Product Links:
I'm not sure if it's because I was a cheerleader my entire adolescent (and some adult) life but I love bows. The more the better. I love them on bags, shoes, jewelry, headbands, etc. Needless to say, I'm delighted that they're trendy right now on shirts. If you're like me, you're probably on a budget. So, I've found the bow top trend three ways and paired them with a less expensive version.
First up, is a more relaxed version of the trend. Inspiration was the $225 top from Bloomingdale's. While the less expensive version isn't exact, I tend to prefer the cheaper version. What about you? Next, is the bow tie collar blouse. I am absolutely in LOVE with the teal and pink Gucci blouse. It is probably my favorite bow shirt I've found. I'm seriously swooning over the color combination, the buttons, the cuffs and the collar. Unfortunately, spending over $1,000 on it is crazy unrealistic, so I found a similar shirt. While it isn't exact, it does have an adorable scalloped collar. I'm going to keep hunting to find a closer style. Finally, a bolder take on the bow trend. My inspiration is the Johanna Ortiz striped shirt with bows on the shoulders. It's a great spin on the bow trend and I just adore the style. It's been fun seeing different designers take on the bow obsession. I like this one because I'm crushing on statement sleeves and this puts my love of bows and statement sleeves together. Unfortunately, $995 for a top is a LOT, so I've found a similar version $40 from Chicwish. I love the bell sleeve with the ruffle details above the bows. This one is on my wish list for sure. All shirts are linked above in the smaller images below the collage. I'd love to hear from you! What do you think about the bow trend? Will you be incorporating it into your fall wardrobe? XOXO, Chelsea
0 Comments
Rob and I are always looking for fun, inexpensive ways to go "out on a date". I know some people cringe when couples call going out to dinner a "date", I'm not one of them! I think it's adorable, but I digress. Sometimes it's hard to think of inexpensive things to do, but trust me, they're out there!
I've compiled a list of seven inexpensive date ideas below. Click "Read More" to see my 7 ideas! Fall is coming, fall is coming! Although it doesn't feel like it at all, it's almost time for the cutest clothes of the year. Fall fashion is my favorite! Most days you'll find me in workout clothes or a simple outfit composed of jeans and a plain top but that's not to say I don't love fashion, because I do! I absolutely love taking pieces that you wouldn't think would go together and making them work (think pattern mixing). I don't do it enough, so I used this blog to challenge myself. While I'll never claim to know it all about anything, here are some fall trendy outfits that I'm currently crushing on. Layering - whether it's adding a scarf or pairing a vest with a long sleeve shirt, I love layering. I think the great part about layering, is it makes pattern mixing easier because you're complementing the layer below it. Statement Sleeves! I have been obsessed with the statement sleeve trend and knew I wanted to continue that into the fall. I am in love with the polka dot shirt. The sleeves are to die for! Plus, I love that you can wear it with leggings or jeans. Definitely a versatile piece. "Leather" pants - I put leather in quotes because mine are faux leather or vegan leather as some stores are calling it.I love how you can dress them up or make them super casual with a pair of Chucks. Above, I've got them pair with a black tunic and vest with some fun smoking shoes. I've also paired it with the polka dot shirt and metallic gold pumps for a night out. Hats - I've got a bunch of hats that I never wear! A goal for myself this fall is to actually wear them. I love how they look when other people wear them. Time to step out of my comfort zone and rock all of the hats! Metallic / Statement Shoes - Between the metallic gold pumps, the sparkly smoking shoes and the metallic flats, I've included three of these in this post alone. They can take an outfit that might otherwise be pretty boring and pull together the look to make it look finished. I'm excited to pair to continue to pair these with my fall looks. What are some of your favorite fall looks?! xoxo, Wilk I've included links below (they're not affiliate links, just doing it for the love of fall) Shop the looks:Meal prep doesn’t have to be a chore. When I first started prepping lunches, I was overwhelmed and fumbled my way through it. A lot of the lunches were boring and just blah. Now that I’ve found turkey tacos, I eat the same thing for lunch every day and I really enjoy it. I save money prepping meals and it’s helped me fuel my body. I'm already looking forward to lunch on Monday! Here is how I make my favorite lunch ever. What you’ll need:
Have be a great weekend all! xoxo, Run Wilk
The following true story isn't exactly something I'm proud to admit, but I think it's important. If I can help even one person realize they don't need the scale, I'll count it as a win.
There was a time when I was obsessed with the scale. I'm talking, wake up every morning, use the bathroom, step on the scale and hold my breath to be a light as possible. Then I logged it into an app. I felt euphoric on days where it had dropped, and bummed on days when it didn't. I got to the point where I was weighing myself multiple times per day and the number always won. It would have some sort of emotional effect on me. Sounds crazy, I know. But I was in a vicious cycle that I knew I had to get out of. Not to mention, stress can cause people to gain weight. I feel like this was definitely at play with me. I was always stressing about that stupid number. I wasn't focusing on how nutritious items were, I was focusing on the calories because fewer calories means a lower number, right? WRONG.
I don't have a dramatic moment where I realized I needed to do something. I think I slowly started to realized I needed to back away from the scale. The first step I took, was setting the app I was to change the setting from actual weight to average weight. This way, I would start to move away from focusing on the daily number and begin focusing on the overall trend. I would still weigh myself daily, so I knew when I would be compared to the last day. This continued for sometime and while it did help alleviate some of the stress, it was still there.
