Yoga For Athletic Performance

Yoga isn't just about stretching, breathing and relaxation, although those aspects are incredibly beneficial to athletes and well, anyone for that matter.  But yoga has much more to offer athletes at any age, level and sport.  Across the world, countless athletes are engaging in regular yoga practice to help improve their athletic performance.  Anyone from youth, novice, collegiate and professional athletes are seeing the benefits of yoga translate to improved training and increased performance, giving them the competitive edge.  Below is a list of some great benefits of incorporating yoga into your training regime and how it can improve athletic performance.

Injury Prevention
Regardless of the sport, all athletes put a lot of repetitive stress on their bodies, and over time, this stress can cause muscular imbalances.  When muscles become tight due this imbalance, they become more susceptible to injury, not just to the muscle but the surrounding tissues as well.  So it’s to the benefit of any athlete to have more pliability and flexibility to prevent injuries.  Yoga is designed to work the muscles around the joints for stability as well as to gain full mobility and rotation in the joints, making an athlete more fluid with their movement, thus preventing injury.

Improved Body Awareness
There is quite a bit of focus on balance during yoga.  Improving our balance helps improve our proprioception.  Proprioception is the awareness of our body in its position in space, as well as the direction and speed of its movement.  During yoga, we continually gain an understanding of our bodies and how we move in relation to other parts of our body and our environment.  This understanding of anatomy and body mechanics not only improves our balance, but also helps with reaction time and aids in injury prevention.

Improved Core Strength
A strong core not only protects our spine but also provides a solid foundation for the functional movements used in the weight room and on the playing field.  Through focusing on breath, movement and poses, yoga helps strengthen these core muscles, which of course helps improve overall strength and power.

Increased Power
Proper form is key in the weight room and during any athletic event.   Power, strength, and speed are directly related to proper body-mechanics.  When our body is properly aligned, we can transmit force much more efficiently and perform better across the board.  Yoga places so much emphasis on optimal body alignment, thus helping increase power and force production during training, practice and of course during competition.

Improved Endurance
Regardless of whether you are a marathoner or football player, stamina plays an important role in all types of sports and athletic events.  Yoga has been known to help improve circulation as well as increase respiratory capacity, which translates to improved endurance.  Having long lasting energy is important to finishing healthy and strong, whether that is crossing the finish line or outperforming your opponent in the fourth quarter!

How to Incorporate Yoga Into Your Training Regimen
Because yoga uses your own body weight and no external load, it can essentially be performed every day.  I often suggest to beginners to start with a simple DVD at home or in a gentle yoga class at a studio.  (Of course always be sure to consult your physician and coach prior to engaging in any new physical activity).  Due to school, sports practice, work and training, many of our athletes who train in our facility are not left with much time to practice yoga.  So we incorporate various poses and sequences into their workouts to focus on key areas for athletic performance.  If time is an issue for you, consider doing a few poses during your warm up and cool down.  Even if it is just 1-2 times per week, incorporating yoga into your training regimen will offer benefits listed above, helping you to perform at the top of your game!

If you have any additional questions on yoga for performance or run training, contact Coach Christina today.  Also, be sure to follow along her journey and stay up today on her latest blog posts on her Instagram page.

Namaste

Spring Break, Family Time and Yoga Poses

This week was Spring Break for many of the local high schools.  Although it has been YEARS since I myself have been able to enjoy an entire week off from reality, Spring Break does affect our work schedule and actually frees up a little time in our training.  On the plus side, Hunter and I are able to get some work done and even have a little fun together.  On the downside, with my schedule thrown off, it can be a little difficult to stay focused and committed to my fitness.  With that being said, I still managed some good workouts this week and here is a recap in training.

Monday: Taught spinning to a smaller class, assuming many were out for Spring Break.  The weather was gorgeous, a little cooler but sunny and beautiful.  After spin, I met up with Hunter and we knocked out a few miles.  He said he wanted to push to 4 and hold a solid pace similar to our last run.  We ended up doing 4.25 with a pace of 9:02.  Which in my opinion is super awesome for a big guy who has only been running for 3 months.  He's made so much progress in such a short period of time.  I couldn't be more proud of him!

