Monthly Archives: June 2011

Don’t Blink

The 12 days or so since my last update have been a whirlwind. It seems like I just blinked and all of the sudden it was days/weeks later.

Two yoga classes, one run, nine days worked, one friend’s wedding celebrated, three days off and one impending injury that I’m trying to ward off.

That is not a recap I’m happy with in terms of working out, but it was a wonderful weekend with three days off and I lucky enough to be a part of a beautiful wedding for two wonderful friends.

So, instead of ignoring the lack of running and the, “life getting in the way,” I’m assessing it and going to take responsibility to figure out how to fit in the runs in the future.

Missed Runs

One factor of “falling off the wagon” these past weeks is that there there wasn’t a lot of harm done to my training plan overall. I’m not in full training yet for my November 5th marathon so at this point I’m just trying to get more fit and get more comfortable for when I start building mileage. If I’m going to prioritize other things over the training plan now is the time to do it.

But, at the same time – I did miss the runs. And I need to acknowledge that. One of my mantras that I say about mid-run is, “No one can do this for you, but you. You are responsible for your own health, entirely and completely. You are the only one who can keep you healthy.” That is true and in that respect I did let myself down.

While I will have more motivation in the future to get those runs in with the help of the 13.1 goal, there will always be busy weeks, busy days and bad weather. One way I can work to not fall into that trap is to have a large repitoire of activities to keep fit when the runs don’t work out, for whatever reason. I can find different ways to work out – even if it’s 6 a.m. and raining or 11 p.m. and dark.

Good run

I tried something new for my run this week. I think overall it was a great choice and it’s something I’m going to work in to my routine once a week as I train.

I’ve been using intervals as a crutch and I want to get out of that habit. The intervals tell me when to go what speeds and I never stray beyond those. The result is completed runs as planned, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for pushing limits.

This past Thursday, I decided to turn off the “coaching” w/ my intervals and just run. Because I had taken a week off, I cut down the mileage, but instead of set intervals and time, I decided I was going to go as far as I could, for as long as I could, mixing in intermittent slower speeds with the pushing of the faster speeds. I think it was really a great run even if it was different. I wasn’t running for time, I was just running to run, and it was a great feeling. I’m going to make sure one of my short runs each week is just that – no time, just mileage and no coaching – just pure running.

Impending Injury

I wasn’t able to run my first half marathon in May due to peroneal tendinitis in my right foot. My run this week felt great, but today when I got up to run my left foot was tight and just felt off. I need to look in to some stretches and some ways to strengthen those areas so I don’t miss another race due to the same problem. Today, instead of pushing it, I took the morning off and I plan on another run tomorrow.

I think it’s important not to injure it before I even start training so I’m going to take advantage of these few weeks that I have to learn more about strengthening the areas before I lose training time.

Yoga

I took one class of yoga per week the past week and they were night and day for one reason – me. The class was the same, the location was the same, the teacher was the same, but I was different each week.

Last week it was a frustrating class. I was unfocused and it just felt like I wasn’t doing anything right, like my body was separate from my thoughts and actions. I left frustrated and upset with myself.

This week, I took the same class and went in with a new attitude. I focused on the breathing, focused on the motions and didn’t lose myself in frustrations when my hands slipped, or when I did something wrong – I just did the motions and it made all the difference. No frustrations and I left feeling energized and strong – strong enough to go back to running on Thursday. That’s hugely important to keep in mind in the future in all actions – my attitude has more impact than anything else on the outcome.


It all goes back to intention. This week, the importance of that intention was very visible in all aspects of my life and although I certainly didn’t succeed in all areas, I can be okay with that and not be disappointed in my shortcomings or failures, but rather enjoy the progress that occurs in all areas, each day.

Rise and Shine

Today’s run was early.

There are quite a few things that were different about this morning’s 3.1 – and just about all of them were good things.


Time: It was EARLY compared to my runs so far.  I don’t have a problem waking up early, but typically when I do it’s to get work done, go in to work early, have a meeting or go to a networking event.  I enjoy “easing” in to my day that way.  Running requires quite a bit more energy than I typically exert at 6:30 a.m., but none-the-less it was enjoyable.

I didn’t go to bed particularly early, in fact it was later than I usually do.  Today is also day 15 of 20 consecutive work days – definitely not an energy-filled time frame. But, I’m tired of putting it off and waiting until conditions are right. I am tired right now, but I feel strong and centered. I believe my body is better for the miles and this is proof that even in the worst conditions I am capable of making time to better myself.  “Tired” is not an excuse.

