Fred Lebow Half Marathon Training Recap Week #3

 

I didn’t mind at all that yesterday morning’s temperature was around 30 degrees for my long run. I was looking forward to the chillier air and the opportunity to layer up with my new Runderful Half Zip from lululemon.

It’s the best kind of fashion coincidence that my new hat and neckwarmer, both of which I scored on sale for this winter running season, blend so nicely with the color I picked for the half zip.

I absolutely love the fit of this top! It is much softer than last year’s Race Your Pace Half Zip and roomier too. I wore a Run Swiftly long sleeve underneath and you never would have known it was there. The cuff over mittens have a nicer material, stretch a bit differently and the finish at the bottom of the top is better as well (it sits nicer and stays in place). The hidden zip pocket is more towards the front of the shirt than on the side and very easy to access (I put a hammer gel inside).

I will be watching the lululemon sale racks closely so that I can hopefully pick up another one of these Runderful half zips this season (the sales are the best so long as you don’t care about color which I don’t because I care more about price).

My workouts from this past week were pretty typical although I have been running indoors on the treadmill a bit more, not because of the weather but because I do not like to run in the dark. The sun is rising later and later but I am not going to complain because it’s a short-lived inconvenience and at least I have access to a treadmill when I need it 🙂

Monday – Pure Barre & Not The 5 Mile Easy Run I Expected

I went to the gym all excited to wear my new pair of Energy Boosts under the assumption that I would run 5 easy miles on the treadmill.

I made it 20 minutes (a little over 2 miles) before switching to the elliptical machine. The treadmill and I were not getting along at all! It became one of those runs where I just knew it was not worth pushing through.The elliptical gave me a great workout and Tuesday’s run became my focus instead.

Pure Barre Tone in 10 Combo:

• Thighs & Seat
• Seat & Abs

Tuesday – 8 Miles

I was slightly nervous for the treadmill after yesterday but was determined to have a good run. I was very cautious with my pace, keeping it as easy as possible for the first 3 miles (6.3 – 7.0) to avoid the shin splint stiff foot feeling I always talk about that I can get on the treadmill if I go too fast too quickly.

I felt so much better today on the treadmill, had a rough patch during mile 4 but things worked themselves out.

Last 1.5 miles were between 7.5 – 8.2.

Wednesday – Pure Barre Mile High DVD (35 min) & 4 Miles

Every single time I approach this cone on my running path I think it’s an animal. Yes, I should probably wear my glasses while I run but how cool did the picture come out?!

Thursday – 8 Miles (5 treadmill, 3 outside)

Uneventful treadmill run = great treadmill run. I finished the last 3 miles outside once it was light enough for me.

Friday – Pure Barre Pure Results  & 4 Easy Miles

Saturday – 13 Miles

I started out faster than I would have liked but overall it was a great run. It sort of went in groups of 3’s.

3 miles effort, 1 mile easy, 3 miles effort, 1 mile easy, 3 miles more effort, 1 mile easy and then 1 fast mile to finish at 13.

I liked this pattern of running, I may do it like this again!

Sunday – Rest Day

[bctt tweet=”lululemon half zip thoughts & weekly workout recap #lululemon #treadmill #running #halfmarathontraining #fitfluential #workoutrecap”]

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Are you an early morning runner? What type of reflective gear do you wear?

Was it colder for your run this weekend? Did you like it or miss the warm weather?

Do you imagine you see things on your run too?

My Running Shoe Rotation & Workout Recap

Woah…I am tired!

I woke up this morning close to my usual time (because I do not know how to sleep late) and even though I am tired, I am still riding some sort of endorphin high produced by a combination of yesterday’s long run and last night’s Islanders game.

Or maybe I am just on a sugar high from the mega ice cream sundae we technically inhaled only a few hours ago.

Epic dessert for an epic day which we will discuss a bit more tomorrow!

For this week’s workout recap, which features lots of awesome runs (!!), I made it a point to take note (actually, take a picture) of the sneakers I wore each day just so you would have an idea how my running shoe rotation goes down.

I currently rotate three pairs of running shoes and it is extremely rare that I wear the same pair two days in a row.

