One of our goals is to tone up all of our "jiggly" areas on our body. We have been running for over a year now and have noticed that as much as we love running, it doesn't fix everything. My problem area has always been my legs. Running has helped a bunch but I've noticed that no matter how much running I do, there are parts of my legs that are still jiggly.
Carrie Underwood's leg workout routine has been floating around on pintrest for awhile so I thought I would give it a try. Oh my goodness, this workout is killer! I've done it three times this week and I can barely walk and forget about sitting down. Even though I'm in so much pain this week, when I run I don't feel any pain. I think that's proof that this workout is just what I needed!
I have a huge sweet tooth, so it's only fitting that my first recipe is a sweet one. The kids and I love these granola bars. Owen doesn't like peanut butter, so his loss is our gain! They are so much better and healthier than the boxed granola bars.
Here's what you need:
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup local honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup oats (not quick oats)
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1/2 cup chocolate chips (Mini work best, but it doesn’t really matter.)
What to do:
1. Melt the butter, peanut butter and honey in a pot over medium to low heat, stirring constantly. Turn off the burner when melted.
2. Pour in the cup of oats, chocolate chips,and the wheat germ. Stir til combined.
3. Pour into foil-lined 8 X 8 pan and stick in the fridge.
4. Once cooled, flip out the bars onto cutting board and cut to the size you like.
5. Enjoy!
I've been asked by a few of my friends to add a section for new runners; sharing tips we've learned over the past year of running.
Tip #1 ~Shoes & Socks
Shoes can make or break your running experience. It's really important to get the right fit or you will end up injuring yourself.
We laugh when we think of our first pair of running shoes. We just bought the cheapest running shoes we could find. After about a month of running I started experiencing pain in my hips and my feet were always falling asleep. A friend of ours suggested we go to our local running store and be fitted for new shoes. Not only was I wearing the wrong type of running shoes, I was wearing a whole size too small.
At a specialty running store the employees are trained to find the right pair of shoes for you. They watch you run to determine if you overpronate, underpronate, or are a neutral runner.
Once they determine your running style they will have you try on a few different shoes to see what feels best while running. Because your feet swell when you exercise, it's important to wear a half to a full size bigger than you normally wear. If you have raptor toes like Owen (second toe is bigger than your first), make sure you measure from your second toe.
Once you get your new pair of shoes, you will want to slowly work them into your running schedule. Start out by walking in them around the house, so your feet can get use to them. Then run a half mile, adding a little more each day. There may be a little discomfort at first but should go away within a couple of weeks.
Socks are important too! You want to wear a moisture wicking, dri-fit sock. If you are prone to blisters you will want to wear a thinner sock.
I'm currently training for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota on June 16th. Tomorrow is my last 20 miler followed by three weeks of tapering. I've hit the roads harder than ever since the Big Sur Marathon back in April. The reason for that is that I want to take a crack at qualifying for Boston.
My PR is 3:21:58 at the Myrtle Beach Marathon back in February. My qualifying standard for Boston is 3:10. To some that may not sound like a big difference, but it is HUGE. I pushed myself really hard at Myrtle Beach, which is a pancake flat marathon. I had trained pretty hard, and still hit the wall hard at mile 24, slowing by almost a minute per mile on the last two miles. My average pace was 7:42. In order to qualify for Boston at Grandma's, I'll have to run an average pace of 7:15 on a not as flat course.
Myrtle Beach Course Profile
Grandma's Course Profile
I feel really good, and my training has gone wonderfully since Big Sur. My running log as I write this says I've ran 71 miles in the last 7 days; 218 in the last 30; and 2,001 in the last 365! Today's 10 mile training run was at an average pace of 7:40 on severe hills.
All of that sounds like I can do it, it feels like I can do it, but the thought of running 26.2 miles at 7:15 is scary. My fear is that I'll try... and bonk at mile 16 and have 10 miles of misery. I really enjoy enjoying marathons. I don't want misery.
As a backup plan, I made a custom pace tattoo on Taz Running that has both paces (beat my PR, and qualify for Boston). The column that looks like 14/41 means 7:14/7:41, the pace for that mile (to save room).
That way if I get out there and just don't think I can do it, I can always just try to PR.
My custom pace tattoo
Here are a couple of videos by C Tolle Run about Grandma's Marathon.
I am super excited for Grandma's, only three weeks to go! Wish me luck.
