Half Marathon Training: Week 9 Complete

Last week's workouts:
Sun: Rest
Mon: 3 mi easy run
Tues: Yoga Power Yoga 4 podcast (40 min)
Wed: 3 mi easy run
Thurs: 2 mi intervals Eh, didn't really do intervals, just did the 2 miles at a fast speed. Having a running watch would probably make intervals and speed work easier.
Fri: Yoga Rest
Sat: 8 mi easy

My friend Jen joined me for the first part of my run on Saturday. Another bonus to having a running partner is that it encourages me to get up and hit the road earlier than I normally would. Jen had to be at work at 8:30 so she needed to meet at 6:30. It felt great to be done with my run by 8:00 before the trail got busy! My legs felt strong through my whole run and the cooler temps made a huge difference. I finished in exactly 1.5 hours, so that put me at about an 11:15 pace. Not bad! I treated myself to a Starbucks latte since it wasn't unbearably hot. Yay fall!

This week's plans:
Sun: Yoga for Runners podcast (25 min)
Mon: 3 mi easy + Power Yoga class
Tues: Easy bike ride
Wed: 3 mi
Thurs: 3 mi
Fri: Rest
Sat: 9 mi easy

I have decided that instead of the half marathon I was planning on for the first weekend in November, I am going to do a new race at the end of October instead. I think this will work better for me because it will give me an extra couple of weeks to get ready for the White Rock half marathon.

Hope everyone has a happy and healthy week!

Mexican Black Bean and Spinach Pizza

Last week, I bought a 2-pack of my favorite whole wheat pizza crust at Whole Foods last week and decided to do something different with the second crust. I wasn't sure how this recipe was going to turn out (we are generally pizza traditionalists in this house), but we had all the ingredients and I decided to give it a try. So glad I did, it was delicious and so easy!

I did make a few changes. Like I said, I used whole wheat pizza crust instead of cheese-flavored. I used fresh spinach since I usually like that better but it didn't cook down as much as I thought it would. Next time I would either use frozen or sautee the fresh spinach before putting it on the pizza. I also left out the extra hot sauce since we were out of it (very unusual!) and I would put it on next time for a little more heat OR use a hotter salsa. And finally, I used mozzarella because I didn't want to go to the store just for Monterey Jack cheese.

Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) Italian cheese-flavored thin pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place pizza crust on a baking sheet; bake at 375° for 5 minutes or until crisp.
Mash beans with a fork; combine beans and next 4 ingredients (beans through garlic) in medium bowl, stirring to combine. Spread bean mixture over crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Spoon salsa evenly over bean mixture; top with spinach and cilantro. Drizzle with hot sauce; sprinkle with cheeses. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Half Marathon Training: Week 8 Complete

Last week's workouts:

Sun: 7 miles easy
Mon: Rest Power Yoga class (1 hr)
Tues: 3 2.05 mi easy
Wed: Yoga 2.4 mi easy
Thurs: 3 mi easy Yoga for Runners podcast (25 min)
Fri: 3 mi easy Fine, 2.9 but I feel bad doing all these strike-throughs.
Sat: Oktoberfest 5K! 26:17! A new PR, I am still surprised that I managed to knock 2.5 minutes off my previous PR!

So last week I didn't stick to my plan that well, but at least it ended on a good note! Saturday's race was so fun, I have done the Oktoberfest 5K for the last 3 years. This year a group of our friends decided to join us. Two of them are training for the White Rock half marathon in December (and doing awesome!) and we decided it would be a healthy way for us to kick off the weekend. Even Michael ran, his first 5K since high school. He did very well, finishing in 32:09.
Afterwards, there is a great party with beer and lots of food. This year was soft pretzels, pizza and croissants. A great post-race meal if you ask me! And of course we came back to Oktoberfest for more fun later in the day.

This week's plans:
Sun: Rest
Mon: 3 mi easy run
Tues: Yoga
Wed: 3 mi easy run
Thurs: 2 mi intervals
Fri: Yoga
Sat: 8 mi easy

I'm also hoping to fit in a strength training session at least one of those days.

Have a happy and healthy week!

