Where's the Beach?

Friday Long Run This morning I didn't have to set the alarm clock nearly as early as the previous Fridays. The reason was because we had decided to do the long run around the neighborhood rather than drive to the river (15 mins each way). This saved us 30 minutes easily.  Of course, we still woke up just after 5, but we didn't have to rush, which was nice.   I will admit that making multiple changes for a long run isn't always smart. But, sometimes you're lucky. Like today, not only changing up the route in a major way, but trying out new running shorts. I'm cheap. I don't like to spend 40 bucks on running shorts even though I know it's worth it, I use them (a lot), and it makes a huge difference when you buy high-quality running gear.  I have a few pair of Nike shorts, but only 1 worth wearing for longer runs and 1 pair of Brooks that I love but not for 9-10 milers because of potential chaffing. Anyway, 2 pairs of shorts that I keep washing daily mean

Dinner & a Movie As I mentioned   yesterday , I disconnected last night so that we could enjoy a date-night-in, dinner & a movies style. I also mentioned that I was making a special dinner using our homegrown Japanese eggplant. I love Japanese eggplants because they tend to be milder and more tender.  I had planned on doing some sort of eggplant/tofu stack. I wasn't sure if I was going to go with pasta or toast up bread to layer in between. But, Tuesday night, I actually prepped some of the dish so that I wouldn't be stuck in the kitchen all Wednesday. I made a red sauce using sun dried tomatoes (something I hadn't done before) and I also baked off some tofu. I ended up going with the pasta option vs the the bread for a Pasta with Eggplant & Tofu Stacks . To make the dish, we grilled Japanese eggplant and the tofu - I had added some Italian seasonings to olive oil and lightly brushed it on the eggplant and tofu. I cooked up some whole-wheat pasta,

Another Double Workout This morning I got up when Jason got up to go to swim. The plan was to do Cathe's MMA Kickboxing DVD then do back and triceps at lunch or after work. I really needed a day off from running - I had run 5 days straight. And wouldn't you know it that my cross-training day also happens to be the first morning in months that it was in the low 60's. Really? Talk about bad timing. I almost feel like I let the universe down by not taking advantage of the crazy cool temps. And of course they go right back up the rest of the week. Humph.... But, I listened to my body, my feet, my piriformis...all telling me to not run. So, I didn't. I did my kickboxing workout (sulking just a bit I won't lie). But it was a good way to "kick" off the morning. During lunch, I ran home to get in my back and triceps weights done. I went with my same back and triceps workout as last week. No gym means no assisted pullups or barbell rows. So, I do worry a bit

Morning 5-Miler  This morning we got up a little after 5 am to get in our 5-mile run. Apparently cooling off from yesterday meant 80 degrees. At least the sun wasn't up and there was actually a strong wind that normally would have ticked me off. We started out on our normal route, and my legs felt really heavy initially. The first mile was a slow one. We sort of sped up for mile 2, but then mile 3 was slower again, However, it did include a lot of right and left sharp turns that really slow you down. And, we took a slightly different route thinking this new sidewalk was finished. Let's just say there was some off-roading.  The last mile was definitely a tough one physically vs mentally. I really felt like we were pushing so hard - it was up hill, down one hill, then up up up and more up before finally heading down. I half expected the speed to be something like an 8:30 pace because that's how it felt. But it was actually an 8:57. Not bad mind you, but holy cow

Double Monday  Today we decided to try moving our interval run to after work. Now, with the heat we're having (100+ degrees), not sure if it was smart or not to be honest. Actually, just going to admit that it wasn't the smarter choice. The one good thing about in the evening is that the sun isn't as high in the sky. I guess there are a few positives like not spending two hours post-run sweating at your desk. Oh and we can jump in the pool right after the run to cool off too. So, instead of the run at lunch, I went ahead and did my biceps/shoulder workout. I wasn't sure if I should do it at lunch or try to get it done before the run. But I figured it'd be better to not already be really hot before going to run. Since my gym officially closes this week, I decided to just do the workout at home. I need to get used to my home workouts again for a bit until I figure out a new gym. I went with supersets of 3x8. SS#1 Dumbbell curls Shoulder press SS#2 Cros

Full Saturday  Well, this weekend was a full one. I feel like it was almost non-existent because it was so busy, but in a good way of course. Saturday morning started at 7 am with a 4.5 mile run with Jason. It was a pretty good run, though really hot already. We had to rush after the run to get cleaned up and head to the lake to meet the family. We got in some skiing. The kids weren't into any water activities this weekend for whatever reason. I was lazy and didn't even pull out the camera to get pictures of the adults skiing. I will say that my legs and body were shaking like crazy after skiing. I swear I felt so out of shape like I've never worked out a day in my life. Apparently skiing muscles are a whole different set of muscles than I ever use or work! After the lake we had to get home and try to straighten up the house a bit before our guest arrived. A dear friend of mine was staying the night. She lives in Virginia now, so we don't get the chance to hang

