adjusting expectations and the resulting lightness

I am 3 months out from marathon #3, and admittedly, though I am 10 kinds of excited to run Route 66, this training cycle has been fraught with some frustrations of slow, injury-riddled summer and losing some serious mental battles. Aka, talking myself out of my training plan and being absolutely intimidated by it.

So I did a little soul searching yesterday, and thus a little googling for a beginner’s marathon training plan. This may sound counterintuitive, but I didn’t feel as prepared as I wanted to for my last two marathons. Was I happy with my performances? Absolutely for both. In this case, I want to  continue to give myself a fighting shot at a shiny new PR, and my original plan was not going to get me there.

Thankfully, Google quickly brought me to this plan from Popsugar, running 4-5 days a week, with foam rolling and strength training written out for me! These are two areas I need help with, and it’s what sold me on this plan. So I am jumping in at week 6, and was absolutely encouraged by my 4 miles this morning, after a great foam rolling session before bed last night.

I’ve been jamming out to the Gilmore Guys podcast (hilarious, add immediately) and laying out clothes the night before and quieting excuses Truthfully, this has been a summer of struggle running and easy discouragement. To start off strong, I’ve printed it out to go with a squat challenge on paper, and I am taking great satisfaction in checking off my workout for the day.

In other great news, I’ve EXCEEDED my fundraising goal for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon! Thank you to all my dear friends supporting, and congrats Joe on your Starbucks tumbler! 🙂 If you would still like to donate, you may do so here by August 27!

Do you ever struggle with your training plans or mental blocks?

#rwrunstreak week 1

In gearing up for Chicago Marathon training, which starts June 12 for me (WHOA SO SOON), I eagerly jumped
back on the Runner’s World Running Streak challenge. To complete this particular challenge, runners must run at least one mile a day every day between Memorial Day and July 4. I’ve come close to completing this challenge the last holiday go-round between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, and this time, I’m gonna finish it!

What makes it different this time? I am thankful for kinder circumstances, and I’ve been actively working on positive thoughts in reaffirming habits and encouraging myself to be consistent and get ‘er done. This week has been a great one for that.

Last Sunday, in preparation for the streak and marathon training, I set up my mantras for the marathon and visibly wrote them so that I can meditate on each for days in their turn. Helping with Mission Lionheart.

And Monday, the games began! I’m using this training period to compare Nike+ and Runkeeper and run as many miles for Girls on the Run on Charity Miles.

Monday

Ran a couple miles in the heat of the day on the tiny trail loop in my backyard. Rewarded myself with some vitamin D poolside and iced coffee. (Which I am OBSESSED with making my own. Always some on hand in my fridge). GREAT way to kick off summer!

Tuesday

Enjoyed a couple miles on the trail again until my shoes and socks fought a little bit. Listened to a couple running podcasts in French, which made my heart so happy. (Social media and Runner’s World France for the win!)

Wednesday

Took a quick nap and woke up to fit a quick mile in before helping some coworkers finish moving their stuff. #allthestairs

Thursday

Drug this lady along for a couple trail miles before we surprised her with a bridal shower at a wine room! It was so great to chat with her on this run and then share a really good meal with friends celebrating her. And someone kindly bought our table champagne to kick it up a notch!

FridayWhen I left the office, it was lightning storming like it tends to in Central FL. THANKFULLY, the weather cleared enough for me to squeeze a 5k in prior to meeting up with Steph for more miles and fireworks.

And like the champs we are, we caught two Disney firework shows. Typical adventures.

Saturday

Spent the day at Magic Kingdom and got some walking in there; got some overdue car repairs done, and ran an 11th hour celebratory mile. It felt great to put my little legs and the Scantron tank through its paces. Color this heavy FL sweater really impressed.

Greatly looking forward to the running coming up this week, with the Heartbreak Hill Half festival this weekend. My first trip to Boston, and I’ll be running the Hat Trick! In the meantime, carboloading with these beauties.

Are you streaking this summer or running the Heartbreak Hill Half? Any must dos or must eats in Boston?

