Hey everyone! It's been a while but I'm back! I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to Maine with Nike to run the Beach to Beacon 10k and what an experience it was. I feel so lucky to have been able to attend. Here's a full recap of the trip.
Friday morning, I caught the 6:28 AM train into NYC. I arrive to New York Penn station at around 7:30 AM. From there, I whistled for a cab and when it came near the license plate said fresh and it had a dice in the mirror... unfortunately, that last part isn't true. It was just a regular cab. I arrived in the Upper East Side NIke store around 8 AM. As I arrived, the first thing I noticed were two huge charter buses that said "Just do it." with the Nike swoop. "Wow, how is this real life?" I thought to myself. I'm greeted as I walk into the store. They let us know where to go to sign in and that there is also food. At check in, we're given information about the restaurants in Maine and a gift card to cover dinner expenses. Wow. Seriously impressed. At about 9:00 AM we're instructed to board the buses and told that we each get a Nike neck pillow. I used mine the entire time on the bus. It was a really sweet gesture for them to include such a practical and helpful item. The bus was so nice! It had hardwood (I'm not sure if it was real or just looked like it) floors. Definitely an upgrade from the usual charter buses. I had a row to myself, so I could spread out, which was so nice. There were also outlets in each row of seats. I was so happy to have an outlet so my phone didn't die. We arrive at the Westin in Portland Maine and directed to a conference room where we can check in and get our hotel room key. We're also provided maps for a 3 or 5 mile shakeout run. Check in was very well organized and went very smoothly. All of the staff with both NIke and the Westin were fantastic. After check in, I head up to my room and see that there is my race shirt, bib, Nike hat and Nike bag laid out on the bed. There is also a sweet note explaining the events. So impressed. From there, I get changed and head out for a shakeout run. We ended up getting lost (even with the help of the map haha) and just sort of explored Portland. We ended up down by the water on a super cute path along the water. There were old train cars along the route. It was adorable (and of course I had to stop get a picture). We also passed the art museum. They had free entry for the day that I wish I would have taken advantage of, but I did get to see a few sculptures outside. After the run, I showered and changed and headed out for dinner. We ended up choosing what felt like the only restaurant that served pasta in Portland. The food was AMAZING. I ended up having leftovers of my spaghetti and meatballs that made it all the way by to NYC with me but then I threw them out on the bus. I still regret that hahaha. From dinner, I came back to the hotel, laid out all of my gear for the AM, washed up and headed to bed. Alarms were set for 4 AM. I'm not a morning person, so I was worried about that. I ended up waking up before the alarm even went off. I usually wear sunglasses (yes, I still run in RayBan aviators but I will be "growing up" and getting real running sunglasses soon) and a hat if it's really sunny. I chose to leave both at the hotel. They would have been helpful on the race! I also did not take advantage of the amazing breakfast spread Nike had provided, which wasn't smart. If I could re-do the race (which I'd love to do again next year Nike!!) I'd make sure I fueled better. We all loaded on the Nike bus at 6:15 AM and headed over to Cape Elizabeth. The race was very well run! Fantastic organization. Brovo to race organizers. The course was hilly and it was hot and humid but beautiful. It was a huge test of mental strength. The first mile went by so quickly. I remember thinking to myself, I'm going to PR big time. Then shortly into mile 3 (there was a huge hill a the end of mile 2) I realized a PR wasn't going to happen. I picked up the pace a little in mile 4. Mile 6 was my slowest mile. I let myself get into my head. I was exhausted but I know I could have kept going with a better attitude. One thing that surprised me was there was no race medal. Now, I'm not complaining but I do love me some race medals haha. After the race, Nike staff were waiting for us with towels and cold water / Gatorade. The other runners got warm water, which may not seem like a big deal, but after running a hilly 10k in hot, humid weather, cold water was so needed. I was so thankful for Nike's generosity yet again. It felt so good to towel off and drink a nice cold water. From there, we all loaded onto the buses and headed back to the Westin