Hello!
Even though I work weekends, I love having the mornings free! I’m naturally a morning person and feel much more productive during the first half of the day than I do at night. That means I’m way more motivated to get up and workout before work as opposed to after. This is especially important when you’re training for a race, and have some long, time consuming and exhausting runs scheduled on weekends.
This morning’s run wasn’t too long, but it was definitely exhausting.
My eight mile run was fueled by my typical pre-run snack: PB & banana toast plus a hot mug of coffee.
I waited just over an hour for everything to digest before setting out on my run.
The temperature in Sioux Falls is great for running right now; upper 60s with a light breeze. However, the humidity is unbearable. It was about 95% humidity this morning and it didn’t taper at all throughout my run. I was sweating buckets by about mile three. I have an extremely low tolerance for any type of heat or humidity, so this did not go over well at all.
I felt drained by mile five and really had to work to keep myself motived and focused on finishing strong. All I could think about was the sweat dripping from my face, and how great it would feel to jump into a freezing cold lake.
Despite the unfortunate conditions, I finished. I wasn’t a great run, but at least I did it.
As soon as I was done, I walked straight over to the outdoor pool at my apartment complex to wade in the water and cool off. I was greeted by a very sad sight.
Noooooo!!! Life goes on.
Since I couldn’t immerse myself in cold water, I decided to fix myself a cold post-race snack.
Smoothie with frozen strawberries, blueberries, banana, spinach, chocolate protein powder and almond milk. It cooled me down almost instantly.
Am I the only one who can’t stand any type of humidity during a run? Or an outdoor workout for that matter? I don’t know how Floridians do it. I can’t imagine running in the extreme humidity and extreme heat. Yuck. I can’t wait for the fall weather that’s just around the corner!
I did it!
11 miles
This morning I completed my long run for the week: 11 miles at under 9:00/mile! I have not been able to stay below 9:00/mile since my long runs passed about 7 miles, so I am thrilled about this. I have one last long run next week before the race!
The morning started with my regular pre-run meal.
Pre-run snack
English muffin with Peanut Butter & Co.’s Dark Chocolate Dreams PB and sliced banana!
This was also the first run of my training that I used fuel. At around mile 7, I popped a couple PowerBar Energy Blasts.
Energy Blasts
Running fuel
I had four of these little guys during my run. Surprisingly, I didn’t cramp up at all from them. Not sure if it was a placebo effect or the energy blasts, but I definitely felt energized through the end of my run.
All I could think about for the last couple miles was getting home to eat some cottage cheese topped with delicious fruit salad that I made last night.
Post-run snack
Plus a couple dark chocolate almonds because I needed chocolate.
This fruit salad was one of several things I made last during during a little Monday meal prep time.
Monday meal prep
Tuna pasta salad, fruit salad, ground turkey, chicken breast.
The tuna salad is on point let me tell you. I definitely need to share the recipe on here very soon. I was thinking of roasting some zucchini and yellow squash tonight as well to use throughout the week. We’ll see!
I’m feeling very good about my run today but also very, very sore. My muscles haven’t ached this bad from a run in a very long time. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be rough.
Greetings!
The title of this post is a very serious issue for me. I’ve never been able to run immediately after eating a full meal, or even shortly after. I typically have to wait at least an hour and a half after eating before heading out for a run, and that’s if the meal was small.
Since I began this most recent half marathon training I’ve also learned that I can’t run after a full day of eating, even if the last meal or snack was several hours before.
Last night it really sunk in.
This was the result of what was supposed to be a 5 mile run. I was slow, sluggish and cramped up the entire time. Absolutely terrible. I cut it short when I realized things just weren’t getting any better.
This is why I typically run in the morning, which I would have done yesterday if it wasn’t 25 degrees when I woke up. Yikes!
A typical pre-run snack is a piece of toast with peanut butter and banana, or something with a similar carb to protein to fat ratio.
Chocolate PB + Banana toast
If I’m running less than 5 miles I typically don’t eat anything before, maybe just a cup of coffee or a handful of cereal. I now realize this is just what I’m going to have to stick to.
On the bright side, I do not have a problem eating large amounts of food after a run. So that’s exactly what I did on Monday after my 10 mile run.
