Back to the Grind

Do you ever get off a day and it seems like it takes you multiples days (for me, weeks) to get back on track? That is what happened to me. Although I was more than happy to help my grandpa move a couple of weeks ago, not having that time set aside so I could work around it really threw me off from my blogging streak' however, I maintained my running and eating which is what is really important (if I'm being honest.)

Here are a few highlights from the past couple of weeks that I have been silent..

STUTZMAN BIGGEST LOSER

On Sunday, July 7th, my family gathered for the results of our biggest loser competition. Some of my family I had not seen since Easter so their loss was noticeable. I did my best but wasn't able to pull off the win. My uncle Dewayne came in first, followed by my uncle Terry, and I placed in third. Overall, I can't be disappointed in my performance because I am 25 pounds lighter than when we started! Here is a short video that my aunt put together.

RUNS

My average pace on my runs have decreased, which is exciting! Well, I guess more than exciting, it's unbelievable! I was running my long run on Saturday and when MapMyRun would say my split pace, I was shocked. I was holding a pace that I would have never imagined I could do for one mile, let alone for 6 miles. It just goes to show that hard work and dedication does pay off.

 

Training Plan

I am still making changes to my running plan as I need to. Because I have been feeling stronger and that I need less time to recover, I have added a an additional day of running during the week. Additionally, I am still going to use my split timer for my run/walk but am only going to use the walk time if it is absolutely necessary. I figure, if I can run 6 miles and walk less than 2 minutes of it, I really don't need to be walking 4 minutes on short runs. Here is this weeks plan:

Week 8Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

• 3 minute warm up
• 3 minute run x .5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 7/20 - 6 miles
HEALTHY SURPRISE

I had placed my Healthy Surprise box in my pantry and kind of forgot about it. I figured I needed to start eating some as my next box will be arriving soon. Here are some of the treats I've tried:

Sesame Ginger Journey Bar: It wasn't like a flavor explosion in your mouth but it was still good. I would eat another one. It was 200 calories with 7 grams of protein. It is all natural, gluten free, non-gmo, soy-free, and vegan. They have other flavors and I would really like to try the Pizza Marinara. You can buy them online through the website and it breaks down to $2/bar. Not shabby!

Mango, Pear, Pineapple Fruit.0: Although the flavor was good, it was like eating baby food... or drinking a warm smoothie. It may have tasted better if it were cold but I'm not sure. If I get another one in a box, I will have to try it that way. It was 100 calories for the whole pack and you can purchase them online from their site. Cost breaks down to $2.50 a pouch. Maybe a good snack to pack for kids..?

Apples + Cherries That's it Bar: I loved this bar. It was soft and chewy and filled with flavor! I hope I get another one in my next box! One bar is 100 calories and only contained apples and cherries. Seriously! They have three other kinds, Apples + Pears, Apples + Apricots, and Apples + Mangoes. If you would like to try them, you can try all 4 flavors for $6.99 ($1.75 a bar) by going here.

Home Free Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies: These crunchy, bite size cookies were delicious! They took care of the cravings for crunch and sweetness all in a 100 calorie pack! The bits of chocolate were surprising soft and creamy compared to the crunchy cookie. The 100 calorie packs go for $1.50 on their website. That's about the cost of a candy bar, only these are a bit healthier.

SunBiotics Original Almonds: They're almonds. You either like 'em or ya don't; however, I saw on their website that they have Cheesy Almonds which I would LOVE to try! I absolutely love cheese! I wasn't able to find a store locator or a place to purchase these through their site, so I'm not sure how you can try these or how I will get the cheesy flavor... I guess I'll just wait.



This Weeks Training Plan + Soft GF Cookies

So my original training plan is turning out to be more of a guide at this point. The first three weeks I was only doing the run/walk plan two times during the week and then my "long" run on the weekend. I had also made some small adjustments to the times as I was feeling that my body was recovering faster during the walking time allowed and I felt ready to run sooner.

I am, once again, making some adjustments to the plan for this week. I am also going to plan a cross training day.

Week 4

Run/Walk Plan: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

• 2 minute warm up
• 2 minute run x 1 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 2 minute cool down

Wednesday - Spin Class

Saturday - 4 miles

I started Monday out with a green smoothie for breakfast. I combined Naked coconut water, spinach, basil, pineapple, and PlantFusion protein powder in the blender until smooth.

This weeks lunch is just a mixture of ground chicken, rice, peas, and corn seasoned with some good ol' Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb. Simple and satisfying.

For my afternoon snack, I had a handful of Nut Thins and a 100 calorie package of Wholly Guacamole. I was excited to see that Kroger had it back in stock. No more brown guac! Yay!!

When I got home I found a FedEx package on my front door step that contained my Zoot Compression socks! I'm a little bit of a match-y freak so I had to get the ones that matched my shoes.