to shower, change and check out. On the way home, we stopped an an amazing brewery called Rising Tide. We had a huge room to ourselves. They had lobster rolls (yum!!), Greek food, soups, salad and drinks. I stuffed myself with a lobster roll, corn salad and lobster bisque. It was simply amazing. At 2 PM, we all headed back to the bus for a group photo then off to NYC we went. We arrived back at around 8:30 PM. The train was every hour on the 11's so I had about 40 minutes to get from the Upper East Side to New York Penn. If I missed that train, I'd have to wait another hour and take the 10:11 train. One of the sweet runner actually offered to drive me! I was so touched with her kindness, but after traveling all day, I felt bad making them drive out of their way (if you're reading, you know who you are... and thank you again!). So, I called an Uber and headed on my way. My driver was amazing. I explained to him my situation and he said he'd do his best to get me there by 8:50 PM. Wouldn't you know it, he got me there 2 minutes earlier than I was hoping. I don't Uber often, so I wasn't sure if I could tip through the app and he goes "don't worry about that. I'm just worried about you getting your train". What an awesome guy (I was able to tip him through the app)! Wow, that ended up being a long one. Thanks for reading. And again, a huge thank you to Nike. I'm so thankful for this experience and hope to do it again! xoxo, Chelsea
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Don't let the drop in temperature cause you to drop your mileage! We've reached that time of year where snow fall is pretty common (at least in the north east US) and roads and sidewalks can have icy patches. If you're having trouble getting your runs in during the winter, I've got a few ideas that might help you out! First, you've gotta have the right gear. You'll want to have gloves, warm socks, reflective gear, a headlamp (if running at night), hat / ear protection. One thing to keep in mind is that it's really easy to overdress in the winter. If you overdress, you'll cause your body to get too warm which will make you sweat. Then, your sweat will start to freeze and you'll be even colder than you were to start with. It took me a while to find the right amount of winter gear. My best advice is to feel a little cold when you start. If you go outside and you're already warm, you've overdressed. If you're running while it is snowing, you may want something to protect your eyes from the snow. I would recommend wearing a hat and sunglasses. Don't care about snow flakes pummeling your eyes? Me either! Enjoy those frosty eye lashes. Be sure to show them off in your post run selfie! Go slow! I wouldn't recommend doing any speed work outside when there is snow and ice on the ground. It's too easy to slip and fall. Keep the pace down and be aware of each step you make. On particularly slippery days, I keep my cadence up and my strides short to prevent slipping. I keep my cadence up because if I hit some ice, my steps are quick so my foot has already been pulled off the ground, making the slip have less impact on my center of gravity. My goal is to have my foot begin to lift as soon as it has touched the ground. I try to pretend the road is lava and I'm lifting my feet off of it. Also, by making my strides shorter, I'm keeping the center of gravity right under me. Leaning forward or backward will make it harder for you to stop yourself from falling if you slip. Don't be afraid to take your run indoors. Running inside, you won't need to worry about the elements. Many gyms have indoor tracks and there is always the treadmill. If you're hitting the treadmill you can watch some Netflix or listen to a podcast. For me, doing either of those really helps to make the time fly! If you don't have a gym and are in the market for a treadmill, I've got a great resource for you! After all, a treadmill is a large purchase, so you're going to want to make sure you have the best one for your needs. Reviews.com has reached out to me with a great guide I wanted to share. It'll make choosing a treadmill so much easier. They've done a TON of research and they even put the treadmills to the test. Check out their full guide on treadmills here: https://www.reviews.com/treadmills/ Enjoy your run! Running in the snow can be really enjoyable. On a snowy day it seems like the world has slowed down. There are less cars on the road and less people out an about. Don't think about a to-do list or work, live in the moment. Take in the the sound of snow crunching beneath your feet. Look around at the trees with snow accumulating on the branches. Feel the crisp air. Catch a snowflake on your tongue!