This run was great. I’ve never felt so good about a long run, but this one was really a blast. It definitely helped that I was in Minneapolis last weekend and had excellent scenery.
And it was my favorite type of running weather. About 60 degrees and overcast. After my run, I picked up this little guy at Whole Foods:
It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. I wanted something light since I had plans to get lunch with my friend Carly. We went to a place called Barbette and I ordered a quiche with asparagus, mushrooms, onions and chevre cheese. Forgot to snap a pic. Whoops! I did not forget a picture of dessert, though.
PB + Sriracha
If you live in the Minneapolis area, check out Glam Doll Donuts. This place rules. I ordered the peanut butter and sriracha donut and it lived up to my expectations. They always have funky combinations along with classics.
K now I want a donut.
Moral of the story: I can’t run after eating. I’d like to know who can. Is it an ability that runners build over time? Will I eventually stop cramping up if I just keep pushing through it?
I have an 11 mile run planned for this Monday. Stay tuned!
Happy weekend!
I technically still have a day to go before I can start celebrating, but what the heck. I had a blast at work today. I did a story on opening fishing weekend in Minnesota, and this is what my “office” looked like for the day:
Lake Shetek, MN
I didn’t want to leave. Days like these I just really love my job.
Back up. Last night I made some amazing ‘healthy’ nachos while watching the NFL draft, because in my eyes you can’t watch anything football-related without football food.
‘healthy’ nachos
To make these nachos, I toasted a Flatout flatbread in the oven at 400 degrees for about 4 minutes on each side. I then broke it into chips and topped with seasoned ground turkey, red and green bell peppers, diced tomatoes, shredded cheddar, salsa, and plain nonfat greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Hit the spot!
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; Flatouts rule. You can do so much with them, they’re healthy, and they taste good! I often make quesadillas, pizzas, or just plain old wraps with Flatouts. I highly recommend giving them a try.
I had planned on getting a 5 mile run in this morning, but things changed when I was woken up by the 30 mph winds all night! It is psycho windy in South Dakota. All the time. I just can’t handle running in crazy wind, so I decided to postpone my run until after work. Luckily the wind died down a bit by then.
5 miles at 1/2 marathon pace
The last few weeks of my training really focus on running at pace. I’m hoping to stay right around 9:00/ mile or just under during my half marathon. My run was nice and easy, but the running path I take is along a creek and the bugs were just thick down there tonight. I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse as the weather gets warmer. I had to hold my breath several times to make sure I didn’t swallow any gnats. Lovely.
I’m heading home to Minneapolis for Mother’s Day tomorrow night which I am very excited about! I am not excited about the fact that I have to work at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. I’m off to pack for the weekend, as I will be leaving straight from work tomorrow.
Good Evening!
As I said earlier, a 7 mile run was on my agenda today as part of my half marathon training. The weather was my favorite for running. About 40-45 degrees, partly sunny, nice breeze. I did an out and back run along the bike path in Sioux Falls. It was honestly an ideal run, but I still feel like I could have pushed myself a little harder. Here were my finishing stats:
It would be awesome if I could keep this pace during my race. Fingers crossed! After my run I spent some time stretching outside on this beautiful spring day, and headed inside to refuel with a smoothie bowl.
Outdoor stretch
Giant smoothie bowl
Into the smoothie went:
- 1/2 frozen banana
- frozen strawberries
- scoop of plain greek yogurt
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- frozen kale
- fresh spinach
- almond milk
- ice cubes
- topped with kashi
I felt very accomplished after my run. I know it was only 7 miles and I have a long way to go before my half marathon. But knowing that I can run half of a half marathon easily makes me feel much better about going the rest of the distance! Gotta stay positive.
Meal Prep:
Tomorrow is going to be a crazy long day for me. I will be spending the first half of my day covering a court case, and the second half working on the Sioux Falls municipal election. I’m looking at a 14 hour day, roughly. Yikes! I made sure to pack most of my meals since I don’t know when or if I’ll get a break at any point.
Lunch, Dinner, Snacks.
