Hi everyone! I have been seriously slacking with my posts. A lot has been going on. First, I successfully completed BBG 1.0 for the third time! I'm feeling super strong and I've managed to eat cleaner too! I'm really looking forward to see what kind of results I get from 2.0. Second, I've become a yoga manic. I took 4 classes last week. 3 were hot yoga classes and 1 was regular.
Currently, I have shin splints. i've been resting and taking lots of yoga classes (which have also really helped my IT band). I am so ready to get back into serious training for running, and I have the biggest motivation to do so: I'm running the NY Marathon for St. Jude! Please consider donating. I honestly cannot think of a better / more deserving cause. No amount is too small. To donate: http://heroes.stjude.org/chelseawilkinson Here are some images from my latest round.
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I am so happy to be a part of the Influenster community. I love being able to provide feedback to companies on their products. I was lucky enough to be selected for my first VoxBox! It was Slimfast. I used to LOVE their shakes. Recently, I've been making my own shakes but I was so excited to see what they've got in the pipeline. I received these products complimentary for testing purposes.
When my husband purchased the Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix :: Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods, I was skeptical at best. It turned out AMAZING. I'm a huge pizza lover. Since I've had this, I don't enjoy 'regular' pizza like I once did. Check out the super easy recipe below.
(Recipe available here, on their website) Ingredients
Crust mix available here: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix - 16 oz - 2 pk
I cannot believe it is already Christmas Eve! This year I made sure I was done wrapping by the 20th. It made things so much less stressful and I feel like I've really gotten to enjoy the season because of it.
This year I decided to go a non traditional route for wrapping my presents. I used brown craft paper and black chalkboard paper. The result was even better than I had expected. Drawing on each present really added a nice touch. I'm hoping they'll be a big hit! I've included pictures and product links below to help you recreate my wrapping. Every since I was little, Santa would deliver pajamas on Christmas Eve. It was always filled with anticipation to see what the pajamas were going to look like. I always felt so special that 'Santa' had visited my family on Christmas Eve while we were still awake and again on Christmas Eve after we had gone to sleep. It's a tradition that my husband and I have continued and something we will continue when we have children. We're both really into going to gym this year so we decided to change it up. Instead of getting pajamas, Santa is delivering us workout clothes! I thought it was such a fun was to keep the tradition going, but add a healthy twist.
Product Links:
I'd love to hear from you! What are your traditions? Have you given a fresh twist to an old tradition?
Finally, I'd like to wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. I hope 2016 is filled with fun, love and good health! XOXO, ​Wilk It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! This week has been filled with shopping, wrapping and card writing. That was no excuse to miss any workouts! Week 5 is officially in the books. Week 5 has been great. My eating hasn't though. I actually tried on a pair of pants that fit me last year... too tight this year! Ugh. Frustrating! It is a minor set back, but it reminds me to stay focused and it'll happen. I was most proud of myself this week because I upgraded a few exercises. First, for legs, I upgraded the weighted squats to double bench jumps. It was so tough but every bit of extra effort will help. My husband was kind enough to video me so I can watch my form and see how I'm progressing. For arms and abs this week, I did every single push up and commando. All real push ups! That is something I definitely wasn't able to do last time around. My favorite upgrade I made was for the full body workout. Instead of doing regular burpees or bushu burpees, I did burpees with a bench jump. They're so much fun! I feel so strong when I do them, so I did 5 extra even after the timer was up. LISS this week went well. 2/3 I did running for portions. I'm hoping I'll be able to run again soon. I've really missed it! Hi all! Accountability time... I've been slacking on my updates. During my second round of BBG, the weekly updates really helped keep me on track. I'll be more conscientious of that going forward. At this point, marathon training has had to be put on the back burner. My knee is STILL bothering me even after stretching, heat, ice, foam rolling, etc. I've decided to focus on strenging my hip and booty muscles to combat future IT injuries. I've begun adding intervals of slow running into my LISS to slowly get back into it. Looking forward to running pain free soon!
