Sunny and Bright Afternoon Track Workout

Despite yesterday's cooler temps, today ended up being quite beautiful!  And, because we ended work at around 1:00 pm due to a teacher in-service day, I took full advantage of the weather and made it my goal to complete a track workout with a longer warm-up before my kiddies got off the bus.    

Upon dismissal from the day, I headed over to the track at my husband's school.  The plan was to do a longer warm-up for some extra mileage, so I ran 35 minutes {which equated to about 4.5 miles}.  Following my warm-up, I did my drills and strides.  For some reason, I wasn't feeling quite right.  My stomach felt queasy and my mouth felt dry...however, I decided to power on through.  Once I got going, I felt a little better so it was worth it to struggle in the beginning in order to have a positive outcome.  

Here's the workout:

35 minute warm-up / strides / drills

3 x 400 - 79.6, 79.4, 78.6 {on 1 minute rest}
3 x 300 - 59.6, 59.9, 58.4 {on 1 minute rest}
2 x 200 - 38.1, 36.6, 35.6 {on 45 seconds rest}

1.5 mile cool down / stretching  

The watch surprised me with that last 200 split, but I'll take it!  

Once I got home, Willsey and I were fooling around outside while waiting for the kids to arrive from school.  I haven't decided if these little blue flowers are a weed or an actual plant since I can't remember them from the last two summers.  Any ideas?

And, he wasn't cooperating with the camera until we came inside.

All in all it was a pretty good day!  Have you done any track workouts lately?  

Recovering Willsey & Weekend Runs

It was kind of a crazy weekend....between Willsey having surgery to remove a ping pong ball from his stomach to trying to fit in runs in between family obligations.  I have to say...I don't feel too rested and I'm sure glad it's a snow day today.

Saturday morning we woke up to a blanket of snow.  Although beautiful, some of the city sidewalks were still covered with a light coating which made it difficult to get traction.  Even though I ran five miles, I might consider it six since "effort miles" come into play.  

Quickly about Willsey...Thursday night he swallowed the ball while being bribed to drop it with a piece of cheese.  To my surprise, it went down whole {along with the cheese} and at that moment, the adventure began.  Willsey came home on Saturday afternoon after the vet removed it from his stomach and he remained calm and subdued the rest of the weekend.  Saturday night I watched a movie with him on the floor while he rested his head on my lap the entire time.  I was so glad to have my buddy home and he was glad to be home.  This is pretty much what we did Saturday night...

Here is the culprit...all in tact, post-surgery.  The doctor gave the ball to us as a souvenir, but I'm quite sure this is one experience I would like to forget....

Sunday I ran a long{ish} run on my own.  Oh, how I dislike running anything over eight alone, so this one was no different.  Plus the east coast temperatures still remained in the low 20s which has been getting a bit old, but Wednesday's 60 degree weather sounds like a heat wave!  

I only was able to get in eight miles at a decent pace, so I was happy.  

Between all the craziness, I experimented with a new recipe on Sunday...Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili.  We had it for dinner last night with some tortilla chips and the fam gave it two thumbs up.  You will be able to catch the recipe on here tomorrow!

That's about it for the weekend review.  I hope your weekend was better than mine!  Have a great Monday....

   

Loving Lately

Just when the cold temperatures get me down, I find a mid-winter pick me up at my favorite store.  This winter white quilted Hobo International clutch sat in plain view on the clearance rack, just waiting to be taken home.  I love the size and color, perfect for brunch with a friend or a night out on the town with my husband.     

Grilled cheese sandwiches are soothing on a cold winter day.  Adding a wedge of Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb cheese to the mix creates an extra punch to an otherwise comforting lunch. {Snowman plates are fun, but optional.}   

Fred and I have been married for two years now, but over the holidays we were surprised by his uncle with this wine bottle chiller/vase.  It was hand spun on a wheel by a couple who has created pottery pieces for over thirty years.   

A recommendation from Laurel, my yoga instructor....this tea is a great substitute for that afternoon coffee urge.  Not only is it delicious, it contains natural herbal ingredients such as green rooibos tea, ginger, cinnamon, holy basil, cordyceps, chili and black pepper and was created to help increase the body's metabolism and resistance to stress.   

I really love a day home from school, but I think my buddy loves it even more.  He was my shadow throughout the course of the day on Monday...not wanting to miss a trick. 

What are you loving lately?

Willsey Goes for a Walk

Sunday was so gorgeous that I couldn't stay inside any longer so Payton and I grabbed Willsey and headed for the trail.  He usually sits in the back on drives in the car, but I let him ride up front with me for a special treat. 

Rearing to go...

Payton has a love-hate relationship with the camera.  Sometimes she is cooperative, and sometimes...not so much.  That day she did a good job!

Payton also likes to be behind the camera...

She found a neat leaf with cool coloring.  Willsey wanted to eat it... 

There was a playground along the way so I let Payton play for a few minutes.  Willsey was at full attention watching and waiting patiently...

More camera cooperation!

Almost back to the parking lot, Payton spotted this friendly graffiti on the path.  I tried to explain to her that it was a destruction of park property, but she still insisted on a picture.    

What a good day for Willsey.  Time to go home!

For me, last night's yoga class felt so good.  This morning, I am about to head out for an easy 5 mile run and then later, I have a chiropractor appointment.  

Have a great Wednesday!