From here, I decided I'd weigh myself once a month. This combined with the app showing the overall trend would be perfect. So, that is what I set out to do. Fast forward a month, I jump on the scale and the number was awful. I felt defeated. I remember thinking: I workout, I'm eating well, I'm drinking water. All my effort was for nothing. I don't know why I even bother. I'll always be stuck here. I'll never get in shape. What a horrible attitude to have & I wish I could go back and hug myself in that moment. I think after letting the sting of that number sink in, I decided to make a change. I finally realized that, for me, the scale is not helpful. I have an unhealthy relationship with the scale and it causes me more harm than good. There are a lot of people who can use a scale, but I'm not one of them! If you're anything like me, please, please, ditch that scale. I am so much happier and have so much more self love than the days of jumping on the scale all the time. I did take time to get to where I am, but now that I'm here, I wont go back! Rant time: WHO CARES ABOUT THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE! Seriously, your family doesn't care, your boss doesn't care, strangers walking down the street don't care. It effected my mood so much and it isn't like someone would see me and be like "CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 1 LB WEIGHT LOSS TODAY!". It was just such a stupid mindset. If you're eating healthy, working out, you know, doing the right things, that scale doesn't matter. And in case you're not convinced, I've included some transformations to prove that the number on the scale does not matter. (I've included a direct link to each person's Instagram for credit. If anything is incorrect or should be removed, please let me know.) I'm simply sharing woman I find inspiring and who have shown the scale is crap. XOXO, Run Wilk I'm a self proclaimed picky eater "in recovery" aka I'm trying to be more open to foods. I'm very weird about textures, so I was hesitant to try this combination. The combination of the chicken, freshly sliced tomato and basil was ah-mazing. Plus, it was super easy! Serving size is 2 with some leftovers.
Here is what I used:
That's all! Now, you've got your self a quick, healthy and tasty meal! If you try it, let me know! I'd love to hear what you think. XOXO, Run Wilk
If you've been following along, you probably already know my goal was under 2 hours. My last half, my official time was 2:09:20 in 2015. My first half in 2014 was 2:13:14. I knew it was a lofty goal to cut off 9:21 from my 2015 half, but I'd worked my tail off training, so I knew I could do it. Did I do it?! Nope! My official time was 2:03:30. Officially, I missed my goal by 3 minutes and 31 seconds. I thought I'd be really angry at myself for not hitting my goal, but I'm not. If anything, I'm even more determined to keep my training up and get to that goal. Once I'm under two hours, my goals will be adjusted and I'll keep chipping away at my time.
The course came up as 13.4 (it did also for my two friends who ran with me). I also had to stop to use the bathroom (which wasn't on a flat surface and felt like it was going to tip... scariest moment of the race haha). Nike+ said my half time was 1:59:37. But none of that is official and the official is all that matters. The race was extremely well organized. It started exactly on time. They also did a fantastic job of explaining how everything was going to work. My corral, number 7, got to the start line and were off and running at about 7:37 AM. Man, I'll tell ya. You can't beat that feeling once the race official starts. A total rush of adrenaline. I swear I had a huge smile on my face the first few miles. I've got some photos to show it, but I haven't purchased any. Once I do, I'll update and post those here. I was hoping to write this great race recap where I could tell you how I felt at each mile, but I can't. The race was a blur for me. The miles seemed endless and all ran together. With the exception of when I stopped to use the port-a-potty around mile 5, and that crossing the bridge over the Schuylkill seemed like torture. The DJ pumping music at the end of the bridge turned my attitude around and re-energized my mind. The course felt really long. Running Broad Street, I remember seeing City Hall, which I knew was about mile 6 and thinking "holy cow, I'm almost done". I never got that during this race. The miles (especially once the course left the city and went around the Schuylkill) seemed never ending. I remember thinking at one point the race would never end. I tried to relax and enjoy the moment. Yes, the races feel like they'll never end but they always do and when they do, it seems to have gone too quickly. It is a weird feeling and in the moment, I tried to remind myself of that and to really soak in all the excitement from the race. The week leading up to the race I ran twice. Three miles on Monday and two miles on Friday. I thought I'd have super fresh legs. But I didn't. Me, R, K and J walked around Philly the night before. We got to see a lot of the sites and it really made the whole weekend a great experience, but after walking over 5 miles, my legs were drained on Sunday. If I had to choose to do it again, I would. Memories like that don't happen often, so I'd rather be 3+ minutes off my goal. I've included some pictures of our adventuring above. A lot of things wrong for this race. I went out too fast. I'm usually so conservative running, but my body felt good for the first 3ish miles (minus my stomach acting up), so I just went with it. I didn't make myself slow down. Hindsight, I should have forced myself to pull back. I didn't eat enough before the race. I also didn't eat a proper dinner the night before, so my nutrition was way off. It was also humid. But all of those are excuses, I'm proud of my time. I've managed to cut off over 10 minutes from my first half and almost 6 minutes from my second half in 2015. I'm also proud of myself for staying positive (for the most part!). Yes, there were some moments it crossed my mind that maybe I couldn't do it or I should just quit, but I was pretty good about pushing those negative thoughts aside. Overall, am I disappointed I didn't hit my goal? Yes. Am I disappointed in how I did? No. I trained hard and consistently for the past 12 weeks. There are definitely some changes I'll be making to how I train (namely training at faster paces) but next half when I actually OFFICIALLY hit under two hours, it'll be an amazing feeling. Until I find my next half, I'm going to incorporate lifting, BBG and yoga back into my training. If I want to get faster, I'll need to be stronger too. If you have anything more specific you'd like to know, please let me know. That's all for now! XOXO, Run Wilk Week 11 is the last "real" week of my program. Week 12 is race week and much less of an overall workload than I have been doing. I had debated making the week easier, but as the week went on all my aches and pains from last week had gone and I decided to continue to follow the plan. Monday: 3 easy miles to kick off week 11. My legs were tired from the long run, but it felt good to get back out there and get some miles in. Monday also consisted of food shopping, meal prep and lots of re-organizing. It was kind of like a spring cleaning but in the *almost* fall. I also cooked a nice dinner when I got home. Simple but flavorful. I plan on writing some blog posts about what meals I've been doing. I like quick and easy prep with only a few ingredients for weekdays. I don't have all night to spend cooking, so I've found some go-to easy recipes that I do. I've included some pictures of meals I've been eating below. Let me know if there is any