Morning Run This morning started off incredibly early. The alarm was set for 5 am, but it's really 10 minutes fast. Gotta be sneaky like that sometimes ;-) Jason and I got up and got going, he was going much slower than me. I swear it's like pulling teeth to get him moving. Somehow, even though he has everything gathered up and ready (including his bike), and I make him start getting ready before me, I'm still waiting on him. Men.... We hit the Big Dam Bridge right at 5:30 and got started with the run at about 5:35. This meant that I'd be more likely to have time for 10 miles, which was my goal. It was already a very humid 75 degrees with almost no breeze to speak of. Start of my run at 5:30 am Jason was pacing a little slower, I think he didn't want to run beside me for fear I'd be too chatty. He thinks I talk too much sometimes. Me? Never.... LOL I kept my eyes out for bunny rabbits or deer, while enjoying every minute of wearing my new Brooks Ghos

Wednesday Winesday As I mentioned yesterday , Jason and I made Wednesday more special. Not just another evening of rushing to get dinner done, sitting and blogging, or staring at the tv. We went to a wine bar downtown called ZIN Urban Wine Bar. On Wednesday nights they have a wine tasting that they do: 5 pours for $15. Jason immediately went with that option. I, however, am not as adventurous, so I stuck with a safe glass of white - Acrobat, King Estate, Oregon Pinot Gris. Source: kingestate.com via Heather on Pinterest I did taste each of Jason's selections though. All were pretty good, even the chardonnay was drinkable, and I don't typically care for them. I was surprised at how much I ended up like a Pinot Noir Rose - Schug.  Honestly, I have never had a Rose. This one almost reminded me of the Louis Tete Beaujolais Nouveau (which we can no longer get here sadly). It was very light, dry, low-sugars.  Source: snooth.com via Heather on Pinterest

Kicking & Lifting This morning I decided to go ahead and get up when Jason did (just after 5) to do some cross-training rather than running. He went off to swim and I did some kickboxing in my little gym room. I went with Cathe Friedrich's MMA Kickboxing . I use 1 lb weighted gloves for my boxing or kickboxing workouts. It really adds on additional intensity and makes for an awesome upper body and core workout. I gotta say, starting the day punching and kicking leaves you stress-free ;-) It was a good workout. At first I was sort of thinking I should have stayed in bed, not that I was sleeping mind you. But, I'm glad I got it done. It was definitely energizing. At lunch, I decided to run home and do my back and triceps workout rather than go up to my gym. Right now it is not staffed (it's closing July 1), there are no towels, nothing to spray to wipe down equipment, who knows when anything was cleaned last. It's just depressing and not motivating. So, home

Two on Tuesday  This morning the alarm at 5:15 was not a welcome sound. I was snoozing very soundly. How was it already 5:15??? But, once I got up and started getting ready for our run, I was awake and ready to go. It was already 73 degrees and super humid when we set out. But, there was a nice breeze at least, so that really helped. We also kept the pace relatively slow today. Lately our morning runs end up speeding up with each mile, but today we were more consistent...maybe it was the speed work from yesterday. The first two miles were pretty uneventful. We didn't really say much. Just running and in our respective zones basically. Maybe we were mostly still asleep ;-) The sun was coming up more by the second half though and we talked just a litte bit more. No deep conversations mind you. Jason gets a little annoyed when I get overly chatty. In fact, last Friday he asked how my brain could work that fast at 5:30 in the morning. Um, it always works like that dear! We pu

Double on Monday Today Jason and I decided to do another speed work run during lunch. This has become our normal routine on Mondays. I think the speed workouts are a great way to kick off the week. They are short, but effective. And while it's hot, it's very doable because the first and last miles are slower since the focus is on the intervals. It was already 90 degrees when we set out for the run. 90 and super windy. But, the wind was very welcome since it was so toasty out. Honestly, I think it's good to try to get acclimated to the heat as much as possible. You can't avoid it unless you take the running inside, which I pretty much refuse to do. Anyway, we headed over to the arts center where there is a nice park, lots of grassy area to do the intervals on. We did the same thing as last week. It basically ends up being 10 20-second sprints with a 30-40 second recovery jog (very slow). I think next week we will increase the intervals to 40 seconds for something di

