I stopped making resolutions years ago. Good intentions would last for about two weeks but then fall by the wayside about mid January. I do set goals and challenges for myself but don’t invent them “willy-nilly” at the turn of the year. They are well thought out and I work towards them utilizing a defined plan.

I found a neat anagram from My Inner World  which uses the word “FACE” to help resolution makers stay on track for the new year. It appealed to me because of the challenges I’ve set for myself in 2012. If I can keep this anagram in mind when the going gets tough, it will help me get over any lack in the motivational hurdle.

Copied from My Inner World:

Facing our lives can feel overwhelming especially at the beginning of the year when all our goals and aspirations are waiting to be addressed. Usually, when we are trying to make changes there seems to be equally opposing forces trying to hold us back.

…. “FACE”… is an anagram to help embrace resolutions.

F.A.C.E.

F- Fearlessness and Fierce: Use fearlessness to propel yourself forward. Be fierce to move past inertia.

A-Action and Audacity to break down barriers.

C-Compassion, Creativity and Contemplation – Contemplation helps us access our lives. Creativity gives us the ingenuity to accomplish our aims. Compassion helps us navigate our journey with respect and kindness.

E- Enough, Energy, Enthusiasm – There is more than enough. Do not buy into a sense of lack. Energy and Enthusiasm help us create the life that we want.

Route Planning

If you’re a walker/runner, do you plan your route days in advance?

I start thinking about my Saturday long run on Thursday. I begin to plan a route and start questioning what time I’ll set out, if I’ll take Shane in the beginning of my run, at the end of my run, or ask Ted to give the pup his daily exercise.

Thursday, as I drove home from work, I thought about the route intended for Saturday. As I drove, a brand new route came to mind.  It was perfect! I actually got excited about trying it out and really, how many of us get excited about that long run which takes hours on the road in the cold, wet, and sometimes windy, weather?

1. I would take Shane for my first 10 miles.

2. I would drop him off at home, get water, etc. * It’s tough to carry water with me this time of year because it freezes . If I take Shane for the initial 10, both he and I can have water early in the run before it freezes.  When I drop him off, rehydrating at that point should take me to the end of my run.  

3. I would set off alone for the last 6 – 7 miles and hit some hills close to the house.

The change of route seemed to settle my apprehension since the course initially chosen has a long stretch of road which is dimly lit, rutted, and can get busy even early in the morning. The new route doesn’t take me too far from home, is in a well lit neighborhood (once I climb a steep hill) and offers a nice flat road for the last 2 miles.

Right now, I’m ready and excited for the long run. Saturday morning, probably not as excited.

Are you running this weekend?  What workout do you have planned?

What a great morning “after” we had.  Both Ted and I ran the Syracuse ARC races, Ted the 5K placing 115 out of 220 men and I ran the Half marathon placing 25 out of 221 women.  We had a great time in Syracuse but the fun didn’t stop on Saturday.  Sunday, after watching Shane try to catch some ducks grazing in the golf course, we went on a 37 mile bike ride to Rome. 

Our first stop:  Boulevard Diner in Oriskany for breakfast.

The fresh fruit bowl.

The tomato and feta Egg Beater omelet with home fries and dry rye toast.

That was enough to get me through the ride which was pretty flat.  There was one challenging hill on the way home which was a lot of fun to go down on the way out.

We stopped at Griffiss to take some photos.

Big plane!

Little plane.

It was a great ride. The weather was perfect.  We took it slow, averaging about 13 mph and enjoying the scenery. We even stopped for an ice coffee at Dunkin Donuts in Rome.

Fun weekend with good fitness fun.

Now we’re chillin’ with feet up and a cool glass of Chard!

What did you do for “Fitness Fun” this weekend?

A lot of folks promote cycling as a great cross training activity for a runner. Why?