in particular you'd like to know the recipe for. Otherwise, stay tuned! Tuesday: My body was still very sore, so I decided to pump my rest day up. In it's place, I did some more fall cleaning and outfit planning. My goal it to incorporate more of my clothes into my fall outfits. I've got so many items I've just forgotten about in my closet. If they don't get worn this fall, I'll be donating them. I also took some progress pictures. I haven't taken them in a while, so I was curious. I tried to find pictures from last year, but I didn't have any. June 2016 was the most recent I was able to find. I should also compare to my heaviest to see a full difference from where I've come. All in all, happy with the progress. The June picture, I'm wearing a loose top and bottoms. September a sports bra and tighter shorts, happy to see not to much bulging out! Wednesday: Aka Fantasy Football draft day! I'm in two leagues, first draft started at 8:00pm and the second at 8:30pm (PS - not a really smart idea! I ended up with back-to-back picks in one league the same time I had to make my first round pick in my other league). When I got home from work the one league still wasn't set up so I spent about an hour trying to get it set up properly so the draft could happen. Once I knew the league was good to go, I put on one of my favorite athletic outfits of recent days and headed out for a rainy run. The temperature was great and the rain wasn't too hard but hard enough that it kept me cool. Hal's plan only called for 3 miles, but it was a day where I was just really loving running so I let myself do an additional mile. Thursday: What a mess Thursday was! I brought all of my stuff to change at the track and headed over. There were soccer players on the field and a few people in the stands. There was also a little girl playing on the track. So, I decided it's okay to run! I'm about 1 lap in and hear people cheering. Is this a game? I think to myself. Then I spot two walkers coming onto the track. If they're walking on the track, I can run on the track. So, I pass them an begin lap two. When I finish lap two, I notice they are no longer on the track and realize it was a game, not practice! I felt like such a jerk. I packed up my stuff and headed home. Lesson learned! I'll be contacting the high school for a schedule so this won't happen again. Sorry parents and athletes! Friday: Diverting from my plan a bit, I decided to do 6 slow miles on Friday. I wasn't worried about pace, I just tried to keep my heart rate low and enjoy the run and the weather was beautiful. Saturday: I spent much of the day Saturday procrastinating (which would become a theme for the weekend). I ended up braiding my hair, which got me motivated to run. Why? Because I wanted to see if it would stay in! So, out I went. My goal was to do 6.3 miles, which would put me over 20 for the week. Went out for a nice and easy pace. I very strongly believe that slow miles are the best kind. Sunday: I've been tossing around the idea of not doing the 2 hour run that the plan had called for. I watched football (Go Eagles!!) and at about 6 pm figured it was time to get my butt in gear and get a run in. At around mile 2.5, my stomach started to grumble. I figured I'd go out another 1/2 mile, turn around and run home to use the restroom and then come back out and do another 4 miles. So I started asking myself some questions: Do I really need to go back? Am I just using this as an excuse to possible stop running? If you go back now, will you get back on the road or just call it a night? Why don't you just keep going and see what happens? So, that's that I did. Next time I looked at my watch, I'd be running for over 45 minutes. Only 15 more minutes and I'd be half way for the 2 hour mark. I can do that! So it was decided, I was going to complete the full two hours worth of running. I didn't get home until a little after 8pm. I was tired and hungry! Was it worth it? Heck yes! Completing that run was a great confidence builder. My body recovered faster than the last 2 hour run. I needed to be out for 2 hours and I'm glad I followed Hal's suggestion.
Look what you made me do has been on repeat (seriously.) since it was released. I can't get enough! Naturally, I had to include reference to it here. I know there are a lot of mixed opinions about it, I actually wasn't crazy about it the first time I listened to it... BUT I did audibly GASP when she said "Because she's dead". Now, I'm obsessed with it. What do you think of it?
Also, have you heard the Toxic LWYMMD remix that someone did?! It's delightful! Check it out below:
But I digress, back to half marathon prep report.
Monday: As usual, Hal has the week start off with a 3 miler. Hal is a genius. It makes easing into a new week a little easier. It's such a nice way to kick off peak week. No major issues to report. My hamstring is still a little sore. I made sure to KT tape it and stretch. I also learned not to form roll on the spot it hurts like I had been doing (whoops!).
Tuesday: I had planned to do another Track Tuesday, but mother nature threw a wrench into that plan. I like running in the rain, so I decided I'd do my tempo run for the week. I dressed too warm, which I feel like I do every single time it rains... why do I have such a hard time dressing correctly for the rain?! Anyone else out there do that too? I need to make sure to follow Runner's World's guidelines next time. Run went smoothly. At one point, I was like oh I really like this pace and I was at 9:03, which is faster than my goal pace. That was a really cool moment!
Tuesday also provided a feel good moment. Without going into too much detail, I got to help reunite a lot senior doggie with his family. It made my heart feel very happy. I also realized, I had officially had my highest mileage in a calendar month since I've started running (and there were still two more days left of the month!). I have also beaten the miles run in a calendar year, with 4 months left to go! After dealing with a lot of injuries these past few years, I can't even describe how good it feels to really be back and finally moving forward to become a better, faster runner. Former record for a month:
Wednesday:
Wednesday: 3 easy miles. This run officially took me over the 100 mile mark for the first time ever. What a great feeling to hit that mark. I've been steadily increasing my mileage, so I'm hoping to hit more miles in September than I did in August. That is all going to rely on how I feel after the half though. I'm hoping my training helps me get a quick recovery so I can get back out on the road.
Thursday: For some reason I did not feel like running at all on Thursday. I brought my running gear to work and forced myself to change and head to the track. During the warm up I kept thinking, maybe I'll just stop now. I can just come back and do the workout tomorrow. Before I knew it, it was time for my first interval. Man, my heart was just not in it. I stopped a few times, stretched out my hamstring (still bothering me bit) and assured myself that after this interval I could quit. Then something happened, it it hard to describe but it is almost like my heart got back into the run out of the blue. I was pretty happy for that two. Besides the disaster first interval, all other intervals were faster than my goal pace. Official workout: 1 mile warm up, 4 x 1600 with .3 mile recoveries and a 1+ mile cool down. Part of the issue for me, was during interval 1, I tried to go slower so I was in the 9:0X range. I had a hard time holding that. For the final three intervals, I just let myself go hard enough where I was working, but not so hard that I would be able to hold the pace. My body seemed to like being in the 8:5x range more than the 9:0x range.