Monday also started the Runners Love Yoga Challenge for March.  I had so much fun participated in the February challenge while tapering for my marathon and I even won the challenge!  This month is all about the Flow with a series of poses that will build on each other.  Here was day one with a Warrior I:

Tuesday: Normally I run on my lunch break on Tuesday, but with the freed up afternoon as well as free tickets to a fitness convention center here in Orlando, Hunter and I took advantage and headed down to the convention center.  We spent the afternoon checking out all the latest and greatest in the industry and we even ran into a few of our former coworkers.  It's always fun to get to catch up with people!  We had to head back to train our afternoon groups so this left no time for my run.  Luckily, since the sun is going down later now, I was able to get an evening jog in.  This used to be the only time of day I could run because of work and kiddos.  It had been so long since I've had a solo evening run and I had almost forgotten how beautiful it is out there just before the sun goes down.  I definitely want to take more time for runs like this.

And this was my Reverse Warrior pose from earlier in the day for the Yoga Challenge:

 

Wednesday: Hunter and I had a busy afternoon planned so I didn't have much time for a workout.  I stayed back at the gym while he went for his run and I knocked out a quick MetCon circuit.  My knee and hip had gotten really sore over the past few days so I did spend some time on rolling and mobility work.  In between MetCon sets I went ahead and did my Yoga Challenge pose which was a triangle pose.  It was juts what I needed to help loosen up my tight adductors.

Thursday: On Thursdays I typically run but my legs felt like absolute lead.  With my run on Monday and Tuesday, I was already at the mileage I'm typically at for the week, so I figured I should hold off on running more and have fresh legs for hopefully a good Saturday run.  So I decided to just do a quick, easy mile and a half then hit the pool for some laps.  My swimming has gotten so much better and I swam a whole 1200m without stopping!

Yoga pose for the day was the low lunge.  Took the picture at the pond in front of my house before the rain came.

Friday: Went to Planet Fitness and focused solely on upper body.  My knee was feeling much better and my legs were loosening up, but I didn't want to wear them out before my 8-10 miles I had scheduled for the next day.  Got in a great pump at PF then headed to meet Hunter for lunch.  After lunch we met with a realtor about potentially selling our house and buying a new one, eeek!  Then we went to a high school baseball game to cheer on our kiddos from the gym, then to our own kid's school to watch their Easter parade, then finally home!  What a crazy busy day, we were exhausted!  But here are some adorable pictures of the kids' Easter festivities:

And of course here is my standing L pose for the Yoga Challenge:

Saturday: The forecast was calling for rain all weekend.  Since I have been helping a friend prepare for her first half, I was disappointed the rain would keep us from meeting out on the trail that morning.  I, however, was excited to get to sleep in a little though.  It's been while.  So I caught a few extra ZZZ's and headed to LA Fitness for a treadmill run.  My plan was 8-10, which is my usual Saturday mileage.  My knee was a just a pinch twinge-y, my allergies were not too bad, and the extra sleep had me feeling good and rested.  I could have pushed harder and gone longer but I felt good about my 8 miles in 58:41 (avg pace 7:21).   Pretty pleased with my run and feeling prepared for my 15k next week, I finished off with some foam rolling and stretching.  Spent the rest of the day with friends at an Easter party.

When we got home from the party, it was raining.  I still needed to do my revolved half moon pose for the Challenge, so here I am doing so in the rain!

Sunday: Easter Sunday and also rest day!  We decided to spend the day at the beach.  It was a little overcast at times but it turned out to be the perfect day to spend at the beach and finish out an awesome weekend.  The boys had so much fun building sandcastles and splashing in the waves.  Hearing their laughter and seeing the smiles on their sweet little faces makes everything seem right in the worlds.

And of course, the beach is also the perfect place for a great yoga shot, so here is my high lunge for the Runners Love Yoga Challenge:

What's on tap for the next few weeks...
It's about to get really hectic!  April is a super busy month with work and races.  Next Sunday, I will run the EA Riverside 15k.  The following weekend, my mom will be in town helping with the kiddos while Hunter and I help run a football camp.  Also that weekend, I have an 8k on Saturday and then on Sunday, I drive down to Sarasota in the wee hours of the morning to run the Iron Girl Half Marathon with my friend (it is her first half)!  I will have a week to recuperate then it's the Lake Minneola Half Marathon April 24th, then two weeks later it's my sprint tri!  After that, we take a vacation and I will have no other races planned until the Chicago Marathon in October.

