Athlete of the Week & Why I love Treadmills!

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Meet Molly Seidel!


I love reading about athletes of all ages and this girl had an outstanding and unforgettable High School career. Being in High School and reading her story made me really believe that all things are really possible. Her parents weren't even runners or athletes and she is from a small, tiny school. It is a lot like me and when I'm feeling down, I'll always have to remember this talented lady! I could really connect with her since she was in high school, too. And only running 30-35 miles/week. Take a look at her interview:

You can read the full interview here. She runs under 5 minutes in the mile. Has a 10:39 time in the 2 mile and for a 5K she runs it in 13:45. She can give me her wheels any day. Wow.

----------------------

And now to fill you up with even more running goodness!! I am a treadmill LOVER. Yeah, I know I have some most of you runners rolling your eyes at me, but I absoultely love the tready. It's been on my birthday list for a couple of years now and my friend has a Nordic Track at her house and you know how jealous I am? Pretty jealous.

Anyways, here is the top 5 reasons why I love my treadmill at the gym:
1. Weather reasons: I am a wimp (at times) and I really don't like the scorching hot, so the treadmill is always there for me. Oh God. It's like it's my boyfriend. Maybe that's why I don't have a boyfriend? What?
2. Running on the Treadmill is FUN! You can bring it up and down (inclines) and go faster when you're running with your favorite song. You can have a set speed for the day, or you could go out on a whim and just walk! I love the variety the treadmill challenges you with.
3. Watching TV is super easy. I never watch TV but some of your TV lovers out there may find it super easy to have your favorite show you watched playing. Download your favorite TV episode and put in on your IPAD or Iphone and bam. Entertainment.
4. Refer to number 2.
5. Refer to numba 2.

I LOVE MY TREADMILL.

Any other treadmill lovers out there? Why do you like it? 

Who just despises the tready? You're banned from the blog. JK. Please keep reading! :)

Does anybody read horoscopes? -RANDOM QUESTION
I've been obbessed with them lately and not quite sure why.

What is your sign? ^^
CANCER. --moody, crabby, explains it all ;)

OH AND I FORGOT TO SAY I GOT 400 PAGE VIEWS TODAY. I'm pretty excited, you all! 

A Delicious Salad You Can Have for the Whole Week

Okay, so I really like eating healthy.

But I'm so busy during the week, my eyeballs are huge and stressed out that when I come home I resort to the first thing I see. Which is something totally random like pumpkin bars and chips...That was my supper the other night. Don't judge.

However, that's NOT healthy eating at all. I believe in eating healthy, it's good for our mind, body, and soul. Those colorful fruits and veggies are powerhouses for our bodies and especially our energy levels.

I sat down last night after work and thought of everything I was going to eat this week (meal planning mode) and I'm going to kick not eating healthy in the booty. I made this salad which hopefully last me the whole week for supper- a couple of nights I will be out!

It's super duper easy. I first three thawed chicken breasts and put them in boiling water for 12 minutes to poach them. (My favorite way to make chicken breasts)
Got a bowl of salad (mixed romaine) and sprinkled some spinach in there and put dried cranberries and pecans in there..and shook the bowl. Keep in mind that the lettuce, cranberries, and pecans can be in a bowl together without getting soggy throughout the week.

While the chicken breasts were poaching, cut up these beauties and put in a SEPERATE BOWL and sprinkled lemon juice on them so they will stay fresh ALL WEEK.

Pears and strawberries. ^^^ I put these in a bowl by themselves because the lettuce and these fruits would just get soggy together. Thinking ahead, I'm proud of myself.

And sprinkled bleu cheese on it when I got my own plate of it when I was done. Blue cheese made it pretty delicious.

All of that salad accompanied with a great salad dressing:

After my 4 mile run at 7:20 pace and my cross training on the elliptical, it was a refreshing and healthy meal. Megan-approved :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you plan meals ahead of time? Easiest meal you enjoy making ahead of time?

Favorite healthy food to keep on hand?
Steamers (frozen veggies in a bag) to just pop in the microwave.

Favorite salad dressing? Do you use salad dressing?
-Poppyseed or Italian. Has to be really sweet or really zingy:)

A What To Do Post

Sometimes running doesn't always go well for all of us and there will be up and downs in your career. My coach told me that clear back when I was in Junior High that I would have to expect that I'll  at least have one major injury, my races won't always be PRs, and sometimes many negative factors will add up and cause my running to not be go so hot. But if you keep trying and working hard and keep learning, you're a runner for life.

What to do if... you're injured. 
Oh my yikes-ness. Getting the terrible news from your doctor that you can't run for months is the most heartbreaking news. I know.

For me though, it was a good time to rethink my training and take time for myself. I sat and sulked for a week (which my non-runner friends just did not understand, so make sure you always keep in contact with people who do love to run so they kind of can understand your loss!) but got up and put my spoon away from my favorite ice cream and got my nails done and got a hair cut. I didn't have to think about going to afterschool practice anymore, which made me really sad at first, but I came home and got to watch my favorite show I always had to miss out on because I was so busy running all the time. After taking time and relaxing, I thought about how I would train healthier when I came back from my stress fracture.

What to do if... you're getting bored of running.

This hasn't happened to me (knock on wood!), but I know a lot of runner's deal with it. My best advice is to take a few days off. A few days won't hurt your fitness level at all. And remember there are great cross training activities that will keep you in shape such as biking, the elliptical, and swimming. Try different workouts and learn that maybe every couple of weeks to take a few days off for yourself so YOU DON'T GET BURNED OUT.

