Injury Update: So Far So Good

I ran 7 miles yesterday, and I'm pretty excited about it.

I had 10 on the plan for that day before I got hurt last month.  Since then I've reworked my plan.  Those last two miles were tough- my legs felt heavier than they should have.  I cut back on Camp Gladiator workouts in order to give my body time to recover.  My new adjusted plan is to just finish this race.  I don't see myself getting a PR after how yesterday's run felt.  Usually I don't feel that heaviness until mile 10.  I still have three long runs left, though.  I just wish I could be more active (it would help to shed these extra holiday pounds) in order to build up more speed.  I feel like I'm not getting the speed workouts I need now.

After yesterday's 7, I soaked in Epsom salts.  I didn't ice it because it's chilly in my house, but it feels great.  I didn't feel any soreness at work today. 

Now, I have mountain cedar allergies bothering me.  I took the day off of working out because the medicine I take makes me feel so sleepy and dehydrated.  I figured a workout in this state wouldn't be good for me.  We will see how tomorrow goes.  I will probably need a workout since there is another event using our rehearsal space for one act play and I will be confined to my black box.  It's difficult to rehearse this play without our stage. 

I usually bring a 64oz water bottle to work and fill it up again by the end of the school day.  I got down the road this morning and realized I didn't grab it.  I stopped at the gas station near school and found a gallon of electrolyte water so I grabbed it.  I finished half of it, and I'm about to drink more.  How much water do you drink a day?  Does it leave you satisfied or do you feel symptoms of dehydration?

Have a great week!
Cheers,
Kasey

My Half Marathon Training Plan

I've gone and done it: I signed up for my 6th half marathon! 

Half Marathon 1: Rock 'n Roll San Antonio Half in 2010 (2:44)
Half Marathon 2: Alamo 13.1 in 2013 (3:18)
Half Marathon 3: Cocoa Women's Half in 2015 (DNF)
Half Marathon 4: Alamo 13.1 in 2016   (2:39)
Half Marathon 5: Cocoa Women's Half in 2018 (2:28)

Half Marathon 6 will be the Missions Heritage Half on February 9, 2019.  I have more success running longer distances in the winter in Texas, so I avoid signing up for longer races in late spring, summer, and early fall.  January and February are the BEST times to run long in Texas!

Here's how I'm planning to train for this race:

The main training format I plan to follow involves running 2-3 days a week and cross-training 2-3 days a week.  I know; it seems strange to train for a running race with so much cross-training, but that is what I did for February's half and I came away with an 11 minute PR.  Typically, training includes different types of runs:

1. easy run (comfortable pace)
2. speed work (sprints with rest periods in between; these can be short or long sprints)
3. tempo runs (warm up mile, race pace miles, cool down mile.  Typically a longer run in the week.)
4. long runs (slow, for endurance)

I try to do an easy run mid-week when I'm exhausted, a long run on the weekend, and use Camp Gladiator for speed work.  I may add more longer tempo runs during the week into January. My training plan is only ten weeks instead of twelve because I can run 5 miles at this point in time.  (Sometimes, I need to start earlier because I'm not always in shape...)

My Missions Heritage Half Marathon Training Schedule:

	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3	Workout 4	Workout 5
Week 1: December 2	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 2-3 miles	Cross training	5 miles
Week 2: December 9	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 2-3 miles	Cross training or tempo run	6 miles
Week 3: December 16	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 3 miles	Cross training	7 miles
Week 4: December 23	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 3-4 miles	Cross training or tempo run	8 miles
Week 5: December 30	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 4 miles	Cross training	9 miles
Week 6: January 6	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 4-5 miles	Tempo run	10 miles
Week 7: January 13	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 5 miles	Cross training	11 miles
Week 8: January 20	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 5 miles	Tempo run	12 miles
Week 9: January 27	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 5 miles	Tempo run	8 miles
Week 10: February 3	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 4 miles	Easy run 2 miles	RACE DAY!

As always, a good training plan needs to be vigorous but flexible at the same time.  I didn't label the top of the chart with days of the week even though I try to stick to workouts on the same days.  We all know that work and life get in the way so there needs to be flexibility.  Right now, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays are Camp Gladiator Days.  Wednesdays and Saturdays are run days. I have a contest for work and two major holidays in there but it should all work out.  If I miss anything during the week I try not to freak out as long as I can get my long run in on the weekends. 

