Sunday, November 9, 2014

Why I love Sundays

Happy Sunday everyone!  Sunday is the one day of the week that I always take off from working out (unless of course it’s a race day).  I usually just go for a walk, but once in awhile I’ll take a class at the gym. Usually though, it’s a rest day, and I try hard to make it a priority. I used to HATE rest days, like HAAAATE them to the point where it felt like punishment, and I was in a cycle of pushing  my body way too hard.  Once I “gave it a chance,” I realized how much better I feel when my body has a chance to recover.  My Monday workouts started feeling fresh, and I didn't feel burnt out and obligated all the time.  THIS article from ACE gives a good summary of why rest days are so important :) 

Reasons why I love Sundays (in no particular order) :

1. Besides it just being a rest day, it’s the only day I actually eat a “real” breakfast.  I always eat in the mornings, but it’s structured around my workouts, so although I do eat good foods to fuel the start of my day and my activity, it’s spaced out and
not a technical sit-down breakfast. 
My favorite Sunday morning breakfast is 3 of my favorite foods…Greek yogurt and a banana with peanut butter...






I usually make “brunch for lunch” which ends up being more of a “linner.”  No picture from today, but I make scrambled eggs full of veggies, with an apple, and a whole wheat English muffin.  I look forward to this every week….maybe because I’m on no time agenda and can kind of just kick back and enjoy at leisure :)

2.  If I don’t make it to church, having the option to watch it from home on my laptop…on the couch, in my pj’s.    

3. A clean house.  I just love that feeling of accomplishment once everything is cleaned, the laundry done, the floors mopped….like a gateway into a new fresh week!

4.  Family.  Weekends in general are full of family time since we all have time off.  Kicking back with the people you love is also an awesome feeling.

5. The Sunday paper.  As the holidays come closer, I just really love flipping through the ads over a cup of coffee.

6. Getting ready for the week.  I feel SOOO much better going into a new week feeling prepared for it.  As the week goes on and gets busier, organization tends to get put to the side, so come Sunday when I can plan out what needs to be planned, prep food for the week, organize myself, etc, etc, I feel so much better!!  If you set yourself up for success, it’s much easier to succeed for sure!


On another note…

Running on the treadmill has never really been my favorite thing, but lately I’ve been craving a good treadmill run.  I did a lot of speed training on the treadmill last training cycle, but since then it’s been only outside running, and I’m starting to feel the itch.  Tomorrow I think I’ll add in a treadmill session J  I found THIS article about different treadmill workout ideas…could be fun ;)

What is your favorite treadmill workout?
Did you do anything fun this weekend?


Saturday, November 8, 2014

Fun Running Questions


Okay, I am way overdue for a post.  Time just sort of got away from me!  I love to write and I really should be more on top of that J

As runners, we often get asked questions about running, so for tonight, a quick post about questions I’ve been asked lately, because, for whatever reason, these questions have been asked a lot!! 


What are you training for now?
            A lot of times people think that if I am regularly running, then I’m training for something, which is NOT the case :)    Right now, I’m not training for anything…just trying to maintain my base.  I won’t train again until it’s time to get ready for the Phoenix Marathon.

Did you win your race?
            No…but also yes.  I’m pretty certain that I will never win a marathon, and I am 100% okay with that.  Finishing a race is a win though.  First or last, if you set out to cross that finish line, you win when you cross.

How far was that marathon?
            26.2.  They are all 26.2.  I realize that for someone who is not well versed in the running world, this may not be common knowledge…but they are all 26.2….except in San Diego where I ran closer to 26.8 because clearly I did not do a great job with running the tangents ;)

How many miles a day do you run?
            Depends on the day.  It’s never the same day to day. Some days maybe only 5, some days maybe 20…it’s easier to answer by saying that I run 50-ish a week when not training, give or take a few miles.

Don’t you get bored?
            Usually no.  I try to mix up my workouts often, and listen to good music…that helps a lot.  Sometimes though, it’s just one of those days and the run feels long and boring, but completing it feels much better than staying in bed and dragging all day.


Right now my goals are to pretty much maintain my running base while playing around with some training workouts to keep things fresh, not get hurt, continue cross training (including weight training 3-4 times/week), break 20 minutes in the 5K for a new PR, and make more of an effort to try new recipes.

What are your favorite fall recipes?

What kinds of running questions do you get asked??