One Busy Saturday It's been another great weekend. I can't believe it's almost over. How does that happen so quickly? Yesterday was a lot of fun, but really really busy. We literally hit the ground running at 7:15 am and didn't stop until we got home at 8:30 that evening. We got up and set out for a run early, but not painfully early for a Saturday. The plan was to do 4-4.5 fairly easy miles. What happened was the first mile was a 9:30 and the second one was 8:50. Um, clearly not the easy run I was going for. We sort of slowed it down a little, but the average still ended up being around a 9:10 pace. It sort of set the tone for the day I suppose - go go go. After the run we quickly cleaned up, packed up and headed out the door. We did have to make a stop at Dempsey's Bakery for Jason's mom. She can't have gluten, and really loves their bread. Since we were going to be making a stop by their house, Jason wanted to get some bread for her. The first st

Friday Long Run This morning started of really really early. The alarm was set for just before 5am so that we could get up and out the door for my long run. Jason was going to run the first part with me then ride his bike after. We drove down to the Big Dam Bridge to start the run. The sun was just starting to come up and was simply spectacular. This week I remember to at least bring my phone so I could capture a picture of the sunrise over the Arkansas River. It was definitely a humid morning, and the temperatures were already hovering at 70 degrees. But at least the sun was still low in the sky so it wasn't too extreme. Just super sweaty! I actually felt really good the whole run. It's surprising to have that much pep in my step at 5:40 am. But  I guess my legs were refreshed from my rest day yesterday, and I wasn't tired yet from a long day, and it wasn't blazing hot either. I know I've said it a million times, but there is something so serene about an ea

Yesterday's blah day sort of spilled over into today unfortunately. I hate it when that happens. I was hoping today would be a bit of a restart. In some ways, it was. I did take the day as a rest day to reset myself for tomorrow's planned long run. But, I didn't reset my mentality. All I did was wish it was Friday already. I think it's ok to look ahead to the weekends sometimes. Look forward to plans with family and friends, or just some time to sit back and relax. However, life is too short to wish it away. I have to remind myself of that often as I sit at work wishing it were the weekend. It can't always be the weekend. It can't always be lazy mornings and late lunches on a patio with friends. Source: facebook.com via Heather on Pinterest So how do we (I) learn to enjoy every day, regardless of the day? It's something I've tried working on. Definitely some days are better than others. It's one reason I keep up with my "Daily To-

Back/Tris I came really close to running this morning - just a short 2-miler. But I realized I have actually run every day since Friday. Um, that'd be 5 days in a row (6 if I ran today). Normally I try to run every other day. I'm clearly injury prone. But, I think a lot of the previous problems came with not varying distances much. I either ran a long run or I ran 6-milers. There were never 2- or 3-milers. Rarely even a 4-mile run. Sometimes if a training plan called for say an easy 2 one day then 6 the next, I'd combine them for an 8-miler. So, I found it interesting that running the following over 5 days hasn't left me with tired legs, no additional pain or soreness even: Fri: 9 Sat: 4.5 Sun: 2 Mon: 3 (speed work) Tues: 4.5 It's definitely not something I set out to do, nor is it something I'm going to do often. I certainly don't need to test the running gods that's for sure. But maybe I've been wrong with my hard and fast (made up o

Two on Tuesday Apparently I actually slept more soundly last night than I realized. It stormed and I had no idea. So I didn't think to check to see if it was raining when I woke up around 4:40. I made myself roll back over and doze because I had the alarm set for 5:20 so we could get up and run. The alarm finally went off and we groggily got out of bed. That's when I heard the sound of rain. But I looked out and it didn't look like it was coming down hard. So I prepared myself for a wet run. I was happy thinking I wouldn't be hot! I walked out of the bathroom and Jason was back in bed (with running clothes on). He asked if I knew it was raining. Yep. Get up. Get movin'. By the time we actually walked out the door, it wasn't even misting. Just wet ground and humid air. Though, the clouds looked pretty ominous off in the distance. We managed 4.5 miles without getting rained on. It was a pretty decent run for me. No runner's high or anything, but not h

Another 2-a-Day Today Jason and I had planned to do some speed work during our lunch break. I knew it was going to be hot, but at least with the speed work you get a few rests. Right? Like I said, I knew it was going to be hot, I just wasn't prepared for how hot. The heat index was already in the low 90's when we set out on the run at 11:30. At first, the skies were cloudy and there was a strong breeze. Unfortunately, the sun came out in full force mid-run. We ran 1 mile as a warmup to a nearby park before starting the intervals. They ended up being about 1 minute each: slowly start then build speed to 80% max effort for 20 strides (about 20 seconds) then a super easy jog back to the start (about 30 seconds) so we would wait the remainder to round out to a minute. We did 10 intervals total and it actually put us right at a mile. The area we were doing the speedwork at is a grassy area that is pretty shaded. The wind really felt great when we stopped, but not so awesome w