I feel like at one point I was able to be creative with the titles and themes of these posts…but lately they are all over the place and I can never figure out a common theme for all the randomness. But then again, isn’t that what “thinking out loud” is all about? Anywhere, here we go!
1. I made Rob’s favorite cookies again this week, but we ran out of almond flour. I had about 1.25 cups and the recipe calls for 2 cups. I used whole wheat flour for the other .75 cup. Cookies are still really good, but not as good as they usually are. I don’t think I ever would have guess that almond flour was so awesome. So now its getting added to the amazon subscribe and save list because $14 for 16 oz just isn’t reasonable.
2. I forgot to tell you all this but I finally bought a spiralizer and made zoodles a few weeks ago! I got this “spiral slicer” and it’s not one of the fancy ones but it did the trick. If at some point we ever have a decent sized kitchen and can fit another appliance I will probably upgrade, but for now this is good! I didn’t try sweet potato noodles on Friday like I was planning to because I got lazy and settles for spaghetti. Oh well- maybe next time!
3. I had my first tempo run of the training cycle on Wednesday morning, and I was really nervous about it on Tuesday night. I started to have alot of self doubt and convinced myself that if I didn’t do the workout as planned that it would be ok. I seem to have alot of issues with my confidence going into my second workout of each week. For the first 3 weeks it was 800s and even though I had done them before they still scared me. This was the fastest paced tempo run I had ever gone for so it was easy to tell myself how hard it would be. But then I realized I ran 12 miles as this pace a month ago! Once again I was right on target and surprised myself. This seems to be the theme lately. I am certainly not complaining about it I just don’t want to start feeling bad if I get to a point where some of my workouts are not right on target.
4. On Tuesday night I decided to pass up my usual hot yoga class. Instead I took an Epsom salt bath to warm up and relax my muscles and then did 30 minute of Reflexion yoga and foam rolled. Sometimes I think that spending the time doing that stuff can be more beneficial that going to yoga class, but it all depends. I definitely get a lot out of the studio classes but my goal this week was more to relax my muscles, stretch and little, and prepare for the next tough workout. Mission accomplished.
5. Finally, I can’t complete this post without saying something about today being 9/11. I can’t believe its been 13 years. I will never forget the day as I was in my second week away at college, with dozens of friends and family members in the New York area. There isn’t a whole lot that can be said, but it’s important to take a moment and remember.
- What types of runs make you the most nervous?
- Do you prefer yoga at home or at a studio?
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Weekend Update and Last Week’s Workouts
Fruits And Veggies And Weird Eating Habits
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I really need a day to relax my muscles. I feel tight and it’s not just running related, I feel like sitting at the computer all the time is just as hard on my muscles! That and feeling stressed since the kids started school. You bath plus yoga and foam rolling sounds incredible!
I hate sitting at the computer for long periods of time! Even after a long run I would rather move around a little than sit still all day. And being stressed definitely makes my muscles feel tense, too!
Awesome job on your tempo! I feel like all runs make me nervous! I feel antsy until I get through the second mile, then I loosen up a little.
Those zucchini noodles look delicious! Feel free to send some my way 🙂
Thanks! Lately just certain runs have made me nervous. But I know that times when I am coming back from an injury I feel nervous starting every run that the pain will come back!
Can you believe it’s 13 years? Feels like yesterday to me….I was never a fan of yoga, especially anything in a too hot environment (makes me faint). I do love Pure Barre though but instead of paying the fortune, I have been doing the videos from home and it’s nice to do it when I feel like it, when I have the time and not having to drive somewhere lol.
That’s my favorite part about doing hot yoga is not having to go anywhere. My yoga studio is about a 10 minute walk away (there’s not really anywhere to park) so it can be a nice walk if the weather is good, but if its raining or gross out it makes me really not want to go!
I’ll take an epsom salt bath with a glass of wine and zoodles and a cookie, thank you. Whole wheat flour is super dense–whole wheat pastry flour wouldv’e worked better!
