Bedridden Nutrition

Watching Netflix online shopping, and dreaming of greatness are the three things I do most when I'm sick. I think about the workouts I'm going to do next (I've written up some fun ones). How my training runs will feel (so far I've missed 7). I google more races to run (talked some friends into joining me). I look up new routes to run around the neighborhood (lots of hill work in Seattle). Meanwhile, getting out of bed to fill up my water bottle has become a physically exhausting task.

Getting sick stinks. There's no way around it. But it does help me put things into perspective. I'm painfully aware of each muscle and how vitally important they all are at the moment. Sitting up was quite the ab work over the weekend. I'm back to mastering it these days but that doesn't mean I will take for granted how great my body is once I'm well again. Having the freedom to run, jump, lift, stretch, swim, just plain old move is something so many people assume they will always have when it can actually be taken away at a moments notice.

Same goes for nutrition. Foods that help me feel better have been an obvious choice these days since they're having such a strong effect on how my body can function. I'm not about to run downstairs and grab a bag of chips (and not just because running downstairs looks more like a slow shuffle right now). If I'm going to put in the effort to get off my butt and make it all the way to the kitchen then it's going to be worth it. I'm going to be after fresh fruits, oatmeal, peanut butter on whole grain toast, tender cuts of meat on a bed of fresh greens (getting hungry just thinking about it). But I'm also going to be portion cautious. I know better than to think I could eat a ton when I'm not feeling well. An apple could fill me up for hours. It isn't as if I'm running around all day and need tons of energy. I'm sick and stuck in bed and that's what I need to eat for, not a big training run.

Enjoying lots of Green Smoothies this week!

When it's about healing and getting your body back on track you have a prime opportunity to rediscover the potential your body can achieve. Put good in, get good out. That's all it takes to keep yourself working like a well oiled machine. Treating your body like a temple instead of like a trash can makes a tremendous difference in the results you will see. Your hydration levels are just as important on rest days as they are on race days, so drink like it!

Modern Classics

Last weekend after the Seahawks qualified for the Superbowl, Seattle had another gem for my friends and I; David Garrett was in town! In case you're not sure who he is, David Garrett is a German-born violin prodigy who's goal is to introduce young people to the classics. He plays music from categories all across the board including Motzart, Queen, ACDC, and everything in between.  The concert was held at the Paramount Theater and it was truly magnificent.

Martynas Levichis opened the show with his renowned accordion playing. Traditional Hungarian music as well as the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga were just a few of the pieces he graced the audience with. His playing as well as his charm pulled the audience in and had them standing on their feet by the time he had finished.

David Garrett played for nearly two hours, not including the intermission and he kept the entire house in the palm of his hand as his fingers danced over the strings. He amazed everyone with the music off his latest album, Music, a collection of songs from all over the world and a vast array of time periods. He shared anecdotes about the songs and had all of us laughing and cheering between the moments when he had us completely in awe.

I was so excited to finally be able to see him live and happy to have the chance to share his music with my friends, too.

Yes, those are Seahawk colors we're wearing!

It was a great night full of wonderful music and we were all thrilled to have the chance to attend.


Me: Dress: Milly for Banana Republic  Scarf: Nordstrom

Chara: Dress: H&M (Similar here)

Ela: Dress: Nordstrom (Similar here)

Pretty Arms

Maggie and I met up early before the Seahawks game on Saturday. We hopped on the treadmills and I ran as she got in her 1.5 miles.

We felt thoroughly warmed up by the time we arranged our weights for a little upper body work circuit.

After our circuit we did a cool down on the mats with some light stretching before heading home to watch the Hawks beat the Saints. Go Seahawks! Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!

Target Those Thighs

With classes picking back up for everyone I've lost Ela as my workout buddy for a few months, though she will still remain my partner for our workout challenge. But it did give me a chance to drag another friend of mine in to join me for a workout this week!

I enjoyed a (thankfully dry) 5 mile fartlek before work and Maggie met up with me after. We started with a walk on the treadmill for 1.5 miles before hitting the weights. We set up a quick four station circuit and got to work.

We used the same bar for both the squats and thrusters. You can set it up however you'd like, though.

We finished off with some light stretching and the promise to meet up again over the weekend for another workout. 

One In Every Color

You've heard the saying "If the shoe fits buy it in every color"? Well that especially applies to workout gear of any kind! So when I discovered the perfect running top at Old Navy this past fall I picked it up in two different colors.

Wore the Heather Purple one to a Husky game this fall

Wore the Dark Heather Grey one to the Halloween Run

It's a semi-fitted long sleeve top with thumb holes and a 1/4 zip that hits at exactly the right spot, not too long or too short, light enough that I can wear it during the fall but heavy enough to wear without a jacket in the winter, too. Needless to say, I adore this top. They come in both regular and tall sizes, and as someone who typically wears xs petite the regular xs works great. So when they added more colors for winter I felt I had no choice but to scoop them up during the New Year Sale they had. It dropped the prices down so each one was 40% off! Does not get better than that! My latest purchases arrived today.

Colors: Black Jack, Cambridge Purple Poly, Royal Rowena, and Raspberry Punch

They do come in other colors as well and you can find those on their site. They're still on sale for anyone who has been looking for great new long sleeve workout tops! Go get yours before they're gone

Compete and Everyone Wins

Everyone has things they hate to do but need to do anyway. For me, it's arm day, for others, it might be cardio, or leg day or working out at all. We've each got that thing we need to be talked into doing.