Xoxo, Chelsea run because I genuinely love it. The freedom of getting out on the road is amazing. I love that its is competitive but also relaxing. Had a hard day at work? Heading out for an easy run can really help to clear you mind and unwind. At the same time, during a race your lungs may be burning, you may feel like you're going to vomit, you're worrying about if your pace and if you need nutrition. So many things! Then the feeling of finishing a race makes it all worth it. It's just an awesome feeling. I love that running has made me set goals and work my buns off to get to them. Running isn't just those things though, running has a TON of health benefits. Sports Fitness Adviser has an amazing list of health benefits from running. I highly recommend checking it out here. Since I discovered my love of running I have made a LOT of mistakes, so I wanted to talk about some tips to begin running. Things I've learned along the way. Hopefully, they'll help you avoid making the same mistakes. While, I'm not a fast runner, I'm a month and one day away from an injury free year and I'm proud of that. *I am not a doctor and this in no way should serve as medical advise. Consult your doctor before beginning a new working preogam* If you're new to running and are having trouble getting yourself to follow through, register for a race. This will give you something to work to. It'll give you a reason to lace up and run when you may otherwise not have gone out. And man, that feeling when the race starts is like no other. Pure adrenaline. Plus, you'll get your first race bib, probably get a t-shirt or medal. Save your bibs! It's so much fun to pull out all of the bibs you've worn and reflect back on all of your hard work. If you are running at night, there are two things that I believe are critical. 1: Reflective clothing and 2: a head lamp. I love shoes that have reflection, but I also wear a reflective jacket. If it's too warm for that, I also have a reflective vest. It's so important to make sure you're visible to cars. The headlamp is important to help you avoid any hazards like potholes or sticks. Before you lace up, make sure you have the right shoes and that they fit properly. I recently found my first pair of sneakers I ran in (see the above image). I decided take a trip down memory lane and lace them back up for a short run. I couldn't believe it, when I put them on they were too small!! I'd say at least 1/2 size too small. What was I thinking?! Just another example of how I did basically everything wrong when I first started! No wonder I always had blisters from them. Start slow. If you go out and try to run 5 miles and you've never fun before, you'll likely be in pain afterwards. So, don't do that! I began by doing walking and running. I'd go out for maybe 30 minutes and do a 5 minute warm up, stretch and then 20 minutes of walking running. Sometimes I'd set a time and do something like 3 minutes running, 1 minute walking. You can also use landmarks. Run to the stoplight ahead and then walk past the next three houses, etc. Keep it fun! This graph shows the number of miles I ran per month since I began running in September 2013. Notice the months with big spikes, then a lull? Those are all injuries. I'd have a moth with big numbers, then end up hurt a few weeks later. I had knee issues, I had shin issues. My body basically hated me (I'm so sorry for hurting you, body! ha) Finally, this year I've learned to slowly work into it. I've also embraced running slower paced training runs. The picture above is the perfect example of running way too fast. For an easy run, I now do about 2 minutes faster than my 5k pace (and monitoring my heart rate). I had just run a 5k eight days earlier at a 10:52 pace. Please, do not do this! My pace for the 6 mile run should have been in at least 12:5x. Maybe even in the low to mid 13 min mile not 10:57, which was almost exactly the 5k pace. Not to mention, I should not have gone from running a 5k (with 1 training run) to running 6 miles in EIGHT days. Speaking of starting slow, run slow too. It sounds counter intuitive, but running slow is really good for you and can help you become a better, faster runner. In the early stages of starting to run, you're building up endurance and your body is getting accustomed to doing a new activity. So, I wouldn't worry too much about speed.