Intervals: This morning was also an important milestone in my training- I increased my run  intervals a full minute from where I’ve been at and I’m back to where I was when I got injured in March.  I’m back to the pace I was at when I was building miles and I feel stronger in that place.  I’m still one month away from building steady mileage in preparation for my first half marathon, but that gives me confidence and strength that I can push even longer and harder than where I’m at now and potentially even add an additional minute to my run interval before I’m ready to train.

Weather: Today’s weather was a wonderful break from the pounding midwest heat I’ve been suffering through.  60 degrees and cloudy was a great way to start the day!

Snacktime

Review: Market Pantry Dried Apricots

I love finding really great, healthy snacks. So much so, that it takes 2-3 stores for me to get everything that I love for snacking.  Also, the snacks I buy in the summer have to be able to last a long time without going bad since I work so much. Here are a few things that I look for when finding a great natural snack item:

Natural Ingredients – One of my biggest pet peeves is something that is marketed as natural or healthy and when you look at the ingredients there are 30 items listed when there should be 1 or 2.  The first thing I look at is the nutrition panel for the ingredient list.  In this particular item there are only 2: apricots and sulfer dioxide (for color retention).

While I’m not thrilled about the addition of the sulfer dioxide, I was willing to try the item, regardless. I tried to do some research on the effects of the chemical in food and what I found according to ehow.com’s health article, is that it hasn’t had any proven effect on healthy adults, but it can effect adults with breathing disorders.  As an asthma sufferer, I didn’t personally have any problems with this small bag, but be aware that it is a warning.

Taste – Taste is obviously important or I won’t buy it again.  I also enjoy finding products that fill me up without my having to eat a lot of it.  The apricots were good tasting, but very strong tasting, too, so I could only have a few at a time.  This might be a fruit that I enjoy better fresh.

Texture – Texture is key to enjoying a natural snack.  Too chewy, crunchy, etc… and it’s not a good experience.  I thought the texture was right on these apricots but there were a few seeds that I got surprised with. Not used to dried apricots, that probably just comes with the territory, but just be aware if you do eat these.

Calories – I always look at the calories, too, because even with natural snacks you need to be mentally aware of what you’re consuming.  These came in at a respectable 90 calories per 5 pieces.  This doesn’t sound like a lot, but the taste is very strong in these, so 5 pieces is a reasonable amount.

Overall – I thought these were good, but not sure if I’m eager to run out and get these again.  I think these are better as an accent piece than as a snack themselves.  They would be good chopped in a salad.  I’m also not a huge fan of the additive to keep the color.  I would be find with these even without their trademark orange color and I’m just not sure it was necessary.  I plan on trying a few other brands and types before passing judgment on dried apricots as a whole.

Duo Recaps

It’s been quite a long week.

Coming off of the Indianapolis 500 weekend (a sacrosanct 3-days in our house) and heading in to a very busy work week, I only got one run in this week – a 3.1 on Saturday.  I did get my first yoga class in, though, so this will be a duel recap of the two experiences.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect with yoga – it can be intimidating, especially walking in to a class with no experience.  I wanted to push my comfort zone, though, so I signed up for a four-week Intro to Yoga class this month.  A friend signed up as well, which helps both of us stay committed to the program and our first class was this week.

After one class – I’m hooked.  It was the only workout I’ve ever done that I was still thinking about 3 days later.  It really was energizing – but in a different way than high impact cardio.  After a run I feel accomplished and energized.  After this class I felt energized and thoughtful.  I was really impressed with the purposefulness of the movements and I look forward to next week and learning more.  I definitely think this will be an activity I continue.

Saturday’s run was a hot one – the high for the day was set to be around 91 degrees, so I wanted to wake up early and run before it got too hot.  I didn’t wake up early enough, because I didn’t get on the road until 9:30 a.m. and it. was. HOT.

The first 2 miles I pushed the intervals longer than normal but got my butt kicked on the last mile.  By the time I got home I was just wiped out and lost about 2 minutes on my standard pace.

A couple things I learned from this run for the next time.

– Eat breakfast first. I had some juice, but it wasn’t nearly enough.  After a long week with long hours at work, my nutrition hasn’t been the most energy efficient this week and I was definitely lacking energy the second half.  Some peanut butter toast or a banana would have been helpful.

– Drink Water. This was the first run I brought water along on since my longer mileage runs earlier this year and I don’t think I could have handled the heat without it.  This is one of the things that I need to remember as the summer heats up and my training gets more intense.  When my work schedule allows, I need to try and wake up earlier to get some cooler runs in, too.

This next week continues to be busy, but I’ve got another yoga class and hope to get at least 2 runs in (a 4 miler and another 3.1).  I haven’t been able to get the weight training worked in to the schedule yet like I wanted to, but that can come next month.