Tag Archives: long run

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!

Getting Nervous!

Running, , , ,

Happy Thursday! It’s been a pretty ‘blah’ day here in SGF. The sun isn’t shining. There is dirty snow covering almost everything. And it’s not quite the weekend yet. Meh. But I’m trying to stay optimistic. I got in a nice run this morning despite the weather, and I will hopefully have a full Jazzercise class tonight. That is, if everyone decides to come out of hibernation. 🙂

My run yesterday morning and this morning were pretty similar in that the snow slowed me down a little bit, but at this point, I’m just happy that I can get out and run at all. This winter has been a harsh one, and lucky for me, I’m training for my first long-distance races in it! I did get some new running shoes though, and they are fantastic in the snow/ice so far.

photo(134)They have a nice, wide toe bed for stability, and a lot of traction on the bottom for not being trail running shoes. I’ve worn them on the snow a couple times since Christmas, and they have been great. And now I have 2 pairs of shoes I love so I can alternate between them instead of just running my Brooks into the ground (literally)!

This morning went I got back from my run and checked off my mileage for the day on my training plan, I got really nervous! I’m only 16 days away from my first half marathon, and I think my mind is just now finally realizing this. I’ve been training for so long (it seems) that it’s hard to comprehend that my race is finally here!

Before I know it, I’m going to be right back there in Forest Park in STL on a Saturday morning getting ready while Nick tries to calm me down.

20131228-180616.jpgIf I’m nervous now, I can only imagine how I’ll be on race day! I may not have the fastest time ever, but I know I will be able to finish strong after months of training. I can’t wait!

And on a lighter running note, my Diva Dash 5K has been rescheduled for this Saturday!

Screen Shot 2014-01-09 at 2.19.50 PMThis will be a nice, easy run with my girlfriends. And I can’t wait to debut my rockin’ tutu. The weather is supposed to be much nicer this time around, so there shouldn’t be anything standing between me and this fun race!

The only draw back is that I am technically supposed to be running 16-17 miles this weekend. So I’m deciding how to divide up my time and my miles on Saturday and Sunday. At the moment, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do. With the snowy sidewalks, I need to get my running done early in the mornings to not fight so much traffic. Or I can hope that one of the local trails are cleared off. OR I can split up my miles between Saturday and Sunday and have an extended long run. We’ll just see how things work out. 🙂

Tomorrow’s forecast is gloomy and rainy, so I think I’ll finally return to the gym in the morning. I haven’t been since before Christmas, and I’m actually missing it! (Not something I thought could ever happen!) I’m also hoping that tomorrow I can con Nick into picking up my packet for me for the Diva Dash. Pickup only goes until 6 pm and I teach Jazzercise until 7 p.m. Maybe if I make him a nice dinner, he’ll be willing to go brave the crowd of divas for me? Let’s hope. 🙂

Have a great Thursday, and I’ll see you later!

Early Morning Pie Baking

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

Happy Friday everybody! Are we all excited for the weekend? We’ve made it through another week, folks, and I must say it feels pretty good.

Well from the post title, I’m sure you can tell what I did this morning. And it didn’t involve a workout!

image(10)I baked some PIES! Yummm!

I woke up at my usual time of 5 AM, but I didn’t rush out the door for my typical run or workout. I had the bottom crust in the oven for the apple pie before I was even out of my pajamas, and I stayed busy right until I hopped in the shower at 6:30.

I baked the bottom crust for the apple pie for about 10 minutes before I added the filling.

image(15) photo(50)I love pie, but I hate when the bottom crust isn’t cooked all the way. Hopefully this solves my problem! I added the top crust and covered this baby with aluminum foil so the crust wouldn’t get burnt.

image(14)I took off the foil 30 minutes in, and let it finish baking with 15 more minutes.

photo(33) image(12)Perfect! Apple pie is Nick’s favorite, so this one will win me brownie points for at least the next month or so. 🙂

And as soon as I got this out of my oven, I put my Crustless Cranberry Pie in!

image(13) photo(32)It also came out perfectly! Or so I think….I haven’t tasted it yet. But the batter I licked out of the bowl was pretty awesome.

I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com and slightly adapted it this morning to make it work for me! I added around 3 tbsp of milk because the batter way WAY too dry. I also added a pinch of baking soda and used whole wheat flour instead of white.

image(11)I just love that it’s so pretty and turned out fairly well on my first attempt. Win! I can’t wait to try this pie out tomorrow night after our big feast at my parent’s house. Since it’s full of fruit and walnuts, my dad should hopefully love it!

Early Thanksgiving

Tomorrow will consist of an Early Thanksgiving at my parent’s house, and I’m so excited to go visit! This meal will be a small gathering of my parents, Nick and I, and my brother and his wife. Along with our doggies. 🙂

With my pies out of the way, all I have to do is put together my sweet potatoes, and we’ll be set to go! I’ll put the casserole together tomorrow morning and bake it once we arrive in Hartville. Which reminds me, I can’t forget to take the marshmallows!

Aside from my food contributions, my mom will be providing the rest of our meal, from the turkey and stuffing, to the pecan pie. Her food is always the best, so I’m excited to let my inner fat kid run free tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow I’m planning on waking up early and getting in my normal Saturday long run before we leave. I have 9 miles on the schedule, but I’m feeling ambitious, so I think I will just run for 1.5 hours and see how far I can make it. I’m guessing I’ll make it a little over 10 miles before I have to head home. And this will clear out a nice, big hole in my tummy for lotsa eatin’!!

See you all later when I’m back in the land of Internet! I love my family home, but Hartville is so far out in the country that my parents are still on dial-up…I know. So I’ll have lots to share when we make it back on Sunday. Have a great weekend!