The Rural Runner: healthy

Showing posts with label healthy. Show all posts

This past year, I've been super into hot yoga, as the town I moved to has an adorable little spot called The Yoga Barn. The majority of classes are either Hot Power Vinyasa, or Warm Yin Yoga. So depending on whether or not you want a solid sweatfest of a workout, or a peaceful relaxing stretching session, those are the options. For me, it all depends where my schedule and shift work lands. Most times after a night shift, I'll stay up to attend the 9am class. Or if I am off, I'll go to which ever one is the hottest class of the day. This week, I was luckily off for all 4 days of yoga! (She has classes Monday-Thursday with some extras on weekends sometimes).
So I registered into the Hot power classes all four days. And as I'm sitting here typing, I'm realizing just how sore I am from 4/4 days of hot yoga. It's not as easy of a workout as everyone seems to think, and so I figured I would share with you all the thoughts that go through my head while I'm in class.

Okay, here we go I'm ready for a workout.
Woah, should have came earlier, its PACKED in here.
Okay there's a spot I can fit in!
Shit, it's at the front of the class..
Well I hope people behind me don't try to follow what I'm doing.
Alright, childs pose to start. I can handle this.
Deep breath in through the nose, deep breath out through the mouth.
I'm totally not a nose breather.. it sounds like I'm snoring over here..
First pose.. I got this.
Okay this isn't so bad, I'm not even really sweating yet!
Well then.. that must have just been the warm up.
Yup, now I'm sweating.
Right, focus on breathing. Opps.
Downward dog, my favourite because I can take a breathing break!
Oh, never mind we're doing another flow again.
If we do any more chaturanga's I'm gonna chaturanga on the floor.
Okay, yes focus on breath.
I've never sweat SO much in my life.
Warrior 2.. my shoulders are on FIRE.
Is anyone else sweating as much as me?
Like.. I'm literally DRIPPING on the floor
Chatu-friggin-ranga.. aka just do a slow motion reverse pushup until you collapse on the floor
Embrace the pain
Okay the sweat is literally in my eyes and I can't see.
Good childs pose, I'm just gonna lay here and die for a second.
Nope, no break were going again.
Damn it there I go losing focus again!
Breath in and high mountain, breath out and fold.
Maybe if I grab my towel and wipe my ENTIRE BODY no one will notice?
I think I have ADHD..
Just. Breathe.
Warrior three.
Yep and I just fell over onto the girl beside me.. SORRY.
How do some people have such good balance?
Phewf I think were slowing down.
Ah my breathing is almost normal now.
Savasana.. my favourite pose.
YES the cold compress.. ALSO my favourite.
Mmm it smells like peppermint.
I never want to move from my mat EVER.
That was amazing.
Im gonna be sore tomorrow!
When can I do that again!?
Maybe after a shower..
Ew, is that really how much I sweat?
What a GREAT workout!

Some day, I might be able to get through an entire yoga class without letting my mind wander, but today is not that day!

Peace, Love, Yoga.

Namaste,

The Rural Runner

Tonight my boyfriend and I were stuck for ideas for supper. We had a head of cauliflower sitting in the fridge that needed to be used, and remembered that recently his cousin had sent him a link for cauliflower that apparently tastes just like buffalo wings! We thought.. now that's crazy no way can cauliflower taste and have a similar texture as chicken wings.. but we decided to give it a go and see for ourselves!

Less than hour later.. we had magnificent and delicious buffalo style cauliflower! I can believe how similar these are to the real thing, I've really been missing wings since becoming vegetarian and have to admit, these hit the spot and are such a great alternative to meat!

Ingredient:

- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/2 cup flour (any kind should work)

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 pkg nacho seasoning (this is optional, but we loved the flavor it gave)

- 1 tbs melted butter

- 2/3 cup of hot sauce (we used siracha sauce)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, water, salt, garlic powder and optional seasoning

3. Coat cauliflower pieces evenly with mixture

4. Spread out coated pieces on a baking sheet (covered in tinfoil to prevent sticking) and bake for 15 minutes

5. Mix in a separate bowl melted butter with hot sauce (if you prefer milder wings, feel free to cover with less sauce or switch it up with some honey garlic instead

, etc.)

6. Remove cauliflower from oven after baking 15 minutes and cover with hot sauce mixture (more sauce = WAY hotter)

7. Spread cauliflower covered in sauce out on same baking sheets and return to oven

8. Bake another 25 minutes, tossing half way

9. Wait for them to cool and serve with your favorite dipping sauce (ranch dressing, sour cream, etc.)

The result is a delicious crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside spicy wing that tastes just like the real thing! They were a hit and were eaten within 10 minutes. We will definitely be making 2 heads of cauliflower next time.

Enjoy!

The Rural Runner

I frequently get asked "what do you think about when you run for that long?!" I'm not sure what people are really expecting for an answer, it's not like I'm solving all of the worlds greatest mysteries while I'm out running for 2 hours..

After seeing a post today on Shut up and Run, I decided to share my own thoughts while running.

Today was a 16km hilly run, so you can imagine that there may be a lot of complaining.

