Run, Girl, Run

running, tattoos, plant food, life

[sydnieruns]

Just the Last Few Days

Sorry for the radio silence. School has started back up and I don’t have much to report in terms of training. Here’s a couple of photos from last week.

A DELICIOUS tofu stir-fry with broccoli, bell pepper and zoodles. I made it out of the cookbook “Weekday Weekend” by A Beautiful Mess and it’s a new favorite of ours.

Went and used the indoor track at the campus rec center (which is just gorgeous) and while I enjoyed it, it was SO HOT in there. I was really suffering. Next time I’ll have to wear shorts.

That’s all for now. Still staying consistent in my workouts and doing my best.

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

This Is Actually Really Fun!

Yesterday I bought Ring Fit Adventure for our switch and I was so excited to use it that it was at the top of my to-do list today. I thought it would be a great way to “ring” in the New Year (haha...get it?) and it’s amazing! I ended up working out with it for a full hour and it was surprisingly more work than I thought it would be! I have my settings at “intense” for the campaign mode but did very little of that and more of the mini-games and the custom workouts, and I definitely broke a bit of a sweat by the end. I have the custom workouts set to back, butt and core to help strengthen those muscles and optimize them for my runs. I’ve officially registered for the Horsetooth Half so the training is really on now. I’ve received 2/3 of my syllabi for the upcoming semester and now I have a better idea of what my workload and schedule is going to look like. I’m a little nervous to fit work, school/homework/studying and training into the next 3.5 months, but luckily the race is before finals and I’ll be able to focus solely on school once that time comes. Anyway, I’m super happy with this purchase and I bet B will get a kick out of it too!

Here’s a bonus photo of my cheer squad taking full advantage of the heated blanket.

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

Week At A Glance: Breakfasts

Breakfasts are my favorite meal of the day. It’s literally the perfect meal, no matter what it is. I love that I can take something simple and customize it to be different every day. Here’s what I ate for every breakfast last week. (Also, quick apology for not having amazing photos. As I’m pretty sure I’ve said before, I’m no food photographer.)

MONDAY

Oatmeal with chia seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon and honey.

TUESDAY

Avocado toast with olive oil and sea salt. I mash the avocado with black pepper, lemon juice, garlic salt and cayenne.

WEDNESDAY

Oatmeal with chia seeds, peanut butter, banana and honey. I’ve only recently started putting pb in my oatmeal and it’s soooo good!

THURSDAY

Toast with butter and homemade peach jelly from a coworker (yum!) and some scrambled eggs with salsa verde.

FRIDAY

Toast with peanut butter and banana. Are you sensing a theme on my favorites?

SATURDAY

My go-to! Oatmeal with shredded cheese, diced jalapeño, chorizo, black pepper, garlic powder and some hot sauce. I could probably eat this every day.

I didn’t take a pic of my Sunday breakfast for some reason and I can’t remember what it was, but I feel like my nutrition is already headed in the right direction!

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

Just a quick power snack meal prep on a Sunday afternnoon. We got an instant pot recently and while B uses it the majority of the time to cook his chicken, we also use it for rice and the occasional quinoa, like we did today. This is a cup of quinoa with cucumber, red onion, a splash of lime juice and some chopped garlic. (I should have grabbed cilantro at the store!) The avocado should be ripe in the next day or two and if I haven’t eaten it on toast by then, it will make a nice addition this little dish. Ooh, this would probably be good with a chipotle field roast sausage too..yum!

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

I’m Back!

Hello again! So much has happened since my last post. I ‘ve officially finished my first semester of grad school (woo!) and I think I’ve decided on my next race: the Horsetooth Half Marathon. The race is in April so I have plenty of time to start training for it, and what’s nice is the website for the race even offers training plans to follow, which is soooo convenient! I’m going to follow one of them because it’s going to fit in perfectly with the next semester, as I have class one day a week and that also happens to be the day that I can take as an “off” day if I want. It’s different than my last plan because I’ll be running both Saturdays and Sundays so I’ll really have to dedicate myself to a good warmup and cool down routine, as well as stretching and foam rolling. (God I hate foam rolling.) This time around I’m really going to dedicate myself to better nutrition because that’s where I was lacking last time and I think that affected my fatigue towards the end of my training days leading up to the race. I’ve been told this race is a tough one but I’m going to be focused. The best and most exciting part of this training cycle is my fancy new watch! My bf gifted me a Garmin for Christmas (he had to give it to me early because I kept talking about buying one) and I could not be more stoked. I’ve wanted a Garmin for a really long time now and I specifically wanted this one for the Spotify app. It’s going to make my workouts so much fun again (as dorky as that sounds). Tonight was my first time using it and you can see it took some calibration afterwards, but I had a fantastic run. I’ve definitely lost a lot of fitness since the race because my focus shifted to school but I’m back in training headspace and ready to get back out there. So let’s do this!

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

That’s a wrap.

