Thursday Things

Good morning folks!

Yep! That's how I felt when I packed my gym bag this morning. I packed my outdoor winter running gear, making sure to grab my warm North Face gloves and my wool Buff. I'm listening to the weather forecasters talking about "blowing snow" and "wind chill advisories" They were also talking about "our next winter storm" Enough already! I'm over it! I also packed capri pants and a tank in the event that Pathways is cancelled tonight (I'm secretly hoping it is) I struggle with cold weather, winter running. I am always cold. I have trouble warming up. I often wear a jacket at work because I'm so cold. Therefore, I prefer running in warmer temperatures. I've tried to just deal with it, but a little bit goes a long way. Ol Man Winter has certainly worn out his welcome as far as I'm concerned!

Last night, after work, I went to spin class. I'm really enjoying spin. I'm glad they've added classes that fit in my schedule. Then I did a few hanging leg raises and a 5 minute plank (broken up into 1 minute segments) If Pathways is cancelled again tonight (they cancelled it last night d/t wind chill) I'm planning to hit the treadmill for a few miles followed by some core work.

And, that's all I've got for now.

Until next time......

Workout Wednesday #5

Good morning!!

We're halfway there!!  Happy Wednesday!! I hope that you're having a great week so far!

I love Wednesday because it means that we're halfway through the work week! Another reason I love Wednesday is because it's Workout Wednesday when I share some of my favorite workouts with you.

Today is day #3 of the Move, Nourish, Believe challenge and today we're planking!!  The challenge today is to do a 5 minute plank. You can split that up into increments if you want/need to. I love planks because I think that they are wildly effective. And, because I like to shake things up, I will be doing this plank workout after my spin class tonight:

Or another option would be:

Ok, so let's get up and get planking today!!

Make it a Wonderful Wednesday!!

What is on your workout agenda today??
What's the longest plank you can hold?

Tuesday-itis

Does anyone else think that Tuesday is the worst day of the week? Or is it just me??

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!!

I just popped in for a quickie....I don't know what the weather is like outside, but I'm listening to the news and it might be frightful. So I guess I need to get an early start for work. Or, I might wait till its daylight so that I can see what I'm dealing with. So far, it just looks like maybe a little bit of freezing rain and a light dusting of snow. Either way, I'm usually nervous about driving in it. It's not so much me that I don't trust (well, yes it is) but the all the other people out there trying to drive the normal speed limit or like there is no tomorrow. And, if they keep it up, there may not be one for them!!

It was a busy day at work yesterday with some challenging patient situations to deal with. I'm hoping that today will be a little bit better.

I got in a great run with Pathways AP2b after work last night. It was cold and there were some black ice patches, but everyone was careful and cautious. No one fell or got injured in any way, so that is a good thing. We increased our pace last night too and they handled it like champs. I'm really proud of them! I was going to keep the pace down to 11:00 because of the icy conditions, but they wanted to run.....so we did!! I haven't had any Achilles pain for about a week now then BAM! It was bothering me last night. I'm not sure if it was the increased pace or the high heels that I wore to work yesterday or a combination of the two but I sure didn't appreciate it! I did planks for the #corecommit challenge when I got home.

This was the sure the case last night!
 

Well, that's all I've got for you today. Have a terrific Tuesday!!

Motivation Monday--Move, Nourish, Believe Challenge and Healthy Treats

Hello, hello!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!!

Mother Nature thwarted my long run Saturday morning. We were expecting freezing drizzle Friday night. I got up Saturday morning and checked the weather. It was clear at my house. I headed to Tulsa to run with my group. I arrived at Fleet Feet Sports as the marathon and half marathon groups were heading out on their run. I grabbed a map and started to familiarize myself with the route. We headed outside to do our active warm up when 2 people slipped in the parking lot, so they cancelled our run. Yep, that's right.....we never got out of the parking lot!!  And this week doesn't look much better! We're expecting 2 more winter storms with snow, ice, and bitter cold. It looks like I'll be getting my miles done on the dreadmill this week....UGH!!

Yesterday, I was busy meal prepping like a boss!!  I prepared: turkey meatloaf muffins, Southwest chicken breast, ground turkey tacos, ground turkey w/ diced tomatoes and spaghetti squash, roasted sweet potatoes, brown rice, green beans, and mixed vegetables. I also prepared homemade guacamole and corn & black bean salsa for our super bowl snacking. We're set for all week. Bring on the snow storm!!