Things I think to myself while running:

1. I literally want to do anything else but hill training right now.

2. Okay this isn't so bad actually! Except I've only been running for 2 minutes and 37 seconds.

3. I think this car is trying to play chicken with me..

4. Okay he turned. Good cause diving in a ditch isn't on the top of my to do list today

5. This isn't too bad.. And it's nice out today!

6. Speaking of nice out.. Holy hell its hot. Must take off jacket.

7. Of course I WOULD be running AGAINST the wind. And now I'm cold.

8. My spleen might just be in the process of exploding.

9. Wow this hill just keeps going doesn't it?!

10. Maybe I should walk for like 5 seconds.

11. Of course a car drives by right when I started walking.. Now I look lazy.

12. Okay running again. Oh wait.. Yup I can taste my lunch. Please don't vomit.

13. I'm gonna have some wicked calves after this!

14. Omg this is a serious uphill battle. Much like my life so far.

15. Wow what a gorgeous view! Must stop and take running selfie.

16. I hate running.

17. Finally at the top! Oh wait.. There's another hill within the hill. Damn it.

18. Well I guess my pace isn't that bad considering I'm running up a mountain of death.

19. YAY DOWNHILL TIME! I'm going so fast!!

20. My legs literally feel like bricks. I'm carrying around bricks for legs.

21. Okay.. Could you make it a little less obviously that you're staring at me...

22. Maybe he was staring at my thighs.. Like come on legs, must you jiggle THAT MUCH?!

23. I should have wore sunglasses.

24. I wonder if people drain their pools in the winter, or let it ice over?

25. Shit now my foot is wet, where did that puddle come from?

26. It smells like horse shit here.. I gotta run faster to get past this farm.

27. Only 5km left I CAN DO THIS.

28. Okay. I can't do this. I need to quit running.

29. Maybe if I drop out of my ultra no one will know..

30. Except that's embarrassing.. Must keep running!

31. Omg I just got passed by a 15 year old boy.

32. SOME OF US ALREADY RAN 13.67 KM AND HAVE A GRANDMAS PACE OKAY

33. Oh thank god the light is red I can rest

34. Well that rest lasted exactly 5 seconds.

35. Almost home, if I can survive the first 15k I can do one more kilometre!!

36. Oh thank god I'm home. Where's the food.

37. That was great when can I run again!

Oh the many emotions of a runner.

Hopefully I'm not insane and other people think similar things while running haha.

What do you think about when running?

The Rural Runner

Brace yourselves.. This is going to be a long post.

With the health industry being how it is now a days - an easy way for some to manipulate others in the grand scheme of making a few bucks.. It's impossible to not fall victim to the many "get thin/buff/toned/abs/healthy/whatever fast!!!" Lies.

Quick weight loss solutions do not work. How many people do you know that are stuck inside this vicious cycle? Really, think about it, I used to be, and you may be as well.

Seriously, if you want something that lasts, the only way to do it is by building a solid foundation first.

This is true for basically everything in life.

How do you have a good relationship? By going slow and building trust.

How do you build a house that will last? By building a solid foundation.

Good things take time.

Yes it would be amazing to have your dream body overnight, but much like Rome, it can't be built in one day.

That being said, it's not going to be easy, but the best way to do it is to start slow and develop healthy habits.

Now, I'm by no means an expert, but I will share with you what has worked for me.

Keep in mind, everyone is different and everyone's body reacts in a different way, so these are just the things I found helped on my road to a healthy lifestyle.

First things first.. You have to change your mindset.

Like I said earlier, it's going to take time and patience. You cannot get upset when you don't immediately lose 10 pounds (etc.), because a healthy lifestyle is exactly that.. A LIFESTYLE. This means you will be living it forever. Not just WHAM 10 pounds down and DONE.

You must remember, you only get one body. Treat it well, fuel it right, and in return your body will reward you with feeling and looking amazing. Once you step away from the focus of the scale and "I must lose (insert weight here) by this date." Then the pounds will fall off themselves, as will the extra fat.

What most "lose weight fast!!!!" Scams forget to inform you is... Losing THAT much weight THAT fast is super UNHEALTHY!

Not only will you gain it all back (and probably more), but the majority of what you lost was probably water weight and not fat.

Which leads me to tip number 2.. Which is also one of the most important ones..

Drink more water!

I'm talking 1.5-3 litres a day.. Every day! I guarantee 2/3 of the world is chronically dehydrated.

Have a headache? You're dehydrated.

Feel tired? You're probably dehydrated.

Cranky? Dehydrated.

Dry mouth and bright yellow pee? YUP, you're dehydrated.

If you find it hard to drink that much water everyday, start off by adding some fruit or lemon to you water.. The taste will be much better and it will make it much easier until you're used to that many litres a day.

Which leads me to my next rant:

Pop.

Seriously.. Cut out the pop, you don't even need that extra sugar. And if you're one of those people sitting there saying "oh well I drink diet soda, soooo there's no sugar" I could smack you. Smarten up people, think of those nasty chemicals you're currently ingesting.

Also would just like to put this out there.. What the heck does pop even taste like? Nothing natural that's for sure.

Next topic..

Sleep.

