Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Keep pushing on? Nope. Time to rethink the current mission.

I made it through the week off!

Not running all week was tough and not going to the gym was even tougher than I thought, more physically than mentally.  I never realized how much my weeknight trips to Fitness Renegades was really part of my life now, until I couldn't go! Granted, I had my strength exercises from PT that I needed to do, but that's just not the same as a dose of Joe's daily intense lifting and challenging missions or Ty's fierce weekend warrior insanity adventures.  I may make light of these workouts but they are intense, often fierce and push me to my limits and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Thanks guys!


On Thursday when I met with Lisa, while she was really working my IT Band we were discussing my painful weekend, how things were going this week and where we were headed from here.

From the way my run and workout last weekend went. I knew what was coming...

We were only 4 weeks out from the marathon.  My longest run to date was 14 miles, over a month ago.
As of right now, I couldn't make 10 miles without being in extreme pain.  I think deep down I knew what I needed to do, it was just really hard to admit it.

I was NOT going to be running this Full Marathon.

I will be honest, it was tough to finally admit what I think I knew deep down a few weeks ago already.  My body was just not ready for the challenge yet.  Last summer when I was just running a lot of miles and spending minimal time with strength training, I was doing ok.  Then over the winter, I switched gears and was doing a heavier amount of strength training and minimal running (thanks to mother nature and the "lovely" winter we had here) that too was ok.  Come spring when I upped the mileage and kept up with the strength training, but body put up the stop sign.  Ok, it was probably just a caution flag at first but since I didn't pay attention to it right away, it turned into a red flag.  I needed to stop and pay attention to what was going on.

I did get the ok from my PT to run the half marathon and thankfully I was able to find someone that had a Half Marathon registration that they were no longer able to use.  Unfortunate that they were not able to run, but in the end it was a blessing for me, as the half marathon was at capacity and I could not just "switch" events.  It cost me $10 to process the transfer, but that was $10 well spent!

I am taking these next few weeks before the half marathon to work on the strength training prescribed by my PT to get me moving in the right direction and on May 18th, I will head out for my 1st Half Marathon on 2014.

Yes I am disappointed that I will not be able to make Cellcom 2014 my first Full Marathon, but I know that with some hard work over the next few months, I will only come out a stronger runner in the end.  I am not calling it quits on a Full Marathon, just delaying it until my body is ready for the challenge!

The rest of 2014 is still ahead of me, several 5k's, 10k's, color runs and Half Marathons, so the distances might be shorter, but the miles will still me there!  We are not stopping, just changing gears and taking a detour!




Sunday, April 20, 2014

Pushing through vs listening to your body

As I have posted about before, change is inevitable.  Plans change all the time and we need to be able to adapt.  Many of these changes can be tough, both physically and mentally.  Doing what you know is right vs what you WANT to do can be tough. When do you push through the pain and when do you stop and listen to your body and slow down?

I know it's been a few weeks since I have posted and I apologize.  Some days it was enough just to keep my head above water!  My blog was one of those things that I just was not able to get to!  Trust me - it's not because I didn't want to.  But something had to give and time was not on my side.  Many nights, I opted for sleep instead of blogging... yup, I had to figure out some priorities!  I am going to work on a few posts to get you caught up on the marathon training

After a positive 8 mile run that I mentioned in my last post, I was given the ok to do 10 the following weekend. For the first time since Thanksgiving I was actually able to get out and run with my running partner Matt!  It was going to be a great morning!

Matt and I set out at a comfortable pace and were ready to enjoy the morning, but determined to make it back before the rain.  We crossed the bridge and hit the trail with a few hundred of our closest friends.  We kept a good pace and when we turned around at mile 5 (keeping my word to my PT that I would do no more than 10 miles).  I was feeling good and it was great to be running with Matt again.

At about mile 9, I started to feel my knee creeping up on me and knew that I didn't have much left.  The stubborn side of me came though and I pushed it through to the end.    Overall when I finished, I felt great and really was not in any pain.  I talked to the crew from myTEAM TRIUMPH for a few minutes and then Matt and I headed home.    I met up with Sir Felix (my foam roller that has become one of my new best friends) for some quality rolling time and followed it up with some ice.  Overall, I was sore, but nothing that I really was worried about.

