Given a crazy summer schedule, I am not planning on doing weekly training recaps for my Mesa Falls Marathon training. HOWEVER, I had a shockingly spectacular — dare I say, breakthrough — training week last week, and so I wanted to share some of the changes I made to my training that worked for me.
Hi all! Writing here from the comfort of my sweet, sweet air-conditioned home. This Memorial Day weekend I ventured up to Burlington, Vermont and ran the Vermont City Marathon, marathon number 17 for me and state number 12. But it almost didn’t happen! Suspense!
Week eight of training for the Vermont City Marathon is here! Well, it just passed, actually. TAPER TIME. (Should I create a video re-doing the Hammertime video as Tapertime? Probably. Maybe it’s been done before?) In addition to getting in some last-minute training, this week I also picked back up the old My Fitness Pal app to see if I can start shedding some of this weight that’s slowing me down. Continue reading
So two Saturdays ago I ran the Mississippi Blues Marathon. I asked a fellow runner there — who had run like 136 marathons or something absurd — what he recommended for the spring. His first suggestion was the Asheville Marathon. I haven’t run a marathon in North Carolina, so that sounded good to me. Last Monday I registered and mapped out my training plan. This first week was a recovery week, of course, with lots of rest and extra protein in my smoothies (I used the usual Vega All in One plus Wild Foods whey protein). But I didn’t want to completely let myself go and become one with the couch because there’s another race around the corner. I’ll spend these first few weeks getting back to fighting weight, strength training, and doing shorter long runs. Here’s a recap of this past week.
OK, now that I’ve wrapped up the Mississippi Blues Marathon (recap here), I’ve decided to get serious about picking some spring races. As I mentioned in my Mississippi recap, I ran a good portion of that race with a very friendly and seasoned 3:50 pacer. I asked him his suggestions for spring marathons and…
Marathon Name: Mississippi Blues Marathon
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
Time of Year: Saturday in January
This past week was obviously Christmas week. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas! I had approximately (no, exactly) five Christmases: one with my immediate family, one with each side of my extended family, and one with each side of my husband’s family. Although it was lovely to see everyone, it took a TON of energy out of me. I also had no fewer than three meals prominently featuring macaroni and cheese.
I had anticipated being busy and tired around the actual holiday, so I got in some workouts earlier in the week before heading out of town. I also did pretty well on Christmas Eve at my parent’s place, with some walking (while listening to Serial), horseback riding, and hitting balls at the driving range. I unfortunately did not make it to yoga with the fam as I had planned (aka, I unfortunately could not drag my family to BOTH the horse farm and the yoga studio, so I had to choose one).
Here’s the full summary…
As I mentioned last week, I was ready to start No Sugar November on Sunday. I stocked up on No-Sugar-November compliant snacks such as apples, bananas, Babybel cheeses, avocados, and some olives. But physically, I was hurting from dropping my computer on my toe on Saturday night. (I swear I am not a complete baby. I’ve run through lots of pains. But this toe thing was something else! Even putting on a shoe was tough.) Luckily the pain subsided after a few days.
Short Recap: This week was not what I would call “spectacular” from a fitness and nutrition perspective but I am not really in the mood to beat myself up about it.
Long Recap
Monday: Soulcycle
My name is Athlettuce. And I’m addicted to smoothies.
I’ve had a smoothie almost every morning for at least six months, and I’m showing no signs of stopping. I have one on days I run, on days I lift, on days I sleep in. They make me feel so, so good, and like I’m starting my day on the right foot. They are also portable–I can tuck them into the side pocket of my backpack and drink once I get to work or after Orangetheory. I can drink while walking the dog. Or I can enjoy at home on the couch. They are easy to digest, so I don’t need to wait long after drinking one to work out, but they are also refreshing and protein-packed to help with recovery.
I should note that I’m not like those creative folks on Instagram coming up with a variety of colorful smoothie bowls with lines of seeds and nuts and coconut strips on top. No, I’m more of a practical smoothiewoman.
Here’s what I throw in the blender:
athlettuce 