I made the mistake of trying to run faster and longer than I had the week before. My joints hurt and it wasn't fun anymore. I think my biggest piece of advice is to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. I put that in all caps because it is sooo important!! I could have prevented so many injuries if I would have listened to my body when I started running. If your shin is hurting, stretch and ice it. Maybe even considering resting a few days. It all depends on the level of pain. I knew something was wrong but tried to "push through" and ended up with a stress fracture, which mean no running for at least 6-weeks. So, I had I listened to my body, I could have taken maybe 1-2 weeks off and had my shin splints go away BUT because I didn't listen they got worse, turned into a stress fracture and made my recovery time SO much longer. Finally, make sure you stretch! I battled with my IT band hurting until I found a stretch that I do all the time now. Stretching is super important and will help you stay injury free. I made a whole blog post about my go to stretches here. I'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions about how I started running or any advice I may have (or any what NOT to dos), shoot me an email or comment below xoxo, Chelsea Stretching is so important! I'm guilty of not stretching enough but this past year, I've really made an effort to stretch after my runs. Happily, I haven't had any real IT issues, stress fractures or knee pains this year, so I wanted to share my stretching routine. I also foam roll, but I'll cover that in a different post. Don't just take my word on how important stretching is, here's what Mayo Clinc has to say about stretching: Stretching can help improve flexibility, and, consequently, range of motion about your joints. Better flexibility may:
I personally do not stretch before most runs. For races, I will stretch but only after a warm up. Stretching cold muscles can actually end up hurting you. So, if you stretch pre-workout, be sure to do a quick warm up prior to stretching. A few notes before getting into the nitty-gritty:
Standing Quad StretchQuadriceps are the large muscle group in on the top front of your leg. They're called quadriceps because the group is made up of four different muscles. They're critical to running, squatting, walking, A LOT. Being such a large muscle group, it's important to stretch them. Pretty basic stretch, you've probably been doing this since elementary school gym class. Remember to stand tall and gently pull up so you feel the stretch on your quad. If you don't feel a stretch, gently move your quad back, so instead of being parallel as shown above, your knee will be slightly behind the standing leg. You do not want to pull the lower half of the bent leg too close or past the top half of the bent leg. Changing the angle of your hips will also deepen or lessen the stretch depending on your personal flexibility. Be sure to do this on both sides. Downward Facing DogTypically, in downward dog, your head should be in alignment with your arms. However, I push through my arms to get a nice stretch in my shoulders, too. My gaze is toward my shins. I love this because it stretches my calves, hamstrings and shoulders. Elongating my body also helps with posture. I'll hold this longer than 30-seconds. I like to breathe nice and slow while in downward dog. Stretching my calves in downward dog has helped to eliminate shin splints (which untreated, can turn into stress fractures... I learned that the the hard way.... twice). Shin splints are usually caused from over use, this pounding of the pavement on the shin bone causes the muscles to become irritated and swell. The swelling of these muscles causes them to pull on your shin bone. Shin splints are painful and can be dangerous if left untreated. By focusing on stretching, I'm helping to increase blood flow and prevent the muscles from swelling. Standing Pike - lEGS cROSSEDThis is another simple stretch that hits a few muscles groups. It will stretch your calf, hamstring and bum. Step 1: Cross your legs. Step 2: Fold forward and try to touch your toes. If you're not able to go all the way down, add a block (or a book) so you can rest your hands on it. Be sure to do this for both legs. This stretch has been great for me for preventing knee problems. The hamstring is an important muscle, making sure to stretch it really well has helped me stay injury free. sTANDING pIKESimilar to the last stretch, just not with your legs crossed. This can also be done in seated position. sTRADDLEThis is another stretch that is simply but effective. It stretches your hamstrings, your calf, and your groin. If you're not able to touch your toe, keep your back straight, look toward your foot and gently reach forward keeping your back straight. Maybe it is the former cheerleader and gymnast in me, but I still love the straddle stretch. You can do this with your toes pointed and flexed. Just be sure