How I went from focusing on the entire run to just one mile at a time

I truly believe that if you only see a run as the total numbers of miles you have to run, it'll seem daunting and intimidating. I think this is my biggest advice to those just starting to run or going from training for a half marathon to a full marathon. Take one mile at a time, very similar to taking it one step at a time.

I also really like this strategy when running a race. Just focus on the mile that you're in, you can't change the past, and thinking about the future will only help you go so far. Stay in the moment and enjoy it! 

I also definitely think this can be applied to anything in life. If you worry about the things/items that may come about the next day, you may never sleep. I've heard a lot of people say that it's good to be nervous/stressed about a race or big interview the next day because that means you care, which I agree to a certain extent, but worrying doesn't get you very far- it certainly won't provide a fantastic race day for you or get you the job. 

SO, worry less and enjoy the ride. As we're finishing up packing and getting ready to head onto the road tomorrow back to New England, I feel like I've needed to remind myself to stay in the moment every ten minutes. It is pretty stressful trying to get everything done before vacation! But, you know what? So what if not everything gets done or something gets forgotten? It really isn't the end of the world and definitely isn't worth the immense stress that we put on our bodies. **I need to try to remember this when those difficult workouts come on my training schedule again**

Onto my day recap! Tuesday was spent doing the usual work (I attempted to get up at 5 to run before work, but getting up early has been really HARD lately) and went for my 3.6 (supposed to be 4 originally) mile run in-between the end of work and before coaching. 

It was in the mid-80s out and super warm. My garmin said that I had 61 hours of recovery time afterwards, I guess that's what I get for 1. trying to fit in a certain amount of mileage in a short period of time 2. going faster than my post-marathon body was ready for 3. running in the HEAT with no water bottle with me

I also came across this sign on a section of my run:

I've seen moose in this area before, but no luck today! Probably for the best, since the trail was pretty busy!

After work, I grabbed us a pizza for dinner and a few snacks for the road trip before heading home. We finally finished up packing (at least I THINK so) and are ready to hit the road tomorrow evening!

It's always a bit of bummer to know how quickly vacations go by and I know this one is no exception, but just take it one day (or mile) at a time! 

I had this Siggi's Yogurt before my run for a snack and it was super delicious! Siggi's really is the best yogurt out there- I'm convinced.

That's all for me today and maybe by the time you're reading this we'll be out of Colorado and on our way headed back East! 

Favorite way to visualize a run?

Favorite snack pre-run?

Favorite way to make sure everything gets done before a vacation?

Life Unstructured

Finally it is Friday! This week was really long/ also kinda felt like it flew by (if that makes any sense at all)?? I did my first TRX Strength training class at Steamboat Pilates studio and it was HARD! It also reminded me that I definitely still ran a marathon last week since I was still kinda sore in my legs. My arms are pretty sore from it too, which is awesome because I have always wanted nothing more than super strong/toned arms! Someday maybe...

I caught a ride in to town yesterday with Alex and brought my bike! Oh how I've missed being able to bike commute to work- it's so peaceful and lovely (especially when the weather is nice out).  

I made this amazing salad for lunch with sunshine raspberries (got them at Trader Joes- I've never even seen raspberries this color before!), candied pecans, and baby spinach. It was delicious, but I was hungry for something else and followed it up with siggi's mixed berry & acai yogurt. 

Rewind to breakfast this morning, where I made this deconstructed smoothie bowl with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, almond butter, siggi's yogurt, cinnamon, honey, and chia seeds. IT WAS AMAZING! 

I'm kinda really loving the non-structured feel of this week. Don't get me wrong I really love training plans and schedules, but sometimes it's nice to take a step back and do whatever feels good in the moment. Want to go to a work-out class, then go! Feel like taking the dog for a long walk by the river rather than going to the gym, totally fine! 

It's refreshing and a little crazy (for me) to just do whatever I want! I don't have to work 50 hours a week right now between 3 different jobs and can sleep-in if I want rather than only having one time where I need to get my sweat on. 

I'm definitely missing running right now, but know my body and mind need at least a week off from it before picking it back up again. Running 26.2 miles is no joke and should be taken seriously. 