Yes that combo sounds perfect! And good call on the pastry flour…something else I need to look into buying.
Tempo runs probably make me the most nervous as well. There’s something so challenging about maintaining speed over distance but I find that once I start running all the anxiety goes (thankfully!). I prefer yoga in a studio but I love that the skills you learn can be taken outside the studio too 🙂
Glad to hear you feel the same way about tempos!
And I agree that yoga is great because you can really do it anywhere…but I do think there is something special about practicing in a studio.
13 years? Wow… Where the heck did they go?!? It honestly doesn’t feel anywhere close to being that long. And can you believe that I’ve never taken an actual yoga class? I practice at home sometimes, but I’d really love to get out to a studio to see what kind of difference it makes!
You should really try to get to a studio! I started doing yoga at home first, too, but I find that I get so much more out of it when I go to a studio!
It doesn’t seem like it was 13 years ago. I bet everyone can remember where and what they were doing at that time. I have read about that spiral slicer on another blog as well. I need to get me one of those. Great job on your tempo run.
Thanks! And yes- that was a day that no one will ever forget.
I’m pretty happy with the spiral slicer- it works well for a great price!
I love that spiral slicer! I’ve been thinking about buying one, but the bigger ones can be a little expensive. How long did it take you to make the zoodles?
Not long at all! I think maybe 10 minutes but mostly because I was figuring out how to use it. And they cooked I think in like 5 minutes.
I honestly cannot believe it’s been 13 years. I was in 10th grade and I remember just being in disbelief. I didn’t sleep for a week, I would just stay up glued to CNN all night long.
Whoo for zoodles! That’s the kind of spiralizer I bought too and it gets the job done! Those fancier ones are nice, but I like that this kind is small and super easy to clean, haha. I mean from prep to “cooking” to cleanup –everything can be done in less than 10 minutes!
It’s crazy what we all experienced on that day 13 years ago…and I don’t think any of us will ever forget where we were when we heard the news.
I agree about the spiral slicer! I’m happy with it and I love that its so small!
Isn’t the spiralizer awesome? My favorite thing I’ve made with mine is pad thai with zoodles! Can’t wait to see how you use it with sweet potatoes!
Ooh that sounds good! I need to start getting more creative with mine. And I am excited for the sweet potatoes too!:)
Ah I’ve been meaning to get a spiralizer for a while now, yet everytime I have some extra money, I spend it on something else. Tsk tsk Amber. I’m glad your zoodles worked out well!
Tempo runs always make me nervous! Long runs as well sometimes, but tempo surely wins each time. Great job though! It definitely helps to know you did 12 miles at the same pace so recently 🙂
Yes… I think that long runs are less scary because I tell myself that I can do them slowly!
Hope that you get a spiralizer soon- its kind of fun:)
Yey for the spiralizer!! And an AWESOME tempo run! Great job!
Thanks!
I’ve been slacking on my stretching and foam rolling. Back to School has really hit me hard. I feel like I hardly have any time. I know that I just need to adjust my priorities! I also forgot to tell you that yesterday I got upset about my splits and then I reminded myself what you said about easy runs. It is a constant mental battle!!
I am feeling the back to school stress too, even though its not as much of an adjustment for me. But the days when I get home later and am stressed from a busy day I feel like I get so behind on everything. I have tried to make the foam rolling a priority even if its just for a couple of minutes each night.
That’s awesome that you were able to remind yourself about easy runs! I feel like as my mileage has increased and some of my runs have been harder my easy paces are slowing down alot. I also notice that my first mile of each run is getting slower and slower. But I’m still hitting my goals for workouts so I’m trying to just focus on that!
I keep telling myself I’ll go to hot yoga between my runs butttttt I keep putting it off! ): Luckily I have a zillion rollers to help loosen me up
With everything else you have going on I don’t blame you! Keep rolling for now and maybe one day you will make it to a hot yoga class!