Read more about the importance of rotating your running shoes here.

*Monday*

 

Pure Barre Studio Series & 5 Miles – A while back I referred to myself as plank pathetic.

I am still no planking champion but I have noticed that I can lift and lower each leg while in the plank position much better than when I first started this Pure Barre series back in December. Progress!

5 easy miles in my Hoka Cliftons.

The Hokas usually come out for easy runs/recovery runs but can be worn for really any run which is why I love having them as an option.

 

*Tuesday*

 

9 Miles – I wore my newest, brightest, bluest pair of Energy Boosts just because I needed a little extra love this morning.

I was dealing with that overall time of the month not-so-sparkly feeling and wanted my run to go as well as possible so new shoes were a must.

And they matched too!

I don’t like to push my pace much during this time of the month but my legs felt really fresh and ready to roll so I actually still averaged 8:55 overall.

 

*Wednesday*

 

Pure Barre Mile High & 6 Easy-Paced Miles – I had been saving these Pro Compression socks for what, I don’t know, so I randomly decided to brighten the gloomy misty morning by wearing them for an easy morning run along with my veteran pair of Energy Boosts.

 

*Thursday*

 

I threw off my shoe rotation by wearing the newer Boosts on Tuesday but it all worked out just fine because I can wear my Hokas for fast runs and feel great, almost forgetting they aren’t my main pair/first choice in running shoes.

Miles 1 – 3 @ 8:50 <- warm up

Miles 3 – 6 @ 8:14 <- unmeasured speed intervals throughout the miles

Miles 6 – 8 @ 8:35 <- slight cool down

 

*Friday*

 

4 Easy Miles & Pure Barre Studio Series – I normally do Pure Barre before running but this time I ran first and then came home to lift, tone and burn.

I went with my older pair of Boosts for this short run because I decided they are really reaching their end which means they are no longer allowed to run with me for long runs on Saturdays.

Are you following the thought process on the shoe rotation or have I lost you completely?!

*Saturday*

 

15 Miles – You know you are having an awesome run when you hear yourself singing along with your playlist.

I think I listened to Fall Out Boy’s The Phoenix a bazillion times during this run- my favorite running song at the moment!

Miles  1- 10 @ 8:30 pace with mile 1 @ 8:44 and mile 10 @ 8:14

Miles 10- 13 @ 8:35

Mile 13-15 cool down

 

*Sunday*

 

Rest day/morning walk with my son. At least that was the plan last night, he’s still asleep…

 

[bctt tweet=”My running shoe rotation & workout recap #running #runningshoes #adidas #energyboost #hokaoneone”]

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Best thing you ate so far this weekend?

Do you rotate your running shoes on a regular basis?

Are you running today or resting today?

Watching Infomercials & Weekly Workout Recap

 

 

I woke up super early today and since I don’t feel like watching The Brady Bunch, the only other thing on the television is diet infomercials.

Ten channels are currently advertising the plan that involves all of those different color-coded containers in various sizes including a green one you are supposed to fill six times in one day to complete your vegetable requirement.

I am pretty sure that if I tried to measure my Maoz salad from yesterday, it would exceed this six-time green container requirement in just one meal.

And I haven’t figured out which container would be used for last night’s dessert or how one goes about measuring it.

Isn’t my sundae beautiful?! I am back on track with my Cold Stone waffle bowl creations — hit the spot like I can’t even begin to tell you.

I need to change the channel or just go back to bed because I am suffocating just looking at these container restraints.

*Monday*

 

Pure Barre Mile High & 7 miles

My pace fell naturally and in negative split fashion without much effort which always makes me smile.

• mile 1 – 9:11
• mile 2- 9:01
• mile 3- 8:46
• mile 4- 8:45
• mile 5- 8:45
• mile 6- 8:09
• mile 7  cool down – 9:22

 

*Tuesday*

 

Pure Barre Studio Series & 5 Miles

Half way through the Pure Barre workout I decided I really didn’t feel like doing it.

I was working on my “left seat” in the moment of total disinterest but finished up the “right seat” just so my “seat” didn’t end up unbalanced in its toning.

