Stick to the Plan!

2 days down, 54 more to go! (kidding...kinda)

This week marks the first official week of my 8 week training program for the See Chicks Run 10K on June 1st. This also marks the first time in nearly 2 years that I am following a training program. Last time, when I was training for the 2012 half marathon, I didn't stick to my schedule that well, and what do you know, I didn't do that well! Do you think it's related??

One of the ways I am trying to set myself up for success this time is by tailoring the training plan to fit my needs. I used Hal Higdon's 10K Training Program (a combo of the novice and the intermediate programs) as a starting point to gauge mileage progression and on/off days, but I mixed the days around to best fit my schedule. Since I created the plan, and didn't just get it from a book, I had a lot more buy-in to the program, as well as a lot more time to sit down and think about if it was a plan that was actually do-able for me.

I also tried to plan ahead as much as possible to figure out when I might need to switch my schedule around. As you can see, last weekend I was in Brooklyn, so I knew I wasn't going to go out for a run when I was staying over my friend's house, so instead I moved my "long run" to Wednesday.

I also integrated the schedule into my other workout schedule. I do a studio class about 4-6 times a week that I love and pay a lot for. These 60 minute studio classes help keep me strong, happy, and motivated. Since you probably don't know what all those crazy italicized class names mean (those are different classes at my studio) just know that my schedule is set up like this:

Monday-  Stretch and Strengthen

Tuesday-  Run + High Cardio (morning/afternoon)

Wednes-  Rest/Yoga

Thursday- High Cardio 

Friday-     Run + Strengthen (morning/afternoon)

Saturday- High Cardio

Sunday-   Long run

The last thing that I feel is setting me up for success is having smaller short term goals. You can see that in two weeks I'm running a 5K. Having that race in the beginning of my training gives me something immediate to start training for. It will also be a great way to set-up a baseline race pace that I can expect to beat  to follow during my 10K.

And don't forget this 10K training program is really just the beginning of my Half Marathon training program! Training for these smaller, more immediate races will help me build my base mileage for the half marathon. Since I am an "instant gratification" type of person, the idea of training for these smaller races is making the bigger half marathon goal seem much more realistic!

What are some ways that help you stick to your training plan?

Fair Weather Runner

Every year when I would find a sudden influx of runners on my usual trails, I would know that it was officially the start of spring. These new runners, in their fancy matching gear, were a better indication of the season than Punxsutawney Phil. I would snidely think to myself 'they're not real runners. Where were they a few weeks ago when the trail was covered in ice and I was waddling around in layers of spandex?' Ugh, the Fair-Weather Runners; the worst kind of runners.

Cut to 3 years later and I'm one of them. Oh Karma, you betch. If you've read my blog before, you know I've been trying to add running back into my normal routine. I've found new exercises that I love, but running was my first love and I will always be trying to rekindle that magic.

Well, this spring I am determined to get back to running and I did it the best possible way I knew how; set a hard deadline and threaten public embarrassment and personal failure if I don't succeed ;)

I've signed up for 3 races this Spring-Summer season to help force me into running again!

Rabbit Run 5K- April 19th

The first race is in 2 weeks. I've been running for enough years that 5Ks don't make me nervous at all. I'm running this one with a few friends so I'm planning on just taking it easy (I'm shooting for around 30 minutes) and have fun. I mean, it's at the zoo so it's gotta be fun, right? ...Right?

See Chicks Run 10K- June 1st

This race is in Wissahickon Park (a super big awesome park with lots of trails!) and is ALL girls (chicks) and ONE DUDE (rooster). I'm running this one with a friend also and I'm really looking forward to it!

Sorry for the TERRIBLE picture quality. I'll post a better one later.

Since I've never run a 10K (and it seems like a way more serious distance than a 5K- no hate to all you 5k-ers though, just personal preference!) I've committed myself to a training program. I kind of altered Hal Higdon's 10K training program and integrated it with my workouts that I do at the Lithe Method. Training for me is all about injury prevention so the more cross training and strengthening I can do, the better!

Also, check out these sweet new kicks that I WON from Philadelphia Runner! They're the Nike Free Flyknit 3.0's and they are amazing!