Eeek...It's Marathon Week!

It's Friday morning and I'm now counting down the hours to my marathon this Sunday.  It all seems so surreal that I am about to run 26.2 miles!  I don't think the excitement or anxiety has fully hit me yet, I guess that has to do with how busy I remain with work and kids, the fact that I've done this four times before and also because I have no expectations or big goals this time around.  Don't get me wrong, I want to do well.  And man oh man, what I wouldn't give to cross that finish line with a BQ like I had originally hoped.  But for this 5th marathon, despite being all healed up, pretty prepared and mentally and physically in better shape than I've been in a while, I still feel indifferent about my goals for this race.  I've said it in previous posts, I feel I just jumped into this one too quickly.  Training has been up and down, some runs point to a BQ while others had me questioning distance running all together.  But there is nothing I can do at this point other than to just lace up, give it my all and leave it all out on the course. 

I will be posting on Monday a full race recap but here is how this final week of marathon training has been...

Monday: Taught my usual spin class but in stead of weights this day, I decided to do some laps in the pool.  I accidentally left my watch at home so I had to count my own laps, gasp!  It wasn't bad at all, it was kind of nice not fumbling with a watch.  Swimming went really well except my shoulders where on fire the next day!  Once the marathon is over, I will be spending more and more in time in the pool in preperation for my triathlon in May. (I'm looking forward to writing about that experience.)

Tuesday: Last week, I mentioned joining Planet Fitness because it's super close to my work and I needed a place to use a treadmill.  I headed over there on my lunch break and knocked out 5 super easy miles on the dreadmill.  The weather was so gorgeous and since I'm still doing the Isntagram yoga challenge, I decided to take it outside for some sprints and my yoga flow.

Wednesday: Wanting and needing to go lighter on the weights so that I won't be too sore leading up to the weights, I headed back to Planet Fitness and knocked out a quick upper body circuit.  PF was pretty dead that time of day so I was able to get in and out rather quickly.  I did, however, go a little hard than I probably should have because my poor arms are still so sore.  I LOVE lifting, almost as much as running...almost.  In fact, if I had to chose between the two (for whatever reason), it sure would be a hard decision because they are both so equally important in my life.  Nothing beats that runners high but it sure feels pretty freaking amazing to go hard in that weight room.  I guess I'm lucky to get to experience the best of both worlds and the two go hand in hand.  This Spring and Summer, though, when I'm not doing distances longer than half's and 10k's, I am really looking forward to spending more time getting stronger and leaner (stay tuned for my next fitness endeavor)

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Thursday:  Last run before the big race (unless I can squeeze a 1-2 mile shake out run Saturday, not likely though).  Did a super easy 5k including some walking just to be conservative.  Then I hit the pool for a 1200m swim.  Also sent a little time foam rolling, I will certainly be doing that today and Saturday as well.

Jumping for joy, training is DONE!

Today:  It's currently only 5:30am here as I write this post and with my husband at work, I'm trying to get some work done while the kids are still asleep.  I will head into work myself soon too (after I drop the kiddos off at school) and try to squeeze in some foam rolling and mobility work this afternoon.

Yoga Challenge move from Thursday, I will be doing more of these movements along with foam rolling today.

Now is that time where I just have to try and relax and trust my training.  I have done all I can to prepare for something I have already done four times before.  So I know I can do it, it's just a matter of how well I can do it.  But I would have to say my biggest goal for this weekend has nothing to do with time.  This will be the first time since Marine Corps Marathon in 2010 where I traveled to a race, went to a big expo and really just have no expectations other than to finish.  This will also be the first time my kids get to experience this with me and see what mommy loves to do.  They did come to see me finish Space Coast two years ago but they were so young and that was such a bad race for me that that whole experience was just bad all around for everyone.  I am looking forward to the expo, to spending the night in the beach with my family, to having my boys there when I cross the finish line and to just soak up every minute of the whole weekend.  Be sure to check back Monday (or Tuesday) for my whole experience!

Getting sweet kisses from my boys Wednesday night, I cannot wait for them to hug and kiss me after I cross the finish line!

Let the Tapering Begin

Less than 2 weeks out from marathon number 5...