I skipped the ending section of abs and stretching because, well, I just didn’t feel like it!

Five miles outside in a misty rain. I don’t think I felt much like running these miles either but I ran them, came home and moved on with the day.

 

*Wednesday*

 

Pre Run Yoga & Gym Day

So I am going to recommend this beginner/pre-run yoga routine to you (and tell you again to check out Michele’s Yoga Home Practice Guide if you haven’t already) but I am also going to say that you should remain vigilant when it comes to what your body can handle before beginning a new exercise program.

I never loved the concept of yoga but Pure Barre has made me more interested in exploring routines out of my comfort zone.

Yoga though is a tricky one for me which I think I always sort of knew but never fully realized until now.

Not just because I am far from flexible but because I have low blood pressure (which triggers something called neurological syncope in me) which means I can get real dizzy real quick if twisted or tilted in the wrong position.

Changes in my position, anything that dilates my blood vessels and affects my blood flow, not feeling well or just simply sitting still  — can cause me to get dizzy and sometimes, faint.

I enjoyed the sequence of this yoga routine but I realized I was getting dizzy.

I am super careful when changing position when I exercise (I rarely do burpees for this reason) but I really didn’t expect a calm early morning yoga stretch routine to make me feel sick.

There’s so much to say on this subject, so many variables that can come into play but to keep this short right now since not everyone has the same blood pressure issues as me –> I didn’t faint but was definitely light-headed, dizzy and nauseous and will never do this routine gain.

I drank my orange juice (as the doctor always told me to do along with adding more salt to my food) and returned to normal.

I did go to the gym a little while later because I wasn’t sick and was back to feeling myself.

35 Minutes elliptical – > free weights – > 1 mile cool down run outside

I did a little bit of research to uncover that there are a ton of yoga poses beyond what I would know to avoid and have a feeling that some type of post will be coming on the subject.

 

*Thursday*

 

Pure Barre Mile High & 6 Miles

NEW SHOES NEW SHOES NEW SHOES!

Gosh I just love a fresh pair of sneakers!

My plan is to slowly work these pretty new Energy Boosts in, wearing them only once (okay maybe twice) a week until my old Boosts are completely done.

 

*Friday*

 

30 Minute easy run (about 3.25 miles)

I was really tired Thursday night (more than usual) so even when I woke up feeling refreshed, I didn’t want to push it.

I ran three miles and headed home which brought me to right around thirty minutes — perfect amount of time for a quick energizer without overdoing anything especially with a long run on tap for Saturday.

 

*Saturday*

 

15 Awesome Miles

I really thought I would be running inside on the treadmill since it snowed Friday afternoon/night but at the last-minute, I noticed the ground was just wet, the temperature was right around freezing and only supposed to rise.

It actually started snowing once I was running but only a misty light and wet snow which really didn’t bother me and didn’t stick to the ground.

I fell right into groove after taking it easy the first mile and had an incredible run.

The miles ticked by so quickly that I thought maybe I missed something!

I averaged 8:28 over and over and only started feeling tired after the 13 mile mark.

I don’t know what caused such a great run – maybe taking it easy on Friday helped or maybe it was the Friday late night tag teaming snack of raisins and mini chocolate chips.

*Sunday*

 

Rest day although I am wide awake too early looking for something to do other than watch infomercials!

Maybe I will bake something. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

[bctt tweet=”Watching infomercials & weekly workout recap #coldstone #maoz #running #workouts”]

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Do you watch these diet infomercials?

Do you get dizzy from yoga too?

Best thing you ate so far this weekend?

TOL – Shopping Is My Cardio

 

Our Thinking Out Loud host is currently on a beach in Hawaii and while I hope she is having the best time, the selfish side of me really misses talking to her every day.

Amanda is one of my closest friends, even if we have never met in person!

I know I have told you that my dad ran the NYC Marathon three times but my mother? A runner she was never.

I do recall those moments in the early 80’s when I would tag along with her to step aerobics classes and then there was her phase of walking on the treadmill holding two-pound weights in each hand but that’s about it.

