Marathon Training

As I near the end of my semester, my marathon draws closer and closer. I don't think I've ever been this excited to do something so physically demanding. As a former swimmer, I've been conditioned to enjoy grueling workouts and I find new physical challenges really fun and exciting. There's no denying how ready I am mentally to run this marathon, but at the same time, I am a little bit nervous.

I have just about four weeks left until the race and I haven't even hit my peak mileage yet. The farthest run that I have to do before the race is 20 miles, which makes me a little nervous. That's adding a whole 6.2 miles onto the actual race distance! But I guess there's power in a plan, and I've been following mine fairly well. True, I do adjust my plan to fit my weekly schedule, which means that if I don't have time to do a 7 mile tempo on Monday, I'll swap it for my Tuesday 4 mile and do the tempo the next day. But no matter matter what, I always make sure that I get in the necessary runs. I'll have to trust that my plan will have me physically prepared to run this race.

Another thing that makes me somewhat apprehensive about running this marathon is that I have absolutely no idea what to expect. What do I eat the night before? The morning of? Afterwards? Am I even going to be hungry afterwards? I really hope that I don't vomit, or worse, get randomly injured. I'll have to know my body, know when I need to walk, when I need to grab some gatorade, know when I should stop and take a gel pack. Should I even take a gel pack or should I do some of those weird running espresso beans or fruit snack things? Again, part of this goes back to the training, experimenting on my training runs so that I know what works for me and what doesn't. But aside from this, I also don't really know what to expect from the course and the race organizers. I can only take comfort in the fact that people organizing it have definitely done this before and know what they're doing. As far as the course goes, I guess I'll find out once I get there.

Pushing aside all of my concerns, I really, truly, am very excited to run this marathon! I can't wait until race day, when all the adrenaline of toeing the starting line and running with the huge crowd will pump me up and allow me to forget all of my worries. I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on the remainder of my training, the actual race, and, of course, what I liked and maybe didn't enjoy so much about the whole endeavor. Until then, just keep swimming! :)

This has nothing to do with running but I felt that this post needed a picture.

Rock Climbing and Injury Prevention

Hello again! I had a pretty awesome weekend, what with the Olympics starting and going rock climbing and all. How was your weekend?

So, I'm pretty sure I've talked about rock climbing on the blog before. I love it. So much! At first, making it all the way up a wall can seem a little daunting, but if you don't look down and if you tell yourself to not think about how high you are off the ground, it is so fun! I have a membership at a local climbing gym, Upper Limits, and the majority of the walls at the gym are in silos! It is so cool! I've been working on improving my upper body strength while simultaneously enhancing my strategy skills as I climb. The bottom line is, rock climbing is a super duper fun activity and while it is really difficult, it is so rewarding when you finish a wall. I climbed this weekend and introduced a couple of friends to the sport. We had a pretty great time and even tried some bouldering (low-wall climbing without ropes).

Getting my climb on!

I also had another long run this weekend in preparation for my marathon! Yesterday's run was a treacherous 8 miles in over a half a foot of snow. Yes, I am used to having more snow around than that, but I usually don't have to run in it. Usually people do that thing where they clear the snow off their part of the sidewalk. What's that called again? Oh yeah, shoveling! Well, apparently the good people of central Illinois didn't get the memo, so I got to run 8 miles in this:

The snow went up to my mid-calf!

But, as I've said before, winter running is my favorite! Part of what I like about it, is the challenge of running in difficult conditions, so as inconvenient as it was to run in nine or more inches of snow, it was so fun! And I felt great (and exhausted) afterwards!

In other news, Valentine's day is coming up! Is everyone excited? I don't really care about Valentine's day or anything, but I know that lots of people like it, and if you have a significant other, or even if you don't, Valentine's day is one of those days that we like to use as an excuse to buy (and eat) a lot of chocolate. Now, normally I wouldn't use this blog as a way to promote any sort of political agenda, BUT today is an exception. 