Sunday morning rolled around and it was time for one of Ty's awesome Sunday Circuits at the gym.  Overall it should not have been a tough workout, compared to some of the adventures he puts us through.  Unfortunately, the burpees got the best of my by round 2.  The impact from the burpees was too much for my knee and I struggled to get through the 35 minutes.  I walked several of the laps and took it slow.  In the end I was proud of myself for finishing it and knowing that I made the adjustments that I needed to keep myself going.  I spent some time rolling and stretching at the gym before I left and was on my way.  Once I got into my car, the pain caught up to me.  I was nearly in tears by the time I got home.  My husband banned me to the couch with a bag of ice for the afternoon.  IT HURT!  I officially over did it and my body was voicing it's opinion.  If I can't even get through 10 miles without all this pain, how was I going to do 26.2 in just over a month?  I had some serious thinking about what was the reality of all of this.  My body was starting to rebel.  Was I biting off more than I can chew at this point?

On Monday, I shot off an email to my physical therapist and the other trainer that was covering stuff for her while she was on vacation.  I filled them in on what happened over the weekend and I was given strict orders to take the week off.  No running until after I saw Lisa again (not until Thursday) and no going to the gym.  They didn't want me to do anything that could potentially cause a flare up.

OMG!  It's bad enough to tell me that I can't run, but to tell me no gym either?

Like I told Nate, telling me not to run or go to the gym is like telling a 4 year old not to eat the bowl of candy that you left on the table.  Nate's response?  "eventually, you are going to take the candy away if the 4 year old does not listen"... Ok Nate, you got me there.    No running, no gym  UGH!

 Here's to a long week of trying to keep my mind off everything that I want to be doing...

Come on legs, butt and feet, lets get everything working together!!!  The adventure continues...

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Energybits Product Review!

A about a week ago I was having a casual conversation via twitter with fellow runner @crystalduff about energy and what we use to keep us moving.  She mentioned that her go to is Energybits.  This was a new product that I had seen a few other posts about, but never really looked into them further.  I was intrigued!

From their website:
Need more ENERGY? We're your answer!
ENERGYbits® are tiny algae tabs so nutritionally dense, they eliminate fatigue and hunger instantly. Want a healthy, natural way to fuel your game or fire up your brain? ENERGYbits® are for you! NO caffeine, sugar, chemicals, gluten or soy, just pure, plant based nutrition, all for just ONE calorie per tab.
Need better HEALTH? We're your choice!
ENERGYbits® have just ONE ingredient - organically grown NON GMO spirulina algae – a super food endorsed by the United Nations and NASA as the most nutritionally dense food in the world. Spirulina has been a favorite of gold medalists for decades. Now it’s your turn. Be powered by BITS™

A rep from the company offered to send me a sample of the product to try!  WooHoo!!!  I was not going to pass up that opportunity to try a new, all natural way to fuel my long runs and crazy days at the gym!

When I received my bits, it was Saturday afternoon, after I already finished my long run, so I had to wait for another good run to come up so that I could try them out... One of the cats tried to get into them before me, but at least she didn't get them open!  Just a few holes poked in the bag from her teeth, so my bits were safe!  They ended up sitting there for a few days before I finally got to tear open one of the packages.  That was a long 4 days!

In the meantime, I had some time to do some reading up on these little gems.  From the information I received with my sample:


Trial 1 - Wednesday nights have turned into a fitness frenzy of sorts!  This week was no different!  My Wednesday evening was going to consist of:
~ 1 hour class at the gym
~ 2-4 mile training run
~potential yoga class to follow

Seemed like a great night to give these bits a try!  Before heading to the gym I tore open that little plastic bag that has been staring at me since Saturday! Honestly, I was expecting something that looked like small jelly or gummy type bits, not a bag full of small tablets... and now I had to swallow all of these?  Since this was the first try with these and not knowing how they might affect me, I opted to only take half of the bag before the gym and then take the other half between the gym and my run... just in case...

The workout at the gym was intense but when I finished, I was feeling good and ready for more!  So we left the gym and headed for the training run.  After meeting up with the rest of the crew (and finishing off the rest of the bag of Energybits), it was time to hit the streets!  I was feeling good and was determined to make the best of this run.  We did decide to only do the short loop for the training run, as the workout at the gym was a lot of leg work again... probably best to not push the knee any further today! It ended up being a fast 2 miles!

Trial one with Energybits complete... ok, not really!  I will have to say I felt great when I finished my run.  We opted out of yoga for the evening as we were all hungry!  Food trumps Yoga on days like today!  So we headed home to make dinner.  I will have to say that my first experience with Energybits was better than expected... not only did they carry me through my workout and run, but they also kept me going once I got home.  I was busy doing stuff around the house and I actually had to make my self stop and go to bed!  I could have kept going, but when the alarm goes off at 4:30am, sleep is a good thing!