Most of us aren't getting enough. I'm talking a solid 7-8 hours. If you're thinking.. I don't have enough time to sleep that much.. Well actually you do. If you get that much sleep every night, you will be WAY more productive during the day, and way more able to complete your necessary tasks, which means you will have more time for sleep.

More sleep = more focus and productivity.

Plus sleep has many benefits.. You burn fat while sleeping, and it's like a time machine to breakfast.

Breakfast is basically the best meal ever and brings me to our next topic..

Nutrition.

First off, go back to step one, and change your mindset. We must step away from the idea of being on a diet.

I do not diet.

Back when I was competing, I had such an intense focus on every single thing that I ever ate. It was such an unhealthy obsession with food, to the point where I would literally feel SO disappointed in myself if I even ate a bagel (for example) and would basically starve myself the next day.

I can't stress this enough, food is fuel.

I train hard and eat to fuel my body.

Calories are energy, carbs are glucose for energy and survival. And protein is the building blocks for muscle.

Another mini rant: stop. Counting. CALORIES. For the love of God people, calories ARE GOOD. Calories are the reason we walk, breathe, LIVE.

Of course you will lose weight on a 1200 calorie a day diet.. Because 1200 calories a day are recommended for a 4 year old child. You are a grown assed adult. Not a child. Eat 1800+ calories a day, even more if you're active. In fact, if you're active and burning around 6-800+ calories from activity, you should be eating 2000+ calories a day.

Trust me, calories do not make you fat.. Unless the calories are from junk. 100 calories from vegetables are completely different from 100 calories of chips.

Like I said, calories = energy. Google it if you don't believe me.

Ever wonder why when you don't eat for a while you get tired, slow, grumpy and light headed? Hm, maybe because you're not eating enough calories for energy. Okay end rant.

Moving on..

The best way to eat nutritious is to eat natural foods. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, basically anything that's one ingredient.

Think about it.. If something can last 2 years on a shelf without expiring..

How long will that food stay inside your body?

Simple foods break down so much easier and are better digested, leading to a higher absorption of vitamins and minerals that are necessary for our bodies.

Here are some of the foods I typically eat: (again, everyone is DIFFERENT, these are my personal food choices)

Vegetables:

- peppers

- spinach, kale (BEST food EVER!), leafy greens of any kind really

- cucumber

- carrots

- celery

- sweet potato! (Basically every day.)

- zucchini (makes great shredded noodles)

- spaghetti squash (also great noodles)

- basically any vegetable.. Except broccoli.. I hate broccoli. Ha.

A salad a day keeps the diseases and obesity at bay ;)

Fruit:

- bananas (literally everyday)

- berries

- apples

- peaches

- any fruit.. Especially when in season.. And especially in a smoothie for breakfast everyday.

Grains

- whole grain sources..

- pasta

- quinoa, all the time

- crackers for snacks every so often with hummus or cheese

- not gonna lie I eat bagels often now. Have to make up for all that bagel deprivation from body building somehow ;)

Proteins:

First I must say this, I don't eat meat. Eggs and fish every so often, but animal meat makes me feel very unwell.

Listen to your body.

Pay attention to how you feel after eating certain foods. If you feel lethargic and sick, chances are your body can't handle that food. Here's what I typically include for my protein,

- chickpeas

I cook these into burger form, eat it as hummus, or basically everything and anything to do with them. So good.

- beans

Also great in burger form.. In fact, mix the chickpeas and beans together.. You won't regret it.

- nuts (especially on salads, or peanut butter form.. Just watch out for the brands that add a bunch of junk to the jar, go for whole organic peanut butter.. With one ingredient.. peanuts, DUH!)

- protein powders, I put a scoop in my breakfast smoothie (since I don't eat meat)

- cottage cheese

- eggs (every once in a while)

- fish (again, only every once in a while.. Because sushi is amazing.)

Reasons why I'm not officially "vegetarian", I chose to not eat the majority of meat because my body can't digest it.

I'll say it again, listen to your body.

"But where do you get your protein?!" Haha. Jokes.

Side note.. I cut out meat and lost 16 pounds in a month without even trying.. Obviously my body was trying to tell me something.. And was apparently holding onto ALOT of sodium and water. For me, meat = cramp and bloat city. Again, this may be different for you.

Dairy:

My body also cannot handle dairy products.. Lactose intolerant. However, cheese is fine for me every so often, along with Greek yogurt. (Fun fact.. Cheese has minimal lactose compared to milk.. The reason it doesn't bother my stomach as bad).

"But how do you get calcium?!" Well simple, it's in tons of vegetables anyways, and you don't see me with brittle bones, do you? Nope. (Also have weight training to thank for strong bones).

Now, back to the whole change your mind set thing.

Treat/cheat meals are not the devil.

This is a lifestyle. There are very few people I know that can maintain a strict diet every day. In order to make this work in the long term, you should treat yourself every once in a while.

In moderation though.

For example, one or two treat meals a week.

It will maintain your sanity, and help you keep on track. Trust me, one cookie or pizza for dinner once a week, isn't going to make you fat.

As long as you're not eating the entire box of cookies in one sitting..