Rock N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon- September 21st

Are you noticing a trend??? Yep the mileage is going up, good for you! I've run the Rock N Roll Half Marathon once before in 2012 and even with the terrible under-training I did it was still awesome! This year I'm hoping to come back (beat my time) and do it the right way with a solid base of training!

Also, I have convinced myself that I NEED a Garmin Forerunner 220. I mean my birthday is coming up and I deserve this $300 watch right? Well, I don't think my parents agree (nor does my bank account).

Does anyone run/cross train with the Garmin Forerunner 220? Is it as amazing as I think it is?

Long Time No Read

(Oh you know, just chilling out on the highway)

Gosh, it's been a long time, hasn't it? For a while there I felt like I didn't have too much to share. I went into deep winter hibernation mode, but I'm back! I have lots of exciting things to share! But for now, here is a quick picture update of what I've been doing, where I've been going, and what I've been eating!

I've officially started drinking coffee

Sometimes a girl just needs a fruity cocktail and some apps.

Peanut butter, wasa cracker, craisins, and coconut make a delicious post workout snack!

The Philadelphia Flower Show came to Macy's

Checking out some red pandas at the Brooklyn zoo!

Yummy cakes from a Brooklyn bakery

Cedric Gervais and Lana Del Rey are a match made in heaven

The End of a Long Weekend

Happy President's Day! Because of snow I haven't had work since Wednesday which means today is the last day of my 5 day weekend. To be honest, I'm not ready to go back to work yet (I have too much work waiting for me when I get there...) but I don't really have a choice. So at least I made the most out of my day today! 

I woke up early (after going to bed late) all because I'm finally reading Divergent. I know I'm about a year behind on the trend, but this book is so good! If you like The Hunger Games I am 99.9% certain you will like Divergent.

I have all 3 books downloaded together which is why it looks like the book has 952 pages. I started reading this book last night and I'm already 251 pages in. That's how good it is!

Nick and I went to Target this morning to pick up some things for around the house but we also ended up doing our grocery shopping there too.

Why hello cashew cranberry almond mix.

Next I was off to Lithe to take a 12:15 class- A-List Abs. My abs were burning. After 1 hour of pure ab-enhancing torture, I went to PAWS (Philadelphia's animal shelter) and took a dog out for a run.

This is Sage! She was really sweet and didn't pull too much on the leash! She also ran at a pace similar to mine (about a 9:00min mile) so we got along really well!

If you're interested in learning more about Sage, you can go to http://phillypaws.org/locations/adoption-center/

Once I got home I made a salad with my new fixings and drank some Miso Ginger Broth from Trader Joe's. That stuff is surprisingly good. I think it will be a new pantry regular!

One piece of bad news: both my boyfriend and I put our names in the lottery for the Broad Street 10 Miler and neither of us got in, so that kinda bummed us both out some. 

Anyway, I'm off to take a shower and then read more Divergent.

Did anyone else get a nice long weekend because of the snow? Did anyone get into the Broad Street Run?

Love, Love, Love

I think that it's pretty fitting that my first official day back together with running was Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day also happens to be my boyfriend's birthday, so today was a lot more about him than about me (which is how it should be!)

We had both gotten new running shoes and were chomping at the bit to try them out, so we decided to brave the snow and drive to the Schuylkill river trail for a run.

Bits of the trail were really icy!

In the distance you can see boathouse row!

Nick is way faster than me (plus I'm just coming back to running) so we made a plan to meet back at our car in 30-40 minutes. Because I haven't run in a while especially with my new shoes, and with it being so icy, I knew I needed to take it slow. I probably only ran about 2 miles. But those 2 miles felt good! And they were fun! First time back running = Success!

I loved my Brooks Ravenna 5 on their first run

We stretched a little while we were outside, but once we were back home I made sure to stretch everything out really well since my legs have been really tight and going back to running is all about injury prevention for me this time around.

I'm taking no shortcuts this time!

After our run we showered and then cleaned our apartment. I tried to look nice for my man (I even washed my hair for the first time in days!)

Freshly showered

Then we headed to Whole Foods and picked up lots of cheeses and crackers for a cheese plate and some mussels and baguette! 

My family has taught me well in the art of the cheese platter ;)

Oh and of course we got a piece of tres leche cake and some mini heart shaped raspberry cheesecakes. Sorry no pictures of those ;)

All in all it was a wonderful day filled with love and happiness. Did you do anything special for Valentine's Day?

