Marathon Monday #9

So, apparently, I'm incapable of having two fantastic weeks of training in a row.

Last week, I missed a day of running + I failed to incorporate any strength, yoga, or cross training into my week.

Here's how it played out.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 9/23	2	2 w/ Sallie
Tue, 9/24	5 Hills	--
Wed, 9/25	REST	REST
Thu, 9/26	5 Speed	5 Speed
Fri, 9/27	REST	REST
Sat, 9/28	16	9
Sun, 9/29	REST	REST
TOTAL	28	16

Certainly not a complete disaster, like two weeks ago, but definitely some room for improvement.

I shouldn't blame the weather, but it got chilly here much earlier than last fall, and the cool morning air did not help my motivation at all.

It was a real struggle to get out the door on Thursday.

Post by Enjoying the Course.

I eventually did buck up and go for my run. The first mile was very slow, but I did mange to throw in some speed work. Yay!!

Saturday's long run was not so good. I don't know what possessed me to consider doing 16 miles on a dirt trail through the mountains. I made it 3 before turning around. Six total on the trail. I tried to continue running on the streets to get up to my 16 miles, but after 3 more miles, I was simply DONE!

Plus those initial 6 were much slower than I needed them to be, so I was starting to get short on time.

I spent Saturday evening at Bite of Las Vegas - a food and music festival. I was volunteering with the Firefighters of Southern Nevada, serving beer and collecting tips for the Burn Foundation.

It was so much fun! I was reminded of how much fun bartending can be, but also how much work it is. I was running around like crazy, and I'm definitely feeling it today.

I'm also definitely looking forward to doing it again next year!

Up this week? Getting back on track. Hopefully, I'll bike to work 3x this week and incorporate some strength training.

How were your workouts last week?
How do you deal with cutting a long run short?
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What's for Dinner? Week of 9/29

It's been a couple weeks with no meal planning. Some weeks I just try to wing it - some successfully, some not so much.

I've got a few items in my fridge that are on their last legs, so meal planning is a must to reduce as much food waste as possible.

Here's what I've got planned for this week.

Sunday - Black Bean Lettuce Wraps


I've got some Butter Lettuce in my fridge that has a Use By day of 10/1. This morning, I had some Easy Breakfast Lettuce Wraps, but there is still nearly the whole head.

Monday - Bean 'n Mushroom Enchiladas
I've also got some mushrooms that need to be used. These enchiladas are always a big hit.

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Salsa Rice and Red Beans

Thursday - Homemade Pizza

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - TBD

To make this week a success, there are a few things I'll need to prep today.

• Make the pizza dough and freeze it until Thursday morning.
• Cook red beans. All I have are dried beans, and I need to get them cooked to use soon or else Wed will come and go without any dinner.

What are you eating this week?
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Helloooo Weekend!

Ok. So, it's not technically the weekend yet, but it's ALMOST HERE!!

And I'm super excited!!

Tomorrow morning, I'm joining a local running group for a long run. Technically it's a trail, so I'm a little nervous, but it will be fun to not have to run 16 miles completely solo. Wish me luck!

If that weren't exciting enough, I'm also volunteering at Bite of Las Vegas.

This should be super fun! So many great bands - Walk off the Earth, Plain White T's, Goo Goo Dolls, One Republic, Matt Nathanson, and more.

I've never gone to this event before, but with the great bands and great food, how can it be anything other than great fun?!

Of course, I'll be a little outside of my comfort zone, since I don't know anyone else volunteering. I'm hoping to make some new friends here in Vegas.

I'll be working in the beer tent with the Burn Foundation, so if you're in Vegas and going to Bite of Las Vegas, stop by and say hello!

I'm volunteering for the 4-10pm shift. I hope I survive after running 16 miles in the morning!

Good thing I don't have any plans for Sunday. I imagine it will be a LAZY day after such a full Saturday.