Another important topic.. Alcohol. I'll keep this brief, moderation is key. Again, every once in a while as a treat it's fine, just don't let it ruin your progress.

Next and final topic.. Exercise.

I'm only mentioning it now because what you ingest is WAY more important.

You simply cannot out train a bad diet.

However, exercise compliments nutrition, and will help you reach your goals. They go hand in hand.

As much as I am bias about running, I know this is not possible for everyone.

So, back to tip 1 - change your mindset. If you want to maintain this lifestyle, forcing yourself to run or weight lift if you don't enjoy it.. Isn't sustainable. This is a lifestyle, and something you want to continue for the rest of your life. You can be expected to maintain something if you hate doing it everyday.

My tip here.. Find something active that you actually enjoy doing. This can be yoga, weight lifting, running, biking, walking, swimming, hiking, hell even if tennis is your thing, just get active everyday.

If it's fun for you and physically active, you're 10x more likely to keep doing it, and if your nutrition is on point, the weight will fall off. Don't listen to that friend saying "I lost weight by burning 1000 calories a day on the stair master!" Blachhh, who wants to climb stairs in a gym looking at a wall for 2 hours a day? Not me. (If that's your thing though.. All the power to you.)

Just get outside, get active, even bring a friend or family, and create a lifestyle you can maintain.

After all, being healthy is for life.

Now please remember, all of these tips are simply what works for me, take from it what you may, and hopefully it helps you in your journey to a fit and healthy life.

To summarize,

- change your mindset

- drink more water

- sleep!

- eat whole foods

- limit alcohol

- exercise

- smile!

You've got this!

The Rural Runner

This week was pretty busy for me, I spent the evening on Wednesday out for a bike ride with my momma! Was supposed to run, but skipped out to do this instead! We biked for about an hour and it was a great workout.

Biking is so fun because you can go super fast without realizing it..

Then when I get off the bike I end up collapsing to the floor because I can't feel my legs! Happens every time. Legs like jello.

That's what's awesome about biking though, you can cover a lot of distance in a short amount of time! I fully intend on commuting to work eventually.. Once I'm better at biking.. And probably not till spring haha. But the good thing is the gas money I'll save and the exercise I'll get everyday!

I don't live too far from the hospital either.. So that makes the commute easier, but I might be a little tired during my 12 hour shifts so that's why I want to wait until I'm a better biker.

Anyways, me and mom biked all the way to the next town over and had a wonderful conversation the entire way!

Giggles all around!

It was a little chilly.. Wish I had worn a warmer jacket cause it was windy! Not looking forward to snow coming soon. Canada probs.

But we had a great workout and relaxed the rest of the night.

Today, I also had a great workout, my Instagram friends have constantly been tagging me in posts for #30burpees30days and to be completely honest I haven't been keeping up with them at all (Burpees are my nemesis). So in order to make up for the days missed, I had the brilliant idea to do them all collectively in one day #badidea so today I ended up doing 200 Burpees. Even typing it sounds depressing haha. My entire body was shaking and I hurt but they're done. #noragrets

Like I said on Instagram, it literally took everything I had to lift my arm to take this picture.. Please note the glistening sweat all over and my red face.. This was literally only half way through.. You don't wanna see the after picture, it's pretty darn ugly haha.

Side note, 2 weeks from today I'll be in Miami with Kirk! (Another reason I need to practice Burpees).

We are racing the Spartan race sprints both Saturday and Sunday, which I'm very excited about! And also pretty nervous. I've raced before, but never in the elite heat (competitive), and so I'm hoping it all goes well. As with all my races so far, my goals are to finish and not come in last place haha (and also to not do a crazy amount of Burpees).

For those of you who don't know, fail an obstacle in the Spartan race and do a 30 burpee penalty. I've been doing a lot of running so I feel pretty prepared in that aspect (although I'm not as fast as everyone else) but I'm kinda concerned about obstacles. Hopefully I can make it through the monkey bar rigs and inverted walls without falling off, the rope climb shouldn't be a problem though (somehow good at this one)! I'll definitely be writing race recaps right after I'm done to post on here too!

Stay tuned friends,

The Rural Runner

I've always loved the saying, "if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough." I believe this to be very true in life, whether it comes to employment, relationships, fitness, travel.. Anything. For me setting goals is highly important and something review and revise frequently. I wrote a post on it here!

For months now, I've had a goal which was pretty big to me.. To run 10km in under an hour. Now, to many experienced runners, this may seem like such a simple thing, or like just another slow run. For me however.. This is something I have been working my ass off towards for almost an entire year.

Attempt after frustrating attempt, I would make it so close, but just not make it in time. I have been floating around 1:04 for quite a while now.

Tonight, I was due for my 12.9km run for training. I figured this was a perfect time to attempt my goal again. Why not? The weather was great (it had just stopped snowing, yay Nova Scotia sporadic weather!), I felt great (my nutrition has been on point all week), and I was determined.

The first 3km I flew through with an average pace of 5'40" a kilometre. I knew if I maintained this pace I would be in the clear for my goal. The problem, however was maintaining this pace.

