Weekend Wrap Up - My Longest Run EVER

Another weekend has come and gone - I hope everyone had a blessed Easter with family and friends - or just a super great weekend if you don't celebrate! Could the weather have been any better here in the Midwest? Nope. Probably not! It was just plain gorgeous all weekend long. Anytime I can throw on a sundress, shades, and sandals, I'm a happy girl!

The perks of attending a Catholic university: I had Good Friday off school which meant an extra day to study. It has come to the point where I look forward to weekends because I have MORE time to study. But first, I decided to go home to visit family Thursday night. I made sure to get some great work outs in and do my best to eat healthy (no Skyline Chili for this girl - :( )

On Thursday, I went to a Crossfit style Bootcamp class with my auntie!  I really, really love these classes as a supplement to running! If only I could find a Crossfit gym here in Indianapolis that doesn't cost $100!  

Our workout was broken up into three sections (after a warmup):

WOD #1 (15 minutes): 7 pushups, 10 shoulder presses with 35 lb bar, 15 ball slams (20 lb), then run a lap around the building.

WOD #2 (15 minutes): 14, 13,12,11...2,3,1 wall balls with 10 lb ball & same for Kettlebell rows (20 lb)

6 minutes of abs (your choice - side planks, plank, situps, hovers, etc.)

GREAT workout! My arms were definitely feeling it afterwards.

On Friday, I made a quick visit to the Planet Fitness in my town for a full body workout. Nothing spectacular - I've recently started using the machines more (like the Smith machine for squats, tricep pull downs & lat pull downs, etc.)  I've always been a little timid with equipment but at this point, why not give it a try and mix things up?!

On Saturday I decided it was best for me to get back to Indianapolis so that I could be a studious person. I spent some time at the library on Friday but the environment just isn't the same. Before I left, I decided to get a training run in at one of my favorite parks.

It went well overall but I got that same twinge in my foot that I got back in the fall - right in the middle of my left foot. My guess is it's the tendonitis coming back from wearing my older running shoes.  

I also learned that 5 miles is my limit for not thoroughly applying Body Glyde - can you say Chub Rub?  The worst hits your skin - OUCH! Needless to say, for my long run on Sunday I was supremely lubed up.

Now for the exciting part. MY LONGEST RUN EVER! Sunday I woke up knowing I was going to attempt 10 miles, according to my schedule. I say "attempt" because 8 miles the week before has been somewhat rough post-run - I felt kind of sick to my stomach and my legs hated me.  Basically I was just scared of what would happen after I STOPPED.  

Not really sure what got into me but around mile 8, I decided I was just gonna go for it - go for 12 miles! I kept checking in with myself as I went along - foot ok? Yes. Knees doing well? Yes. Hydration and energy levels? Check. 

This was the first time I decided to use an energy gel as well - Gu Vanilla Bean. It was like butterscotchy goodness! I took half of it around mile 7 and then made my way back to my car for a quick water break at mile 9. 3 miles later, I was done!

I was soooooo excited! The run was great -  I felt great - like I could definitely get through the last mile. As soon as I got home, I chugged a bottle of water and decided to try taking an ice bath to help with the swelling and recovery. At this point, my left knee and foot were starting to ache - walking upstairs to my apartment was a blast. 

My poor neighbors! They probably thought someone was dying - that water was SO COLD! Eventually I got used to it and I'm glad I tried it because I am not nearly as sore as I thought I would be (I think my arms and shoulders are worse than my legs!). 

Like I said before, it seems like the after effects of running are way worse than the actual activity - the worst was that I was starving and pretty tired for the rest of the day! I found myself wanting to snack on all the foods but I controlled that by making this delicious meal for dinner! 

Shrimp tossed in spinach & basil pesto (only 45 cals for 2 TBSP!) with potatoes and snow peas!

And so ends my weekend! I think Sunday will be my last official "long" run until my race in two weeks. I took a rest day today and then I'll stick to shorter 5-6 mile runs, strength training, and lots of stretching from here on out. I definitely want to try to get some hills in, if possible, which is my biggest worry for the Flying Pig Half Marathon. Not many of those here in Indy!

Happy Monday! Any races coming up for you?