What are your plans for the weekend?
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Running with Sallie

Running in Vegas is not the most conducive to running with Sallie. There are several months when it's simply too hot for her. And her little tootsies.

But she LOVES it!

I took her on my 2-miler on last week. It had been her first run in months! She did a great job, and I must of lit the running fire in her. Not that she ever really lost it. :)

Later in the week, as I was getting ready to head out for my 7-miler, Sallie heard me putting on my running shorts from the other end of our apartment, and came running in the room with that happy take-me-running-with-you smile on her face. Sadly, 7 miles is simply too far for her to run.

She's just a little thing after all.

I took her out with me again last Friday for 3 miles. She was more than happy to run with me.

I love the happy smile she gives me throughout the run when she's a little ahead of me, and she turns her little head to look back at me. It can't help but make me smile, too.

And here are a couple cute stories from last Friday's run...

Sometimes, it hard to find grassy areas in Vegas, and Sallie LOVES to play in the grass. The LVH has a nice long patch of green, and even though we were 2 miles in, and Sallie was already pretty tired, she still ran like a crazy dog in grass. I don't know where she found the energy, but it was terribly cute.

And the cutest story...

As we were running by the Convention Center, there were some men in a golf cart. We all stopped at the same stoplight, and to Sallie's little doggie eyes, the golf cart must have looked like a mail truck. She's got a thing for the mailman - always expecting a treat from him. And she was acting the same way with the guys in the golf cart.

She pulled out her cutest begging tricks. Standing on her back legs, etc.

When the Walk sign came on, I let the cart go a little ahead of us, and she ran after it as fast as her little legs would go. On the other side of the street, the cart went into the parking lot, and we stayed on the sidewalk.

There's a little tiny wall between the sidewalk and the parking lot, and she paused to stand and gaze over the wall as the cart drove further away.

She seemed so sad to have been denied treats by the random men on the golf cart. Funny girl.

Later that day, she went to the vet. She's a couple pounds overweight, so she'll definitely be running with me every Monday for the rest of marathon training, and then hopefully a few times a week after the marathon is over.

She's definitely one of my favorite running partners. :)

Running really wipes Sallie out.

Do you ever run with a dog?
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Marathon Monday #8

I've made a decision!

No worries. I'm not dropping out of the race, but I am changing my goals. When I started training, I mentioned I wanted to set a pace goal of 10:00 min/miles for the race, with an overall time of sub-4:30.

I knew I probably shouldn't make that goal, since it's my first marathon in 10 years, but I threw it out there.

And now I'm taking it back. I've decided it's just too much pressure. The majority of my runs lately have been closer to the 11:00 min/mi pace.

I don't want to spend the rest of my training beating myself up for not keeping that goal pace.

I want to ENJOY the marathon, and not feel bad for stopping when I need to. It's supposed to be a really beautiful course, and I want to feel good about stopping for an occasional picture.

So, I've decided I'm just going to run for the love of running.

No time. No pressure. Just running.

Last week was a fabulous week of training.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 9/9	2	2 w/ Sallie
Tue, 9/10	4 Speed	4.15 Fartleks
Wed, 9/11	REST	Strength Training Cardio, Abs, Arms
Thu, 9/12	7 Pace	7
Fri, 9/13	3	3 Abs, Arms
Sat, 9/14	14	REST
Sun, 9/15	REST	14
TOTAL	30	30.15

I've long since wanted to make my mid-week rest days as active rest days. I know that core and strength training are extremely important when training for a marathon, so this week, I was determined to incorporate some into my workouts.

Instead of resting on Wed, I did some strength training.

This totally kicked my ass. Literally. I could barely walk the next day from the squat variations. Made for an interesting 7 miler Thursday morning.

I did more strength training on Friday, but focused only on abs and arms. My lower body just wasn't ready. :)

Lots of Saturday morning errands prevented me from running on Saturday. That, and I really didn't eat dinner Friday night.

It's all good since I ran Sunday instead. And it was a fantastic run! Whoo hoo!!