(2:31:29)

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

The Last Two

Here goes nothing. These are my last two long runs before the race this coming Saturday. I’m so nervous even typing about it. My right leg has really been struggling and so I haven’t been going to the gym but instead using a recumbent bike at home. I want to keep working those muscles to keep them nice and loose for race day but at the same time, if I hurt, then I run the risk of further hurting myself beforehand. I feel stuck. I’ll be glad when the race is over, truthfully. These last 13 weeks have been super fun and also pretty intense towards the end! Life has had other plans for me along the way in terms of training, but I’m so close. Then, I can relax. For now.

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

This Isn’t Fun Anymore

Week 10 was awful. I hurt my right hip crease and it hasn’t let up. My mileage has been faltering and I’ve skipped some gym days altogether. I didn’t meet my mileage goals three times last week, including my long run. I had to take four days off in a row to try and rest my leg/groin area. I certainly didn’t just laze around all four days, I still had work and moving stuff to do, but I’m feeling incredibly anxious about everything. I took an epsom salt bath the other night to try to help with my muscles and this morning I got up and went to the gym: thirty minutes on an elliptical and twenty on a bike. My hip crease twinged just the tiniest bit but it wasn’t as bad as previously. I still have three-ish weeks until the race and I can turn this around if I’m careful. I will have to just push out the training a little, this Saturday will have to be last week’s long run and next Saturday will be this week’s long run. I’m trying not to get so down about this but right now I’m not having fun. It hurts. It sucks. I love to run and my current mood state is turning me against my favorite sport. I think I need to step back and re-evaluate why I set out to do this in the first place. The minute it stops being fun, something is wrong. Sorry for the silence last week. It just wasn’t a good one.

Happy Trails.

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

Using A Buddy System Is Nice

This is an old photo of my brother that I wish I could say was recent. It’ll probably be a loooong time before he and I run again (if ever, because I’m pretty sure running isn’t Ryan’s thing). On Wednesday I hit the pavement with my roommate Emily and after her being very excited to hit a new PR we decided to try and keep her on that pace. We ran 4.5 miles without music and I made sure to stick alongside her the entire way, and she ran the entire length without stopping! (I’m much taller than Emily so trying to stay at her pace is hard sometimes simply because my legs are longer.) It was a really nice recovery run and I’m proud of her for sticking to it. It was nice to run with a buddy, especially since I was underdressed for the weather and had I been alone, I would have wanted to quit simply because I was so cold. It’s supposed to be around 70* for my run today and I’m stoked about that. Running with a friend is nice sometimes. I spend most of my time running alone because that’s how I prefer it, but once in a while it’s nice to have the company. I NEVER run alone at night and especially in dimly lit areas or with headphones. That makes wintertime runs tricky but as far as this season goes, I’m ready. Bring it on!

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

Saturday was a success despite the fact I was VERY nervous. My right lower leg continues to pain me and I wasn’t sure I would be able to get my mileage in for the weekend as both of my shorter ones earlier in the week were unsuccessful. Luckily I found my compression sleeve and I ran the majority of my miles on a track, which I think helped greatly. The day before I swapped a cardio cross-training session with a 50 minute deep stretch yoga routine to prepare me for Saturday, and I used the CBD oil both the night before and the morning of. I had a scrambled egg with sriracha, two pieces of wheat toast with peanut butter and a mango for breakfast. After my first mile I stretched, after the second I did some flute activations (which made a huge difference, holy cow) and then after miles 3, 4 and 5 I checked in with my body and stretched more as needed. Miles 6-8 I just went for. Realistically I was out there for about 2 hours because I really took my time between miles as I was so scared of hurting myself. It worked out alright. This week is really screwing with my training schedule. I’m supposed to run 4.5 miles today (Monday) but I’m meeting with my landlord to do a house walkthrough and new lease signing, so that isn’t happening. Tomorrow I’m scheduled for 50 minutes of cross-training but it’s supposed to SNOW and it’s my current assistant’s last day, so we’ll probably go for drinks after work...which means two missed workouts in a row after a rest day. However this week I get three rest days so I’ll just tack my missed workouts onto those days. That means I’ll run twice in a row but that’s okay. I know it’s alright to miss workouts once in a while because life is short and worth living, and I try SO HARD to not beat myself up about letting my life flow, but I think guilt comes with routine exercise or trying to reach a goal. That actually kinda sucks. Anyway, I’m going to focus on the positives this week: I ran eight miles even though I was afraid I couldn’t, I get to celebrate a friend moving on to greener pastures, and I sign a lease with my boyfriend tonight!

Life is good.

Happy Trails,

Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

Week Eight is off to a rough start. I had 4.5 miles today and after 2.5, my shins and calves started to ache. I switched from pavement to the grass along the park path I chose, and that helped a little but I was definitely sore the rest of the way. I get the feeling they’re going to be really sore tomorrow. Brad and I are seeing HelloGoodbye tomorrow night so I will probably forgo my cross-training since I’ll be on my feet a lot and it’s going to be a late night. I’m trying not to feel guilty about that because honestly, my gut is telling me to get up at 5 and go to the gym tomorrow morning, but I know I’ll regret that later. Brad is looking into buying CBD salve for me to help with muscle aches and pains. I’m curious how that will help, a coworker of mine swears by it.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m tired and sore and it’s time to sleep so I can heal.

