Marathon Mom

My race calendar is finally expanding! After forgetting to register for the lottery for Grandma's Half, oops I am on the search for a few other halfs to run this summer. I also registered for my 4th Ragnar! This will be my 3rd year as an ambassador for the race and after taking last year off due to injury I'm excited to be back! Now to figure out a fun team name, I am so uncreative! Have you run a relay? Maybe I'll make this the summer of not racing every week! Can I do it? A year ago I would have said no but now I say yes! I used to race very frequently and for awhile this was okay, I knocked out PRs near;y every time I hit the finish line but that quickly changed. As anyone who's followed me knows I've spent the majority of the past 3 years injured and have been forced to take two 6 week periods off this past year. Since my last injury, I slowly got back to running in December and built my mileage at a rate that frustrated me but I knew I needed. I have y...

I have to ask, how the heck do you food bloggers remember to take pictures of your food?! I swear I always have good intentions but then eat before I remember that little detail! I have slightly derailed from the Whole30 plan but after a weekend of overdoing it have been better at sticking with unprocessed junk (minus the Girl Scout cookies I had to try. Dang Girl Scouts for making gluten free!). Do weekends tend to be your bad eating times? After a weekend of wine, coconut ice cream and cookies I am back on track with great workouts and healthy eating! Here have been some of my recent meals... Breakfast Banana Protein Oats Scrambled Egg with Sweet Potato Veggie Hash Lunch Salads with Roasted Sweet Potatoes Leftovers of Course Dinner Tempeh Stir Fry Coconut Lentil Lettuce Wraps Cauliflower "Alfredo" Broccoli "Cheese Soup with Sweet Potato Biscuits  - I omitted sugar and used a mix of brown rice and flour blend (super yummy with Almond B...

Week 6 Done and winter is brutal! Highs below 0, snow and nasty roads. Still dealing with some nasty sinus junk this week and needing sleep making me realize how tough it is to run after a long day at work! Heck I could barely keep my long run pace on my tempo run and flew on my long run! I just need sun and warmth again. Monday:  AM kickboxing   Didn’t happen!  and PM P90X Shoulders/Chest/Triceps/Abs Tuesday:  Intervals: 1 mile w/u 5x1200 at 6:35 6:45-7 pace 1 mile c/d 8 miles done Wednesday:  P90X Legs/Back/Abs and kickboxing Thursday:  Tempo Run: 1 mile easy 5 miles 7:30 pace 1 mile easy Friday:  P90X Biceps/Back/Abs and Kickboxing Saturday:  Long Run: 16.3 miles 2:13:55 8:13 pace Sunday:  4.25 mile easy run and yoga My workout buddy! Week 7 of marathon training and week 8 P90X, loving it. I can honestly say that this less running is great. Never thought I’d say that but the variations in workouts is great! ...

Did you know there is a National Pancake Day? Since I have a little girl who loves pancakes we decided to celebrate with this great product I was given to try. I'm not a big pancake fan as I like my protein and honestly the chore of making pancakes in the morning makes me want to scream! But breakfast for dinner is the best idea. Nicole's Naturals  offers gluten free, soy free, dairy free mixes. Only 150 calories per serving and only 1 gram of sugar. Plus it is independently tested to meet FDA standards for gluten free! O wanted pumpkin pancakes so we opted to sub pumpkin in for the eggs and add some pumpkin pie spice, yum! Due to this the texture was a little chewy but with eggs this wouldn't happen. O opted for her pancakes topped with blueberries while I tried a small one plain (eggs and sweet potatoes were my meal!). I liked it, a little chunky with whole grains of oats which made it seem even healthier. This will definitely be a healthy option in the future f...

Maybe it is that we are planning the biggest transition in O’s life so far, maybe it is because I’ve been working long days, maybe it is the winter temps and lack of sun getting to me. Who knows! I’m missing my days at home with O and thinking about being home when I’m not. This is not to start the SAHM versus working mom debate but to give me a way to say my thoughts and I welcome you to share your’s. I mean I have done it all working part time, working full time and SAHM. I wasn’t cut out for the last job and only last months! Don’t get me wrong I enjoy going to work (most days) but as I see my baby grow up I’m realizing that she needs me even less. I want her to grow to be a strong girl and know her mom is here for her but I am torn. Being a full time working mom I get home tired and needing to get things done at home. Our weekends have been filled with plans: birthday parties, family get togethers and sometimes work. In the midst of this all I fit in my workouts and marathon t...