Many chocolate products contain palm oil, which is contributing to the decreasing population of orangutans. In order to grow the plant that produces palm oil, companies are cutting down lots of trees and destroying orangutan habitats. Rainforest Action Network has gone around and talked to many of the big name chocolate brands and tried to persuade them to stop including palm oil in their products. Most of these chocolate companies have agreed to start processing palm oil out of their products and to at least put labels on those products that do contain conflict palm oil. 

Yep, unfortunately even Lindt chocolates contain conflict palm oil.

Now, I don't claim to be any expert on the subject, but if this interests you and you want to get involved in the fight against palm oil and deforestation, visit ran.org to find out more about their Last Stand of the Orangutan campaign and how you can get involved.

....Aaaaaaaaaannddd rant done. For this week's marathon something-or-other installment, I wanted to talk a little bit about injury prevention. I have been prone to knee injuries ever since I sprained my meniscus playing soccer in high school, and my knee pains especially act up when I run A) high mileage, and B) consistently. Since I will be running both high mileage and running consistently in order to train for my first ever marathon, I am pretty nervous about my recurring knee problems flaring up again. I also am hoping to avoid shin splints for as long as humanly possible. I could go on for days about the different ways to prevent injuries and all that jazz, but today I'm just going to give you guys my simple routine that I do at least three times a week. 

When I ran cross country in high school, my coach was really big on avoiding and treating injuries. As part of our injury prevention routine, he had us do a lot of exercises that engaged the glutes, which running doesn't really do, and increased the flexibility, strength and range of motion in the hips. I've started to incorporate these moves into my post-run exercises three to four times a week. I usually do the following routine on workout run days (tempos, hills, fartleks, etc.) and long run days.

 In order to prevent muscle tearing, you should doa dynamic warm-up before every workout, so that you're not going into a super intense workout or run with cold muscles. Lunge matrix and Myrtle should be done on alternating days and I usually pair the push-ups and abs with myrtle. Always make sure to stretch well after your workouts, too, but I probably don't need to tell you guys that.

Another way to prevent injuries like shin splints and various knee problems, is to ice, ice, ice! And heat! Immediately after my long runs, I fill up a mid-thigh-high trash bucket with ice and freezing cold water, and I stand in it for 10-15 minutes. I do this once or twice a week, depending on how much time I have during the week and how sore I am after a particular run/workout. Once I'm done icing, I wrap a heating pad around my knees and sit with that on for about 20 minutes. So far, *knock on wood*, my routine has helped me avoid any recurring knee pain and shin splints. Gosh, I hope it keeps working!

The heating pad is always rewarding!

P.S. NEVER stay in an ice bath for longer than 20 minutes or else your cells will start to die! (I'm sure there is a much less scary, way more scientific way to explain this, but honestly, that's all I know).

Cheers!

Marathon Training and Tortilla Pizzas

Well folks, it's official. I am training for a marathon. My first ever! I am simultaneously really excited and super terrified, but I trust my plan and I know I'll be ready when the time comes. For those of you training for your first marathon or thinking about it, the concept of actually getting through the entire 26.2 miles on foot may be a little daunting. I'm right there with ya. The distance itself isn't what worries me, it's how my body is going to feel during and after the race. Since this marathon, taking place in May, will be my first, I'm not really going for a time goal of any sort. I just want to finish. Ideally I'd be able to that without walking, but I don't want to be unrealistic.

The training plan I'm following came from a special issue of Runner's World magazine. My mom used this plan when she ran her marathons. It's nice because it allows you to start small and gradually increase distance as you build up your endurance, so even total beginners can work up to a marathon. I am still in the first week of real training, but I've already completed two weeks of what is called the "pre-train", the part of the plan that gets you back into the habit of running every day. I plan on doing a post about what I did and did not like about this plan, the marathon I will be running and the things that I did and what I could've done differently after all is said and done. This marathon training is a learning period for me and I will use it as such. Can't wait for the actual event!!

Well, enough about my marathon blabbing, for now, at least. Today I want to share with you guys a healthy-ish take on pizza. Over break, I experimented a bit with the food my family had in the house and I wound up making a lot of tortilla pizzas. They were great! I have two "flatbread" (a.k.a. tortilla) pizza recipes to share with you guys.