Today is the first day of the Move Nourish Believe Challenge . Here's how it works:

Here's how it works:...
1. Each day throughout the month there is a new challenge. Conquer the daily challenges and post a picture of yourself doing so on Twitter or Instagram. Tag @LornaJaneActive & @FitApproach along with #mnbchallenge #sweatpink #lornajane
2. At the end of each week, recap your successes on your blog and/or Facebook page. Each blog post equals five bonus entries! Share the blog post on Twitter and tag @LornaJaneActive & @FitApproach.
**In order to win the $1000 shopping spree, you MUST participate in all 21 of the daily photo challenges.

Here's the schedule for the week:
Week One: Move

2/3: Sweat-it-out! -Show us your favorite way to sweat!

2/4: Change it up! - Sweat a new way! Select a workout from movenourishbelieve.com/category/move and show us your post-sweat session selfie.

2/5: Let's get planking! - Plank for at least five minutes today! You can split the planks up.

2/6: Buddy up! - Workout with a friend today!

2/7: Fave Friday! - Show us your five fitness favorites! Exercises, people, whatever gets you moving and motivated!

*Recap your week in a blog post!

My weekly goals are:

Monday: Run 3-4 miles; Core Commit Challenge
Tuesday: Upper Body Strength Training; Core Commit Challenge
Wednesday: Spin; Core Commit Challenge
Thursday: Run 3-4 miles: Core Commit Challenge
Friday: Core Commit Challenge
Saturday: Run 8-10 miles; Core Commit Challenge

Today is also Motivation Monday and we're talking about Healthy Treats

Wendy

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Alisha

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Betty

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Brandi

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Gwen

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Jen

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Jennifer

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Morgan

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Theresa

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Tiffany

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I try to eat clean at least 80% of the time. But I've got a sweet tooth and am easily tempted by candy, cookies, etc. . I often refer to cookies as my "gateway drug". While there is nothing wrong with an occasional treat, I find that if I allow myself to indulge in an occasional treat, that it's way too easy to allow myself to do it on a daily basis. I can easily derail all my hard work and efforts. It really is better for me to avoid these tempting treats. What works best for me for afternoon snacks, is fruit. I usually eat an apple with Justin's Maple Almond butter or a handful of nuts. Other healthy treats that I enjoy are:

 

 

Carrots/Celery and string cheese

String cheese and grapes

Dried Fruit and nuts

 

I'm looking forward to linking up and seeing what the rest of the team has to offer today! Feel free to join us!

 



What are your favorite healthy treats?

What is your favorite way to get your sweat on??

 

Move Nourish Believe Challenge

Happy Friday!!

Wahoo! We made it to my favorite day of the week!!  I hope that you had a good week!

Wednesday after work, I went to spin class. It was a great class!!  I got a good sweat on! Afterward, I came home and completed day 3 of the Core Power Challenge #corecommit  I took yesterday off because it was a sick day for me :( I'm still not feeling 100% but I'm looking forward to getting back at it after work tonight.

Tomorrow, I'm leading my Pathways AP2b on the Saturday "slow run" I think we're doing 4 miles. I need to get in 8-10 miles, so I guess I'll do the course twice.

They are forecasting snow for our area for Super Bowl Sunday, so I plan to do my weekly grocery shopping tomorrow after the run and will do food prep on Sunday, before the Super Bowl.

I have some exciting news to share with you today!!

I recently became a Sweat Pink Ambassador!! What does that mean? Well, basically this means that I believe in sweating hard, playing hard, and inspiring others to be the best that they can be.

As a part of that, I've joined the Move Nourish Believe Challenge by Fit Approach and Lorna Jane
I would like to invite you to join the challenge as well.

The challenge begins on February 3 and is 3 weeks long.  If you want to join, RSVP to the Facebook Page.  You can also be entered to win a $1000 Lorna Jane gift certificate (fitness gear) if you complete the challenge and post daily pictures on Instagram or Twitter of yourself completing the challenges. Make sure you tag @LornaJaneActive @FitApproach along with #MNBChallenge, #SweatPink

So, what will the challenge be like? 

I hope you'll join me in this challenge!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

What are your weekend plans? Anything fun?
Will you be participating in the MNB challenge?

Workout Wednesday #4

Good morning folks! We're halfway there!!

Thank you for the support on my Re-evaluating Goals post. I really appreciate it!!

I just have time for a quick post today because I've got to be at work early.

Last night, I did day 2 of the #corecommit challenge and then did some planks. I'm determined to strengthen my core!! After work tonight, I'm going to spin class then I'll do day 3 and probably throw in a little extra for good measure. :-)

 I have a quick workout for you today. You can do this in addition to your regular workout or it could stand alone if you're pressed for time. You could substitute burpees for the push-ups if you wanted to.

 

I did this little set on Sunday in addition to my regular workout. My legs and arms/shoulders were SO sore Monday!!