to do the same on all three sides to keep everything even. Crossed Leg IT Band StretchThis is the IT band stretch that has been SO helpful for me. I didn't even know what an IT band was until I started running. IT band aka iliotibial band is a pesky one. ITBS is iliotibial band syndrome, aka runners knee. The IT band runs from your hip to your knee. If it isn't stretched properly, it can cause severe pain. Runners knee is one of the most common injuries for runners, so preventing is very important! When I had ITBS, it felt like someone was stabbing the side of my knee. It was just awful. Finding this stretch has been great for me. Start by crossing your legs. You want to keep the bottom leg and the top leg parallel. Make sure both your cheeks are on the ground and that you're not leaning to either side. Once you've got yourself set up, apply pressure to the top knee. You'll feel the stretch on your bum and outside of the leg. LungeThe lunge is another stretch I'm sure you've been doing most of your life. I like to start in downward dog and step through to my hands with one leg at a time. Make sure your knee is over your toe. This will prevent any pressure on your knee. Push through your heal on the back leg. Depending on your flexibility, this may look different for you. Your hands do not need to be on the ground, If you're performing this standing, make sure to keep your knee over your toe. If you push your hip forward, you'll feel this more in your hip flexor and the back of your leg. The great thing about a lunge is there are SO many different lunges you can do, this one just happens to be my go to! And that is my stretching routine! Don't stretch regularly? I can't recommend it enough. It's been so helpful for me and I will definitely continue to stretch. xoxo, Chelsea Shop The Post:I figured I'd kick my first post about my favorite things with a fitness edition. This felt fitting considering this blog basically started as just a diary about my workouts and somehow transformed into so much more than just running. I've linked the products on all titles of the favorite thing I'm talking about! Lululemon SpeedsMy local Lululemon store let me know they've recently changed the name to Speed Up shorts. When I tried the Speed Up short, it fit exactly as the Speeds did, fewh! Speed, excuse me, Speed Up shorts are my go to shorts. I like the length, the liner and the material. Speeds are my go to shorts, especially for races & long runs. I like the 2-way stretch and the 4-way stretch. One thing that surprised my about Speeds and Lululemon is the sizing. While I'd say their sizing is pretty consistent across the board for me. I had to go a size larger than I would have initially guessed. But once I got over the fact that size is just a number (no one cares what size you are if you're happy with yourself), I rock the fact that I'm a 6 in Lulu, loud and proud. The only con with these is they're a little expensive for shorts. Sometimes you can find them on clearance but most time these will set you back about $60. The quality and customer service from Lulu is FANTASTIC, so for me, the investment has been worth it. Here's a few pictures of me either pre or post race in my speeds. Talos Jump Rope
Thanks to a good jump rope, I’ve discovered that jumping rope is HARD. It’s such a good workout too. I also like it because you can learn tricks and switch things up. If you don’t have a good jump rope yet, I highly recommend incorporating one into your routine. Here’s a video showing some variations (and you can see how much I’m enjoying it). Lumo RunIf you follow me, I’m sure you’ve read my rave review of the Lumo run. This thing is incredible. Coming from a cheerleading and gymnastic background, I’m a sucker for good form. Heck, when I saw Cirque du Soleil, I cried watching the perfect form of the performers. It was stunning. With running, I wasn’t really sure what good form was, so I just fumbled my way through it. This lack of form was a big contributing factor to being injured pretty much all the time in 2015 and 2016. Since I’ve been using Lumo, my form has improved. My times have improved. My confidence in my running has improved. I’m recovering faster after races because I’m using good technique. Is my technique perfect? Nope! I still have yet to get all 5 aspects Lumo tracks into the green. I can’t say enough how valuable Lumo has been for me. I’m a Lumo ambassador (my opinions are 100% my own), if you use my code CWI10, you’ll get $10 off a Lumo of your own! Reflective JacketNow that it is starting to get darker earlier means it is important to stay safe if you're working out outside. Rob got me this AMAZING reflective jacket for Christmas. I honestly feel so safe running while wearing this because I know that people can see me. Mine is made by Kyodan. Unfortunately, it looks like they're not making it any longer but I've linked a similar one above. That wraps up my list of favorite things, fitness edition!