Just the other morning I politely reminded her that she needs to take up her daily treadmill walks again as being naturally thin does not make her immune to the need for some sort of daily movement for health purposes.

I also reminded her that women need to strength train too in order to keep the bones strong, especially as we age.

Her response?

Meredith, if you would have seen how many hangers I was carrying ON ONE ARM the other day to the fitting room….

I must admit, she made a funny and wasn’t trying to be funny (she was totally serious) and I am still laughing about it.

And when I checked my email yesterday morning, clearly the topic was still on her mind with the need to prove her point:

Shopping is one of my favorite forms of cardio and from now on, I will start counting it as part of my strength training too.

Speaking of shopping, I did some much-needed damage at the Dior makeup counter the other afternoon.

 

I stand by my belief that Dior makes the best eye shadow on the market.

I had stopped wearing Dior for a little bit as I worked on figuring out some of my makeup allergies but have now gravitated back towards the more neutral palettes which involve less of the high pigmented colors and very little shimmer (not to mention, Dior has been removing the parabens from most products which is really important too).

This five color palette plus black gel liner (no need to wet a brush!) is called the Eye Reviver for good reason — it totally brightens up your eyes and gives you so many options in terms of how you want to do your makeup!

The eye shadows are so versatile that they work with any eye/skin coloring and give you plenty of variations when creating your day time casual or evening necessary all-done-up look.

Dior shadows glide on and stay on like no other. Trust me. I know these things.

This picture was taken several hours after I applied my makeup the other night and the color on my lips was never re-applied — what you see is Dior’s new Cheek and Lip Glow.

AllSeated event at Glasshouses NYC.

From Dior’s website:

Using Fresh Color Reveal™ technology, CHEEK & LIP GLOW instantly reacts to the moisture in the skin and lips to give them a luminous custom pink glow. Fresh and ultra-light, its fluid embellishing gel formula blends seamlessly with the skin, leaving nothing but the weightless veil of a healthy glow.

Not only is it awesome for the high cheek bones, I am really bad about remembering to apply lipstick and gloss so this cheek plus lip combo is perfect.

It literally stays on the entire night, gives you a pop of color without being sticky AND if you put a gloss/lipstick over it, it will help that to stay on nice too!

As bad as I am about applying lipstick, I finally picked up the new coral shade of Dior’s version of chapstick  I mentioned a few weeks ago.

Referred to as Lip Glow, it’s a lip balm packed with moisture (and SPF) and also brings out some natural color to your lips without making you feel like you are putting on lipstick, which as you can tell from what I have already said, is a big deal to me.

If you have missed my previous makeup/skincare related posts, check out these links:

Winter Skincare Guide

Loving Lately – Beauty Products

Coconut Oil as Moisturizer

New Beauty Finds

Sunscreen Guide

I am off to the city this morning for a meeting but of course I will squeeze in my run first…

….in my new pair of Energy Boosts!

Excuse me while I go play with them!

Be sure to check out what everyone else is thinking about today!

[bctt tweet=”Shopping Is My Cardio #thinkingoutloud #shopping #Dior #Dioraddict #EnergyBoosts #makeup #allseated #events”]

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There are no affiliate links in this post! Just sharing my favorite Dior products and where you can find them.

What color are your eyes? Green!

Do your parents exercise or do you need to remind them?

When you put on makeup, are you more of a heavy on the eye, light on the lip or the other way around? I am all about eye shadow!

Pure Barre, Some Yoga & Lots of Running

 

 

It may have rained all day yesterday which may have interfered with my ability to run outdoors but it didn’t interfere with my ability to enjoy a Red Mango parfait while I walked around the mall.

Aside from yesterday’s super rainy day, the rest of the week was really nice.

Since it has been bright and sunny with temperatures that are beginning to feel like spring, I started making it a point this week to go for a short walk in the afternoon (when I could) right after eating lunch.

I normally use that time to run errands and get away from the computer but decided that a short walk would be energizing (and cheaper!)

I also decided to try out some of the online free yoga that Michele recommended in her Yoga Home Practice Guide <– very informative, be sure to check it out.

