Today is Eric’s 35th Birthday! I wanted to make it special- even though he prefers me not making a big deal out of his birthday! I decided the best way to make it special was to tap I to his deepest desires and wishes…
So, I gave him a Justin Beiber birthday party!!! EPIC!!!!!
I reached a new PR today with my running. I’ve been trying out the new run schedule and it seems to be working out well!
I did 6 miles on Sunday which was a bit rough because I was sick. It was flashbacks of my half marathon: the sweats, the cramps, the gurgling…but I made it! I pulled out the 6 miles with a 10:05/mi pace. Today was a 2 miler and although, I’m still sick (sinus cold), I was determined to make it fast. I made it with an 8:43/mi pace and was shocked because the second mile was 8:20/mi!!! Tonight was the Tabata workout and I mixed it up with some jumps and body weight training!! I always feel so good after those workouts!! Now, I’m looking forward to watching “The Following” while laying in bed!!!!
How did you get moving today??
It is that time again!!!! The time of the month (no, not that time of the month) where I receive a very exciting package in the mail!!! I get my foodie pen pal goodie box. This is now something that I get so excited about!! I love trying new things and seeing what people come up with to send me!! I received wonderful goodies this month…so without further ado…
It was a great balance of local yummy items and delicious chocolate to feed my 24/7 cravings!!! Of course, we opened it in the car after our speed run, which meant we had to taste test every little thing we saw!!! First I went right for the granola…a huge favorite of mine!
I loved the cranberry orange pecan…it was a nice mixture of flavors and I will be adding it to my yogurt for sure!!!! The Vanilla Almond will be making it’s way into my tofu pudding that I just made a huge batch of!!
I busted open the pretzels for Eric to try out first! They were a thumbs up and were also a yummy treat for Gavin as well. He loved them. I have to hold off on my chocolate indulgences, so I will be waiting until Sunday to try a few and make them into a nice little trail mixture with my new granola and some yummy yogurt! The Clif bars will be gladly used for my post long runs! I am not sure which to eat first…I think I will take half of each and then I get the best of both!!
This chocolate bar was totally different than anything I have ever tried!! It had a hint of lime to it, and it was actually a nice little blend!! It had some sort of kick to it while still being sweet!! The truffles are going to be the death of me!!
These received a huge squeal of delight!! Some local yummies for me to bake up and enjoy! It is a Double Chocolate Scone Mix, then a Chocolate Dessert Mix, plus a Chocolate Raspberry Spread!! I think I need to make sure all three of these go together! I plan to bake the scones for Easter morning and then add the sauce for a nice little dipping action!!! Oh, so many yummy snacks and treats to enjoy!!! A huge thank you to my foodie pen pal who sent me this wonderful package!!! Now, to sign up for April!! Hooray!
Seriously, you need to give this a try!! Click on the button in my side bar or on the link above!!!!
Posted in Foodie Pen Pals, The Daily News
I wanted to get a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I could eat without all of the guilt (or sugar)! I went searching for easy recipes and then picked one to modify! I wasn’t sure how these would work out, but the Hub and Gavin approved, so that means they must have been half decent!!
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
I mixed all of the wet ingredients together first and made sure they were all well blended. Then I added in the dry ingredients before folding in the chocolate chips. I may or may not have taste tested the batter since that is always my favorite part!!
I measured them out by the teaspoonful and baked them at 375F for 8 minutes. They came out nice, soft and easy to eat by the plateful!!
I will double the recipe next time, since I know they will be gobbled up! I will often half a recipe when I am trying it for the first time, since I am not sure if anyone will eat it and I don’t want to waste food. These tasted great with our Blue Bell No Sugar Added Chocolate Ice cream! I served it up for dessert this week and everyone was more than pleased!!!
Give them a try, let me know what you think….
I have been trying hard to meet the goals I set for myself this week. Not that they were too hefty, but the food tracking one is always the hardest to meet. Mostly because of my ability to eat everything around me when I have PMS (which of course, was this week). There is only one goal that will not be met and you will hear why….
I changed up my running goals for this week. Instead of two 3.5 mile runs and a 5 mile long run, I planned for a 2 mile (speedy run), a 4 mile (average pace) and then a 6 mile long run. I did the 2 miles on Tuesday with Eric and was able to keep a 9:10/mile pace….that is very fast for me. I was shocked and very happy that I was able to run that without feeling like I was going to die! Then, I did a hilly 4 mile run with Eric on Thursday. This was a little more tough for me. My knee was hurting a bit and I was finding the frequent, short, steep hills a little tough. HOWEVER, I will keep this as my 4 mile route, because I know the hills are good for me and my endurance!! I finished this run with a 10:34/mi pace.
I was pretty happy by the end of the run when I saw my pace was not as slow as I was thinking it would be. It is funny that 10:34/mi is slowish to me now, since that is actually faster than my ordinary pace as of a few weeks ago. I am hoping to run my 6 miles at no slower than a 10:15/mi pace. My overall goal is to be able to run my half marathon at a 10:30/mi pace…that would give great meaning to the term ‘Run Happy”
The one goal I know I won’t be meeting is my cardio day at the gym. I did Pilates (instead of Yoga Meltdown) on Monday, running on Tuesday, The Shred and Tabata on Wednesday, and then Running Thursday. Friday was my rest day/ family day and today (Saturday) was when I was planning on going to the gym. Since Wednesday my knee has been feeling pretty rough. It has been achy and tight when I try to bend it. It wasn’t hurting while I was running, but at all other times, it was in rough shape. I decided to take rest from cardio and do stretching today instead so I can be sure to be in ship shape for my run tomorrow. Other goals were to do a massage swap day with the Hub (he didn’t want one, but I did) which I got when my leg was hurting Thursday evening. I think that with the heat pack, helped a lot! Even though he was having issues with his neck and legs, he ran and massaged like a trooper!
