Progress

Post bath hair-do, thank you Daddy!

I've been doing really well with my running lately and I think its because I've turned a new leaf. In past years when I was training for 25k's it was always about getting in xx amount of miles each day, each week, etc. It was always daunting for me because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish the 25k and I would crash and burn on race day.

Now that I've decided that I'm not doing 25ks anymore and focusing on my upcoming 10k my outlook is so much better! I KNOW I can run a 10k - heck my long run last weekend was more than that. I'm running now more for enjoyment, for "me" time and to feel good about myself.

This week I turned a new leaf. I took up morning running.

Might not be a big deal to some of you, but for me its HUGE. I used to hate working out in the morning but with having a kid and fulltime working parents I've decided this is what I have to do to get my running in. And SURPRISE SURPRISE the two AM runs I've had this week (in the dark along country roads and 15 degrees) have been my favorite runs in a long time. Who am I???

In food news I have a couple recipes coming up in the next few days -

Blueberry Muffins, Crockpot WHOLE chicken and homemade chicken broth.

On my team

I apologize for the lack of recipes lately but I've really been focusing on my running lately and have been having a hard time feeling creative in the kitchen. PLUS the husband was out of town for two weeks which pretty much means I don't make a full dinner each night, just grab whatever is around for a "balanced-ish" meal. But he's back and I'm making a new recipe tonight so stay tuned! In the meantime....

I've been thinking about where I draw my motivation and information from. Running does not come naturally to me. I did not run track in high school or cross country. I remember going for training runs with my field hockey team in high school and getting in trouble for cheating on a run. (We were supposed to go for a 40 minute run. We ran to one of the girl's houses that lived close by, ate popsicles and ran back). After college when I wanted to drop my undergrad weight I started working out more on an elliptical and treadmill but wouldn't necessarily say I was a runner.

I started running on-purpose when I started dating my track coach husband. We don't run together typically but he encouraged me to run. I still remember when he convinced me to run a 25k and the farthest I had run up to that point as an adult was probably 4 miles. That winter/spring of training got me hooked on running.

Now, running for me has turned into a way for me to be competitive with myself. I love setting goals and training for a specific goal. I love trying to beat my old time, be better, faster, stronger. I've had a little trouble mentally accepting that I'm not nearly as fast as I was two years ago before my foot reconstruction and pregnancy but I know that in due time I'll be back to where I was, if not better. I love seeing improvement on a daily basis.

When you are working toward a goal, whether it be weight loss, a sport-specific goal or other life goal, its important to have a team of support people around you. This support team helps lift you up, provide knowledgeable information and encouragement. Here is my team roster:

My husband (here's the link to his non-healthy hot dog blog) - he's my main coach
Megan: my strength and conditioning specialist for all those great circuit ideas ;)
Amanda: providing me with knowledge on fartleks and other running jargon
Laurie: Tech consultant, who introduced me to Runner's World training log
Janae: Perseverance coach
My coworkers: Whose constant trash talk with each other and competition within the office drives me!

Who is on your team?

Want to be on my team? What can you offer me??? :)

Planning vs. Flexibility

The reason for most of my planning and flexibility!

I am a planner by nature. I thrive in a well-planned environment. I have learned that since having a baby and going back to work that planning is what holds it all together and I feel like our household would be chaos if I did not plan. However, I have also learned in the last few months is that flexibility is what makes a well thought out plan realistic in the actual world. I have found this especially true in two specific areas: Meal Planning & Exercise Plans

MEAL PLANNING

There are many different systems for meal planning and I really think it depends on the family as to which way works for you. This is how I do it....

Every Thursday night I sit down and figure out what we have going on in the upcoming week (Fri-Thurs.) so I know what nights I need to make dinner. I typically don't make a homemade dinner when my husband is not home and just eat leftovers or cereal. Then I think about what I have on hand. I usually base this off of what meats we have available and try to come up with meals that are based on these meats. But usually, it is just a review of the pantry and the fridge and figure out what I can make out of items on hand. Then I think about what is on sale this week and think of meals that can utilize the deal of the week. I take this list of possibilities and fill it into my week. I put meals that are quick prep on Mondays and Wednesday since those are the days I work late. I put slow cooker meals on weekends, etc. Then I put our meal plan on a white board in our kitchen. I know it may seem cheesy but it works for us. My husband works at a college where he eats in the cafeteria each day. If he knows what we're having for dinner, then he won't eat something similar for lunch each day. I make my grocery list and pull coupons Thursday night and go grocery shopping on Fridays. It works for us. I have found that I am not stressed out about dinner, we save money and we eat out WAY less than when I didn't meal plan.

MEAL FLEXIBILITY

As much as I like to plan, things do come up mid-week and I have to be flexible. It's not uncommon for me to switch around what we're having one night or another if my husband has something come up and can't come home. But at least I know we have the ingredients on hand and can just swap it out another day.
EXERCISE PLANNING

Each Sunday I discuss with my husband what we have going on in the week. Just like my meal plan, I have to figure out when he's going to be home to watch Finley. I figure out what days I can utilize the treadmill at work, what days I can run around the indoor track at my husband's work, what days I can run outside at home and what days I'm stuck doing an indoor workout at home. I've started putting my exercise log on the top of the page for my intended exercises. It helps keep me accountable and to stick with the plan.
EXERCISE FLEXIBILITY

Unfortunately, not everything can always go to plan but I need to make sure I'm still get workouts - even if its not the workout I intended. Example: Monday I was going to do circuits inside after I put Finley to sleep. Well I wasn't planning on there being 2 feet of drifted snow at the bottom of our driveway. I was able to get up the driveway no problem in my 4x4 but there was no way that my husband would make it up, without 4x4. So instead of circuits, after I put Finley to sleep I bundled up, took the baby monitor with me and shoveled extremely heavy snow. I decided it was more of a back/arm workout than I would have gotten with my circuits!

How do you plan? In what ways do you have to be flexible?