Up this week? I'm dropping down to running 4x each week. I'm hoping to start strength training on Mon, Wed, and Fri with the extra day off. You can view my training plan here. Since I'm dropping my Pace runs, I've modified my plan to include Hills on Tuesdays and Speed Work on Thursdays - instead of alternating those from week to week on Tuesdays.

Have you ever changed up your running goals mid-training plan?
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Marathon Monday #7

Last week was a big ole flipping bust. :(

When Wednesday rolled around, I hadn't run at all, so I decided to scrap the entire week - which, thinking back, really doesn't make any sense! I mean, technically, I'd only missed ONE day.

Instead of choosing to run in the mornings, I chose to stay up late and watch too much TV. I chose not to bike or workout.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 9/9	REST	15min Yoga
Tue, 9/10	4 Hills	--
Wed, 9/11	REST	--
Thu, 9/12	7	--
Fri, 9/13	4	--
Sat, 9/14	12 Pace	6.7
Sun, 9/15	REST	REST
TOTAL	27	6.7

Oh, yeah. It was a bad week.

I figure it happens at least once in every training cycle, right?

Well, I woke up this morning. I didn't want to run. I wanted to stay in bed just a bit longer, but I DIDN'T! I knew I need to get up and get out there. I knew I needed to set myself up for SUCCESS!

So, I leashed up my girl and headed out for 2 miles. Whoo hoo. :)

Up this week? This is my last week of running 5 days/week. I hope to make the most of it.

How do you get back on track after completely failing a week?
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Pin It Party!

Ugh. It's been one of those crappy weeks. Second in a row, actually. I've been staying up too late. Not eating great. Not exercising. Sleeping in, but waking with a headache.

Overall feeling pretty lazy. And crabby.

And not very motivated to post to my blog, but when I saw Lindsay, from the Lean Green Bean, was hosting a Pin It Party, I simply couldn't resist.

What's a Pin It Party? Simple. I'm going to share 5 posts with you right here that I think would be perfect to share on Pinterest. You can pin the ones you like, and then head on over to The Pin It Party 3 and check out what everyone else is pinning as well.

Happy pinning!!

Last Sept I designed a 3-day workout. Day one focuses on Arms, then abs, then legs on day 3. If you try it, let me know what you think!

What's the difference between being Healthy and being Non-Sick?

Now that school is back in full swing (well, not for me), here are a few tips for staying healthy while in college - though most could also be applied to outside of college as well. :)

A quick look at how I like to end my runs.

And lastly, here's a little motivational pic I created + some tips for beginning runners.

That was fun!

Happy Thursday, everyone!!!
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Marathon Monday #6

It's a brand new week! I hope it flies by, because, sadly, I'm already ready for the weekend. Oops!

Week 5 of training went very well!

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 9/2	REST	65 min Yoga
Tue, 9/3	4 Speed	4 Speed
Wed, 9/4	REST	biked to work
Thu, 9/5	6 Pace	biked from work 6 Pace
Fri, 9/6	3	3
Sat, 9/7	12	12
Sun, 9/8	2	REST
TOTAL	27	25

I started the week out with some yoga, which left me quite sore for the next couple of days. I still managed to get in some speed work on Tuesday. I did an HIIT workout on the treadmill that was quite challenging

Wednesday was somewhat of an active rest day because I biked into work. The skies were looking very threatening at the end of the work day, so Jeff picked me up. Genie isn't big enough for my bike, so Lily spent the night inside at my desk. Jeff dropped me off at work Thursday morning, so I could bike home after work.

I ended up working 45 minutes late on Thursday. While biking home, I nearly talked myself out of going for my run. I had skipped it in the morning, and thought it would be okay to skip it at night, too, right?! I mean it was already 6:30 by the time I got home. My legs were already tired from biking. [insert additional excuses here.]

In the end, I decided to man up and just get out there quickly. Before I changed my mind. I didn't even hesitate, but changed into my running clothes as soon as I hung up my bike. I kissed Jeff, convinced him to make dinner while I ran, and then headed out the door.

