AM Treadmill vs. PM Outdoors

Yesterday afternoon as I was trying to plan my Thursday workouts, I posted on facebook with a question -

"Which would you chose? AM treadmill run or PM outdoor run in 50F weather?"

I loved all the responses (If you didn't see the comments, you should check it out) but it didn't really help my delimma.

I guess I should have put in more background information.

On most Thursdays this is my schedule - 
4:35am Alarm goes off
4:35-4:50am Get dressed, brush teeth, pour coffee
4:50am Leave for gym 
5:00am Arrive at gym
5:03-5:51am Run on treadmill at gym
5:52-5:59am Walk to Total body class, set up equipment
6:00-7:00am Total Body class
7:03-7:25am Shower and get dressed at gym
7:25am Leave gym and drive to work


Its a pretty intense morning but after doing this for over a year now, I have the schedule perfected.  I pack my lunch and breakfast the night before and have my gym bag packed before I go to sleep. I lay out my clothes to be worn to the gym to make the morning go even quicker.

Not very awake at 5am at the gym

And this schedule works great in the winter because its cold and dark so I don't mind running on the treadmill.  Plus its pretty convenient to get a workout in - usually 5-6 miles - and then just walk up the stairs to the total body class.

But now that the nice weather has finally decided to arrive, I am torn between the AM treadmill run and the PM outdoor run.

On one hand, running before Total Body class is awesome because I get to run and I get my cross training done all before 7am.  Then I have my evening completely free to clean the house, do laundry, or whatever else I need to do around the house.  But on the other, I have to get up super early and run on the treadmill which is not so awesome.

Waking up to go to Total Body class in the morning and then coming home to run after work is just tough for me because 1) showering twice in one day is just not fun for me and 2) I hardly ever feel like working out after work no matter how nice the weather.

Today is supposed to be the first nice day in a VERY long time and I wanted to take advantage of the warm 50F weather by running outside but instead I got up at my usual Thursday morning wake up and went to the gym and ran on the treadmill.  It wasn't so bad to run on the treadmill this AM because it was super cold outside (25F) and the run was actually pretty awesome.  After warming up for 10 minutes, I ran a 35 minute progression run starting at 8 min miles (7.5 mph on the treadmill) and increasing every 5 minutes, ending at 7:20 min miles (8.1 mph) then cooled down for about 0.4 miles before I was out of time and had ran off to TBC class.

Of course I would have loved to run outside but it just seemed more convenient and time saving to run at the gym.  Maybe once the weather gets to be nicer in the mornings, I will try and run outside before TBC class.  

Which would you choose??

Meditating while Running

Recently on most of my morning runs even though I feel half asleep, my brain is usually going non stop.  It can be annoying at times - I spend most of the run worrying about work or other things instead of just enjoying the run.

In the last couple of weeks of February it had become so bad that I knew I needed to find a way to turn off my brain while running.  I needed to find a way to refocus on the run and forget about all my worries.

I began to do a little research about mediation and meditation while running.  After doing some reading, it seemed like an easy thing to do.  For so long I had seen meditation as a religious thing but instead I suddenly saw it as a way to relax.

And I needed a way to relax.

I found that it was easy to start, I just need something to focus on while running.

I decided to try to remember to focus on my breathing.  That seemed like an easy way to start - it wasn't complicated and it was something I always did, especially while running.  I feel that so many runners use music to block out their breathing when they run when in fact it can be one of the greatest training partners that we have.

So I started to focus on my breathing while running in the morning.  Usually I would give myself the first mile to get into the run and warm up.  Once I was warmed up I noticed that my mind would start to wander and I would begin to worry about work or what I needed to do that day.  When I noticed this happening I would simply refocused by telling myself to pay attention (listen) to my breathing instead of thinking. I focused on each time I breathed in and out, sometimes I counted my breaths, and each time I refocused I forgot what I was worrying about and remembered to focus on the run.

This simple reminder to refocus was all I needed.  Eventually every time I realized I was worrying, my mind began to just think about my breathing.  Over the course of a few weeks it suddenly became instinct and slowly my morning runs were not filled with my mind spinning in worry, but instead of just enjoying the run.

On most of my runs, I have to refocus a lot. And by a lot, I mean at least 25-30 times for a 6 mile run.  Because running is my MAIN stress reliever and when I run my mind goes to things that I am dealing with.  I would often play out sequences of how I would confront a co-worker I was having a hard time with or I would replay a moment from my day and think about what I would have said if I had thought quicker.  The inner dialogue that I would have while running became out of control.  Bringing the focus back to breathing and running reminded me that there really is nothing I can do about my worries (or the past) while I am running and I finally was able to bring myself back to the reason that I run for stress relief.  I run to escape the worry - to have 30 minutes to an hour to be away from all the things in my life that are STRESSING me out! 

I encourage you to try this.  Call it meditating or just call it bringing the focus back to running and the purpose.  Life is stressful, running isn't supposed to be!



A few links where I did my research -
How to meditate while running
Runners World - meditating

40 mile weeks

I am not following a training plan.
I am not training for anything.
I am just running to run.

Then how come, every week I feel like I need to hit 40 miles?

Every since I started to hit 40+ miles a week consistently last year, I kept that as my focused weekly base mileage.  There have only been a few times when I haven't hit that mileage and it was because of either a) sickness or b) part of the training plan for race week.