BBG really is a great community. In a world with so much hate, it is nice to have a group of positive people lifting each other up. Unfortunately, you don't see that too often anymore. I'm also loving the app! It is still a little buggie but it has gotten so much better. The challenges are so fun and the badges keep me encouraged. Looking forward to finishing 1.0, 2.0 and starting 3.0. I can't wait to see what insanity Kayla has for me next. I was sick most of week 4. It really started in week 3, but it got back week 4. I ended up taking off from work (so unlike me) because I wasn't feeling well. I guess my body needed the rest because I slept until 5pm!! So, by Wednesday I hadn't done a single resistance workout or LISS. I really contemplated starting over. "Why do I even bother.." etc, but those negative thoughts have got to go! I sucked it up and got my butt to the gym. I completed all 3 resistance workouts and 2 LISS (3 if you count walking around NYC). All in all a great week. Forcing myself to workout really helped make me feel better. Week 5 and I'm ready to step up my workouts and really focus on my eating. Next week is 1/2 way thought! So crazy how fast time goes! Stay tuned - I've been working on some healthy recipes. I'll be posting them soon. XOXO, Wilk Week 1 of marathon training and BBG has officially come and gone! *See below for the week's schedue* I was supposed to do 4 runs and 2 BBG. I completed both BBG workouts and 3/4 runs. I did not do the 8 miler that was scheduled for Saturday because my IT band is still hurting. I had to force myself through a 4 mile run on Friday. Pretty much limped after. Figured, if it was that painful to get through 4 'easy' miles, doing 8 at a much faster pace would be painful or cause injury.
I've been incorporating glut bridges and "clammies" to strengthen the area and prevent more IT pain but I haven't seen the fruits from that labor yet. After some research, I found out that my foam roller isn't the best kind to help with IT pain. So, I ordered a new, tougher roller and rolled quite a bit last night. In some pain today, hoping it's just because the foam roller is doing its job. If I can't get this pain under control, I'm going to have to put a pause on my running. I don't want to chance hurting myself like I did earlier this year with the stress fracture. Anyway, I forgot how much I LOVE BBG. I was SO, SO sore after legs. But it was totally worth it. I love the program and can't wait to see the results I get this round. That's all for now! Stay fit my friends... XOXO, Wilk I'm so happy to announce that I'm a brand ambassador for Altar Ego Apparel. They are woman run company established in 2014 and based just north of Boston. The best part? They make all of our leggings right here in our local area. Now, I must tell you... I was skeptical at first. The leggings are GORGEOUS but, I wasn't sure how they'd feel. Honestly, I cannot tell you how impressed I am. The fit, the colors... everything!! I highly, highly recommend. I wish I could wear their pants all day every day (actually working on a plan to make this happen). Use code: runwilk for 15% off your purchase... don't walk... run & try these pants! You'll fall in love with them just like I have. Memory: Tumbling.Time really does fly! I hadn't realized how long it has been since I tumbled until I stumbled upon old videos. It really made me miss tumbling! Nothing beats the feeling when you've worked and worked for a skill, and finally you are able to do it without a spot & consistently.
I'm definitely stronger than I was when this video was taken, makes me want to go to an adult class and see where I'm at! Any former gymnasts/cheerleaders know the feeling? I'd love to hear from you! xoxo, Wilk This is a race that almost didn't happen. I was sick all week and things just kept getting worse. Achy, tired, cough.. all the signs of a bad cold. When the alarm went off, I seriously contemplated skipping the race. I felt horrible. But thanks to my husbands reverse psychology, I got up and got ready. I really didn't expect much from myself because it was the sickest I've felt in a long time. I'd be happy if I could just finish the race.
I LOVE half marathons and I especially LOVED this race. The course was beautiful, it was very well organized and overall it ended up being a great day! My only complaint is that the course was long. I had it at 13.4 miles. Not to say it wasn't hard. Because it was! Especially around the 6 mile mark. I felt sick, my legs were tired and overall I had pretty much no energy. Thankfully I had a gu with me. Drank that and made it over the hump. Once I hit the 7 mark, the countdown began! Thankfully the miles really seemed to fly by during this race. All except for the last 2 miles. I tried to push my pace harder to finish the race but there was nothing in the tank. Those last two miles just wouldn't end. When I finally saw the finish line I got very emotional. I'm not sure if it was because I was sick, but when I finished and saw my parents and my husband I almost started crying hysterically. Tears of joy for sure. It was definitely emotional to finish. Click "Read More" to hear the results. I love crafting! I'm very lucky that a group of my friends do as well! This weekend we created burlap wreaths. They were SUPER easy and only required a few materials. For mine I used: 1 roll of plain burlap 1 roll of printed burlap 1 wooden letter 1 wreath wire outline *optional, wire Click "Read More" for full instructions on how to make a beautiful burlap wreath!
