Monthly Archives: December 2013

Week Four Marathon Training Recap

Posted by hellyontherun in Race, Running, Uncategorized and tagged with , , ,

Brrrr!!! We had a cold front here in Arizona this week (still happening as I write) and I know that while I may be freezing my buns here, it’s waaaaay colder in other parts of the United States (and world).

Nevertheless, the miles keep piling. Sunday was a cross train day so I hopped on a bike at the gym—hadn’t done that in a while—and went at it for 6 miles. I also continued my Runner’s World Streak by running an easy mile on the treadmill. I missed the bike and definitely plan on incorporating it more in my training.

Monday was hill day. This week called for an extra mile so I did a slow and steady climb instead of a high intensity one like last week. This was smart as I was definitely whooped by the end.

Tuesday I wanted to take it easy as I was starting to feel the effects of the mileage increase but then this happened

milePR

My blood was seriously pumping because of the 7 sighting, I threw in an abs video on YouTube at home later for good measure : )

Wednesday was speed day at the track. For some reason, I’m always looking forward to this day of the week. I think it’s something about being around other runners that motivates me. I don’t know what it is but I can def feel myself getting faster 

3miletrackPR

Thursday was a tempo run back on the treadmill. Boy, oh boy, did I feel my leg on this run. I’ve mentioned in a previous blog but if you missed it, I visited a doctor about shin splints. After discussing it with him, the pain is really more on my left leg which led my doctor to think it’s more of a stress fracture than shin related. I’ve got an MRI scheduled for my left leg on Wednesday and I’m hoping, hoping, hoping it’s not bad news. I could definitely feel the pain at the start of my 5 mile run that day though which makes me really nervous.

Friday was a rest day—except for one streak mile and quick visit to the Hot Chocolate 15k Expo. Yep! My next race I am running for chocolate. You’ll absolutely get a re-cap of it on Monday.

Today, Saturday, is typically my long run day but I’ve got my Hot Chocolate 15K race tomorrow morning. So, one streak mile it was.

16 total running miles, 6 biking miles. Overall, a very good week with some fun surprises and a few red signs. Next week will be a big week with my race tomorrow and that appointment Wednesday. I’ll be keeping you posted.

Before I go, here’s a fun family photo for you from this week : )

My daughter showing me her fridge artwork <3

My daughter showing me her fridge artwork ❤

How was your workout week? Are you affected by weather conditions in your area?

Have you ran a Hot Chocolate race? How was it?!?

My Go-To Workout Playlist

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with , , , , ,

So I was at the gym this week running on the treadmill and while I was there a woman on the treadmill in front of me was walking and totally jamming out. I mean, she was waving her arms in the air and if it was possible, dancing as she walked! I thought, “Gosh, I really want to know what’s on HER playlist!”

Have you ever wondered what people are listening to? I always do. It’s probably my most popular random thought while I’m at the gym. I mean, the majority of the people there are plugged in and I can’t help but be curious as to what they are jamming out to.

I’ve been trying out a no-music running thing ever since I turned off my iPod during a run and did pretty well. However, I’m still listening to music when I cross-train.

Here is a list of my #1 playlist. The playlist I can count on to get me through a tough I-don’t-wanna workout : )

  1. Let’s Go-Calvin Harris
  2. Where Have You Been-Rihanna
  3. The Anthem-Pitbull
  4. Forever-Chris Brown
  5. The Pretender-Foo Fighters
  6. Best of You-Foo Fighters
  7. Believe Again-Delta Goodram
  8. Fire in your New Shoes-Kaskade
  9. Hot-Inna
  10. I’m a Slave 4 U-Britney Spears
  11. Parallel Universe-Red Hot Chili Peppers
  12. Getting Over You-David Guetta
  13. Cry For You-September
  14. Runnin-Doman & Gooding
  15. Indestructible-Robyn
  16. In The Air-Morgan Page

–Are any of these songs on your playlist?

–What’s your go-to jam to workout with?

Fast Food Struggles

Posted by hellyontherun in Healthy Eating, Running and tagged with , , , , , ,

I’ve written about my love for fast food before, and I wanted to update you all on how I’ve been doing.

I have not eaten at McDonald’s in two months. I repeat, I have not eaten McDonald’s in two months!

This is huge for me. I was a crazy person when it came to the Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal and would have it 3-5 times a week. You read that right. Large size too (gosh, the McDonald’s fountain drinks are amazing–tackling my soda intake is for another day lol). I’ve tried quitting McDonald’s before, watching Super Size Me and reading Fast Food Nation to no avail.

But ever since post pregnancy I’ve become more serious than I’ve ever been with running and knew that if I wanted to improve, my diet would have to too.

CONFESSION: I still eat fast food.

I no longer eat McDonald’s or Burger King, KFC makes me nauseous just thinking about it, Arby’s has zero appeal but…. In-n-Out is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

I justify eating at In-n-Out by saying it’s the healthier of the fast food options but I’m not kidding myself, it’s still counts.

I think what makes it difficult to let go of fast food completely is that I love the convenience of it and I hate to cook. I’ve tried, but when what I attempt doesn’t come out tasty it’s such a blow to my self-esteem. I wish I had the same approach to cooking as I do running: practice, practice, practice. But, sadly, I don’t.

I wanted to tackle the biggest hurdle and I knew that was McDonald’s. If I could not eat that, everything else would be easier for me to handle and that’s proven true as I avoid all the other places I frequented.

I know eliminating all fast food, In-n-Out included, isn’t realistic. I believe in everything in moderation. I know someday I’ll probably drive thru McDonald’s again but it won’t be the same. It won’t bring me the satisfaction it used to. I’m so proud of how far I’ve come these past few months, not just in weight loss and training, but as a person. I’ve proven to myself that if I have a plan, I can be disciplined enough to follow through with it.

–What are struggles you face maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

–Do you like fast food?