Hello :)
Thank you for your support with the Portabella Playoffs. I am so thankful for you guys! The Stuffed Portabella Pizza recipe is linked from the Tastespotting post and it can be found on Mushroom Canada. Give those mushrooms some love during National Mushroom month!
I woke up with a nagging headache this morning from too much red wine last night, but it was nothing 2 cuppas couldn’t fix…
…and a delicious Green Monster. ;)
I was almost human again.
In the humanizing GM:
- 1 cup almond milk,
- 2 big handfuls of spinach,
- 1 tbsp almond butter,
- 1 serving Amazing Grass Chocolate Amazing Meal Protein Power,
- 1 tbsp chia seeds,
- 1 tsp maca powder,
- Ice, ice baby
I was operating with 65% of my brain instead of 30%. Some days you take what you can get. I do not take responsibility for any errors on my accounting spreadsheet that may have occurred today…
This would be a great time to let you know that Amazing Grass has extended their 25% off sale until the end of today! Just use the code HLS10 in the checkout if you want to take part.
For lunch I had a delicious open-faced sandwich on toasted Ezekiel bread.
I love open faced sandwiches because you can stack them as high as you want. ;)
Open-faced Pico De Gallo & Butter Bean Sandwich
- 2 slices Ezekiel bread, toasted
- 2-3 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1/2 cup butter beans
- 1/2 cup Yellow Tomato Pico De Gallo/salsa
- Sea salt + pepper, to taste
and a bowl of really sweet cherries!
Running Talk: Striving for speed and my next race:
Today, I also snuck in a challenging 10k run:
My goal was to run it at ‘almost’ race pace.
The last couple miles were really tough, but I kept my eye on the prize and tried to treat it like a race as much as I could. I also focused on running each mile faster than the previous and this helped me keep my focus. When I felt like giving up I repeated my mantra ‘You are so much stronger than you think’ over and over. It helps!
My post run snack was an Awake Glo Bar and a huge glass of OJ. I rarely drink OJ but for some reason today I was craving it big time.
Striving For Speed
Lately I have been asked how I have increased my speed with running. I am by no means an expert on the topic, but I will tell you what I think has worked for me. Everyone is going to be different so take what I do with a grain of salt!
1) Consistency
Aside from not feeling well, much needed rest, or unexpected obstacles in my life, I try to keep my running consistent with about 4 days of running and a couple of rest days each week. If I am gung-ho and run 4 days in a row, most likely I will follow it with 2-3 days off. It is all about balance and how I feel when I get up in the morning. Some days my body says GO and some days my body says Ah Hell No.
2) Rest
When I need more rest, I take it. I don’t allow myself to feel guilty anymore for taking time off when I need it. I have realized that there will always be unexpected challenges with running and if you need to take an unplanned week off here or there it is not a big deal. Running is very hard on the body! When I got back from Chicago, I felt a cold coming on and I took 5 days off exercise. My body bounced back and I avoided a full blown cold. A rested body is a happy (and faster) body.
3) Pace Challenges
This summer, I introduced negative split pace challenges as a way to get in some speed work. On most of my runs I try not only to run a negative split, but I also set a goal of running each mile faster than the previous. This has proved to be a fun way for me to ‘sneak’ in speed training. I believe these runs have conditioned my body for a race-like scenario because my goal for a race is to gradually build speed as the miles go by.
My Next Race:
After my 10k practice run, I signed up for a real 10k race! I was debating between the Oakville half marathon and 10k distances.
I decided on the 10k for two reasons:
1) I have run three half marathons and just one 10k race (see recaps here). I am very anxious to try and beat my 10k PR. My 10k race was the very first race I ever ran in June 2009 and I have come a long way since then.
2) For most of my races, I have been under-trained, especially for my half marathons. For two of my half marathons, my longest run was only 10 miles and I felt greatly under-trained. I have been doing long runs almost each week since my last half marathon in May (I got up to 10.5 miles as my longest training run this summer, post-half). I want to know what it feels like to be ‘over-trained’ for a race distance. I have been running longer distances than I need to for a 10k and I am really excited to feel extra prepared for the 10k instead of feeling under-prepared for the half. I have never gone into a race feeling as prepared as I should, so I am excited for Monday’s 10k race. I have an option of a half marathon in October should I decide to do that as well. I also am shopping around for a 5k.
I feel ready to rock the distance on Monday!
It will be thrilling no doubt. I can feel the nerves already! :)
For those of you who have have participated in a race (or races) before, what was it and did you feel prepared enough? Would you have changed anything about your training if you could go back in time?
Congrats on the race news! I’ve actually never raced a 10K but I really love the distance. 6 miles is the perfect run for me!