Five Favorites: Runspiration

This week is all about what's inspiring me to get running again!

Brooks Ravenna 5 Running Shoes

I'm super pumped to try these out! Nothing like a new pair of running
shoes to get you out the door!

Superfeet Carbon Inserts

Finally trying out orthotics to see what all the hype is about.

Adidas and Nike Livestrong Running Shorts

Of course I needed to get some new brightly colored running shorts!

Charity Miles App

I'm excited to test out this app during a run to see how it works.
I'll review it later!

Self Magazine: The Fat Burn Sweet Spot Article

Running in the cold might burn up to 15% more calories. Okay!

What's inspiring you to run this week?

Coming Back to Running

I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I used to be a runner. Starting the summer of my 10th grade year of high school, 2005, I joined cross country. My friends had convinced me that it would be fun, so I joined.

Old running bibs from some of my favorite races.

I'm not a very good runner: I'm not very fast, I don't have a ton of endurance, I have really bad knees, and I rarely get that "runner's high" that so many people seem to live for. Needless to say, cross country wasn't too fun, but I stayed with it for the rest of high school (I also did winter and spring track) because I liked the people and the team and that's what kept me so dedicated to it even though I HATED competing.

Five Favorites

This week has been pretty great. I got a day and a half off from work because of snow, so I got to spend some extra time with my boyfriend :)

Also, I was at a conference for work on Thursday, and I got to hear from a really interesting man named Jaime Casap. He works for Google in their education department and thinks through how google products can be used in education. He was talking to some Philadelphia students about college and beating the odds.

He was a very dynamic speaker and I was completely engaged the whe time. The most poignant thing he said was that he never asked people what they want to do in the future; rather, he asks them "what problem do you want to solve?" And from there you plan what field to go into, what to study, and where to work in order to solve that problem.

 As someone who is still wondering what to do long term in my life, it really got me thinking about what problem I wanted to solve. You can read Mr. Casap's blog at www.jcasap.com

Anyway, all inspirational speeches aside, here are five things I'm loving this week.

Dr. Jart's Black Label Detox BB Cream

After searching endlessly through paulaschoice.com (a super helpful makeup review website) I finally found a moisturizer/brightener/anti-aging BB Cream that was rated "Best" on their website and didn't cost a fortune. I love the light tint to this moisturizer, it leaves my skin looking flawless and helps lighten the red marks on my face! Also, I bought this with my Birchbox points so it only cost me $6 instead of $36.

Eco Skin Rescue Serum

I bought this serum on a whim from Marshall's, but I've been pleasantly surprised with it. I like the smell of it and it's been doing a good job of helping to moisturize my super dry winter skin.

Peanut Butter Patties (Tagalongs) Girl Scout Cookies

It's Girl Scout Cookie season and time for my favorite of all the cookies, the Tagalongs. What's not to love? I get my chocolate/peanut butter/baked good fix while supporting young, female entrepreneurship, at least that's what I tell myself when I suck down a box of these.

Semi-Homemade French Onion Soup

Fact: French onion soup can be eaten for any meal (trust me, I've had it from everywhere for brunch to 2AM drunk munchies); it's transcendental.  Fact: you can buy crocks for about $1 each at your local thrift shop. Fact: French Onion soup is easy to make at home. You just need some French Onion soup mix or premade (we added onion slices to Pacifico's Organic FOS), a crusty baguette, and some gruyere cheese. We broiled these suckers on low for 5-6 minutes. Voile! 

Why Oh Why? Podcast

At first I thought I was just going to love to hate Andrea Silenzi, the host of this podcast. The first episode was cringe-worthy awkward in many different ways. But as I listened to the second and third podcasts I realized I was beginning to really enjoy this podcast.

The podcast is about Andrea and her friends' trials and tribulations of being young 20-somethings in Brooklyn looking for love. Think Girls mixed with Sex and the City. A lot of the podcast is filmed while Andrea and her friends share hilarious dating debacles over brunch or sitting on a couch. You feel like you're one of the girls, and the stories are both relate-able and completely ridiculous. I recommend you give this podcast a try! (Even my boyfriend enjoyed listening to some of it ;)

Drinking Buddies (and a Recipe!)

