Fitness Links for reading

Welcome to Friday!
I seemed to disappear from my blog this week, but it's been an off week around here. I got my training runs in this week and feel great, but work has been busy! So, I've actually been busy working instead of writing.
However, I did find time to get some good reading for your weekend. Here goes:

source

1. One of my biggest weaknesses with my training is my core workout. Well, not so much my entire core because I've been working on my hips, glutes, and back due to my injury, but my abs. Oh how I hate ab work. But really, I just need to suck it up, buckle down, and get busy. So, I found this, and I think I'm going to give it a try. First of all, I really like this article because it's not just all "sexy abs in six minutes" or some crazy fitness trend of the moment. Fitness magazine takes the time to explain the ab muscles, and there was a lot of research involved in this workout. Plus, it's yoga. Which I've been reading about forever how yoga is such a good core strengthener. Especially for runners. I'm not a dieter, so I probably won't try that, but I'm thinking I might take up incorporating this workout into my strength routine.

Weekend happenings and a PR workout

My weekend started out with a half day of work on Friday because I headed up to campus and officially became a student again.

I registered for summer classes (11 hours!) and fall classes (18 hours!) I'm pretty much one of the first to register because I'm a super, duper senior considering I have a whole bachelor's degree transferring in. I'm pursuing my teaching certificate which isn't actually a degree program. Just the credentials I need to teach.

Then, the best. thing. ever.

I dragged the hubster with me and four teenage girls. It's my YA girls book club and since it was the first book we read this year, we all had to go together.

My town has this awesome locally owned little theater and silly me didn't even think about tickets being sold out. So when I got a screaming text from one of the girls two hours before the movie saying I needed to go buy tickets NOW, I changed my mind. The theater was packed, and I have never been to a movie where so many people went to the bathroom/got refills than at this movie.

Nevertheless,  it was amazing.

Motivating Monday: Are you fierce?

My very first post I told you why I run.
It’s a growing list, or at least, I hope it will continue to grow. I’m sure there will be another round of burnout at some point in my life, or a new phase that limits my time for running, but I figure if I keep that list handy, then I’ll always be able to remind myself why I do it.
Or why I should do it.

So here’s to Monday and continuing to increase my miles:

source

A little fitness link reading

This must have been a good week in the fitness world because I had a hard time keeping this link list fairly short today.  I've read some good articles and walked away with some great tips and knowledge. Here's 5 I'd like to share with you:

source

1. Not sure how I feel about this one. I read about several mother runners all the time, and even have some good friends who are quite fit and never had issues when it came to conceiving; however, Runner's World says that new studies have found vigorous exercise to delay pregnancy. Guess I'll find out eventually if that's an issue I'll face.

2. This one gets a little wordy, but stick with it. Here's the nutshell: If you tell yourself you can't, you won't. Eventually, you'll start to believe all your negative talk and it sinks in. Don't be a doutbful engine that could. Stay positive! If it works on the negative side, then the positive talk has to be tenfold.

A Few Running Books you Need to Check Out

And now for a commercial break.

I would like to take moment and plug a couple of books that have me in a tizzy because they finally launched this week.

I would also like to take a moment and first throw out a disclaimer: I am not a mother (my greyhound doesn’t really count) yet, but when we do decide to have kids, I fully intend to run and stay fit through my pregnancy. (Like these awesome ladies! Hungry Runner Girl and NYC RunningMama) Therefore, I see reading Train like a Mother: How to Get Across Any Finish Line-and Not Lose Your Family, Job, Or Sanity by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, and their first book, RunLike a Mother: How to Get Moving –and Not Lost Your Family, Job or Sanity, as good preparation for the future.

Eggs: They do a body good

Boiled or poached. That's my choice!

I have an on-again, off-again relationship with eggs.

Lately, we’ve been on.

And can I just say, it’s been good.

After reading an article by Runner’s World, I’m glad that this love-bond is happening. I learned five things today about how much eggs are doing for me.

Shoes and GU: New things for running

I like to think that Music Man and I live in a hub. We live in a small town but not too small because we do have a Walmart; however, we're surrounded by bigger cities. There's one to the North, Northeast, South, and Southwest all literally about a 45 minute drive away. So we hardly ever get bored when we want to go walk around a bookstore, or mall, or have a nice dinner date. There's always a different city to choose from.

Yesterday, we headed to my least favorite, the Southwest, (where I used to commute to work before this year) mainly because I had to get my TB test checked for my substitute teacher app, but also because I was bound and determined to get some new running shoes.

Motivating Monday: Getting out there

Have you had finished a workout and said to yourself, "I wish I hadn't done that."
Probably not.
Although, I might have said that during high school volleyball practice when we were forced to run zig zags (back and forth's, lines, in and out's...) because we hadn't been practicing well. Back then I didn't know how much I'd enjoy running one day.

