Longest Long Run!!

First things first…I just finished my longest long run in my Chicago training cycle…woo hoo!!!!!!!  I was actually really excited for this run and I enjoyed (almost) every minute of it:)

My incredible friends met me at 5am and ran the first 12 with me at 9:20 pace.
I ran the next 11 solo and tried to pick up the pace.
My last mile was at 7:39.
Today’s run gave me the confidence boost that I needed for Chicago.

I can home and drank my cherry juice…great for recovery!

Took an ice bath,

And ate the breakfast of champions: oatemeal with cinnamon and bananas and an English muffin with my Gran’s homemade pear preserves!!!

My friend corrie sent me this hilarious list last night: 15 Things That Only Happen When You’re An Athlete.  It’s just what I needed the night before a long run!

I picked a few of my favorites…

When you talk to your friends/ family after a loss

When my favorite teammates reunite after a break. (Side note: my friends and I do this even if we saw each other yesterday!)

When coach is paying for dinner

When the athletic department distributes the new gear.

When my athletic trainer wants me to do rehab after practice.

When I get in the ice bath.

When I finally get food after practice.

When I’m trying to sleep the night before a death workout.  (This is me the night before a track time trial!)

When my coach finishes his pre-game speech.

How’s your fall marathon training going?  

How far do you run for your longest long run?

What’s your favorite post-run food?

#choosejoy

Pumped Up with Hump Day Humor

Hump Day Humor!

Last night I had the treat of meeting up with these beautiful ladies for dinner at Moto.

My husband wanted to document that I was wearing heels. Note to self: Put on real clothes more often.

Dinner was wonderful.  Baby lettuces.

House made burrata with panzanella.

And trust me on this one…the most incredible blueberry lasagna with wild mushrooms and blueberry balsamic.

I started today with a Perch date and a run.

I went afterward to get my B12 shot.  I get one monthly.  As a vegetarian/often vegan, my B12 levels get low.  Read more about B12 injections HERE.

SO…I always do my long run with a training group on Saturday mornings.  However, this Saturday I will be in RRCA class.  I’ll be doing my 23 miler tomorrow sans group.  I’m trying to mimic my Friday night routine on Wednesday night and it feels so strange.

Pasta dinner which really looks more like cheese dinner.  Browned cheese is the best.

And because my brain doesn’t work at 4am…everything is prepped.

This list, from FitSugar, to pump you up for a workout was just what I needed!
1.  The super early alarm goes off.

2.  You absentmindedly get your morning carbs in.

3.  You give yourself a good pep talk.

4.  You put in your headphones and blast that music.

5.  But you get a little too excited.

6.  So you start to give up again.

7.  Luckily your workout buddies motivate you.

8.  And you finally get into your groove.

9.  Once you’re finished, you feel so accomplished.

10.  So you celebrate your workout victory!

Have you ever moved your long run up? How did it go?
What do you eat the night before your long run?
How often do you wear “real clothes” vs. running clothes?

#choosejoy

Steady State

Coffee date to start the day.

Oiselle flystyle.

I broke in my new Saucony Kinvara 5’s. I have loved this shoe so much.  Today’s workout called for a 10 mile Steady State Run with my goal pace being between 8:00-8:10 pace.

The hot wind felt like Mother Nature turned on her hairdryer.  2 more sleeps until the cold front reaches TN!!!!!!!!!!!! (Can you feel my excitement?!)

From Runner’s World on Steady State Running…

After warming up for 20-30 minutes, run the workout at a continuous marathon effort. This intensity is somewhere between an easy run and a tempo run. Most runners run the steady state run too hard. It’s designed to be an aerobic workout, not a heavy breathing workout, and to fatigue you with the duration of the run, not the speed. Cool down for 20-30 minutes to make the total run last 90 minutes to 2 hours. Start with 3-4 miles at steady state pace and build to 8-10 miles by adding 2 miles to the steady state run each week. Psychologically, the steady state run develops the mental toughness to stay engaged in the half marathon as you reach the later miles.