It turned out to be quite a fun run! Sunset happened about halfway into my run, and there were portions that were pitch black, and I could barely see the ground. I'll have to remember my reflective vest next time I run after work. For sure.

It was supposed to be a pace run, and I did better than I expected! I went a bit slower after dark, but managed an overall pace of 10:08. I'll definitely take that!

Despite my late run on Thurs, I still woke up early enough Friday for a quick 3 miles. Well, they didn't turn out to be so quick, but at least I got them done. :)

Saturday's 12 were kind slow as well. I tried doing 7/3 splits. When I was training for my first 2 marathons I did 10-and-1 splits, and those were ok. This training cycle, I've tried 3-and-1s and now 7-and-3s. I don't think either of those are for me. I end up walking too slowly and taking too long to run again. My overall pace really suffers. I think I'll try 10-and-1s again to see how those will work this time around.

Other than slow, the 12 miles weren't bad. I had a few tummy issues, but nothing too bad. The worst was the number of stop lights. Ugh! I ran a route I'd never really run before, and the stoplights were killing me!

Up this week? Hills tomorrow, and I think I've decided on a great hill to try. Yay! 12 miles again on Saturday, and I'm hoping to do it at goal pace. I'm thinking I need to find an actual trail for this, so I don't have to deal with the stoplights.

Do you train with run/walk intervals? If so, what's your interval of choice?
How was your running last week?
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What's for Dinner? Week of 9/8

Last week wasn't too successful in the whole eating dinner department. Monday night we were stuck at the dealership until past my bedtime. I did make soup on Tuesday - even though it didn't really turn out to be stormy. Wed-Fri there were some late nights at work, plus an evening run Thursday night.

I was just too exhausted didn't feel like making dinner most nights that we ended up just snacking or whatever.

Meh.

I did convince Jeff to make dinner when I was out running Thursday night, so that was good. :)

Since I skipped most of my meals last week, this week's plan is going to look a bit familiar. :)

Sunday - Homemade pizza
The pizza dough is rising as I type this, so hopefully the pizzas will actually get made.

Monday - Baked ziti
Ok. So, maybe I don't actually have any ziti, so it will be baked whatever pasta I have on hand. lol.

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Beans/Rice Dip

Thursday - Burritos
Kind of like leftovers of the dip on Wednesday - except in a tortilla.

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday  - TBD

What are you eating this week?
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Meet Genie!

Isn't she the cutest little thing?

Jeff and I spent Labor Day at the car dealership to see what kind of a deal we could get on a new car. 6 hours later, we drove home with Genie.

Liberty is a gas guzzler with some serious rattling going on, and a bit scary to drive. She sounds like she's about to die, and nobody wants to be driving down the road when your car goes kaput!

So, we wanted to get a car with a much better MPG. We love SCION, so we were super excited about the iQ.

We'd decided on a 2013 Black Currant and had sat down to start the paperwork. While I sat there, Jeff popped back outside, and walked over to a far corner of the lot where we'd looked at a few others. He wanted one with a spoiler, and none of the ones we'd looked at yet had one, but on his way back inside, he spotted this little gem in the Pre-owned, Price Reduced section.

Blizzard Pearl was the one for us. I mean, how fitting, considering our MN history, right?

Not only is she a pretty pearly white color, and has a spoiler, but she was $3400 cheaper and only had 24,000 miles on her. Sweet!!

Genie is perfect for us!

Like all Scions, she's deceptively much bigger on the inside than she appears.

Even Jeff can fit in the back comfortably! Plus they left plenty of space in the center for a foot. Not sure how comfortably 4 people would fit in the car, but 3 is great!

Since we don't often have any passengers, there is plenty of cargo space for groceries and whatnot, if we put the back seats down. There's even a nice little cubby - perfect for a small bottle jack and such.