Day Four Detox, A Walk and Some Pilates

Good morning!  I hope you are all having a good day so far...because...it's Friday!  I am so excited because tonight we are going to see Bare Naked Ladies and Blues Traveler in concert at the Sands Casino.  BNL is such a fun band and I can't wait to see them live and hopefully I can get some good pictures.  

Yesterday I completed day four of this little detox I am doing.  If you are new to my blog, you can catch up here:

Day One of Detox 

Day One Down, Onward to Day Two 

Mini Track Session and Day Two Detox Recap 

Day Three Detox Review 

I have to say, compared to day three, day four was better.  However, I did not run.  It was my typical day off...I usually run three days, take a day off, run three days, take a day off, etc, so the zero mileage day fit nicely into the schedule, especially after Wednesday night's run.  I have been wanting to try the Pilates class at my yoga studio for a while now, so I took advantage of the time I had to myself and headed on over.  

The verdict?  I really liked the extensive core work at Pilates, especially since I often tend to neglect that part of my body.  But overall, I didn't really feel like I got a great workout.  In my opinion, nothing compares to running in terms of an overall "good workout" feeling.  The thing I love about yoga, however, is the feeling I get after I am finished.  My body feels refreshed and limber and ready to tackle more runs. 

After Pilates, Willsey and I took a short walk around the neighborhood because he loves to go out and see the world.  

  
As for day four detox eats, here's what I did:

7:30 AM - water with lemon
9:00 AM - Whey protein smoothie with strawberries, blueberries and spinach
11:30 AM - Lunch: leftover rice, some berries and some of last night's salad while working in my classroom

1:30 PM - handful of raw almonds
3:00 PM - peach
7:00 PM - Veggie "chili" and some brown rice

All I did for this dish was saute a ton of veggies in a tablespoon of olive oil, including two hot peppers.  Next, I chopped up five tomatoes and added them into the pot and they rendered down and created a juice, like chili.  A tablespoon each of chili powder and cumin made this dish complete.  I topped some brown rice with the veggies and it was a hit with my husband since he has been a victim of my detox over the past few days.  

The veggies, pre-chili...

 
Right now I am about to head out for a run.  I'm not sure how far yet, but I'm thinking at least five.  Enjoy your day!

~Tracy

Happy Birthday, Willsey!

My baby is ONE today!  I can’t believe it…

Since we brought him home ten months ago, it’s been pure bliss.  Ok, maybe not so much…but he definitely has made our house {and lives} interesting.

So today we celebrated his special day with a birthday treat.  I’ll give you a hint…

I bought Willsey a plain hamburger from McDonalds.  Of course, we all had to sing and the girls blew out the candle for good luck.  

It’s funny, I don’t think Fred was surprised that we were honoring the family pet, so he was a good sport and just went with the flow.  

Willsey didn’t have a clue what was going on, but once he got his hands mouth on the burger, it was gone in about two seconds flat and his birthday was complete.   

Happy Birthday, Little Buddy!  Note: Our dog is NOT spoiled! :)

Speedwork + Yardwork = I'm Tired!

Good morning, friends!

It's day two of Spring Break and I am loving it!  Yesterday was a gorgeous day and it all started with a speed workout on the track.  Jesse wanted to do one more workout including longer intervals before the 1,500 meter track race next weekend.  To get our legs turning over in the end, we did some fast stuff too.  

Here's our workout:

2 x 800; 1 x 600, 1 x 400, 1 x 300, 1 x 200, and 1 x 100 -- Short and sweet!

~2 mile warm-up and drills

800 – 2:42.03 (5:03 - 1500 pace) – 4:00 rest

800 – 2:42.53 (5:04 - 1500 pace) – 3:45 rest

600 – 1:59.14 (4:57 - 1500 pace) – 3:00 rest

400 – 75.5 (4:43 - 1500 pace) – 1:45 rest

300 – 54.8 (4:28 - 1500 pace) – 1:45 rest

200 – 33.4 (4:10.5 - 1500 pace) – 1:00 rest

100 – all out/no time

~ 1 - 1.5 mile cool down 

I felt pretty good, but for some reason I thought the 400 time was faster than it ended up being.  Plus, we took some longer rest periods between the 800's because Jesse was looking for quality times.  I love the feeling of getting a good workout in early and having the rest of the day free!

After some coffee and a little snack, I went outside to do some much needed weeding.  We have a beautiful yard, but it requires some serious gardening time.     

Willsey was also having a blast, however, he hated being on the wrong side of the fence from me.  So...he started to dig a hole in hopes to make it my side. 

A little dirt + 

water from the pool =

A very muddy puppy.  Check out those paws...

 

...and his nose!

What a mess!  Once I got him cleaned up and brought inside, he crashed on the floor for a good two hour nap.   

Last night, Fred and I joined our friends, Mike and Erica, at opening night of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.  The Iron Pigs are the Philadelphia Phillies minor league baseball team and the stadium is a mere ten minutes away from our home.  

The four of us...

The Pigs were playing the New York Yankee's minor league team and here they are during the announcement of the starting line-up.

We thought it would be fun to bundle up and venture out to catch a few innings.  Due to the cold, we only lasted three and an executive decision was made to head to a local restaurant to warm up.  It was a fun night! 

And...this morning, Lauretta and I ran a very easy 9.5 miles on the canal tow path.  I wanted to get a good distance run in before coloring Easter eggs with my mom and Payton.  It's a tradition that we do every year on Good Friday.

   

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Tracy