SOURCE:  TriNewbies 

Well according to Rick Niles, spinning can actually make you a faster runner! This relationship between spinning and running lies on the hip rotation, specifically the relationship between cadence and the velocity of your hip rotation in degrees per second. Example: An individual pedaling at a cadence of 90 or 90 rpm’s, is rotation his/her hips at a velocity of 220 degrees per second. This is equivalent to a 6:45 per mile running pace. For those of us in the “average” running department, a cadence of 70 is equivalent to about an 8:00 minute per mile pace.

Cycling will also benefit muscle development in the legs. According to Niles, a pedal stroke requires more muscle power than a running stride. Thus, if you ride regularly, you will increase the size of your leg muscles. For an average runner, the added strength may increase knee stability without compromising running speed. The bottom line: replacing easy running days with cycling can increase your running intensity on your hard running days (such as your speed work days). Therefore, you will improve your running speed on less mileage.

Below is a cadence/running equivalency chart. Because everyone’s stride is different, the equivalencies will vary, but the chart is fairly accurate. If you are interested in measuring cadence, you will need to purchase a bike computer that offers this feature.

Cadence

Minute/mile Pace

60 rpm 8:30 pace

70 rpm 8:00 pace

80 rpm 7:45 pace

90 rpm 6:45 pace

100 rpm 5:45 pace

120 rpm 5:00 pace

Other Cross Training Benefits

When we were in Boston last April and I was trying to extract as much information as possible from veterans of the marathon, one thing kept cropping up: cycling. It seems cycling is a runners cross training exercise of choice when we are forced to take a vacation from our running legs.

Based on an article from Marathon Nation, road cycling is considered a non-impact exercise which translates into less of a chance to injure your self. It is also more specific to running.

The article also says “Cross-training for recovery is a great way to bounce back from hard workouts or long runs. Many marathoners take the day off after a long run or very hard workout. Instead, try cross-training for about a half hour. You’ll loosen up your muscles, increase blood flow, and help your body get ready for its next run.” *Marathon Nation includes strength training, pool running and elliptical as good choices for cross-training.

“The length of your cross-training workouts should be about the same as your average running time. You can go slightly shorter or longer depending on your time limits. Since there’s no impact with these types of exercise, the chance of injury is low. Try to keep your heart rate or perceived effort about the same as a typical distance run. Cross-training for recovery should be short – about the same time as your easiest run – and the effort should be easy.”

I’ve been using cycling to reduce the monotony of running everyday as I move forward into my training program for Philadelphia. It’s also GREAT for strengthening quads. 

I have a tough time trying to do cross training at night so on my easy running days, I start with 30 to 40 minutes of cycling followed by 25 – 30 minutes of weights and end with an easy run of 30 to 45 minutes.

If a runner uses cycling to rehab after an injury there are a few considerations.

1. Check with the doctor first for any limitations or restrictions based on your injury.

2. Cross training introduces new types of stress to the body. It needs to be embarked upon gradually.

3. Although cross training minimizes the loss of aerobic conditioning, it must be realized that it is not training SPECIFIC. It’s not identical to running. So no matter how hard you can push your self in your alternative exercise, when you get back into running, begin slowly to allow the muscles to re-adapt to the SPECIFIC demands of running.

In the end, cross training/cycling won’t make you an elite runner, but it will help to keep your conditioning up until you can begin sport specific training.  It’s also a nice break from the daily running grind when you start to put in double digit weekly miles…and then some.

BEANS!

I’ve always enjoyed three bean salads. 

The texture of the beans, the crunch of the bell pepper and onion, the vinegar mixed with sugar, it all blends so well. The only problem is store bought salads seem a bit too sweet.  When I make my own bean salad, the amount of sugar, or in this case No Sugar, is controlled.  Granted a bean salad with vinegar needs some sweetness but in my homemade version, the Mexican corn mixture with Stevia adds a perfect amount of sweetness without the granulated sugar.

Stevia: Stevia is an all-natural herbal product with centuries of safe usage by native Indians in Paraguay. It has been thoroughly tested in dozens of tests around the world and found to be completely non-toxic. It has also been consumed safely in massive quantities (Thousands of tons annually) for the past twenty years. Refined sugar is virtually devoid of nutritional benefits and, at best, represents empty calories in the diet. At worst, it has been implicated in numerous degenerative diseases. Stevia is much sweeter than sugar and has none of sugar’s unhealthy drawbacks.

