7 Things

Happy Monday! It was a short weekend for me since I worked Saturday and am back to work tonight, but very thankful for 7 sunshine-filled easy miles .

Also got to go skiing for the afternoon yesterday at Shawnee Peak. It was super busy, so we did a few runs and then called it a day. Loved being able to just go for a few hours and enjoy the sun.

Also anyone else love to do some blueberry pancakes with peanut butter and some with butter and maple syrup?!? Definitely a favorite combo for me.

These are some good stats from Strava for the month of February! I love to see how many days I’ve been active. I’m not running everyday, but I’m still getting in some movement most days.

New delivery from Spring Energy! Hoping this will last me maybe until early June?!?

Some time spent foam rolling and keeping these muscles loose for a big running week ahead!

Cat cuddles and some reading before an early bedtime!

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What are you reading right now?!?

Favorite pancake topping?

Feature Friday: Strength Training Consistently

Happy Friday! I can’t believe that we’re already into March. It honestly still feels like January to me (probably because it has FELT like January here the past few days), but I can’t wait to start to see green grass and wear shorts on my runs! Flashback to sports bra running weather 😍

I wanted to share with you some of my tips that worked for me to consistently strength train. It always used to be ‘that thing’ that I skipped or only did 10-15 minutes of because I was much more focused on getting all those miles in. It was when I started training for my 50 miler that I started to get really serious about my strength training AND consistently switching up the exercises/ weight that I was doing.

Within a few months of committing to these two things (also spending 2-3 days a week on strength training with 20-30 minutes at a time), I started to notice some really huge differences. I noticed I was stronger on my runs. I could power up hills that I previously couldn’t do.

I also started to feel leaner. This definitely didn’t happen overnight and it probably took almost a year for me to start noticing these differences, but they started to come!

Some things that I found helpful when I wanted to really implement my strength training routine:

• Do strength before running. I’m much more likely to skip it afterwards.
  

• Commit to doing it for 10-15 minutes two times a week.
  

• Drink enough water before and afterwards.
  

• Try virtual classes! I’m really into Pelotons strength workouts.
  

• Try Pilates or Barre. They’re fun and an awesome full-body workout.
  

• Book a session or two with a personal trainer. They’ll help show you workouts to get started with and help you have good form.
  

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-What tips for you have to add in more strength training consistently?

-Tips for fitting it in around higher running volume?

Training Rundown: 2/22 - 2/28

Happy Humpday! Last week was weird with training- I was supposed to race a snowshoe run on Sunday, but ultimately decided that I wanted to go swimming and downhill skiing instead. It’s weird to be in a phase of my life where I’m OK with pulling out of a race. I think it’s especially weird when this would have been my first in-person race since March of last year and I just decided I wasn’t really into it, BUT I’m also proud of myself for making that decision. I think it’s been really hard when I’m now working most weekends each month and really have to be selective with how I spend my free-time when I DO have it. I guess this is all to say that it’s ok to pull out of a race and it’s even more ok to not feel guilty about it!

Monday, 2/22: Rest Day! 2 hours of travel to work & a 13 hour shift meant no extra time / energy to do anything else

Tuesday, 2/23: 20 min up/ 10 x :30 hard / 20 down & 10 min of yoga before another 13 hour shift!

Wednesday, 2/24: 45 min easy run & 10 min of Pilates before another 13 hour shift & a 2 hour commute home

Thursday, 2/25: 1 hour easy running w/ strides, 20 minutes on the indoor trainer, & 30 minutes of strength

Friday, 2/26: 45 minutes easy running & 30 minutes of yoga

Saturday, 2/27: 30 minutes of easy running w/ strides, 10 minutes on the indoor trainer, & 35 minutes of strength

Sunday, 2/28: 40 minutes of pool swimming (~900 meters) & 1.5 hours of downhill skiing

Total mileage: 23.21 miles

Total February miles: 141.68

7 Things

Happy Monday & Happy March! I always feel like this month is so exciting and brings me a breath of fresh air. I love the Springtime and when we get to March, we have more snow days behind us than in front of us. Currently- it’s pouring rain and mid-30s here, so Spring is certainly right around the corner. At least Alex & I got to go skiing yesterday at Bretton Woods. First ski day this season for me!

Before skiing, my mom & I went swimming! Also first time this year (& over a year) for me to hit the lap pool! It’s such a good workout and I’m going to try to add in more pool days for me to compliment my running.

Didn’t feel like cooking last night, so ordered pizza instead. After swimming & skiing-> my appetite was unheard of!

Flashback to Saturday morning with lots of reading, Maple latte, and breakfast sandwich from The Fairgrounds Cafe (local friends- I HIGHLY recommend visiting there if you haven’t already)!

Some midday easy miles on the ‘mill (snowing outside) and 35 minutes of strength training.

It was actually a pretty lazy weekend- which I was totally OK with! It also included lots of naps and cuddles with this little lady.

I also tested out my new Hoka Clifton 7s and while running in Hokas takes some getting used to- I thought they felt super great for an hours worth of running!

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Whats the weather where you are?

Anyone else excited for Spring?!

Feature Saturday: Why Self-Love?

As someone who’s struggled with loving myself and TRULY BEING CONFIDENT in everything I do, it’s hard to not want to ‘slip into my old ways’ or compare myself to others. To ‘downplay’ myself or my accomplishments or think ‘wow, that person is so great and totally on another level than me’- it’s so easy to do that, but you know what’s even better? Building yourself UP! It’s super hard for me to do, but wow am I HAPPIER when I consistently do this.

I know that this is something that I will probably ALWAYS struggle with, but consistently building myself up will help me make it easier to deal with those emotions/negative thoughts. You know what also helps? Being realistic with myself and knowing my true core values (and then asking myself, ‘does ‘x’ really help align me with those values?’).

For example- I know I want to really focus on my finances this year. Saving, dropping extra $ into my student loans, and spending less. So, when I get sucked into wanting to spend extra money on frivolous ’wants’ - I either transfer that amount of money that I would have spent on something unnecessary or put it towards one of my student loans! This is one of the ways that I’m showing up for myself and honoring my core values (also- it’s giving myself self-love).

Self-love doesn’t always have to be about exercising/eating healthy/ checking items off of your to-do list- it can also be NOT doing those things, saying ‘no’ to extra activities, getting extra sleep, listening to your inner gut, or taking a first step towards a new career or life goal. It also doesn’t have to be fancy!

We’re trying to save money for a house, so rather than spend over $200 on lift tickets- we’re honoring our values and goals and going skiing later in the day and spending less than $80 on lift tickets! Is it exactly what we wanted? No. BUT it will help us get towards our bigger goal.

-Tips for showing yourself some self-love?
-Tell me how you’re honoring your core values lately?