First Backpacking trip & Just Another Manic Monday

First backpacking trip of the season was a success! We wanted to head out to Silver Creek (which should have been about 3.5 miles in), however we got 3 miles in and the trail was completely socked in with SNOW! We were able to find a nice campsite a little ways off the trail and we didn't meet any other hikers until we were leaving the next morning! 

I managed to get in my tempo long run on Saturday morning before we headed out to the trailhead! It was 75 degrees out and so beautiful. I did 11 miles (was supposed to do 12, but with my colonoscopy the day before I didn't feel like I wanted to push my body anymore & really my fueling was not the best on Friday to push it) and 6 miles at tempo (8:34min/mi) split between outdoors & in (to get away from the heat for a bit). We slept in until 8:30!! So my run was done later than I wanted, but I'm working on trying to listen to my body more! 

We had a Good To-Go 3-bean chili for dinner and it was amazing! When we go out for just a night, we try not to bring in too much food (easier said than done). We were both pretty exhausted and headed to bed well-before hiker midnight (normally 9pm; but we were in bed by 8pm). It got down into the low-30's at night and I was so thankful that I brought my extra heavy-weight wool socks and hat for the next morning! 

We had a Mountain House Freeze Dried Skillet Scramble, which was super good, but really spicy! Definitely helped warm us up (along with our coffee thanks to my trusty Jet Boil). We headed out around 8:30 and were off the trail by 10! 

The rest of Sunday was spent grocery shopping, meal planning, and I fit in a 20 minute swim! I'm trying to add in some more cross-training as my training comes to an end to prevent injury and/or burn-out. 

First watermelon of the season for the Sunday Afternoon win!

Monday morning came around way too sun, but luckily I was able to witness this BEAUTIFUL sunrise on my drive into town for my stretching & run session! 

I did 30 minutes of foam rolling & stretching before heading out for my run this morning. I felt a little tightness in my left glute, but luckily it loosened up after my run and stretching. 

4 easy morning miles to kick-start the week! I headed to my Jumpboard Reformer class during my lunchbreak and that was HARD. Taking a week off always seriously kicks my butt (in a good way though....)

During my meal-prep yesterday, I roasted a whole chicken that we will use for two different dinners this week! Buying & roasting a whole chicken is one of my favorite ways to save $ and time! I chopped it all up yesterday and we used it in our chicken tacos tonight and will use it later this week for a Mediterranean Chicken Pasta dish for Alex's birthday! Things we added to our tacos: chili seasoning & red pepper flakes on the chicken as I reheated it, taco shells (that I can't remember the brand- sorry!), sliced onion, red pepper, avocado, jalapeños, maple valley plain greek yogurt, mexican blend shredded cheese, and hatch green chile salsa!

How's the weather in your area? 

Favorite backpacking spots or do you prefer camping at campgrounds instead?

Do you include more cross-training in the final weeks of your training cycle?

Staple meal prep ingredients?

Spring has sprung & 30 days!

This view was from our deck yesterday morning just before I headed out for a run! I slept in a bit again and ended up leaving 20 minutes later than usual (thank you race-cation), but being able to witness this sunrise was worth it! I did an easy 4 miles on the treadmill since it was too cold out and I didn't bring any extra layers with me to the gym then I headed into work to have a quick bowl of yogurt & granola! I had to prep for my colonoscopy (that was this morning and went fine) yesterday, so couldn't have any food all day after breakfast! My colonoscopy was routine in my anemia diagnosis (to rule-out any internal bleeding), however it was definitely super difficult to not eat all day and my hangriness was in full-effect last night. 

After my procedure today, Alex grabbed me and bagel and dropped Stella and I off at home to recover. We napped for a few hours then headed out to enjoy this beautiful day!

This sweatshirt from Sarah Marie Design Studio is one of my favorites. Also I just noticed that she's having a spring sale, so head over there now to score some cute things! 

We took a 45 minute walk up our road (which is at the base of an old ski mountain) and were treated with some fantastic views. 68 degrees out and I don't think it could be any better! 

The lilacs are starting to bloom (one of my favorite flowers) and they definitely make it seem like Summer is just around the corner! Along with summer around the corner, so is my marathon! It is just 30 DAYS away! I'm getting excited and last week is my final peak week of training before I start to taper. 

Now onto recovering some more, waiting for my Run Fast Eat Slow's Ginger-Molasses Quick Bread to finish cooking, Alex to bring home some Chinese, and watch The Secret Life of Pets on Netflix! I have 12 miles (with 6 tempo miles) on the schedule tomorrow morning then we are probably off to either backpacking for the night or going for a hike. Happy weekend!

Any big races coming up for you this summer?

Favorite Spring flower?

Race-cation hangover

Good morning friends! Do you ever feel completely exhausted after coming back from a race that you traveled to? I honestly feel like I've been 'hungover' of sorts after getting back from Albuquerque late on Sunday. I slept in on both Monday & Tuesday and struggled to get back to my morning work-out routine today! Since Alex headed off to Salt Lake for work this week (he left an hour after we arrived home on Sunday night- yikes!), I've been on Stella-duty 24/7. Watching a dog full-time with no help is pretty challenging! Yesterday I planned to take her on my speedwork run outside at the track, but mother nature had other plans and it started pouring rain and didn't let up until late last night. I ended up switching my Tuesday & Wednesday workouts and did an easy 4 miles on the treadmill last night. This morning, I did 30 minutes of strength training and then began my speed work sesh.