She's super fun to drive, too! A LOT different from Liberty, because she's tiny and much lower to the ground.  But she's got A/C and a radio, too!! So luxurious. :)

I already mentioned the great MPG. It boasts 36 city and 37 hwy. How are these numbers so close for city and highway? Because it's got a CVT transmission, which most hybrids use. Some say it's noisier than a regular transmission, but Genie is super quiet compared to what I'm used to.

Not only does she have great MPG, and the perfect amount of space for us, she's also pretty damn safe. With something like 11 airbags, and a Star™ Safety System including things like Smart Stop Technology™, Vehicle Stability Control, and Brake Assist, I can cruise around town with complete peace of mind.

I definitely feel safe and secure driving Genie.

Plus, did I mention how tiny and cute she was?

Ok. Enough about my new car. How about the winners of the Designer Whey giveaway?

Katie, Sarah H, Jenny, Rachel, Christy, and Sarah J, email me ASAP with you shipping address, and I'll get your protein powder out to you soon.

How long did it take when you purchased your last car?
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Marathon Monday #5

Happy Labor Day!! Hope you're all enjoying the last day of summer. I know, I know. Summer's not technically over yet, but Labor Day sure seems like the start of fall.

Even though the high today is still 99. :)

We've got no big plans for today. I already got some yoga in, but now it's time to simply enjoy the day off from work.

And share with you my training from this past week.

Week 4 of training is in the bag!

I had to make a couple of adjustments, but I'm still happy with how it's going. :)

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 8/26	REST	2
Tue, 8/27	3 Hills	3 Stairs
Wed, 8/28	REST	REST
Thu, 8/29	6	6
Fri, 8/30	4	REST
Sat, 8/31	10 Pace	REST
Sun, 9/1	2	10 Pace

Since I had skipped my run last Sunday, I didn't want to have two rest days in a row, plus I was itching to run Monday morning, that I started the week off with 2 miles. :)

I had the best stairs run on Tuesday, in place of hills, and I was really feeling it the next morning - and Thursday, too. Loved it!!

Wednesday's rest day was nice, and it was the only day I biked to work last week, so it was kind of an active rest day. :)

Thursday's 6 miles were super fun, but about two miles in I rolled my ankle.

Post by Enjoying the Course.

Possibly not the smartest idea to keep on moving, but I just didn't want to stop! I iced it, rubbed Biofreeze on it, and took Friday and Saturday as rest days to let it heal. It was feeling good enough that I was able to get in 10 miles yesterday.

Up next week? SPEED WORK!! I've been having a LOT of difficulty maintaining anywhere near a 10:00min/mi pace lately - even on my shorter runs, which used to easily be sub-10:00. I'm hoping that the addition of speed work will help.

What are you doing for Labor Day?
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What's for Dinner? Week of 9/1

I can't believe it's already Sept! Wasn't it just the beginning of August???

Man, time just goes by WAY too fast when you're an adult. Remember, when you were younger, and you just wanted to get to that next stage? Now, it's like, LIFE JUST SLOW DOWN A LITTLE!!

And, I don't even have kids, which I've heard just makes this all the worse. :)

Nothing like starting the post off on a tangent. lol.

Since it's Sept, I felt like gravitating a bit more toward fall-like foods for this week's menu plan - even though it's still HOT and temperature-wise, it probably won't really feel like fall here in Vegas for at least another month or so.

I'm still gonna add some soup to the menu this week. I'm planning it for a day that's supposed to be stormy. Do you ever look at the weather forecast when doing your menu planning? Please tell me I'm not the only one. :)

Sunday - Enchiladas

Monday - Homemade pizza
This recipe comes from Mommy Run Fast. Her pizzas look so delicious! Despite not having a pizza stone or peel, I hope mine turned out delicious, too.

Tuesday - Magical Fruit Soup
Yes, I'm going to try a recipe from that Coolio cookbook I got for my birthday. I don't know why it's called Magical Fruit, as there isn't any fruit in it at all, but it did sound delicious. Coolio's cookbook is quite hilarious (but probably not appropriate for children); I should do a cookbook review of it sometime.