The socks are left and right foot specific and sadly the box only contained right feet. If I had two right feet, I don't think I'd be running. So they e-mailed me a FedEx return label and will be shipping me a complete pair of socks. The exchange was easy-peasy. Now I just have to wait... again. I hate waiting.

I felt a little hungry before I headed out for a run so I grabbed a fruit strip to munch on while I was getting ready.

Running in 86 degree weather is not fun. I actually prefer to run during the winter. It might be freezing for the first five minutes but after that you're nice a toasty. When you start out toasty you go to burning after a mile. Overall it was a decent run. Not my best, but decent.

I cooked up some tostadas made with corn tortillas, black beans, ground turkey, tomatoes, salsa and lettuce for dinner. This is one of my favorite meals. You could add some avocado and cheese too. I leave them off because of the calories.

After dinner I wanted something sweet and thought I would try out these Gluten-Free Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Tina from Carrots 'n' Cake wrote this recipe.

These little cookies are amazing! They are soft and delicious; however, each cookie is about 200 calories a piece. Yikes! I only ate one. I really wanted another but I didn't have an extra 200 calories in my calorie budget, so I passed on seconds.

Question: Do you make training plans? Do you follow it without change or do you make changes as you go along? Fill me in by leaving a comment below!



Happy National Running Day!

Did you know that today is National Running Day? Well, if you didn't, you do now!

I just got home from the gym where I completed my treadmill run for the week. I can really feel the shin splints coming... not happy about that. At. All. However, I did run to Target last week and pick me up this foam roller. My spin instructor said that it could help with shin splints and would also help "roll out" and relax the calf. I have used it a few times and I can immediately feel a difference in my calves. 

I have also been looking into compression socks which I have heard can help alleviate the pain, increase circulation, and aids in recovery. You can wear them while you train, after your run for recovery, or both. I am really considering them but haven't bit the bullet yet because they run about $50+ a pair. They also sell sleeves (just covers ankle up to knee) but I think the socks would be more beneficial as some of them will add extra support to your foot and/or ankle. I might be lookin' like a weirdo but I will do what it takes.

Circling back to my treadmill run.... guess which two of the following were performed on a treadmill? 

1.

2.

3.

4. 

5.

6.

7.

If you guessed 4 & 7, you're correct! I am really stumped on why my average pace has been about 45 seconds to 1 minute slower than my outdoor runs. I always thought assumed that your pace on the treadmill would be faster than outside. The first week of my actual plan (3 & 4) I just did the task at hand. But after I saw that my treadmill pace was slower, I was really curious to know how fast I was running outside. I'm thinking that I am actually faster than I lead myself to believe, so when I am on the treadmill I'm not running as fast as I could because I think, "I can't run that fast!" and slow my pace down.

So, yesterday while I was doing my outdoor run I tried to look at my phone to see what my pace was when I was running or walking. (MapMyRun if you're reading this, you need to make your map smaller and the current/average pace larger!) The current pace and average pace are in the left hand corner and are seriously about a font size 4. It is uber hard to read just while I was walking and impossible when I was running. Needless to say, my original thought didn't pan out to any good information. 

I decided that when I went to the gym today that I would push myself to see if I could get closer to my outside pace from yesterday. I started running at a 5.6 which is about a 10:40 min/mi. I started there because I knew that my average running pace from Saturday and one of my mile splits from yesterday was around there. But it felt a little too easy so I ended up increasing it one to two speeds each round until I reached a 6.2 (9:40 min/mi). I held it there for a few rounds and on my last round I went with a 6.4 just because I could.

I'm not going to worry about the pace difference going forward. I will just push myself each time to see what I am capable of for now. Once I am done with the run/walk plan and just focusing on miles then I think I will have better luck at getting the pace to match.

Question: Do you get shin splints? If so, what methods do you use to help prevent and/or alleviate them?

Extreme Weight Loss + Crazy = Marathons

Yesterday was the start of week two in my training plan. I made a few minor changes because in week one I felt like a 2 minute walk was too long.

Week 2 Training PlanTuesday 6/4 - Thursday 6/6

• 3 minute warm up
• 1.5 minute run x 2 1.5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 1 2 minute cool down

Saturday 6/8 - 3 miles

When I hit mile 2 and MapMyRun announced that my mile split was 10:40 I literally raised my right hand in celebration! I would have raised both hands but my pup was secured on my left hand. When I was finished I made a quick trip to the store to grab so more fixin's for some more Fajita-Ranch Chicken Wraps that I was craving since I made it on Saturday. Yes folks, it is that delicious!