Post run juice…yummo!

I did a quick change and headed to Orange Theory for some cross training.

I even biked (thanks to some inspiration from The Hungry Runner Girl)!  Excuse my craptastic action shot.

For lunch, I picked up a giant green smoothie and vegan raw protein bar from The Juice Bar.

My t-shirt du jour…thank you Fleet Feet Nashville!

And, I ended the day with a 5 mile 2nd run with the hubs:)

Both of these found me today.

It’s like the universe is trying to tell me something;)

Style Blueprint sent out a blog today about 10 Tips To Help You Kick Procrastination.

The 2 tips that work best for me are:

1) Use a planner

2) Reward yourself! (Although, I’m learning that my rewards shouldn’t always be food.)

Are you a procrastinator? Which tips work best for you?
Do you do juice cleanses? Are you able to run on those days?

#choosejoy

Track Tuesday

Dark, foggy, and 100% humidity at the start of today’s track workout.

3.5 mile warm-up

drills

4 mile repeats with 1 minute rest between

2 mile cool down

When the sun finally rose, I glowed like my shoes!

I can’t wait for the cooler weather that is arriving later this week!

So excited to wear this sweatshirt

and I have a crush on these Oiselle pants from today’s fashion show!

Haircut day.  Color and trim.

Goodbye roots…and grays

Salon guilty pleasure

Free weights at home

For dinner, I decided to experiment with this new-to-me black bean pasta.

I made a tex-mex spin on dinner with beans, peppers, tomatoes, corn, cumin…

And, topped it off with some cheese and avocado…tasty!

What are your guilty pleasures? I love all of the Real Housewife shows!
Has the weather cooled off where you live?
What is your speed work this week?

#choosejoy

Peak Mileage Weeks

I always get a little nervous when I look at my training calendar before my high mileage weeks. I know my body can do it, but my mind isn’t always sure.  If this week goes as planned, I will run in the 80’s.  Prayers are welcomed and encouraged!

It feels so good to be back home and back in my routine.  I’ve travelled a lot in the past few weeks.

One of my favorite daily healthy habits is drinking warm lemon water when I wake up and before bed.  I’ve been doing it for years and I believe in it’s benefits.

Here’s a great list of 20 Reasons You Should Be Drinking Lemon Water Every Morning.

My favorite discovery from my trip were these bars.  They sell them at Starbucks and this one only has 2 ingredients….1 apple and 1 mango.  That’s It!

My sweet girls got their hair did while I was gone.  This is their hurry up and take the picture so we can have a treat face!

I did a nice recovery pace run this a.m.

and took an OrangeTheory Fitness class for some cross-training.  My Cocogo bottle glows!

Use code JENCHOOSESJOY (all caps) for 10% off your order at cocogo.com!

The Bosu Ball has been making me unacceptably sore in OT, so I bought my own.  I do a nightly core routine before bed, but obviously it needs some tweeking.  Time to add the BOSU!

I made a much needed afternoon coffee with my Nespresso.  Just look at that pretty soy froth!!!

Sometimes you just need a plate full of veggies for dinner…eat the rainbow!  Fresh corn off the cob, garlic mushrooms, coconut oil roasted sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts.  I’ll be posting the brussels sprouts recipe later this week.  It’s SO GOOD!!!

You know you use a lot of coconut oil when you start buying this size!

And, of course I ended the night with some more lemon water.

Broken toe update (words I never thought I’d type): I keep having to remind myself that I doesn’t heal in 2 weeks.  It is no longer painful, but it’s still sore.  The bruising has moved from the toe to the top of my foot.  Hopefully that’s a sign of healing!

Do you drink lemon water?
What is your favorite healthy habit?
How do you manage peak mileage weeks?

#choosejoy

Cancelled Race

Will. Run. For. Coffee. 6 miles with the Breakfast Club.  This group makes me laugh so hard that I get a bonus ab workout!

Here’s an article from Runner’s World on the 8 Reasons To Drink Coffee.  Drink up!!