Five Bean Salad – Makes 6- 8 cups *Get your canning jars ready!

• 15 oz canned Black Beans
• 15 oz  canned Red Kidney Beans
• 15 oz canned Garbanzo Beans
• 15 oz Canned Cut Green Beans
• 15 oz canned Cut Wax Beans
• 12 oz can Mexican Style corn (with sweet peppers)
• 1 red bell pepper chopped small
• 1/2 large Vidalia onion, chopped small
• 3 cups Wine Vinegar
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 12 packets Stevia
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tsp fresh ground sea salt (larger crystals)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric

Place all the beans and corn in a colander and rinse.   Turn into a large mixing bowl.

Add the bell pepper and onion pieces to the bean mixture.

In a separate small bowl, mix the vinegar, oil, stevia, pepper, salt, and turmeric.  Pour over the bean mixture and stir gently to coat thoroughly.

Turn into clean and sterilized jars.  Make sure to top off with the liquid so all beans are covered.

What’s your favorite bean in a Bean Salad?  Mine is the Dark Red Kidney bean. I love the taste, texture and COLOR!

How hard are you willing to push during a workout, during a race, during  any event that challenges you physically?

Most of the time, you simply need to gain enough experience to pace yourself. Then there are times when you need to dig out that motivational motto that keeps you going.

This is what I’ve learned during my progression from casual running for fitness, about 8 years ago, and racing to achieve a time goal, which started about 2 years ago.

1.  You need to hang up the headset and focus on your body.

a.  Breath:  if you are breathing too fast or heavy, slow down.  At the beginning of an event, most of us experience nervousness even though we’re excited about being there.  The nervousness will cause our breathing to be more shallow than normal, at least until we settle into our event and get comfortable in our rhythm. If the butterflies go away but your breathing is STILL labored, you’re probably going too fast and won’t enjoy the experience.  Slow down. Get your breath under control.  Let the tingles get out from your legs.

b. Form:  If your arms are flying, you’re not in alignment (hips to shoulders), you’re striding to long or short, you will waste energy. Proper form helps focus energy and eliminates wasted  effort that won’t help your run.  For detailed information on alignment, check this article out at RunnersWorld.

2.  You need to push harder than you think you can.  Don’t go out too fast because you’re all fresh and ready to rock.  Allow yourself a little “taste” of that speed then reign it in.  You have miles to go and a fast start is NOT money in the bank.  It will cost you during the last miles of the run.  According to Joe Henderson’s write up in Racing Techniques, every second you try to gain in the beginning will cost you two at the end.  It’s a geometric progression:  for every 2, you’ll give up 4, etc.  Is it REALLY worth it?   *I think the time to challenge yourself in this way, if you really can’t resist the “first out of the gate” style, AND you’re a distance enthusiast, pick a 5K race and give it an all out effort.  That way, you only have two or less miles to feel like crap. 

In the last few races, I’ve tried to go faster in the first few miles of the race.  It’s certainly not as enjoyable as when I would run without pushing myself and hope (fingers crossed) that my time was good. Now I push. I STILL keep my eyes off my Garmin pace meter because I don’t want to lose focus on my body.  In the end, if my body says it can keep going at that pace, I’ll go.  If I start to think I need to slow down, I’ll slow down, recover, then push again.  After all, it IS only a short amount of time in the rest of my day and I can endure the discomfort. I use that same motivating sentence anytime I’m faced with a physical challenge such as cycling up long, steep hills: I can see the top and know I’ll reach the end eventually.  If I stay on my bike, I’ll get there quicker than if I got off. PUSH! That’s the name of the game.  Just PUSH!

Product Review: Organic Black Bean Pasta

I discovered an interesting product for a Gluten Free meal:  Organic Black Bean Spaghetti.  It looked good. It sounded good. But it wasn’t.

Ted didn’t like it at all.  He kept saying things like “It’s rubbery”  “It doesn’t have any smell to it”  “It has no taste”  “What do you think?”  “It IS different”  and FINALLY….