Tuesday meal prep
This is usually what my daily meal prep looks like, minus dinner. Apart from breakfast at home, here’s the menu:
- large apple for mid-morning snack
- turkey and cheddar sandwich with veggies and string cheese for lunch
- quest bar for snack
- pulled pork with beans and quinoa for dinner
I’m sure I’ll need a late night snack by the time I get home. I also have plans to bake some sugar cookies tonight to bring into work. I have a feeling one of those will also sneak into my lunch bag!
Off to get baking!
So have I mentioned that South Dakota is windy?
Just some casual 33 mph winds…no big deal.
That’s what I was dealing with this morning during my 5k run. This 5k was part of my half marathon training. Technically, I was supposed to run a real 5k race, but since my training schedule has to work around my strange work schedule, there was no actual 5k race that I could do today or even this weekend.
I decided to just try to run it to the best of my ability, as if it were an actual race.
The first half I actually had a tail wind and was doing a 7 minute mile pace. Once I turned around to come back, it was a different story. Running directly into those winds slowed me down to almost a 9 minute mile.
The stats
It wasn’t a terrible finish time, but I wanted to finish in under 24 minutes. I know I would have if there wasn’t this ridiculous wind. But hey, you never know what it’s going to be like on actual race day.
Although running into the wind is absolutely terrible, I find that if I look down at the ground in front of me instead of straight on it feels a little easier. Not sure if it actually makes a difference, but it feels like it does!
I followed up my run with a quick legs workout that looked like this:
- Superset Leg Curls & Leg Extensions 3/12
- Superset Leg Press 3/12 & Calf Raises 3/20
- Stationary Weighted Lunges 3/12
- Superset Donkey Kicks & Fire Hydrants 3/12
Followed by a quesedilla lunch and a couple errands!
After running some errands I came home and had a little greek yogurt parfait with two of my favorite fruits.
Yum! The parfait included plain greek yogurt, 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, topped with strawberries, blackberries and Kashi cereal.
I put the blackberries on the bottom to try to make it pretty, but they kind of got lost. Whoops.
Mixin’ it up
So it’s starting to thunderstorm in Sioux Falls and apparently there’s a chance for a tornado nearby tonight? I’m thinking of heading down to the hot tub in my apartment building before dinner. Sounds nice and relaxing, right?
First of all, it’s cold Starbuck’s drink weather in Sioux Falls.
Iced green tea
It’s also sunroof season. For now at least.
Let’s back up. I wasn’t feeling so hot this morning after a fun night out last night. I would have loved to go for a run in the 60 degree weather with no wind, but I knew it wouldn’t end pretty if I did too much moving today.
Breakfast:
This morning I wanted one thing and one thing only; oats.
Oats with flax, vanilla protein powder, PB2, banana, craisins, and Kashi cereal.
Then I fell asleep for another two hours…yikes.
Lunch:
After moping around my apartment and drinking about half my body weight in water, I still wasn’t feeling the best. Perhaps a nice cold smoothie would do the trick?
Scoop of chocolate protein powder, 1/2 frozen banana, frozen strawberries, cocoa powder, spinach, 1 TBS peanut butter, greek yogurt, water and ice cubes.
By this point I knew a run wasn’t in the cards today. But I felt like I could muster enough strength to get a little shopping done. I headed to the grocery store to pick up my weekly essentials and some more shopping fuel.
Old standby.
Shopping was a hit. TJ Maxx just got a bunch of new stuff in and Express had 30% off clearance. Today I learned short people like me really can pull off maxi dresses! Now if it would just stay warm enough to wear one.
While browsing the racks, I had a weird craving for a mexican style burger. Weird? I decided that’s what I would be making for dinner, and sweet potato fries sounded like a fitting side. So, I bring you a homemade sweet potato fries recipe!
Sweet Potato Fries:
Directions:
- Slice sweet potato into about 1/4 inch strips
- Spread evenly on baking sheet
- Drizzle with 1-2 TBS olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, cayenne, or any other spices
- Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping half way through
And that’s it!
Alongside my mexican burger topped with jack cheese, guac, plain greek yogurt, salsa, peppers and onion.
