I realize I have been MIA from SLMC for a while. (Over 2 months to be exact.) Let’s just not talk about it? Okay :)

“I’m Back!”

The last couple of months have been a struggle of overcoming a hip injury due to “overuse” (overtraining). Remember those weeks I was running 80 miles while working 40 hours? Yeah not recommended. If you’re training for a 5k then a 16-miler every Sunday is prooooobably a little extreme. I was just following my coach’s training program! I learned better & will be listening to my own body from now on ;)

This weekend I came home to sunny SoCal for the first time since August and I can’t even tell you what a recharge button it was.  When I rang the doorbell at 10:30 Friday night my mom had no idea that I was even in the same state as her. Missy was equally as surprised.

Back to Basics:

I’ve totally learned from injuries and recovery what works and doesn’t work for me. Running 80 miles a week with not enough sleep doesn’t work for me. Keeping a food journal and a training log DOES work for me. Being a student-athlete for a Div. 1 school is cool and all, but really I just want to be happy & healthy.

Current Healthy Obsessions:

• I just adopted my mom’s first SLR Panasonic camera that I’m taking out on some Flagstaff trails. Covering ground, fresh air, nature, photography. All good things!
• Sprout’s coffee beans. I got my parent’s hooked on their flavored coffee beans this year too, currently sipping on Pinon Hazelnut but my favorite still goes to Vienna Cinnamon <3 Grinding your own beans smells heavenly.
• The blog Skinny Confidential. Lauren knows what’s up!
• Eli Young Band and their Pandora station
• Nexxus Heat Protector Spray. Smells delishhhhh.

The next phase of my healthy lifestyle is to begin training for MY FIRST MARATHON. (I made a Pinterest board and everything. I mean, obviously.) This will give me so much more to blog about & keep track of. But first I’ll do a quick catch-up of the last two months:

I spent a lot of time outside.

Spent even more time with my favorite redheads:

Although this is a little more typical…….

We like to grab coffee and hang out in a field…..

Escaped to Sedona for a day of hiking, which was all fun and games until the “Bear Sighting” signs popped up (and you knowww how I feel about wild animals):

And many mornings started out enjoying the little things. (Oh and the lovely sounds of construction out my window.)

Because of my injury, I spent a couple weeks just “resting” with no exercise, and about 6 weeks slowly progressing back to running. This blog post is sparked by my increasing inspiration to get back in shape! While it might not be obvious or noticeable, I can tell that my body has changed after more than 2 months of limited exercise and more than a few splurges on frozen yogurt, homemade pizzas, Sprout’s chocolate-covered blueberries/almonds/cashews (OBSESSED.) and of course peanut butter ;)

Tomorrow I will climb back up to a 12 mile run and I feel like myself again. Long runs are my thing. And I’m working on a lot of goals for myself:

• Build back up my long run (the difference this time? Proper rest and recovery. Duh.)
• Eat clean (95%…..girl’s gotta have her coffee creamer). I’m cutting out processed peanut butters (actually all nuts for a few weeks because they are so addicting that I can’t stick to a serving!), crackers/granola bars/cereals (because honestly they are sugar & flour clusters) and definitely avoiding the chocolate bulk section at Sprouts for a little bit. I’m a scale-avoider and I don’t like weighing myself so I will base my progress on how my clothing fits and how I feel about myself when I look in the mirror :)
• Two consecutive pull-ups (currently at 1.5!)
• Plank for 4 minutes
• Stay injury-free
• Stress less over things I cannot control
• Take a new fitness class every week
• Try a new recipe every week from my new Pinterest board “Domesticated” ;)

It’s good to be back.