Marathon Mom

The holiday season has officially started! We kicked it off with seeing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer om Saturday and O got to meet the cast. I kind of lost it nutrition wise on Saturday, wine, cupcakes and two meals out, yikes! Sunday I was back on track. Today is 4 weeks of no running, ugh! How did my week look… Fitness Goals Morning workouts daily P90X3 x 7 days, Finished Week 11! Biked x3, Elliptical x2, Rowing x1 Non Fitness Goals Stick with meal plan this week and no weekday wine Oops Blog 4 days – Yes! Finish semester work and submit early – Call with advisor tomorrow so not quite Organize office - started Work on Thirty-One holiday sale,  Message me if you are interested in hosting an online party or earning free gifts. The holiday season officially starts this week! Who is ready? What are your plans? I am registered for a 10K on Thursday but not thinking I’ll run, pain is better but not quite ready for 10K and the weather is looking nasty...

I can’t believe we are already entering the holiday season already. I have yet to figure out my addition to the family Thanksgiving meal since we are going to my in-laws. I’m so used to needing to bring my own dishes to make sure O and I have safe food but that’s fine since I enjoy cooking. Of course my Pinterest board is overflowing with possible ideas and now I can’t decide. While I’ve never been a huge fan of traditional Thanksgiving foods I love pumpkin pie! Here is just a short list of the healthy, gluten free, vegetarian dishes I have found… Side Dishes Wild Rice Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette GF/Vegan – This Gal Cooks Roasted Green Beans and Red Pepper GF/Vegan – Kaylan’s Kitchen Scalloped Sweet Potatoes GF/Recipe has milk, adapt to vegan – A Girl Worth Saving * Brown “Butter” Sage Butternut Squash GF/Vegan – Against All Grain Main Dishes * Warm Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad with Maple Glazed Tofu GF/Vegan – Heart Beet Kitchen Apple Cider Glaz...

26 Days! Yes, that’s how long it has been since my last run. 26 days ago I was outside running in shorts and a tank and enjoying sun and warmth. 2 weeks later we got our first snow (that never left) and today it is 8* so I guess this is a good time for some running rest considering they have yet to clear the sidewalks and I still need to purchase a new treadmill. Suggestions? Winter is here, yuck! 3 weeks in the boot and now my back is a mess thanks to the uneven walking so I decided to see my great sports chiro and have my SI worked on. Even though I wasn’t there for my foot/ankle she was intrigued and wanted to look into the mystery injury so we dug back into our anatomy lab days to remember all the small tendon insertion points and got to work. After her exam we had ruled out a stress fracture (which I was 90% sure was not the injury) and were thinking peroneus tendon sheath inflammation and possible subluxation. I frequently feel a pop and roll my foot to get things back ...

Since I haven’t been running and my focus is on eating healthy I’ve been menu planning and experimenting with new dishes. I’m a little obsessed with Pinterest! Anyone else have 1000s of pins that will never lead to anything? My latest favorite foods have been fall related: Pumpkin Chia Pudding Cuties Apples with Almond Butter Lots of Root Veggies with Spinach Hummus Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans and Veggies Some of my latest e experiments Based on this recipe from Minimalist Baker Vegan Lemon Garlic Sauce with Roasted Asparagus INGREDIENTS 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and washed Sea salt and black pepper 2 lemons (or 1 lemon and ¼ lemon juice) Olive oil 4 large cloves garlic, minced Pasta or Gnocchi 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk 2 Tbsp corn starch 8 ounces silken tofu 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese if not dairy free) 1 Tbsp oregano INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add asparagus to a baking sheet and toss...

Another week of proving to myself that I can still stay active without running. It has been 3 weeks and I am finally starting to walk with no pain without the boot, although long days at work remain painful even with the boot! Fitness Accomplishments Morning workouts 6 days P90X3 x 7 days, I finished Week 9! Elliptical x 2 Bike x 3 Non Fitness Accomplishments Stuck with meal plan this week and make good choices at restaurant except the pumpkin ice cream I splurged on Submit IRB paperwork for thesis, done! O and I had a blast at Barbie Dreamhouse complete with lunch and mommy sneakily buying her a Christmas present! This week marks the start of the holiday season as we are heading to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Saturday and possibly putting up our tree. Time to figure out Thanksgiving meal plans. Fitness Goals Morning workouts daily P90X3 x 7 days, I’m on Week 10! Swim XC Ski or Snowshoe (I need new warm boots first for snowshoeing, suggest...

