Healthy Twists

Wowza, am I really two months into half-marathon training? Well, the race is TWO MONTHS from Tuesday, so I guess so. Now the real…fun?…begins as the long runs keep getting up there in mileage. My PDR is 7 miles, so after next week, I’ll really be in uncharted territory there.

Before I go over my workouts this week, I have a questions. In the spirit of “one (wo)man’s trash is another’s treasure” I’m thinking of hosting a giveaway, but not exactly a normal one. More like a “clean out the pantry/bathroom/desk” thing where I give away things that I don’t really want, or have room for, but maybe someone else will? I don’t mean junk per se, just things I don’t want anymore but don’t want to just toss. Things like:

This is a wine stopper that doesn’t fit in a condo where a boy lives in my refrigerator (well, it does, but not when it’s in a bottle of wine…oh you know what I mean) so I can’t use it, but it’s too pink and girly and awesome to just throw away. So I’m thinking things like that…jewelry I don’t use anymore, tea I wasn’t a fan of but someone else might love (Eggnogg’n, I’m looking at you), etc. Is that a fun idea, or lame? I am all about the Freecycle, but I know not everyone is.

So where was I? Workouts. Half Marathon. Oh yes, that.  I am STILL not getting my act together too often to work out in the morning, which is lame, but I’m making it work. I am really trying to honor my body’s need for sleep, so after-work exercise it is.

Here’s what I did this week:

Monday: Rest. I meant to strength train a little, but then I slept in and wasn’t feeling it after work either.

Tuesday: Ran 4.1 miles. After feeling discouraged last week, I wanted to run without timing myself. I wanted to focus on my effort. I was tired after work and it was hard to get out there but of course, one (almost) never regrets a workout. It was nice to just blow off some steam and move.

Wednesday: In the AM I walked (including some running spurts) the hills around my house with Nina. After work I did my Hatha yoga class which was nice, but I was having a hard time being “in the moment.” It happens to the best of us.

Thursday: Ran with my “real runner” friend Lyd who makes me run hills. Her run kicks my behind, but I know I need hill practice for the half, so I actually really like being pushed past my comfort zone. I think we did about 3 miles?

Friday: Walked Nina for about 45 minutes. It was…a little tough going up the steep hill. That might have been due to my “pre-workout” fuel of champions aka a glass of wine and some crackers and hummus, but who’s to say?

Saturday: About 35 minutes of strength training at the gym followed by a leisurely 55-minute walk with Nina. At the gym I did a modified version of Week 1 of Gina’s Summer Shape-Up, and I really liked it. It was all upper body (the “strength” program), and I think right now, a lower-weight & higher-rep program is perfect for me. I did the routine as a circuit, twice through. It’s supposed to be 3 but I didn’t want to be too sore for Sunday’s long run.

Sunday: Long run! We did 6.5 miles in 1 hr and 12 minutes, or about a 11:05 pace. Yeah! It was hot too. I was very happy with that. Of course, Mitch ran 7 miles in 57 minutes, but that’s why we don’t compare ourselves to others. I did my run with no walking and I was very happy with my effort. Not being sore (except oh man…my abs…) helped a lot, I think. So did a healthy, hearty meal Saturday night (more on that in my next post).

So, I know I did a lot more cardio and less strength training this week. A lot of that is due to my responsibilities as a dog momma, and well, I can’t help that. It’s not ideal but this princess is worth it (even in sepia and even if she’s way too interested in what’s going on in the kitchen).

Plus, I just really love walking, especially this time of year! But I notices that I felt a lot stronger on my long run, so maybe there’s something to not “shredding” my muscles so much as the gym. I’m looking to maintain my current muscle (and cross-train to prevent injury) rather than building a ton more, right now.

Up next, I’ll show you why I haven’t been doing a ton of cooking lately, but my meals have been fabulous nonetheless. It’s one of those posts where looking over the photos makes me think, “man, that was GOOD.” And there’s no Mexican takeout involved, I promise!

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