Here we are, the start to yet another busy weekend. However, Carlos and I kicked things off last night with a little relaxation. I came home and went for a short run (more on that in a second). When I got back from my run, an oh-la-la hot man had made dinner. Steak and potatos. I bellied up to to the table and inhaled my plate in minutes. No lie. Carlos laughed at me – normally he finishes first.
After dinner, we decided to get serious. Scrabble serious.
Is the start of a scrabble game any indication on how hard the rest of the game will be?
Yes friends, seems like lately, we are all about the games. This game last night lasted 2 hours (I reeaaaallllyyy take my time, which I think gets annoying.) The game ended at 9:30pm and I swear, I must be getting old, because all my heart desired was to be cozied up under the covers. So I did. A full 8 hours of sleep = happy me!
Running Update
Ya’ll know I’m training for my very first 10 mile run on October 3rd. I cannot believe how far I’ve come in my schedule and am amazed by what a body can do if you are just patient with it (see yesterday’s post). Here is what my schedule looks like, as of this morning:
Haven't missed/skipped a day yet!
aaahhh 
look at all them pretty red lines! I really am proud of my accomplishments – no way did I ever think I would make it this far. Although there were some days when I switched things around, I’ve worked out 5 days a week since I started the training schedule.
I had my first “off” or “bad” run last night. I was suppose to go out for a short, 3 mile run and didn’t want to go. I was hungry and tired and just wanted to skip the run. I grabbed a couple pieces of deli meat and went anyway. About 1.5 miles into the run, the positive self-talk kicked in but in a fake kind of way. I was pushing myself but it was really hard. At about 2 miles, I gave out and just couldn’t do it anymore. I don’t know if it was because I was hungry or because I had to go to the bathroom (TMI?) or because I mentally just ran outta oommpphh but I stopped. That was the first time I’ve ever not made my run. I’m not beating myself up over it, I know those runs happen and am going to appreciate today more than ever.
Today is a rest day – but tomorrow, I’m scared of.
eeeeekkkk - can someone do this one for me?
Tomorrow, I have to run 7 miles. I’m scared. I need to take a couple of deep breaths and prepare for it mentally. Plan out my route so I know where I’m going. Apparently, it is recommended that after 50 minutes of consistent running, you consume calories. So for my run tomorrow, I will need to find something to consume.
My ankle has been doing okay – I never ended up going to see the doctor because, although it still hurts a little after running, as long as I ice it right after my runs, the pain goes away pretty quickly.
Weekend: Reunion, volunteering & running
This weekend will be busy because it is family reunion weekend for my mom’s side of the family. We kick things off tonight with a 2-hour get together at a park. Say hi, hang out and keep it simple. Tomorrow, my goal is to get my 7 mile run in right away in the morning. As in a 6:00am start. Otherwise, I doubt I will get it in.
From 9:00-11:00am, Carlos and I are going to a non-profit organization called Feed My Starving Children to volunteer with some of his work colleagues. And, if that weren’t a full day already, as soon as we finish there, we run home, grab Iggy and head to the park again to meet for the rest of the family reunion. My amazing cousin, Kirsten has a day full of festivities.
Sunday = no plans. Well, kind of. I have my 7am bootcamp that I’m going to try to make it too. But other than that, no plans…and I’m leaving it that way!
Be still my heart!
Ya’ll remember that recipe I shared w/ you a couple weeks ago for the buffalo chicken? (Can of chicken +2 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges + Franks Red Hot Sauce = DELISH!)
I have to share on an amazing improvement:
Laughing Cow Blue Cheese Wedges!
For all the stars in the sky and all the fish in the sea, and for all the Laughing Cow Light Blue Cheese, Dear Lordy thank you! Lemme just say, I missed all this up together and it was divine! I ate it w/ crackers but am convinced that even if you handed me celery, I’d still devour it! YUM!
Before I go, my older sister, Melinda started school this week. WAHOO for working moms in school! One of her classes is statistics (ugh!) and she needs to do the simplest survey ever – a 4 question survey. Would you have time?
And…on that note, I need to wrap this up and get some things done today. I hope ya’ll have an amazing day and a beautiful, healthy weekend!
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like a great weekend. Have fun. Good luck on your run tomorrow – I know you can do it!
Have a great weekend, friend!
You are an inspiration to SO many!
For a pre-run snack I’d do a piece of bread with peanut butter spread on it – that gives me carbs, protein and it’s easy on my tummy! It might take some tinkering but I’m sure you’ll find what works for you in no time!
Aw! I wish I could train with you. I need a running buddy. Alas, I am in California!
I love the new laughing cow flavors. Haven’t tried blue cheese though. I need to get on that.
YUMMM!!! I can’t wait to try that!!!!! I LOVE buffalo sauce, seriously, I could probably drink it. But don’t worry – I don’t.
But I will try your suggestion!
You can SO do this run! I agree, you can train your body to do just about anything with a little patience. Just remember that short walk breaks are totally NOT cheating if you need them here and there. Listen to your body…I like to do a mental check in every mile or so when I run (does anything hurt, how’s my form, am I thirsty/hungry). I’m up for a milestone this weekend too–18 miles! I’ll be sending energizing thoughts your way! Good luck!
