The day of bacon

Yesterday I just really really did not feel like running so I didn’t run.  I know, novel concept, but it just felt right.  I wasn’t tired, sore, injured, or anything of the sort, I just thought about running and decided that even sitting around and researching sounded more fun.  I can’t remember the last time that happened (though I will totally chicken out of runs in terrible weather or move rest days around…I just never REALLY don’t want to run).  Then I tried to ask myself if I wanted to do anything at all, and unlike those days where your body just wants/needs to lay around, I really did want to get moving.  For some reason, running didn’t sound appealing, but pretty much everything else did…including lifting (insert shocked face here).  I ended up doing insanity plyo, plus 20 minutes-ish of kettlebells and 15 minutes of core.  I’m going to hurt like you wouldn’t believe after that.  I’ve been very guilty of neglecting strength training lately.

 

When I went to go make breakfast, Joe told me that we had some bacon that we should probably try to use up.  There was quite a good amount of it so it wasn’t going to happen at breakfast but I figured it was the perfect excuse for pancakes and bacon.

This is Joe’s plate, I promise mine only had about half as many pancakes.  I’m really glad I exercised first though because I was stuffed to the gills after this.

 

At lunch time, I figured I’d try to use more bacon because it just had to be eaten, right?

Jalapeno wrap, pesto, gouda, turkey, fried egg, and BACON.

 

I had some cupcakes for an afternoon snack but since that doesn’t go with the theme we’re just going to ignore it and move on.  For dinner, Joe brought home a fresh baguette so I thought soup would pair perfectly.  I made some lobster bisque and then realized I was on a roll with the bacon today so we used up the rest in our soup.

If you’re wondering, bacon, parmigiano cheese, and lobster bisque are best friends.

 

 

You should be glad I didn’t have Joe take pictures of me working out in our non-air conditioned house (sweaty is an understatement) but instead provided you with pictures of a full day of bacon yumminess.  I’m declaring yumminess a real word, my English major be damned.

 

 

Ever have a “themed” day of eating? 

Do you ever just REALLY not want to run but still want to work out?  What is your go-to workout if you’re not feeling running?

A little swim

I just woke up to this:

Does it make anyone else happy to wake up and see the moon?  And the clear sky means an outdoor run!

Yesterday I had to hit the treadmill for 5 easy miles, so I figured I might as well drive a little further and go to the other gym which has…a pool!  That’s right, I swam.  I hate swimming, and I swam.  FAR (for me).  I did 1500, but broken up into 50s and 100s.  Swimming is so weird for me, while I’m doing it it feels so much harder than running but five seconds after I’m done, I don’t feel like I got a workout at all.  Even when I’m doing a recovery run and it feels super easy, I finish and feel awesome.  I’m not sure if it’s psychological or if it has something to do with working in water.

And being Friday, we decided it was pizza day.  I considered saving it for Sunday when I’m running longer but decided a swim is farther out of my comfort zone than a long run so I should eat it if I wanted to 😉

Terrible photo.  I took it in the dark and while the pizza was sitting on my lap 6 inches from my phone.  Oops.  I always start eating the pizza before I remember.  I don’t have the same problems with restraint with my healthier meals I guess. 

 

Today is a short and easy 4 miles in what looks like it’s going to be beautiful sunshine!  And Insanity plyo, which my legs are strangely craving.  My arms aren’t as sore as I thought they would be, I did 75 pushups yesterday and thought they would kill today but only a little around the shoulder.  I guess I should add another set when I do them tomorrow 🙂  I’m very much reevaluating my ability to get to 100 in a row but I’m going to leave it out there as my goal.  I may not get it but I’d rather strive for a big number and get as close as I can. 

 

Which exercises make you the most sore? Plyo for me, sore somewhere every time.  I love it.

When is your birthday? I’ve got birthdays on the brain!  My good friend had one yesterday, my sister-in-law in a couple days, and me in one week

Advice from a pro

So about that idea to do Insanity… Don’t get me wrong, I’m sticking with it, but OUCH.  The workout itself wasn’t actually as bad as I thought it would be, perhaps because it was plyo and I’ve done plyo workouts in the past and my cardio is already pretty great from running.  So no breaks needed and I did all the moves at full speed throughout.  So I thought all was great but then I woke up this morning and oh my goodness my entire lower half is screaming.  I don’t even remember doing moves that should make my obliques and lower back muscles sore but sore they are.  And my glutes hurt SO badly.  Today’s run will be more of a concrete shuffle.  But it’s great because obviously I have a LOT of strengthening to do if some jumping and bodyweight exercises made me this sore.  So I’m really excited about the progress I’ll have made at the end of the 60 day program 🙂  In the meantime though, ouch, and hopefully I’ll be far less sore the next time.  Today though, is the upper body portion and I will probably do more pushups than I ever have in my life. 

Both dogs harassed me the entire time I was doing the workout, then proceeded to pass out afterward.  Gee, thanks 😉  She thinks she’s a person, if you couldn’t tell.

 

Recovery pizza was necessary obviously, but a healthier homemade version loaded with veggies instead.

 

Last night I was sitting around reading two old issues of Runner’s World and found this gem:

 

This is from Lauren Fleshman, amazing 5k pro runner, and she’s talking about when she was tested for performance capacity as an outstanding youth athlete and she has accomplished more than they ever thought she would. I’ve not been tested for performance capacity or anything of the sort but I did try going out for track and field as a high school senior because I decided to stop swimming. Without getting to know anything about me, the coach threw me in the team as a 100m runner.  HA! I was terrible.  7th or 8th in every meet in the B or C races and man, I was miserable…both racing and in practices where all I did was run repeats.  I did just that one season, skipped outdoor because I thought I just hated running.  It never occurred to me to try running again until I was about 21, when I joined a friend for a run.  I ran 5 miles and it was sort of great.  I was surprised enough to keep going every day and kept loving it.  I certainly didn’t think I could be any good at it because I was SO BAD in track.  Turns out, I was meant to be a distance runner and the more I ran and the further I ran, the better I got.  I placed in a local race only a few months after starting running and surprised myself.  That coach not only made me think I was a terrible runner (and likely thought it himself), but made me hate running, and for that I am sad.  I wish I could go back in time and force him to let me run distance and see where I would be after all this time had I been running and training for distance since the age of 17 and with a real coach, but that’s not an option.  What IS an option, is to keep believing I can be better than I am now and that I’m capable of amazing things to come.  Unsolicited advice: be like Lauren Fleshman, do what you love and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t be better than your best.