I believe I asked about your running paces a few days and a big thank you for this information! What you say about rest days is so key. I was facing injury after injury and continued to run – a big no-no. After I took a week off, my injuries stopped and I stopped running back to back to prevent more injuries and so far it has worked. I haven’t run a race yet, but as of September 18th I can chalk that goal off my list :) Thanks again – you’re my running inspiration!
Good for you for giving your body proper rest!
I just did my first 5K this past Saturday and no, I didn’t feel prepared. I was on vacation the week before for 8 days and I ran once (on a treadmill) than did one 3K run when I got back. It went much better than I thought it would go (ie. I finished and didn’t come in last) but I should have completed more than 2 runs in 2 weeks prior. Ah well, my next 5K is next Saturday (the 11th – Island Girl 5K in Toronto) and I’m pumped!
You know what? This reminds me of an exam. What would it feel like to be over-prepared for an exam? I think it’d feel pretty damn good. So good luck on your race, though I think that you won’t need it. ;)
I would love to run those times next to you on that gorgeous (cool!) path! No more summer heat for me
Thanks for the link to the mushroom recipe!!! :) You just made my day.
That path looks beautiful!
oooh I think 10ks are a GREAT race distance!!!
I’m training for a 10k, too! As long as I get in a long run, a speed work run, and an easy run per week, then I feel prepared. However, most of the time I throw in an extra easy run or a tempo run as well. I just wrote a post on what influences me when I create training plans.
Happy training:)
You will dominate that 10k for sure! Good luck :)
And yes, open faced sandwiches are the best!
It seems like you had a very strong run today…I think you should definitely go into the 10k feeling confident! Confidence is such a huge key to success…just like your mantra of “you are stronger than you think you are”. I’m definitely going to tell myself that this weekend on my 12 mile run. I’m training for a half marathon and my longest so far is 11 miles, so hopefully after saturday I’ll be able to say 12! Also, your green monsters always look so delicious and I daydream about them during runs because I can’t wait to down one as soon as I get back home!
Good luck on your race!!!
goodluck with your 12 miler…remember it is just 1 more mile than last week! In the bag :)
love this post, angela! thanks for the running tips. you’re gonna rock at your upcoming races!
Do you eat your open faced sandwiches with a fork? I tend to avoid them as they make a giant mess!
Fork and knife :) sometimes with hands if I am feeling crazy
One question: How do you eat an open faced sammich? That confuses me. :D
fork and knife
I’m stupid…all this time I’ve eaten “open faced sandwiches” with my face smushed up against it and I end up getting toppings everywhere. Thanks for the tip!!!
haha I do that too depending on how hungry I am
Your race decision sounds perfect. You get the chance to get a PR and push yourself without doing something you are uncomfortable with for your body. A perfect fit.
I’ve did my first two half marathons this summer. I felt under-trained for both, but actually felt great duringt he actual race. I’m convinced that for long distance races I’ll probably always think I could/should have run more. But I kind of like going into a race feeling that way because it makes the accomplishment of crossing the finish line feel even bigger! I think it would be fun to do a shorter race and focus more on time, rather than just finishing. Beating your PR (and I’m confident you will) will feel great! Good luck!!
I’ve done 3 half marathons and I felt pretty well trained for all of them. I capped off at 12 miles before each one, which I think helped. The one I felt the best was the third one because I incorporated speed workouts. Now that I am training for a marathon, I think speed workouts are essential! If I could go back in time I would add more stretching and strength training. I am so bad about doing both of those after runs!
Good luck with your training for the 10k. I’m sure you’ll be well prepared and do amazing!
I ran my first half marathon this past May…I did alright and didn’t feel undertrained BUT what I’m trying to do with my next half coming up in October is stick to my training plan. I missed a lot of long runs leading up to the last half and while I still did ok, I feel like I could improve my time and stamina greatly by making more of an effort to stick to the original plan most of the time!
I really like simple delicious recipes like your open faced sandwich. That looks so pretty and good!
I know all about undertraining for races! I think it’s the story of my life. I’m signed up for the Niagara Falls half so we’ll see how that goes on Oct 24! But I know what you mean- I would love to run a 5k cause it would seem so “easy”.
How much longer are you at the oakville farmers market? I need to mke another trip out!
We’re done for the summer…sorry! :(
Great tips on increasing speed. That has been my goal this summer and I finally feel “over-trained” for the first time for a race – mine is in a month. The key I’ve found is that increasing speed requires increasing distance – a lot! I’ve been advised to – and am – running distances three times what my race will be. It’s somewhat counter-intuitive, but you really have to build endurance to pull off a fast race!