May 12, 2016 (Updated March 22, 2023)

Track Workouts and Lateral Leg Step Ups

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

26 comments

Hey friends! Thanks for your great comments on yesterday’s post about why the low fat and cholesterol craze was a huge fail. Glad you enjoyed it!

In other news, will it ever stop raining in DC? It’s been so soggy and gray here lately! Do not like…

rainy DC track workout

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Thankfully the rain held off until after Tuesday morning’s track workout, though. 🙂 Our coaches had us do 1200’s (3 laps) – with the first 2 laps at threshold pace and the last lap a bit faster. It was a tough but good one, and I felt strong and energized out there! Made it through 4 of them, plus jogging in between the sets and a warm up and cool down (not shown on watch).

P5100005Link to gear –> Garmin watch 

I enjoyed a rest day yesterday, and this morning’s workout was another Urban Athletic Club class via ClassPass (<—$20 off affiliate link) with Chelsea and Kathleen! It was a TOUGH one today – lots of lower body and lateral work. The hardest move was this weighted lateral box step up with a knee raise at the top. Really good for strengthening those hips for running – and for working on balance!

weighted lateral box step up

In the photos I’m rocking a new tank top (the Pick Up Tank) gifted to me by Brooks – LOVE how long it is, and that it stayed put even during burpees! Might have to pick it up in another color. 😉

I was really hungry and in the mood for something savory when I got home after this morning’s workout so I whipped up an old fave: avocado toast with microwave-wilted spinach, two runny yolk fried eggs, and some sauerkraut (see also: why you should start eating sauerkraut). The sauerkraut has grated beets in addition to cabbage in case you’re wondering why it’s red!

hormone balancing breakfast

Delicious and satisfying!

I will leave you with my view across the table during breakfast. Lol! I know, I know, we should keep her off the table. But how adorable is she?! 😉 (She’s not allowed on our dining room table, but we’re lax with the breakfast table because she loves bird watching from the windows above it!)

cat on breakfast table

Would you like a side of cat hair with that breakfast? No?! I’m shocked. 😉

If you have a cat, is he/she allowed on the tables? If not, how do you keep them off? We keep Zara off the dining room table with a water spray bottle. She never goes on it while we’re home anymore but half the time when I come home I can see her sitting on it through the window… sigh.

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Breakfast + Brunch
- anne

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26 comments
  • Victoria
    I think a kitty as beautiful as Zara should be allowed wherever she wants to be. BUT if you MUST get her off the table, our cats respond really well to snapping and the word HEY in a really stern tone. Also, no, it's not going to stop, it's going to rain every day from now on, and it will always start at the beginning of my bike commute and end shortly after it's done.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Lol to the bike commute! And I totally agree re: the first statement. ;)
      Reply
  • Elizabeth
    We use SSSCAT training aid to keep our cat off the counters (she loves parading on them when we're asleep... we wouldn't have known but we find kitty paw prints on our oven in the morning). It's a motion-detected air spray that is harmless to the cat but she definitely hates it! We put them on the counter before bed. She learned very quickly when she sees the SSCAT can, she needs to avoid that particular area. Caveat - I have a very jumpy cat who is a big weenie. Maybe it wouldn't work as well with a braver cat?
    Reply
    • Anne
      Interesting - never heard of that before! We might try that for the dining room table...
      Reply
  • Emily
    I have literally given up on keeping my cats (Biscuit and Cookie) off the table. My dining table is raw wood, and they've completely scratched the legs. They like to jump from the back of the couch to the table, sending it sliding across the floor. They're definitely king and queen of the house.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Haha that's amazing. Thankfully Zara doesn't scratch the furniture (she used to scratch the carpets, but we put new scratching posts around that she really likes so that seems to have fixed that problem). Love your cat's names!
      Reply
  • Kori
    My fiance and I have three cats, and they are so spoiled. We do try to keep them off the kitchen counters and our small two-seat dining table, but I know they get up there when we are not home. When we're eating, I've become very lenient and allow them to sit in our laps so long as they do not try to get our food. Our middle child is a lover of ALL foods - pb, yogurt, smoothies, Brussels sprouts (!), etc. - so we have to be careful. ;-) Zara is adorable!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Thankfully Zara isn't a human food beggar (well, unless I open a can of tuna!) - she just likes to be near us at all times so if we're eating, she's right there, too! Lol.
      Reply
  • Cara
    That breakfast looks delicious! When my husband is home, I yell at poor Maci to get off the table, but when it's just me, she lays on the island while I eat/work. Poor kitty gets so confused!!
    Reply
  • Danielle
    We adopted our kitty from the streets of DC but she is so, so polite. She never jumps up on anything except beds (and those she looooves). She won't even jump on the couch or living room chairs. My parents have had luck with their kitties with spray bottles of water though, maybe just keep at it?
    Reply
    • Anne
      She definitely gets the picture with the dining room table and doesn't try to get on it anymore when we are home, but clearly she is smart enough to know that if we are not around, neither is the spray bottle. ;)
      Reply
  • Jill
    No kitties in our house, but every time we come home, I can hear a gentle 'thump' of paws, and our retriever carefully slinking away from the couch. I once popped back into the house for something after I'd gone out, and ducked into the living room to see him already up there. His face, I swear, was all "Um...I though you left?" Maybe try covering the dining table with a fabric that she doesn't like? What a beautiful cat!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Lol! That's TOTALLY Zara with the table! ::thunk:: Fabric doesn't seem to phase her, so we might just have to deal with cat hair appearing on our dining room table, ha.
      Reply
  • Liz L.
    Sunny cat has just recently (like this week, actually) started jumping up on the dining table and laying there like a sex panther. He has phases, though, so hopefully this one won't last too long. I haven't even tried to shoo him off -- he knows he rules the house. Oh, cats - it's totally their world. We just happen to live in it. :P
    Reply
  • Amy Ramos
    Our cats get on the table especially when we read the newspaper! They are not allowed while we are having our meals. During the holidays, we have a larger table the cats like to sit on as they think it is "new".
    Reply
  • Roadrunner
    How could you push Zara off the breakfast table. But good on the dinner table!
    Reply
    • Anne
      I know - she's too cute!
      Reply
  • Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life
    I don't know about cats, but can anyone tell me how to keep my 8 pound ball of fluff dog from sitting on one of the dining room chairs with her head popped up as if she is expecting me to serve her dinner too? She's so cute that I can't get mad! So I can understand why Zara is allowed her special place at the breakfast table. That breakfast looks amazing by the way! And excellent job on your track workout. Must try those step ups to toughen up my hips too! Half marathon training has begun so they are ready to be tested ;)
    Reply
    • Anne
      Too funny! Good luck with your half training - exciting! :)
      Reply
  • Nikki
    I started eating sauerkraut every day a few months ago not because of it's health benefits but because I love it. My toddler gobbles it up too!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Love that your toddler is all about it too!
      Reply
  • Heather @ Polyglot Jot
    hahaha your cats pose is so funny! I dont eat much saurkraut but i love kimchi! It's been so rainy and dreary in PA too--when will it end?!
    Reply
  • Jenny F
    Our cat successfully trained us into letting him go wherever he wants. Sigh.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Lol to the "he trained you" - soooo true. We are not the trainers, they are. ;)
      Reply
  • Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment
    Zara is beautiful. It has been my experience that cats go where they want when they want. They may trick you into believing you have some authority, but it is not true. The new tank top is great and thank you for a shout out about sauerkraut. It has so many healthy benefits.
    Reply