Do you find that if you take a short walking break, it is harder to finish the rest? I’ve found that if I stop and walk, even for a short break, I end up walking way more than if I just push through the entire thing. I dunno – thoughts?
Very proud of all those red lines!!!! KEEP UP THE HARD WORK!!!!
Your lil’ sis
alicia
Hi Jen. I actually tried the old version of the buffalo chicken and liked it!! I’m a big fan of buffalo chicken anyways. I’m looking foward to trying this one too!! Have a great weekend!
Great post! I did your sister’s survey!
Thanks Jen for posting my survey. Can’t wait to go into class and blow the teacher away with the results ;o) Luv Ya Great job on keeping up with your run’s!
Laughing Cow makes blue cheese wedges?? I’m going to the grocery store after work!
Good luck on your run.
I tried the recipe with the regular LC and it seemed a little too sweet for me– is it more on the savory side with the blue cheese variety?
Did the survey!
Look at you miss runner … ” a short, 3 mile run”. I remember when 3 miles wasn’t so short for you. Unfortunately we get a few crap runs in the mix along the way. Chances are you were tired or hungry, or whatever. Things happen, but it’s just a bump. Hope your 7 mile goes well tomorrow! And wow, another crazy busy weekend for you. My weekends would leave you snoring from boredom.
I got a decent word for your scrabble tiles there … “Half” (as in your one-day-in-the-future Half Marathon – heehee)
Jen, you can DEFINITELY do that run tomorrow! And just think: you’ve already run 6 miles (more than once, if I remember correctly), so 7 miles is just a little bit more than that. If you run a 10-minute mile, it’s just 10 more minutes! That’s how I would talk myself through my longer runs. I usually averaged 11:30-12:00 minute miles and when I wanted to quit I would just tell myself, “It’s only 12 more minutes, and then you’re done!” And then you will feel AMAZING at what you achieved!
OH, and to make this comment even longer, on my longer runs I liked taking a small granola bar with me–your body will process the carbs fairly quickly and give you a little boost. Raisins and grapes also worked for me, but you’ll just have to experiment and see what works for you!
Oh, and I am all about walking breaks, but that’s because when I was running I used a run/walk ratio of 5:1 (run 5, walk 1, and repeat for the length of the run). It really worked for me, and while sometime it was hard to resume running after a walk break, I just stuck to the clock and made myself start running again. So maybe if you take a walking break, give yourself a time limit and then allow no more than that. Good luck!
You are going to do AWESOME on your 7 miles! I trained for a half marathon and successfully completed it this year, so I remember it wasn’t so long ago, I was staring at the calendar, wondering how I would pull off some of those training runs. You can do it!!!
Also, it’s a good thing to practice with nutrition/water/Gatorade now if you intend on using it during your 10 mile race. I liked Clif Shots while running because you don’t have to worry about chewing while running, just squirt in your mouth, swallow, and hydrate. I dont’ think I’d have the coordination to run and chew anything substantial at the same time!
Seriously, though. As you get to the longer distances in training, experiment with Gu or Clif Shots or Gatorade or whatever you think you’ll need during the race. It will boost your energy and your confidence if you have a hydration/nutrition system figured out before race day.
Don’t let one bad run spoil everything. Building a running habit is just like changing your eating habits, one step at a time. Just because one run went bad doesn’t say anything about the next run. You can do it. Just think about how good you will feel when it is done
I cannot wait to try the buffalo chicken! Thanks I was craving wings and that just might do it. I already have the LC cheese! I’ve only been able to find the blue and not the other new flavors yet. I’ll have to search a little harder.
I’m so impressed with your training and hope to be there someday soon. At this point I can’t imagine running 7 miles! Have a great weekend!!
I’ll be thinking of you tomorrow AM while I run my 6ish (6.77 mile) mile workout. You can do it!!
“FLESH.”
On the triple letter score, using letters on the board. I hope you used it.
Just took the survey. So jealous, when I took stats a million years ago, there was no internet to even think about survey monkey or whatever it was called.
When I was training for my 1/2, I had this really bad run. I was so bummed out that I went to the local running store (I know one of the employees) for a pep talk. He was great and said everyone has bad days; I was all nervous that the rest of my training would be bad. Sure enough, the next run was great! I’ve had a ton of great runs. I had a bad one today, but was able to say “everyone has bad runs” and move on.
I don’t know if you already do this, but make sure to stretch really well after your runs (at least ten min). I used to have horrible foot and ankle pain until I looked up foot and ankle “stretches”. Oh, and bad runs happen! I am actually surprised it took this long for you to have one. I have one of those every two or three weeks, days when I am just NOT feeling it! And I have been running for two years!
Forgive me if you already blogged about this and I missed it–I’m behind on blog reading this month. Have you been fitted for new sneakers by someone who knows how to assess your gait and can recommend the right shoe for you? I was having lots of foot pain after running but ever since getting fitted for new sneakers (and inserts), I’ve felt great.
I love scrabble. So much fun.
Laughing cow cheese is so good. The blue cheese version is delicious. I bet that mix would be awesome!
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