Day 30: 30 Days of Running – I Did It!
September 30th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Has it really been 30 days? For some reason, it doesn’t feel like that much time has gone by since I decided to make it a goal to run every day for 30 days. And yet, here I am; day 30 and I’ve accomplished my goal. I made it through all the 4:30 a.m. mornings, the occasional hangovers, a late summer cold and even a partying-it-up birthday trip to Vegas and I didn’t miss a day. To be honest, I never felt like I didn’t want to run. Sometimes when I’m training for something, runnign can feel like a chore, but this felt different. Were there days that were tougher than others? Sure. But keeping my distance and pace in check not only helped protect me from getting hurt, but it also kept me on track and made this goal a bit easier to get through than I had originally thought.
Looking back, I could have challenged myself a bit more on some of my runs, but it’s probably for the best that I didn’t. Now, I can focus on my training for the Rock n Roll in January. I am signed up for the half mary, but I have planned out my training as if I am going to run the full. If all goes well, I may just be ready (read: healthy) enough to line up for the full marathon. We shall see…
Check out my mileage this month! I was so close to hitting 100 miles. 
Day 20 – 30 Days of Running: Ready, Set, Go All Out
September 20th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Ok, so maybe the “go all out” is a bit of an exaggeration, but I am notorious for starting my runs too fast. I’m not sure why I feel rushed to get going and reach a good pace, but the moment I hit the start button on my Garmin, I take off. During my 30 days of running mission, I have been making an effort to really pay attention to what I’m doing while I’m running. From my pace and breathing to posture and foot strike – I’m finally taking the time to evaluate all of it.
Some of what I’ve noticed that could use (a lot of) tweaking will take time, but one item on my list is fairly simple: Start easy. I used a couple of runs to gauge how long it takes my legs to warm up and for me to settle into a nice pace and found that it takes about 1 to 1.25 miles to reach that point. Not bad. This morning’s quick 5K was a perfect example of starting slow and seeing the results in the following miles.
Day 20
A nice little progression run! And the bonus was that by the time I hit the end, I still felt great. It makes such a difference to listen to my body and let it dictate when it’s ready to pick up the pace. Before, when I was starting out each run without a proper warm up, I lost steam way too early in my runs. Now, I feel like I can take on some of the longer distances in my training with a better plan of attack. Everyone is different, but this works for me and I’m going to stick to it!
I’ve been a little lax on posting my runs here, but here’s what I’ve been up to the past several days:
Day 19
2 miles
No watch
Day 18
2 miles
No watch
Day 17
6 miles
55:27
Day 16
2 miles
No watch
Day 15
5.31
47:30
Fig, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza
September 14th, 2011 § 1 Comment
Just those first few words are enough to make my mouth water. I was watching The Pioneer Woman on Food Network the other day and she made a Fig and Prosciutto flat bread pizza that I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. This recipe is really easy to make (thanks to store bought pizza crusts) and has just a few key ingredients – which is great after a long day at work or when you need a quick appetizer for guests.
I put my own spin on this pizza and the second I took a bite, I knew I had to share the recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 small store-bought pizza crusts
8 slices prosciutto
2 cups baby arugula
1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Fig preserves
Directions
Heat oven according to pizza crust package. Spread a thin layer of fig preserves on pizza crusts. (These preserves are strong, so a little goes a long way.) Top with toasted almonds, mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese and place in preheated oven until crust is warmed through and cheese is melted.
Cut the pizzas (this makes it easier to serve and eat.) Top each slice with half a slice of prosciutto and 1/4 cup baby arugula. Shred a little fresh Parmesan cheese (optional) and serve.
p.s. In case you’re looking for an update on my 30 Days of Running, I was swamped with work yesterday and didn’t have a chance to post my run here.
Day 13
3 miles
28:25
Day 14
2 miles
(no watch)