The realization that my next marathon is just days a way is really starting to sink in.  Waves of emotions crash over me periodically throughout the day.  One moment I am fired up, excited and ready to attack the race to see what I can do out there.  Other emotions drown me in my own fears and anxiety.  This was supposed to be my "make up race" since I had gotten hurt and couldn't reach my goal at my last race (and the one before that one I got sick).  But when I had to jump right back into 20 mile runs two weeks after my last marathon, I quickly realized my body and mind could have used a break.  Luckily, despite my continuous training I have managed to completely heal from my injury and even build my pace (that had taken a huge hit) back up.  Unfortunately though my pace is not back to what it was nor is my desire to push as hard as I know I could if I were not so over trained.  Of course, we never know what race day brings, maybe things will click for me and I will crush it.  Or then again maybe I will be reminded why I don't run back to back marathons.  Either way, I would be lying if I said I am not excited to get out there give it my all and have some fun in the process.  I will never give up on my dream to BQ, nor do I have any plans to permanently give up the full distance any time soon, but I think a little break from marathon training will certainly do me some good.

Here is a recap of this past week...

Monday: There is a new stereo system in our group fitness studios at the gym I teach at.  For the 10+ years I have been teaching aerobics, I have always been able to pre-choreograph my classes to either music I choose or the music I am provided with in advance.  Now, with the new system, I'm having to wing it each week.  (I could go in and make a couple of playlists but ain't nobody got time for that).  So I have to admit, I'm a little anxious each time I go to teach spinning now.  But this week, the list I selected was great, the class was full with my regulars and some new folks, and we had a blast!  After class, I wanted to do my last official leg day, so I headed over to the weight area.  Knowing it would probably be the last time I lift legs (heavy) for up to two weeks, I figured why not go hard.  Kinda wishing I hadn't lol, but it was a fun. 

Tuesday: It was GORGEOUS outside.  Temps in the low 80's, humidity not too high and plenty of sunshine.  Decided go on a device-free 5 miler on a different part of the trail I typically run on.  I drove a little bit further up the road to run this portion of the trail because of it's "hills" (they're not too impressive here in Central Florida so we gotta go looking for some) and because of it's curves and changes in direction.  I figured it would be some good practice for next Sunday.  I enjoy going device free occasionally.  I feel old school and I also feel I am able to enjoy and appreciate my surroundings more.  I do, however, find it difficult to pace myself and miss that measuring tool when I do not have it with me.  But it's probably a good thing because it will teach me to listen to my body better rather than staring at my watch the whole run.

Later Tuesday evening, I attended Hot Yoga.  The class was packed, the energy was through the rough and it was probably one of the best Yoga practices I've had!  Before leaving for class, Nolan, my oldest, asked me to do some poses with him.  He is so awesome.  He just loves to learn and has really taken a liking to what Hunter and I do.  I'm sure there are not very many four year olds who can do 18 inch box jumps and know how to properly execute a clean and press.  I know he's so young and will come into his own, but seeing him eagerly want to learn everything we love and do makes us so proud!

 

Wednesday: Hunter had one of his NFL clients coming in at the time I was planning to workout, so I figured I wouldn't bother them (actually them bother me by talking my head off lol) at our gym and headed over to LA Fitness to get a quick lift in.  Since it's all upper body for here on out, I hit my back, chest and shoulders pretty hard.  Walking out of the gym, I could barely feel my arms.  I was excited and scared at the same time!  Went back to work for a little bit then headed back to LA to teach my night time Yoga class.  I had a couple of new students that evening and they did great.  I love having new people in class, it's so awesome to see people try new things.  It's a great reminder what it's like to be a beginner at something, how intimidating it can be at first, how frustrating it can be when you can't do what everyone else is doing.  The first time is always the hardest but sticking with it can be so rewarding.  You just never know what you're capable of until you try!

