Trail Race Training: Week Four

Welcome to my last “first trail race” training post!

Week Four Training Recap:

Sunday: rest.

Monday: p90x “ab ripper x”.

Tuesday: 4 mile road run.

Wednesday: no workout. not sure what happened here…

Thursday: 3 mile road run. 10 sets of 15 push-ups. (to try and make up for yesterday)

Friday: 40 minutes of p90x “stretch”.

Saturday: Wild Thang Nine Mile Trail Run!!! 🙂

Week Four Nutritional Recap:

Well, it has been four weeks of no soda and no “junk” food (with the exception of my birthday on which I did enjoy some cake and ice-cream!) and I can’t say I’ve really missed it (yes, it’s been shocking to me too). So what have I learned from this experience? What have I gained? I have learned that our bodies are incredibly adaptable and so are our taste buds! I’ve learned that the more I eat “real” food, the more I crave “real” food (and the more “junk” food sounds, well, yucky). I’ve learned that real food fills you up faster and for longer, making eating less, less of a big deal. I’ve learned that eating real food doesn’t have to be time consuming and complicated unless you want to make it that way (fresh fruit, fresh veggies, cheese, yogurt, nuts, beans and whole grain anything- so easy! so simple. It only has to be as complicated as we make it.) I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for God’s Creation- God created our bodies, God created “real” food to nourish our bodies. Beautiful. Simple. Functional. I’ve also gained (or perhaps simply reignited) a conviction that treating our bodies well is so important! So vital to our well being and quality of life. “We are what we eat.” I believe that with all of my heart. Stay tuned for more on my real food journey. This story is not over yet.

Thoughts:

The end of this week marks the end of a challenging but rewarding commitment that I made to myself and to you, my readers, four weeks ago. It has been good. It has been hard. I am so grateful for the legs and feet that carried me through to the end of my training. Tomorrow I will post about my race experience. It was incredible!!! Thanks for reading. Thank you for your encouraging comments. I hope today finds you happy, healthy and moving! 🙂

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Trail Race Training: Week Three

Welcome to week three of trail race training! Three weeks in and things are going better than expected. So excited about Saturday’s race!

Week Three Training Recap:

Sunday: rest.

Monday: 5 sets of 20 pushups, 5 sets of 20 situps, 5 sets of 20 squats and 5 sets of 30 seconds of superman in 20 minutes.

Tuesday: 2 mile walk pushing my youngest in his stroller. 4 mile road run.

Wednesday: so sore. everywhere. skip workout.

Thursday: 4 mile road run.

Friday: 40 minutes of p90x “stretch”.

Saturday: 12 mile road run at Shelby Bottoms Greenway.

Week Three Nutritional Recap:

Not much to report. Enjoying my fruits and veggies. A lot. Have increased my protein consumption in an effort to speed up my recovery time. Sometimes I think it’s helping. Other times I don’t think it’s making a difference at all really. Feeling lighter and, on most days, more energetic. Planning to write a “real food” post soon!

Thoughts:

The past few weeks have been a good reminder that we are capable of so much more than we think we are. My 13 mile trail run last Saturday was a good example of that. And my 20 minute circuit on Monday, that I could barely complete, was as well. If you had told me on Saturday morning that I was going to go out and complete 13 miles that day, I would have told you I wasn’t ready for that, wasn’t in the shape to do that. But we did it! We finished 9, got back to the car, realized we didn’t feel done yet, turned around and banged out 4 more. Finished strong. And it felt great! And Monday. Monday I would have told you I couldn’t do a hundred of anything in 20 minutes, much less a hundred of 3 different things. But I did it. Barely. But did it.

So. My friends. That is my challenge to you this week. Find one thing you think you cannot do. And do it. Whatever it takes. Do it. If you think you cannot go an entire day without drinking soda, go without. For one day. No matter what. Whatever it takes. No excuses. If you are sure you could never walk a mile without stopping, walk that mile! If running sounds like an impossibility for someone like you, go for a short walk and include just a bit of running. Even if it is only for 10 minutes. Or 5. Or 3! The point is to complete something that you never thought you would do, could do. Or maybe you are already a runner but just know you could never run a 1/2 marathon…or a full marathon! Well I say, sign yourself up! Start your training. And see what happens. See how empowered you feel. See the snowball as it builds. See how many things can change just by changing one. Truly, we are remarkable creatures. If only we would treat ourselves as such!

And In Other News:

My dad and youngest sister started a 90 day commitment to p90x this week, my husband biked 22 miles for the first time ever on Saturday, one friend of mine is training for her first Warrior Dash as of this week, another friend of mine has decided to run her first trail race this month (same one I am training for!), still another is in the middle of training for her first FULL marathon right now and I have a fourth friend who is now a couple months into training for his first Death Race. So many firsts! I love it! So inspiring. I love seeing people trying new things, taking care of the remarkable bodies that God blessed them with, choosing to challenge themselves instead of just staying comfortable. So amazing. So exciting. So inspiring. 🙂

I hope this week finds you healthy and moving and trying new things.

What is a “first” you have accomplished this year??

What challenge will you be taking on this week?

Five days to go until my very first trail race. Wish me luck!!! 🙂

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