Where's the Beach?

Today is a most welcome rest day for me. Of course, the temps are cooler today - more ideal for a run. Hmmmm.....don't worry, I'm really not tempted. Going to enjoy this day off from any workouts. I need it physically and mentally. I guess it's just a typical Friday; nothing terribly exciting to report unless you count finally making it to the grocery store exciting. But I do have a lot to look forward to this weekend. So, for Fun Facts Friday , I thought I'd share what I'm looking forward to most: Taking my niece shopping - her birthday is coming up (the big 7), and my sister suggested that A would be thrilled if we went shopping together, just the two of us. Very excited about this. A shorter, long run - while I've been enjoying my double-digit runs, I am going to enjoy a shorter 8-miler this weekend. I need the recovery and it'll give me a few extra hours back in the day. Ideal running weather - supposed to top out at 75 all weekend. Time with fri...

I Faltered  I thought today might be a rest day. Usually the day after I do legs ends up being a rest day, very rarely a run. But, I didn't overdo it yesterday. And I was itching to wear my new running shoes. Jason was supposed to do a 6-mile tempo run. Soooo, I packed my bag "just in case." Honestly, I thought maybe once I got to work and had been sitting all morning that my legs would start to revolt against me. But they didn't, well, not completely. They're tired, but I can indeed hover over the toilets today. Jason said he was going to do his run at lunch, so I could tag along. We never run together anymore. I actually was a little nervous. Weird right? Of course, he was supposed to be doing 1 mile warmup, 4 miles at 8:40 then 1 mile cool down. So, I was worried about the 4 miles fast. And, when being honest with myself, I knew I didn't need to go out for a fast run period. This is supposed to be a back off week. Meaning, ease up stupid. Don't b...

Gym Day Today I went back and forth about my workout. In the end, I went with the gym after work rather than a run. I had really wanted to run because I got in a new pair of shoes yesterday. But, I had meetings and a going away lunch that meant an after-work run - and it was mid-80's today. So, it ended up being a leg and shoulder workout for me. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical as a warm up and essential did the same legs as last week. Though, I did go with one less set of the 3-point lunges at least. I do want to walk tomorrow. Squats - warmup set of 10 reps SS#1 3x8 Squats Plie squats SS#2 Single-leg deadlifts 3x8 Calf raises - 3x20 3-point lunge (front, side, rear lunge) - 2x4 (last week 3x4 about killed me) Weighted plie hops - 2x12 Single leg square hops - 2x4 (on one leg hop front, then right, then back, then left making a box) GS for shoulders 3x8 Upright row Lateral raise Front raise overhead, open to T It ended up being a pretty good w...

Feeling Alive As I was trying to drift off to sleep last night, my mind started wandering. Sometimes this is a bad thing as I end up wide awake thinking, thinking, thinking. But this time it more reflective. I was thinking about why I run. When people hear that I ran 12 miles or 6 miles, or any miles, they often say, "you're nuts," "that's awesome," or "I hate running." I used to hate running too actually. And not that long ago actually. I used to run just for the cardio factor. I tried to rush through it, hurry up and get it over with. I was focused on how much is sucked, how many other things I could be doing instead. I would use the time not to enjoy, but to plan out lists, to set out a plan of attack for chores (do x, then y, then z). This did not thing but make me anxious actually. I felt even more rushed to get the run over with so I could get going on a list or chore. Move along to the next thing. And before I ever ran outside, it was...

Spinning Today I my legs are not nearly as sore as I thought they might be after yesterday's 12-miler. My left hip is really the only source of pain. My hip flexor is extremely tight. I think I might have started changing up my gait or something to compensate for the sciatica/piriformis pain because I never have hip flexor issues. I guess never say never right? Since I wasn't as tight or sore as I thought, I went ahead and hit up spin class. My other plan was to just do a little on the elliptical to loosen my legs then hit weights. I'm actually glad I went with spin. I really seemed to pull out any kinks. Before spin, I did get in triceps. I just went with a giant set of 3x10 except for the first exercise which was 3x8: Double-arm overhead triceps extensions Double-arm kickbacks Triceps dips Chili Night & House Projects Dinner tonight ended up being Chipotle Tempeh Chili . While it's warmer during the day, as soon as the sun starts to set, the temps go d...