Thursday: All of my ambitious workouts of the week were finally catching up to me and by this day, I.Was.Sore!  Thursday was humbling.  Realizing yet again I am not superwoman, I was really needing some foam rolling in my life.  I needed to run a couple of miles but almost talked myself out of it, almost.  I figured I had 3 options.  1. Not run at all (which I knew I would regret). 2. Suck it up and go kill myself with some speed work. OR 3. Just lace up and head on an easy run from the gym (our work).  I chose 3, figured it was a good compromise of the two.  Storms were expected later that day and the wind and sky were certainly indicative of that.  It was warm and a little humid, but the wind helped cool things down somewhat.  It also made running a little difficult, but again, I need to prepare myself for anything and everything on Sunday, so I was grateful for it.  I ended up having a solid 5 miler with an average pace of around 7:40.  I started off without my watch, only because it wouldn't pick up satellite, and just focused on my breathing and strides.  I felt I had settled in to a good easy pace that I figured was around 8:30ish.  My watch finally popped on and I was running a 7:35 minute mile.  I was pretty pleased with what I thought to be a nice easy, slower pace was actually back to my typical 5 miler pace pre-injury.  My body is really beginning to cooperate but my confidence needs to catch up.  I know that sounds silly, but my mental game took a way bigger hit when I got hurt than my body did.  It really messed me up and I'm struggling to get my confidence back.  I haven't raced in so long, and I think going out and having a great race will really help start building that back up.

Oh, and also on Thursday, I figured I could use another place to run (when the weather is bad) and throw some weights around on my lunch break, so I took advantage of the Planet Fitness "Join for $1" deal that was expiring that day.  It took about 5 minutes to sign up, I didn't want the tour, and I am now an official PF member, hehe!  This shall be interesting.

Friday: Hunter left super early this morning so it was just me and the babies this morning then me running the show at the gym.  It's definitely a little hectic getting the kiddos off to school and then rushing back to get to work.  But I managed and we had a killer MetCon this morning, our ladies always bring it and I love it!  I had a ton of work to do but wanted to knock out some upper body.  Now that I have so many options as to where to work out, it was hard to chose.  But with the work that needed to get done at the gym, it was an obvious choice just to stay here.  So I quickly changed into my workout gear, put some Juicy J on Pandora and went to work.  My shoulders are super sore and my legs kinda hate me, so I figured I should just focus on core.  I did about 45 minutes focusing mostly on core but threw in some things to really get the heart rate up, including kettlebell swings and ropes.  I usually like to push it a little harder on Fridays since I won't lift again until Monday, but with the race coming up, I decided to hold back a little bit.

Friday night was our Moms Run This Town Winter virtual event.  I always love these events since I am not able to make much of the group runs and this is a great opportunity to catch up with the ladies.  Since I had the kiddos, I was able to run, but because our gym was a sponsor, I really wanted to go for a little bit.  The swag for the event was sick!  We got our medals of course and a bunch of samples and info in the bag, but we also got a headlamp, wine glass and jacket!  And Nolan even got to be a happy helper and hand out a couple of finishers medals to some of the ladies, which pretty much made his day.

Saturday: Since Hunter was out of town, it was just me and the munchkins until later that night.  That meant it would be another treadmill Saturday at LA Fitness. 

I have actually grown to like my 8-10 mile treadmill runs.  I am able to get into a great zone on there with some awesome people watching.  And some times I even have someone running next to me to chat with.  I got to chat with someone on Saturday for about 4 miles and I was keeping a 7:45ish pace, so that felt pretty good.  With the race next weekend and my body still pretty sore from the week, I figured 8 miles would do it for my last mid-distance run.  I did them in a little under an hour and was ready to spend the day with my babies.  I was pretty excited about my new Asics outfit so I snuck into the spinning room to take on of those obnoxious gym mirror selfies. 

Walking out to my car from the gym, I noticed I had been "flipped."  My MRTT car magnet was upside down meaning fellow MRTT mama had come across my car.  I figured it was form the event the night before and I didn't see it because it was dark.  But I was still excited to see I was flipped.  So of course the boys and I had to take a selfie with it.  Please excuse my youngest, Lincoln, he's my wild child!

Sunday: Hunter got back Saturday night so Sunday was our typical family day.  Grocery shopping, food prepping, soccer and of course the Super Bowl!  Nolan scored his teams only 3 goals at his game and Lincoln actually participated in his game for the first time this season and scored a goal too, so the boys were on fire!  We were so proud of them and went to Froggers to celebrate.  They enjoyed playing video games and coloring but had no interest in the funnel fries we ordered so guess who ate those!?!  Oh well, cheat day.  We had some time to kill before the Super Bowl so we went down to the pound in front of our house to throw rocks in the lake and feed the ducks.  I also wanted to get a shot of the Pose of the Day for the Runners Love Yoga Instagram challenge I have been participating in. 