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

Successful Saturday!

I had to run seven miles today and I had to work a four hour shift so I did my first two-a-day, and it was SO GOOD. I got up around 6 and made breakfast (oatmeal with cinnamon, blueberries and banana) and attempted my first ever mile repeats on the middle school track in town. This was the result:

ALL TIME BEST! I did my mile repeats with three-minute recoveries inbetween and that amount of time seems to be my sweet spot in terms of working on my speed, I ran my first mile in 9:32 and after the recovery, my second in 8:35! That’s my fastest mile EVER, including a sprint!

After this run I was hungry again so I grabbed a breakfast burrito from Cafe Mex (egg, potato, white and red sauce and cheese). Now I understand why the Hobbits are so into second breakfast. Work was easy and then it was off to a different path to do some more mile repeats. I stuck to the three-minute recovery inbetween miles and felt really great the whole time. I was feeling super strong and not nearly as tired as I expected to feel!

Here’s the result of the second set of mile repeats. A second ALL TIME BEST! I kept thinking that it would have been so much easier to pause my mileage and use my timer if I had a smartwatch (and by smartwatch I mean a garmin...sigh, one day) but at the end of the day, I’m so pleased with how well this all went. I’m looking forward to chilling the rest of the weekend.

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

FDOE: Cross-Training

Yesterday started off with some early morning yoga. I took this at the end of my practice when the sun had started to rise. I wanted to go to the gym but my stomach had other ideas.

Breakfast was simple. Avocado (seasoned with garlic salt) and my favorite hot sauce from a local brunch place.

Snacks!

This meal was not planned. Midday I started to feel really dizzy and it turns out I had a really low blood sugar (62). That hasn’t ever happened before and so my plan to go home and make lunch was changed to my coworkers forcing me to drink a soda (Mountain Dew, YUCK) and eating this burrito. I just went grocery shopping so I was bummed that I didn’t go home and cook but if I was going to make it through the day, I had to eat soon. This is just a bean burrito with half and half chili.

I didn’t intend to eat dinner because my lunch filled me up but Brad was worried about me after hearing I wasn’t feeling well earlier, so he gently suggested I eat anyway. I made a quick breakfast for dinner. Those sausages are maple links by Field Roast and they’re soooo good. The toast is just smart balance vegan butter and cinnamon. I also ate a banana while I was cooking this.

Again, nothing fancy in terms of food. I like to cook and eat simple things. I have never been a chef and I probably never will be. The week is halfway over! Tomorrow I have a quick run on what is supposed to be my rest day but it’s supposed to snow and again, I HATE the treadmill so we’ll see how it goes.

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

And so begins week seven. I was supposed to run four miles today but I had to be at work by 4:30 am and I was zonked by the time I left so I’m splitting that run this week and I’ll finish the other two miles on my rest day. I did some abs afterwards to try and even it out a little. The weather was starting to turn towards the end and little raindrops were starting to fall. It was nice and breezy though so that helped. I’m definitely going to sleep good tonight. This week I’m increasing my cross-training workouts by another ten minutes so I’m up to fifty minutes at a time. I’ll probably get up early and go to the gym tomorrow. I’m a tired girl and my bed will probably call me early.

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

Halfway There

Just a couple of photos from the view today. There was a really nice breeze throughout the entire run that really helped. My legs definitely got tired but they carried me through. I kept telling myself it’s worth it, and it is! I was a little frustrated with myself in the moments when I was tired, but now that it’s done and over with I feel so much better about doing it. I’m ready for week seven. Halfway there to race day!

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

This Just Might Stick

Another early morning workout before a six-mile run tomorrow to round off week 6. An acquaintance of mine said she goes to the gym early mornings and I asked her to hold me accountable so we both showed up this morning and I did twenty minutes on a bike and twenty on an elliptical. My legs and butt are sore, y’all! It feels great! I was actually out the door before Brad this morning for the first time (he usually leaves around 5:30 for work and I sleep for another couple of hours...) and before I left he told me he was proud of me. It’s nice. I kind of liked breaking a sweat before the sun was up. I just might get into the habit of this and I’m not a morning person. Let’s see if it sticks.

Halfway to the race and Happy Trails!

-Sydnie

[sydnieruns]

I had ZERO motivation today because the weather continues to be drab and cold, but I dragged myself onto the treadmill and ran my four miles, as scheduled. I finished “Santa Clarita Diet” and I’m SO BUMMED that Netflix canceled it and now I need a new show to start for my treadmill days. Brad suggested “Love, Death and Robots” so maybe I’ll try that on my next indoor day. I have a 40 min bike scheduled for Friday morning (I did that yesterday and got 9.5 miles in) and I found someone to hopefully go with me that early in order to hold me accountable. Tomorrow is a rest day and I’m looking forward to hopefully just hanging out with Brad.

Happy Trails!

-Sydnie