Work is super busy right now so sorry for the quick and late post. G'night!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Long run success!
I was super worried that my knee wouldn't allow me to get in my long run on Sunday, but, I had no problems! I ended up feeling great the entire 7 miles and only started to feel my knee a little towards the end. Since it never really hurt, I was able to keep on going. I was pretty impressed with my speed as well. :)
Work is super busy right now so sorry for the quick and late post. G'night!
Work is super busy right now so sorry for the quick and late post. G'night!
Friday, August 24, 2012
i cooked!
Things are kind of hectic around here again, which leaves little time for blogging. :(
I ran 4 miles yesterday and felt great all the way until about the 3.3 mile mark and then my knee started hurting again. I was able to make it to 4, but my knee was definitely flaring up and feeling pretty uncomfortable. I am going to keep icing it and I had planned on taking it easy this morning so I would be ready for a long run this weekend. I am really hoping this doesn't cause any real problems.
I didn't want to skip my run this morning, even though I probably should have just rested my knee, so I went for a quick 2 mile run. I tried to just jog comfortably and get in a good stretch run, which actually felt really great. My knee didn't hurt at all and I felt pretty awesome the entire run. The weather lately has been really wonderful for morning runs, I hope it stays this way.
I am going to ice my knee today, as well as maybe a little tomorrow, before trying to run 7 miles on Sunday. I have offered to help out with some things this weekend which are putting me in the office for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, so I will plan to do my icing then. I guess Sunday will be the test. If I can't do it, then I need to start looking at some other options for treatment, but I am pretty optimistic that I will be able to get through this.
So, yeah, I cooked this week! We will get to that in just a second, since I did anything but cook last night. I am feeling stuffy and allergyish this week, and feel like I am coming down with some type of cold. I have been going to bed pretty early, which I think has helped a lot, but I still feel pretty crummy. I guess that is what 6 airports, 6 airplanes, 2 train stations, 1 train, 3 hotel rooms, and being around 6 children with runny noses will do to you. That, on top of not eating my best and slacking on the exercise has landed me with a run down feeling and a perfect host for sickness. No worries, I am taking zinc (yuck) like a champ with vitamin c and drinking lots of fluids. Because I wasn't feeling great, I was really craving some soup for lunch on Wednesday. Soup in August? Sometimes you just want what you want.
Last night's dinner came in a box...
For some reason, cereal sounded like the perfect dinner last night, so that is what I had. I walked in the house with a box of cereal and told Mike dinner was ready. He is such a trooper. :)
But, on Wednesday night, I actually did cook, and it turned out really tasty. It has inspired me to make a similar type meal but more of the Mexican variety... stay tuned for that.
BBQ Chicken Roll Ups
olive oil spray
2 chicken breasts, sliced thin (I bought our chicken already sliced very thin)
1/4 cup BBQ sauce of your choice
1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a baking dish with olive oil spray. Lay chicken pieces flat and add a pinch of cheese to the center along with a small amount of BBQ sauce. Roll the chicken up, top with remaining BBQ sauce and cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes covered.
I also roasted some broccoli and made a baked potato for Mike and I to share. It was a great dinner.
Doesn't the chicken look like a mini enchilada? I think I will try to make it with enchilada sauce and beans next time.
This weekend, besides working, we don't have too much planned. Tonight I think we will get a movie and some take out Thai for dinner, for a night on the couch. Tomorrow I have a bridal shower to go to and then a few hours at work if I am feeling better. Sunday we have church, more work, and then some more couch time. It is not going to be a productive weekend for the Blacks.... but I am perfectly fine with that.
Have a great weekend!
I ran 4 miles yesterday and felt great all the way until about the 3.3 mile mark and then my knee started hurting again. I was able to make it to 4, but my knee was definitely flaring up and feeling pretty uncomfortable. I am going to keep icing it and I had planned on taking it easy this morning so I would be ready for a long run this weekend. I am really hoping this doesn't cause any real problems.