Side note - this was the first time I've been on a track and someone was running the wrong way. I'm still really new to the track, but is this something you see a lot? Do you say something to the runner? There were maybe 10+ people on the track all going the same way. I'm not sure why this person would run the other way? All I'll say is it was very frustrating have to doge her twice a lap. Maybe there is a reason I'm not aware of because I'm new to the world of track workouts. If so, someone fill me in please!
Friday: REST DAY. *Insert happy dance here*
Saturday: I was supposed to do a 55 minute tempo run today. With my hamstring still bothering me, I decided to go out and do 5 easy miles. I was hoping this would get everything loosened up again. I'm not looking to get injured so close to the half. So, that's what I did. I went out and tried to keep my heart rate down. Average BPM was 147. R & I also took the day to walk around the Great Swamp. It was really great to get out of the house and explore nature. The highlight for me was getting to see baby turtles. They were so cute and tiny!! I've included a few picture from the Great Swamp.
Sunday: Final run of the week & my IMO the hardest of the program. 2 hours running 3:1. If you're new to this (I wasn't sure what it was when I started this plan) 3:1 means you do 3/4 of the run at an easy pace and the final 1/4 at or near your race pace. I'm just realizing that as I write this I've been doing these wrong. I thought the last 1/4 of the workout was progressively faster. I can't believe I've messed up these runs the entire training cycle. For this run, I was in the mid to high 9's instead of the low 9's. That makes me a bit nervous for the half.
My body felt really good during the run. I was able to relax and just go with the flow. I did get a little bored towards the end, but besides that (and the fact that I did the run wrong) I'm proud of this run. Closing thoughts about peak week: This training cycle seems like it has been one step forward with confidence of hitting my goal and two steps back. I'm proud of myself for doing 6 runs this week. I'm proud of myself for doing 36 miles this week and for hitting 100 miles in August. Is this going to be the race I break the 2 hour mark? Deep down I believe I can do it. I feel like I'm ready but only race day will determine that for sure. It is also bitter sweet that peak week is over. It means the training program is coming to an end. I feel like I've gotten attached to the program and I'm not ready to see it end. Can anyone else relate or is this weird?! I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to shoot me an email, connect via social media or leave a comment. xoxo, Wilk After week 8, my body was exhausted. Thankfully for me, Hal sets his program up in such a way that week 9 was a lighter week. My hamstring was still sore so I decided to really keep it easy. I also mixed up the called for plan for the week, so it wasn't really according to Hal's plan. I went more on how my body was feeling. Here are some pictures from this week. Monday: We were out of town Monday at an amusement park. It was so much fun and we did a ton of walking. So, active rest day! Checkout this awesome coaster. It was seriously so scary, but so much fun. 100% recommend going on it if you ever have the chance. Tuesday: I was still quite sore from week 8 but from past experience I knew the type of soreness I was having would be able to be shaken off the soreness by doing slow runs. I had only planned to do 3 miles, but I could really feel the kinks getting worked off so I went a little further.
Wednesday: After Tuesday's run, I decided to switch things up and do some 5ish milers at a slower pace. I was feeling like my body was finally recovering but wanted to go a little further than 3 miles to keep working things out. This run was solely based on how I felt. Surprisingly, I ended up with negative splits on the last 4 miles. My final mile was 9:58. My body felt really great and I didn't feel like I was pushing myself at all. Overall, great run! Thursday: My body felt great for this run, so I decided to stick with about 5 miles. Temperature was great. Nothing to complain about today! Friday: I had a wedding to attend Friday night (Friday night weddings are my FAVORITE!). I knew I wanted to get a run in but hadn't really decided on length. I've been toying with the idea of wearing a cheerleading bow in my hair for the half, so I wanted to start wearing if during my training to see if it would be annoying to run with. Besides that, Friday's run was just based on feel. I ended up doing a little over 4 miles. Friday night was filled with celebrating love and lots of dancing. Wedding Style Details: My dress was from Rent the Runway (Get $30 off your first rental: https://rtr.app.link/e/aQa6l4d3YF (disclosure: I'll also receive a $30 credit when you use that link)) by the designer Parker. I've worn several of dresses by Parker over the years and I've loved them all. This one was no exception. It was comfortable, easy to dance in and the ruffled of the shoulder sleeve added a fun twist to the little black dress. Shoes are Badgley Mischka. They are actually the shoes I wore for my wedding. I've found other options here and here. Saturday: Planned rest day! After drinks, dancing and celebrating, I knew I'd want to use Saturday as a rest day. Sunday: My hamstring is still tight. It feels like it make have gotten worse. My guess is that all that dancing irritated it. I decided to use Sunday as a rest day. I need to be fresh for peek week! 18 miles for the week. BRING ON WEEK 10 aka peak week, baby!! xoxo, Wilk Goal for the week - HIT EVERY RUN. Monday: Easy three miles. Nothing too exciting to report about this run, other than I got to take my new sneakers out for a spin. Felt really good and I'm excited about getting them fully broken in. Tuesday: Which has recently become my "Track Tuesday". I brought my workout gear to work, changed and headed right to the track. Workout: 1 mile warm up, 3 x 1600 at race pace. 1 mile cool down. My approach to this was to enter the interval mode of my TomTom. The watch doesn't go to hundredths in interval mode, so I had to do either .2 or .3 for my recoveries. I settled on .3. Humidity was 94%. I had already decided that I'd be okay with having a run that was less than my goal pace. I set out trying to focus on breathing, longer strides and keeping my cadence up. Mile splits were: 8:54, 8:52 and 8:44. Holy cow! Did I really just do that and feel as good as I felt? (please note: any comparison