The plan was to do half this workout this morning (since I was crunched for time before work) and finish the other half this afternoon- all outside on the track, but it started raining a mile into our run! I dropped Stella off and did the rest of the AM portion on the treadmill.

I did: 

AM:

- 1 mile w/u

-800 in 3:55; 400 recover

-1 mile @ 7:53; 800 recover

PM to be done (hopefully outside): 

- 1 mile w/u

-800 in 3:55; 400 recover

-1 mile @ 7:53; 800 recover

-400 in 1:56; 200 recover

-1200 in 5:52; 400 recover

-1-2 miles easy cool down

10-11 miles total

I fueled up after my run with this amazing deconstructed smoothie bowl. 

I added in some whole-milk plain yogurt, chia seeds, 1 banana, purely elizabeth maple walnut granola, my sweet cinnamon tahini butter, and added a dash of cinnamon. It was delicious and perfect refuel!

I'm trying to add in a few extra snacks today to refuel for my workout later today (and stay off my feet to recover) as well as get prepped for my 24 hours of no-eating (I have to have a procedure on Friday morning as a follow-up to my anemia and have to fast 24 hours prior to it)-definitely going to have a very big breakfast early tomorrow morning after my run! Not sure how I'm going to survive with no food for so long....help.

I snacked on some Trader Joes Sesame Honey Almonds (YUM) and a kiwi this morning and am already dreaming of digging into my Veggie & Turkey Mix-Up for lunch today and top it with some salsa! You can find the recipe here. 

Happy Wednesday!

Do you ever split-up your workouts or runs?

Ever had to fast for 24 hours? How'd it go? Any tips?

Speedwork on the track, road, treadmill, or a mix?

Hot Yoga & Run-Commuting

Good morning! Yesterday was a crazy hectic day as I had so much work to-do, didn't get much sleep, and had to get the oil changed in my car. SO to try to fit everything in, I decided I would drop my car off at the dealership at 6am and then run-commute to work (I had already dropped off my purse/lunch at work since I drive by and packed a backpack that I would run with). First time doing this and it was pretty great! However, it was SO chilly out to start the day (30 degrees) and my mittens/hat were already packed in my bag that I was taking to New Mexico. 

After freezing my butt off during my run (but it was so beautiful out), I began my crazy day at work (then walked to the ice rink (still sans car) and taught a few lessons). 

Isn't amazing how great you feel after a morning run in the sun?

I then decided to finish out my day with some hot yoga to help me relax, de-stress, and hopefully help me get a good nights sleep (which it did)!

My bags are packed and we are off to make our drive to Albuquerque! So excited :) 

Snack of the day! Cinnamon flavored rice cake with sunflower butter & raspberry spread!

Have you ever run-commuted to work?

Favorite snack during the day?

Hot yoga- yay or nay?

Hectic Tuesday, Tart Cherry, & CoreRunning Interval Work-out

Hooray Tuesday is done and gone! These are always my busiest day of the week where I normally start work at 7am and don't get done until 5pm (with no breaks in there) then I head straight to my CoreRunning Class at Steamboat Pilates Studio. I always try to pack extra snacks on days like today and rest my legs as much as possible (to save them for my run at night!). 

I started my day off with a fantastic smoothie and added in some tart cherry extract- have you ever used this stuff? I swear it has helped me recover so much faster! I read on the Women's Running Magazine Instagram a while ago how one runner uses a tablespoon or two of the extract, mixes it with full glass of water, and splash of lemon juice within 30 minutes of her run to help speed up recovery. I swear it has been working like magic! Highly recommend testing it out yourself and you really don't notice the taste as much as I thought I would. 

Smoothie with Coconut Water, Maple Hill Creamery Plain Yogurt, Tart Cherry Extract, Chia Seeds, 4 Strawberries, 1/2 banana, 1 1/2 tablespoons of Whey Vanilla Protein powder, and one beet

I love using smoothies as a kick-starter for a long day or to help speed up recovery. After a super crazy two-job work day (I worked at Point6 & then went to the rink to teach our second to last learn to skate classes until the Fall!!), I headed to the pilates studio to do their CoreRunning Class!

This class is so awesome and a fun way to get those intervals done. The instructor provides an overall "plan" for you each week and keeps track of your progression. We normally stick with either 400, 800, or mile repeats each week (depends on how I'm feeling, what I have planned for the rest of the week, etc.). Since I'm racing on Sunday, we didn't do anything too crazy. 

7 miles for the day!

It's amazing how this workout would've left me exhausted just a few months ago and now I barely even feel anything afterwards! I also always look forward to going to this class after a crazy day- it makes me feel refreshed and I can always leave my aggression out on the 'mill. I try to do at least one interval work-out a month outside on my own (to get a feel of the paces), but really love when I can make it and meet up with my fellow runner friends! Now off to foam roll and put those legs up the wall for a bit!

How do you like to do your progression runs?

Have you ever tried a Running class?