This past weekend my best friends and I all got together when the subject came up. I had suffered through an upper body workout earlier that day which I would have made much easier if it weren't for Ela working with me and keeping me accountable for doing all four sets and not stopping after the third.

We talked about how had it was to get through our least favorites. How eating right and working out were so much easier back in high school when we played sports and it was all about competing. That got us thinking, what if we could still turn fitness into a competition. We'd all be more likely to go if we were trying to win something.

And that's where the idea emerged. We broke ourselves into three teams of two, based upon where we currently live, and picked three days a week as the number of workouts we each needed to finish each week. For every time we don't get in all our workouts we have to put money in the pot. One dollar for each workout missed. We'll do this each week until summer (mid-May). Each time we finish a workout we have to post it for the group to see. Every workout finished is cause for encouragement by your teammate as well as your opponents, we're still best friends, after all. The team who wins, having the least number of skipped workouts at the end of the challenge, gets to split the money from the pot.

Our goal is for there to not actually be a winner. For everyone to finish successful and having done all their workouts. But we're also former hard core athletes who hate to lose, so we still want to win. We'd just prefer it if everyone could come out the other side of this a healthier, happier version of themselves. Because that's what friends do, challenge you to be the best possible version of yourself.

Ela, Chara, Me, Maggie, and Betsy - 5 of the 6 competitors

Got Your Back

Saturday was a get-up-and-go kinda day. I got to sleep in a few minutes more than usual since it was my day off but that didn't last long since my friends and I had made some ambitions plans for the day. We met up at noon at a transit center to catch a bus downtown. This was my first time riding the bus in my hometown so it was more of a big deal for me than for the others; I usually suck it up and drive then circle for hours to find a spot I have to pay an arm and a leg for.

Our goal was simple, enjoy a day on the waterfront. So we went to the Seattle Aquarium and caught the tail end of their Winter Fishtival! We turned back into little kids as we went through the touch pools and observed the precious otters playing around. We even managed to take in the scuba divers feeding the fish in the dome.

Chara, Ela, Me, Maggie, and Betsy

After we hunted down a tasty lunch in the famous Pike Place Market before hopping back on the bus to go home.

But home wasn't my first stop. I picked up my car and drove to my friend's house to take his dog, Titan, out for a run! He sprinted the first mile and practically had to be dragged around for the second one! I was originally planning on going for four but he disagreed with me so back to his house we went. Probably for the best, the sun was beginning to set towards the end of our second lap around the neighborhood.

I hung out with his family for a little bit before stopping by a local juice bar on my way to the gym. Ela met me there and we stretched out on the mats as we decided what we wanted to work on. For our "free day" this week we picked Core and Back, hope you all enjoy!

This was our high school cheer coach's favorite!

Shredded Shoulders

Met up with Ela on Friday at the gym before we were planning on meeting the rest of our friends for a crafting party later. We pretty much ignore our shoulders so we though it was time to show them a little love!

First I went out and ran a quick 3 mile warm up while Ela stayed in to walk a bit on the treadmill and use the recumbent bike (we traded places being sick this past week). We met back up on the mats to stretch a bit before hitting the weights.

We used several different dumbbells for the arm raises, curls, and shoulder press, as well as a pair of benches and a plate for the tricep dips, and a medicine ball for the wall balls.

Resolution Run 2014: Bad Days Make For Good Runs

Some days seem stacked against you. Some times, you're doing it to yourself, other times the universe  is simply out to get you.

I my case it had been a couple weeks with not enough sleep that turned everything foul. When my tendinitis returned after my four mile run on the 31st was when I truly became a grump. My sour disposition didn't help any, either. So when I had missed early packet pick up for what is typically my favorite race of the year I was plenty annoyed to discover I had to arrive an hour and a half before the race started to get my number. I know I normally show up that early for any race but it's because I want to, not because I have to. When hundreds of people are forced to arrive that early it's hard to find parking, let alone find a calm spot to warm up.

I arrived fairly early for pick up and got a parking spot right next to the finish, since I had a quick turn around after the race to get to work this was kind of stressing me out. I had mt ankle all taped up and I was doing my best to keep lose before the starting gun went off. It wasn't until I actually began running that I realized how beautiful the day was.

The sun was shining and the water was sparkling. It was 45 degrees both on land and in the water, a fact more important to the people planning their polar bear dive for the end of the race than for me personally. I may run the race every year but I still think the people who jump in the lake are the crazy.

I started the run off strong and my bad mood began to dissipate as I rounded the playing fields. It wasn't until I was around 1.5 miles into the race when I realized how fast I was actually going.

All those fartleks I've been doing recently paid off! I was able to keep it going and actually set a new PR! It was the first time since high school my 5k time was under 30 minutes; I was thrilled! I was sad to run the race without my dad for the first time ever but I made sure to call him the second I crossed the finish line.

It really is amazing how a run can completely turn around your entire day. I went from being a royal grouch to someone with a smile you couldn't sandblast away. That's one of the things I love about running, no matter how complicated life gets running is simple, just put one foot in front of the other until you're done. The longer you go the better you'll feel, I guarantee it. Not always right away, mind you, sometimes your muscles are tight, or you're sore or gasping for air, but you will feel refreshed, renewed, lighter.

As always, loving my new race shirt!

Shirt: Resolution Run 2014
Pants: Under Armour