I’ve been drinking a lot of smoothies lately – they’re a great way to add nutrients to my breakfast routine, and make sure I’m actually getting the protein and calories I need to rebuild muscle tissues right after a run.  Too often I’ll come home after a run, get distracted by the kids, and then end up showering before I’ve had anything to eat or drink.  Not great for your body!  A quick smoothie that I can drink in between stretching and before I hop in the shower is just the thing.

Here’s a recent favorite:

Banana Almond Smoothie:

1/4 cup rolled oats

2 Tablespoons Almond Butter

1 Banana

1/2 cup of ice

3/4 cups of almond milk, boxed coconut milk, or water

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds

 

Blend until smooth, enjoy!

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All the reading I’ve done about running indicates that there are two good ways to get faster: volume, and intensity.  I’m about as high as I can get volume wise and still keep my life balanced, about 20 miles a week has been perfect for me.

But I have not been upping my intensity, with hill repeats, intervals or fartleks.  Since I’d enjoy getting faster, I’ve decided to ramp up my efforts by gradually incorporating speed workouts into my running.

This afternoon, I went out and did my first ever track repeats.

Track repeats are great, because you can do them with just a stop watch, or, even if you have a GPS watch, you don’t have to check it continuously because you have a good visual of how much further you need to run in order to finish your lap.

For my first interval workout, I ran to our local college track, which is open to the community when not being used by their athletic department.  It was 1.25 miles there, and then I ran a mile of track repeats.  Each lap around the track is a quarter mile, and I ran them at the highest intensity I could maintain, then allowed myself a resting recovery (as opposed to a slow jogging or walking recovery) and then repeated.  I did one mile of these, so four different interval laps of just over two minutes each.

My 5k pace is about 9:40 minute miles, and my half marathon pace is around 11 minute miles.  I generally run my short, easy runs at somewhere between 10 and 10:30 minute miles.

For my track workouts, I ran 7:50 – 8:00 minute pace for each quarter mile.  It was fun for the first half, when I felt like I was flying, and then brutally difficult for the second half!

Greg has told me that intervals get you comfortable running at a faster pace, and that after a round of intervals, he generally runs home faster than he ran there because he’s used to a quicker pace.  Yeah.  Right.

It was hard, but it was fun, and I decided to stop at four repeats because I’m new to track workouts and didn’t want to push things too much.  I would rather run 5 or 6 next week than overdo it and get injured or lose motivation!

I even ran the last lap barefoot, which was really fun on the springy track.

I just wonder when the difference kicks in… my next 10k is in a few weeks, can track repeats now actually make me faster in time for that race?

I guess I’ll find out.

I did my first post half marathon long run this week.  10 miles, relaxed pace, no pressure.  It made me feel like running is really part of who I am, because for the first time I was out there doing a double digit mileage run for no particular reason.  Yes, I’m signed up for another Half Marathon in November, and a 10k before that.  But I don’t have a training schedule mapped out yet, so this felt like a long run for the sake of a long run, just because that’s what you do once a week when you’re a distance runner.

Am I a distance runner?  Really?  Huh?

Labels aside, I need to figure out a plan of action for maintaining my running ability and preparing for my next two races!

I’d like to do some more interval workouts to improve my speed some for my upcoming 10k on October 14th.  I think I should be able to easily PR since my first 10k was in June and I was running substantially less mileage at that point.

My most recent interval workout – a very short one, with four quick sprints. I went to a quiet road with the boys in the double jogger and ran one end of the road to the other as quickly as I could four times, and then jogged home. It wasn’t structured, but it was something!

I’d also like to do hill repeats more often, since I now know how challenging a hilly half marathon course can be!  The Chilly Half Marathon I’m signed up for in November has a similar altitude gain to the one I ran in September, and those hills were brutal!  This time, I’d like to be ready for them.

Chances are pretty slim that something will happen to you while you’re out running, but things do happen.  If I fainted on a long run, or got hit by a cyclist or a car, I would want my family to know where I was and what had happened as soon as possible.  Especially since I have children, who might be waiting for me at preschool, with me in the jogging stroller, or with a babysitter.

So, I’ve finally decided to do the responsible thing and make it easy for someone to contact my family in case of an emergency.  It’s better than pretending an emergency will never happen to me.

I now run with my phone on me at all times.  This allows Greg to “find my i-phone” and locate me if he ever needs to, as well as giving me the ability to make an outgoing phone call if I need a ride, or check for directions if I get turned around on a new running route.

Since it’s always strapped in a spi belt around my waist, it should be easy for a first responder to find.  Anyone looking for identification would likely check a phone in the absence of a wallet.

Here’s how I edited a photo to add my emergency contact information.  For a tutorial on how to change the photo for your lock screen if you have an i-phone, check out this site.

I use picmonkey.com, a free online photo editor.  You can upgrade for a price, but even their basic edits are fantastic.  (Thanks to Abby Glassenberg of whileshenaps.com for introducing me to picmonkey!)