Probably lying low this weekend, packing, getting my manicure/pedicure (treat to myself after the race), enjoying the beautiful sunshine, farmers market, hiking one day, and possibly renting a SUP to go on the lake one day- typical Steamboat things! Happy (almost) weekend!

Enjoy a training plan or live life unstructured?

Do you jump right into another training plan after finishing one or take some time to reboot?

Any fun plans for the weekend?!

Ever Try Blue Apron? & New Training Plan!

We are one day closer to FRIYAY! Have you ever tried Blue Apron before? I was pretty skeptical to try it, since I really love making my meals from scratch, picking out recipes, shopping for the ingredients, and making my own creations, but since we're going on vacation next week and I'm still in the post-marathon lazy-phase, I figured it would be a good chance to try it out and leave us with less leftovers/fresh produce in the fridge to throw out! I also got my first 3 meals free from Hungry Runner Girls' post, so that was a pretty good deciding factor ;)

It was pretty exciting to come home and see the box sitting on our doorstep! I really love shopping for food, but also really love the ease of having meals already planned out for us. Plus, who doesn't love coming home to a package?!?

All three meals (we got the 3 meal, 2-person plan, normally $39.95) came together and they came with the recipe sheets like the one above. I really love that all the food is hormone free, farm-fresh seasonal products, and the sheets are really detailed! I chose to cook up the crispy chicken tenders with fresh zucchini, and roasted potatoes! 

The entire meal prep, oven preheat, cooking, and reading the directions took about an hour (the recipe card said that prep should take 15 minutes and cooking should take 20-25 minutes), I took my time to let the oven preheat and also read over the recipe a few times, so I think that's why it took me a bit longer. The recipe was pretty detailed, so it's a good thing I read over it a few times!

The meal even came with an aioli dipping sauce for the tenders and potatoes and a chimichurri seasoning to coat the zucchini with! I liked this part of the meal because it gave me a few more ideas to create new sauces for veggies and switch things up a bit. The meal turned out really delicious and fresh!

We have two more meals to cook and I currently have another week of scheduled meals to try after our vacation (easier than planning it out when we return). I'm not sure if I would do Blue Apron all the time since I really do love recipe planning and shopping for organic local produce, but could see myself doing this once and a while to switch it up! Overall, the price wasn't too much considering that everything is measured out for you and it's three meals for two people (serving sizes are really generous).

If I lived alone this would be really inexpensive as I would utilize the leftovers for both dinners/lunches for the entire week and would just need to worry about breakfast/snacks! Keeping my meals healthy and fresh!

Still no running for me, but I did make it to the gym yesterday! 20 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the stationary bike. Barely broke a sweat, but felt SO good to move my legs again!

I also ordered the Hanson's Marathon Method book and can't wait to dive into it this weekend and begin planning for Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas Marathon in November! 

Just finished my book about the Appalachian Trail, so I needed to order a new one for our vacation next week (since hopefully we'll get to spend a day at the Ocean)! I heard super good things about this one and cannot wait to start it.

Ever tried a service like Blue Apron?

Do you like to meal plan and prep or would rather just utilize a service to have your meals all set for you?

Training cycles- do you always use the same one or try different ones? Do you have a favorite go-to training plan?

Currently reading?

Tapering.

I always block how terrible the last few days of tapering for a marathon really are. I think I get so caught up in the excitement of the expo, the race, traveling, sightseeing, etc. that they become so miniscule compared to the race and finish itself; BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU! The taper-crazies are real and they suck. 

Accurate.

I'm cranky for no reason at all (well besides the fact that I'm not running very much and I'm *twitchy bitchy* to want to run). I'm really hungry all the time. I honestly feel like I could chow down on a steak dinner for LUNCH, but these feelings will just make my post-race meal that much better. Weird parts of my body just ache and 3 miles seems like it took forever to finish. Did I mention that I'm cranky and hungry? Ugh. 2 more days!

I slept in again yesterday morning and opted to do my run later in the day. So, I runched instead. What is runching? Running on your lunch break! I don't get to do this very often, so when I'm able to enjoy the bright sunshine and see other runners out it's truly something special. 

Did an easy 3 miles followed by some foam rolling/ stretching/ 30 second plank/ 2 x 10 dips. I wanted to do a few light strength exercises to help keep my body feeling strong going into the race, but definitely didn't want to do my usual full-body 30 minute strength session. I figured a few dips and plank were a good compromise.