When I got home, I turned on Extreme Weight Loss while I cooked. Last night followed the story of Meredith. Chris Powell - trainer extraordinaire - gave her a challenge of running the Niagara Falls Marathon at the end of 'Phase Two'. This course is not only done around the beautiful falls but you also run from one country to another. Yes, you read that right. This course takes you from the US across the border to Canada! How cool is that?! I had to know more, so I checked it out online and found out the only way to run from country to country would be to do the full.

Rewind back two years and you may remember that after I had completed the RNR San Diego run, I said I would never do another full marathon. Well, as of today I  have added the Niagara Falls Marathon and changed the Nike Women's Half to a Full on my goal list. Yes, I am crazy.


Question: Do you have a goal list? If so, what kind of goals have you set for yourself?

Fort4Fitness Training Plan

Well, I bit the bullet and signed up for the Fort4Fitness mini marathon at the end of September in my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. I have signed up numerous times for this event, but have yet to do it due to injuries or lack of training.

Since I signed up, that means that I need to start training. I did some searching on the internet for various training plans and kind of made my own to suit my needs. I am prone to shin splints and know I need to ease as much as possible into the amount of time I pound the pavement. So I came up with a run/walk plan that has me doing more walking than running at first. I also plan on incorporating a treadmill run to help absorb some of the shock.

The plan is to do my short runs on Tuesday - Thursday with Wednesday being the day I run on the treadmill, and then on Saturdays will be my long runs. I'm not going to include any of my cross-training activities as they are always changing.

Here is the tentative 18 week training plan that I came up with.

Week 1
Tuesday 5/28 - Thursday 5/30

• 3 minute warm up
• 1 minute run x 2 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 1 minute cool down

Saturday 6/1 - 3 miles

Week 2
Tuesday 6/4 - Thursday 6/6

• 3 minute warm up
• 1.5 minute run x 2 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 1 minute cool down

Saturday 6/8 - 3 miles


Week 3
Tuesday 6/11 - Thursday 6/13

• 3 minute warm up
• 2 minute run x 2 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 1 minute cool down

Saturday 6/15 - 4 miles


Week 4
Tuesday 6/18 - Thursday 6/20

• 3 minute warm up
• 2 minute run x 1.5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 2 minute cool down

Saturday 6/22 - 4 miles

Week 5
Tuesday 6/25 - Thursday 6/27

• 3 minute warm up
• 2 minute run x 1 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 2 minute cool down

Saturday 6/29 - 5 miles

Week 6
Tuesday 7/2 - Thursday 7/4

• 3 minute warm up
• 2 minute run x .5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 7/6 - 5 miles

Week 7
Tuesday 7/9 - Thursday 7/11

• 3 minute warm up
• 2.5 minute run x .5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 7/13 - 6 miles

Week 8
Tuesday 7/16 - Thursday 7/18

• 3 minute warm up
• 3 minute run x .5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 7/20- 6 miles

Week 9
Tuesday 7/23 - Thursday 7/25

• 3 minute warm up
• 3.5 minute run x .5 minute walk. Repeat 6 times.
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 7/27- 4 miles

Week 10
Tuesday 7/30 - Thursday 8/1

• 3 minute warm up
• 4 minute run x .5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 8/3 - 7 miles

Week 11
Tuesday 8/6 - Thursday 8/8

• 3 minute warm up
• 4.5 minute run x .5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 8/10 - 8 miles

Week 12
Tuesday 8/13 - Thursday 8/15

• 3 minute warm up
• 5 minute run x .5 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 8/17 - 9 miles

Week 13
Tuesday 8/20 - Thursday 8/22

• 3 minute warm up
• 35 minute run/walk
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 8/24 - 6 miles

Week 14
Tuesday 8/27 - Thursday 8/29

• 3 minute warm up
• 40 minute run/walk
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 8/31- 10 miles

Week 15
Tuesday 9/3 - Thursday 9/5

• 3 minute warm up
• 45 minute run/walk
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 9/7 - 11 miles

Week 16
Tuesday 9/10 - Thursday 9/12

• 3 minute warm up
• 40 minute run/walk
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 9/14 - 9 miles

Week 17
Tuesday 9/17 - Thursday 9/19

• 3 minute warm up
• 35 minute run/walk
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 9/21 - 9 miles

Week 18
Tuesday 9/24 - Thursday 9/26

• 3 minute warm up
• 30 minute run/walk
• 3 minute cool down

Saturday 9/28 - RACE DAY! 13.1 miles

**Disclaimer: I am not a certified physical trainer or even a seasoned athlete. This should not be considered advice; however, you are welcome to use and modify my plan if you wish. I am sharing my plan only to provide details of what I plan on doing, to help keep me accountable, and (maybe) inspire others that may not be a great runner but are interested in starting. Additionally, you should always consult a doctor before beginning any exercise regimen.**


Question: Are you currently training for a race? If so, which race(s) are you training for? I'd love it if you would share!