I do within my training runs is only to myself and what I've done in the past. I understand that those are "easy" pace for a lot of people). This run really gave me the confidence that maybe under 2 hours is actually attainable. I also love how my TomTom showed the information from my intervals in it's own area so I was able to see exactly what my splits were for the workout. The summary tab just shows the splits for each mile. Wednesday: This was my husband's (I'm tired of calling him my hubby or husband so he'll be referred to as R from here on out) R's first day of summer break part 2 was this morning. He told me there was "no way I was going to wake up because he wasn't waking up". Normally, R is up over an hour before me and I still can't get myself out of bed. When he said that, I was like "oh yeah, you watch me". I dragged myself out of bed just to prove to him that I could do it. It wasn't until mid-run that I had realized, he'd used reverse psychology on me!!! He knew telling me I wouldn't do something, would actually push me so I would get it done. 1 point R. I couldn't help but laugh. Thanks R! This run was only completed because of you helping me get up and at it in the morning. I got my 3 miles in the AM done. They weren't fun and they weren't fast. Legs were trashed. I'm so brilliant, that I decided I need to fit another run in on Wednesday, on already dead legs. So smart. *insert totally sarcastic eye roll at my self here*. For this run, it was a 50 minute temp run. Hal says "A Tempo Run can be as hard or easy as you want to make it, and it has nothing to do with how long (in time) you run or how far. In fact, the times prescribed for Tempo Runs serve mainly as rough guidelines. Feel free to improvise. Improvisation is the heart of doing a Tempo Run correctly." (http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51133/Half-Marathon-Advanced-Training-Program). Knowing my legs were dead, I decided to take Hal's advice to improvise and make it as hard (or as easy) as I wanted. I decided on a 20 minute warm-up, 20 minutes pushing harder than an easy pace but not pushing so hard that I could potentially hurt myself and a 10 minute cool down. I did NOT feel like running. But, I put on my headphones, got a podcast going and went along on my way. My paces were faster than I had expected for being as tired as I was. My left hammy still feels a little off, but I'm thinking it is just build up lactic acid. I made sure to stretch and foam roll after. Thursday: Long run day. This week was 1:45, all at a slow pace. I'd heard about Generation UCan Super Starch drink from my local running store. The first time I'd heard about it was the day before the Broad Street run, so it wasn't some I wanted to try for the first time on race day. I finally picked some up before this run. I had the pomegranate blueberry flavor. Mixed it with 12 oz of water in my blender bottle (I mixed it really well, I'd been warned that it's thick). First, it was tasty! Yum! I also noticed myself start to feel more focused. It was an entirely different feeling that caffeine, it's hard to exactly put it into words. I felt my mood boost too. I took my hydration pack with me just in case I needed it and off I went. I would have been fine without my hydration pack. I also brought energy jelly beans, which I ate (but only because I was bored and they tasted good). I will 100% continue to buy more of this stuff to use for my long runs. I want to get a tub of it so I can experiment with making shakes for breakfast with it. But I digress! So, on my run I listened to two of my favorite podcasts and got into a groove. I tweaked my knee on my second run on Tuesday, which I felt during the run (and the next day). It isn't anything major, more of just a nagging thing. Stretching, rest, and some BCAA should take care of it. I was so happy to get this run done. While week 8 isn't my peak week, it was a high mileage week for me and it was a nice feeling to know I had on run left. Friday: REST DAY. When my body yells at me to rest, I listen! Hydration, stretching and BCAAs are the only things that happened Friday. Saturday: Plan was 1 mile warm up, 5 miles at pace and 1 mile cool down. Saturday was hot. I thought I started off okay but quickly into the 5 mile portion I was in a bad mental place. I stopped running, caught my breath and re-grouped. I felt like I'd gotten myself into a better mindset, but I didn't. This run was a total disaster. I felt like I had to choose between trying to hit my pace or finishing the run. I chose to slow down and do 5 miles at the warm up/cool down pace. I finished the run frustrated and hot. Definitely not how I wanted to close out week 8. Week 8 runs completed: 6/6 *GOAL HIT*.
Week 9 is a much easier week. It has 4-5 runs depending on if I choose to do an extra rest day or not. Based on how I'm feeling now, I may take the extra rest but I won't know for sure until this week kicks off. 4 WEEKS LEFT.
My Week 7 is composed of 6 runs: 3 mile, 4 x 800, 3 mile, 45 minute tempo, 4 mile race pace and 1 hour 45 minutes 3/1. Runs completed during week 7: 5/6.
I knew I wouldn't be able to follow the plan exactly this week because I'll be visiting the shore so I changed things up. Monday: 3 rainy miles. It actually felt really nice to run in the rain. A nice change up from the brutal heat. I've been really focusing on stretching and foam rolling after my runs. I really neglected this and I think that is why I was hurting last week. Tuesday: Track Tuesday! My first ever. I feel like a big girl *said in funny voice*. I was really proud of this run. When I did the 400 repeats, I stopped completely after each one to recover. For the 800s, I did a recovery lap. So for the entire workout, I was actually running. I took one quick swig of water 1/2 way through but that was it. I did 1+ mile warm-up. Once I came around the track to the area labeled 800, I started my first repeat. I kept myself in lanes 3-5 (when people were in my lane, I'd move closer to the center or away from the center depending on my speed compared to theirs). I'm not sure if that added any meaningful distance, but I'd rather be doing a little bit extra than cheating myself. My fastest 800 was the third - 800m in 3:35. Side Note - I love SmashRun.com. It allows you to select portions of your run so you can break down your pace. It also gives you a ton of insights into your running data. I highly recommend! I've included my graph below from Tuesday's track workout. You can clearly see the 4 repeats. Repeat #3 was the fastest, followed by #4.