Workout AND what I ate Wednesday

So I have not been doing a whole lot of running recently, thanks to some lingering neck pain from getting rear-ended. Pro: my chiropractor is AWESOME.

maybe this is bad proof for how awesome my chiro is; aftermath of Graston

So I’ve been fully exploring some cross-training that doesn’t make my neck be a shock absorber (hello rowing and two hour long runs in the pool). Right now, a few days out, I’m more worried about my mental game for this sub-2 attempt. Hoping that visualizing success, watching the Jordan Hasay cheering video on loop, and the overwhelming urge to run will be recipe for success next Saturday. It won’t hurt to have this speedy lady pacing me 🙂

Anyways, when not working out or working (yay demanding job!), I’ve been reveling in my two new cookbooks and trying to find an excuse to slice things with my new mandoline. Obviously a GREAT excuse to participate in What I Ate Wednesday

sriracha breakfast burrito and mango. my preferred kick off to the day

the smitten kitchen ratatouille sub. one delicious mess of a sammich. #noregrets

the runner’s world warm butternut squash and kale salad (not pictured, GOAT CHEESE). everything in this cookbook has been amazing.

this morning’s desk breakfast cause yikes i hit snooze too much. the apricots really complement the dinosaur eggs…

 

Semislothin’ Sunday

Well my friends, finally signed up for a gym so I can pool run like my half PR attempt in two weeks depends on it (cause it does). I didn’t get as bored as I thought I would in a 45 min workout without music, but ask me after my 2 hour stint today. My fantastic chiropractor is volunteering in India this week in a safe house, so I am determined to play by the rules. Using every ounce of willpower to resist these temperatures made for running and testing my fun new running clothes.

However, I am very excited for the equipment and other crazy amenities this particular gym offers. Way looking forward to evening yoga classes.

In the meantime, here’s some of the fun I had this week:

My friend Daniel was in SoCal this week and was kind enough to send me this fantastic photo from the WB Backlot Starbucks. Seriously, I want all my lattes to be PLL.

unapologetic bathroom selfie to show off oiselle stripes on stripes

trying out my new Ariel and Ursula nail polish, and I do LOVE the green very much. Good stuff, Beautifully Disney!

central Florida churned out some amazing cotton candy sunsets this week, so I had to be sure you all saw

Great recipe success from the smitten kitchen cookbook! This ratatouille sub was amazingly delicious, traveled well for work lunch, and perfectly softens my 2 day old ciabatta (oops). Con: a little messy, so you’ve been warned.

have you ever done pool running? Any suggestions for workouts? What was your favorite thing from this past week?

W______ Wednesday

Alliteration is fun, right? I have two w’s to cover today. Happy Wednesday 🙂

workout
So during my last run a week ago (so painfully long ago), my inner shins had this awesome shooting pain for the couple of miles I made it. After a nice quick self-diagnosis powered by the Internet, I read that this particular kind of pain could lead to stress fractures if you continue to run. Stress fractures are not the missing ingredient to a winning ultra Ragnar training cycle, so I decided to lay low until Everest Challenge this weekend with some yoga and light cross training. Being the giant Oiselle fan that I am, I gave the dirty dozen a try, and it has further demonstrated how badly I need to cross train. I didn’t know there was that much ab muscle to be sore, till I was sore while shifting in my car and almost couldn’t sit up out of bed. I still have not gotten through a complete set in one go (I know, a little weak), but something to work for, right? I’ve also been throwing a little yoga back into the routine…downward dog goes great with all my favorite TV.

what I ate
I decided a couple weeks ago to start trying all the delicious recipes I’ve been posting on my Pinterest. I also decided to make all my meals at home either vegan or vegetarian, just to see if my body would react positively to this change (note: any meal I eat out with friends is a “cheat meal” and not necessarily veggie or vegan). After almost two weeks, I am absolutely loving how I feel. My skin is clearer, I have more energy, and I am enjoying some supremely delicious food. Because I only cook for 1, I pick a couple meals to make full batches of, and I NOM on leftovers for the week. If we’re being honest, I love the upfront prep time and minimal time commitment afterwards. It makes it a lot easier to commit to clean vegan/veggie eating, even on my so-called “cheat meals”.

a day in the [recent veggie] life:
Make-ahead freezable breakfast burrito or overnight oats (finally found the chia seeds in bulk at whole foods so I don’t have to break the bank for a bag)

burrito, mary blair plates, and my tiny backyard!

overnight oats with banana, blackberries, and a side of handwriting practice

Chickpea avocado salad sandwich (or GREEN MONSTER SAMMICH for fun)

i slid some zucchini and tomato slices in here with some spinach leaves and the actual avocado salady goodness

Sweet Potato Chickpea Burger – words do not adequately describe how much I enjoy these little patties. They are SO tasty.

here, smothered in the most gorgeous avocado i’ve seen and surrounded by kale and tomato

One minute chocolate cake (I was craving dessert like whoa, and google led me to this recipe. Perfection)

On deck to try over the next couple weeks:
Chickpea stirfry (sensing a theme?)
Lentil Burgers
All the amazing Popsicles that Jerry James Stone puts out. (K, not exactly entree material, but still)

Any favorite cross-training activities when you are sidelined? Have you tried the dirty dozen? Any recipes you can share? Do you like the name Green Monster Sammich?