So yesterday I had a very extensive list of things I wanted to do. While I got to some of them, I didn't get around to all of them. My boyfriend took the day off work (yay) which means that I didn't get to do everything on my list because we live in a small apartment. I did get in some workouts and yoga though and we cooked the chicken with root vegetables and kale.

We decided to brave the weather outside and go for a lovely walk through historic Philadelphia, including St. Peter's cemetery. It was cold (10 degrees Fahrenheit)!

We also watched Drinking Buddies on Netflix (while drinking). I've wanted to watch the movie since I heard about it. I love Anna Kendrick and Jake Johnson (Nick from New Girl) and the cast included Olivia Wilde and the guy from Office Space, Ron Livingston.

It's about two friends, Wilde and Johnson, who work at a brewery. The movie is almost completely improv-ed and it comes off as really honest. I recommend drinking during the entire film! I had 2 Angry Orchard Traditional Dry Ciders, and 1 glass of Skinny Vine Wine Chardonnay (and a bunch of Trader Joe's Cheddar Rockets).

After watching the movie, we started dinner. I was pretty buzzed, and I totally recommend cooking a fancy dinner that way, as long as you have strong knife/safety skills!

Roasted Root Vegetables

~40 minutes @375 degrees

We cut up purple potatoes, carrots, Yukon gold potatoes, turnips, and Idaho potatoes.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and roast, turning occasionally.

Roasted Chicken Thighs

35 minutes @ 375 degrees

Rub olive oil over chicken. Season with paprika, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mist with olive oil and roast for 35 minutes or until juices run clear.

Sauteed Kale
~5 minutes

Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sautee pan. Add kale (remove thick stem segments). Sautee with salt and pepper for 2 minutes, add about a teaspoon of lemon juice, sautee until wilted.

Today Brought to You by Pinterest

Well, I finally started using Pinterest. Welcome to 2010(ish?) I tried using Pinterest before, but I just don't get it. So you pin a bunch of things to a board and then what??? If I'm going to use Pinterest then I actually want to use the things that I find and not just pin it and forget it. 

So, yesterday night, when I found out that today would be a snow day for my office, I immediately began making a list of all the things I wanted to do today, inspired by Pinterest. Here it is:

• Wake up
• Do a workout challenge

• 30 Minutes of yoga for flexibility with Yoga Studio App
• eat breakfast
• check email
• paint toes
• blog
• do another workout challenge

• eat lunch

(Found this on Pintrest from here)

• stretch & watch tv (maybe catch up on Revenge)
• clean-up around the house
• do a Lithe workout (it probably won't make much sense unless you belong to Lithe)
• 15 min post-run yoga

• more blogging
• do my Coursera work

I'm taking two courses. This one is for my own personal interest. You can still sign up for it now!

This course is one I'm taking for my job. I'm really learning a lot!

• watch some shows
• roast root vegetables with chicken and sauteed kale for dinner

I'm a little over zealous, but I wanted to make the most of my day off!

What are you up to today? Have you had any Pinterest success?

Snow Day!

If you're on the Northeast coast then you're aware that there's another polar vortex. Which means that I got to have a half day at work today (I got sent home early). Knowing that it would be snowy and cold, I started off my day right with some vanilla bean black tea and some raisin bran (you know you're old when you chose to eat it and enjoy it). 

Like my cowboy mug?

My walk to work was cold but enjoyable. Everyone was prepping for the snow.

Blue salt?!?! Crazy, right?

It started snowing around 9:30 and was really coming down by 11:00. I would have taken some snowy pictures but I was too busy fighting the crazy windy snowy cold so instead here is an adorable dinosaur picture.

I ended up being a total adult when I got home and deep cleaned our bathroom, washed dishes, did laundry, and cooked dinner. 

I already found out that I have off work tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get in a good at-home workout and roast some root vegetables and chicken! I hope you're staying safe and warm!

Taco Sliders

Happy MLK Day!  Today I possibly made the easiest brunch ever. Last night, my boyfriend and I made tacos so we had tons of leftovers; if you're like me then you know that tacos can be eaten for any and every meal.

This morning I topped 2 wasa crackers with cheese and black beans (then I warmed them up) after that I topped them with guacamole and tomatoes and red onion. Delicious!