Wednesday: Long run of the week. So, as you may already know, I run but I'm not an advanced runner or anything like that so I'm still fumbling my way through this all trying to get better. So, I'm an idiot for doing this the day after speed work. More experienced runners probably already knew not to do their long run after speed work, but I didn't. I learned the hard way! When I first started, my legs were DEAD ? I thought to myself, "okay. I'll just do the full time easy pace and do the 3:1 next week". After a mile or two, I got into a groove and decided I wanted to do 3:1. I didn't have a gu, so I had to improvise and brought Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. It was fun to be surprised with what flavor I picked each time. I really liked when I got the pear flavor and the apple flavor. Both were light and refreshing. Not so much the chocolate, too heavy tasting. The cinnamon was flat out gross while running. Overall, I ate too many. I ate some before I ran and I ate a bunch while I was running. Too much sugar (I was still on a sugar high at like 10PM). Overall, they did what they were supposed to do! I felt re-energized each time I'd have a few. I probably won't use those for the 1/2 but anytime I get into a pinch, I certainly would.
So, I'm running and running. I tried not to concentrate on pace for the first 3/4 of the run and really focus on quick feet and how I felt overall. Following Hal's plan, the last 1/4 mile of the run needed to be progressing. Mile 8 and 9 were negative splits. Last two miles were in the 9's. Overall, 10:31 average pace. I made sure to really stretch well and foam roll after. All this foam rolling is turning me into a cheetah. See what I mean?
Thursday: Slow 3 miles. Goal was to keep my heart rate low, shake out my legs and just enjoy the run. Average heart rate was 152. A little higher than I would have liked for a run like this, so next time I'll be working on that.
Friday: We headed down to Wildwood, so no run today! I included a couple of pictures from the weekend below. Saturday: Rainy tempo run. It was raining so hard, I really loved it. It was such a nice change from the heat and humidity. I also LOVE running on the boardwalk. I wish I could run on them every day. It feels like so much less impact and there is so much to look at on the boardwalk that time flies. Sunday: I was supposed to do 4 miles at race pace. With warm up and cool down, it would have been about 6 miles but after driving home over 2 hours and walking a ton this weekend, I was exhausted and took a rest day. Kinda irritated with myself because I was so close to getting all my runs in. Missing runs like this will definitely come back to haunt me if I miss my goal for the half marathon. Week 8 has officially begun! We'll be traveling again this weekend, so I've got my schedule made up to make sure I fit in all of my runs. Tuesday will be a double workout to fit everything. I'll be sure to make a full post about how week 8 goes. XOXO, Wilk I've gotten some questions about what training program I'm doing and for a recap of how it is going. For this half, I'm currently following Hal Higdon's advanced plan. Previous halfs I did GIPIS and Nike+. I've heard so many great things about Hal's plan, I decided to give it a go.
My goal for this year was to keep improving, so after Broad Street, I was pretty diligent about keeping up my running. I was averaging about 20 miles per week. The description of the plan says, " You should be capable of running 30 to 60 minutes a day, five to seven days a week and have a basic understanding of how to do speed work". While I'd never classify myself as an advanced runner, I felt that fit me and would be doable. Two things really excited me about this plan: 1. hill work & 2: track work. None of my other plans have ever included either. Yes, I've done longer intervals, shorter, fartlek and strides but never a hills or track workouts. I also liked that the plan had a lot of 3 mile days. That makes it so much easier to get out on days when I'm not feeling motivated because I can justify it by saying "it's only 3 miles". Side note - this also blows my mind. When I started running, 3 miles was a long run & I remember when running 5 miles was a long run. I would drive out to the Great Swamp to do 5 milers because it was so long. Now, I'm not discrediting anyone who thinks these are long. I'm just saying since I've been running, my mindset has changed. I think it's important to look back and acknowledge that every now and again. I digress. Here's a little recap (I'm so sorry some weeks are light with details. I'll be sure to make more regular posts with more information going forward). My program began June 18th - I chose to do this because I was away for vacation the week of the 25th. I was *hoping* to run, but I didn't want to add unnecessary stress on the training program, so I left the week free. Week 1: I did the three mile combined with the hills (STUPID). I was only able to do 3 of the 6 hills that I was supposed to get done. Pretty frustrating because I thought I'd enjoy hills. I did my tempo run outside and hated it. I did all three 3 mile runs.
Going forward, I'll make more detailed posts about the week and how I felt. If there is anything else you guys wanna know, please let me know! xoxo, Wilk Half marathon training has been underway since July. My plan called for track workouts, which I thought "no big deal. I'll just go to the track and get them done". Enter week 2. The first week that called for a track workout. I get changed after work, grab a water bottle and head over to the track. I parked and can't figure out how to get to the entrance of the track. I feel like everyone is staring at me and I freak out. I got myself so worked up that I just came home. I was SO disappointed in myself. I didn't do track in high school, so I was excited to run on the track. Somehow, I thought would suddenly validate me as a runner and I'd become a 'real runner'.
The plan did not call for another track workout until week 4. My husband said he'd come with me, walk to me to the track and then go home so I felt more comfortable this time. Yes, I'm a big baby! I should have been able to go alone and do it. But I couldn't! So I asked for help. I got to the track, waved good bye to the hubbie and began my warm up. No one was staring at me, no one was yelling at me for not following some obscure rule I'd never heard of. Everyone was focused on doing their own thing that I don't think they could have cared less that I was there. After my warm-up, I stretched and then began my first 400 repeat. OMG. I felt like a real runner. It was a great feeling. After two repeats, I was dripping and my shirt was lose so the wind would make it touch my skin and felt so gross. So, I took it off and ran in just my sports bra and shorts. If you would have told me, I'd run on the track in a sports bra and shorts and not feel totally insecure, I would have told you that you're crazy. But it happened! I share this because even as an 'adult' sometimes things are scary. Sometimes it's hard to step outside of your comfort zone. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help and always celebrate the small victories!! The Broad Street run was by far the most fun I’ve ever had during a race. I’ve already got my fingers and toes crossed that I get accepted through the lottery again next year. I had read a TON of tips for people running the Broad Street run the first time, and I still found there were a lot of things that I would have liked to know beforehand. So, instead of doing a race recap, I decided to put a list together of helpful information for anyone running the race for the first time:
Got questions about what to expect? Let me know!! XOXO, Wilk If you follow me on Instagram, you've may have seen this already, but it was SO long winded, I think it fit better as it's own individual blog.