I’m so happy I had this craving. It really hit the spot. Brought me back to my sophomore year of college when I worked at a diner and ate “mexican burgers” at least twice a week.
I’m still feeling pretty sluggish and am bummed I wasn’t able to get a workout in today. Tomorrow I have a timed 5k on the agenda and a lower body workout as well. I’m hoping to get the 5k done in less than 24 minutes, but we shall see!
It’s the weekend!
But I still have one work day to go…nice.
At around 6:00 tonight my weekend will officially begin and I’ll be setting out on the four hour drive to Minneapolis. Mike and I are going to the Timberwolves game this weekend. Wahoo!
Let me talk about yesterday. I’ve been really good about getting my workouts in before work lately, but yesterday it just didn’t happen. I had planned to go for a morning run followed by a legs workout. When my alarm went off at 6:30 and I saw that it was pitch black and 20 degrees outside, I decided to snooze.
My run yesterday was supposed to be an easy 3 miles. It would have been my fifth run of the week. Five runs is starting to seem a little excessive for me. I’ve noticed since I started my half marathon training I’ve been giving up a lot of my time in the gym lifting weights in order to fit my runs in. I’ve decided that I’m going to break the rules and cut my training down to 4 runs per week when I’m just not feeling that extra run.
I woke up an hour after I had originally planned and made myself a breakfast that I haven’t had in several weeks. Oatmeal!
Topped with sliced banana, almond milk, blueberries and very runny PB2.
All mixed up! I was on a real oatmeal kick for months. A few weeks ago I decided it was time to start mixing in some variety with breakfast. The re-introduction of oatmeal into my morning routine was a great idea for a chilly “spring” day.
The decision to sleep in and skip my run was also a good idea. I arrived home from work around 7:00 and headed down to the gym shortly after. I was still feeling a little unmotivated, but really wanted to get an effective lower body workout in.
I came up with what I’m calling the lazy legs workout, since laziness just seemed to be in the air for me yesterday.
Flew by in about 30 minutes, which felt like forever due to the awful atmosphere in the gym. There are some people in my apartment building that just have the worst gym etiquette. About 10 of those people were in there at the same time as me and it was extremely distracting.
BUT I was happy I accomplished what I set out to do. The rest of the night was spent being on call, which means I stay up until 2:00 a.m. listening to the police scanner. TV life is glamorous. Since I stayed up so late, my tummy started grumbling around 1:00 a.m., and although I try to shy away from bed time snacks, I figured this was another time it was okay to break the rules. Plus, my body was clearly trying to tell me something
I fixed myself a little napkin of Kashi Golean Crunch cereal and half of a homemade protein ball.
Perfect little amount!
Now, I’m off to work for a couple stories that I’m actually excited about. You never know what kind of news you’ll get on a Saturday.
I have a little treat to share on this rainy November day!
Think it looks strange and gross? Think again. I make my signature protein “cakes” a few times a week. Lately, I’ve been making a little pumpkin pie version. I was planning on sharing that recipe today, only to discover that I am completely out of canned pumpkin! Such a travesty, right? So, I improvised. This banana cake is low carb, high protein, sugar free, and takes about 2 minutes to make, including prep time!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 4 tbs liquid egg whites, or about 1 1/2 egg whites
- 1 tbs fat free plain greek yogurt
- 1 tbs sugar free banana pudding mix (just the powder)
- pinch of splenda and cinnamon
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and microwave for one minute. If you have a high powered microwave, the time may be a bit less. Just keep an eye on it. The cake will start to rise after about 30 seconds. Be careful not to overcook, or it will become dry and chewy. A little moisture is good!
And that’s it!
yummy yummy
It’s delicious as is, but I topped mine with a dollop of light cool whip.
See the runnyness? It tasted like banana cream…mmmmm
Next up, I’m going to try it out with pistachio pudding mix. Or butterscotch? Oh, the possibilities!
Today’s Workout
I had such a great workout experience this morning. I’m currently doing a three week plan that involves a lot of intervals. Saturdays are usually the only days I have to really take my time with my workouts, so I took advantage of the opportunity this morning.