Speaking of Starbucks…For those of you with a gold card, they’re running a 5 stores for 5 stars promotion.

I’m up for the challenge!

During our morning run, we realized a bunch of us were running in Swiftwick socks. I said that I have a drawer full of Swiftwicks…here’s proof! Rock The Socks!

After our run, I started packing for the Eastern Kentucky Half Marathon this Saturday….when I received this email.

Bad news: The race is cancelled…big bummer:(  The town has been declared an emergency area from flooding and they’re expecting more rain.

Good news: I’m still going anyways to visit with family!!!

I trust race directors in these situations. I was in Memphis last December when they cancelled the St. Jude Marathon.  It’s just part of life. Bummed, but I’ll just do a long run instead.

This evening I went back to Orange Theory with Corrie and Kellie (it was her first class)!  It was another awesome class that kicked my butt…thank you Sunil!

Pre-sweat!

Post-sweat!

Picky Bars must have known that I wore their shirt this morning, because I came home to Picky Mail!!

P.S. Cookie Doughpness is my new favorite flavor!

Have you ever had a race cancelled at the last minute? How did you adjust your training?

What’s your favorite brand of run socks?

Do you share my Starbucks addiction?

#choosejoy

The Franklin Classic

We started the day with a 4am alarm to bake for the post-race brunch. My husband requested his favorite breakfast casserole.  I also took the brown sugar bundt cake that I posted yesterday.  I’ll post the recipes shortly:)

I had a Picky Bar and coffee before we left the house.

The new Cookie Doughpness is SO good!

Time to race: The Franklin Classic! We met up with so many awesome friends. Our entire community runs this race.
I ran in my favorite Saucony Kinvara 5’s. The yellow makes me so happy:)

 

Lots of love for Fleet Feet Racing!

This was my first time running both the 10k (7:00 start) and the 5k (8:30 start).

***Preface: I don’t run short, fast races very well.  My stubbornness lends itself to endurance!

I didn’t taper for these races and I’m in the middle of training for the Chicago Marathon.

 

My husband had a great 10K race!

The course is hot and hilly.  Every year I question why I run it.  It’s mostly because I want to run with my friends (peer pressure at it’s finest), but also because it supports Mercy Community Healthcare. I beat last years time by 27 seconds. Not a huge difference, but this year I had so much more breath control. I felt more relaxed. Progress.

10k splits: 7:49, 7:50, 8:04 (hills), 7:47, 7:36, 7:28
Finish time.  10th in AG.  48:14

I probably should have found a seat in the shade, but instead I stood around socializing in the sun.  I felt a little stiff for the 5k, but I just reminded myself that it was temporary. Also, the hills weren’t as bad on the 5k course.

5k Splits: 7:31, 7:34, 7:37
Finish time.  5th in AG 23:45

This was only my 2nd 5k.  My first was in July and I ran a 21:xx.  My friend Corrie said that I was on the 50k to 5k plan!

Conclusion:  Short-distance runner are badasses. Today’s races just made me want to puke.  Can you tell it was hot?!!!

Just finished the second race…wiped out!

I drank Cocogo Lemon-Lime in my handheld for both races.  I definitely needed it today!

Use code: JENCHOOSESJOY (all caps) for 10% off your order!

We stayed to cheer on our friends for their awards and then the best part of the race…brunch afterwards hosted by our friends Alex and lauren!!!! Thank you SO much for hosting a bunch of stinky runners!!!  Everything was incredible!

Just look at this spread!

My friends are seriously good cooks.  I made sure to try it all!

The obligatory post-brunch pic…

We took our full bellies home for a much needed shower and rest.

After a full day, I didn’t really feel like cooking so we headed out for celebratory pizza at Mellow Mushroom. I love their build your own salad menu!

Romaine with cucumber, shredded mozzarella, and portobello mushrooms

And of course their pizza!

Tell me about your Labor Day!
What’s your favorite race distance? Do you stick to that distance or run others?

