The Broad Street Training Recap!

Just wanted to post an update on the Broad Street Run!

I had this terrible chest/head cold nightmare about six weeks before the race. This illness, of course morphed into a lovely sinus infection and I was under the weather for about two weeks.

YES. Two weeks.

I'm not a risk-it-for-the-biscuit kind of girl, especially when it comes to respiratory health. I had pneumonia when I was in high school, so I take it easy when I'm sick. I couldn't run outside with allergies and all the meds I was on (going to the bathroom every half hour and all that jazz). My training and physical health really suffered. I hit a speed bump, but saying I hit a speed mountain is much more accurate.

The fact that I was able to run this race is amazing. I literally went on 4 or 5 runs to train in the time span of 3 weeks.

My runs consisted of this exact "schedule":

• 3.55 mile run on Wednesday, April 17
• 5.21 mile run on Saturday, April 20
• 3.10 mile run on Tuesday, April 23
• 8 mile trail run (not exactly sure of the mileage) on Sunday, April 28

And that was it. 

I trained for a 10 mile race in three weeks with 4-5 runs. I barely did any excess cardio, and I went to yoga 1-2x a week. Would I say this is the way to do it? Absolutely not.

What I did do:

• Foam rolled almost every day.
• Stretched after foam rolling.
• Drank a ton of water.

Foam rolling helped so much with my training. I'm convinced that without it, I wouldn't have been able to complete the run. I was barely sore on the days after I ran. I went from 0-60 in three weeks, and I don't advise that for ANYONE. If you do have a crisis-training situation, make sure you take care of yourself. 

Going to yoga helped me so much. It helped me pause and breathe through any stressors (ahem, schoolwork) and I felt much more in-tune with my body. I could target which hip was more sore, and which calf was tight. Yoga really helped me to restore my physical and mental vitality, and I firmly believe restoration is equally as important, if not more important than training.

Training has taught me to listen to my body above all else. Don't ignore any pains, or sniffles, or twinges. Tune into your body, and target what hurts.

I will post next about my RUN! WOO!

Training + England

This week has been insane so far (I have so much to do before I leave for the great country of England on Friday night).

I did a quick (literally, 27 minute, 3 mile run) on Sunday morning and that's the last bit of activity I performed. I was very sore in my calves afterwards, so I took today off. Back to the grind tomorrow, though! I'd like to squeeze my workout in either before I go to my internship or after I come home from my night class. Hmmm...not sure what it'll be, but I would like for it to be an AM workout. They help me get powered up and focused for my day, plus I love how the workout is already over and done with.

So...I have a new addiction...

The Walking Dead-- AHH. I previously watched the first two episodes of season one and never really watched any more. I decided to sit down and watch some more episodes and now I'm onto Season 2 and I'm HOOKED! I have a feeling this will be a serious help on my long runs, especially if I do them on the treadmill :)

Anyways, Friday I go to the UK and I'm gone for a whole week! I'm so stoked, but of course I'm anxious and nervous. We'll be doing tons of walking (average 5-10 miles a day) so I don't have to worry too much about training ;) I figure it's a vacation!

I will absolutely try to post before then, but if not...I will definitely post after I come back!

BROAD STREET.

That's right, everyone.
I got in (I can only assume it's because of my Blue Cross health insurance, not because of my running abilities).

Nonetheless, I will be running the Broad Street Run 10 Miler on May 5th.

I live just outside of Philadelphia, so I am somewhat familiar with the route. I've been running three miles comfortably for a while, but I fell off the exercise/running wagon a bit from December (post-gobble wobble) - now. Sure, I did some intermittent exercising, yoga classes, but I was not showing my face at the gym 5 days a week.

So, thank you, Broad Street Run Lottery, for selecting me and giving my tush the push it needs.

So, the way I plan to increase my mileage is to start at three miles every 2-3 days. I ran Tuesday night on the treadmill and did three miles no problem (a little slow, but no problem).

My alarm was set for 9am this morning but I managed to wake up on my own and decided I should run before work today!

YEAH.

I'm feeling three miles with a brisk .5 mile cool down. That should do it.

Valentine's Day - Love Yourself

Valentine's Day has never really held much importance to me other than you either hate it or you love it. I personally enjoy the pink, purple and red hearts and I think that the idea of LOVE on Valentine's Day is beautiful. To me, Valentine's is a day of appreciation and kindness-- no hate allowed. Anyone can celebrate! You don't need a Valentine, you just need a positive outlook.

That's why, on Valentine's Day, I take the time to appreciate myself. I focus on the positive things in my life and I try not to dwell on the fact that my boyfriend has never once gotten me flowers EVER in the three Valentine's Days we have been dating and this Valentine's is not going to change this winning streak of his. Not bitter, not bitter at all. 

But really...we all need to hone in on the positive aspects of our health-- so why not love your body on Valentine's Day? 

