Fitness Friday- Training Update

I'm taking a little break from recapping my vacation today so that I can write an update on marathon training.  After all, it is Health & Fitness Friday and I missed it last week, so there is a lot to catch up on!  I'm going to break it into workouts, food, and thoughts!

WORKOUTS

First of all, I did my long run right before leaving for vacation 2 weeks ago now!  I did 15 miles in the morning and it was tough!  My route is pretty hilly (which is good because the TC Marathon has plenty of hills) but hills also tend to make my hip hurt.  Hills and running fast seem to be the main triggers, so I have been walking up a lot of the hills.

While we were on vacation, I did some running, but mostly was just super active in other ways.  I think I only ran 3-4 times, and the altitude really killed me!  You never think the altitude will make such a difference, then BAM!  Oh well, it was nice to take a week "off" and instead I just thought of it as a cross-training week.

Since we've been back, I did another long run of 15 miles.  I was supposed to go 17, but it has been in the 90s with super high humidity all week and I just couldn't make it.  I got at up 5 to beat the heat, but it didn't make much of a difference.  It also didn't help that I had been up all night with a sick puppy who was throwing up everywhere- gross.  He's fine now, just a weird 1 night thing.

I don't have a long run this weekend since I have to do my next one on Wednesday next week.  I work all next weekend, so doing it on my day off, Wednesday, is my only option.  It sure gets hard trying to schedule these runs, especially when I work 2 more weekends before the race.

FOOD

Well, obviously I've been on vacation and eating has been a bit more indulgent.  I stocked up on fruits and veggies when we got home though and I've really been craving all that fresh produce.  We were going to go to the state fair this weekend, and eat ourselves silly, but other things have come up.  Our car ended up needing 2000$ in repairs yesterday, so I have declared a "fiscal freeze" for the long weekend- no spending money on anything, so no state fair.  Also, no grocery shopping, so this is going to be interesting as I try to create meals with only things we already have.  I am kind of excited about this actually, I just don't know how "healthy" they will be.

THOUGHTS

Wow, I really need to crack the 15 mile barrier.  This distance has been my most challenging in the last 2 marathons I've trained for also.  I know that you don't actually hit "the wall" until mile 19, but it sure feels like my wall is around mile 15.  Next week I really have to make it all 18 miles, I will totally psyche myself out if I don't make it.  Also, I am nervous about running so slow.  I know that my hip is way more important than getting a good time, but I just don't want to put all this work in and run a terrible (for me) time.  I know I won't PR and I am fine with that, but I'd still like a respectable time.  Is that so bad?

Health and Fitness Friday!

Excuse me for missing this last week! After posting my half marathon recap, I really had nothing fitness related to talk about!

Marathon training has still been going pretty well.  My hip has been a little bit sore for the last few days which is worrisome, but I think I have finally figured it out.  I think my hip gets aggravated every time I try to run fast.  As long as I run slow, like really slow, it seems ok though.  It's a little frustrating because I feel like I'm going to run a 6 hour marathon (ok hopefully not that slow...then again, maybe), when 2 years ago I was shooting for 4:40 or better.  I just have to keep reminding myself that I didn't even think this would be possible after having hip surgery and I should be happy just getting this far.

I ran 14 miles last Thursday which seemed fine.  I have started taking epsom salt baths which really helps get the soreness out, plus they feel amazing!  I got in a few days of running this week and today I have 16 miles to go.

I'll be on vacation all week next week, so I don't want to put a ton of pressure on myself to get in another 16 miler, but I know that I will be doing at least 10 miles while I'm there.  We also have a ton of active stuff planned, so I think its going to be a serious cross-training week for me, which is probably great for my hip. I built this week into my training plan, so I'm not too worried about fitting in a bunch of running.

I've been doing lots of yoga too, and taking time to rest my body!

Have a happy health and fitness Friday!

a BIG weekend!

YOU GUYS.  Today is my last day working at HCMC!  It feels so weird.  I keep thinking about how it's the last time parking in my ramp, getting coffee from the lobby coffee shop, sitting in rounds, ever interacting with most of these patients...weird.  I'll miss a few of my co-workers, definitely the doctors, and a couple patients.  I've been here for 3 years, and in the world of mental health, we have a lot of "frequent flyer" patients, so I know several of them really well at this point.  But I am so happy that I am moving on.  I am ready to dedicate my work to eating disorders and teaching yoga....so ready.

Speaking of which, I taught my first yoga class at my new studio yesterday!  But let's back up to Friday for a proper weekend recap, alright?

Friday evening consisted of one thing and one thing only- carbo loading.  It really is the best part of racing.  I made a big batch of spaghetti, meatballs, and garlic bread to enjoy for the pre-race dinner.  We laid low that evening and continued watching Harry Potter.  I think I was in bed around 9:30.