My average pace normally floats between 6-6'50" a km, so I was getting concerned that I would burn out my energy. 5km.. Half way in. I reached this at exactly 29:50. Knowing I had to do that distance all over again at the same pace, or faster, made me really start to worry and push it.

The seconds were getting closer with each kilometre! My body was aching, eyes watering from the cold wind and blisters throbbing still.

I finished with a time of exactly 59:00.

I can't even describe what an amazing feeling it was, reaching 10km and realizing after all of those failed attempts, and months of hard work, it finally happened.. I finally did it.

I may have done a couple (hundred) celebratory jumps in the air..

I know my goals may seem small to others, but they're big to me and finally achieving this felt like a huge accomplishment! Sure, most people can probably do the same run in way less time, but this shows huge improvement and is the reason I set these goals in the first place.

For now, I'm going to review my goals and make them even bigger.

Aim for the moon, that way if you fall, at least you'll land in the stars.

Keep reaching those goals friends,

The Rural Runner

Monday - this week starts out with a basic 8.05km run, an easy 6.4k and finish with the last 1.6k at a faster pace.

Tuesday - today was my first progression run, starting with 3.2k at an easy pace, then 4.8k increasing the pace as I went. The last 1.6k was cool down. I ended up doing 10km instead of 9.6 just to round it off and the run went fairly well, finishing with a time of 64 minutes. I posted about this run earlier in the week.

Someday soon I'll get my 10k to under an hour! I'm so close it's driving me nuts!

Wednesday - today's run was another 8.05km run at a steady pace. I also worked for the Remembrance Day parade today, and ended up with a couple HUGE blisters on my heels from my dress uniform. This unfortunately led to me to not being able to run for the rest of the week because I lost so much skin. Talk about sad panda :(

Thursday - today was scheduled for cross training, and I took the bike for a spin because it didn't bother my heels at all. I also posted about this workout earlier this week, and really enjoyed it so I will definitely be biking again!

Friday - another 8.05k run was scheduled for today.. That didn't get done :( stupid injuries setting me back. On the bright side.. It could be worse.. Skin heals pretty fast luckily!

Saturday - today was supposed to be my long run of the week - 16.1km. That didn't happen.. My heels were still pretty bad.. I could feel my heart beat in the blister so I figured it was best to give it some more time before pushing it or making the injury worse. Not running for 4 days takes a lot out of you mentally when you know you're supposed to be training but just can't. But.. It's always best to heal first and not risk it though. So I sucked it up and waited to run.

I did however do a workout today to make up for my lack of exercise..

3 rounds of:

- 30 triceps dips

- 30 push-ups

- 30 squats

- 40 crunches

- pull ups to failure

My upper body is still sore!

Ps new under armour pants! They're crazy comfy and kept me warm on my run Sunday.

Sunday - each week, this is my rest day. This week however, I was feeling guilty about not running for what felt like ALL week, and figured if I put some blister pads on my heels I would be okay to run.. So, to make up for the long run I missed, I did the 16.1k that had been scheduled for Saturday.

I was so happy to finally get back out there, and the weather was cooperating perfectly. My mom even came along biking beside me! We chatted the entire way and it was wonderful having someone to carry my water and snacks, hehe. I maintained a very steady pace around 6.30 km, without stopping once to walk.. Which is huge for me, considering normally whenever I hit anything past 8k I need to slow down for a minute. That's an hour and 45 minutes running without walking and I was pretty darn excited!

We did however stop for a minute when we hit the halfway point, so mom could find a bathroom and I could chow down on a vanilla flavoured Gu.

I always think it's a good idea to try out whatever you'll be using race day.. before race day. This goes for everything.. Supplementation/nutrition, sneakers, clothes.. Everything. Planning ahead and doing a run through, so you will be prepared on race day, is always a good idea.

The Gu went down easily and caused absolutely no problems with my stomach (happily surprised about that). And I actually enjoyed the flavour. The texture is a little weird.. It's thicker than pudding. And mine was a little cold because of the outside temp, so I think that made it a bit tastier. After I ate it, it wasn't like a had a huge jump in energy, but instead I was able to maintain my pace without feeling tired or having a crash, which was great. I'll definitely be continuing to use these in the future.

I also was able to practice on some obstacles while waiting for mom.. 18 days until the Miami Spartan race sprint! Must be prepared because I do not want to do any 30 burpee penalties.

Yes, I am also somewhat of a child when it come to playgrounds. Can't help myself!

Once mom returned, we were back on the trail to finish our run/bike. I know I'm still slow, but I'm so happy with my improvements so far! Even though I'm sad I wasn't able to do the entire 49.9k scheduled this week, I'm glad I didn't push it with my injury. During the long run on Sunday my blisters didn't even bother me since a had the bandages on so now I'm ready to make up for lost time!

This week coming will be my training week 4.. Things step up a notch now and I'm due for 62.8km for the week. I'll be posting later in the week about my schedule.

Until then,

Keep training friends

The Rural Runner

Yesterday, for my cross training day, I decided to borrow my moms bike and hit the trails. It's been a couple years since I've been on any form of a bicycle, besides a stationary one, so let's be honest, I was kinda nervous...