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Baked ziti

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday  - TBD

After rolling my ankle on Thursday morning's run, I postponed my 10-miler this weekend until today. Perfect timing to get in the first month of the Fall 5 or 10 Mile virtual race series. It's 82°F with 60% humidity out there today, so I'm going to hit up the treadmill - with Netflix to keep me company.

What are you eating this week?

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Friday's Favorite!

Isn't this how we all wish we looked after every run? With a huge smile on our faces?

This was a great run - in part due to my new YMX by Yellowman top. As part of my ambassadorship with FitFluential, I was shipped two tops to try - and they quickly became my favorites.

I'd heard that their tops tend to run a bit small, so I ordered a large I normally buy medium, and these were perfect!

I love the super long length!

Makes these tops perfect for almost any sport from running to yoga to biking.

I loved that it didn't ride up at all during my runs, like some of my other tops. And stayed put while on the mat.

The pink top I received even has a pocket in the back.

Perfect for a little fuel. Not so perfect as a pocket for my phone. :( It was a little too bouncy, and I was afraid it would fall out - even though it was quite secure, actually.

I love the super soft, breathable material!

It's MadKool fabric.

Nothing is better than your own skin. It breathes, it shines, and it feels. MadKool® fabric is designed to do the same.

I really did feel like it was part of my skin. It certainly got as wet and sweaty as my skin did. :) Normally, I can't run long distances in sleeveless tops without the inside of my upper arms chafing, but no chafing with these tank tops!! Definitely a HUGE plus in my book. Oh, AND, these can be thrown in the washer and dryer. Just don't use fabric softener. :)

I love the super fun designs!

Most of my other tops are plain and boring or race shirts, so these were definitely a fun addition. I even worn the blue top out on a date night.

And eventually, it will be worn to work.

These tops retail at $69, but I think they're totally worth the price. They are so versatile! They are so fun! They are so comfortable!

They are definitely this Friday's Favorite!!

What's your Friday Favorite?
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3 Things Thursday - 8/29

The winners of the Factors of 36 virtual race were announced late last night. You can check it out here.

Here are 3 Things on my mind today.

1. I've been immersed in a HUGE project at work for the past several months. Without going into a lot of details, we're basically converting to a new system that affects the entire way we do business from editorial (I work at a newspaper) to advertising to the business office and basically everything in between. It's been a major undertaking, to say the least. It's involved many a late night and even a couple weekends. All our effort is about to come to fruition. It's GO LIVE WEEKEND!! It sucks that it's also a holiday weekend, and I may end up having to come in on Saturday, but it feels real good that Go Live is finally here. Whoohoo!!

2. Here's a conversation from the other day.

Me: Do you think my face looks fat?
Jeff: Do you want an honest answer?
Me: Yeah. Um. Well, I think so.
Jeff: No, your face isn't looking fat, but the rest of your body is starting to look a little big for your face. Mostly your tummy.

Guys...

I know you all dread questions like this, but please PLEASE keep your answers only to the question asked. :)

So, the next morning, I hopped on the scale. I've gained 7 lbs since the beginning of the year. Wish I could say that was all muscle. LOL. I really, really need to start doing more ab work - and strength training in general.

3. Remember that stairs workout I did on Tuesday? Well, I woke up yesterday morning with some serious DOMS in my calves. Almost as bad as when I did 50 calf raises. In a row. Back in April.


How's your Thursday going?
Any big plans for the holiday weekend?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for Designer Whey protein powder! Six canisters are up for grabs!!
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Factors of 36 Winners!!

Thanks again to everyone who joined me in my Factors of 36 virtual race!!

I had a blast knowing I was running with such awesome company.

I loved hearing how you all pushed yourself to go just a bit further or how this virtual race helped motivate you to keep up with your training or start running again.

