Tag Archives: breakfast

To Split or Not to Split?

Daily Life!, Food for Thought, Running, , , , ,

Happy Friday everyone! I’m so ready for the weekend. It’s been gloomy and rainy here, but I don’t even care. The weather won’t drag down my spirits before Superbowl weekend!!

But before I start rambling, look at this super attractive photo my coworker took of me this morning!

IMG_3196We have a new glass panel in our office that is perfect for standing behind and drawing funny faces on people. So that’s what we did for a good chunk of the morning. Don’t judge. It’s Friday.

So yesterday I started pondering my running plans for the weekend… I checked my Little Rock marathon training schedule to make sure I wasn’t crazy. 20 Miles. 20. Miles. Holy cow. That one’s gonna hurt. I decided a mini carbload could only help the situation, so I started today with brown rice and Greek yogurt.

IMG_3192Does anyone else like their rice hot with milk, cinnamon and sugar? Nick thinks I’m absolutely insane when I put this concoction together, but it’s a total comfort food that my mom used to make for us with leftover rice. He believes rice is meant to only be salty/savory. And I feel it can awesome sweet or salty. 🙂

Then for lunch I had some tortilla chips and cottage cheese followed by an open-faced bagel sandwich.

IMG_3194Disregard the cheese….I was craving it and decided the one piece would be worth the pain. So far so good. 🙂  I had half a bagel leftover from carb loading last week, so I microwaved it with some chicken deli meat + Gouda cheese. It was delish!

To Split or Not to Split?

With my long runs for the next 2 weeks being so long, right at or exceeding 3 hours, I started wondering if this is really good for me. And is it really necessary to do it all at once? Well Google only confused me on the subject of splitting up long runs (darn those other running blogs!), but I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to shoot to do it all at once. BUT, if I have to split it up due to social events, weather, etc, it won’t be the end of the world. Many people mentioned that running longer than 3 hours can set you up for more injuries and will take longer to recuperate before your next run.

I was happy to hear this as we are forecasted to have lots of rain tonight and into tomorrow morning that could mess up my 3 hour running plan. You’re thinking – just run after it stops?! Right?! I know. But I’m so OCD about when and where I run. I want to get out early while it’s still dark. I want to run on some roads that get too busy later in the day. And I just want to the rain to go away so I can do these things on Saturday morning! But you’re right. I could just wait it out as the rain is supposed to subside late morning. And Sunday is always an option as well – working around Jazzercise and the Super Bowl, of course!

So the main point of these ramblings? I realize I need to be flexible with my weekend training schedule. And if my run has to be split into 2 sessions, then that’s okay too!  And just to throw in one more curveball…we have lots of snow in the forecast for next week! Holy smokes!

Superbowl Plans

Do you guys have any? Nick and I are being little hermits this year and decided to party it up at home with Mac for the Super Bowl. We’re awesome….we know. 🙂

I’m a horrible sports fan. I rarely even know the teams that are playing in these major games, unless it’s a team from Missouri of course! But I’m the sucker that still gives into the ‘hype’ of the game. I will watch the pregame show, the puppy bowl, the whole game, commercials, and the half-time show. And I will eat chicken wings and chips and be excited for whichever team wins. And I will go back to not really caring Monday morning. Nothing against the game or sport – I’m just not that attached to it!

If you do have plans, I hope you have tons of fun! Have a great weekend and I’ll talk to you all soon!

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Preparation Anxiety

Food for Thought, Running, , , , ,

Happy hump day! Hope you’re having a great Wednesday. Mine is okay minus the fact that my race is getting closer and closer. I’m nervous!

Yesterday was completely exhausting for me. Work was nonstop all day, and then I taught 2 Jazzercise classes last night. It’s taper week, right? Yep, but this instructor doesn’t really like to rest.

I woke up early to get in my scheduled shorter run this morning. I ran 4.5 miles at a fairly easy pace (around 9 min/mile), and it was nice to get out in the cold morning air and do what I love. When I took off from my driveway, I was sure to keep an eye on my current pace (on my app!) because I want to know what I should feel like when I start out a little slower than normal pace on Saturday. My ideal race pace would be 8:30/mile overall for the half marathon, but I need to begin the race a little slower so I don’t bonk on the crazy big hills. I’m hoping for a 8:45-9 min/mile pace for the first 2ish miles, and then I’ll speed up when I feel warm and not headed uphill. But then again, this is my first half. I know I need to stop focusing on numbers and just run comfortably to cross the finish line. No matter what time I get, it will be a personal record! And one that I can beat later on. 🙂

Preparation Anxiety

I’m starting to have some serious anxiety about packing correctly for the weekend. Isn’t that dumb? It’s the Type-A side of me that always takes over before something exciting happens…like my race!