I'd love to hear from you. What are some of your favorite fitness related things? xoxo, Chelsea
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
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.
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. 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 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! 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 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! 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. Week 4 recapThis week included my longest run ever: 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was only Monday of the week and I was worrying about the run. Would I be able to complete it? My left knee has been bothering me. Nothing major, just enough to be a nuisance running. I made sure to really stretch through the week, which seemed to help! So, week recap:
Monday: 40 minute Gipis marathon training run and Week 4 BBG Arms and Abs Tuesday: Week 4 BBG Legs and Cardio Wednesday: 40 minute Gipis marathon training run Thursday: 40 minute Gipis marathon training run Friday: REST Saturday: 2 hour and 20 minute Gipis marathon training run Sunday: Week 4 BBG total body The last time I ran over 2 hours was my 1/2 marathon back in October. By the end my body hated me and I felt like I was 100 years old. I was expecting to feel the same after my 2 hour and 20 minute training run, but surprisingly, I did not! I'm really impressed with how well my training has prepared my body for the run. I'm not an experienced runner, so for me 2 hours and 2 minutes is like "whoa!". I took goos with me, which ended up being expired.. YUCK. I only had one though. The texture wasn't right and as I finished the first one, I had a feeling it was expired. Thankfully my genius husband suggested I bring clementines with me. So, he pealed and separated a clementine out for me and bagged it up. It really helped! It was weird chewing the first few times. But I felt better each piece I ate throughout the run. I also noticed that at the end of this run my stomach didn't hurt. After my 1/2 marathon, my stomach was upset for the remainder of the night. I must admit I almost cried when I got home after my run. I usually run Gipis & Nike+ simultaneously, but for a long run I was concerned my battery wouldn't last so I only ran Gipis. With about 20 minutes left my music stopped so I took my phone out of the inside of my jacket. Somehow, I'd gotten locked out (I'm guessing that it considered my jacked rubbing an attempt to unlock and after a few 'bad tries' it locket). I try to unlock my phone and it said to wait 1 minute. I'm panicking! I know I have about 20 minutes left because it gave time remaining updates every 10 minutes from 40 minutes down to 10 minutes. The last I had heard was 30 minutes and I knew I had run almost 10. Finally, I get my phone unlocked and it says 21 minutes left. I decide that my phone will not freeze in 20 minutes so I put my armband back on over my jacket. 10 minute warning comes and goes... I'm in the parking lot near my house. I usually have to run around the parking lot at the end of my runs so I take a peek at my phone to see I have a little of 3 minutes left... then it happens. Music stops. No big deal, I think to myself. Then I realize my phone completely turned off. It must of crashed because when it turned back on I had 60% battery. So, I don't know my splits and I don't know if I beat my half marathon time. I think I might have because I ran the entire time, during my half marathon I had to walk a few times. But, I'll never know. I think I am going to invest in a GPS watch so that doesn't happen again. What type of GPS watch do you use? So, here is the total of my first month's journey to 1,000 miles Week 4 mileage: 25.7 miles Month 1 miles: 94.4/80 905.6 miles left! This week included 4 runs, 3 were 25 minutes and the final run of the week was a 1 hour and 50 minute run. It also included the two required bikini body guide workouts (I excluded the optional workout this week and added an additional recovery day).