You're all winners to me!! Together we ran a total of 991 miles. Sah-weet!!

I wish I had a prize for each of you, but alas, I had to choose only seven. Each run logged on the spreadsheet counted for one point + sharing points + early registrations equaled a total of 391 entries.

I drew 7 random numbers using Randomizer.org.

And the winners are...

• Adrienne from Runner Mom * Not Fast but Not Last
• Chris from Inspiral Coaching
• egb from Running on E
• Matt from Muddy Calves
• Nicolasa from Shoe Laces & Bibs
• Rhonda from Kids Running Wild
• Teresa

Prizes will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis, so email me at enjoyingthecourse@gmail.com ASAP with your top two choices.

If you didn't win (or even if you did!), I threw the Factors of 36 logo onto a few items at CafePress - in case anyone was interested in buying a little memento. :) This is my first time using CafePress, so let me know if you run into any issues.

Make Custom Gifts at CafePress

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How about a little Sustained Energy?

I did a pretty fun stairs workout this morning.

It was AWESOME! But it wiped me out. Time to recover and restore some of that energy.

Designer Whey has come out with a new addition to their line of protein powders - Sustained Energy. You may have seen an ad for it in the June issue of Shape magazine.

As a FitFluential ambassador, I was given the opportunity to take this protein powder for a test drive. Perfect timing for me as I received a canister of both the Vanilla Bean and the Chocolate Velvet right at the beginning of marathon training.

Delicious for recovery. On mornings like today.

Or just to wake up in the morning. For those days, when the snooze button wins.

For whatever reason, it's the perfect addition to my random morning smoothie. I say random because, I rarely follow a recipe. I generally start with some almond milk, orange juice, and then add whatever fruit I might have on hand. Sometimes spinach, if I have any.

Adding a scoop of Designer Whey Sustained Energy powder adds just a little more oomph.

What makes it so good?

From their website...

Designer Whey® Sustained Energy™ is specifically formulated with our proprietary Endurance Blend™. Designed to give you balanced, stimulant-free, sustained energy through fast absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy and casein proteins, giving you a steady supply of essential amino acids while helping you control hunger with fiber. Packed with 16 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals and naturally flavored and sweetened – all for only 100-good-for-you calories!

Sounds pretty perfect to me!

New to using protein powder or looking to mix it up with some new recipes? Just check out the Designer Whey recipes tab for lots of great ideas.

This morning, I tried this Tropical Tone-Up smoothie, as featured in Shape. Of course, I'm not sure how it's possible to make a smoothie with only 1/2 cup of milk, so I doubled it for mine.



I mostly stick to smoothies (boring, I know), but I also experimented a bit by adding some protein powder to my favorite banana cookie bars and even a batch a brownies. The extra protein helped to satisfy that sweet tooth without getting carried away feeling too guilty.

Designer Whey sure is excited about the launch of Sustained Energy! So excited, in fact, that they're offering to give 6 of you a canister to try for yourself. Yes, SIX of you will get to try either the Vanilla Bean or Chocolate Velvet.

Check out the Rafflecopter for your chances to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Marathon Monday #4

Kind of a tough week of training this week. I'm chalking it up mostly to PMS. My whole body was so achy and all I wanted was to sleep and eat chocolate. I don't think I've never craved chocolate so much in my life. Not that I'm complaining.

So, here's how the week went.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 8/19	REST	REST
Tue, 8/20	3	3
Wed, 8/21	REST	REST
Thu, 8/22	6.2 Virtual Race
Fri, 8/23	4
Sat, 8/24	10	10
Sun, 8/25	2

I skipped the virtual race on Thursday and decided to just use the 6.2 miles from the 10 on Saturday for that race.

It was so difficult to get motivated for my long run this week. I slept too late and then took forever getting everything ready. Hopefully this week will be better. Since my legs were feeling tired and achy, I decided to do 3:1 intervals (run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute). I really feel like the intervals helped get me through, but it was very slow going.