And apparently excited, as you can see in this picture haha. (Ps, safety first kids!!)

The tires were flat so mom helped me pump them up!

I was a bit wobbly at first.. And a bit too small for the bike (#shortgirlprobs).. But after a short circle around the yard I got the hang of it! Totally understand the saying "just like riding a bike again" now, because I guess once you've got it, you don't really lose it.

I set out onto the old railway tracks (where I always do my runs too), which are relatively straight and flat, making for a very smooth ride. It took me a bit to get a hang of the gears and whatnot, but once I did, I was cruisin.

Also.. Thanks to my sis for the Nike leggings as a belated bday gift.. I love them! So comfy :)

I decided to aim for 10k (honestly had no idea how long this would take me.. I'm a biking noob).

Not sure how good these stats are, but considering that it's my first ride in about 2-3 years, I'm happy with the results! (I didn't start tracking until about a kilometre in)

While I was on the trail by myself, for almost an hour, I spent a lot of time thinking, and I've come up with a list of things I learned while biking.

Here we go:

1. Biking is a lot harder than it looks.

Seriously.. My legs = noodles today.

Not even 5 minutes in and I was already a sweaty hot mess. Yup. Great workout though! My calves and legs will probably be throbbing for a couple days.. Thanks to DOMS.. (Not).

2. Being outside is great

I used to do bodybuilding competitions, and can honestly say I spent hours in the gym on any given week and being outside in nature biking made me realize just how amazing it is. I would literally go to the gym, just to sit on a stationary bike, or run to no where on the mouse wheel called a treadmill. This seems ridiculous now, considering I could have been doing the exact same thing.. Except while actually experiencing life and breathing fresh air outside. (Not hating on any bodybuilders out there, the lifestyle just isn't for me anymore.)

3. Being outside is free

Nature has no membership fee.

All you need is a pair of shoes (well maybe a bike too), and a positive attitude!

4. Biking seriously hurts your ass

No really.. I'm still sore. Like who thought that it was a good idea to invent seats that are literally a third of the size of an average humans butt?! Crazy. It's uncomfortable. I'm going to install some memory foam.. Or a lazy-boy.. or something on there. #bigbootyprobs

Again, legs = jello.

5. Biking is kinda scary

Like the were points I actually scared myself because I thought I was going so fast. I'm a wimp.

And also, biking near cars that don't care about bikers is literally the same as having a death wish. SRSLY people, share the road! Not like we're allowed on sidewalks, so suck it up and move over.

It's pretty bad I've only biked for 1 day and already think this is a problem.

6. I was not prepared

You would think being in the army I would have the ability to plan ahead and pack accordingly.. Nope.

I lack this skill. At least I brought water.. Next time I definitely need lip balm, gloves, snacks, and probably less clothes. Like I said, biking is hard work. #sweatlife

7. Biking is fun

Sure, I was sweating my ass off (gotta love a good workout though!), and I'm complaining about near death car experiences, and how my body hurts.. But holy moly did I have fun! What a great feeling, flying through the trails, wind blowing in my hair and sun shining on my face. I'll definitely be biking more often on rest/cross training days.

It's not too often that you capture a picture of pure happiness like this one.

If anyone who is actually a biker wants to give me tips, I would welcome it! Like, how do I figure out what gear to use? I was kinda just playing with them until one felt moderately right.. Opps (this is pretty sad considering I can drive my stick shift like a dream).

What do you like about biking? What do you bring with you on long rides?

Keep training friends,

The Rural Runner

Recently I discovered a post on Pinterest for 1 ingredient ice cream.. All it called for was bananas! Being a lover of all things banana, and simple recipes, I decided to give it a try!

Similar to banana bread, it works best if you let the bananas get very ripe! The riper the banana, and the more brown little specks on it, the more nutritious and flavourful they are! Once they've hit this stage, peel the bananas (I used 2) and cut them into small pieces. Then throw em into a ziplock bag and stash them in the freezer over night. I always like to have bananas in the freezer for smoothie emergencies anyways, so this step was easy for me ;)

Once they're completely frozen.. Toss them into the blender. Mine got pretty thick, and my blender isn't all that great, so I added a little almond milk (really any milk will work, this choice is just great because it's lactose free!) guess that means it's 2 ingredients haha. Use your own discretion here.. Whether you want it to be thick and crunchy.. Or like liquidy.

Easiest ice cream ever with only 2 ingredients!

The final product was great, so I decided to make it even better.. And added vanilla extract and a couple pieces of chocolate. It's so delicious it's comparable to chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.. Without the added calories and sugar.. And dairy free!

Up close and personal with my yummy guilt free dessert.

This is a new favorite for me and I'll definitely be making it again. I think next time I'll make it more festive with peppermint extract and pieces of candy cane.. Or maybe some peanut butter, or Nutella! The options are endless with this easy basic recipe, and you can really add anything to the base and create a delicious healthy alternative to typical ice cream!

