Rest day - Yoga and stretching

I was completely restless today (and sick) so thankfully its a rest day. I focused on stretching and some yoga poses to help with the soreness.

• Improved flexibility - stretch out the sore muscles! 
• Lower stress - additional to running - everyone loves to relieve some stress 
• Increased strength - it's really helpful for core awareness 

I practiced poses from this website: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/26/yoga-for-runners_n_5507342.html 

My favorite yoga pose was the low lunge - see photo above. I felt like it really helped with my quad and hamstring soreness. Balance helped with my core and I was in-tune with my breathing. I feel like yoga helps me focus on my breathing, which is really important when it comes to training yourself for the long runs ahead of you.  

Take it easy and enjoy! Tomorrow I will not be running but I plan on taking a 10 mile hike here in SoCal. I plan on running on Sunday morning. We'll see how I feel. 

See you tomorrow! 

Day 3 - 2 miles

I woke up late. It was 8am when I woke up and in SoCal its been hot. We have a heatwave that is coming through the region. However, I am on a schedule so I decided to go out and run. Wow, what a difference it makes to run at 6am. I was barely out the door and I instantly felt tired. The sun is beaming and the "heat" hits you right away. Plus, what I noticed is that I like to run when there is less commotion out in the world. At 8am, the tree trimmers are out, construction men are jackhammering away, and the traffic is at a full standstill. This all affects my training. I already knew at 1 mile that it was going to be impossible for me to run my full 3 miles. Plus, another thing was I was super hungry. Having eating just a protein shake for dinner (around 7pm) I was STARVING by 8am. Therefore, for me, running earlier is better for my running. These are the things you have to pay attention to when you are training. Listen to your body and focus on what your body is asking for. Mine was asking for more food and cooler weather. I did not push to get myself to 3 miles. I just did what I could.

That's the lesson for today. Listen to your body's needs. Do not push too far. But get up and try. Trying and learning is better than not knowing - or learning anything at all.

Thanks! 

See you tomorrow! 

Day 2 - Arm & Shoulders

Today I woke up with major allergies. I have seasonal allergies that is sometimes debilitating. I tried to sleep and rest as much as I could. I finally picked myself up around 3pm and decided to head to the gym to focus on my arms and shoulders. When training for a marathon, you should not run every day and on my "off" days I like to focus on strength training. Today it was focusing on my arms (biceps, triceps) and my shoulders and back. I used to hate working out arms, well, anything that was not cardio or legs. Over the last 6 months of working out, my upper body strength has really shown me that for a healthy body you need to focus on all your muscle groups.

I started out with 20 minutes of the elliptical. Something low impact and easy on my knees. I find its good to get my heart rate up. Its like an extra pump! Who needs pre-workout? :) I grabbed a 20lb barbell and I did a circuit of workouts.

3 sets of 15-20 reps each (do a min of at least 15)
Barbell bench press
Bent over barbell row
One-arm dumbbell row (3 sets on EACH arm)
Barbell, bent over wide grip row
Barbell good mornings
Lying press
Laying pullover
Tricep pulldowns on a cable machine

My new favorite workout is:

Barbell curl at an incline

You have to find a bench that allows you to have it on a slight incline. This helps you to not swing and use standing momentum to get the barbell up. You'll get a really good burn. Lower the weight if you just want to get the motion down.

I have very slim arms, especially compared to my lower body. I am trying to get my arms to gain some much needed muscle. My goal for this upcoming year is to be able to do an unassisted pull up. Maybe 5?! We'll see!

I want to share my delicious lunch with you! Homemade Greek salad.

Ingredients: 
Lettuce - 2 cups
3 oz of roasted chicken breast
2 oz of tomatoes
3 oz of cucumbers
sliced red onion
2 oz of feta cheese
pitted greek olives
2 tablespoons of low-cal greek dressing

Optional:
1 oz of sun-dried tomatoes

SO GOOD. When you are trying to cut down on calories you will want to eat food for volume. That's why salads are great! Add in cucumbers and lots of other vegetables. You'll be feeling super full and satisfied.

See you on Day 3! 

Day 1: 3 miles

I thought summer training was difficult because its too hot at night to run. So I switched to morning runs and now that I am used to morning runs... fall is here... and so is the darkness! I went to bed at a relatively decent hour, 11 pm, after studying for my final this Thursday, so I woke up at 5:50 am relatively easy. You like how I say relative? Even though I am a morning person and I did get a lot of sleep; it's still super difficult for a person like me to get up in the morning to run. However, I tell myself it is worth it and I will regret not going but I NEVER regret completing my run/workouts. This is what you must do to get get going. Once you get going and it becomes part of your routine its like eating meals -- you just make it part of your day. I know everyone is able to accomplish anything they put their minds too!!

 After my run, I am famished. I make myself something hearty for breakfast. I am totally a creature of habits and this is my typical breakfast meal. I will only post meals that vary. So if you do not see any more breakfast meals for a while - you can guess I'm eating the exact same thing: oatmeal, 3oz of egg whites and 4 pieces of turkey bacon. In my oatmeal I put in teaspoon of each: hemp seeds, stevia, flax seeds and chia seeds. I love oatmeal because its so versatile, you can add savory items and make it hearty. You can add sweeteners - honey, brown sugar, sugar with some fruit to make a sweet dish. Its amazing! I like to eat foods that make me feel satisfied but doesn't make me feel sluggish.

See you on Day 2!