But now there is no piece of paper telling me I should run 40 miles a week in order to train for a race and there is not race on the horizon to train for but I still feel this urge inside to run 40 miles a week. 

I feel like if I don't run 40 miles a week, I will start to lose something. Maybe I feel like I will lose a part of the runner I became last year.  But I know that runner is already slipping away as I am not running the way I ran last year.  I am not running two hard speed workouts a week and I am not running crazy long runs on the weekend.

It is a slow process to come to terms with not always pushing and training hard.  And all that I have given up in the past few months has been difficult. It hasn't been easy to stop running fast, long speed workouts or super long runs.  It hasn't been easy to just relax and run. 

I think I am holding onto the last part of a regimen I had for over a year. The final piece of everything I built last year and everything I accomplished.  I don't know if I can give up my 40 mile weeks just yet. I have already given up so much.

In the coming months as my schedule gets busier and busier with more and more events, there may be weeks when I just can't run the 40 miles and I hope I can be ok with that. Only time will tell.

Whats your weekly mileage? Is there a "number" of miles you strive for each week?

Over It.

Winter, that is.

I am all for the four seasons - spring, summer, fall and winter. I live in an area where we have those four distinct seasons and usually each one only sticks around for about 3 months.

But this year, Winter will not leave!

It is getting a little ridiculous when there is still snow on the ground and the forecast shows snow all week at the end of March.

Plus I am tired of putting on layer after layer of clothes just to go outside and run.  I am ready to pack away my spandex and under armour tops, my winter running jacket and my neck warmer.  Bring out the capris and long sleeves, please!

This is me before heading out for my Saturday long run.  The sun was shining but the temperature was only 25F. I was not thrilled by the weather.

The long run actually turned out pretty good. I planned a semi-new route that took me on some of my favorite roads and by the end of the run the sun was shining brightly in a clear blue sky.  This was my first solo 12+ mile run in a  long time and I just enjoyed taking in the sights as I ran.

Even though it was beautiful out, I am over this winter. I am so ready for spring.

6 ways to make Oatmeal great

I haven't always been an oatmeal lover, especially not the homemade kind.

Growing up, I often would eat the instant oatmeal and I still stock it in my pantry in case I need a super quick breakfast.  I know its full of sugar but it tastes so good and let's be honest, its better than not eating anything.

In fact, I often eat the instant oatmeal for breakfast before my long runs and races.  I ate it before my marathon too. It just works for me to eat that before running and has really never caused any issues.

But I do try to eat homemade oatmeal during the week because I know it is better for me and it does keep me fuller, longer.  But just plain oatmeal is gross.

Here's a few ways I have tried to spice up my morning oatmeal - 

Use milk instead of water

Most oatmeal recipes call for a 1:2 ratio for oats to liquid and I usually do 1/2 cup of oats to 1 cup of liquid.  I have found that using even 1/2 cup of coconut or almond milk with 1/2 cup of water makes the oatmeal taste creamier.  I prefer almond of coconut milk because I can't always handle dairy, especially after a morning run.


Add a little Brown sugar to the top (and bottom)

My favorite instant oatmeal is the maple brown sugar variety so trying to make the homemade stuff exactly like that was my goal.  I added brown sugar to the bottom of the bowl and then poured in the oatmeal followed by another sprinkle of brown sugar.

Mix with Peanut Butter

Adding a dollop of peanut butter to my oatmeal has become one of my favorite ways to enjoy it. The peanut butter melts from the hot oatmeal and gets all creamy and gooey.  This is a perfect way to mask the oat taste.

Mix with chocolate

This didn't exactly turn out how I wanted because I only had cocoa powder in the house but mixing a little chocolate into oatmeal is another great way to mask the oat taste and have some chocolate too.

Top with Pumpkin Butter

When I made my first batch of Pumpkin butter back in the fall, I put it on everything! Muffins, toast, and of course oatmeal. This is one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal.  The pumpkin taste goes so well with the oats and I usually devour the oatmeal.

Add bananas (and other fruit)

I have found many different ways to add bananas into my oatmeal. At first I would saute up the bananas on the stove while cooking my oatmeal and then top my oatmeal with the bananas.  Frying the bananas made them very sweet so I didn't need to add any sugar.  But this is slightly time consuming and it does dirty another dish so I started putting the banana into the oatmeal about half way through.  The banana wasn't mushy from being cooked in the oatmeal and added a lot of flavor.  To get more fruits, I sometimes top my oatmeal with blueberries too.

Here is my recipe for oatmeal -

1/2 cup rolled or old fashioned oats
1 cup milk (any kind)
1 banana, sliced
Toppings - cinnamon, PB, fruits, etc

Add milk and oats together into a pan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat and stir occasionally so it doesn't burn the bottom and doesn't boil over.  Cook for 10 minutes or until oatmeal is desired consistency.  Add sliced banana half way through or wait until the end - its good either way.

If you are crunched for time, take 1/2 cup oats and 1/2 milk and mix together in a microwave safe bowl.  Add sliced banana and mix together. Then pop it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stopping and stirring half way through.  Once it is finished cooking, add toppings and enjoy.  Same great oatmeal but way faster!

How do you like your oatmeal??