In which I lay before the Internet some hopes and dreams

I’ve read from many sources that telling someone about your goals is a great motivator to help you achieve them. So this was a little scary and embarrassing for me, but obviously those emotions mean I should share this with the Internet, right? Without further ado…

Running goals
– I will run my first marathon by November 2013 : this goal has been an exercise in mental weakness and a perfect storm of other lack of commitment or discipline to train. I was supposed to run Space Coast 2012…trained for 3 months, then didn’t stay committed to my group training. I was supposed to run Eugene this Sunday with my best friend from high school, but between not budgeting money or time, I will not be on the West Coast this weekend. This is the final straw. I am dying to try my hand at the marathon distance and bust through my weird mental fear/block of exceeding 14 miles right now. I’VE GOT THIS. In a weird twist, I will be running my first ultra relay before I will do a marathon. Looking forward to rocking Napa Valley with Team Mickey & Friends in September!
– I will run a sub-2 half marathon by November 2013 : the Wine and Dine half is going to be my goal race. Honestly terrified of this goal too, but I’m planning to put in a little faith, a lot of sweat, and some speed work this summer
– I will run for Oiselle by December 2014 : I have been 100% impressed with the ladies of Oiselle and the Oiselle team. I absolutely love the vision that Sally has and I think I would represent the brand quite well, being a Nightingale and a lifelong lover of French, and a recent but passionate lover of running. So I know they’re not currently taking applications, but this girl can dream right? It would be a privilege that I would LOVE to have.

Career Goals
Honestly, I’m still working through the nebulous details within myself and with my current leader. The double-edged blessing in my current workplace is that I could have the opportunity to do almost anything you can think of! I’m having a hard time identifying even a few career paths that I could pursue with a 5 year plan. I’m currently involved in a project with web content management, and I would LOVE to work as a content strategist I think. I could also see myself loving PR/social media, and then there’s always theme park operations. My one goal right now for career? I will lay out three potential career paths by May 2013 for consideration. I’m not planning on leaving my current role anytime in the near future, but I’d like to be prepared.

Personal Interests Goals
– I will read one book in French every two months for the remainder of 2013 : I have my favorites with me here in Orlando, and it’s time to dust them off and enjoy reading them encore une fois
– I will learn the basics of hand lettering by February 2014: I’m still trying to figure out the details behind this one, whether I teach myself from material online or sign up for a class. All I know is that I would love to practice gorgeous calligraphy and develop my creative side further.
– I will email a good long distance friend once every week for the rest of 2013 : this may sound super trivial, but I am honestly terrible about writing emails/letters to my dear friends who live far from me, and I’d like to be a better communicator.
– I will blog three times a week beginning in may for the remainder of 2013 : I talked about this one in my last post. Would love to put out posts more faithfully and frequently than I have been!

Tell me your dreams! Do you have any goals that you are working towards? Any advice you can offer?

sunday anticipation is my favorite

weekly training

monday: one mile

tuesday: Track Party with 4x1200s at 10k pace (!!! SO FUN)

wednesday: sleeping in and 5 hour nap

thursday: 5k time trial for baseline

friday: more sleeping and a little office yoga

saturday: Long Run of 6 miles (followed by soy caramel macchiato in the morning and champion Blue Moon and Pretzel Breadsticks with Baller Cheese Sauce in the evening)

sunday: SAND VOLLEYBALL with coworkers

Part of me loathes myself for not keeping up with the Runner’s World running streak, but the other part of myself is noticing the fresher legs and sickness easier staved. I did, however, enjoy working out daily, and I need to stick with a crosstraining schedule with some strength! I’m still working towards 100 push-ups, continuing yoga and I am going to start a rotation of blogilates routines (Cassey is one peppy girl!) It is my goal to intentionally sweat once a day (that distinction is needed in Florida where unintentional sweat occurs on an almost hourly basis). I am looking forward to the upcoming week of training.