Garlicky Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

My friend Stacey gave me this recipe several months ago and it is so quick and easy to put together. I normally add a little crushed red pepper to the garlic for some heat.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic
5oz baby spinach
Salt and pepper
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Tomatoes
Oregano
1 prepared thin crust pizza dough

Preheat oven 450
Heat olive oil in skillet on medium high heat
Sautee garlic until lightly brown
Add spinach and salt and pepper to taste
Cook until spinach is wilted
Spread mixture onto pizza crust
Add slices/chopped tomatoes
Cover with goat cheese and oregano
Cook in oven for 10 minutes

Half Marathon Training: Week 7 Complete

Last week's workouts:
Sun: Celebrate Yoga! (~2 hrs)
Mon: 3 mi easy
Tues: Yoga (Yoga for Runners Podcast)
Wed: 3 2.4 mi easy
Thurs: 2-3 mi with intervals 3.3 mi bike ride in the morning; upper body strength training in the evening
Fri: Rest
Sat: Run Proud 5K. 28:51, missed a PR by 4 seconds! I ended up running to the race and walking back, for a total of 5.1 miles

Great week! I decided to take my "poor, neglected bike" (Michael's words) out for a spin. I asked for this bike for my birthday last year and have not used it nearly as much as I thought I would.

Saturday's race went pretty well, except for a horrible side stitch at the halfway point. I think it was because I accidently inhaled some of the water I grabbed at the water stop. The afterparty was so fun, lots of sweet treats: cupcakes, Tasti D-Lite froyo, Panera, plus more that I can't remember. Yum!

I ended up deciding to do my long-ish run on Sunday morning. I hit the Katy Trail a little big after 8:00 and it was another beautiful morning! Lots of people out and about and even though my legs were sore from the day before, I felt strong for all seven miles.

This week's plan:
Sun: 7 miles easy (check!)
Mon: Rest
Tues: 3 mi easy
Wed: Yoga
Thurs: 3 mi easy
Fri: 3 mi easy
Sat: Oktoberfest 5K! One of my favorite races, always a fun time!

Half Marathon Training: Week 6 Complete

Long time, no post!

I feel like this time around it's been much easier to get back into running after a short break. During the few weeks I took off, I still made sure to get in one good run a week. Also, once I started training for a fall half marathon, I started making myself get up early to run before work. This has worked much better than waiting until after work to run, when it is too hot to run outside and I'm stuck with the treadmill.

I am already signed up for the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon in December, but I think I want to do one more as well. I have not officially registered yet, but I think it is going to be the DRC Half Marathon on November 6. That is only one month before the White Rock half, but I think I am up to the challenge!

Last week's workouts:
Sun: Power Yoga podcast
Mon: 2 mi easy
Tues: Yoga Sculpt
Wed: 2.9 mi easy
Thurs: 2 mi
Fri: Rest
Sat: 6 mi easy

Saturday's run was tough, I had been fighting a migraine all week. Friday felt a lto better, but Saturday morning I woke up in pain again. I took Excedrin Migraine and drank some coffee and lots of water which seemed to help calm things down. However, my stomach was still upset and even though I stopped for water as often as possible, my head was pounding again by about mile 4. I thought about stopping after 5 miles (at which point I was back where I parked) but decided to just push myself through the last mile. My reward when I got home was a dose of my good medicine and a nap.

Sunday I participated in a workshop at the Y called Celebrate Yoga. They had a few different styles of yoga classes as well as t-shirts, goodie bags and drawings for prizes. I had a great time! I took a Power Yoga class outdoors (some cooler weather has finally rolled in), then came inside for a Gentle Flow class. It was a great way to start out the week and a nice healthy activity for the long weekend! My muscles are still feeling it today.

This week:
Sun: Celebrate Yoga! (~2 hrs)
Mon: 3 mi easy
Tues: Yoga
Wed: 3 mi easy
Thurs: 2-3 mi with intervals
Fri: Rest
Sat: Run Proud 5K. My first race of the season!

I need to get a longer run in (I am hoping 6-7 miles) and the 5K is only a little over a mile away. So I'm wondering if I should do a few extra miles before the race (I don't really like splitting up my runs like that) or just try to do the longer run on Sunday instead of Saturday. Thoughts? If nothing else, I'll at least jog over there and back, seems silly to drive just a mile for a race, right?

Hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day weekend!