Enjoy your dessert friends,

The Rural Runner

This morning I woke up with full intentions of getting out of bed at 630 and hitting the trails early for my 12.9km run. Let's be honest, I always go to bed with such great intentions and plans for the next morning. If only I had the same amount of motivation throughout the entire day as I do when I'm laying in bed at 10 o'clock. I always set my alarm early and end up pressing snooze. Then pressing snooze again.. Then more than likely pressing it a third time. This is why I have to set like 12 alarms to ring every 5 minutes just to wake up for work..

And I'm totally the person on the right..

Anyways.. This morning I turned off my alarm and crawled back into bed (like usual), and while I was laying there, I was thinking.. (Mind you, this is a mere 7 hours after setting the alarm for a morning run in the first place, thinking it was a brilliant idea):

It's too early.

I'm too tired.

It's cold out. And this bed is so warm.

My hamstrings are too tight.

I'm too grumpy.

I have too much to do today.

Etc etc..

An accurate representation of myself this morning. Whine city.

Literally every excuse possible was running through my mind as to why I shouldn't/couldn't run. But then I said to myself.. "Self, what the heck are you doing! Get out of bed and go running! Right now is the only time you have all day to fit it in and that's why we sets the alarm (I say in a golem type voice). So get your ass up and dressed, we're leaving!" Yes, that's literally how I talk to myself sometimes.

Anyways, I get out of bed and reluctantly got dressed, knowing it was for my own good and that I wasn't going to win an argument with myself. I set out on my typical route, which felt very weird considering I typically run in the afternoon. According to my training schedule, I was due 12.9km so obviously I wa going to run 13.

Srsly.. Run circles to make that shit even. #OCDprobs

The run started out fairly well, I was maintaining a 6 minute kilometre (this is pretty good for me, don't hate). My goal for the run was to maintain my pace and do 13 km in under 1:30. Totally do-able.

When I left the house I had been wearing a long sleeved shirt and a wind breaker, plus long pants (stupidly assuming it was colder that it actually was). I ended up getting super hot a couple kilometres in and decided to ditch the long sleeve. Half way through stripping (while running mind you) I managed to get my shirt up over my head only to notice and older woman walking on the trail was looking at me like I was nuts (haters gonna hate). I chucked the shirt (okay just kidding I folded it neatly and tucked it in a hidden area with shelter.. Like I said OCD) and continued on my way.. Feeling much lighter and breezy. Continuing on the trail, I realized it was the exact route I had taken when I developed my stress fracture in August. This was encouraging since I was feeling great so far, and am fully healed from that very shitty injury. I went 0.5km further than I had that day, turned around and continued onto the second half of my run. Only 6.5 km to go at this point.

About 2km further, I started to feel VERY tired, literally exhausted. Normally I don't get this at only 8-9km into my runs.. And I had eaten oatmeal before I left (my go to preworkout!), so I was feeling discouraged. I cut back my pace and continued at a slower one that I could handle (around 7 minutes a km.. Basically felt like walking to me). Looking at my timing.. I was at 56 minutes with 5km to go. With this pace I knew I wouldn't make it in time to reach my goal. This made me pretty disappointed..

There I go being a grumpy little shit.

And then I realized.. There will be shitty days and there will be amazing ones, but the thing is, there will always be more days and more attempts and I will get 13km done in less than an hour and a half, one day. My PRs that I strive for, train for, and push myself harder for.. They will always keep changing. What's my fastest? I don't know, because I haven't run it yet. Without these crappy awful shitty runs, there wouldn't be the great ones where we accomplish our goals. We need to embrace the losses just as much as the wins. Today taught me that maybe it wasn't my day, and I didn't hit my goal time or even come close, but I have to get back out there and be stronger than I was this morning. I'm going to improve, learn from it and get faster. Without a struggle there would never be growth, and today I sure as hell struggled! Sucking ass just gave me more motivation for my future runs, and I will push myself and do my best at the race on Sunday because I know I'm capable of more.

Oh and yes, I picked up my neatly folded shirt on the run back.. Safe and sound :)

Long story short..

Embrace the struggle friends,

The Rural Runner

Today I was having a hard time finding the motivation to get up and run. It was a gloomy day, rainy and lazy, and all I wanted to do way stay inside and watch movies on my laptop.

Knowing I had 12.9km scheduled, and that I had to get out there some way or another. I created this list of 22 (one for each year I've been on this beautiful planet) to convince myself of the great reasons to exercise:

1. You will feel great afterwards

2. Your stress will be decreased

3. To feel that sense of accomplishment all day

4. To improve digestion

5. To maintain and improve your health

6. To be a positive influence for others

7. To be much more productive after

8. It increases your focus

9. It will help strengthen your bones

10. It will help prevent muscle loss

11. It will increase your self esteem

12. It will bring you closer to your goals

13. It will help prevent cardiovascular disease

14. It helps fight depression

15. It will help relieve headaches and female cramps

16. To look great in that swimsuit

17. To increase your energy

18. To maintain and improve flexibility

19. To slow down aging

20. To help sleep better and be more relaxed

21. To increase your metabolism and burn even more fat
22. To survive any potential zombie apocalypse (can never be too prepared)

And now I go, off to run!