 
I got a great shot of the pose but more importantly, I got a beautiful shot of all four of us at the pound.  Moments like these mean that absolute world to me.  There is nothing extraordinary about setting at a retention pound throwing rocks in it, but to our sons it was one of the most exciting things they got to do.  Hearing their laughter, seeing their smiles and experience the world through them is a feeling like no other!

This coming week will be full out Taper Madness!  Easing off the heavy lifting, lighter and shorter runs and a lot of focus on sleep an nutrition for me this week.  No risk taking not to injury myself, lol, and just trying to relax, stay positive and focused.  I have no idea what to expect on Sunday.  I will have no control over the weather, the course or the competition.  But I do know that I am prepared, I am a strong runner, I am confident in my ability to finish and I will be proud of my for crossing that finish line, regardless of the outcome.  So marathon number 5, I'm coming for you!

Bidding Farewell to High Mileage...For Now

I cannot believe I will be running another marathon two weeks from Sunday!  It feels like I just ran my last marathon, oh wait, that's because I did just run a marathon and genius [sarcasm] over here decided to just jump right into another one.  Of course people do it all the time and I do love the distance, so no complaining from me.  But I do have to admit, that I am kinda ready to get it over with and start focusing on some shorter distances as well as other goals.  My body and mind have had enough 20+ mile runs over the last few months.  Like I have said in my past posts, I chose this one because of how badly I wanted to BQ, but I quickly realized that it probably just won't happen again.  And I am ok with that.  This is a great race, with great supporter for a great cause.  So I am just looking to get out there, run my heart out and have fun.
So without any further ado, here is a recap of the week:

Monday: Spinning, of course.  This week, I had a big class.  The energy was through the rough and we even had some fun tracks on the house playlist, including the "Macarena!"  Of course we had to spend the last several seconds of the track sitting upright on our bikes doing the arm movements to the dance.  Everyone got a big laugh out of it and had fun doing so.  That's what it's all about after all, working hard but having fun in the process.  I knew I needed to work legs that day to so I did some barbell dead lifts and front squats.  Added in some upper body as super sets and felt pretty good about my brief, but effective workout.

Luckily I never have a shortage of hand towels thanks to all the football games we go to!

Got to start my morning off with my little early bird.  Lincoln has never been a big fan of sleep, so I embrace our morning cuddles with the big fella.

Tuesday: Our forecast for the rest of the week wasn't looking too good with Tuesday being the last day of sunshine and warm temperatures.  I figured I needed to take advantage of running outside before the showers got here.  I have several route options in my area; I can run from my gym or home, or just a few minute drive I'm at the trail head of where I usually run.  But honestly, I have been getting a little bored with those routes since I do them so much and wanted to try something different.  On our Fleet Feet group runs, we typically run over an interstate overpass near the store.  From the time it starts inclining to the top, it's about a quarter of a mile, then the same thing going down to the end of the decline.  Since we do not have much hills here in Central Florida, this seemed like it would be a great place to do "hill training."  The weather was absolutely beautiful and all the cars rushing by even created a nice breeze.  I warmed up with a mile then attacked that over pass several times.  3/4 mile cool down for a total of 5 challenging miles.  What a great workout, I will definitely be doing that again.  It did, however, not help my already sore legs so I was somewhat regretting all that Wednesday morning, lol!  I also took a few moments to participate in the FitApproach flex and flow challenge with one of my favorite poses.  The upward facing dog always feels so great!

Wednesday: I didn't have much time to train on Wednesday, Hunter and I had a lot to do at work, so I got a quick, but potent lift in at our gym.  For lower body, I only did kettle bell swings and hurdle squat jumps, then focused mostly on upper body.  Later that evening, I was the hostess for our Moms Run This Town meet up at the Fleet Feet pub run.  I was so excited for the opportunity to run with some gals I don't get to see very often as well as make new friends!  Unfortunately, it was raining and dark, so my group only did 2 miles then headed back to the pub.  A lot of us gals are racing over the next couple of weeks so we didn't want to risk getting hurt, plus we were really just there for the beer anyway, hehe.  It's always such a great time hanging out the gals, enjoying a drink or two, discussing everything from our races to our jobs and families.  I am not able to make much events so I take full advantage of our time together when I can.

