Penguins, Pastries, and Protein

Friday night my husband got home from work wanting to go for a run, and invited me along.  How could I turn that down??  So we went for a ~2.45 mile easy jog that took us through the nearby park on packed snow, not so packed snow, and icy paths.  After some recent freezing rain, there was a cool-looking sheen on top of the 12+ inches of snow still on the ground. 

While running through the park, I stopped to see how hard that layer of ice was, and it felt pretty solid.  Next, I decided to see if I could coast across the ice on my belly like a penguin. 

This is what I was going for:
 
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Surprisingly, it worked, and I did not break through the ice layer.  But the fronts of my legs were cold after that.  Anyway, it was nice to not run alone!

Saturday became my rest day.

A rest day that involved splitting an almond croissant and a raspberry & current croissant with the mister for breakfast.  Oh and some fresh Florida citrus, courtesy of the in-laws!



When I picked up the breakfast pastries from our local bakery, I was drawn to another item in their case…but it would have to wait until later.



Readers, let me introduce you to the Napoleon.  Layers of pastry cream between puff pastry, topped with home made whipped cream.  We split this Saturday night.

Back to that afternoon… after the sugar-rich breakfast we had, I was craving vegetables for lunch.  Lots of them.

I am getting back in to the habit of crafting interesting salads, and I’m lacking inspiration.  So this might be a weird mix, but I just pulled what we had out of the fridge… a Spinach and Arugula mix, then some sprouts, some little broccoli florets, and some garbanzo beans.



Interesting sprout mix that we had not tried before--



Actually, I just caught a re-run of The Office where Creed (the old guy) says: “I sprout mung beans on a damp paper towel in my desk drawer. Very nutritious, but they smell like death.”

In addition to veggies, I guess I needed protein, because I glopped on some cottage cheese and some chunk light tuna.



Saturday night, I made a recipe I came across on Fit Sugar a while back. I’ll post on that tomorrow.

Today, I went for my long run.  It was 43 and sunny and perfect for a run!  Still lots of snow on the ground and in the shoulders of the road. 

I’m amazed I didn’t pass more people outside, but I did encounter two friendly people on bikes (separately). They were both bundled up with face masks. The first one said, “Finally, a great day!” as he passed me.

I banged out 8.87 miles at a comfortable pace (and at an average heart rate of 166, I was so proud).

Here was the elevation of today’s run:


And my splits:


I walked the last .19 miles for my cool down.

My running/training schedule is going to be a little wonky this week because we made plans to go skiing next weekend (yay!)  I still have to figure out how I’m going to squeeze some of it in over the next 4 days.  I’m off to work on that, and to get ready for work tomorrow.

Anyone know of any great salad toppings or combinations to recommend?  I need some inspiration!

PS,
If you haven’t already, please  take a moment to share your opinions here before this Wednesday.  I want this blog to be as reader-friendly as possible, so I’d love to hear your thoughts on the current format, font, colors, etc.  Thanks!

Half Marathon Recovery

Woo hoo!  A couple days after the half marathon, they posted pictures.  They even have video footage of you as you approach and cross the finish line - crazy!  (Available for purchase, of course).  Here's a pic from somewhere along the course, can't figure out when it was taken:

I'm still riding the recovery wave following my 13.1 miles last Sunday.  My quads and the muscles around my knee were a little tight/sore for a day or two after.  I took a break from wearing heels to work.  Wednesday, the soreness was mostly gone.  Thursday morning I went for an easy 1.6 mile run before work on a nearby path (flat surface, dirt).  I felt really good after!  And now on Friday night, as I write this, my leg muscles are feeling completely back to normal.  I didn't take any pain medication/anti-inflammatory.

Aside from Thursday morning, my physical activity over the past 5 days has consisted of walking the dog.  My plan is to go for a bike ride Saturday, and I'll start up with the running again sometime after that.  I don't have any specific goal in mind to train for right now, I just plan to resume running about 3x/week and to enjoy some fall bike rides.  I was up to running around 20-25 miles per week at the peak of my half-marathon training.  I don't necessarily plan to maintain that level but I will probably strive for about 15 miles per week (maybe a 7-8 mile long run on the weekend, an easy 3 mile run and a 4-5 mile tempo run or some kind of speed work during the week).

I'm actually really looking forward to some cooler weather for outdoor exercise.  Here's an article from Runner's World on fall running and what your runs should look like in the fall based on your summer running accomplishments/fall running goals.

Some Tips on Half Marathon Recovery from a few sites:

• Active.com [link]
• Running Times
• Running.About.com [link]

Some sources say you should do an ice bath; I couldn't convince myself to get into a cold bath tub.  Some say you should get a gentle massage (sounds awesome...actually it's been a really long time since I've treated myself to a massage, probably over 2 years.  Maybe it's time!)  I have read some things that say to take a day off for every mile you raced (!) but there is no way I can be sedentary for nearly 2 weeks.  I think it's most important to just listen to your body.  If you're still sore --> rest.  If you feel comfortable starting up again, go for it, but take it easy for your first couple runs.

And here are a couple of pictures from Competitor's website from last Sunday:

Tons of people waiting at the Start Line

 

 View of the Finish Line from the Art Museum Steps, looking toward City Hall

What does your post-race recovery/rest routine look like?

What are your fall running or fitness goals?

I've been MIA since last week because this past weekend my husband and I met up with a bunch of old friends at a friend's family cottage in the Finger Lakes.  Here was our view.  

Sadly I have not ran since Friday morning, but I can say that kicking and paddling yourself on an inflatable raft and hanging on to a tube for dear life while being pulled around the lake by a boat do use some muscle! 

Once we got home from the Finger Lakes, we had another friend come visit for a couple days.  It's been in the upper 90s again with overnight lows in the mid 70s.  Not at all desirable for running, or anything else for that matter.  However yesterday we gave our friend a tour of Philadelphia and we walked the whole thing.  We estimated it to be between 5 and 6 miles of walking.

Anyone know where this picture was taken from?

The day before yesterday, we went for a ~45 minute walk/easy hike through a nearby park in the afternoon.  I haven't been a total slug for the past 5 days.

Anyway...back to the training plan tomorrow morning.  The plan is a 7 mile run.  We are expecting some rain in this area and for temps to cool down into the 80s again.  That should make running outside a little easier.  

I have to stick with my plan as much as possible for the next week and a half because then we'll be going on vacation for almost a week.  I plan to switch around my training plan and make that week one of my rest weeks.  The hotel does have a treadmill, which I am planning on using at least twice while we are there, but I don't want to stress about it too much.  I'm looking forward to the vacation and relaxing for a little bit before the school year starts up again.

How do you handle exercising while on vacation or visiting family/friends?