Digging Deep Oh 12 miles - you tried to beat me today, but I won...barely. It was about 70 degrees and sunny when I started my run. The humidity was up there though, so I was sweating like a fool fairly early on. But I was in a good mood, enjoying my music, enjoying the fresh air. The farther I headed in one direction, the darker it started getting. I really thought it was going to start pouring down, but would have been just peachy with that actually. The clouds were welcome today as they helped keep the temps down, which was perfect. There was a fairly steady breeze that also helped keep it cooler for the long run. I took the same route as last week, so I knew exactly where I could stop and refill my water and then take my gel before making it back by my car to again refill my water bottle. The first 9 miles were pretty good. I just sort of zoned out and zipped on along. But that's where the fun stopped. My piriformis and sciatica started to get the best of me. Mentally, I...

Weights & Easy Run This morning I woke up way earlier than I'd have liked on a Saturday, especially when I wasn't going out for a long run. I will say, it felt strange not getting prepped for a 12-miler, almost depressing in a way. My legs were still feeling really tight, not wanting to move for me. Good thing the 12-miler wasn't today huh? I didn't want to go to the gym so early, so I got some house chores done like laundry, sweeping, mopping. After procrastinating with chores, I finally headed to the gym around 8:45. My weight plan was to hit back, chest, shoulders and abs. I did start out with about 10 minutes on the elliptical to test my legs and to warm up. Then I went with trisets of 3x8: TS#1 Underhand barbell row Arnold press Flat bench chest press TS#2 Pullovers Lateral raise Flat bench chest flyes TS#3 Double-arm rows Incline rear delt flye Incline chest press I did some ab work and stretched for a bit before heading home. When I got ...

Can't. Move. My. Legs I would so be doing the I'm So Happy It's Friday Dance right now if I could move my legs. Biofreeze is my best friend today. Standing, sitting, and attempting to hover over the toilet...enemies. Needless to say, I am very glad that it's my rest day. Tomorrow should be my long run, however, there is a 100-mile cycling event happening called the Big Dam Bridge 100. Source: KTHV If you recall, I mention the Big Dam Bridge often as that's pretty much where I start and end all of my runs. Problem with the race tomorrow? The bridge is closed from 7:30-8:30 then again from 10:00-2:30. So, um, not enough time for a 12-mile run before I'm stuck there not able to drive away. Sucky. Though, the way my legs feel right now, maybe it's working out for the best. Anyway, today will be a fairly typical Friday. We're supposed to meet some friends after work for a brief happy hour then home for Pizza Friday. I imagine we'll either catch...

Leg Day Today I packed my gym bag and hauled it to the office with me. My plan was to do legs at lunch and secretly hoped I'd feel up to the 3-mile run on today's half marathon training plan. I know, crazy talk. I really wasn't sure how my legs would feel after two days of pretty hard runs. But they seemed (key word) to be a-ok. I warmed up with 10 minutes on the elliptical then started with a warmup set of 10 squats with no weight on the bar. Then I got to it: SS Squats Plie squats Front, side, rear lunge combo* - 3x4 SS Single-leg deadlifts - 3x8 Calf raises - 3x20 *Start with feet parallel, lunge front then return to start tapping toe, lunge side return tapping toe, lunge back tapping toe for 1 rep. I used a single weight held in both hands. I finished with some abs then headed home to get cleaned up before going back to work. This workout looks harmless enough right? Apparently my quads didn't know they were sore until I started with the lunge combo...

Interval Run Well, I guess I'm terrible with following a running plan. I have really good intentions though. That counts right? So my schedule is totally off this week. Yesterday I did 4.75 instead of 4 (and that should have been done on Monday. But instead of the easy run, I managed a pace fairly close to what last week's tempo pace should have been. So, I'll say yesterday made up for last week. Today was supposed to be this week's speed run (1 mile warm up, 4 miles at 8:28 min/mile, 1 mile cool down). I knew that wasn't going to happen after yesterday's harder run - and it wouldn't have been smart to try on my part. But, I was hell bent on trying 2 things: still getting in speed work and doing 5.25 miles (to round out from yesterday to give the 10 miles over 2 days...yes, I'm nuts). Instead of mile intervals - I went with minutes. I started with 1 mile warmup at about at 8:45 mile/min pace then I did 3 x 5:3 intervals (5 min fast/3 min jog recover...