I didn't want to skip my run this morning, even though I probably should have just rested my knee, so I went for a quick 2 mile run. I tried to just jog comfortably and get in a good stretch run, which actually felt really great. My knee didn't hurt at all and I felt pretty awesome the entire run. The weather lately has been really wonderful for morning runs, I hope it stays this way.
I am going to ice my knee today, as well as maybe a little tomorrow, before trying to run 7 miles on Sunday. I have offered to help out with some things this weekend which are putting me in the office for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, so I will plan to do my icing then. I guess Sunday will be the test. If I can't do it, then I need to start looking at some other options for treatment, but I am pretty optimistic that I will be able to get through this.
So, yeah, I cooked this week! We will get to that in just a second, since I did anything but cook last night. I am feeling stuffy and allergyish this week, and feel like I am coming down with some type of cold. I have been going to bed pretty early, which I think has helped a lot, but I still feel pretty crummy. I guess that is what 6 airports, 6 airplanes, 2 train stations, 1 train, 3 hotel rooms, and being around 6 children with runny noses will do to you. That, on top of not eating my best and slacking on the exercise has landed me with a run down feeling and a perfect host for sickness. No worries, I am taking zinc (yuck) like a champ with vitamin c and drinking lots of fluids. Because I wasn't feeling great, I was really craving some soup for lunch on Wednesday. Soup in August? Sometimes you just want what you want.
Last night's dinner came in a box...
For some reason, cereal sounded like the perfect dinner last night, so that is what I had. I walked in the house with a box of cereal and told Mike dinner was ready. He is such a trooper. :)
But, on Wednesday night, I actually did cook, and it turned out really tasty. It has inspired me to make a similar type meal but more of the Mexican variety... stay tuned for that.
BBQ Chicken Roll Ups
olive oil spray
2 chicken breasts, sliced thin (I bought our chicken already sliced very thin)
1/4 cup BBQ sauce of your choice
1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a baking dish with olive oil spray. Lay chicken pieces flat and add a pinch of cheese to the center along with a small amount of BBQ sauce. Roll the chicken up, top with remaining BBQ sauce and cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes covered.
I also roasted some broccoli and made a baked potato for Mike and I to share. It was a great dinner.
Doesn't the chicken look like a mini enchilada? I think I will try to make it with enchilada sauce and beans next time.
This weekend, besides working, we don't have too much planned. Tonight I think we will get a movie and some take out Thai for dinner, for a night on the couch. Tomorrow I have a bridal shower to go to and then a few hours at work if I am feeling better. Sunday we have church, more work, and then some more couch time. It is not going to be a productive weekend for the Blacks.... but I am perfectly fine with that.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
pb&j oats
Today is Week 4, Day 1 of my half marathon training. Mike joined me for 3 miles this morning and it was actually a really good run. Tomorrow I will need to get up a tad earlier so I can squeeze in 4 miles, but I will worry about that tomorrow.
I made it the entire 3 miles without having to stop for my knee. Towards the end, I definitely started to feel it flare up a bit, but it didn't really ever slow me down. I went ahead and iced it down this morning anyway, just to be safe. Actually, I am currently sitting here with my leg elevated under my desk and an ice pack on my knee, I am such a good patient. :)
A while ago, my friend Layne (hi!), told me about peanut butter and jelly oatmeal. She raved about this combination and although it doesn't sound too far off from my normal oatmeal concoctions, I resisted making it because I am not the biggest fan of pb&j. I eat it when I am hungry and there is nothing else, but it is never my first choice in a sandwich combination. Well, last night as I was packing my lunch, I realized we are literally out of everything in our kitchen. I had no fresh fruit or yogurt to add to my oatmeal, so I decided to make things easy and try pb&j oats. I combined chocolate protein powder, oatmeal, a scoop of peanut butter, and a small teaspoon of homemade raspberry jam in a bowl and covered it with skim milk.
It was amazing. Probably one of the best oatmeal combos I have ever had and you better believe that it will be making a regular appearance in my breakfasts.
I am trying to get more food back into my posts, but it has been very difficult with the amount of eating out and quick meals we have been throwing together lately. Now that things have settled down a bit, I hope to get back in the kitchen and making some full dinners again!