Saturday was the Minnesota Half Marathon!  I am planning on doing a full recap of that later in the week, so stay tuned.  I hope the race photos are posted soon, because I didn't take any until after the race!  I finished the race, not as fast as I had hoped, but I feel pretty good about it.  I may have pushed myself a bit harder if I didn't have to run 14 miles later this week.

As soon as the race finished, we stayed in St. Paul and headed to my friend Katie's house for her birthday celebration!  She decided to host a brunch and bloody Mary bar for her birthday- what a fun idea!!  It was great to see some of my good friends after running, but I felt terrible about showing up so sweaty and gross!

I tried to rest and took an epsom salt bath that afternoon to work out some of the soreness.  Mark and I headed out to Lake Minnetonka to get a burger at Lord Fletcher's for dinner.  There was a pretty good band playing and the weather was perfect to be on the lake.  I love going out to Lord Fletcher's and it will always be a special place for us since we had our rehearsal dinner there the night before our wedding!

Sunday morning was another early one for me, because I taught the 9:00 donation class at the Yoga Sanctuary!  I had 4 students in this class- 2 regular students, the studio owner, and a fellow teacher from the studio.  It was a little intimidating at first to be teaching 2 more experienced teachers, but the whole group was so friendly and welcoming.  They gave me great feedback at the end of class too, which made me feel great! The owner also asked me to sub for a class later this week, so I must have done alright :)  I got the best massage ever right afterward, which was so lovely!

Whew!  Well, I am tired just writing all of that.  Is it Friday yet?!

Health & Fitness Friday: Half Marathons and Bikini Problems

I can't even tell you how happy I am that today is FRIDAY!  If you read my post on Wednesday, you know that means that after today, I only have 6 more days working at this hospital!  Yaahooo!!

Also, THANK YOU to everyone for their input on my yoga business....the ovewhelming choice was for One Light Yoga, which make my decision pretty easy :)  Now I just have to get the ball rolling with making an LLC and a website...anyone know of a good web designer??

Alright, lets talk fitness. 

I did my 11 mile run last weekend which went better than expected.  I was more than ready to be done by the time it ended, but I felt pretty good that I did it.  This is how my weekly workouts have looked:

Saturday- 11 miles

Sunday- Rest

Monday- Yoga

Tuesday- 2 miles

Wednesday- 3 miles

Thursday- Rest

Friday- I plan on 3 miles tonight

Saturday- The plan 8 miles

Sunday-  The plan is to go for a walk & Yoga

I'm only doing 8 miles this weekend because I registered for the Minnesota Half Marathon, which is next Saturday. I like to have an easier week before a race, so 8 miles should be sufficient. I'm already nervous though...ugh.

Other than that, not much is new on the health and fitness front.  I finally found a bathing suit that I found acceptable a few weeks ago, but I have only worn it once, and not with any other people.  Still working on my confidence level on that one.  I know I talk a lot about body image and support other people in accepting their bodies...but it continues to be a struggle to accept my own appearance sometime.  Why does that have to be so hard? 

Anyway, I hope everyone has a happy and healthy weekend :)

Health and Fitness Friday!

Time for the weekly fit report!  I love writing this, mostly because it means that its FRIDAY, but mostly I love the ladies in Jen's linkup.  If you need some extra motivation, head on over there and I promise you will get some!

Last weekend I had a 10 mile run, which was longer than any run I have done since the Chicago Marathon.  I got up to 9 miles last time before my hip started to give me problems, but so far so good for now!  I haven't had any hip pain in the last week at all.  

I have an 11 miler planned for tomorrow and I am already looking forward to it being over.  That might sound like I don't enjoy training, but don't get me wrong, I do love running- its just that the long run is so dang hard for me.  I always start worrying about it days in advance, and I usually do ok during the run, but I just love the feeling I get afterwards.  Minus the aching legs, sore back, and fatigue that sets in.

Other than running, I have been doing some yoga at home at at a new studio that I found.  I am trying to get myself into at least 1 class at a bunch of different studios before I beg ask them to hire me.  

In other health related news, I got my first chemical peel earlier this week.  I have been seeing the same lady for facials for about 6 months now and she is so amazing.  I have hyper-pigmentation spots on my face that have bothered me for years, and we are finally now starting to make a difference!  I wish I would have taken a "before" picture, but stay tuned for my "after" results in a few weeks- we are doing a cycle of 3 peels.

Hope everyone has a fun, safe, and healthy weekend!

4th of July Weekend

Is it just me, or did last week seem super weird?  Having Thursday off for the 4th, then working Friday, then having a weekend, it got me all messed up.  It seems like a really long weekend to recap, but I'll see if can get it all in here.  Mark and I had a little bonfire on Wednesday night since it wasn't a "school night."  We made s'mores...and I demonstrated how to roast the perfect marshmallow.  Here is a little tutorial on that...

1. Slowly rotate the marshmallow about 5 inches above the flame.

2. Watch for it to turn golden-brown.

3. Insert directed in flame, catch it on fire, and blow it out.

4. Eat.

Yes, I really do like them like that.  I have a weird preference for burnt foods.  Also, our 80 lb. dog truly underestimates his size.