This week marks the last week of my half marathon training. 36 miles. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, so I didn't do my 5 miles today. So, I'll finish the week around 31 miles. I remember freaking out last year the week of my half, but this year I'm more excited. In ready to get out on the course and see how much I've improved. I've about doubled my mileage for the year versus last year, even with missing about three months to recover from a stress fracture. Positive attitudes create positive results. Really looking forward to this race! Picture from my 1st half: I'd love to hear from you! Are you running any races this week? Planning on running any next year?
Peak week has come and gone. I'm honestly still surprised I made it. Blisters were a huge problem all week. After combining K tape and double socks, I was able to get through a few runs pain free. It was a great feeling. I can't believe how well wearing two pairs of socks worked out. I thought it would be too thick, but I chose two pairs of thin socks. So it wasn't heavy and I didn't get any blisters. Woo!
I also can't believe how I lucked out with the weather. It did not rain once the entire peak week. I currently do not have a gym membership, so if it had stormed, I wouldn't have been able to run. My favorite run was probably Sunday. It was only 4 easy miles but I was able to run past a farm. All of the cows stopped what they were doing. It was almost like they were cheering for me! I'm officially registered for my second half marathon. It's Halloween themed and I have my costume picked out. It's almost here and u can't wait to crush my PR. I don't think I'll be under the two hour mark, but I'm going to try like crazy to hit it! If I don't, then definitely next half that I run. I'd love to hear from you! How did your peak week go? Any tips/tricks help you get through it? Xoxo, Wilk Another race in the books! This race is the race that got me into running. It officially marks the end of 2nd full year of running. I’ll need to eat my words in this post… I mentioned winning my age group was an unrealistic goal… well, I actually ended up doing exactly that! I was SHOCKED to say the least. I earned a shiny new PR (only by 9 seconds) and I won an iPad at their raffle. To say it was a great day would be an understatement. I think my distance training really helped on this race. The 3.11 miles flew by! Before I knew it I was up the highest elevation part of the course and heading toward the finish line. I think one area I didn’t focus on enough were intervals. Prior to my stress fracture, I was doing intervals a few times a week. I was getting a lot faster. I’ll be adding intervals back in and strides a few times a week. I’m also going to add in the Bikini Body Guide workouts again. They were killer and definitely made me stronger and faster. Next year is the 20th race, so it’ll have a lot more participants and I’ll be in a new age group. If I want to place in my age group again next year, I’ll really have to step up the training. This week is my peak week for ½ marathon training. I’ve got over 45 miles scheduled for the week. I hope my body keeps up! My 10 miler tomorrow is going to be split into 2 runs (5 miles in the morning and 5 miles after work). My long run of the week is 14 miles! I can’t wait for the ½… it’s going to be a great time and I’m beginning to think I like running longer distances better than short. I’d love to hear from you. What races do you have coming up? Hope you all have a great week! Hi everyone! I've been MIA once again. Things have been pretty crazy, first vacation, then starting a new job but I've got my act together and will be regularly posting once again. September 13th marked my 1 year anniversary of blogging. Crazy how fast time flies. I still remember creating my first post like it was yesterday. I'm reminded of the feeling especially because the 5k that I had blogged about is taking place this Sunday. Which leads me to lesson #1: Unrealistic GoalsAfter setting a realistic goal for the 2014 Berkeley Heights 5k, I proceeded to set an unrealistic goal for 2015. Win my age group. The difference between a 27 (and change) minute 5k and a 21-23 minute 5k is pretty large. A more reasonable goal, would have been to get a goal of top 3 in my age group. You live and you learn. So, I've adjusted my goal to place in the top 3 of my age group. Another unrealistic goal I had set, was to run 1,000 miles in 2015 (I only realized 6 months into it I had run less than 1/3 of that in the entire 2014). Running 321 miles in 2014 and expecting to TRIPLE my mileage in one year? Not realistic (and likely not healthy). It took my a while to come to terms with it. But, I've already completed 445 miles for the year and am looking to finish the year between 600-700 miles. Setting goals is a difficult act to balance. You don't want to set a goal that is too easy to achieve and you don't want to set a goal so high that you can never meet it (I'm talking shorter term goals). Long term, I want to run a 5k under 20 minutes (realistic). Setting that as a goal for 2015 = unrealistic. Don't set yourself up for failure like I did with TWO goals this year. Eventually, maybe I will win my age group, and I'm going to run as fast as I can on Sunday to try and make that happen. If I don't, guess what? That doesn't mean I failed. It just means my timeline to reach the goal was wrong. Sunday's Goals:
Back on trackAs I mentioned earlier, my posting has been sporadic at best. I've used the excuse of recovering from my stress fracture and even vacation but it's time to get back on track!