I made it the entire 3 miles without having to stop for my knee. Towards the end, I definitely started to feel it flare up a bit, but it didn't really ever slow me down. I went ahead and iced it down this morning anyway, just to be safe. Actually, I am currently sitting here with my leg elevated under my desk and an ice pack on my knee, I am such a good patient. :)
A while ago, my friend Layne (hi!), told me about peanut butter and jelly oatmeal. She raved about this combination and although it doesn't sound too far off from my normal oatmeal concoctions, I resisted making it because I am not the biggest fan of pb&j. I eat it when I am hungry and there is nothing else, but it is never my first choice in a sandwich combination. Well, last night as I was packing my lunch, I realized we are literally out of everything in our kitchen. I had no fresh fruit or yogurt to add to my oatmeal, so I decided to make things easy and try pb&j oats. I combined chocolate protein powder, oatmeal, a scoop of peanut butter, and a small teaspoon of homemade raspberry jam in a bowl and covered it with skim milk.
It was amazing. Probably one of the best oatmeal combos I have ever had and you better believe that it will be making a regular appearance in my breakfasts.
I am trying to get more food back into my posts, but it has been very difficult with the amount of eating out and quick meals we have been throwing together lately. Now that things have settled down a bit, I hope to get back in the kitchen and making some full dinners again!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Mexico, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island... in that order.
I'm back! I won't be doing a full re-cap on my trip because it was very involved and would seriously take me 8 posts to cover it all. Instead, I will give you just a little snippet as to what I have been up to for the last week and a half. First half of the trip - Mexico, for a close friend's wedding.
While I was in Mexico, I only needed to get in 5 miles on Saturday and then a 3 mile run on Tuesday. Since there was really no where to run, unless I did so on the beach or left the resort (a big scary no for me), we did a bunch of kilometers on the treadmill. Their treadmills are set up way differently than ours are, because I had no idea how far I actually ran. I pretty much just ran for 45 minutes or so at a speed of 10 (clearly not the same) and figured it was about 4 -5 miles. I ended up skipping my Tuesday run since that was the day we left Mexico and we had 12 hours of travel time ahead of us. I needed all the sleep I could get.
Wednesday we woke up in Boston and headed out for a 3 mile run around a nearby park. We really had no idea where we were going, so we ended up just going round and round and then through and around the park over and over. We just ran until we got to 3 miles and called it quits. The route looks quite funny on the Nike app.
I spent the entire rest of Wednesday exploring Boston, so I wish I had gone running after that. We could have gone on a much more fun run around the city than what we did, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway.
Thursday was another really busy day. After doing some touristy Boston things with my sister in laws, we literally had 20 minutes to get to our hotel, grab our bags, and be on a train towards Providence. I thought I would have time later in the day to go for a run, but it just didn't happen. As soon as we got off the train we were in full wedding planning mode for my sister in law and spending some quality time with family.
On Friday morning, Mike and I woke up with a plan to run 6 miles around his cousin's house. She lives near a park along the water in Rhode Island, so we headed out by 8 am to begin our run. The run started out great on pretty flat land and then we hit the park. For some reason, my knee started bothering me around mile 2 and just wouldn't let up. I had to stop 3 or more times to stretch it out but each time I began running again, it felt awful. I could tell it was very swollen and it hurt the most to stretch it out or bend it completely. With each step I winced in pain. Finally, at 4 miles, Mike made me stop. He told me I was going to end up injuring myself worse, and though he was probably right, I didn't want to listen. I was feeling great and felt like my energy was really high for a 6 mile run. We walked the remaining 2 miles back to his cousin's house.
I was really worried about my knee. I still am a little worried that it is going to interfere with my training. After we ran, I alternated ice on and off for the next few hours which really helped with the pain. I was able to wear heels the next 2 nights without any issues and now my knee feels completely normal. Granted, I haven't ran since that day, so we will see how it goes when I am back at it tomorrow.