The first pizza is pretty festive....in a Christmas-y sort of way, but spinach and tomatoes are good on pizza all year long!

Spinach, Goat-cheese, and Tomato Tortilla Pizza:

Ingredients:

1. Handful of fresh baby spinach leaves
2. Two or three fresh basil leaves
3. 1/2 fresh green bell pepper
4. 1/4 fresh tomato (or 4 cherry tomatoes)
5. 2 tbsp. Montchevre goat cheese (or soft cheese of preference)
6. Sprinkle of Oregano and Rosemary
7. 1 whole wheat tortilla

Directions:

1. Wash all vegetables
2. Dice tomato and green pepper 
3. Spread goat cheese onto entire tortilla
4. Lay down spinach then add rest of vegetables
5. Tear basil leaves and spread around pizza
6. Sprinkle Oregano and Rosemary over top of pizza
7. Broil on top rack in oven for 3-5 minutes

Yummy!

Sunshine Tortilla Pizza:

Ingredients:

1. 1/3 yellow bell pepper
2. 1/3 orange bell pepper
3. 1/3 red bell pepper
4. 4 cherry tomatoes (or 1/4 regular tomato)
5. 2 tbsp. Montchevre goat cheese (or soft cheese of choice)
6. 1 whole wheat tortilla

Directions:

**Same as above**

....aaaaand....VOILA!

In just a few short minutes, you get a delicious tasting, crispy little pizza. Don't let the ultra-thin crust fool you, these little tortilla pizzas are actually quite filling! Next time the cafeteria is closed at school, or if you're home, give one of these a try. It's a quick, easy, tasty, and healthy lunch option. It might even be great for a dinner for nights when you're short on time.

Do any of you guys know how to knit? I'd been trying to teach myself on and off for years but I could never get the hang of it, until recently when one of my friends taught me. Now all I can think about is knitting. Isn't that sad? I think I'm slowly becoming your stereotypical grandma. Don't believe me? Here's some picture evidence:

   

See, knitting cat lady. Oops. Oh well. No shame. Anyways, wish me luck in these next few months of torture  training for my marathon. I'll be sure to keep you guys posted! 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

When it's 10 degrees and snowing, running is LAST thing I want to do. Winter weather may be my favorite kind to run in, but I'm more of a 20-35 degree kind of girl. However, I absolutely HATE treadmills, so even if it's negative 2 degrees outside, I'll probably still opt for the outdoor run...or no run at all. ;) Being from Wisconsin pretty much has me conditioned to love winter and cold things, so typically a nice chilly run in the snow is a breeze, or at the very least something fun to do. Yesterday, however, wasn't exactly the easiest run I've ever had. It was snowing pretty hard, it was windy and SO COLD! Now, I can handle the cold, but we're talking borderline single digits here.

I had checked the weather before I left, so I was mentally prepared to face the frigid Wisconsin winter, but that didn't mean I was looking forward to it. In fact, I'd been debating with myself over whether or not to run for about a half an hour. But, I'd told myself the night before that no matter the conditions, I had to run the next day, so I suited up and braved the cold for a short, twenty minute run. I felt so good afterwards. Even though it was a shorter run than usual and was, in truth, a lot more difficult than I thought, I felt refreshed and remembered why I love running in the winter.

For those of you who don't like to run at all, let alone in the winter, and for the others that do like running but resort to treadmills and ellipticals after October, here are some reasons why I like winter running and feel that you should give it a try ;) :

1. Your legs go numb after about 5 minutes of being outside (i.e. they don't hurt as much in the cold)
2. Running in snow makes your legs work harder giving you more bang for your buck (a better workout).
3. Yeah the cold air might hurt a little at first, but personally, my lungs feel better after a cold weather run than a warm weather one. 
4. Target has really cute cold weather running gear. ;)
5. Running on ice gives you more excuses to walk and/or stop when want need to. ;)
6. You don't feel as sweaty and gross at the end
7. Any workout after a challenging winter run feels a thousand times more conquerable! 