Up next week? I start incorporating hills into my training. I still have to find a decent hill in my neighborhood. In the meantime, I think I'll run to the Strip and run stairs. It's not quite the same thing, I know, but I think it will still be good for me.

The good news from last week is that I finally got the flat tire on my bike fixed and was able to bike into work 4 days. I skipped biking on Wednesday in favor of folding the laundry, and Thursday, Jeff came to pick me up after work because the weather was stormy and my cell had died. I probably would have been fine biking home, but with the dead cell, I didn't want to take any chances.

How do you deal with PMS? Does it take you down or do you power through? A small part of me feels guilty for skipping three days of running this week, but a bigger part of me is totally okay with listening to my body. I'm going with the "my body must have needed the extra rest" theory.
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What's for Dinner? Week of 8/25

Well, I can't say that we stuck to our meal plan perfectly last week. In fact, we had fast food three nights in a row. Ugh.

But it's a new week! :)

Here's the plan for this week. A few repeats from last week plus a couple staples. I feel like it's kind of a boring plan, but a boring plan is better than no plan, right?

Sunday - Spinach Pasta Toss

Monday - Beans and Rice dip with tortilla chips

Tuesday - Layered Mexican pizza

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Salsa Rice and Red Beans

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Leftovers

What are you cooking this week?
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Marathon Monday #3

My 2nd week of training went really well!

• I pretty much stuck to my plan.
• I didn't feel nearly as tired as the first week. 
• I was much better about getting to bed early/on time.
• I took an active rest on my two rest days.
• I ended up taking a full rest day yesterday, and I don't feel guilty at all due to the active rests earlier in the week.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 8/12	REST	2.6 mile walk
Tue, 8/13	3	3
Wed, 8/14	REST	20 min yoga
Thu, 8/15	5	5
Fri, 8/16	3	3
Sat, 8/17	8	8
Sun, 8/18	2	REST
TOTAL	21	21.6

While I did the full 8 miles on Saturday for my long run, it was LONG! And it was HOT. I left at 8am, but I think it was already in the 90s. Ugh. I got way too hot, plus I forgot to near a sweatband.

I did discover a fun park, though. It was about 1/2 through my run, and there was a water play area for the kids. I'll admit that I jumped in there for a minute or two to cool down a bit. :)

Here are my splits from my long run:

Mile 1 - 10:16
Mile 2 - 9:53
Mile 3 - 9:40
Mile 4 - 10:36
Mile 5 - 16:14 (I walked half, if not most, of this mile)
Mile 6 - 11:08
Mile 7 - 11:26
Mile 8 - 11:08

Only two miles were sub 10:00. I may have to rethink my marathon time goal. We'll see how the next couple long runs go, and if running earlier helps at all.

I picked up our Bountiful Basket Saturday morning, so I couldn't have really gone earlier this week. We're going to cut back to every other week or so for Bountiful, so that I can go for my long runs earlier on our off weeks.

And for next week:

My virtual race ends on Sunday. You can still join the fun! Lots of great prizes up for grabs!! Just shoot me an email or fill out this form.

I'll also be running Jill and Jen's Birthday Bash virtual run (10k) on Thursday, and my first double digit run on Saturday.

How far did you run this week?
Have you ever jumped into a kiddy water area to cool off mid-run? I really think I threw off the kids. They weren't quite sure what to make of me, but they were very friendly and helpful.
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What's for Dinner? Week of 8/18

I haven't done a menu plan for the past two weeks, and boy did I feel it! Too many evenings without dinner or just simple cheese roll-ups.

We also missed two weeks of Bountiful Baskets, but we got one yesterday, so I need to meal plan in order to use up all the delicious produce.

Here's what we'll be eating this week.

Sunday - Layered Mexican Pizza

Monday - Pasta Slaw

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Spinach Pasta Toss



Thursday - Salsa Rice and Red Beans



Friday - Leftovers and/or Salad

Saturday - Leftovers

What are you eating this week?
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