We had every intention of running this morning but to be perfectly honest, we are exhausted. We got back into town at 10 pm on Sunday night after a very busy few days with Mike's family and then both of us headed in to work on Monday morning. Right after work last night, we met my mom and her boyfriend half way between our houses to get our dogs and didn't get home until almost 10 pm again, getting us to bed much later than we wanted. There are suitcases and laundry piles all over our bedroom and it took us almost 30 minutes to pack up our gym bags this morning before finally realizing that even if we left at that second, we wouldn't be able to squeeze in a 3 mile run. Instead, Mike jumped in the shower while I cuddled up for 30 more minutes with the pups. I think we are all feeling a very early bedtime tonight. Right after we get some laundry started.
My plan is to get my 3 short runs in tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, rest on Saturday, and then get my long (7 mile) run in on Sunday. Then next week I am going to try to get back on my normal Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat schedule. After talking with a few people about what my knee is feeling like, I think I just have to treat the symptoms by icing after runs and doing some really good stretches before and after each run. Luckily, I can ice my knee at work after my weekday runs, I just worry about allowing myself the icing time on the weekends. I tend to go, go, go on the weekends, but hopefully I can get in some good rest and relaxation for the remaining weeks of my training.
Have a great day!
While I was in Mexico, I only needed to get in 5 miles on Saturday and then a 3 mile run on Tuesday. Since there was really no where to run, unless I did so on the beach or left the resort (a big scary no for me), we did a bunch of kilometers on the treadmill. Their treadmills are set up way differently than ours are, because I had no idea how far I actually ran. I pretty much just ran for 45 minutes or so at a speed of 10 (clearly not the same) and figured it was about 4 -5 miles. I ended up skipping my Tuesday run since that was the day we left Mexico and we had 12 hours of travel time ahead of us. I needed all the sleep I could get.
Wednesday we woke up in Boston and headed out for a 3 mile run around a nearby park. We really had no idea where we were going, so we ended up just going round and round and then through and around the park over and over. We just ran until we got to 3 miles and called it quits. The route looks quite funny on the Nike app.
I spent the entire rest of Wednesday exploring Boston, so I wish I had gone running after that. We could have gone on a much more fun run around the city than what we did, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway.
Thursday was another really busy day. After doing some touristy Boston things with my sister in laws, we literally had 20 minutes to get to our hotel, grab our bags, and be on a train towards Providence. I thought I would have time later in the day to go for a run, but it just didn't happen. As soon as we got off the train we were in full wedding planning mode for my sister in law and spending some quality time with family.
On Friday morning, Mike and I woke up with a plan to run 6 miles around his cousin's house. She lives near a park along the water in Rhode Island, so we headed out by 8 am to begin our run. The run started out great on pretty flat land and then we hit the park. For some reason, my knee started bothering me around mile 2 and just wouldn't let up. I had to stop 3 or more times to stretch it out but each time I began running again, it felt awful. I could tell it was very swollen and it hurt the most to stretch it out or bend it completely. With each step I winced in pain. Finally, at 4 miles, Mike made me stop. He told me I was going to end up injuring myself worse, and though he was probably right, I didn't want to listen. I was feeling great and felt like my energy was really high for a 6 mile run. We walked the remaining 2 miles back to his cousin's house.
I was really worried about my knee. I still am a little worried that it is going to interfere with my training. After we ran, I alternated ice on and off for the next few hours which really helped with the pain. I was able to wear heels the next 2 nights without any issues and now my knee feels completely normal. Granted, I haven't ran since that day, so we will see how it goes when I am back at it tomorrow.
We had every intention of running this morning but to be perfectly honest, we are exhausted. We got back into town at 10 pm on Sunday night after a very busy few days with Mike's family and then both of us headed in to work on Monday morning. Right after work last night, we met my mom and her boyfriend half way between our houses to get our dogs and didn't get home until almost 10 pm again, getting us to bed much later than we wanted. There are suitcases and laundry piles all over our bedroom and it took us almost 30 minutes to pack up our gym bags this morning before finally realizing that even if we left at that second, we wouldn't be able to squeeze in a 3 mile run. Instead, Mike jumped in the shower while I cuddled up for 30 more minutes with the pups. I think we are all feeling a very early bedtime tonight. Right after we get some laundry started.
