Monday Motivation- Trying to get better.

I have the fortunate opportunity Monday-Thursday to attend a 45 min bootcamp class that is offered at work during the week. This has been going on for MONTHS, but rarely do I go since I just run instead. Last week I went to bootcamp after work

 

 As you can see the bootcamp is held in work garage basement, so it has a tendency to get a little warm by the end (for me since I heat up so easily)  I didn't think it was a big deal just to leave straight from   bootcamp in my shorts and tank top, and whip out my run before going home. 

My legs were so numb from bootcamp + being cold, I had no idea of my pace and looked down when I hit the first mile.... 6:42-- yikes. Now I know very well I can run  JUST 1 mile that fast if I'm doing a mile run, but I never go out that fast for a multiple mile run. I didn't think much of it and naturally my pace slowed down because right after mile 1 is .5 mile all uphill- I ended up cutting the run short and did 3.5 miles vs. 5 and finished with a 7:20 pace. 

A few days later I was talking to B and I mentioned the run and her reaction "holy crap that is really fast" kind of threw me off and got me thinking... I seriously don't push myself enough. Now I'm realistic and know I won't be whipping out 6:42 miles, but I think its extremely do-able to work on speed mixed with endurance so I can keep a faster pace for the beloved half marathon distance. My secret goal for the Arizona 1/2 a few weeks ago was to go sub 1:50- BUT sadly, side stitch / breathing issues made that goal go out the window. Austin is my redemption race, however the course profile kind of scares me

It looks intimidating, however when you see the difference in the change in elevation, its only 300 feet. I guess race day will tell because I'm not the best at reading course maps. 

So what can I do to get faster? 

First off I do need to firm up- inches, not what the scale says. I'm going to start doing 1 burst training workout (minimum) a week to jump start fat loss. I know for a fact when I was doing burst training on the treadmill (it was easier to keep track of pace vs. outdoors) it helped me with speed as well. 

My go to for burst training ideas is a wellness physician here in Nashville area, Dr. Josh Axe http://www.draxe.com/burst-training/. This man knows so much about fitness, clean eating, healing yourself through hollistic practices etc. He actually JUST has his last meeting with the tv execs  to get his own show on Oprah's network- *fingers crossed*

Second I need to start paying attention more closely to what I eat. My body is greatly affected by my diet. If i'm not careful, I can easily gain 10lbs in 1 month... yes you read that right, 10lbs. On the positive side if I'm strict with what I eat I can lose 10lbs in 1 month (I've done it before but it takes some serious discipline for me). So its back to limiting dairy (except my beloved greek yogurt), as well as searching for a complete whole food based protein powder to do for either breakfast or after a run.

First up... 

Chocolate Vega Whole food  Health Optimizer

• I'm going to be brutally honest--- I mixed this with chocolate soymilk, chobani plain yogurt, ice, peanut butter, cinnamon (all my staple ingredients) + chia seeds --- it was DISGUSTING. I drank it after a 9.5 mile run so I was able to choke it down because I know my body needed it, but YUCK. I'm so glad I just bought the one sample, however I'm nervous because I also bought a strawberry version of the whole food optimizer, fingers crossed.  

Do you have a complete nutrition protein powder that you actually enjoy the taste of?

• Chia seeds are going to be new for me. 

• I bought them because they are always being talked about as having great benefits for endurance athletes (more energy),  a great source for Omega 3s ( I don't eat ANY fish, so I'm always adding in food to get my omega 3s), great source of calcium, balancing blood sugar, as well as helping with weight loss. So far everything I've seen requires you to get the seeds wet, so they are ideal adding to water, yogurts, oatmeals, or adding in baking etc. In the last day I've added it to my smoothie as well as two different flavors of yogurt, SUPER easy. 

What are some ways you incorporate chia seeds into your diet? Are there other seeds you use?

• The last part of my diet I'm working on (it's all about baby steps to be successful) is to limit my beer consumption. If you're new to my blog, I'm a beer snob aficionado- and enjoy a good brewski here and there. Lately I've been going out to eat a lot with friends- I'm not going to stop going out, but what I promised myself I'll stop doing until Austin is not getting 2 beers each time I go out. My water consumption is just fine, but I guess it will be EVER better since I'll only drink that to save on calories, carbs, and keep money in my wallet. 

So I know that none of these items seems ground breaking or life changing, but the more realistic you can be with yourself in regards to making changes, the more they'll transfer over to actual lifestyle changes and habits.