It's also important to make sure I'm watching my diet and fueling properly as mileage increases.  I'm trying to lose body fat right now, but as my runs get longer, I need to add more calories back to my diet. I never try to lose weight when training for a half marathon; especially the last month of training.  I learned that the hard way with my DNF in 2015.  Whole 30 and running long did not work for my body.

I always try to beat my last time for any race that I run, even if I tell myself to just have fun.  I'm very competitive so it's hard to turn that off!  My current half marathon PR is 2:28 which is an average of 11:17 per mile.  I did a lot of walking after mile 8 in that race so I'm hoping to avoid that this time.  I don't have a goal pace, but I think I will be training for under 10:00 per mile on my speed work/tempo runs and under 11:00 for long runs.

I hope this training plan inspires someone out there, and I hope I can stick to it and have a great race!

Cheers,
Kasey

References:
Kara Goucher's Running For Women

Working Out, Eating Healthy, and Balancing Life

I am definitely one of those people who gains 5lbs from looking at a piece of chocolate.  In my 34 years on this Earth, I've learned that my body does not burn fat on its own like some lucky people; it HOLDS ONTO IT.  I blame my northern heritage.  It's so cold in the winter that a few extra layers of fat help a bit.

Knowing this, I need to make sure I am active and eat right.  Do I accomplish both things 100% of the time?  NO! I find it extremely hard to teach and take care of myself.  God bless teachers who have their own kids because I don't know how they do it every day.

On a "good active and healthy day", here's what my timeline looks like:

6:11 am: Hit snooze
6:30 am: Get up, make breakfast.  Breakfast is usually two fried eggs on two pieces of toast smeared with avocado.  Add Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning and chipotle hot sauce.
7:10 am: leave for work.
11:00 am: quickly shove food in my face and savor any adult conversation time.  Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before or a salad.  Greek yogurt cups, La Croix, and Baby Bel cheese.
3:40 pm: eat a snack.  A handful of almonds.
5:30 pm: leave work, change clothes, head to a Camp Gladiator workout.
(If I don't go to Camp Gladiator, I have to wait until it's not too hot outside to run.  Usually this does not work because I will either eat everything in house or fall asleep or both.)
7:45 pm: return home from working out, make dinner.  Dinner is usually planned, but I've added pasta into the mix now, as well as maintaining a vegetarian diet.
9:00 pm: shower and get in bed. (hopefully. Usually doesn't happen.)

This routine is exhausting.  I had a really rough start to the school year mentally, so all I wanted to do was eat and lay on the couch. So I did.

Sometimes, balance is good.  But, I tipped the lazy side of the scale a little too much, and now my fat pants are more like regular pants. I'm starting to feel like myself again, so here's the new plan to make my clothes fit better before the holidays: (notice how I'm not focusing on a number on the scale, because we don't have a scale.  Numbers are overrated.)

1. Enter food into MyFitnessPal. This always works for me.  I need to track my calories to force myself not to eat so much.  When I know I have to add what I eat into my phone, I don't eat as much.

2. Be more active.  I want to get back into running again.  My dog misses it. And we're giving our "foster" animals back this weekend so she will be lonely and bored.  My plan is to go to Camp Gladiator on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays, and run Wednesday or Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

3. Get more sleep.  I struggle with this.  My body cycle does not match my work schedule.  It's been 7 years and I still cannot get myself to sleep early and wake up feeling refreshed and ready.  Mornings are the devil.  BUT, I plan to stay away from electronic screens before bed.  I have a stack of scripts and novels I can read before I fall asleep.  I plan to get in bed at a reasonable hour so I can be asleep at a reasonable hour.

Getting healthy and staying healthy is tough.  Some people may find it easy, but let's be honest: a healthy lifestyle is difficult.  But when I achieve a fitness goal, I feel strong and unstoppable.

It's time to set some goals for the fall!

Cheers,
Kasey

My CG Fit Experience

I first learned about Camp Gladiator two years ago, right before our wedding.  I received a postcard for a teacher appreciation deal and decided to give it a try.  A year and a half later, I signed up for their 9 year Birthday Deal and went Bold after that 4 week camp.  (Going Bold means you've signed up for at least a year instead of just a 4 week camp.  There's a shirt and everything!)

Since September I've been making time to get to camp 2-3 times a week, along with running.  I'm at 89 check-ins at this point and hope to hit 100 before school starts.  I'm choosing to stick with Camp Gladiator because I believe it really helped me to train better for the half marathon I ran in February.  I only ran 2 days a week, did CG 3-4 times a week, and ran faster than my previous record by 11 minutes! 