My plan is to get my 3 short runs in tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, rest on Saturday, and then get my long (7 mile) run in on Sunday. Then next week I am going to try to get back on my normal Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat schedule. After talking with a few people about what my knee is feeling like, I think I just have to treat the symptoms by icing after runs and doing some really good stretches before and after each run. Luckily, I can ice my knee at work after my weekday runs, I just worry about allowing myself the icing time on the weekends. I tend to go, go, go on the weekends, but hopefully I can get in some good rest and relaxation for the remaining weeks of my training.
Have a great day!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
200 miles, W2D2 and W2D3
I forgot to post yesterday's run! You guys are supposed to call me out when I don't post a run. Thanks a lot... :)
Yesterday, I was able to get outside for my run, which was pretty great. I actually felt really good and tried to pace myself the entire run. I still ended up going faster in the last mile, but overall, the run felt pretty steady and smooth.
W2D2:
If there was ever a day when I could have totally skipped my run and stayed in bed, it would have been today. It took everything I had to get out of bed this morning, so I forgive myself for a pretty brutal start. Eventually, I got in my groove and although it wasn't very fast, it ended up being an okay run. I just kept reminding myself that my next run will be in Mexico, which made me really, really excited.
W2D3:
I also busted open a blister on the back of my foot this morning, which made my last mile a little more difficult. Each time I stretched out my foot I could feel my sock rub the open blister which made me cringe. I now have several beautiful blisters on my feet, along with horrific calluses that just add to the ugliness that are feet. I guess it comes with the territory, so I just have to deal.
In some other fun news... I have hit the 200 mile mark on my Nike+ app! In less than 3 months, I have added another 100 miles to my log, which is pretty freaking impressive, if you ask me. :)
I think it is time for some new running shoes now.
I will be signing off until next week when I return to the good old U.S. of A! I will be posting my runs from my phone when I can or when I get back to the states.
Have a great week!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
W2D1 - sorta
It was pouring rain this morning when I set out for my run, which meant I had to do something I loathe.... run on the treadmill. Ugh... the misery that is the treadmill.
I just don't feel like I get any kind of work out when I run on the treadmill. Even when I try to challenge myself on it, I still just feel like I did a little cardio rather than got in a work out. When I run outside, my whole body feels worked and I am huffing and puffing my way through the run. On the treadmill, I barely break a sweat.
But, I am going to have to just accept that with running on such a strict schedule as a training program, there are going to be days that running outdoors will just not be an option. I am thankful that I at least have the option to run indoors on those days. I had to get in my first day of the 2nd week of training.
Since I can't log a treadmill run on my Nike+ app, I took a photo of the treadmill, post run.
I ran the first mile at a speed of 6.5, the second mile at a speed of 7.0, and the last mile at a speed of 7.5 and I added an incline of 1.5 here and there to try to get a little more out of it. Whatever all of that means... I have no clue. All I know is that I ran "3 miles" in 26 minutes and barely got out of breath. That doesn't even make sense, that would be an 8.6 minute per mile pace? No way.
Okay, okay, enough bashing of the treadmill. I just hate running inside!!!
I'm hoping that tomorrow it is not raining and I can return to actually running and wishing it was as easy as on the treadmill. :)
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 290
Sodium (-) 50
Protein (-) 31
I just don't feel like I get any kind of work out when I run on the treadmill. Even when I try to challenge myself on it, I still just feel like I did a little cardio rather than got in a work out. When I run outside, my whole body feels worked and I am huffing and puffing my way through the run. On the treadmill, I barely break a sweat.
But, I am going to have to just accept that with running on such a strict schedule as a training program, there are going to be days that running outdoors will just not be an option. I am thankful that I at least have the option to run indoors on those days. I had to get in my first day of the 2nd week of training.
Since I can't log a treadmill run on my Nike+ app, I took a photo of the treadmill, post run.
I ran the first mile at a speed of 6.5, the second mile at a speed of 7.0, and the last mile at a speed of 7.5 and I added an incline of 1.5 here and there to try to get a little more out of it. Whatever all of that means... I have no clue. All I know is that I ran "3 miles" in 26 minutes and barely got out of breath. That doesn't even make sense, that would be an 8.6 minute per mile pace? No way.