But now, I'm usually complaining before the workout.
Ok, I might complain after a workout, but it’s usually to my husband and about how sore I am, and even though it hurts it still feels so good.
But I never tell him, I really wish I just hadn’t run those [enter number here] miles, or I wish I just hadn’t got up early and woke up with yoga today.
Never.

Running really is a mentality

My Sunday morning run consisted of 6 glorious, speedy miles.
I know. Some of you might really be wondering how 6 miles could be glorious, and speedy, but can I just tell you that today, for me they were.
First of all I should say I'm not a fast runner. I never really have been. I ran sprints in high school track, but I was only fast when I ran with three other girls on a relay team because they could make up for my slower seconds. For about the last several years, I clock in around 10 minute miles.
An average pace.
A pace I'm really ok with because I could keep it up forever, and I’m all about the distance traveled.
However, I'm also my biggest competitor, so secretly, I want to be fast.

Some Fitness Links for this Friday

Well, I definitely read a lot of articles this week.
So, it's time to share:

1.  "One of our greatest gifts as humans in our ability to move."
I'm thinking that The Athlete's Book of Home Remedies by Jordan Metzl, MD is book I need to add to my ever growing collection of fitness books. I stumbled upon this article on the Today Show's website and even though the book is from the Men's Health collection, I'm thinking it might do me some good. The author is not only a doctor, but an athlete. He's a veteran of 29 marathons and 9 Ironmans. I'm thinking he knows just about every ache and pain out there.

Compression, anyone? Yes, please.

In the world of runners, compression gear is a God-send. Or so they say.

You're supposed to wear it after long runs or hard workouts to help blood flow to the muscles (so, pretty much doing work for the muscles so they have less to do to repair themselves, and in turn, it speeds up your post workout recovery and can also help prevent strain and fatigue.
In a nutshell, compression gear helps decrease soreness the next day.
And I am ALL about less pain. 

Motivating Monday!

My long run this week was a 5 to 6 miler. I wanted to put in 6 miles, but I figured I would listen to my body while I was running to determine what distance I would end up with. Next week I’m supposed to cut back to 3 miles, so really if I ran 5 I’d have some leeway in the training for a 6 miler next weekend.

I thought there was a chance of rain on Sunday, so to get rid of any silly weather excuse to run outside, I switched it up and headed out Saturday for my run. It was about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and I was tired from being up early that morning and putting hours in at work. Even though it was a beautiful day outside, I just did not feel like running.

Secret Life

I leave for two minutes and this happens.

Ninja.

Fitness Links Friday

Check it.

When I'm bored at work, I often peruse Publisher's Weekly, the news, and health websites.

I can't help it. I get really bored, really easily. And I like to read. Don't tell my boss.

So I thought, why not share some of this good 'ole stuff with you guys? That way you know some of the things I talk about are actually legit.

(I have no idea where this cool/gangsta voice is coming from, but, just roll with it with me.)

So here's to what I'm calling Fitness Links Fridays.

1. First up are these AWESOME ladies over in Portland and California who are going to be riding the entire Tour de France route before the actual race. In fact, they'll be riding each stage one day before the men because we all know the race is a male-only kind of gig. Oh, you didn't know? Well, now that I've told you, go out there and cheer on these women cause they aren't doing it race style. They'll be riding without closed off roads, cheering crowds, or other racers to draft off of.
Hard. Core.

Formula for a good Friday

Fridays are typically my restorative rest days during the week. By that I mean I don't run, bike, swim, take any fitness classes, or lift. I take a breather, let my muscles take in the work from the week, and restore myself with a little yoga. 

I've been waking up naturally much earlier this week (I'm thinking it's the time change coming up), and so I actually set my alarm for a half hour earlier today just so I could get up and get a good yoga session in. Well, turns out JJ was ready for me to get up too.
The past couple of weeks he's been nagging me out of bed early... doing the whole whine whine...take care of me I'm helpless thing. I'm trying to turn it to my advantage and so I tell myself he's my morning motivator. He makes me get up early, so really I should just stay up and get a good run/yoga session in depending on the day.
So far, it hasn't worked. My comfy bed just calls to me on these cold mornings. Plus, I've been in a funk this week. (Read here for a definition and suggestions to battle the funk.)

A little motivation for a Monday

So here's what I'm thinking. Remember last fall when I was posting my Monday Morning Meditations? Well, I really like the idea but I've gotten away from my posts. I'm thinking it's because when Monday rolls around, I'm not always that meditative.
It is Monday morning after all.

What would you say to a little motivation instead? I'm thinking, depending on the morning, I'm either meditative or in need of some serious pick me up kind of words. It usually just depends on the weekend and what I've been doing, how my long run went, etc. So instead of being meditative all. the. time. I'm going to vary it up.

I'm human. I can't be that contemplative and serious all the time. I mean, honestly I am just a goofball.
And face it. If I'm spurring you on, then I need something to kick me into gear too. Plus, I'm starting "Motivating Monday" as a weekly post on my local community running blog, and if you aren't a reader there, I wanted to give you a little motivation, too.

This week, I'm focusing on this: