Good morning! How’s everyone doing today?
I’ve got a busy one ahead of me – lots of meetings. But I already knocked out my workout this morning, bright and early! I love getting in early runs and being done the rest of the day.
The sunrise wasn’t quite as epic as it was last week when I did this route for my 14 mile training run, but it was still a beautiful morning to be out by the water – a little misty and hazy with a pretty pink sky.
And a huge red sun!
My blogger buddy Heather and I met up at 6 a.m. and set out for 7 miles, opting for my standard favorite out and back route down along the water.
It’s funny how last week I was doing the exact same route at almost the exact same time, but twice the distance, and I felt WAY better. This morning I felt pretty tired and sluggish. I was glad to have good company for the run – this would have been a rough one if I were alone!
For our last mile, we tackled the massive mile long hill from Rosslyn back up to Courthouse. Done and done! We kept a great pace – I was surprised when I looked down and saw 8:51 average pace! (I’m still borrowing my friend Sarah’s Garmin for now – I ordered a new one that will come soon since mine is still broken, stay tuned!)
Thanks for the miles, Heather! Getting up for an early run is never easy but it’s a hell of a lot easier when you have someone fun to meet. I’m never pumped when my alarm clock goes off, but I usually am once we’re out and moving. And if all else fails, I’ll at least be happy when we’re done, knowing what I’ve accomplished before most people’s day has even begun! I was talking to one of my AnneTheRD clients last week during a counseling session and shared something that my friend Lauren said to me on Twitter recently:
“I really regretted that workout.” — said no one, ever. 🙂
Remember that next time you’re thinking of bailing on yourself!
The other thing that really helps to keep me motivated to work out, besides remembering how awesome I’ll feel after it, is to reframe workouts away from the mentality that they are something you HAVE to do, and instead think of it as something you have the privilege of doing. I like looking at workouts as my “me time” – my time to get away from work, from my computer and my phone, and just enjoy some time either catching up with a friend or just getting lost in my own thoughts. It’s such a great destresser. Lori, my favorite instructor and the owner at Franklin Street Yoga in Chapel Hill, often says during class to think of your time that you take for yourself to exercise as a gift. I would agree. Exercise isn’t some annoying obligation you have to cross of your list – it’s your time to take care of yourself and enjoy a break from the rest of your crazy day. It might not always be enjoyable, but thinking of it like that will certainly help to make it at least a little more enjoyable, especially if you try to choose activities that you find fun. For example, I’m not a big fan of the gym – I used to go use the elliptical and use the weight machines but I always found it super boring and as a result, I never wanted to do it. So now, I focus on running outside with friends, yoga, and either CrossFit or boot camp classes, which I love for the social aspect (and the awesome workout). Making exercise more fun AND thinking of it as my special time for myself has made all the difference for me. Try it! 🙂 I’m in way better shape than I used to be when I just did the gym thing on my own and I’m having a lot more fun, too.
Speaking of CrossFit, I hit up a class last night. It was great to be back – I haven’t been very frequently lately with all the travel and running I’ve been doing, but I want to make sure to keep going at least once per week to keep my strength up. Yoga and swimming are great for cross-training but it’s good to mix it up, especially since I’m doing the Tough Mudder in a couple months and need to stay strong!
Each CrossFit class has a warm up, a strength portion, and a WOD (workout of the day). Last night, our strength portion was to work on pull ups! The guys and any of the girls who were strong enough did weighted pull ups (in which you do pull ups with additional weights around your waist – hardcore!), and the rest of us just worked on regular pull ups. Instead of using a band to do the pull ups, the coach last night had me kind of stand on his hands to do the pull ups. This meant that instead of always having the same amount of assistance like with a band, I could use my legs less during the earlier reps when my arms were fresh, and a little more later when I was tired. He said this was a lot better for strength building. I liked it!
As usual for the workout, I was rocking my Reebok finest. On bottom I’m wearing my CrossFit Nano 3.0s and the Performance Capris, both of which I received from Reebok at the CrossFit Games a few weeks ago. I’m still loving both! The shoes feel great even if running is involved in the WOD and the pants are very comfy and a flattering fit. On top, I’m wearing a cute tank I picked up while at the CrossFit Games – it has the Games logo and “Forging Elite Fitness” on one side. Unfortunately I don’t see it online!
For our WOD last night, we did the following 8 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible — I made it 4 rounds):
- Run down the block
- 10 overhead squats
I’m terrible at overhead squats – strength wise, I could probably do up to about 50 pounds (which was still lower than the recommended 75 pounds for women for the workout), but mobility wise I’m a disaster. My hips are so tight that I can’t get the form down and start leaning forward too much as I squat, which is dangerous with the bar overhead. So the coach had me stick with just a 15 pound bar. No point in being a hero and injuring myself! Now that I’ve gotten myself to where I can do back squats okay, I will have to focus on my overhead squat skills. I’ll keep you updated on my progress. 🙂 I have a feeling marathon training isn’t going to do me any favors on the tight hip front…
Matt had to work late last night and missed CrossFit, so when I got home I set to making us some dinner. I had some leftover Sweet Potato & Lentil Coconut Curry (click link for recipe) in the freezer so I reheated that on the stove top (rehydrated with a little extra coconut milk) and also added a little cooked chicken to it.
It doesn’t look nearly as pretty as in my original post but it still tasted awesome! I also added a ton more fresh Thai basil from our herb boxes. Yum! On the side, we had some roasted asparagus. I know when one thinks of curry, roasted asparagus is probably not the most obvious side dish, but we had some in the fridge that needed using and I figured a little extra green never hurt anyone. 🙂
Time to get back to work. Hope you all have a great day!
How do you stay motivated to exercise?