Every few months they run a special program called CG Fit.  There's a fee to join and it depends on your Bold status.  I also used points that I acquired by checking in to workouts since September so I didn't have to pay the full price.

I was skeptical at first.  I didn't understand what I was paying for, but I wanted to use the body composition scale, be serious about meal planning, and increase weights at camp.  So, I signed up.

I was really surprised with my first body composition test.  I know I need to lose fat, but I thought my percentage was lower than the scale showed me. As I get older, I'm finding it increasingly harder to lose the weight I need to lose.  My body just wants to make sure I always have a cushion-like seat with me everywhere I go!

I really wanted CG Fit to meal plan for me because my husband and I were in a food rut.  We were tired of making the same things every week and feeling like our options as vegetarians were small.  You can purchase planned meals from an outside company through CG Fit, but I can't afford that on my teacher's salary.  So, I did lots of research online (Pinterest, mainly) and found several recipes to try.  I printed them all, added them into MyFitnessPal, and wrote down their macro nutrient content.  I printed a meal planning page and wrote down what I would be eating at every meal, including snacks. 

CG Fit advised that if I wanted to lose fat, I needed to increase my protein intake.  That was the super challenging aspect of meal planning.  Even when I wasn't a vegetarian, I found it difficult to get 40% of my calories to be protein instead of carbs.  If I worked out that day, I didn't beat myself up about going over on carbs.

The end of the school year is so tough, but I'm glad I signed up for CG Fit to make me stay on track.  That doesn't mean that I didn't skip happy hour on the last day of school, but I considered it to be balance.  Yes, I need to lose weight, but I also need to train my body to learn what balance feels like.  I didn't exclude treats, but I made sure to eat in moderation during CG Fit.

I was concerned about paying for the program, but I felt it kept me going knowing that I did pay for it.  If I ever felt like quitting, I told myself it would be a waste of money to do so.  I paid for it; I better see results!

Overall, I lost 7 lbs and increased my weights at camp.  I didn't run as much as I would have liked because it's so damn hot here in the summer, but I know that will change when temperatures cool in the fall.  That being said, I would love to do CG Fit again because it keeps my results so I can compare to different points throughout the year.  It also forced me to find new recipes and sit down to really meal plan for nutrition instead of just for a shopping list.

Now that CG Fit is over, I need to create new fitness goals to carry me through the rest of the year.  I know I will be running the Wurst 5 Miler in November, but I want another longer race to train for this winter.

Thanks for reading about my experience with Camp Gladiator and their CG Fit program!  If you follow me on Facebook you may be tired of hearing about it!  If you are interested in trying it out, I have a code that will give you the next three weeks free.  If you sign up to be a Bold member, ask me for my email address; I can't "level up" from Bronze to Silver until I get 2 referrals. :)

Cheers!
Kasey

Other dieting things I like or have tried:
Diet Bet:  Find a game, pay your part of the pot, lose 4-6% of your body weight, and win!  I played a game led by Chris and Heidi Powell and won $40, which gave me a $6 profit. :)  If you play with higher pots and less people, then the payout will be greater, though!

MyFitnessPal: This is my favorite calorie counting tool to use.  I mainly use the app on my phone to scan and add foods I eat throughout the day.  It breaks it down into macro and micro nutrients, as well.  I used the website on my computer to copy and paste recipe links to load into my database so when I ate that food for dinner, all of the ingredients were already there in the recipe title.  Super easy!

Nike Run Club app: Before I got my Garmin watch, I loved using the Nike app to track my runs.  Great data break down and I could see my pace on my phone.  I stopped using it because I didn't want to use phone data, but it's still a great app!

Recipes We Liked:
Pinch of Yum: Spicy Sofritas Veggie Bowls
This was really spicy (we added a 2nd pinch of sugar the third time we made it and it wasn't so bad!) but we LOVE putting this stuff on rice with pico, guac, cheese, etc.  It's like Chipotle has come to your kitchen!

One Pot Cheesy Mexican Lentils, Black Beans and Rice - Recipe Runner
Delicious, chili-like meal that's full of protein and very filling.  We cooked the lentils and rice ahead of time to cut the cooking time down.

Greek salads:
I created a greek salad with seasoned tempeh, lettuce, black olives, cucumbers, and italian dressing.

Taco salads:
Taco seasoned tempeh, tortilla strips, red bell pepper, and cilantro-avocado dressing.

And greek yogurt as a snack for protein!