Marathon Training Log: Week 8

I'm running the Chicago Marathon on October 13 to support Bright Pink. I'm tracking my progress so you can follow along. Since I ran the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon last and the BTN Big 10K during week 7, I took quite a few rest days in between. I'm back to work during week 8!

I'm excited for this journey and please support my training efforts by helping me reach my fundraising goal!

Donate here!

Monday AM - CrossFit WOD
3-rep max back squat - 115 lbs.
20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 push ups (on knees)
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 toes to bar (knees to elbow)
Time: 8:43
I felt tired this morning so it wasn't my best workout. But I almost didn't wake up so I'm glad I at least showed up!

Monday PM - CrossFit Endurance WOD
4 rounds, each movement starts on the minute
0:00 - 50 m run
1:00 - 150 m run
2:00 - 200 m run
3:00 - 10 squats, 10 pushups, 10 sit-ups
5:00 - next round
Despite my sluggish morning workout, I felt great at this one! There was a substitute coach that I had never met before and he asked me if I ran in college because I was beating everyone in the sprints (including the guys) and I was wearing my BTN Big 10K Purdue shirt. I'm like, "No, but thanks for the compliment!"

Tuesday PM - NTC Lincoln Park
Easy 5-mile run with some of the marathon crew and people from Nike HQ
Then, NTC class with my favorite trainer Kate!
Finally, Marathon Crew team huddle to talk about injury prevention.
One thing I learned is that dynamic stretching is better than static stretching but you have to do it correctly because it's easier to cheat.

Wednesday AM - CrossFit WOD

“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders (2x single unders)
Sit-Ups
Rest about 10 minutes, then:
4 Rounds:
400 meter Run
15 Pull-Ups
15 Box Jumps (20")
My time was about 7:30 for Annie and then about 15:30 for the second workout. My legs and arms were sore from Monday's workouts but I pushed through. Tomorrow is definitely rest day!

Thursday - Rest Day

Friday - Spinning at R3
I really should have gone to spinning on Thursday instead of resting all day because it really made my legs feel better. Spinning is excellent active recovery.

Saturday - 13.1 miles with NTC Lincoln Park
I ran with the 9-minute-per-mile pace group but had to cut back the last 4 miles. According to my iPod nano though, my average pace for the whole run was 8:42, so I'm not sure if we were running faster than we thought or if my iPod is off. Either way, the run felt pretty good and I completed the whole thing without stopping...only did a few times to drink some water. I also did this run quite a bit faster than the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon two weeks ago!

Sunday - Rest Day

Friday Favorites

Favorite snack
Justin's chocolate almond butter with Ezekiel bread

Favorite workout
NTC with Kate at NTC Lincoln Park

Favorite walk
Around the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne

Favorite initiative
ARK Project Now

What were your favorites this week?

Being healthy is simple

I get really annoyed sometimes with all of the "10 steps to perfect abs" and "secrets to being thin" propaganda that is posted on Twitter and Pinterest all the time. I can't say that I don't click on the links, but when it comes down to it...being healthy is actually quite simple.

We are all smart people that have been sucked into a society that embraces unhealthy habits. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for unhealthy food. And then advertisements for how to counteract that unhealthy food at the gym. And on top of that, our role models in the media are people who's job it is to look good, and we are constantly comparing ourselves to them.

The reality is that there is no "trick" to being healthy, or thin, or fit. It's simply about making smart choices everyday. You know which foods are better or worse for you. I do a lot of research on food and different diets, but they all come down to two things...eat less processed foods and a lot more vegetables. As for working out, it doesn't matter how you do it as long as you stay active throughout your life. Sitting all day is obviously not good for you. Whatever will get you off the couch is what's good for you. I work out a lot because I'm training for a marathon and because I enjoy it. You really only need 30 minutes of activity a day (including brisk walking) to be healthy and drastically reduce your risk of preventable diseases.

So stop falling for diets and don't get intimidated by workout regimens. Just make your own food, eat lots of veggies, and get off the couch.

Recipe: Mexican Quinoa Bowl

This has been a really busy summer for me, as I'm sure it has for other people. Between traveling, marathon training, two kickball leagues, enjoying summer weather, and obviously my full-time job, I haven't had much time to focus on nutrition. My goal of eating mostly raw after Karyn's Raw detox has been on the back-burner. And because I've been too busy to prepare food in advance to pack for my entire day, I've had to eat out a lot. Now, it's not like I'm eating super unhealthy fast food (more like Potbelly and Chipotle), but I need to pack more of my own food for lunch and dinner. So instead of making raw recipes that I'm unfamiliar with, I'm going back to the basics and making things that I know how to make well. They're not as healthy as raw foods, but still quite healthy. For me, this means quinoa salads, sandwiches with Ezekiel 4:9 bread, and vegan pizzas.

Quinoa is one of my favorite staple foods because it is a complete plant-based protein, easy to cook, and goes with just about anything (including as a replacement for rice). I have some quinoa recipes on my recipe page but this one it new! I love Chipotle burrito bowls so I tried to mimic one with quinoa. I don't have an exact recipe...it's really up to you on the proportions of each ingredient.

Ingredients
cooked quinoa
chopped romaine
black beans
fresh pico de gallo salsa
Mexican hot sauce
fresh lime juice
chopped avocado or guacamole
salt and pepper

Directions
Assemble all ingredients in a large bowl and mix it up! I made a bunch of individual bowls to bring to lunch this week. But I added the avocado right before eating so it doesn't brown. I bought pre-made fresh pico de gallo from the store. You can make your own but I think the store-made stuff is just as healthy and fresh (and much more convenient).

What's your favorite quinoa recipe?

Marathon Training Log: Week 7...rest week!

I'm running the Chicago Marathon on October 13 to support Bright Pink. I'm tracking my progress so you can follow along. Since I ran the  Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon last Sunday and the BTN Big 10K this past Saturday, last week was rest week. This is kind of a new concept for me but I'm trying to work really hard some weeks and then rest for a whole week periodically in order to fully recover. This is kind of the idea behind tapering before a race, as well. I actually worked out less than I planning because I was at a conference for part of the week and didn't have time to get to crossfit. Since the conference was downtown, I did walk quite a bit at least.

I'm excited for this journey and please support my training efforts by helping me reach my fundraising goal!

Donate here!

Monday to Wednesday - rest days!
I wanted to do a couple of light runs but I was at a conference and really didn't have time without giving up sleep. And sleep is an important part of rest week.

Thursday AM - CrossFit WOD
"Eva"
5 rounds:
800 m run
30 kettle bell swings (26#)
30 pull ups (green band)

Total time: 36:30
I scaled this workout quite a bit because I have a race on Saturday and don't want to be sore at all. I'm also going back to doing pull ups with a band but trying to do them strict (no kipping) in order to actually build my upper body.

Friday - Rest day before the race!

Saturday - BTN Big 10K

Time: 51:45 (8:20/mile pace)
Despite the crowds this was a great race and I ran well. Read my race recap!

Sunday - Another rest day post-race


What was your favorite workout last week?