First long run in the panther rogas = love at first stride. I swear that between this, rested legs, and great conversation with my Marathonfest pace group peeps, the run FLEW by. We were all soaked in sweat by the end (story of our Floridian lives) and I loved every second. It was reassuring that this seemed easier this week because I was a little apprehensive that my crazy dream big goal of 4:15 or under in my first marathon is crazy. It may actually be crazy, but I’d rather aim for the moon. All in all, not yet a long run hater (but we haven’t reached double digits).

sunday anticipation, or Things I Am Looking Forward To This Week, Volume 1

1) Tuesday: chomping a Smooth Caffeinator Picky Bar and second Track Party Tuesday ever

2) Tuesday? : meeting my childhood friend’s 2 month old baby girl…she’s a precious little chubster with the biggest cheeks I’ve ever seen on a baby!

3) Thursday: picking up my new running shoes and mini-staycation at a new hotel! I cannot wait to lounge by the Finding Nemo pool all afternoon

4) Friday: Cobb Salad Date at a favorite restaurant with a favorite friend

How was your weekend? Anything great coming up this week? Favorite Picky Bar flavor? Favorite workout? Favorite song at the moment?

a week of mental games

So I’ve spent the last three days

fireworks watching

galaxy saving

elephant flying

NOMMING

NOMMING SOME MORE

monkeying around

elephant watching

giraffe gazing

but in between all that fun, i spend a lot of time fighting during my runs. I feel really weird admitting this, but I’ve been having a major fat month. I have indeed gained a few pounds, and I am not comfortable in my favorite clothes, including my running clothes. I’ve spent most of my runs this week focusing way too much on the negativity in my head instead of relishing in the hard work. It was EXHAUSTING, and I didn’t feel better immediately after, like I usually do. Last night, I went on a practice long run with two goals: to run the whole time and to finish 5 miles, no matter how slow. and i did. and it was SO enjoyable to jam to my own music, enjoy the sunset, and not think about how i looked and only check in to make sure my physical body (not my emotional body) felt fine. I am SO looking forward to my first training run on Marathonfest tomorrow and to keep working hard to get these few pounds off.

Ever had a crazy mental game week?

sunday musings

weekly training
Monday: 4 mile run – race with an armadillo; 100 Pushups Challenge Day 1
Tuesday: bikram yoga with bff R (her first yoga class EVER)
Wednesday: evening easy run and pushups day 2
Thursday: rest
Friday: pushups day 3 and interesting treadmill tempo worked out (complained on twitter…yadda yadda yadda)
Saturday: walked a mile around the World Showcase, blood orange margarita in hand? (that counts for cardio AND strength, right?)
Sunday: 4 mile fartlek run

I’m starting to get nervous about marathon training, which I like to think is a good thing. It lets me know that I’m taking it seriously and it is a big deal to me. My knee is flaring up, so it was back to running with the brace on, and I’m icing and typing right now (what a multitasker). But all of my forseeable Saturdays remaining for 2012 will be spent in the long run. Ahhh, mental prep.

I spent some time doing some Pinterest cooking this week as well, making freezer/make ahead meals, and I couldn’t be gladder I did. I have breakfast burritos, cilantro lime and bean burrito (a mix of this and this), and oatmeal cookie pancakes on hand. Really simple, and really minimal time commitment for me. I think I will probably do this every other week, since I don’t terribly mind eating the same thing over and over again. If I had been thinking, I would have taken photos. Instead, you just have to trust me that my mushroom, spinach, veggie crumble, egg and cheese breakfast burrito is PRETTY awesome.

Summer Running Streak starts tomorrow! Are you gonna be streaking with us?

100 days to Disneyland!

I could NOT be more excited that today marks 100 days to the Disneyland Half Marathon!

yesssssssss cannot wait for California sunshine and SNACKS

I’ve only completed two half marathons, and just this year, but it is, thus far, my favorite distance. I’m also extremely interested in seeing the logistics of a race at Disneyland. Though the majority of it will be run in Anaheim proper, I think that running through the parks will be just as magical. I did sign up for the family 5k in the same weekend as a shakeout run, and it goes through the parks only. I do have an A time goal of sub-2 hours with a coworker, and depending on training this summer, I’ll set my B and C goals closer to the race. Mostly, I can’t wait to race 13.1 and to be in California/on the West Coast again!

Have you run the Disneyland half? Do you want to run a runDisney race?