MRTT at Fleet Feet Pub Run

Thursday: The rain continued into Thursday so I figured it would be a good treadmill day.  Thursday was just one of those blah running days for me.  Not sure if it's been the rain or the tapering, but I was just not totally with it.  I definitely need to snap out of it and get my mojo going for game time in two weeks!  Despite being somewhat cumbersome, I had a descent treadmill run with 3 miles at an average pace of 7:45 then 2 miles of speed work (4x400 @ 6:15 pace w/ 400 RI).  I followed it up with 1000m swim, which actually felt great.  Swimming is becoming more and more effortless for me and I am super excited to get my triathlon training in full swing here soon!

Friday: The only time I have to workout on Fridays is right after I coach the 9am MetCon class.  Hunter heads over to Yoga and I am have the gym to myself to get in another quick but potent lift.  Typically focusing on all upper body, I did a lot of shoulders, biceps and triceps as well as core.  Didn't want to be too sore for my last double digit run the following day.  After our workouts, Hunter and I got some work done at the gym and headed to our favorite lunch spot, Jimmy Hula's, for a delicious post workout lunch!  Then of course we and picked up our precious munchkins and enjoyed a fun afternoon at the park with them.

Nothing better than getting some work done early morning then coming upstairs to these two!

Saturday: I have been loosely following a couple of different training programs in preparation for my next race in two weeks.  For my first couple of marathons, I followed Jeff Galloway's program, but without the walk intervals.  I used it mostly for the suggested mileage.  This last marathon, I followed the Run Less Run Faster method.  I was drawn to it because I have always been a three times a week runner and I felt the structure and speed training would help me get my BQ.  The RLRF program also known as the "First Method" was almost too stringent for me.  In fact, I believe it is what lead to me over training and ultimately my injury.  (Side note, the program didn't cause me to bruise my heel on a coffee table, but I strongly believe I wold have healed much quicker with less issues if I had not been over training.)  Despite the overzealous speedy tempo runs and high mileage runs ever single weekend, I did find that I rather enjoyed and always crushed the speed work from the program.  So I decided to plug the speed work in to the Jeff Galloway program and have been doing that for the past two months.  Between a much simpler approach and of course my much more relaxed attitude about it, I'm feel pretty good heading into race day.  So with all that being said, my plans for Saturday called for 8-10 miles and I of course, had to do it on the treadmill.  It was one of those runs where everything just kinda worked in my favor.  My favorite treadmills was available for me.  The temperature was perfect inside (I know that sounds silly but it is usually super humid inside LA Fitness).  My iPod did not mess up on me and it kept playing some of my favorites from my playlist.  and I just felt good, confident strong and fast.  I knocked up the full 10 miles in about an hour and fourteen minutes with an average pace of 7:25.  That was my best 10 miler since before my injury so I was pretty fired up about that!  As excited as I was about a super awesome 10 treadmill miles though, I am still being very realistic about my full.  Man I would nothing more than to finally catch that Unicorn and know that I have it in me, I just don't know if this will be the one, we shall see!

This was actually my first ever gym mirror selfie, so I was pretty embarrassed getting this shot, lol

Sunday: Family, laundry and meal prep day!  The boys were just too excited for the day that they woke up super early to get it started.  Hunter went for his run while the boys and I ran some errands, then we all headed off to soccer.  I was hoping to get a quick little afternoon run in myself like I did last week, but meal prepping took a little longer than anticipated.  It was probably a good thing though because with the race coming up, I definitely need to take my designated rest days.  Don't want to over train or get hurt, yet again.  Later in the evening we went over to a neighbor's house and they had a super delicious and healthy meal.  It was such a fun evening and the boys, as well as Hunter and I, were super worn out from the exciting events of the weekend!

Final Thoughts: I switch back and forth between excitement and dread for this next marathon, and it all just depends on the day and the my most recent training run.  The week started off a little rocky but I finished strong with a great run on Saturday.  It's time to focus on tapering and resting up for the big day.  Just trying to stay positive and focused.  Most important thing is that I just give it my all, finish strong and leave it all out on the course!