 

 As you can see, I like to change up my workouts every so often so that I don't get bored with them. I've discovered a couple of workout websites recently that I want to check out and I want to share them with you. I learned about Fitness Blender yesterday when Ericka posted the 10 minute abs video on her page. I did it last night and it's a good little workout. There are lots of other fitness programs, workouts, and meal plans on the website and it's completely FREE!! 

 

I'm also eager to check out the Stronglifts 5x5 program. I'm interested in strength training but as a new weight lifter, I'm not really sure how or where to start. This looks like it might be a good starting point for a newbie.

 

Ok, that's all I've got for now. Make it a wonderful day! Get up, get out and get moving!!

 

What's on your workout schedule for the day?

Re-evaluating Goals

Good morning folks!!  Happy Tuesday!

Last weekend, I ran the Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa Go Short, Go Long, Go Very Long 25k. This was my longest distance to date. I was counting it as a training run for my marathon. It was about 40 degrees when we started. I opted not to wear my hydration vest because I didn't want to get too warm. I wore a long sleeved tech shirt and a New Balance vest over it. I had plenty of nutrition and I had hubs stationed at the mile 6 water stop in case I needed a bail out plan or something. It was a beautiful morning. I ran with my friend Kelly. We chatted and listened to music. The first water stop was at the 5k mark. It seemed to take an eternity to get there and I was wishing that I had brought my own water. We continued down the west bank of the Tulsa Riverpark trails. We passed the 10k water stop. I got Nuun and water and an "I love you" from hubs. The Achilles was a bothering me a little bit but nothing I couldn't handle so we kept going. We were getting close to Turkey mountain and we discussed our strategy for the hills. We decided that we would do a run/walk up the hills and pick it up going back down 71st. We got to the parking lot at Turkey Mountain. I had to stop for the bathroom then we headed out. As we were running down 71st street, we both noticed a large bird and then we realized it was a eagle making lazy circles in the sky above us. It was so cool!!  We headed back north toward the finish and were in the home stretch. We passed the 13.1 mile mark. I became aware of every ache and pain in my body. My back was tight and hurting. The last 2 miles were not fun at all for me. We were nearing the 3 hour mark and all I could think was: if I'm running a marathon, I would have about 2 more hours to go" I just couldn't wrap my mind around that. And it was in that moment that I realized I was not having fun or enjoying myself at all. I didn't have any sense of excitement or accomplishment when I crossed that finish line, I was just relieved that it was over. It became clear to me that I had no desire to run a full 26.2 miles. I'm glad I realized it now and not in the middle of a marathon.


Still smiling....

Faking it till I make it!! 

I've given this decision a lot of thought. My goal for 2014 was to live outside of my comfort zone and to challenge myself to new things and one of those things was to run a marathon. But I think that some people are not meant to run long distances and I am one of those people. I'm running for fun and personal growth. I have decided to focus on half marathons instead. That is a distance that I enjoy. It's more comfortable for me but long enough that it's challenging for me. I've changed my registration for Little Rock, Arkansas to the half distance and I'm looking into the Dust Bowl series later in March. I've done half marathons in 6 states, Arkansas would be #7. I could do New Mexico and Colorado for #8 and #9.

I had a good but cold run with my Pathways group last night. It was about 18 degrees but felt like 9 with the wind chill. We still averaged an 11:20 pace on our 2.5 miles. I was surprised to see that 8 of my runners showed up to run in the cold. I'm really proud of them and I think that it's going to be a good session after all. Tonight is the TU track but I don't trust this Achilles completely just yet. I had a pain free run last night but I want to give it just a little more time before I tackle the track with them. Maybe next week.

My recent trips to the chiropractor have made it painfully obvious that I've gotten weak in my core. I was making good progress last summer and fall but then I slacked off and have back slid. Ah, thank goodness for muscle memory!!  I'm going to participate in a 30 day #corecommit challenge hosted by Ericka and hopefully I can regain what I lost. Today is day 2. The W.O.D. is this 10 minute abs from Fitness Blender. I watched the video and wrote everything down. I'm hoping to get this done at the work gym on my lunch break.

For goals to be successful, they have to be realistic and running a marathon is just not realistic for me. I've been having second thoughts about it since I had to pull back on my training due to this Achilles injury. I guess that all things happen for a reason. I'm not unhappy about my decision. I'm relieved actually. I'm happy with my training recently. I've built up miles and endurance. But I'm looking forward to having more time to cross train and hopefully improve my half marathon performance. I'm also looking forward to concentrating on running a half in all 50 states. Goals are good tools on the roadmap of life to help you get where you are going. There are going to be obstacles and you're going to have to figure out how to overcome them to get from point A to point B. That's what makes a goal successful....to figure out a way to keep going when the going gets tough!

Have a terrific day, y'all!

Tuesday out.......