1. I am LOVING the Nike Foreverun Tights. Not only are the super fun, but the material is ultra-stretchy DRI-FIT making them the best fitting Nike tights I’ve owned. (For the Nashvillians, you can get them at Fleet Feet.)
2. February 6th is National Frozen Yogurt Day!! My favorite spot, Sweet Cece’s is offering Buy One Get One for 99 cents!
3. Socks are the #1 most requested clothing item in shelters. Bombas Socks are cute, comfortable, and most importantly…they donate a pair for every pair purchased.
This week I’m still easing back into my regular running schedule. The plan is to run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Hopefully next week, I’ll be back to my normal training schedule!
Monday: Ground Hog Day
20 miles on the spin bike and weights in an empty gym. I guess the resolution folks made it to February.
It was also Red Velvet Oreo Day…
I don’t really keep my medals, but it was fun to receive this one in the mail. I got it for running as a St. Jude Hero in the Country Music and Memphis Marathons. It’s some huge Mr. T-style bling.
Tuesday:
Our Track Tuesday workout was a Pyramid Workout. It was also my first time doing speed work since I injured my Achilles.
4 mile warm-up/strides
400m at 5k pace (30 second recovery)
800m at 10k pace (60 second recovery)
1200m at 1/2 marathon pace (90 second recovery)
1600m at marathon pace (400m recovery)
1200m at 1/2 marathon pace (90 second recovery)
800m at 10k pace (60 second recovery)
400m at 5k pace
1 mile cool down
My tights matched my Cocogo bottle. Use code: JENCHOOSESJOY (all caps) to save 10% off your order. My girlfriends and I wore the same Asics Storm Shelter Jacket (without planning it), and I hit all of my pace goals!!
I am loving the new Run Y’all shirt from Fleet Feet! Y’all next time I’ll powder my face before I take a pic…hello shine!
Because it was Taco Tuesday and February is the month of love…
Wednesday:
I joined my friends for a run in Percy Warner Park. We lovingly refer to it as the Monkey Run because it’s on the super hilly Flying Monkey Marathon course.
How perfect is my new Pimpin’ Joy t-shirt?!
I got into the BAA 5k! Big thanks to Heather Kralj for making sure I registered quickly. Heather is a Boston Marathon veteran and has really helped me plan my trip. She’s on the Fleet Feet Racing Team with me and she has a new blog: YourLifeWontWait. Check it out!
And lastly, I thought my friends to the north would appreciate the big hullabaloo (not a word I use enough) over our snow forecast tonight. Nashville really will shut down over a dusting.
Were you able to find the new Red Velvet Oreos? What do you think? I may or may not have friends with stock piles!
Will you try the Coconut Milk at Starbucks? I usually get soy milk and am happy to have a healthier option.
What’s your regular Starbucks order? I get a tall blonde soy misto:)
This is my new go-to weeknight dinner! I’ve seen a couple of recipes floating around on Pinterest for one-pan quinoa dishes. I combined a couple and here’s my spin. Everything, even the quinoa, is cooked in one pan. It’s so easy and packed with flavor. You really should make this Mexican Quinoa…seriously…try it!
Let’s get started…
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, and jalapeno and saute for 1 minute.
Then add the rinsed quinoa, vegetable broth,
Rinsed black beans,
Tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until broth is fully absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.
Garnish and serve!
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and drained
1 cup vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
chopped fresh cilantro (I used about 3 Tablespoons)
1 lime, juiced
1 avocado, sliced
Garnish with shredded cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, green onions, etc
***to make it vegan, simply omit the cheese and Greek yogurt
Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and jalapeños and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the quinoa, broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Cover and let cook for 20-25 minutes, until the liquid is fully absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Top with avocado and garnish as desired.
Today’s post is brought to you by the number 3. It’s the 3rd of the month and I’m giving your 3 Reasons Runners Should Do Core Work and 3 of My Favorite Core Workouts.
3 Reasons Runners Should Do Core Work
1. Injury Prevention. Core strength plays a vital role in stabilizing your entire body during running by maintaining a neutral pelvis, and delaying the breakdown in your form when you’re fatigued.
2. Improve Your Running Economy. Stronger muscles help you run faster and use less energy at the same time. Core workouts allow your body to use more muscle fibers during any given workout. Using the same muscles over and over again means you get tired more quickly. But if you have a larger pool of muscle fibers to work with, you can delay fatigue and run faster.