“Does EVERYTHING make the blog?!”

It was that last question that got me.  I said, in a snippy kind of way:   “YES. Everything makes the blog”. Honesty is what counts and since I’m being honest and will admit it wasn’t the best meal, the nutrition was appealing and I saved the left overs. Who knows. maybe it would be better the next day?

I did have it for lunch the next day and….

It wasn’t much better.

Sorry to say, this product was not a hit for us.  BUT, the nutrition looked good, you have to agree.

Ingredients:  Organic Black Beans and water

Nutrition per 1.75 oz ( a 7 oz package served 4)

Calories: 187. Fat 22 g.  Carbs: 16 g.  Protein:  20g.

I cooked it and then tossed it with a sauce of olive oil, white wine, sautéed onion, eggplant, fresh garden cherry tomatoes, shredded broccoli and carrots, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Finished the sauce with Parmesan cheese and topped the dish with shredded cheddar.

You win some, you lose some.  This one lost.

What’s the worst meal you have ever cooked?

After taking it easy last week, a total of 17 miles and some change, ducking out of my long run by running a 5K and getting a new PR (well that move paid off!), I made a strong come back on Monday, ready to tackle the Philadelphia training.  Not that it was easy getting up but once I was out of bed, my mind didn’t search for excuses to get back into bed.

It was early and Shane was a little stiff from too much Frisbee play over the weekend.  It was treadmill torture for at least 55 minutes.

Treadmill:  55 minutes= 25 minute warm up, 15 minutes at steady-state run (about a half marathon pace at 7:35), a 15 minute easy wind down. Finished with 3 1/2 outside.  Total miles=10.1

It was the first time I did something called a “steady – state” run. Greg McMillan describes it as a “Pace Booster” and a beneficial workout to complete base training and the initial part of the stamina phase.  The pace is somewhere between your half marathon and your 30K race pace.  Start at 15 minutes and build to as much as an hour and 15 minutes if you can.

I know my speed is getting better because running on the treadmill for 15 minutes at a 1-2% incline with the speed set to 7.9 – 8.5 wasn’t that bad.  A year ago, I could have never done it. My easy runs outside are also faster and fall somewhere between a pace of 9:40 and 9:00 on most days when running over an hour.

Working with weights is also important in building your running muscles.  I think strength training is mandatory in a running program so Monday PM was half an hour of legs and abs.  The rest of the week looks like this:  (just in case you want to train with me)…

Tuesday:  Cross train= Chest & Arms, Cycle 30 – 40 minutes. Was suppose to do an easy run of 30-40 minutes but my heel still hurt so I walked it with Shane.

Wednesday:  75 – 90 minute medium range run.

Thursday:  Cross train = back & shoulders, Cycle 30 minutes.  Easy run 50 – 60 minutes. *Will probably have to do the weights or the cycling in the PM since there isn’t that much time to spare in the mornings.

Friday: Day OFF

Saturday:  16 – 17 mile long run.  Easy run, just enjoy the day and being out in the fresh air. No pressure.

NEW SNACK FIND!

I found a new snack.  It’s ALMOST natural

Green peas, corn oil, rice, salt, calcium carbonate, Vitamin C.

Serving size: 1 oz (these things are feather light!), about 22 pieces.

Calories: 130, 60 from fat.

Sodium 100 mg

Total Carbohydrate 15 g

Fiber 3 g (sugar less than 1 g)

Protein 4 g

Calcium 6%, Iron 6%

“Farm to table” freshness boasted by FARMTT “Think healthy*Act Green”

These little peas are so light and crisp, a little salt to satisfy that salty snack attack.  A serving size of 22 pieces was 11 pieces over what I could eat.

They’re a good, guilt free,  go to green bean with SNAP.  Cool!

Have you discovered any new sustainable lifestyle snacks lately?

HAMMER NUTRITION FUELED MY LAST PR!  Get your 15% OFF by using REFERRAL CODE: 187143.

Summer Sale at RED Envelope: