Monthly Archives: January 2013
Sunday Funday Runday
Tomorrow starts the first day of Spring Semester and the first day of track practice! I’m slightly scared…..this morning I awoke to -6 degree weather. Not the most ideal running situation ;)
Since I am coming off of a 5 week break from running & school, it’s hard to get back in the mode of being a student-athlete. Waking up early again, layering up with lots and lots of under armor and heading to 4 hours of classes after practice is a huge change from my vacation mornings that began with coffee and Pinterest. It is officially Indoor Track season though, which I will just be using to tune up for Outdoor Track in a couple of months. And today is:
This week, training will be fairly easy for me. I can’t just jump into full-on speed workouts on the track because my muscles need a little time to wake back up. So to ease into it, I’ll be doing some comfortable morning runs, increasing in mileage as the week goes on. If time permits, I’ll throw in some short afternoon runs in to the schedule as well. Mondays and Wednesdays we have weight training with a strength coach, though I always add in my own core routines after each run before stretching.
When I started training in college, I got used to doing long runs on Sunday and I really like it! (As 0pposed to long runs on Saturdays with a rest day on Sunday.) Get the week off to a good start and set the tone for the next few days’ workouts. I think long runs are my favorite workout of the week, when we tick off 11, 12, 13 miles before a feast brunch :) The longer the run, the happier I am (which means I should be just ecstatic after my first marathon!).
However today won’t begin with a brisk 12-miler for my first long run in over a month. But since I will be kissing “free time” goodbye tomorrow, I’ve got to take advantage of this Sunday with an extra long trip to the gym (iPod is loaded)! On the menu for today:
Get sweaty on Sunday morning & have the rest of the day to relax!
Workout Entertainment
Confession: I may have overplayed the Pitch Perfect soundtrack on my ipod during the last 3 days’ workouts….I may have also watched the movie twice within 24 hours. (Fat Amy is hilarious! The inventor of “horizontal running” ;) )
Back-tracking, my ipod has been my saving grace while jogging this week; I have to listen to music if I am running on the treadmill unless I am at LA Fitness while Sex & the City is playing on E! (which is kind of alot.). Being on winter break means no track team to train with, leading to pretty boring solo runs. Which is why I resort to the treadmill, but honestly time passes by slower on that dang machine. Don’t you feel like you are constantly looking at the clock and only 30 seconds have passed?! I run out of things to think of!
Treadmill days at the gym require an iPod loaded with adrenaline-pumping music to keep me hyped instead of bored!
*Gotta admit that I was super reluctant to put Bieber on the list…..I definitely don’t have Bieber Fever but I do like this song! :P And the music video for Hall of Fame is pretty motivational itself!
Also, I say “of the moment” because I have a tendency to play new songs on repeat and then get sick of them exactly 2.8 weeks later….it’s an ever-changing list : )
In other news: over 4 weeks have passed since my December surgery and I can’t believe it. Feels like I was just walking through Rockefeller Center looking for a Christmas present for my dad. And now we are just 4 days away from the start of Spring Semester! Not complaining though because Missy & I were going a little stir crazy in the house over this past month.
We had plenty of dance parties:
But it’s definitely challenging to try to maintain a healthy body when I am restricted from physical activity during recovery! When workouts go from 7 days a week to 0, it’s extra important to adjust diet as well. (Can’t really justify cinnamon coffee cake as ‘carbo-loading’, can I?)
Now I’m excited to get back to normal, with running and strength training and all the usual stuff. There’s still swelling in my face and it’s far from perfect; we aren’t done with surgery just yet. In fact, we have already tentatively planned out our next trip to the New York hospital in a few months. But until then, I have these next 16 weeks to make the most of this track season!
What’s your workout playlist?
Outgrowing Sprinkles and Skittles
As a 9-year old, I was sure that when I became a grown up and made decisions for myself I would have ice cream for breakfast. I would make cookie dough specifically to eat raw. I would never buy vegetables because I didn’t have to; I would survive off of goldfish crackers and elbow noodles and I would always get a candy bar at the check-out line. (Preferably the cookies n’ cream one!)
Clearly I was not concerned with diabetes. ; )
Throwback from the 90s!
My current 19-year old self was thinking about all of this while sipping my hot coffee this morning and realizing that I AM a grown up and my 9-year old self would be very disappointed in my breakfast: Coach’s Oats with sliced banana and cinnamon… Where are the sprinkles? What about the hot chocolate with whipped cream? Why aren’t there any gummy worms?!?! (I’m totally picturing Buddy the Elf right now) ;)
Obviously as a kid, my parents pretty much decided what/how much I ate. So ten years later…What keeps us from eating everything that we want to?
How did we go from THIS to this?!
Swim suit season/skinny jeans/spandex/gym clothes/guilt/self control/diabetes/obesity/cholesterol/money/intelligence
When I was little, I always wanted a snack – not the healthy kind. My mom’s response was always, “Okay, you can have a piece of fruit and if you’re still hungry, you can have a snack.”
Not the answer I wanted; 9 times out of 10 I turned down the offer. Now it’s a habit I tell myself! In the afternoon if I feel like snacking, I think “Would I eat another apple?” If the answer is No, sip some water and chew some gum :)
Also, things looked a lot more appealing as a kid! At the grocery store, I always wanted the frozen chocolate chip waffles and Cheeto Puffs. Now I think blegh; I grocery shop on my own and I still don’t put that crap in my cart.
If only elementary-school-me could see me now ;)
What are some unhealthy habits you’ve changed over the last decade?
