Any tips on a full nights sleep?
Sundays are always usually a good day in my household when I am not scheduled to work. I think because of a few reasons. Some of which being, I normally do most of my laundry Friday night, and spend the majority of Saturday trying to get the chores done around the house. I do this, so I can at least have ONE day to have some fun, be it relaxing, shopping, what have you. I also almost always cook Sunday Supper, even if it’s something simple. But I’m jumping ahead…
Every few months the girls and I love to head out to our local consignment stores to pick up a few things. I LOVE clothes, always have, but I don’t love paying full price for anything other than a new pair of running shoes…you just can’t buy those used. My youngest, S, loves ‘Once Upon a Child’ and will spend quite a bit of time going through the leggings, skirts, and shirts to create the perfect outfit. Today we got her several outfits to include a handful of skirts, a couple pairs of pants, a dress for spring, 2 pairs of tennis shoes and several shirts. We walked out of the store with a large garbage sized bag of clothes for $88 and change. WINNING.
Next it was my eldest daughter J’s turn to shop. She isn’t as big on the whole consignment shopping gig, but realizes it gets her more clothes, more often, so she is pretty good about being thankful. She ended up with 8 or so shirts, and me with a running vest, two running tanks, and a pair of Converse along with S getting 2 work out T’s for just over $100. If you would have paid retail for these clothes between both stores (name brands included Hollister, Forever 21, American Eagle etc) we would have paid at least 2-3 thousand dollars I am guessing. Yet we paid 200 bucks. More WINNING.
That got J and I talking as we drove to a running store for me to test drive some shoes. Even if we HAD the money, would we pay full price for something as silly as clothes? We agreed, nope…All 3 of us love getting new items, and tire easily of our wardrobe so it’s awesome in my eyes, that we can share our bargain shopping together. ❤
Pic credit: retailmenot.com
I also, test drove these bad boys that I think are the winner winner of my marathon training’s chicken dinner. Hope to have time to pick them up tomorrow so I can give them a test drive on Tuesday. (I need a neutral running shoe that still provides cushion and stability-these seem perfect!)
Brooks Launch 2’s
Since the hubby is home briefly for his drill weekend (his first weekend as the Commander I might add, woop woop so proud!) I jumped at the chance to make our traditional Sunday Supper. I kept it simple as J had Badminton practice tonight. (She’s super excited to try out for the HS team, and it’s nice to see her excited about, well, anything other than locking herself in her room to read).
Tonight we have for you, a stuffed chicken tenderloin served with roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed cauliflower and red cabbage.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Chicken
1 package of tenderloins, dried and pounded out with a tenderizer. Season each piece with kosher salt, and pepper.
Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
Layer each piece of chicken with one piece of prosciutto, and one piece of mozzarella cheese that have been cut 1/8 inch thick. Top with another chicken tenderloin. Repeat until all tenderloins have been “stuffed” and topped. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and season lightly with Italian seasonings. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. (Don’t worry when you see a lot of the cheese oozing out, it’s magic happening!)
Fingerling potatoes
Wash potatoes with cool water, and dry on a kitchen towel. Place the potatoes in a bowl and add 2 cloves of minced garlic, kosher salt and pepper to taste, and 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Drizzle in a couple teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, and mix well. Pour the tots on to a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Ensure there is an even layer, and place in the oven with the chicken, on the bottom rack. Cooking time is the same as the chicken; ensure tots are cooked until fork tender.
Cauliflower and Red cabbage
Clean and chop one head of white cauliflower, set aside. Mince 1 clove of garlic, and add to a pan that is heated to medium/high heat with extra virgin olive oil. Add in a pinch of red pepper flakes, and sauté for about 2 minutes. (Don’t burn the garlic!!) Add in the cauliflower, and cook until the veg has a bite to it still. In the last minute or two, add in 1/4 cup of chopped red cabbage. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Garnish with a pinch of parsley.
this pic really doesn’t do the dish justice. GREAT comfort food right here. And healthy too!
Questions! Do you try to have one family meal each week? What are your feelings on consignment shopping? What are your favorite running shoes?
Last week was a tough week for me. I’m not sure if it was the bitter temps, or the hubby traveling for the second week in a row but I admittedly found myself in tears more times than I care to admit. My eldest daughter tried my patience, multiple times, and I found myself with my head in my hands choking back the sobs early Friday morning. Could I DO this yet another week on my own? And then at around 9:30 a.m. while I was at work I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. “I’m sorry for being grumpy this morning.” Smiles…I immediately felt better. It’s amazing what a simple acknowledgement to even unintentional hurts can do…so as the day went on, we planned a nice dinner out after school/work to celebrate another week of surviving Chiberia 2015. J and S decided on our favorite Mexican place called Sergio’s. If you are ever in the western suburbs of Chicagoland I highly recommend it. It’s family owned and operated, has fresh ingredients, and SOOOO affordable.