This time of year, I begin using my new planner. Today is that day. I've transferred all of the dates from the old, into the new and a commitment to myself to post regularly again. Future posts to include: more recipes, results from the 5k this weekend, organization tips and running / fitness / bikini body guide updates. Stay tuned! Sorry I've been MIA! The stress fracture really interrupted my habit of posting each week. I'm up to 45 minute runs now, I've done 2 so far, and I haven't felt pain (knock on wood). The plan is to do a few more 45 and then a few 55. From there, I'll be able to start adding in back to back days. Really looking forward to that! Unfortunately, I'm very, very behind on the 1,000 mile challenge. Doesn't look like I'll be able to make it, but that certainly won't stop me from trying.
Today was a great day. I had run with my dad when I was younger. But I was so involved (obsessed) with gymnastics and cheerleading, I didn't have the bandwidth to be interested in running. I've had the running bug since Septemeber 2013... My dad hasn't really been into running since then. Recently, he's started to pick it back up. My dad is a beast... Not only has he already run over 20 5k races, but he killed it today. We did over 1.5 miles running on a hot, humid day. I was so proud of him! And I cannot wait to run with him again! We also have the same style Pumas, which was a perfect opportunity for a photo. So, two days left in May! I've officially recommitted to the bikini body guide 2.0. Motivation to stick to it started from my mom. She's doing pre-training for ghe first guide. She said I motivated her to start, which motivated me to start! 12 weeks from now is vacation, so it feels right. I have the bikini I'll be bringing to vaca, now it's all about working as hard as possible.
I'm up to 20 minutes running, tomorrow will be 25. Sunday is the 1 minute challenges and the 1,000 rep challenge. Pretty excited. Still really, really behind for the 1,000 mile challenge (thanks stupid stress fracture) but I'm not going to let it de-motivate me. I still have plenty of time to hit that and slowly I'm building my mileage base back up. Have a great weekend! Xoxo After over 6 weeks of no running due to a stress fracture, I got the ok from my doctor to start running again! I was only allowed to run for 10 minutes, but I had a huge smile as I got to go outside and run for the first time in, what feels like, forever. I have a lot of work to do to get back to where I was, but I'm so looking forward to it. Happy running! Today marks one week without running. I can't wait to get back. I have to miss at least another 2 weeks. This is going to be torture! If I am allowed to run again after my next doctors appointment, I will be 60 miles behind schedule! Frightening deficit to make up and I have no guarantee that it will only be 3 weeks of now running. Anyone do the 1,000 mile challenge and have get behind? How did you make up for the missed miles? Week 11 officially started with my 17 mile run (described in week 10). It also included all 3 resistance BBG workouts. I completed 3 out of 4 marathon training runs. I was really proud of my progress. I'm honestly surprised how much faster I've gotten. Some days I looked at the intervals and thought I'd never be able to do it. And then I do! It's been great. Well, unfortunately it hasn't all been rainbows and butterflies. My shin has been bothering me since at least the 9th. I've kept working through it but it has gotten to the point that I'm in pain throughout my workout, limping after my workout, and by Friday, limping constantly. I've hasnt helped and kinesiology tape hasn't helped. So I took Friday and Saturday off. It's really torture. I feel like I finally started to make drastic progress and now I have to stop. I only needed 4.1 miles to be at 60 for the month. But, I couldn't do it. So, now I have to wait until Wednesday and see what is going on. Please send positive vibes that it isn't a stress fracture! Since running is out of the question, I will be doing modified BBG week 12, so it is low impact. So, totals: Week 11: 30.3 - 9:36 pace Year to date total: 219 or 22% Week 10 was wild! I got behind on BBG, so I had to do two workouts per day Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. A total of 5 resistance workouts. Very tough & I think 5 resistance workouts was too much. My body is just exhausted! Running this week included a lot of intervals (which I