I finally sat down an looked through my running data since June 2014 (I've since gone in an added data from November 2013, so the graph is more complete, but that will be another topic for another day) and the chart was a little alarming. Kind of all over the place. You immediately notice 3 peaks and 3 valleys. So I decided to go back go through my running journey so far to see what events were happening to cause the spikes and the lows. Here's what I found: October 2014: Ran my first ½ and continued running, but at a much lower mileage. At that point I wasn't training for a specific event, just logging a few miles here and there. 2015: I decided to run 1,000 miles in 2015 (so stupid looking back). Going from 352 miles for 2014 to 1,000 in 2015? I was basically begging for an injury jumping up my mileage so far. To hit 1,000 miles, the average would be about 80 miles per month. So, what do I do? Add an extra 14 on top of that for 94 miles in January AND those miles include way to many speed workouts. I was averaging 4 runs a week, and some weeks 3/4 runs included some sort of speed work. The speed work really kicked in in February and March. As you can see, a little less mileage in February and even less in March. At this point, I was doing 2+ workouts a day, not really stretching properly and not listening to my body. Something had to give, and unfortunately, it was my body. See that space with no running? Stress fracture #1. I've got a high pain tolerance and knew something was seriously wrong when I couldn't even walk normally. No running for over 6 weeks. I think when all was said and done I wasn't able to run for a little over 6 weeks. 48 consecutive days with no running. I swore I'd come back better and faster after I was recovered from this. So, once I was cleared, I decided I wanted to run a second half marathon in 2015 and began building my mileage back up. Again, you can clearly see the peak. I cautiously returned to running, and once I felt comfortable, I spiked my mileage yet again. I came away with a 5+ minute half marathon PR in November. After that, I struggled with IT band issues which kept my mileage low. April 2016: I decided to become a St. Jude hero and run the NY marathon to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Again, you can see a sharp jump where my mileage increases. I was more focused on trying to run a full marthon under 4 hours that I threw caution to the wind. I should have known better. See the second gap? You guessed it, stress fracture #2. Devastating and ultimately caused me to not be able to run the NY marathon. I raised over $3,000 for St. Jude, so not all was lost. But not being able to cross that finish line to celebrate my fundraising efforts really hurt. This time, I swore to myself it would be different. My goal coming back from this injury was to listen to my body. This time, I didn’t jump from 10 miles in one month to 30 the next month like I had in May to June 2015 or go from 11 miles in April 2016 to 37 miles in May 2016. Or even from 23 miles in December 2014 to 93 miles in January 2015. Reaching those jumps in mileage makes me cringe. I cannot continue this cycle! So, I kept it slow. Since January, my mileage has only increased by a few miles each month. For 7 months, I’ve slowly been building. The 2nd longest streak of months with consistent increase of miles & training? 5! This is my transformation. I think *knock on wood* I’ve finally got this figured out. I listen to my body better and take rest days when I feel I need them. Some transformations are physical or a number on the scale, but mine is brought to you by data. Data that I created through blood, sweat and tears. xoxo, RunWilk I was officially accepted into the Broad Street run yesterday. I'm so thankful that both my friend, KS, and I got accepted. So, I had run my first training run on Monday, but last night was my first training run after being accepted. As you may know, I've had two pretty bad injuries the past two years which has kept me from running. I've been lucky enough to be chosen to be a Lumo run ambassador and it has literally changed my life. Sounds like an exaggeration, I know... but it is not. Lumo run has made me realize how little I knew about running and proper form. I've already worked to improve my cadence, bounce and braking. I still have yet to have all areas of form to be "in the green" aka good but it is so encouraging to see improvement each run.
The feedback during my runs is so helpful too. They've really done a great job in making their tips understandable and applicable. For example, braking. At first I didn't even understand what that meant, let alone how to improve on it. Lumo explains that braking is "Braking is the measure of how much your speed slows down with every step. Each time your foot hits the ground, your speed drops temporarily until you push off of your foot to propel forward and pick up speed again." A high braking will mean that your speed is being slowed and your wasting energy having to propel forward. My first run, which Lumo uses to analyze your form, my braking was 1.59p ft/s. Good form considers a braking of 1.31 ft/s to be good form. My last run, I got it 0.94 ft/s. So, I can clearly see that I've improved, making me a more efficient runner. My body feels it too! During runs, I feel so much smoother and easy runs feel so much easier. I'm so excited to continue to share my progress with ya'll. If you have any questions, please let me know! Interested in picking up a Lumo Run, pick one up here: bit.ly/CWLumo and be sure to use my code CWI10 for a sweet discount! If you haven't joined Influenster yet, what are you waiting for?! It is such a great resource to learn about new products, answer questions for people about products you've used and the best part is you can even get a box of things to test, called a VoxBox. I was lucky enough to be one of 250 people who received the Reebok #PerfectNever VoxBox with this beautiful complementary sports bra. If you know me, you know I LOVE workout gear. I can never get enough. I think at this point, I have more fitness related clothes then actual clothes. So, when I received this, I was really excited to see how it matched up to other companies. First, I love the feel of the material. It is like nothing that I own. It is so soft but still very supportive. Second, the design of the bra. The straps are so cool and really make this bra stand out. Third, the padding! I hate when sports bras are so thin you can see "it's chilly" (if you catch my drift ;-) ). And this bra keeps my ladies out of sight!