Finally back up and able to post after a week of computer issues! I need this to keep track of my training! This also means week 5 has come and gone and despite my best plans the late day runs and winter weather are not working in my favor. The return of winter has meant all indoor running again, yuck! Monday:  P90X Shoulders/Chest/Triceps/Abs Tuesday:  No energy to run so P90X Back/Biceps/Abs instead Wednesday:  Intervals: 9.5 miles with ½ mile repeats Thursday:  Tempo Run: 1 mile easy 5 miles 7:20 pace 1 mile easy Friday:  P90X Legs/Back/Abs and Kickboxing Saturday:  Long Run: 14.5 miles 2:03:00 Sunday:  5 mile easy run and yoga Week 6 means only 10 weeks to go and I’m still hoping this will be my race, my comeback and time to PR! My main goal for this week is to get back to morning workouts (which already didn’t happen this morning) and keep my weekend eating in check. What are your goals this week? Source Monday:  ...

What a frazzled and crazy week! I feel like it is summer with all of our plans and bus weekends. Although I lack the summer energy and am quickly returned to reality when I look out at the snow and see my big parka! To top it off my laptop has crashed twice on me this week, hence my absence here. I am on week 5 of marathon training and looking to be stuck inside for the foreseeable future. This is where you all come in…Answer a few questions for me on 5 for Friday. Source Music on the run. I rarely listen to music while running except when inside and that tends to be hit or miss too. I have a little boredom issue and need new and exciting things. I’m the one skipping through ½ my playlist until that perfect song comes on. Lately it has been I Heart Radio for me. What is on your playlist? TV on the run. This is more me since it not only occupies my ears but also my eyes. I need something mindless and entertaining, you know the shows you’d never watch elsewhere! Last winter ...

Happy Friday! Okay really my Saturday since my weekend is today and tomorrow and working on Sunday. Somehow on my only day to sleep in I was wide awake at 5am (which sadly is sleeping in!). Guess it was time to start the day and get my workout in! Another crazy week here and some fun decisions and made. Here are five things happening in my world this week... Whole30 Like I mentioned earlier I am now on Day 5 of Whole30 (okay my modified version with oats and quinoa added and some almond butter). I'm loving it! Seriously just taking the time to think more about the food I eat and what it actually is has been great. Now just to convince Matt to join me on this venture. A few of my Whole30 eats Winter is Back! Tuesday brought us back to the reality of MN winter with a not so fun 2 hour commute thanks to snow. So much for my nice clean roads and easy outdoor long runs. Of well I knew it couldn't last all winter. Can't complain too much when temps of 30s or predicted fo...

After the holidays, a week on vacation and just plain being less than great with nutrition I decided to take on Whole30 (with a few modifications). I started Monday and my main focus is no dairy, no added sugars, minimal processed foods, minimal grains and limited wine. Plus I’m not going to stick with the 3 meals only plan since my body does not do well with the blood sugar drops and when I have tried things like that it is not good, including nearly passing out at work! Believe the first couple days haven’t been easy, I spent Monday with a jar of sugary PB (left by a past coworker) staring me in the face at work! Here is a quick look at what I’ve been eating… Breakfast I’m sticking with my banana protein bowl on weekdays and will mix it up on weekends Snacks Almonds Veggies Berries with chia seeds Apples Grapefruit Lunch Spinach salad with beets and avocado topped with hemp seeds and a side of sweet potato Dinner Tofu sweet potato taco le...

Week 3 has come and gone and was actually my best week so far despite doing the wrong interval training (oops!). The week was crazy with O’s birthday, work and school. The weather has turned cooler again but still not unbearable and we remain quite snow free! Monday:  P90X Back/Chest and 3 mile easy run with Cooper (45 degrees this afternoon I couldn’t resist!) Tuesday:  Intervals: 10 min easy, 3x1600 at 6:45 pace, 10 min easy (This was tough!) Wednesday:  P90X Legs/Back/Core and 30 min kickboxing Thursday:  Tempo Run: 1 mile easy 7 miles 7:30 pace 1 mile easy Total 10.0 miles (had to finish watching the show I found on Netflix) Friday:  P90X Core Synergistics Saturday: 45 min kickboxing AM and Yoga after work Sunday:  Long Run: 14.25 miles in 2:01:19 (ran 14 and walked .25 as cool down) First run on my new treadmill! Now that the birthday festivities are complete I think my weeks will calm slightly. Week 4 is also my first cutback ...