If you're reading this on a computer screen, you have access to eyesight (and technology). If you're reading this, you are breathing. Your heart works, your lungs work and you are literate. You, my friends, are lucky. Some individuals are currently in a hospital bed, waiting for a heart transplant or some may be hooked up to a ventilator. 

I know I'm focusing on the internal aspects, but really, isn't that what counts? Yes, you still need to love yourself externally, but you need to appreciate that your internal organs are (hopefully) doing what they should be. 

Give your body a dose of appreciation today. Thank your body for what it does for you. In my case, I might just go for a run after work tonight and stretch it out really well! Ah, can't wait!

So, love it up!

The Cold, Day 8: there is hope.

My sniffles have subsided and after a solid two days of draining all the phlegm out of my body, I feel so much better.

I haven't had to take a nasal decongestant in well over 24 hours-- hooray! So this is real progress, everyone. This cold lasted a lot longer than I thought it was going to, but I'm so glad it's finally subsiding.

I just needed a few solid days of rest. I hope to be back to the crazy world of fitness sometime soon, but I'm not pushing it!

Stay healthy and sneeze, sniffle and cough-free!

Katie

Sickness is Still Strong!

This. Cold. Will. Not. Budge.

Welcome to Day 6.

I am furious. Yesterday, I walked on the treadmill for about an hour, nothing too intense. I felt great after, but I was EXHAUSTED. I went home, ate, took a shower and conked out for about two hours.

I have just been truckin' through, and that's probably my problem. I haven't devoted an entire day to just resting. I'm an on-the-go kind of girl and my salaries are hourly. If I don't show up, I don't get paid and that's just the way it goes.

I have probably used up about 70% of the tissues in this house. JUST TODAY.

I hope I'm somewhat better tomorrow, so I can at least go to my internship. It's easy work, but who wants someone sneezing and sniffling at a desk beside them? Nobody.

I personally hate being near a co-worker who sounds like they need to be in bed with a humidifier on. What do you think? If you're sick, stay home or should you power through?

Stay Healthy, please,

Katie

Sniffles and Sickness and Sneezes-- Oh, my!

It's officially that time of year again...the hacking, sniffling, sneezing and coughing of post-holiday sickness. Whether you're battling the cold and slugging through your day-to-day activities or you're bed-ridden with a fever and body aches, you hate to admit your illness.

I'm the type of individual who will fight to the death as far as sicknesses go. I went to school/work with pneumonia in high school for an entire week without knowing it. I thought I had a "bad cold" at the time.

In order for me to stay in bed, I must be really, REALLY, sick.

I've been fighting this cold for a few days now (first noticed my throat was sore on Sunday) and today has been the worst. My throat is all mucousy, swollen and sore. I feel like I'm breathing out fire and my head feels like it's about to pop (it's getting better, thanks to decongestant).

Of course, this all happens at once-- when classes begin. How convenient...

I can easily say that this cold has knocked any semblance of healthy living out of me. I still eat fairly healthy, but exercising has been a no-go. I might try to walk on the treadmill tonight at the gym, but yoga is dreadful when sick (especially with a runny nose).

My best friends while I'm sick have been:

Tea

I've been an avid tea-drinker for a while now. While I do love the occasional coffee, tea helps SO MUCH when I'm under the weather. It's like a liquid hug. Add some honey and my throat feels better instantly.

Sleep

Oh, man...I love a great nap or a great night's sleep. The problem is, I'm busy and I'm a night owl...but I have been carving out time for naps, especially since I've been feeling cruddy.

Water

I try to drink a lot more water when I'm sick. The downside: I pee a WHOLE lot. However, I do feel loads better because I'm flushing all the gunk and toxins out of my body.

I hope these couple of tips helped y'all out. I don't always take medicine for colds, or vitamins, so I try not to falsify "what works for me" if I don't really do it. If I feel bad, I'll pop a few Ibuprofen or a decongestant pill. Sometimes, if it's really bad I'll take a multi-symptom pill, too. 

That's all for now. 

Stay sniffle-free,

Katie

New Year's Resolutions

Hi all,

I just want to start out by saying Happy New Year 2013!

This is my New Year's Resolution:

I'm not about to go shouting from the rooftops about New Years Resolutions, considering I never keep the concrete ones I make (except last year, I vowed to stop biting/picking my nails and I haven't picked/bit SINCE).

New Years Resolutions are ridiculous. They just are.

But, I make them anyway.

I just started journaling (last night) in an actual, real life journal using--wait for it-- a PEN! Goodness. So high-tech. I'm excited to keep myself on track physically, emotionally and mentally. No matter how exhausted I am I need to write one thing per day.

I just want to get to know myself better and try to figure out what I want to do with my life after college. So, we'll see!

In other news, my dad got me a gift certificate to a REAL YOGA STUDIO!!!! GASP!

I'm a little too excited about that.

 I've always practiced yoga at the YMCA (with basketballs bouncing and sneakers screeching above the ceiling tiles) so it will be refreshing to try something more intense!

Well, that's all for now!

Stay motivated, y'all!

Katie