I also planned an art day with my boys. I wanted to have some fun with them while not worrying about making a mess or keeping it controlled! We did that by decorating Easter Eggs and paining Easter pictures today. It was a free for all and I just tried to enjoy them being silly and having fun with their imaginations! I attempted to get them involved in the Easter cookie decorating, but they both were truthful by basically telling me they didn’t want to decorate the cookies, they only wanted to eat the sprinkles…can’t say that I blame them!!
So for now, I will sit on my arse, heat my knee, watch Shrek 2 with my boys and then plot the ways in which I will hide these Easter eggs!!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!! Here’s hoping the sun is shining for the day (and for my run)!!
Sunday started off rough, with an early wake up and an upset stomach. It was my scheduled 5 mile long run, so I knew I needed to just get out there and do it! The boys dropped me off at a trail and ran a couple errands while I ran. It was pretty cold out for the first mile and a half, but then I just pushed myself! I did not stop once…not to stretch, shake out my legs, or pee (I am known to do all three). I ended up with a time of 49:46, which means a 9:55/mi!! A PR for me, hooray!!! I celebrated by making a yummy new recipe!!!
Spinach and Feta Stuffed Turkey Burgers
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, form into patties. I was able to make 9 patties with my mixture.
These can be grilled or cooked in a frying pan. I used a frying pan with PAM Extra Olive Oil for mine
and cooked them slowly on stove top temperature of 4.
I also roasted some bell peppers to use as a topping for the burger. Easy Peasy, just roast in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes on each side
I served it up with a whole wheat bagel thin (lightly toasted) and some garlic flavored couscous (first time I EVER tried couscous)…
Overall, a very good meal!!! The burgers were moist and VERY flavorful, something that usually lacks from my other turkey burgers! These babies are a keeper!!!
Yay or Nay for Turkey Burgers??
How do you work on speeding up your pace while increasing distance?
Posted in Live Life, Recipes, The Daily News
Tagged endurance, faster, PR, recipe, run, turkey burgers, yummy
So, I need to seriously up the accountability I have going on. I have caught myself giving in to stress cravings and stressing a little too often lately. Setting some goals and going to make sure I keep notes as I check them off!!
I have to feel good in my body again and get away from the picking and prodding at every little thing. Looking back at my past posts help me remember what I need to be doing!! Ah, so nice to look back so easily thanks to my blog!! So, without further ado, here are the weekly goals!
1. Alter half marathon training plan: Tuesday is a short run (2 fast miles), Thursday is a medium run (4 miles) and Sunday is a long run (6 miles). I’m trying to work on speed with endurance so I’ll see how this goes!
2. Cardio/Strength/Yoga/Tabata: Do one gym cardio session, one shred with yoga meltdown, and one Tabata day with a form of easy cardio.
3. Keep a food journal EVERYDAY: No matter what, keep track. Just do it. Seriously, keep track of everything.
4. Have a ‘boys choice’ art day: Bring out tons of options, lay out a plastic table cloth and just enjoy!!! Don’t worry about a mess, just have fun with them!!!
5. Appt. Goals: Make a doctors appt, a dentist appt, and swap sport massages with the hubby! Our legs are sore and helping each other is a must! He’s up to 15 miles on his long runs, so he will need a deep tissue knuckle rub!
Those are the goals! I PROMISE to post next Sunday with the results and a new set of goals!! Now, onto Tabata!
So, one of the best ways to learn about Tabata workouts is to visit tabatatraining.org. You will get a description, videos, reasons why these are amazing workouts, and proof of what they can do for your health!!! I have incorporated them into my workout routine and have noticed a difference in my speed and my endurance!! 4 minutes of sweat and hard work is harder than you think…I do 4-5 different rounds and am usually DONE by the end. (Done- as in, holy shit, I can’t move).
Here is one example from runninglovingliving
I did a strength training Tabata on Friday for some endurance/resistance work. I use my exercise bands, pull up bar and dumbbells. It was pretty tough and by the time my plank set was done, my arms were jello!!! Here is my set- each round the exercises were repeated for a total of two times each. I’ll be doing this same one for my goal Tabata of the week!
So now, I have set some goals. I have talked about Tabata like I promised, and I hope I will get others trying it out and seeing it’s benefits! There are millions of variations, just make sure you are using a timer (I use Tabata Timer- a free app) and exerting yourself for those 20 seconds of hard work. It’s pointless if you use those 20 seconds to just march in place or do hip circles. Do your exercise and really go all out- not to the point of hurting yourself, but enough that you are seriously exerted by the time that 20 seconds is up!!! It is a great feeling when you are finished, and you really do feel stronger!!!
Tell me your goals, tell me your Tabata sets!!
I am a 33 year old military wife, mother of two amazing boys, and a teacher. I am on a journey to overall health ~ learning to focus on exciting goals rather than getting bogged down by numbers on the scale! Come along and join my journey :)