On the 4th of July, I got up and went for a little 3 mile run.  Then I headed over to Lake Harriet to walk with my friend Sonja.  We went to Bread & Pickle afterwards and shared some yummy snacks.  It was a really fun way to spend the morning!  Mark and I golfed 9 holes with my parents at Interlachen in the afternoon.  There was a cook-out going on too, so we had dinner before the fireworks were set off.  We didn't stay to watch the fireworks though because we both had to be up early for work the next day.

We really didn't do anything on Friday after work, we were both wiped out and I had my long run the next day.  On Saturday, I got up early and headed over the Minneapolis lakes to run.  I ran around Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, and Lake Harriet, which is 10 miles in total.  I was pretty tired afterward, but managed to rally and head out the Excelsior Brewing Co.  The beer was pretty good, I had the Big Blonde Ale and Mark got the Bridge Jumper SPA.  We ended up trading though, because we both preferred what the other had gotten.  We walked over to Maynards from there and shared some food before heading home and calling it a night in front of the TV.

Sunday was another fun but exhausting day!  We pretty much spent all morning cleaning and doing stuff in the yard. At noon, we headed over to Interlachen to golf again. We met up with my parents, my dad's business partner and wife, and their daughter and her husband.  The guys all played together and us ladies played right behind them.  It was a super hot day for 18 holes, but we managed.  I played ok, much better than Friday though. We all had dinner together afterward, and Mark and I were asleep by 9:30.

I can't believe that the 4th of July is already over and before we know it, it will be August!  So crazy!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and are not too depressed about it being over!

Health and Fitness Friday: PT update & weekday workouts

I had my first PT session last Friday afternoon at Tria, where I had my surgery & PT last year.  My PT did a bunch of tests to evaluate my muscle strength, range of motion, and source of the pain.  She was unable to determine if it was coming from inside the hip joint (which would probably mean that the labral tear wasn't completely repaired) or if it is from outside the joint (meaning tendonitis or bursitis.) I really hope its tendonitis! 

She gave me several exercises and stretches to work on for the next month, when she will evaluate again and make some recommendations.  She told me to keep running low mileage weeks while I do my PT, otherwise we wouldn't know if the pain was getting better from the PT or from rest.  Neither of us see rest as a long term solution since I rested my hip for almost a year and the pain came right back, plus I don't plan on changing my active lifestyle anytime soon.   I see her again today and am anxious to see if I've improved at all or if she gives me any more recommendations.  Last week though, she did tell me that she thought I might be a good candidate for cortisone injections, which I've always wanted to avoid, but now I'm warming to the idea. 

In light of my hip pain, I am pretty proud that I have still had a fairly active week, especially given that I am working 9 days straight!  Here is the rundown since last week in addition to PT exercises each day:

Friday: 6 miles

Saturday: Walked my dog 2 miles

Sunday: Pure Barre, ran 2 miles

Monday: 75 min yoga class, Walked my dog 2 miles

Tuesday: Pure Barre

Wednesday:  Ran 3.5 miles

Thursday: Rest

Not too shabby.  I've been doing fairly well with eating this week too- lots of fresh fruit and good salads.  We grilled some kabobs on Wednesday that were delicious!  I brought gazpacho for lunch today and I am already looking forward to it!  Mark and I are grilling with some friends tonight and I made a rhubarb crisp for dessert- it has fruit in it, so it's healthy, right!!? Nevermind the ice cream we're having on the side!  You gotta enjoy summer while you can around here :)

Fitness Friday & Bon Voyage!

If you've been reading my health & fitness friday posts, you know I've been training for a half marathon and possibly a full marathon.  I haven't signed up for a half yet.  I know, I know.  I am having a hard time choosing one.  There is a half going on near Minneapolis every weekend in June, but I have weddings the first 2 weekends, and I work the the other 2 weekends.  One of the weddings is in town though, so I might still sign up for the race that day.  It really depends on how I feel when I get home from Europe.  I'm sure our trip won't completely undo my training- but I know I won't have time for any real training while we are gone.  If I don't feel ready in June, I will probably sign up for the Red, White, and Boom on July 4th.  However, in light of the Boston Marathon tragedy and the amazing runners who were there, as well as the running community that has pulled together this week, I was inspired to do something crazy this week:

Yep, I am officially registered for the Twin Cities Marathon! I love love love this race!  It was my first marathon, and that day was truly the best day of my life other than my wedding day.  Nothing can beat the energy of the crowd, the scenic route, and the amazing finish line at the state capitol.  As soon as I finished this race in 2010, I knew I wanted to run it again someday.  I can't say I am feeling 100% confident.  I have had major doubts if I would be able to ever do it again after my hip surgery, I am going to try though!  

Well, I will be heading to Europe tomorrow morning!  I have packed some running gear- but I am really not going to stress too much about training, it is a vacation after all.  Happy trails, everyone!