You can either call me stupid, crazy or motivated. Right now I’m thinking a combo of all three! Here I sit on day 19 of no running and still in pain after a day of walking but I’m planning for 2015. So what am I planning? My first ultra that will actually happen…a 12 hour run (or a 6 hour run). In 2012 I registered for my first ultra, a 50K, but ended up with a stress fracture in March and never got in the trail miles so I decided to be smart and skip the race. Why not? I’ve run 26 marathons, coached at 3 where I was out on the course for 8 hours covering 30+ miles so what else would be next! My first goal is to heal this stupid foot/ankle thing and since we are beyond the 10 day point the ortho doctor threw out there I’m calling today to get back in, ugh! In the meantime what are your training tips? How do I learn to eat and run? From my research I am figuring out… I need a hydration pack- check, love my Nathan backpack Train on the terrain- luckily I live near a gre...

Here we are going on week 3 of injury and no running and it isn’t looking like an end is in sight. I am being smart and not trying to push too fast to get back. Some days are better but other days aren’t great. Despite this the past week went pretty well… Fitness Accomplishments Morning workouts Monday through Saturday P90X3 x 6 days 3 days on bike, 2 days elliptical, 1 rower workout 3 pull ups in a row! Read more about Maffetone Training,  Yep, found more info and think this is my plan Non Fitness Accomplishments Stick with meal plan this week We did great! Blog 4 days Only got in 3 days Finished Christmas shopping! Research low carb, high fat, high protein diet for vegans. Taking a little time to look at every aspect of my life to see how it might improve my running. Still researching This week will be similar with a focus on heathy eating, which will be tougher since I have plans for meals out 2-3 times. Stick with early morning workouts and get...

I’m working really hard through this injury to not get too upset and frustrated and not return too early. Trying to look at the positive that it came at the perfect time, if that exists for a running injury! I do have a 10K on Thanksgiving but nothing else planned after that and likely won’t start marathon training until February. Here are my tips to survive an injury… Find new workouts I’ve been on my bike more this week than in the past few months, plan to swim today and have ordered a few new workout DVDs. Focus on weaknesses For me this is core, glute and flexibility. I’m doing pilates twice a week at least, yoga and even tried Ab Ripper, yikes! Focus on what you can do For me this is strength work. I have seen great upper body and core changes and hope to make these even better. I’m also enjoying the time to focus on yoga, my bike and modifying P90X3 workouts. Eat Healthy After a marathon I tend to overdo the treats and don’t stop. Last year I gained 10 lb...

I think I said this last year but here we go again…I will embrace winter and make the most out of it! Last year we bought snowshoes and this year it will be cross country skis. I figure the more I have to do outside the better it will be, right? Last year O was given skis so what better family activity. Benefits of Cross Country Skiing for Runners Great aerobic cross training- XC skiers tend to have highest VO2max Safer than running on snow and ice Improve balance Strengthens ankles Improves flexibility Strengthening pelvic/hip muscles The problem now comes that I have now cross country skied since those days in junior high gym class when the entire class trudged through the school yard attempting to keep up and not get sweaty! Yes a lot has changed in my life since then. So tell me what do I need to know to get started? Any tips for a new skier?  I'll make sure to share my progress and what I learn this winter skiing. Photo Credit- West Yel...

Well this past week didn’t quite go as planned! After my unexpected time off I had to rethink the plans and focus elsewhere instead. Luckily the week was packed with Halloween fun for O. Super Cooper! Fitness Goals Morning workouts Monday through Friday – 3 Days only P90X3 x 6 days and 2 more core focused – Lots of core! 6 Days of X3 Try a new workout – I did HIIT bike and elliptical workouts 3 pull ups in a row (stuck at 2 right now!) - Almost Run 3 days, no technology, just run whatever pace and distance feel good – No running! Non Fitness Goals Stick with meal plan this week – Yes! Blog 3-4 days – Yes! Start editing my thesis proposal – This is the plan for today Work on organizing downstairs – Started but a lot more to do I’m sure I’m not alone in not believing how quick this year is going, how can it already be November? I was at the store yesterday and already Christmas stuff fills the shelves! On the positive side it is a new month and a little...