All three 25 minute runs were done inside on the treadmill. I cannot understand why these three short workouts felt like an eternity but the 1 hour and 50 minute run felt quick. I need to make peace with the treadmill because with all the projected snow, I will not be getting in as many outside runs as I would like. For my long run, I accidentally left my Nike+ app on inside mode so it kept saying my average pace with in the 9’s. I was pretty bummed out when I finished and looked at Gipis and noticed it was actually 10:13. Still faster than the 10:26 that Gipis has recommended. I was very sore from BBG legs so I included lots of foam rolling. After my long run my left knee has been irritating me. I’ve foam rolled, stretched and taken extra rest days without any impact. It still doesn’t feel right. I will definitely be using rock tap on it for my 2 hour and 20 minute run this week. This week’s lunches includes roasted red potatoes and cubed chicken covered in a spicy tomato sauce. The threat of snow seems to be inevitable. We are predicted to get 2-3 feet. Not sure how I am going to get three 40 minute runs and a 2 hour and 20 minute run in. I’ve decided to start incorporating Insanity workouts into the routine. Substitute a total body BBG workout for Insanity. I want to keep things new and exciting (and keep my body guessing). So here are the totals: 18.5 miles for the week 68.7 miles for the month 931.3 miles left (approximately 7% there!) Week 2 does not technically end until Saturday but weather dependent I will not be running again until Sunday.
This week’s workouts were: Monday: Rest Tuesday: AM- Bikini Body Guide abs and arms, PM- 1hour 5 minute Gipis (running app) run Wednesday: AM- Bikini Body Guide legs and cardio, PM- 1hour 5 minute Gipis run Thursday: 1 hour 5 minute Gipis run Friday: AM- Bikini Body Guide full body Saturday: Rest *weather permitting – if it is supposed to rain all day Sunday, I will be running on Saturday* ***UPDATE: Weather did not work on my side, so I had to run on Saturday. This caused some differences in running totals.*** This week is the longest run time wise per day of my training program. Four runs of 1 hour and 50 minutes. It doesn't sound like it is that much, but I am also doing the Bikini Body Guide and didn't want to neglect those goals because of running. Monday was a much needed rest day after running Friday, Saturday and Sunday the week before. Tuesday was a great day, I felt great during both workouts. I am surprised how great I felt, had negative splits and completed the run with an average pace 34 seconds per mile less than the program called for. Wednesday = death! Felt great after the morning workout but when it came time to bundle up and run after work that day I was just exhausted. I learned a valuable lesson from it. Love the process. The first 3 miles of the run I fought with myself, “I don’t wanna do this”, “I wanna go home”, “UGH”… once I realized fighting with myself wasn't accomplishing anything, I gave in and decided to embrace the process. Part of the realization came from knowing that at my current pace I wasn't going to complete the run in the recommended time. To me, what was the point of even running if I wasn't going to meet the goal for the day, so I gave in and began to enjoy it. After embracing the process I was able to finish with an average pace 2 seconds per mile faster than the plan. I was so drained after the run though. I decided to take the morning off the next day and focus on finishing the run after work. It ended up being the right choice. Thursday’s run 16 seconds under the program goal. Although I almost didn’t go, (thank you hubby for encouraging me to run) I really enjoyed getting out and just running. I feel fortunate that I’m able to go out and run. I’m really trying to remember that every time I go out. Friday completed week two of the bikini body guide with a full body workout and the end to a long week. To sum it up: Week total: 33.4 miles Total 2015 miles: 50.13 Only 949.87 left! I'd love to hear from you: What races are you registered for in 2015? I haven’t registered for any yet but know I want to do several 5ks, maybe a 10k and a ½ marathon. 2016 will be the year of my first full marathon! My journey to 1,000 miles in 2015 began last night with a 5.27 mile run. My mileage was right on target if I complete 4 runs per week. Running in 25 degree weather on a dark windy night is not an easy task. But running on a night like last night while sick made it even harder. Breathing was very difficult, my goal wasn't to concentrate on pace but just to complete the run. I ended up being the exact pace my training plan called for though. The difficulty of the run was a wake-up call about how hard this journey will be. There are going to be days that i'm sick or tired and don't feel like running. But I need to keep pushing if I want to reach 1,000 miles in 2015. Before embarking on my 1,000 mile journey in 2015, I’ve decided to write a little about my journey and how I’ve ended up here.
