Trail Running Take Two

I knew going into this weekend that today was going to be gorgeous and Sunday is supposed to be disgusting and rainy all day.  I told Matt that we should go for a trail run to try and do something a little different. We both wanted to give it another go after reading this month's runner's world which was all about trail running.  We made our way to Judge Morris Estate which has a loop about 3.5 miles long. I wanted to do the loop and then extend it a bit to 4 miles at the end.

Now looking at this trail, you wouldn't think it would be too hard to follow.  Maybe for a normal person, but not for me!! I got lost several times.  At one point I stopped and texted Matt who was about 10 minutes ahead of me that I was lost.  Everything started off well enough...

After I took this picture was right around where I took a wrong turn.  I realized that I was going the wrong way so I turned around, but when I got back to the intersection I couldn't remember which way I came from! Such a hot mess!  If you see that little purple part on the map...that's where I got all turned around.  Well I eventually figured it out and made it to the end.  I took me to 4.11 miles, just what I had wanted.

Splits:

10.20

9.57

11.02 (the lost mile haha)

9.51

I stayed right around a 10 minute mile which was good considering they say you go about 1 minute slower when you trail run.

can you tell i was a little pissed off?? haha I hide my emotions so well.

Then it was time for lunch!

egg white and spinach egg sandwich with guacamole on the deli flat and lots of fruits and veggies. 

Then it was time for the fun part of the day. SHOPPING!!! We went to the Delaware Running Company to look for running shoes for me since I'm nearing the time where I should be replacing my shoes.  I was never totally in love with my current running shoes, so I was really excited to explore.  When I got to the store the guy asked me how much I run per week, and if I have any pains. I told him about my hallux limitus and that I thought my current running shoes were almost too padded (i'm currently wearing NB 1260).  He suggested a pair of brooks to try and a pair of asics.  The brooks I loved as soon as I tried them on. I have a wide foot and they were really roomy in the toe box.  I tried them on with my current insoles and gave them a go on the in store treadmill.  I fell for them hard haha.  I tried on the asics too, but didn't like them as much. 

I can't wait to run in them!!

The guy at the store told me that this is their highest selling running shoe and that most people try this shoe and buy it over and over again.  I'm hoping I have a similar experience. 



In Love With My Garmin!

I finally went on my first run with my new Garmin 405 and...I'm in love! I loved being able to see my pace and I loved how it beeped after each mile telling me my pace for that individual mile. The only thing I didn't like was how it fit on my wrist. I have a freakishly small wrist so it was kind of flopping around the whole time, but I can totally deal with it.

I ran 5 miles in just about 45 minutes.

My favorite part was when I got home and connected my watch to my computer.  It showed me my route and all my splits.

Mile 1: 9.14

Mile 2: 9.00

Mile 3: 8.59

Mile 4: 8.59

Mile 5: 8.42

It was cool to see that my comfortable pace is around a 9 minute mile and that I really do need a bit of a warm up to get into it. My average pace was 8.59.

When I got home I fixed up a quick dinner.  A giant salad with some tofu on top.

On my salad besides the tofu: carrots, black beans, grapes, beans, blue cheese, newman's own light italian dressing. I toasted half a peice of great harvest dakota with apple butter on top!

Random tidbit: on my way home from my run I heard Adele's new song Rumor Has It and it reminded me of when my neice and nephew were singing the song this past weekend.  Giona loves the song...he's 3 haha. He inserts his name into the song so instead of rumor has it he sings "Giona had it."

I hope this works, I have never uploaded a video before and it's not the best quality.



Gloomy Day

Guess what time it is?? What I Ate Wednesday...Obvi. 

Hoste by Peas and Crayons.  The challenge for the month is to eat those veggies. I attempted to today. Let's see how it went.

Breakfast: Oatmeal

1/2 cup old fashioned oats, almond milk, cinnamon, craisins

Topped with an apple  and spoonful of peanut butter

My mid afternoon snack was scarfed so fast that I had no time to photgraph. I had a banana and peice of a peanut butter chocolate chip clif bar

Lunch:

pomagranate greek yogurt with nuts and dried fruit.  Amazine rice salad that my mom makes with carrots and  beans added on top.  This rice salad is so addicting. I'm not sure of the exact recipe but I think it's something like wiild rice, red and yellow bell pepper chopped, celery chopped, craisins, pecans and then a dressing of honey, oil and vinegar.  AMAZEBALLS.

I also snacked on an applesauce before I left work.  SOOOO remember how I was planning on going for an amazing run with my new Garmin 405?? Well, the weather ruined my plans.  It was raining when I left work so I had to change up my plans and head to the gym :(

I'm pissed haha

I was feeling really ADD at the gym so I did 20 minute of weights focusing on my arms and legs and then moved on to my ADD cardio workout which includes 10 minutes each of sprinting on 3  different machines. I started out on the eliptical, then moved to the treadmill sprinting 1.16 miles in 10 minutes, and then ending with 10 minutes on the bike.  Not exactly what I wanted to be doing today, but the good news is that tomorrow's weather looks perfect for running. So I will be testing my Garmin tomorrow. Promise!