3.Faster Running. So let’s put these two powerful benefits together. Injury prevention plus higher efficiency equals a faster runner. Injury prevention leads to consistent training.Consistent trainingleads to dramatic improvements in speed.
**Remember that your core is more than just your abdominal muscles. The core includes your hamstrings, quads, hips, glutes, hip flexors, obliques, and lower back.
Here are three core exercises that I try to do daily. I either do them right before bed when I foam roll, or when I’m at the gym. I like to do variations of a traditional plank. (Keep in mind that I’m a work in progress…my form is definitely not perfect!)
1. Start in a traditional plank. Keep your body tight and lower to your forearms. Alternate between your right and left arms. (I do 20 a day.)
2. Side plank dips. Place your hand on your hip in a side plank and slowly lower your hip down to the ground and back up. Keep your core engaged. (I do 50 dips on each side.)
3. I learned this series of core work from PiYo. Start in a downward dog position. Raise one leg into the air. Lower it down to tap your ankles. Raise it back up. Then tap your knee to your elbow. Raise your leg back up. To simplify: Leg up, tap your ankles, leg up, tap your elbow. (I repeat this series 10 times on each leg.)
Do you incorporate core work into your fitness routine? What are your favorite core exercises?
Has the cold weather driven you inside or are you still running outside?
What did you have for dinner and dessert last night? (These are the hard hitting questions I love to read about!) I had a mexican quinoa with a chocolate protein shake for dessert. Also, I’ve been adding butterscotch chips to my shake and it’s SO good!
First, if you tried to get in touch with me on Sunday…I wasn’t ignoring you.
My (3 month old) iPhone 6 crashed. The screen just went red and it turned off. Thank you 8lb, 6 oz baby Jesus for the iCloud! It had automatically backed itself up Saturday night. The, the Apple Store “genius” looked at it for a few seconds and gave me a new phone, no questions asked…awesome!! However, I’m still in the process of trying to restore it…fingers crossed.
Thursday:
Leah, my PT, “suggested” that I not run Thursday or Friday so I could do my long run on Saturday. I trust her and do as I’m told:)
To celebrate Michael’s last run with the group. He’s moving:(
It’s tough to read, but our gift to him was an engraved frame that read My Tribe and 6run5 🙂
One of the perks of being on the Rock n Blog Team is I get a discount code to share with you!! Code: JENCHOOSESJOY is good for $15 off ALLRock n Roll half and full marathons!!!! Share it with your friends!
Thursday night: I got to do my first ever blogger meet-up with two Nashville fitness bloggers! After following their blogs, it was SO much fun to meet Karina and Mary and person! We had cocktails at No. 308 and talked about running, our favorite gyms, lots of FOOD, and brainstormed about ways to work together in the future!
Friday:
Wakey, Wakey Crepes and Coffee…that kind of rhymes, yes?!
I headed back to the gym to bike some more. Oh the irony of wearing a Run Happy shirt on the spin bike. I was happy because I knew I would get to do a long run on Saturday!
Thanks to everyone for the sore throat advice: I’ve been drinking my honey tea and went to the doctor for a cortisone shot.
And of course, soup for dinner with grilled focaccia!
I’m happy to report that I had zero Achilles pain during my run. It got tight and creaky afterwards, so I’m still not 100%, but it’s getting SO much better!
Sunday:
And then…my iphone crashed and, so I don’t have anymore photos until that night.
Super Bowl Highlight: This ad…
because I RUN #LikeAGirl
It also gave me the courage to post my January Miles. Due to injury, I ran my lowest monthly mileage since I started tracking it (133 mile LESS than last month, but who’s counting). I’m definitely not thrilled with it, but I worked really hard for these miles.
It was definitely a full weekend! It’s a new week, it’s a new month…Go Get ‘Em!!!!
Questions:
Weekend peak? Long run with my training group!
Pit? My phone crashing.
Who were you cheering for in the Super Bowl? Favorite Super Bowl ad? I didn’t really care about the game, but I read that the white jerseys statistically win the Super Bowl, so I cheered for the Patriots. Favorite ad: Always #LikeAGirl
Which Rock N Roll Races are you running this year? Nashville, Virginia Beach, and Vegas