Fast forward to today...
I received the ok from from PT for a 10 mile run this weekend!  Energybits don't' fail me now!  I grabbed a protein bar for breakfast and headed out the door to pick up Matt and we arrived at the school to meet up with everyone for the training run.  This was the first time Matt and I were actually are running together since Thanksgiving - hope I can still keep up with his long legs!  I popped my Energybits, and before long we were off.  Our mission was to finish our 10 miles before the rain!

The weather was perfect, I was out on the trail with good friends and I was feeling awesome!  It was not until we turned around at the 5 mile point that I realized one HUGE thing... ok, 2 things... 1st, my knee seemed to be holding up well, not pain so far! and 2nd, usually be this time I am on my second  GU pack!  So far, I had not even thought about grabbing one!

We turned around and started on the second half of our run, back to the Middle School.  So far, the rain was holding off (although the skies were not looking very promising!)  We were feeling good and I was really enjoying just going out there in the crisp spring air.  Before we knew it, we were at 9 miles!  Now at this point, I did notice that my knee was starting to flare up a bit, but it was less than a mile - I had this!

We ended up finishing 10.1 miles in 1:54:07.  Just over 11 minute miles - I'll take it!  and we beat the rain!!  I felt great for the entire run and never felt like I was running out of steam.  I just wanted to run! If it was not for my knee and making sure I didn't push that too far, I probably would have run more!

That run was all Energybits!  All of the rest of the fuel I had with me was still in my pockets!   What an amazing feeling!

Final comments for my review...
1.  The cost per serving might be a bit more than GU or any other race fuel I have tried, but in the end, if I can get through a 10+ mile run with 1 serving of Energybits instead of 2-3 GU packs, that is a win in my book!

2.  Yes, they do taste a little funky when you are swallowing them, but that is a minor detail that I can look past!

3.  With the changes that I have been making in my diet over the last 6 months, if I can use real food to fuel my runs instead of uber processed fuel with 20+ ingredients in them, I know when I would prefer!

4.  No sugar high or sugar crash

5.  There may not be any caffeine in these bits, but they sure can keep me going!

Overall, I am loving what I has seen from Energybits!  The natural fuel that I think I need to make part of my routine!

Thank you Energybits for offering to send me a sample of these little treasures!  Now I just need to get my own supply ordered!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Avocado, Not just for guacamole anymore!


Avocado Fudge?

Yes please!

I am sure that, if you are anything like me, when you hear fudge, Healthy is not a word that comes to mind.  Most of the time, I think I get a sugar headache just from looking at fudge!  I do not eat a lot of sweets anymore, but once in a while you just need to keep it real!  Yes, I still have my favorites that I splurge on from time to time, but keeping it in moderation is key.  

SO, back to this fudge...  A few months ago, I was cruising the internet, trying to find a few new recipes to try.  I had about 4 avocado's sitting in my kitchen that I needed to use up before they were too ripe.  When I first came across this fudge recipe, I will admit, I was skeptical.  Chocolate and Avocado Fudge?  Together?  Admit it, when you read those avocado and fudge together, you thought it was a typo.  Would someone really mix THOSE two things together?  Not really sure about that combination myself, but I like both, so why not give it a try.  Worst case scenario?  I have a 16 year old that will eat just about anything! 

I originally found the recipe at Activeware.com and I have made it twice now, trying out different brands of chocolate each time.  Other than that, I have kept with the original recipe, but I am sure that over time I will tweak it a bit and make it my own!  Best thing?  ok, there are many awesome things about this recipe, but the fact that it only has 4 ingredients is a huge plus in my book!

The creaminess of the avocado blends perfectly with the chocolate to create the perfect balance of sweetness.  Several people that I have tried it did not believe me that there really was avocado in it!

Ingredients:
*2 very ripe avocado's (only 1 if you are not frosting your fudge)
*9oz dark chocolate
*1 Tablespoon coconut oil
*1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions:
Line an 8x8 or comparable size pan with parchment paper (or plastic wrap), leaving plenty hanging over the sides (this will come in handy later!)

Slice one of the avocado's in half, scoop out the insides from each half into a food processor.  Process the avocado until it's smooth, about 30 seconds or so.  If you don't have a food processor, you can do this part by hand, it just takes longer (or you can just have small chucks of avocado in your fudge - yes I have done this before! It still tastes great)

Scrape the avocado into a double boiler and add the chocolate and coconut oil and set this aside. Put water in the lower pan of your double boiler and bring to a simmer.  Once the water reaches a simmer, put the top pan on and get ready to see it all come together!