The forecast for STL on Saturday morning is giving me some mixed emotions…

Screen Shot 2014-01-22 at 3.11.28 PM
Based on this forecast from the local station, KMOV, my run will be below freezing, windy, and possible snow. Hmm. I know this is what I have trained for all winter, but I would really prefer for wind and snow to stay away. 🙂 The low temp on Friday night is what’s stressing me out the most. With my run at 8:30 am, there won’t be much time for any warming on Saturday morning! I’ll be okay, but I may have to pack 2 bags. I have way too many scenarios to pack for now! The pressure!! I need to pack…

  • Warmer weather clothes, just in case it gets freakishly warm!
  • My ear warmer and 2 pairs of gloves.
  • 2 options for bottoms (my lululemon tights and then some looser track pants I can put over the top)
  • 2-3 long sleeve tops + my puffer vest
  • Rain jacket
  • Socks + Compression sleeves and socks (for after)!
  • Favorite sports bra
  • Running shoes, obviously!

And once again, I talk (or type) out things that are stressing me out to help me remember! So thanks for listening to my ramblings. It helps me cope. 🙂  I’ll also be bringing along my hand-held bottle and my favorite Jelly Belly Sports Beans to help fuel me mid-race. I think I have a pretty good fueling-regimen in place to get me to the finish line without hitting a ‘wall’ of any sort, but we’ll wait to see how it holds up before I share.

Breakfast

This morning started out on a good note with some new yogurt I picked up over the weekend!

IMG_3128This apple pie-flavored Greek yogurt was as awesome as it sounds. I could’ve eaten multiple cups of it in one sitting it was so tasty! I also had a big ole cup of oatmeal on the side to fill my tummy post-run.

IMG_3129It kept me full for most of the morning. Plus, oats are great for carb-loading a few days out. A little early carbo loading never hurt anyone. 🙂

I’ve been begged to sub a Jazzercise class tonight right after work to help cover some ill instructors. I know I need rest, but when the instructor begging you for help is sick AND pregnant, you tend to just give in. ha! So I’ll be teaching at 5:40 again tonight before heading home to pack up everything on my list. I definitely will NOT be doing any intense leg routines tonight – that’s for sure!

Have a great night everyone. Let’s hope we can all get some well-deserved rest!

Decisions, Decisions

Daily Life!, Running, , ,

Hey there! How’s your Thursday going?? It’s a cloudy/dreary day here in Springfield. I’m hoping we might get a little sunshine tomorrow before all the rainy gross stuff comes this weekend. Fingers crossed I can get out and do a long run on Saturday before the monsoon!

And speaking of running, I’ve been faced with a small dilemma. I guess I should call it more of an internal struggle. One of my girlfriends and old sorority sisters is moving to the east coast in January. She is already registered for the Little Rock Marathon that is March 2nd. She’s offered to transfer her bib/registration over to me.

imagesI’m struggling with the decision to just stay registered for the marathon (and switch my half marathon training schedule over for a full marathon) or to switch the registration over to the half marathon. But I’m not sure I’m going to be ready for a full marathon by March! In the back of my mind, I want to do it. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. I’m just really stinkin’ nervous to say I’m for sure going to run my first marathon before I’ve completed my first half!

ecard-marathonPlus, training lately has been difficult with the holidays. I want to eat and sleep and be fat jolly. So it’s been a struggle to get out there and run when the roads are snow-covered and it’s 15 degrees! I haven’t made up my mind yet. Maybe after I get in a nice long run this weekend, I can get a better grasp on how I feel about the 26.2.

Breakfast

I started my morning with 4.1 miles in 35 minutes – woot! So by the time I got to work I was hungry. I decided to try out the Pumpkin Spice Clif Bar today.

photo(125)It was good, but I must say, it wasn’t my fave. It was like a yummy and dense pumpkin pie, which I liked. But what I didn’t like were the large chunks of almonds I kept finding. I like some texture, but it was too much.  And I also had some Greek yogurt on the side for extra protein.

image(17)Yum!

Tonight will be Jazzercise along with lots of mommy and Mac. I’ve been missing my little man lately!

photo(52)I need me some doggie snuggle time!

Have a great night everyone. See you on Friday!