Choose a photo.  It doesn’t matter too much what colors it is, because we’re going to change the brightness so that any text you add stands out.

Go to picmonkey.com and select edit a photo.

Upload your photo.

Under Basic Edits (the very top box-like icon on the left), Select “Exposure”

Increase the brightness of your photo until it’s faded looking enough that black text will stand out easily.  You can always repeat this step after you’ve added your text.

Click on the Tt icon to add text.  A box will pop up allowing you to change the size and fonts.  Make sure your text takes up most of the photo so it will be large enough to read once it’s reduced to fit the screen of your phone. 

 

Emergency Contact Suggestions:

Include at least two phone numbers so it’s easy for them to reach someone.  I included my mother, because even though she’s two states away, she has phone numbers for my baby-sitters, and can call Greg’s work if he doesn’t pick up his cell phone when a first responder tries.

If you have known allergies or medical conditions, you may want to list those also.

I prefer black text for important information because it’s easiest to read under different lighting conditions.

Save your photo to your computer by clicking the Save button at the top center of the screen and following the prompts.  E-mail the photo to yourself and download it onto your smart phone, then set it as your lock screen when you’re going for a run…. or always.

I used fake phone numbers.  Greg is pretty awesome. I’m not posting his phone number where a whole bunch of motivated women can see it.  Sorry.

Alternatives:

The big name in emergency contact bracelets for runners is Road ID.  They make engraved bracelets, shoe ids, ID cards, etc. specifically for runners and other athletes.  They’re another great option.

I went with changing my lock screen because it’s free, and it’s something I already bring with me rather than an additional item I need to remember to wear when I’m going out for a run.

I’m a careful runner.  I don’t do much night time running, and I run facing ongoing traffic if I’m in a breakdown lane, and stick to sidewalks whenever possible.  But things happen, and I want my family to find out as quickly as possible if they do.

Honestly, something is more likely to happen when I’m driving my car, which is another benefit to changing your lock screen.  If you leave it that way, it could benefit you if you’re ever in a car accident or have a heart attack in the grocery store.  (Sometimes I get so excited when I see raspberries on sale that I think this could happen to me.)

I hope nothing ever happens, but it makes me feel a little better to know that I’ve taken steps in case something does.  We have life insurance and a will and testament for our children, too.  They’re hard conversations to have, but once you take care of it, you can stop thinking about it.

Remember – preparing for a bad situation does not mean you think it’s likely to happen, and it doesn’t mean it’s more likely TO happen.

I think running is a safe and wonderful thing to do, but I also believe in exercising caution, staying alert for distracted motorists, and having a backup plan in case you dehydrate and fall over 4 miles from home.

Best wishes,

Kelly

Ok, so now for some seriousness:

This is really cool, because it shows how much the little things you do over the course of your day can add to your strength and overall level of fitness.  Our friend with the amazing arms posts pictures of herself at the gym at 6 a.m. on Facebook, sharing her preparations for Tough Mudder in October.  I think this is great, because it might inspire other people to hit their gyms, or get a conversation going about fitness.

It also sparked my idea for this infamous arm wrestling competition.  “She looks amazing… she goes to the gym all the time, I wonder how long I could hold up against her in an arm wrestling competition?”  Only one way to find out.

Luckily for me, she’s a great sport and was up for it.  My sister also got involved because she’s on the same team as our Gym Enthusiast for Tough Mudder, and because she beat her arm wrestling in preparation for my show-down.  “Awesome, I said, it’s a three person competition now!”

Did I expect to win?  No.  Was I excited to see how long I could hold them off for?  Yes.  Was I super thrilled to win?  ABSOLUTELY.

This doesn’t negate any of the amazing things our friend is doing at the gym… I mean heck, look at her arms… I think we can see how much the gym is paying off for her!

What this does mean, is that every time I push those two kids in the double jogging stroller, I’m getting stronger.  Every time I carry in five bags of groceries simultaneously, I’m getting stronger.  Every time I hold a clingy toddler in my arms while I walk from a store to the car, I’m getting stronger.

Mothers of young children lift heavy weights, over and over again, all day.  Our kids.  Add a jogging stroller into the mix, and I’m not sure why I was so certain I would lose!

The takeaway for me is to remember that the little things, when done frequently, really do count.  Taking the stairs instead of the elevator on a regular basis will make a difference over time.  Hauling in extra groceries is making your arms stronger.  Parking at the far end of the parking lot doesn’t burn many calories for one trip, but over the course of the year it could mean several pounds of weight loss.

Do I wish I had time, made time, to go to the gym and do more focused weight training?  Yeah, I do.  Does that fit into my schedule and balancing my life and responsibilities right now?  No.  But the reason my life is so crazy (two young kids) is also the reason it’s not such a big deal that I’m not hitting the gym right now.

Neat.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my family and friends for the hilarious photo shoot, for being such great sports and having a friendly and fun competition, and for letting me run with this silly blog idea 🙂