Dinner:

Pork Chop, mixture of roasted sweet potato and russet potato, veggie mixture of zucchini, brussel sprouts and kale.  So good.  After dinner I chomped on some of my dark chocolate bunny from easter and will most likely be snacking on some more fruit later tonight. Off to go watch some of the flyers game!!



It Has Arrived!!

Today when I got home from work I had a package from Walmart waiting for me. My Garmin 405 has finally arrived! After setting it up I had a mini photoshoot with it because I'm obsessed even before I use the thing.

Love...totally meant to be.  Well unfortunately, today I didn't have time to give this little guy a go.  But tomorrow right after work I will be hitting the pavement!!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will  not be raining tomorrow at 3:30pm.  There's a 30% chance right now :(

Today after work my mom came over and we met with our florist to go over some last minute details. Before our meeting I took Champ for a 20 minute walk around the hood and then did this workout from a few weeks back.  I went through all the exercises twice and added some of my own ab work in at the end. It took me about 30 minutes and I finished just in time for my mom to show up at the front door.

I swear my post for tomorrow will be way more interesting than just talking about my new toy!



90 Degree Monday

It was soo unbearably hot out today I decided to head to the gym after work to run on the treadmill instead of running outside.  We were forecasted to hit 89 today and I did not want to mess around with that....no I am not as cool as those Boston Marathoners!

I managed to see a couple minute of the race while at work and actually ended up seeing the first two woman finish 2 seconds apart! Crazy!  Wesley Corir was the men's winner with a time of 2:12.40 and Sharon Cherop was the women's winner in 2:31.50.  Amazing.  With the crazy heat today this ended up being the second slowest Boston Marathon ever.  This made me feel a lot better about my own hot run today. Yes, I went to the gym...but NO they did NOT have the AC on. The doors were wide open and it was hot as **** in there.  I haven't sweat that much in soooo long. I went in wanting to complete 5 miles and I did, so I guess that's all I can really ask for.   I finished my 5 miles in 47.22.

nice sweaty matted down hair

attempting to take a pic of my sweat ring on my shirt...not so much.  Just take my word for it, it was huge.

Thank goodness dinner was easy because I didn't have much energy left.  Matt had ordered some things from Omaha Steaks including crab stuffed sole.  I threw it in the oven for 30 minutes along with some potatoes slathered in olive oil and old bay.

This hit the spot.  Especially the potatoes.  I have a slight addiction to old bay. 

After dinner I grabbed I saw that we got a new Runner's World magazine in the mail!

I haven't finished reading it all yet, but so far I love this issue. It's all about trail running which I have a new interest in after trying it a few weeks ago. I especially liked this article.

This is all about how trail running can improve your conditioning for road running.  Trail running works different muscles than road running and can help you build endurance and evade injury.

I loved this one quote: "a runner  who is used to covering 10 miles in 60 to 90 minutes might take 75 minutes to two hours on trails..."  I definitely experienced this during my trail run. I usually hover around a 9 minute mile and on the trails I was around 10 minute miles.

I just told Matt that if it's nice out this weekend I definitely want to hit up some trails, especially since I will have my Garmin  405 by then (I think it will be in tomorrow!!!).  Ok time to get back to my magazine :)



Bridal Shower Recap

Yesterday was my bridal shower at the Hotel Dupont in Wilmington.  I woke up at the crack of dawn all on my own and decided to get a quick run in before the massive amounts of eating started.

It was pretty cold out at 7am, in the 40's so I was bundled up.  I ran 3 miles with just under a 9 minute mile pace.  When I got back home I had breakfast waiting for me.

oats in a jar. yum!

After that it was time to get gussied up and head over to my parent's house to meet my MOH.  We headed up to the venue early to set up.

On our way!

setting up.

mini cupcakes yum.

Once everyone arrived we sat down for tea.  I was totally not thinking straight and didn't take pics of any of the food but it was all really good.  We started off with a plate of tea sandwiches including curried chicken salad, smoked salmon and prosciutto with asparagus.  Then we got a plate of two scones and cream and last we got a plate of mini desserts including a key lime tart, strawberries and cookies.  I was stuffed!

Then it was gift opening time and time for games.

My sister is in the background making the bouquet for the rehearsal dinner which I found out later I had to put on my head and wear as a hat. I learn something new every day haha.

My sister attaching the hat.

My bridal party and I!!  I only look tall b/c of my massive heals which were later exchanged for flip flops.

Me and Stef

Matt showed up near the end to help carry the massive amount of gifts out to the car.

that's my tard face lol

My favorite part of the shower was one of Stef's ideas for a keepsake.  When each person came in they would grab a picture of Matt and I and write a message on the back and then hang it on a ribbon.

there were some classic pitures in there.

Later that night we had Matt's family and my family that were in from out of town over for a bbq at our house.  We cooked up some burgers and hotdogs and our families brought side dishes.  We also had leftover cupcakes for the kids to enjoy.

Giona and Mia

Me and Abri

All in all I had a great bridal shower day.  6 weeks until the big day! This morning I woke up and got a 30 minute strength training workout in before going to say bye to my sister and brother.  Then Matt and I met a friend at Lums Pond for mountain  biking.  I was trying my best to keep up with the boys and I think I did pretty well.  We finished about 8 miles in around an hour.   

Good end to a great weekend.