Okay, okay, enough bashing of the treadmill. I just hate running inside!!!
I'm hoping that tomorrow it is not raining and I can return to actually running and wishing it was as easy as on the treadmill. :)
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 290
Sodium (-) 50
Protein (-) 31
Saturday, August 4, 2012
W1D4
Definitely wasn't feeling my run today. It was HOT! And my legs just wouldn't move. I completed 4 miles, but I certainly had to stop and soak up some shade here and there. Here's to hoping next week is better!
I came home and made an egg, raspberry preserve and pepper jack sandwich along with copious amounts of water. Now it's pool time!
I came home and made an egg, raspberry preserve and pepper jack sandwich along with copious amounts of water. Now it's pool time!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
W1D3
I ran around my neighborhood this morning to complete day 3 of my first week of half marathon training. I got a little lost in my run this morning and really didn't feel too bad. I actually felt really good and the run went by really quickly. I have a rest day tomorrow, so I plan to do just that... REST! My legs are definitely feeling a little sore after 3 runs in a row and I want to give them the proper rest before my 4 mile run on Saturday.
I'm a bit of a worry wort so I had to get rid of the street names on my map. I am not really worried about any of you, just the randos that may come across my blog and want to murder me in my sleep. You know, the usual stuff people worry about.
I will post my run from Saturday at some point this weekend. I guess I need to figure out where I want to run on Saturday, so I will get on that now.
Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (+) 177
Sodium (+) 1500
Protein (+) 18
I'm a bit of a worry wort so I had to get rid of the street names on my map. I am not really worried about any of you, just the randos that may come across my blog and want to murder me in my sleep. You know, the usual stuff people worry about.
I will post my run from Saturday at some point this weekend. I guess I need to figure out where I want to run on Saturday, so I will get on that now.
Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (+) 177
Sodium (+) 1500
Protein (+) 18
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
W1D2
As promised, here is my run for today. I am on to day 2 of the 1st week and ran a little slower than yesterday, but I am ok with that. I worked at the hospital last night which means 4 hours of non stop commotion and getting to bed about 2 hours later than normal, so we will blame it on that. :)
As you can see my smiley face is letting you know I had a "so-so" run. Haha. It was a bit more muggy than yesterday, but all in all, a pretty nice day.
After showering at the gym, I decided that the muffin in my lunch bag was not going to cut it for breakfast. My stomach was growling and I needed something more. I did something I never do... got breakfast at a drive through. I know, I know, but I just had to have something!! I tried to make a good choice and went to Starbucks for an egg white wrap. I had no idea they even had anything more than muffins and cake before I started seeing actual meals pop up on other blogger's pages, so I figured I would give it a try.
I went with the Spinach, Feta, and Egg White Wrap, which besides the sodium content (why so high???), was relatively not horrible for you. I would rather make it on my own at home, but I was lucky to have even gotten out the door without my pillow and blanket this morning. It was a tough one.
Of course, because I was already there, I had to go ahead and get an iced tea as well. I think that was the highlight of my morning. :)
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 629
Sodium (+) 114
Protein (-) 2
As you can see my smiley face is letting you know I had a "so-so" run. Haha. It was a bit more muggy than yesterday, but all in all, a pretty nice day.
After showering at the gym, I decided that the muffin in my lunch bag was not going to cut it for breakfast. My stomach was growling and I needed something more. I did something I never do... got breakfast at a drive through. I know, I know, but I just had to have something!! I tried to make a good choice and went to Starbucks for an egg white wrap. I had no idea they even had anything more than muffins and cake before I started seeing actual meals pop up on other blogger's pages, so I figured I would give it a try.
I went with the Spinach, Feta, and Egg White Wrap, which besides the sodium content (why so high???), was relatively not horrible for you. I would rather make it on my own at home, but I was lucky to have even gotten out the door without my pillow and blanket this morning. It was a tough one.
Of course, because I was already there, I had to go ahead and get an iced tea as well. I think that was the highlight of my morning. :)
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 629
Sodium (+) 114
Protein (-) 2
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