I began with a run down to the lake. Once I hit 2.5 miles I stopped and completed the following circuit:
- 25 squats
- 25 squat pulses
- 20 lunges (each side)
- 40 calf raises
- 20 fire hydrants (each leg)
- 20 hamstring curls (each leg, on all fours)
- 20 kickbacks
(repeat 2x)
After my circuits, I hit the pavement and completed the 2.5 mile run back to my apartment! It felt so nice to be outside this morning. It’s in the sixties in Chicago today, which is abnormally warm for November. Being outside really motivated me. I was shocked to see my average pace was around 7:30 per mile during my runs both to and from the lake. Wowie!
The rest of the day is going to include a ton of cleaning, and then dancing at the DePaul Women’s basketball game tonight! Go Blue Demons! Mike and I are doing date night tomorrow night, so hopefully I’ll have some indulgent food photos to post on here.
Greetings. It may be close to 80 degrees here in Chicago, but I’ve been in fall mode since September first. 80 degree weather and hearty fall recipes don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand, which is why I tried to combine the best of both worlds into my Pumpkin Protein Smoothie!
This puppy definitely hits the spot. It satisfies that fall flavor craving that creeps up this time of year without being too heavy for a hot day.
Ingredients:
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- sweetener to taste (I used 1 tsp splenda)
- 4-5 ice cubes
Directions: Toss all that good stuff in the blender and mix it up!
mmm…pumpkiny
Workout Success:
Last week in a post I mentioned that I was having some extreme difficulty finding a new workout plan that worked for me. One that I could dedicate myself to without becoming bored and giving up on. Well, problem solved! I took on the challenge of constructing a complete workout plan on my own. Normally, I will find a plan created by someone else and tweak it a little. My go-to site for workouts is normally Bodybuilding.com. Unfortunately, there isn’t a very vast selection on the website this time of year.
While constructing my workout plan for the Fall, I asked myself a couple questions:
How much time do I want to spend at the gym? I am an extremely busy person. On average, I only have about an hour of “free time” each day, which is almost always spent at the gym. I can’t afford to jump into extremely time consuming workouts, no matter how effective they may be. I made sure to construct my plan so I won’t be at the gym for more than an hour to an hour and a half each day.
What types of workouts do I like? This is a huge one. If you don’t like what you’re doing at the gym, you’re probably going to give up. To solve this problem, I made a list of my favorite strength training exercises for each muscle group. I came up with 4-6 for each muscle group, and incorporated them into my plan. For cardio, I love HIIT (high intensity interval training). I made sure to incorporate a healthy amount of this type of cardio into my workout plan as well.
What are my goals? If your goal is to lose weight, you want to be sure your plan is designed for weight loss (lots of cardio, intervals, circuits, high reps with low weight). If your goal is to bulk up, you’re going to want to have a completely different type of plan (low reps with high weight, less cardio, etc.). In my case, I’m not really looking to do either. I’m looking to maintain my current weight while continuing to tone my muscles. This made me realize that I don’t need to be killing myself at the gym every day.
So, what did I come up with? A pretty basic plan involving five days of weight training and 5 days of cardio. It looks something like this:
- Day 1: Back and 20-30 minutes of HIIT cardio
- Day 2: Legs and Abs
- Day 3: 20 minutes of HIIT cadio, 20 minutes moderate cardio
- Day 4: Biceps, Triceps, Abs
- Day 5: Chest, Shoulders, and 20 minutes HIIT cardio
- Day 6: Abs and 20 minutes HIIT cardio, 20 minuets moderate cardio
- Day 7: REST!
For most strength training exercises, I am doing three sets of 10-12 reps. Nothing crazy. Again, I am doing about 4-6 strength training exercises for each muscle group, and resting for about 30 seconds between exercises.
I’m not saying my workout plan is the best ever. It’s extremely simple, and works for me. The point I want to make is you need to find what works for you. Don’t ever let someone tell you one type of workout plan is right or wrong. If it’s giving you the results you’re looking for, then it’s probably right for you!
On a different note, today is going to be a great day. It’s a Saturday and I have so much catching up to do on cleaning, homework, and getting ready for the Dance Team Dinner I’m hosting tomorrow. First one of the season! Have a great Saturday!
biggest food junkie 