Monthly Archives: March 2013
1,500 meters
Spring break was sandwiched between 2 Arizona track meets. First, the University of Arizona’s 5k. Then last night our track team competed once again in the desert air at Arizona State University. I was surprised to see schools from as far away as Kansas, Iowa, and New York at the meet!
I am geared towards longer-distance races, and prefer the 5k/10k. So when my coach entered me in the 1500m, I was way out of my comfort zone. Yes, it’s much shorter. But it’s also much faster! In a 3 or 6 mile race, it’s all about pacing. Starting out fast but not so uncomfortable that you run out of energy half way in.
The 1500 is 3.75 laps of pure guts! The purpose of me running this event was to get a feel of racing at faster speeds, so my future 5k feels a little easier. My coach’s and my own goal was 5:00 (preferably 4:59) for the 1500 meter distance.
Unfortunately I woke up Saturday morning with a pretty awful cold. My head felt like it was about 25 pounds and I couldn’t breathe. My parents had taken off work, driven me 5 hours to Phoenix, and basically gave up their weekend to watch me run this race – I couldn’t not race. All morning I could feel miserable but for 5 minutes on the track, I would have to SUCK IT UP and race!
Though I started out in the back, I was still on pace, and with one lap to go I knew I could go under 5 minutes.
Crossed the line in 4:57, and my 17th place finish reveals that I am, in fact, not suited for this race nor do I want to trade anymore 5k’s for 1500s. But I am perfectly content with my time! It’s good to go out of your comfort zone and see what you can do :)
Next: steeple chase? ;)
Power Smoothie & Raquetball
All the spring break days are blurring together and I’m not ready for it to be over! Every day has included a trip to the gym to try out something new like the Boot Camp and Kickboxing classes. Yesterday: Raquetball.
Disclaimer: Aside from running and “workouts” I am not athletic. Throwing, catching, hitting, kicking, or dribbling? Weak. (Dodging? I can do that!)
Raquetball was purely for fun, and I think my abs got the most of the exercise from constant laughing. It’s just the natural instinct to AVOID anything that is rapidly approaching my face, so we didn’t get much of a rally going ;) Fetching the ball around the room counts as exercise too, right?
(Any Gilmore Girls fans out there? I couldn’t find the whole scene on Youtube but I am probably as terrible at Raquetball as Lorelai.)
*Edit: found the clip I was looking for. The last 15 seconds are really all you need :P Gilmore Girls Raquetball
Such an exhausting silly workout warrants an extra nutritious smoothie lunch. My strawberry banana smoothie had two extra ingredients to give it a healthy boost: Spinach leaves and Ground Flax Seed.
A.) Spinach in smoothies is totally undetectable. You can see tiny green specks but they have no flavor, just lots and lots of vitamins. It’s a freebie!
B.) Flax Seed has lots of Omega-3’s, and blends in perfectly with the fruity smoothie.
Other sneaky smoothie ingredients for added health benefits:
- cocoa powder
- cinnamon
- protein powder
- wheat germ
- Kale
- Oats
- Ginger
I can’t get over how perfect it is outside, so a run around the park is next on the agenda. With a recovery smoothie to follow (chocolate banana!)
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Operation Spring Break
Hello from Spring Break!
My St. Patrick’s Day began with a little of my favorite shade of green:
Lady Starbucks! I had probably one of the most relaxing days of the semester thus far. After sleeping in, reading a few of my favorite blogs, and finally climbing out of bed, I sipped a Starbuck’s Tribute Blend while strolling through Target. During my run, the winds were so strong that I looked like I was crying! After 25 minutes of battling the wind, I gave in and finished up on the elliptical.
It was so gorgeous outside, I rode my bike downtown for a super salad from Mix. I know this is not the most appetizing looking picture of a salad, but trust me it was great! Underneath those toppings are strawberries, grapes, kiwi, mandarin oranges, carrots, celery, cucumber, bell peppers, edamame, and spring greens with some dried cranberries, walnuts, and avocados on top. Some much-needed healthy food after a weekend of hodge podge meals from vending machines and grocery store stops during our track meet in Tucson.
Spring break is finally here! I plan on detoxing from campus food with some serious quality meals over the next few days. Smoothies, salads, stir-frys, lots o’ fruit and veggies. Can’t wait to soak up the sun, hang out by the pool and get rid of some of these funny tan lines!