I know that the cold isn't everyone's cup of tea, but maybe these  reasons will make getting out there and running in the snow and cool temps a little more appealing. Give it a try and let me know what you think! :)

Moving on, I recently purchased one of those ab roller wheel thingies. Oh my gosh does it work! I've used it several times now and each time, my abs have felt insanely sore (in a good way) the next day! My ab wheel is just a simple one, a peg through two wheels, so I can really only use it for one exercise. But there are others that have straps on the handles so that you can fasten them to your feet and do other exercises with your wheel as well. No matter which wheel you use, you're still getting an excellent workout. Just be careful that you only go as far as your body feels comfortable, otherwise you run the risk of pulling a muscle.

My post run workout yesterday consisted of as many ab rollouts as I could stand, a lunge set, squat jumps, hip strengthening exercises and about twenty minutes of stretching. I'll post the exact workout next time (maybe with pictures?). Until then, just keep swimming (or winter running ;) ).

Quad Day Color Run!

Yesterday, my school had a campus wide "Quad Day" complete with inflatable amusements, free food (Cherry Berry FroYo and Chipotle!) and a Color Run 5k! It was so fun! I ran the 5k with one of my suite mates, Amanda. We ran an 8:17 pace. Not bad for someone who usually runs 9:30 on her own. Since it was more of a fun run than an actual we race, we kept it comfortable and ran it easily. Amanda is a varsity cross country/track athlete on campus, so she definitely had to slow it down for me, but I appreciated her company nonetheless.

The Color Run was so much fun! I'd been wanting to do one for so long and I even thought about doing one over the summer, but I never got the chance. So when I heard that my school was going to be hosting their own color run, naturally I jumped on the opportunity. I showed up about a half an hour early so that I could get a free t-shirt. I didn't even have to pay a registration fee! They didn't throw color around during the race, but we were bombarded with colored powder at the finish. After we finished everyone was given a few bags of the color powder and we just attacked each other with it. It was so much fun! I got so many pictures!

     

My shoes are currently unrecognizable because of all the powder on them. But I Clorox wiped the crap out of them so they're slowly returning to their normal appearance as they dry.

Left Shoe = Cleaned Shoe; Right Shoe = Post Color Run

Anyways, even if you don't like running, I would strongly recommend doing some sort of fun run. There are tons of different theme runs, like the Color Run, various mud and obstacle course runs, not mention costume runs. Many of these types of runs have 5 and 10k options. Participating in fun runs makes running more enjoyable, even for people that don't typically take pleasure in it. They also take away any pressure to run super fast or even to run the entire thing. If you need to walk, that's fine because tons of people are probably walking, just like you. Everyone just does these types of events for fun. It's a great and supportive environment. So if you currently hate running but think you might be interested in trying to get into it or if you just want to participate in a fun run, I'd encourage you to sign up for a Color Run! It's super fun and, of course, crazy colorful!

After all the colorful festivities

What's the most fun race/event you've ever done?

Out of the Chair and Into the Rain

So today ended my four day streak of not working out. I finally pulled my butt off of my desk chair, laced up my Asics, and headed into the rain for a four mile run with my friend and running partner, Rachel. She's a great person to run with because we're both about the same speed and she's willing to talk to me during the run. I feel that talking, even if it's difficult, during your runs makes them so much more enjoyable.

Anyways, because it is April in the midwest, it was raining during our run. It was a light, cooling rain for most of the run, but there were a few parts of it when it started to pour. By the time Rachel and I got back to the dorm we were soaked, head to foot. It felt good, though. Rain runs are truly the best! Here's what what we ran in:

Spring Weather in the Midwest

In other news, I had a wonderful weekend. I went out for the first time this entire semester. It was a good time. My friends and I danced like crazy fools. I mean, they danced and I mostly bobbed and watched. I'm not really the going out type, although, I must admit that Saturday was more fun than I would have otherwise guessed. The theme of the party was "sundresses and slacks" so the girls and I dressed in our summer best (ok, not really, but we put on sundresses) and headed out into the cold for a fun night out.

The Girls and I in our Sundresses!! :)

And now that I've gotten my partying done for the semester, time to study for finals! Yuck!