I never really liked yoga but I do like the stretching aspect as well as the balance work and relaxing nature of the practice.

Pure Barre incorporates some of the same poses so I wasn’t totally lost either!

 

*Monday*

 

Pure Barre Mile High & 3 Miles (plus after-lunch walk)

I look forward to Mile High mornings because the routine is ten minutes shorter than the Studio Series — you notice the ten minutes!

It gets the job done, tackles every area (core, arms, legs, seat and abs) in a really concise way.

Three miles run easy outside in a misty rain. I don’t think I knew it was going to rain and I think it only rained during my time running. Go figure.

*Tuesday*

 

Pure Barre Studio Series & 6 Miles (plus after-lunch walk)

The sun was shining and it seemed comfortable outside but I was still dodging lots of ice patches due to all of the melting snow and refreezing that takes place at night.

I couldn’t really keep up a good pace but I didn’t care – I was just happy to be outdoors.

There’s one spot on the path where the sun shines so bright every morning — love it.

*Wednesday*

 

8.15 Miles & Yoga in the afternoon

It rained a whole bunch Tuesday night which melted a lot of the snow and since the temperature never dropped down close to freezing, this was my first run without ice on the ground!

One thing I realize during this outdoor run which I think is really important:

Running on the treadmill doesn’t let me see where my natural pace is falling. I set the machine and just go.

Sometimes I really hate treadmill runs not fully realizing that maybe what I hate is the fatigue in my legs, not the actual treadmill, because I am running at a pace that is maybe too fast for that particular day.

I am not able to really realize what speed my body is up for running because setting the speed on the treadmill predetermines my pace which is completely different from outside, where I tend to gravitate to a natural pace unless I push myself otherwise.

I normally can judge if I need a rest day/cross training day by my pace outside. If I am averaging 9:30 and above and it’s not a recovery run (day after a long run), I know I am due for a day off.

During this run, I was clocking in over 9:30 for just about every mile. I felt fine, didn’t even have heavy legs at all but I know that pace is not my pace.

I also know that the runs earlier in the week were not my typical average pace and none of them were speed work which meant time for a day off from running.

*Thursday*

 

Pure Barre Studio Series (and played around with some of the yoga videos)

Of course I wanted to run. Nothing aches, I am not tired and the sun is shining!

But I held myself back. I knew I could easily run a few miles but those miles would only affect my ability to run the next day’s miles as well as Saturday’s long run.

My legs will thank me tomorrow.

*Friday*

 

Pure Barre Mile High & 6 Miles

I definitely fell right into groove within the first mile which made me thank myself for taking the running day off yesterday.

My only issue –> I think my Boosts are starting to go. It’s been over three months of pure bliss but once I feel my heels, I know my days with these shoes are numbered.

Ugh, I feel like I just got them!

*Saturday*

 

13.1 Miles on the treadmill

The Boosts are normally my go-to long run shoe but I was nervous after deciding the cushioning in the heels was starting to go and really didn’t want to feel anything wrong on the treadmill.

I went with my Hokas and brought the Boosts with me just in case.

And yeah, I had to run long on the treadmill after running outside all week because it decided to rain real serious. I can handle running in the rain and even enjoy it but not through steady downpours for 13 miles.

This run was actually kinda awesome! (Average pace @ 8:25)

Only issue I had, which I always have when I wear the Hokas it seems beyond eight miles, is that the sides of my feet, (like the base of the toes where your foot is wide then narrows), suddenly gets “caught” at the front of the shoe.

I guess my feet swell at this point in a run? I don’t know, but it’s every time in these shoes and I try to adjust my feet by kicking them forward and back to get them in the right place (never really works).

I picked up the pace for the last 3.1 in my attempt to keep those last miles really strong. Avg pace for the 3.1 @ 7:50.

*Sunday*

 

I think I am going to check out more of those yoga routines this morning while I have the time to go through them and find what I may like.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

[bctt tweet=”Pure Barre, Some Yoga and Lots of Running! #WorkoutRecap #purebarre #running #yoga #redmango”]

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Best thing you ate so far this weekend?

Are you due for new running shoes?

Were you able to run outdoors this week?