Stay motivated friends,

The Rural Runner

Recently, the temperature has been dropping, and the winds have been strong. Running in the wind can not only have an effect on your time, but also can cause a significant core body temperature decrease, especially with the crisp fall air. It's important to layer up so if you are feeling too hot, you can take off your top jacket and leave the base. This week, I've been wearing a fleece jacket or windbreaker overtop of either a tank top or tshirt. For bottoms I'll wear a pair of running tights or if the temperature is mild, cropped leggings. I also like wearing a ball cap with color, to help increase my visibility (sometimes I wear too much black haha) and keep control of my sweaty mess I call running hair. Here's typically what I've been wearing this week for fitness gear (and yes, I may be a slight brand whore.. Nike is my love!)

I strongly believe that even though you're being active.. You can still at least look cute doing it ;)

What's your favorite fall running outfit? How warm do you dress when the weather starts to get cold?

Stay fashionable friends,

The Rural Runner

After officially deciding to run the hypothermic half marathon coming up in January, I realized it was probably in my best interest to start a training plan, instead of just winging it. Normally I don't have a plan for my runs until like an hour before when I say to myself something along the lines of "hmm I think I'll run 8km today!" As some people always say "failure to plan, is planning to fail." Or something like that? Basically I needed some help in the run schedule department..

I have a goal of a sub 2 hour half marathon on my mind and would love to accomplish that. Therefore, I started looking into possible training plans. I recently learned that Nike plus has a coach option (I wonder if I even live on this planet sometimes haha). I figured this was pretty convenient since I already use the app to track my runs.. So I might as well have the same app tell me how far and how fast to go. I entered in my race details, estimated my current fitness level (intermediate) and just like that had an entire 12 week training schedule made and customized for me. Nike plus is a great app for keeping track of runs, PRs and even challenging friends (add me - MisLyns)!

The plan increases in intensity each week, up until the peak week of training. There is often a cross training day on Thursdays and includes a rest day on Sunday's. Cross training days are great to improve endurance and maintain fitness, all while helping to decrease risk of injury (weight and resistance training is perfect for this too). Some days are easy runs where as the next day is commonly an interval run or fartlek (frequent variation in pace, today mine was 3 minutes faster pace followed by a 2 minutes slower pace). Fartlek training can help with conditioning, and I find it makes my runs go by faster.

The distance of the runs vary from 1 shorter run (around 4-6km), mixed in with a couple medium runs (8-12) and one long run a week on Saturday (16+km). Each week the distances increase, averaging 50-60km total every week.

Monday was week 1, day 1 with an easy 4.8km run. Great start to get the legs stretched out and ready for today's fartlek. Today was an 8.05 km interval run. It took me 50 minutes for the full run, warm up and cool down (I'm not the fastest, but this program will help to increase my speed). Day 2 of the training plan went well and felt good.

Tomorrows run will be the same distance, except an easy pace, so I'm going to change up my route to keep things interesting. Thursday is cross training, and I plan to do an upper body day with the weights in my basement (I haven't really lifted since my bodybuilding days.. So this should be interesting). Friday is a 6.4 km run, easy pace for 4.8km, followed by a faster final 1.6k. Saturday is my first long run of the training plan, and will be 12.9km. I'm looking forward to this comfortable paced long run. Adding distance is important to build up to that final 21.1 km half marathon that's my goal, so hopefully I can complete this run with a similar pace that I'm hoping for on race day. Should be a great Halloween run! Sunday will be my first rest day, and I'm sure it will be well earned.

After the day off, week 2 starts with another 8.05 km run of easy 4.8km and finish with the last 3.2km at a faster pace.

I'll be posting updates every week as I continue with this program.

How's your training going? Do you prefer the longer easy pace runs, or shorter interval training runs?Are there any races you're working towards? Let me know!

Keep training friends,

The Rural Runner

Fall is my favourite time of year. The leaves change colour, the air is crisp and fresh and it's the ideal temperature. Going for runs isn't uncomfortably sweaty or freezing cold and wearing layers and scarves is back in. Not only that, but it's this perfect time of year for corn mazes and apple picking! Today was a rest day for me, so I headed out with my boyfriend, Kirk, to a local farm. We wandered around the pumpkin fields and picked up 5 pumpkins for carving (I may or may not have gotten 3 for myself alone to make minions..)

Sometimes when we're not running, we pick heavy things up and walk around with them, haha. Going to create a new training workout with pumpkins.. Those things are heavier than they look! This one was almost as big as me...

After that, we hopped on a tractor ride and were dropped off about a km away in a huge apple orchard. 20 apples in our bags, and about 5 apples in each of our bellies later, we were done picking. There's nothing better than a fresh picked apple right off of the tree. Next step is baking apple crisp and making caramel apples!

After that we decided not to wait for the tractor and instead complete the km walk back to the farm through their scenic fall trail. The colours are perfect this time of year!

Checking on my tracker, we walked 6km today with over 60 active minutes. It was a great, relaxing way to spend the day, while being active!

Overall it was a perfect day in the Valley. Visiting the farm in the fall is a wonderful tradition I've done every year and it's great to head out and support local. Living rural definitely has its benefits!

What do you do on rest days? Do you have any traditions in the fall you look forward to every year?

Stay fresh friends,

The Rural Runner

The Rural Runner

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