Three Things

1. miles

It's been a pretty solid workout week so far. With my sights set on a marathon in the fall (still have yet to choose) and maybe even a triathlon, I've been approaching my workouts with a new fervor and enthusiasm. I know normal people do things like pick an actual event and a deadline to train toward but prospect alone is enough for me to start working harder and focusing my workouts. One huge plus to spending equal amounts of time running and cycling is that my foot has stopped hurting (as much, for now). *knocks on wood*

Mon - 6.5 @ tempo w/ hills and fartleks
Tues - spin
Wed - off / work
Thurs - 4mi playground run
Friday -run or bike + weights
Sat/Sun - long run and/or long ride

2. munchies

I already shared my recipe of the week so I'm gonna take a moment to bitch about diets.

Ladies, stop ordering plain salads. If you're a guy and are offended that I didn't address you in this statement, then I'll tell you to stop it, too. Most fad diets that focus on restricting calories and deprivation only train the body live on fewer calories instead of training it to burn more. I mean, if you really want 1200 calories a day, be my guest. But if you want to have more energy to do more - maybe run a little faster or farther, or simply just to enjoy your workouts more - then you need to eat more.

Many nutrients work syngeristically: that is, in order for the body to get one nutrient, it must often be consumed with another. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins that are best consumed with healthy fats such as fish or nuts. Your body needs vitamin C for calcium absorption. The lycopene and lutein are two powerful antioxidants found in spinach and tomatoes, which is why eating both together packs a healthy one-two punch. So if you decide to cut out an entire food group you are missing out on key nutrients your body needs that can not be simply replaced with vitamins in pill form. So when you order a salad, no grapes, no nuts, no egg, no bleu cheese, no dressing and a wedge of lemon on the side, I'm going to roll my eyes at you. Not because you're being annoying and 10 of your friends ordered the same salad with an equal number of variations and special requests, but because you're not doing yourself any favors by eating just a plain head of lettuce! When you find yourself crashing at 4:00PM and running to the vending machine for a pick-me-up, you have only your salad to thank.

This is about as happy as my guest looked eating her dry salad.
[source]

 3. motivation

I can't claim I'm the only person who has ever said or thought this, but I tell my class to ask themselves every week, just as I ask myself during each workout or run...

Each time you get out there, make sure you are doing just ONE thing different. Maybe you can decide to get completely out of breath for 30 seconds when you've always run along at a conversational pace. Maybe you can go tackle that big hill you've always avoided in your routes. Maybe when the instructor tells you to add one gear for resistance, you go ahead and add two.

I think training plans are great, but as I consider buckling down and getting serious about eventually doing a triathlon, if I follow the simple philosophy of working a little harder each time I get moving, I'm sure to get where I need to go.

Are you a salad eater? How do you dress it up so you don't feel like you're eating rabbit food?
I like whipping up some dijon mustard with olive oil and honey for a quick dressing and putting everything I can find in my salad: nuts, raisins or craisins, carrots, celery, tomato, cheese, goldfish...

Do you have a big workout goal you've struggled to attain? What do you tell yourself to push toward it?