Running Well, I was all over the place with figuring out the workout plan for today. I had a 4 mile run scheduled (according to the half training plan). Well, it should have been yesterday, but since that didn't happen, it was moved to today. I also wanted to get in triceps and abs, or maybe biceps/triceps/abs along with the run. I had thought that maybe I'd do weights at lunch then the run after work. Then I changed my mind and decided to run at lunch then do weights after work. Does this count as being flexible or just wishy washy? Either way, I got in a pretty quick 4.75 mile run during lunch. Yes, I know I was only supposed to do 4, but I just couldn't resist going through the part of the path that takes you through the shaded, wooded area. It's really like running through the forest. The temps were in the low 70's, but the humidity was up there today. Thankfully, there was a nice breeze coming off the river that helped tremendously. I did push myself a l...

Soup Sunday Last night I ended up making a Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup for dinner. A friend had given me several butternut squash, and soup on Sunday sounded perfect. Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients: 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes 1/2 white onion, diced 1-2 tbsp minced garlic 1 can light coconut milk 1 not-beef bouillon cube (or vegetable stock if you have) 1 1/2 cups water To taste: salt, pepper, turmeric, curry powder, garam masala, parsley, red pepper 1 package firm silken tofu (you could use a cashew cream as well) Directions: In large soup pot, saute onions, squash, garlic until the onions begin to soften. Stir in coconut milk, water, and bouillon cube, and spices and allow to simmer until squash begins to soften. Add in the tofu and continue to cook until squash is soft and can be easily pureed. Either transfer to a blender and puree until smooth or use an immersion blender. Re-season if needed.   I toaste...

Football Day Recap Is it me or did this weekend fly by? We got into Fayetteville yesterday just a little after 1 pm. Rather than a gorgeous, perfect football Saturday, it was gray, raining, and about 10 degrees cooler than the forecast said. Oh, and windy too. Great combo right? At least we enjoyed a nice lunch with great company - my cousin. We were staying at the house of one of my cousins who recently moved out of Fayetteville. One cousin is still there, thankfully. It was so nice to meet up for lunch and catch up. We really don't get to spend nearly enough time together. I had really wanted to try to go to a great place called Hugo's. They have several veggie dishes, but are always packed. We were just too hungry to wait for a table, and weren't going to hang out outside in the rain. Instead we hit up a pizza place around the corner, it actually started at home so we're familiar with it. I had no idea they had opened up a store in Fayetteville. My cousin took ...

This morning it was hard to get up and get going. It was chilly (only 56 degrees) and gray. Very dreary. And then the bottom fell out and it just started pouring rain. Jason and I had planned on getting in a run together before heading up to Fayetteville (about 3 hours away) and the weather was just not cooperating. T It was really kind of strange not getting up and heading out for a long Saturday run, which is what I've become used to. Though, I must say I am glad I wasn't planning on 12 miles in this crappy weather. Guess the whole rearranging of plans worked out for the best after all. After about 45 minutes of waiting around for the weather to clear, we finally just had to admit we weren't going to get in a run unless we hit the gym. Now, had it been warmer, I would have gladly gone out in the rain because it was just the "right" type of rain - if that makes any sense at all. So, for the first time in who the hell know how long, I'm taking a 2nd rest d...

Non-Rest Day Friday Fridays are typically my rest days. However, I really had to take Wednesday as a rest day, so that meant revamping my planned workout schedule for the week. So, rather than rest, I hit the gym to get in what would have been my Sunday workout: back, shoulders, biceps, abs. I will admit that it was not easy to find the motivation after yesterday's 12-miler. Feeling a bit beat up and run down. Plus, the weather has been dreary today - overcast and low 60's. More conducive to sleeping than working out. Rather than the typical 3x8 I keep doing (over and over and over again), I chose 2 exercises for each muscle group and supersetted them as 3x8 and 1 to failure (TF). SS#1 Pullovers Double-arm rows SS#2 Shoulder press Lateral raise SS#3 Alternating curls Hammer curls I did some brief ab work then wrapped it up and headed back to work. (NOT) Heading Out on Fun Facts Friday Tonight we were supposed to be heading out of town for the weekend to Fa...

12-Mile Run Today started off incredibly chilly - especially compared to yesterday's mid 90's. It was about 57 degrees on my walk into the office, and windy. I had my 12-mile route all planned out with options of shorter miles if I just wasn't feeling it. I did leave work around 2:30 (worked through lunch + had work to take home) so I could get the run done before dark. I also needed to be home at a semi-decent time to finish packing for our weekend away. Going out of town to watch a football game (and visit friends) for Jason's birthday this weekend. Anyway, lots to do, but I was determined to get the run done. The temperatures were really nice. The sun was out. The only obstacle was the gusting winds. But after I had worked up a sweat, the winds felt pretty nice at times. I stopped twice to fill up my water, one bonus of the route I took. However, I used a different gel today because the store was out of my preferred brand and flavor. I forgot that this one is ...

