It's getting real friends. Training is in full effect and running after 3 kids, laundry, cooking, homework, sick children waking up in the middle of the night... yep - it has made me cherish every bit of sleep I can get :)
Right now, it's all about my family and taking good care of myself so that A. I don't get sick and B. stay injury free.
I got a pretty cool package in the mail from Be Fit and the team at Sweat Pink. Don't you love fun mail?!
Give me protein!
One of the items they sent me was a jar of protein powder and I was excited to give it a try. I blended up one of their suggested recipes -
The Orange Dreamsicle Shake.
1 scoop of Be Fit vanilla whey protein powder
1 fresh orange (the recipe called for orange juice, but I wanted the whole orange)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
6 ice cubes
Blend and serve.
It was so delicious! I am focused on getting plenty of protein to repair my muscles from all the demands of marathon training.
Stay tuned - I will be giving away this package soon to a lucky reader!
Be Fit also sent me some pretty great strength videos to try. I have watched a few and they are intense. I am looking forward to trying a workout this week!
What else has been going on?
Megan started ballet class!
Ballerina :)
We went to my friend Gus's art show on Sunday. If you have been reading my blog for a while, then you've heard (I mean, read) me talk about Gus. He is a runner and a super talented artist!
Jerold and I usually go to one of his art shows as part of a date night, so it was fun to bring the kids to a Sunday afternoon show...
Teach them young - art is GREAT!
By the way I have to say that Josh looks so big to me in this picture! I remember when he was just a baby. Crazy.
Anyway, I wanted to share with you what I have been using for my tired muscles...
Wow, this stuff is amazing. I like it a little better than the plain epsom salts and boy does it work. I ran a hot bath last night, poured in a few cups, soaked my tired bones for 30 minutes and promptly went to sleep. I have to say, when I woke up I felt good. The soreness was gone and I felt ready to start the day - I had a hard workout on the schedule!
Can I tell you how HANGRY I have been lately? Not all day, but there are times during the day that I have to eat right. now. So everybody get out of my way.
This is one of my favorite meals to eat after a hard workout...
It's called the Tex Mex scramble - Salmon, guacamole, eggs, black beans, green beans. It is heavenly and I enjoyed every bite.
Speaking of food - I am finished up the runner's reset with Laura this week. It has been such a great experience and I loved focusing on what types of foods I am putting into my body. What works and what doesn't.
Here is my conclusion: I really liked taking sugar out of my diet during this time. BUT, I realized that I really want dessert one night on the weekend. Jerold and I will usually have dessert together and it's a fun way to hang out and watch a movie or talk (and eat!) after dinner. SO, I got off track a little bit and had chocolate both of the last two Saturdays. I am okay with it! I know going forward, that I don't need chocolate every night and I look forward to it on a Saturday night. It's a healthy balance for me - and it's all about balance, right?
Everything else was smooth sailing - I took the honey out of my oatmeal in the mornings, made sure I had a dedicated time for lunch (I get so busy in the afternoons, that I was skimping on lunch - a huge no-no during marathon training) and made sure I was eating every 2-3 hours.
These are all great habits and I will stick to this going forward.
Elle will be THREE on Saturday!! I am so excited to celebrate her, and a little sad that I now have zero babies in my house :(
She started signing her name when she arrives at preschool each morning...
And every chance I get to hold her hand, I take it.
There's nothing better.
Here is what my training looked like for last week:
Monday January 18th: 6 miles easy
Tuesday January 19th: 6 miles easy
Wednesday January 20th: 2 mile warm up, 5 x 1 mile repeats (with .25 rest in between), 2 mile cool down
10 miles total.
My splits for the 1 mile repeats: 6:51, 6:58, 6:55, 6:52, 6:59
Thursday January 21st: 6 miles easy
Friday January 22nd: REST
Saturday January 23rd: 16 miles at 7:57 pace (I picked a course that was somewhat similar to Boston - 2.5 miles downhill, then lots of rolling hills, a good amount of uphill, flat, downhill and a flat finish)
Sunday January 24th: 6 miles easy
Total mileage: 50
Note: Every day I do dynamic stretching (its a lot - there are exercises from my coach and exercises from PT) before each run. On Wednesdays (my hard day) I do an extended warm up.
Core exercises are done every day. Strength training several times a week.
I am so strong now on the single leg jumps, double leg jumps and squats. My right quad muscle is so much stronger!
I use the R8 roller daily, compression socks after every run, a couple of yoga positions that stretch me out and feel wonderful, and a massage once every week or two.
Happy Hump Day ---> downhill to the weekend!!
Anyone training for a race in February?
Have you ever run the LA Marathon (it's on Valentine's Day this year!)?
Happiness Is Running Life!
xo,
Natalie
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