Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Wednesday Workout Update

Last Saturday we had 13 people show up at 6:30 am to run - just to run!  No one is particularly training for anything; rather, we're all running for fun.  And it WAS fun.  From the chitchat before we started, to the run itself, to the rehash and general catching up afterward.  I love that a group of strangers who met because we all joined a running club are keeping it going, even in the "off" season.

So let's talk about that run.  This was 4.5 miles, and again, I set out to run as much as I could, with (self) permission to take a walking break if I needed it.  No 2:1 intervals - I just started my Garmin and took off running.  I made a conscious decision (and asked Jeff to do the same, since he runs with me) to not pay attention to my pace AT ALL for these runs - I simply wanted to concentrate on the act of running continuously, and I know that if I (or Jeff) started to get caught up in the "too slow, too fast" game, all bets would be off for a good run.

It was 58 degrees, but damp, so it felt cooler.  I ran with my jacket on for longer than I should have - the transition from cold-weather running to warm-weather running always throws me the first few times I do it...anyway, I finally took the jacket off at mile 2, and walked for a couple minutes while I got situated with that, plus I ate a Shot Block since I realized that I forgot to eat anything beforehand - oops.  I can only say that having the house in chaos with painting the bathroom and bedroom threw me off.

Parts of our route have some pretty steady inclines, and I'm pleased to report that I ran all of them.  You know how I don't like hills, so this was big for me...when I was doing the 2:1 intervals, I'd usually get a walking break on those hills; not taking one made me feel pretty good!  Oh, and funny thing - Garmin Connect (the site where I upload my Garmin after each run) shows you all kinds of stats, and mostly I just look at my total time and pace per mile, but I looked at my splits, and at one point (one very short point, I'm sure), I was running at a 5:18 pace - it was after mile 4, so you know the end was in sight and I was trying to get there as fast as I could!  I just thought that was funny - there's no way I could maintain that pace for even a minute, I'll bet, but it was interesting to see it pick up like that.

Afterward, we went to Blue Baker, where I ate like I ran 10 miles:
 Three drinks, three food items...seems about right?

No wonder I wasn't hungry again until dinnertime!  But seriously, and I know Jeff will be very sad about this, we are going to have to cut out the cinnamon twist that we split, at the very least, now that we're running less miles.  The chocolate milk is for recovery (supposed to be the perfect combination of carbs and protein...all I know is that I get to drink CHOCOLATE MILK once a week), the Gatorade is because I sweat out so much salt, the coffee is because HELLO...COFFEE, the bacon is a new addition and so salty good (haha, can you tell I sweat a lot?), and the bagel is just plain delicious.  Although I do scrape off most of the cream cheese, so there's that ::adjusts halo:: - but this is too much food, really.

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Yesterday Jenny and I ran a little over 2.5 miles, nice and easy, while coming up with a plan for Saturday's Girls Just Want to Have Fun 5K race.  Our grand plan?  To have fun!  We haven't run a 5K together in over a year, so this will be like old times, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Today I'll finally get back on the exercise bike - I say finally like it's been forever, which it hasn't, but I missed Monday because my body was TIRED after all the physical labor working on the bathroom over the weekend, and I took the day off from exercising.  I hate to get too far out of my routine, though - I have a sneaking suspicion that Lazy Shelley is always biding her time, waiting to make a reappearance, so I don't dare let her get too comfortable.

Tomorrow, I'll be running with Jeff, as Erica is out of town helping her mom recover from surgery.  All in all, a nice week of workouts!

23 comments:

  1. Sounds like fun. You are lucky to have people to run with.

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    1. I am lucky, and I appreciate my running buddies so much!

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  2. Definitely a great workout week, very well done Shelley. I love it that your long Saturday runs are so much easier now and you have so much fun doing them. Hooray for that!

    I used a protein shake after long runs in the past but going to replace that with chocolate milk too in the future. Read very good things about that and it's cheaper than buying expensive protein powder.

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    1. Definitely cheaper - that's one reason why we switched to Gatorade over the coconut water as well.

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  3. Im with darlene.
    if you were my neighbor my whole life would be different, better, RUNNIER!!

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  4. My husband swears by chocolate milk after work-outs too! I've started drinking it after I run, and it is really good... and good for you, of course. I have no idea where he got that idea, but I'm happy that there's actually good nutrition behind it.

    And I think your idea of Lazy Shelley is the same reason I keep plugging away, signing up for races and making myself train for things, etc. It used to be SO EASY for me to make excuses to not exercise, and I'm worried that if I ever start doing that again, it'll be a slippery slope.

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    1. I am right with you on worrying about that slippery slope; love that you are continually finding new challenges to work toward!

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  5. I had to laugh at all the drinks! And I can't remember the last time I had chocolate milk - maybe when Hannah was little?

    Yep, if I string too many days of not working out in a row, Lazy Biz rears her ugly head - planning on doing strength training and stairs today at lunch!

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    1. Can you imagine if Lazy Biz and Lazy Shelley ever got together?

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  6. Hell of a meal for 4.5 miles! Yummy!
    I do agree that the only piece you can cut out is that cinnamon roll, everything else is absolutely necessary.

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    1. LOL - my husband thinks the cinnamon twist is an absolute at this point. He's gonna be SAD this Saturday...

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  7. Me likey this happy report!

    Oh, and don't tell Lori, but I'd give up 5 bagels for 1/2 of a cinnamon twist!

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    1. Let me tell you, it's a damn good cinnamon twist, too!

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    2. No Debby, you did not just say that.

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  8. What a great get together just to run for the fun of it :)
    I do the multiple drinks sometimes it makes my husband laugh!
    Can you ever go wrong with bacon?

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    1. I'm not a bacon fanatic, but this stuff is thick cut and the salt really hits the spot after running.

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  9. Chocolate Milk!!! Who knew? Shelley, I just found your site and skimmed through your photos-Wow! I'm a shorty, too, and my weight right now is about twice where I need to be. You're inspiring.

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  10. Yeah - I have to admit to really missing my weekend cupcakes without the biking. Come on warm weather!! :D

    It sounds like such a great exercise week for you. Never underestimate how tiring home improvement can be. It kicks your ass and reminds you of muscles you forgot about.

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  11. wow you have had a great week!

    I just learned about the chocolate milk thing too! First I tried Ovaltine and drank the entire jar and a gallon of milk - hello sugar! Now I use a little organic chocolate syrup called Midnight Moo from Trader Joes. That seems to keep me from wanting it all :)

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  12. Love that the FUN is back in your running. And my condolences to Jeff on the upcoming loss of his cinnamon twist. Have a great day Shelley.

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  13. Hi Shelley! It's great that you are having fun while doing a lot of running. In my opinion, what makes running enjoyable is the act of running itself. You just inspired more to lose more weight. Thanks for sharing!

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