Mid-Week Rest Day Today we had lots of rain and storms in the forecast. I was supposed to do a 6-mile speed workout. But you know what? I didn't want to. I didn't want to run; I didn't want to spin; I didn't want to lift. Period. Several restless nights, two days of spin plus run has just left me worn out. My legs feel heavy and I had no energy to attempt speed work. So I declared today an unplanned rest day. Of course this wasn't done without lots of thinking, planning, strategizing on when and how to reschedule planned runs. Today was supposed to be my speed work, tomorrow an easy 3-miles then 12 on Saturday. We'll be out of town Saturday and while I found a 12-mile route, I am absolutely not familiar with the area. Don't have a clue if there are water fountains or anything along the way. I had hoped to do legs tomorrow along with my 3-mile run. So much to think about and rearrange. So, here's the new plan: Thurs: 12-miles Fri: Gym (doing w...

Triceps & Spin I'm going to chalk it up to the full moon, sleep has been alluding me the past couple of nights. I feel like a zombie and the allergies aren't helping. Hello bags under the eyes. Again, I was dragging this morning, but hit up spin for the much-needed boost of energy. Before class, I got in a triceps workout. I did the same as last week because....well, I was sore after the workout and it was a quick one I could squeeze in. And yes, you could argue that I shouldn't be trying to squeeze it in. I will agree. I did the workout as a giant set of 3x8 with the exception of the dips where I did 10 reps for each set: Double-arm overhead triceps extension Double-arm kickbacks Dips with straight legs Next week I'm going to really sit down and work on my weight lifting splits and workouts. I feel like I'm in a major rut and not focusing on the weights quite like I should. Of course, the same thing happened the last time I was trying to train for a ha...

Spinning & Running This morning I woke up feeling a bit stuffy, then that lead into drippy. I guess weeding the yard yesterday got to me in terms of allergies. Lots of tissues being used today. I haven't decided if a runny nose is better or worse than stuffed up. I really was feeling super lazy about working out. I should have gotten out of bed and done my 3-mile run this morning. But even at 6:15, it was still dark. I really don't feel comfortable running in my neighborhood in the dark. At least at the river trail, I know a car won't hit me. I packed my gym bag for either a run or spin, depending on how I was feeling. I ended up decided to go with spin and promised myself I'd do the training run after work. Spin was odd today. They had cleaned the carpets over the weekend and didn't put the bikes back the way they were. It's funny how just slightly different positioning can really throw everything off. The sound system wasn't set up correctly eithe...

Gym Day This morning I got up and headed to the gym. My gym is in a corporate building on the 29th floor. You have to be let in and sign in and out on weekends and after hours. Well, as I started to sign in, the guard (a real oddball that creeps me out) said I could get my workout in going to the gym. Huh? Apparently the elevators were out from 8-1 today. What? They would have to escort me up the freight elevator and then I'd have to call to be escorted back down when done. Ok, fine, whatever. Except it's really awkward being stuck in the freight elevator with the guard that sort of creeps you out to begin with. Anyway, let's just say I had the gym completely to myself. I got on the elliptical to do my warmup. CNN is was on - and it just happened to be the exact time that the 2nd tower had come down 10 years ago. What a sobering moment it was for me. I am on the 29th floor of a building looking out at a gorgeous day, gorgeous views, and 10 years ago at that same time, ...

On Your Left 11 This morning I ended up waking up earlier than I thought I would. I really wanted to try to sleep in, you know, past 7 am. But, I didn't. And that's ok because we had a full day ahead with lots that needed to get done in the morning. I had my route planned out better this time, so I didn't just have to guess distance based on time. When I set out for the run, it was in the low 60's, light breeze, and blue skies. Just gorgeous. I felt great getting started, settled into a nice pace pretty quickly. I was smiling and just enjoying the morning. What I didn't realize was that there was a bike ride for Multiple Sclerosis ( Bike MS ) going on so I heard, "on your left," and then a group of cyclists whizzed past me. Cool, I waved and let them know I heard them and all that jazz. Then again, "on your left." Another wave. Yep, got it. I'm over to the right as far as I can go. For the first 6 miles I started thinking my name was ...