#choosejoy

3 Post-Run Favorites

A huge group of my friends are racing the Franklin Classic 10k/5k on Labor Day. The course has changed, so we wanted to check it out this morning. It was a great opportunity to eat at Frothy Monkey. I wish every run ended with breakfast.

Oatmeal with strawberry and banana…

and a soy cafe au lait.

I stopped by my house to put on dry clothes and ran a few more miles before taking a GRIT class.

I’m a little embarrassed by this pic, but does anyone else’s bathroom look like this after running?

We like to stay at the Watercolor Inn a few times a year (it’s my happy place). These hooks are intended for beach towels and swimsuits, but they are perfection for runners. If we ever remodel our master bath, I want a wall of hooks.

After GRIT class I did my regular Post-Run Routine.

1.  After every run, I drink some Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate.    I first tried it after reading this article from The No Meat Athlete.

2.  I also like to drink some Svelte Cappuccino Protein Shake.  Post-workout protein helps speed recovery.  It’s vegan, no mixing is required, and it tastes great!

3.  After a long run, I drink Vega Recovery Accelerator.  Apple Berry is my favorite flavor.

If I’m home, I’ll mix it into my Glowing Green Smoothie.  If I’m away from the house, I pack it in my Cyclone Cup and mix it with water.

The bottom unscrews for dry storage of the Vega powder and the cyclone technology mixes better than any other shaker bottle.

I tried to rest a little this afternoon and ice my broken toe.  I can tell that the swelling is getting better…yes!

I met my husband for a sushi dinner.

And ended the day with a cupcake from IveyCake.

Do you use any recovery products, shakes, etc…?

Is your bathroom covered in sweaty runner clothes?

#choosejoy

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

This recipe is easily adaptable to your tastes.  It can be vegan, vegetarian, or you can add a meat.  It’s become a staple in my home.  It also freezes well!

Preheat your oven and get to work on the quinoa.

Make sure to rinse it first or it won’t taste right!

 

I choose to cook mine in vegetable broth.  It gives the dish extra flavor.  You can also use water.

 

Once that’s cooking, dice the vegetables.  Eat the rainbow!

Saute the olive oil, onion, garlic, and jalapeno. (I only used about 3/4 of the jalapeno to keep it from being too spicy.)

 

 

Add in the corn, red pepper, and orange pepper.

 

Then the cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and chili powder.  Salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

Rinse your black beans, add them to the cooked quinoa, and then incorporate into the sauteed veggies.

 

Pour the enchilada sauce into the pan and mix with 1/2 cup of cheese.

Stir well and pour the mixture into a prepared baking dish.

Top with the remaining cheese, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

 

The hardest part…let it cool for 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed,diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 orange pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 cup corn frozen kernels
Juice of 1 small lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese or Daiya vegan “cheese”
Toppings: Sliced green onions, avocado slices, sour cream, optional

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover quinoa and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the peppers and corn. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Add the black beans to the cooked quinoa. Incorporate into the sautéed vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Pour in the enchilada sauce and stir. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

5.Pour the black bean and quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and edges are bubbling. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with toppings, if desired. Serve warm.

Enjoy!!

#choosejoy

Recipe from two peas & their pod.

 

The Friday Five

1.  I did an easy 7 miler this morning and discovered a “new to me” station on iHeartRadio…Spin Cycle.  It’s Pop Music Club Remixes and they’re all perfect uptempo’s for running.

 

2.  Breakfast for lunch!  I usually eat a salad for lunch, but I wanted something a little heartier for tomorrow’s long run.  As my friends will attest, I have a true love for oatmeal…especially these steel-cut oats!

3.  Dr. Seuss must have seen the elevation chart for tomorrow’s 20 miler!

4.  Salad and Veggie Burger at J’s.  It’s tried and true before a long run.  BUT…the secret is the Cornbread Croutons!!!  They aren’t on the menu, but if you ask your server, they’ll make them for you.  Do it.  Now.  Seriously.

 

5.  #choosejoy How perfect is this new decal?!!

#choosejoy