I also love the message of #PerfectNever. Why strive for societies idea of "perfection". It is so much more important to love your body, imperfections and all. After all those 'imperfections' make you you! The ONLY downfall of this bra was the tag. This thing irritated my skin so badly. Luckily, there were just a few stitches on each end, which made removing it nice and easy! I've won this to run, for BBG and to stretch. I highly recommend. You've really gotta feel this fabric! If you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you saw that I had to defer running for St. Jude until 2017. I've had serious injuries in 2015 and 2016 that caused me to miss a combined 3 months. My main goal in 2017 is to STAY HEALTHY and I think I found the answer. Lumo Run! Lumo Run is the first smart tracker to analyze your running form and offer personalized coaching. To me this means help staying injury free! Something I have clearly been incapable of doing. I am so excited to keep you all posted of my progress and what I learn from Lumo Run.
I'm so excited to announce that I'm a Lumo Run Ambassador! Use my code for $10 off - CWI10. I am running the NY Marathon to raise money for the children of St. Jude. I wanted this video of Aniya, a patient at St. Jude. Her story is so touching.
St. Jude is doing amazing things for children, their families and the future. Not only does St. Jude help sick children, but it also does research to find cures. St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Please consider donating to help me reach my goal of raising $3,500 for St. Jude & Let's end childhood cancer. Together. I'm sure you've all heard the work-life balance sayings. You may have the work-life balance down, but if you take a look at the "life" portion of that equation, do you have life balance? Let me explain, so "work" = your career, aka your job, aka where your pay checks comes from and "life" = friends, family, fitness, passion projects, etc.
Are you missing out on fun events because "life" gets in the way? Friends keeping you from getting your workouts in or vice versa? Your "life" may be out of balance! Anyone who knows me well, knows I have been cursed with "expensive taste"(definition: I go into a store, find something I love & it's the most expensive thing in the store / 100x out of my budget). Do you suffer from expensive taste? Well, suffer no more & save your wallet! I'm sharing my two biggest secrets to looking like a million bucks, without spending it & I've got a link and a code to save you even more!
Staying positive sounds simple enough but like most things, it is easier said than done. You never hear about how important it is to stay positive. It's more than just a feel good phrase or a cute concept. Staying positive can actually help your overall ability to deal with situations.
A study done by Barbara Fredrickson showed that positive thoughts and feelings, such a love and joy, make you believe there are more possibilities available for you. In other words, being positive opens up more roads for you. So, not only does it feel good to be positive, but you'll likely solve your problems faster, because you'll have ability to see more available options to resolve the issue. Just like any tool, you can sharpen your ability to stay positive. Here are 3 tips to sharpen your positivity: If you're reading this, then you're either A) already a BBG girl, B) new to the wonderful world of BBG or C) none of the above haha. When I first started, I fumbled my way through. At the time I wasn't aware of the huge community and either it hadn't existed yet, or I hadn't found it. I've completed BBG 1.0 three full times. I've completed BBG 2.0 up to week 20. I'm currently on 2.0 again, on week 14. I've also seen a lot of questions about 1/2 marathon / marathon training and BBG. I'll be posting a separate post about that soon! Without further ado, here are my top BBG tips: 1. Get involved with the community... Their support is incredible! They're also extremely helpful if you have any questions. There are groups on Facebook, tons of girls on Instagram & lots of meet ups. The community is a wonderful resource.
2. Stay positive... The workouts are very hard (did you really think they'd be easy if you only had to workout for 28 minutes?), but you'll get through them and get better/stronger! Don't get down on yourself because you see someone saying they completed the circuit 3 times and you can't finish it 1 time. If you continue to work, you will get better. One week you may not be able to finish a circuit, and two weeks later you may get through it once. Progress is progress. So stay positive! 3. Take videos, pictures, do the challenges... anything to track your progress. I've enjoyed the videos because you can see form improvement, speed and the shape of your body change with each progress video. Pictures are also great. Make sure you take pictures from every angle (I haven't done this from the beginning and I wish I had). Take them in your workout clothes, bathing suit and some people even do a bra and undies. It is up to you! Challenges are great because you may finish a it in 35 minutes the first time and 34 minutes the second time. Progress is progress (I can't say this enough!) 3. Everyone is different... Some people see results in 1 months, others take longer. Don't compare yourself! 4. You'll get out as much as you put in... Lots of cheat meals or missed workouts will hold you back. Don't be afraid to add an extra rep or upgrade a move. The girls who get the insane results are pushing themselves every workout (example #mysweatlifeLISSfromhell). Don't be afraid to do 4 resistance workouts in 1 week instead of 3. Burpees too easy for you? Add a bushu or a push up or even a push up and a bench jump. 5. Loving yourself! If you're not where you want to be, hating your body will not get you there any faster. That hate is wasted energy. Replace those mean self hating thoughts with positivity and self love. If you keep doing the work in the gym, you'll eventually get there and when you do, you should already have so much self love. It's been a process for me, I write down positive things about myself to reinforce it because I do struggle with negative thoughts about myself. But self love is SO important. I'm still working on it, but I'll get there and you will too. 6. Stay positive & enjoy the journey! I hope this has helped! If you have ANY questions, comment below and I'll get back to you! XOXO, Wilk It is BBG week 14 and I'm a bit behind. Normally, by Wednesday, I'd have legs and abs done. I haven't done any of the workouts but I intend to get part of one in today before my Primal hot yoga class. I had originally planned 4 resistance sessions, but I will probably only get 3 in. I love how strong I've been feeling. I can't wait to see how it helps my running.
I've started re-building my mileage base, I'm trying to ease back into running so I don't hurt myself. I think adding yoga into the routine is going to be a great help! Last night I did 3 miles and felt pretty good, besides being on the dreadmill, which is super boring. The fact that I have to run 26.2 miles is starting to stress me out, but I think the biggest thing is raising $3,500 dollars! Right now I'm about 13% of the way there. I will hit this goal! |
About meMore than just running....
Run along with me while I navigate my way through fitness, fashion and food. oLDER POSTS
Archives
November 2017
Topics
cATEGORIES
All
|