I still am not feeling super nervous about the race, but mainly excited! I've basically got my race-day strategy done, but don't want to set it in stone (since you never know exactly how you will feel the day of the race). It looks like the high could get up into the mid-90s! Luckily the race starts at 6AM and I should be done by 10ish, although I definitely remember the race being super hot in the sun by the time I finished last year! Already prepping myself for the hot sun and the rolling hills in miles 12-17!

The first 12 miles are super downhill, so I don't have a time specific in mind (ultimately under 9:00 min/mi would be great), but will go by feel (not straining myself and keeping in touch with my form and easy breathing more than anything else). In the rolling hills miles 12-17, I ideally just want to push through them and know that this will be my slowest section. I know I have a few mantras that I'd like to repeat to myself during this time. 

If I stay right around goal pace (9:10ish min/mi), I'll be happy. The next section, miles 17-22 are pretty flat and fast (with some shade), so I'll try to stay at goal pace or slightly below (depending on how I feel). From miles 22-26, it is another steep downhill so I'll try to utilize this to power through near 9:00 min/mi or slightly faster if I can muster it. There is no shade in this section, so it'll be tough. But you're already feeling exhausted in a marathon after somewhere between miles 18+, so just propelling yourself forwards is all you can really do (and knowing that the faster you go, the quicker you'll be done).

Miles 18+ is where I have always struggled, so I am going to try to change my music at this point (possibly put in an uplifting podcast or music) to get my mind off the pain since it's inevitable anyways. 

I've been super focused on my nutrition this entire week and will focus on it even more today and tomorrow! More light meals, less fiber-rich foods, more iron-rich foods, and light carb meals & electrolytes/water throughout the day. 

Had this as my lunch yesterday (Spicy Sausage and Beans Minestrone Soup):

I'll also continue to have light snacks throughout the day like this one!

The race has a few pacers (one at 3:55 and one at 4:00). I kind of want to try to stick with the 3:55 and see how long I can hold onto it with them. I've never stuck with a pace group (since time-goals are still pretty new to me), so I guess I'll leave that up to the morning of! It would be kind of nice not to worry about my watch time so much, but that's also how I trained....hmmm.. decisions! decisions!

Still have plenty of time to decide and will be working on my race day playlist tonight and tomorrow!

Have any good race day songs?

Pace groups? yay or nay?

How do you deal with tapering? Do you love it or not a fan?

Track Tuesday & 5 DAYS

Started off the morning (my last early morning run until the Marathon) with an interval workout on the Track!

My training schedule called for 2 miles warm-up (10:00min/mi pace) then 6 x 400s at 1:56 pace (actual: 1:46, 1:52, 1:51, 1:52, 1:50, 1:47) with 200 recovery in-between sets then 1 mile cool-down. I felt so strong and definitely wanted to keep going, but I will save my legs for the race on Sunday! 5.25 miles total. 

I recovered tonight by putting my legs up the wall. I'm trying to do this and a foot stretch to help with any plantar facistis that I have at least once a day leading up to Sunday's race. Anyone else a fan of putting their feet up the wall? I normally try for just 5 minutes, but honestly love it so much that I've been like that for up to 15 minutes!

Also saw another gorgeous sunrise on my drive into town this morning. It's amazing what you can see when you're up and out of the house early!

We made Run Fast Eat Slow's Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes tonight and the Avocado Cream on the side. I didn't have any limes or jalapenos, so I subbed for some lemon juice and red pepper flakes--> IT WAS AMAZING! Highly recommend this recipe from their book if you haven't tried it already. It was pretty easy once I popped the sweet potato in my Instant Pot for about 20 minutes (this one was pretty large and took 10 minutes longer than most do). Prep and cook-time were ~25-30 minutes. 

Tomorrow's another rest day (all the rest days are ROUGH- I have way too much energy at night and need to fill them with some new projects)! I already scheduled a mani/pedi to treat myself after the race, so I know that will help push me towards that finish line! I haven't really started to feel too nervous yet and am mainly just excited for race day (I'm sure the nerves will come...). Happy Tuesday!

When do you like to do your speed work? Tuesdays? Wednesdays? Do you do it more than 1 time per week?

Favorite running recipe? 

Favorite way to rest & recover at the end of a long day?