From about the time I was able to walk I was doing gymnastics and cheerleading and as I got older I was active at least 5 days a week, often having two workouts a day. Fast forward to college – I decided to quit the D1 cheer team that I was on and eventually transferred schools and joined their D3 squad. I had managed to stay active and never really gained too much weight. College came and went and I began a desk job. The weight really started to pile on (I’m only 5’3’’ so any weight gain really shows). Eventually, I got engaged and lost the weight (full disclosure- I lost weight the wrong way) to fit into my wedding gown for my 2011 wedding. After the wedding, the weight just started piling on. I understand that some people would not have considered it “piling on the weight” but to me I was fat and unhappy with myself. Each person’s fitness and health journey is their own and no two are the same. I felt miserable, stopped caring about clothes and avoided taking pictures like the plague. I didn’t want to face that I had let myself get so out of shape. 2012 through September 2013: I realized I needed to make a change and completed 3 rounds of insanity. Towards the end of 2013 I registered for a 5k with my sister and discovered my love of running! September 2013 – August 2014: Running, cross training: stair master, bike, weights, etc. August 2014 – December 2014: Bikini Body Guide – completed the entire 12 week program without skipping a single resistance workout & continued running. So here I am… the conclusion of 2014 and I’ve decided to run 1,000 miles in 2015. Along with that, I’ve also gained a new outlook on eating. I’m trying a new program where I’ll be eating a much larger breakfast than I currently do and smaller meals after. I know people who’ve gotten great results. I’m going on vacation in August and my main goal is to feel amazingly confident in a bikini. I LOVED being in a bikini back in the day – I really took that for granted and will fight to get it back! I had two resolutions in 2014: run a 1/2 marathon and better keep in touch with friends. I accomplished both! So, I decided to set a lofty goal for 2015. I haven't been incredibly consistent with my running and if I wan't to win races, I need to become consistent. So, my goal for 2015 is to run 1,000 miles! I'm planning 50 weeks (2 week buffer), so I have to run 20 miles per week. I've set the goal in RunKeeper so I'm ready to go. I have off from work from December 23rd - January 4th so I'm hoping to get some good mileage in the first four days of the new year! My goal for 2016 is to run a marathon so reaching my 2015 goal will really set me up nicely.
Want to join 1,000 miles in 2015? Let me know! What are your 2015 resolutions? Am I becoming a morning person? After today’s morning workout, maybe! I wasn’t able to get Week 12 BBG abs done at the gym (no rooms were available for me to use) last night, so I did LISS. I decided on a whim to try and go this morning. Surprisingly, I got up and out and was at the gym by about 6:30. I think my festive pants helped get me awake enough to workout (pictured above). It was nice and empty! I was able to get my step and other equipment without having to doge people. It was really nice! I also got in 10 minutes of 30/30 HIIT (30 seconds on and 30 seconds off) at a 6:58 pace (intervals were at 6:58 but machine said 7:03average for the whole workout). Now, after work I can go for a run, maybe do another HIIT or even just… relax! That’s a thought. I haven’t been able to go home after work and just relax in ages. Let’s hope these morning workouts continue to be as successful as today.
I'd love to hear from you! When do you work out? Are you a morning person or a night owl? Halloween candy has really ruined my eating! I've been eating so bad it's spooky (I had to haha). Time to get the candy out of the house and get back on track. With only two full weeks left of the bikini body guide I need to buckle down so I can see results when I compare the start of the program to the finish. This week lunches are simple. 1/2 cup cooked brown rice and .33 lbs of chicken and a low fat yogurt. Still making sure I stay close to micros and drinking enough water. Tonight my workout will be week 11 resistance arms & 10 minutes of HIIT. How do you get back on track? To splash things up, I decided to carve a pineapple instead of the usual pumpkin. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is! I used a knife to cut off the top and an ice cream scooper to core the inside. Then I used a knife to cut the face.
What's your favorite way to give a new take on a holiday classic? |
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