Stir the ingredients together until everything melts and is smooth (about 5 minutes).  Once everything is completely melted, continue stirring for another 5 minutes while everything starts to thicken.

Once the mixture starts to thicken, add the vanilla, stir and scrape everything into your prepared pan.

Chill in fridge for a few hours (or until firm enough to eat - you won't want to wait 3 hours for this!).

Once your fudge is firmed up and set, pull it out of the pan using the excess parchment that you left hanging over the edges.  Cut into desired pieces and enjoy!  This last time I made it, I added a bit of coarse sea salt to the fudge before serving.  

Frosting: (optional)
cut the 2nd avocado in half, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash to your desired consistency.  

I will admit that I have never actually frosted this fudge.  Maybe one of these days I might actually do that, but so far I have just been enjoying the smooth creamy sweetness of these squares of pure heaven!

Enjoy! But beware... a batch of this disappears faster than something in a David Copperfield show!


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Life is a Roller Coaster! Hop on and enjoy the ride

Yes, there are ups and down - and sometimes a lot of them, in a short amount of time, but that is what makes the adventure all the more interesting! 

Welcome to this week's Fireside Chat!  It's Sunday night and time to sit back and reflect on the last week.  I am sure that I am like most people - you go into a week with grand plans of what needs to get done, what you wish to accomplish and how you see the week going. 

This past week was no different.  I had plans on actually getting caught up on some of blog post, starting some spring cleaning (my craft/costume/project room is a disaster and I can't find anything!) and try out a few new recipes.  I was signed up for classes at the gym (I was determined to get there 4 times this week) and had several training runs planned.

Having to face the reality that I needed to slow down on my training runs and work on getting my body healthy and injury free has been tough.  Telling a runner that they can't run is hard to deal with.  Granted, I have been told that I can still run, just have to keep the miles low (like less than 5 miles).  The fact that I have my marathon in less than 6 weeks is kinda freaking me out.  At this point, my longest run has been 14 miles.  This past weekend was supposed to be 18 miles but after my PT appointment on Thursday, I was told that was not going to happen.  She gave me the ok to do the 10 mile run, but only if I promised that I would cut it short if my knee started bothering me.  

Figures, the weather is finally starting cooperate and I am limited on who much I can get out and run.  Getting out on Saturday for a run (even though it was shorter than I would have wanted to do) was awesome!  The Fox River trail was finally mostly clear and the sun was shining.  I ended up turning around at the 4 mile marker for the run instead of the 5, just because I didn't want to push the knee too far.  When I finished, I was feeling good, a little sore, but much better than I did after the 6 miles I did 2 weeks ago!  The most frustrating part of the run was the fact that I still felt like I could have run another 10 miles.  There is still fuel in the tank, the body and mind are still wanting to go further... with the exception of my beloved IT band and knee.  It give me that much more motivation to work on correcting the IT band issues and continue with the strength training and PT.  I want to get out there and really so how far I can run!

On a more exciting note - I think I need to go out and buy a lottery ticket! On Thursday I found out that I won a Twitter contest and now had 4 tickets plus a bunch of other goodies for the Monster Jam event at the Resch Center on Sunday!  Perfect timing for my son's 16th birthday!  It was a fun (but LOUD) afternoon!
The Prize Pack
The Birthday Bay and the trucks

 Then, I also found out that I won not one, but two of the gift baskets at the Comedy City Comedy Against Cancer Event last weekend!  The first basket was a wine and cheese assortment from 2 local venues.  THe second was a basket compliments of Badger State Brewing and the Green Bay Distillery.  With all this beer, wine and cheese, I think I've got the start of a good party!

Overall, it's been a great week and I am determined not to let me injury get me down.  I have to keep reminding myself that even tho my knee is not hurting when I run, that is not the ok to keep going.  Keeping the miles down is my best course of action to letting myself heal, no matter how many miles I really want to run.  I have an awesome supportive family and group of friends that are looking out for me and continue to remind me to SLOW DOWN.  I may grumble and try to be tough and push on, but I know what I need to do and I really grateful to have them looking out for me!

The Roller Coaster is ever changing and keeps us from getting bored.  Sometimes the climb to the top is slow and long but the view from the top is always worth the effort.  We just need to learn to enjoy the view from the top, look forward to the next adventure and the triumph at the end of the next hill!

Until next time, get out there and enjoy spring weather - now that it finally is here!