Doesn’t get much better than this…
Today, as most non-working outside of the house Saturdays go, I had a full schedule. I had planned on meeting up with my run club for coffee after my dreadmill run, but I slept through my alarm and started my day an hour and a half behind schedule. The hubby arrived home late last night, but only for his Army drill weekend so I saw him all of 30 minutes. But that extra glass of wine probably was NOT a good idea seeing the fact I had 6 miles on deck this morning. I got up, ate my tablespoon of PB with chia seeds, texted Maria, and hopped on the ‘mill. I knew immediately this was going to be tough. Barely half of a mile in, and I wanted to cry. I cussed quietly, at myself, the ‘mill, and anyone who would listen. And at 60 minutes, the ‘mill reset, and real tears formed in my eyes. I wasn’t quite finished with my 6 miler, but thankfully I finished. That is all I can say. I did it. It sucked. And Mother Nature could bring on spring like temps ANY time now…please…
Week 1, long run, DONE.
After my run it was time to EAT. It’s been a while since I said 6 miles was a long run, but I was famished. What did I eat? Check it out…
My go-to post long run meal. Yup…bacon and eggs.
And then it was time to shower, and tackle 3 hours of housework. I turned up the tunes, scrubbed bathrooms, vacuumed floors, dusted, washed bedding, and mopped. My house now looks and smells amazing! YAY!! Then, it was time to shop for the week so the girls and I headed to Aldi to stock up on groceries. I love this store sooooo much. My basket was completely full of fresh produce, fish, chicken and healthy snacks for such a reasonable price. Winning!
So tonight for dinner I decided to make something simple after such a busy day. I made a yummy gluten free pasta dish, that had my famous semi-homemade marinara sauce.
Here’s what you’ll need for the sauce:
1 package of turkey sausage links cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of diced pancetta
1 small white onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, kosher salt and pepper to taste
Here’s what to do:
In a wide sauce pan heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add in your onion, garlic, mushrooms and red pepper flakes and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the turkey sausage and pancetta and cook through for about 12 minutes. Season with kosher salt, pepper, and Italian herbs to taste. Once the sausage is cooked through, drain off the grease. Also, wipe your pan out with paper towels removing the excess grease. Add everything back into the pan, and pour in a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding in more S&P if needed. Let simmer for about 25 minutes. The longer, the better…
I served over gluten free rotini, and as always it was a hit with my family.
Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese!
Lessons learned this week:
1. Running is hard. Running on the treadmill? Even harder.
2. Teen kiddos will test us more than nearly almost anything in life. We won’t always pass, but there is always room for growth.
3. Knowing your passions in life, and participating in said passions is freeing…really.
4. Ask someone how THEIR day is, or what THEY are up to…it truly can make a difference.
5. It’s ok to cry. But don’t forget to wipe away those tears and move forward.
I am rounding out the week with 15 miles of running, 1 yoga work out, and strength training as well.
Questions!
How was your week? How do you deal with one sided conversations? What are your favorite “easy meals?”
Boring, right? Today’s three things are all in one way or another running related.
So here are my three things, in no particular order for the week.
1. I CAN DO THIS. No wait…I AM DOING THIS…I have started out week 1 of marathon #3 training quite well if I do say so myself. I’ve worked out every day this week so far, and am feeling strong despite lack of sleep due to hubby travels again. Is my endurance where I want it to be? No way…but it’s week one, right? 3 shorter distance runs, 30 minutes of yoga, daily planks/pushups, with a 6 mile long run on deck for Saturday….I got this!!! Positive thinking is in full force. Step aside any negativity, please.
Pic credit: personalitytutor.com
2. In regards to my last post about Treadmill tips, I enjoyed reading ALL of your ideas. So today I decided to try watching the show “Chopped” on my Kindle and make the show into an interval session of sorts. Yup…I can turn just about anything in to something that involves running, especially when I am in official training. So it went a little like this.
My Kindle perfectly covered the screen of my treadmill!
While the four Chefs were introduced by Ted Allen I started slow, at about a 5.4 mph pace (keep in mind I kept the read out covered WITH my Kindle so these are only approximate speeds-in fact I am not concerned with speed this year, but that’s my next ‘thing’). After he told the Chefs to open their baskets, I sped up just a little more-maybe to 5.8?…I held this pace while the Chefs cooked, until their two minute warning, where I sped up significantly running all out for those 2 minutes. Once time was up for that round, I scaled the time back to my 5.4 mph-ish pace again and held that until the next round. I repeated this sequence for all 3 courses and it worked GREAT. I also had my friend Maria helping me out virtually, which I really can’t say enough about. There’s just nothing better than supportive friends and family during training.
Yup. No quitting here.
3. Speed snobs. There…I said it. I have always praised the running community and how welcomed I have felt since moving to this area almost 4 years ago. But every now and then I catch myself succumbing to the speed snobs snide remarks or lack there of when I post a run on FB (for example). I will never be a 7-8 minute miler, and am honestly happy with that fact. In fact, I run for peace of mind, release of stress, AND because it’s a healthy exercise. I have no need to go ‘balls to the walls’ for EVERY. SINGLE. RUN. That is not peaceful for me. There is no release in that type of running-for me. But in the same breath, I applaud those who CAN run that fast and enjoy it at the same time. I have never been one to judge another runner, or compare my pace or goals to anyone other than ME. We aren’t all like that tho, are we? So the slight sting I felt today was brushed off quickly and replaced with the other 99% of runners in my life, as well as family and friends.
Pic Credit: supergenericgirl.com
Does positive talk come in to play during your training season? Have you ever made up your own “Interval training” program creatively with a TV show or music? How do you deal with the elitist type people who seem to put everyone else down?
Movin' it with Michelle 