love)! The treadmill is actually great for these because it forces me to stick at the recomended pace. I'm really looking forward to racing this year. I think I'm going to see a big drop in my times! Technically, my Sunday run was week 10 but my running app records it as week 11 so it is not included in my mileage for the week but I wanted to write about it. First, I got a new pair of running shoes! Hoka One One Cliftons and I am in LOVE! I ran my longest training run ever. It was also the fastest pace I had for 12-17 miles. I know I beat my 1/2 marathon time too, but because my app crashed (again) at the end of the run, I don't know by exactly how much. My average pace was 9:51, so I know I beat my 1/2 time by at least 4 minutes. I was going faster the first 13 miles to see if I could beat my time. I am so sad that my app crashed and didn't record the finaly results but I was able to get a screen shot before the app crashed, so at least I know pace and distance. So, totals (as of 3/14/15) 10.6 miles, 9:51 pace Month to date: 25.5 Year to date: 188 miles 💪 Keep pushing! Week 9 has come and gone! I completed all four of my marathon training runs for the week but my bikini body guide week 9 workouts carried into week 10. This morning I did week 9 abs & after work I did week 9 legs to finish out the week. My legs are puddy! I had to modify a few exercises because I only had one bench. But wow. Really hard day! Bring on week 10! Running has been going better than expected! The interval runs are very challanging but I feel so accomplished when I finish. This week is going to include some new running shoe shopping! My poor Pumas are almost dead but I'm hoping to keep them around for short races because I love the two color shoes in one pair. In week 9, I ran only 14.9 miles but my pace was much faster than usual - 8:49! 178 miles or about 18% to my goal of 1,000 miles for the year! I can't believe month 2 is over! One month left of the bikini body guide 1.0... Interested to see how difficult 2.0 is! Now for running... The building up phase is complete and the general phase has begun. This phase is preparing me for the main phase, which is the most difficult part. I'm really enjoying the interval training and can't believe I'm able to survive running 7:30 intervals for 3 minutes. Even with a missed long run, I am still on pace for 1,000 miles! Week mileage: 26.3 - average pace: 9:40 Month: 68.9 miles - average pace: 9:51 Miles in 2015: 163.3 My favorite Puma shoes are almost at the 300 mile mark... Looking into new shoes to rotate. I'm thinking Hoka One Cliftons. Anyone ever use those? I've heard good things and it has great reviews. The end of month two is fast approaching! I am about 10 miles behind for the year. Looks like at least 5 miles tomorrow and Saturday. Crunch time (not literally.. It's literally run time )
Push hard everyone. February is almost over which means summer is getting closer! Week 7 has come and gone...
Completed all 3 bikini body guide resistance workouts! Felt great and can really feel that I'm getting stronger! Marathon training... I ran 4 times but only completed 3 of 4 training runs. I am officially done with the building up phase. Now it's time to start building speed. I love intervals so this next phase is going to be really fun. The long run of the week was supposed to be 2:40... Thanks to snow and ice I had to do this inside. First time on the treadmill for over an hour. It was torture! I mistakenly thought the workout I had missed last week was 1:20 (it was really 2hrs) so after I passed the 1:20 mark I figured anything else was extra. Then, when I got home I realized my mistake and that I was actually 20 min short. Whomp, whomp. I didn't beat myself up though! Must stay positive! Positive thought creates positive results. I got up and out of my house and ran for 1hr and 40 min. Can't be mad about that. Pet peeve rant beings now... What the heck is up with people getting on the treadmill next to me when there are other treadmills available?! Hello... Gym faux pas. If there is space available, never, ever go on a treadmill next to someone. End rant! What are your gym pet peeves? I'd love to hear! My totals are a little messed up because my Sunday run technically counts as week 9 (week goes Sun-Sat). Next week marks the end of February so I'll update total miles then. Hope you all have a great week! |
About meMore than just running....
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