What to do if.. you're hungry ALL THE TIME.
Hello, we're runners and we need energy from food. I haven't mastered the whole calories in, calories out thing, but maybe it's because my naturally reved metabolism 24/7, who knows. I am always hungry, hungry, hungry. Remember healthy food is fuel. The healthy stuff will keep you full and faster. I stalk up on healthy foods and keep them in the house and remember that food is good for me! Also keep in mind, are you running too much and taking in enough calories? If you are a person who doesn't eat a lot in the first place (like me), maybe you shouldn't be running too many miles.

My Favorite Quinoa Recipe!

What to do if.. you're always tired. 
1. You could have an iron deficiency. Especially us girls with our periods and whatnot. TMI. Maybe possibly, but it's the truth! Click here to read more about Iron Deficiency in Female Distance Runners. Ladies, really read it. I think it has great information in it.

2. According to MedicalDaily.com, 1/3 of Americans don't get enough sleep. If you are a runner, work, and have kids, and manage to get 8+ hours of sleep, you're A SUPER HERO! But most of us really can't do that. Try your hardest though.

3. You're overtraining. Take a few days off, eat some good food to get your energy back up, get some rest, ice your legs, and take time for yourself. You'll be back in no time.

4. You aren't eating properly. Are you eating enough? Are you eating too much processed junk? Ask yourself.

None of us are perfect and training will never be perfect and that is perfectly okay. That is the beautiful thing about running- just getting out there and running is a miracle.

Have a wonderful Friday and I'll be back for my usual Friday Finds later :)

 

The Stupidest Thing I've Ever Done.

So it's below zero for the temperature here and genius over here decided it wasn't too bad and went on a run outside in it. Turns out I had to stop after .75 miles at the elementary school to catch a ride back up to the high school. Living in a small town has MANY benefits and luckily my teacher from younger years gladly gave me a ride back up here...clearly, mom, I do need those 40 heat insulated gloves ;)

Not a smart idea on my part. Off to work out with a friend and then supper. I'm already starving!

Warmest/best gloves for running outdoors in really frigid temps? I'd like to invest in some!

How are you mentally tough for winter runs?
-I think I'm pretty mentally tough, but not the smartest to prepare for them.

Do you like running in the severe heat or the severe cold?
-I'd prefer severe cold any day.

Hopefully you've had a great Thursday and tomorrow's FRIDAY! TGIF.

My first DNF.

Seriously, my heart just melted. :)))))))

What a true gentleman right there. The website where I got it from has tons of great posts that I have been reading through all day. SNOW DAY HERE, holla holla! I especially liked reading 30 Things to Start Doing For Yourself and really liked this one:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have so much to tell you, don't I! First of all, my track meet Sunday went great and spending time with my BFF was the best!

I ran the mile in 5:44 for a tenth place finish. I thought the race went great, but really feel like I have some speedwork training I need to get done to bring that time down. However, my 3,000 meters didn't bring me the best of news. I had my first DNF. I don't even like saying that!! :( I dropped out of the race due to foot pain and hopefully a doctor will look at it and tell me I'm just being a baby and nothing is wrong with it. My BFF had troubles too- her mile she absolutely ROCKED in, but her 1/2 mile didn't go so hot either as she was having some thigh pain.

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed nothing is wrong and I'm sticking with running what I can and doing a lot of cross training.

Friday Finds

 FRiDaY FiNDs.

Today I didn't run a single step. Sad face. But that's okay because I haven't been feeling the best all day and here, a lot of people have been sick and my work and school. Yuck. And I want to be all ready for my race SUNDAY so I don't want to push anything and get worse.

I've been sitting on my butt, finding some GREAT things across the web and thought I'd share :) I hope you enjoy them!

1. Track & Field TV Schedule

Television Schedule

All telecast times Eastern. Check local listings.
New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
Feb. 2, LIVE on ESPN3 6-8 p.m.
Feb. 3, 2-4 p.m. on ESPN2
Millrose Games
Feb. 16, LIVE on ESPN3 7-10 p.m.
Feb. 17, 8-10 p.m. on ESPN
USA Indoor Track & Field Championships
March 2, LIVE 6-8 p.m. on Universal Sports
March 3, LIVE 4-6 p.m. on NBC Sports Network

YES:) Need to keep this mind come February 2!

2. Take Me There- Bora Bora

3. Favorite Jam- C'Mon by Ke$ha

Youtube Video



4. Digging this DIY- Photo Coasters

5. Buying this from Victoria's Secret right meow from my $30 giftcertificate. Isn't it cute? Love it!

6. Here ya go girls. Creative ways to ask a guy to prom;) If only I had a boyfriend to do these! I NEED A DATE THOUGH...

7. I FOUND MY FAVORITE CLIFF BAR at Casey's today. White Chocolate Macadamen Nut. Yum Yum Yum. Packing these for my pre-run fuel for this weekend's race.

8.Will someone please make me these? Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Off to pack for my indoor meet! We're (my friend and her parents) are leaving noon tomorrow. Hear from you tomorrow.

Favorite part of your Friday?

High School People- do you hate missing school? Making up all that homework?
I really do. I also feel like I'm missing out on something important when I'm at home sleeping. That's why I had to get back there noon. And I certainly can't stand falling behind on homework so missing out on school just isn't my thing.

High School Runners- how do you balance being a runner, having a social life, doing fifty other activities in school, work, and homework? I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW.

Do you have Twitter? Instagram? Facebook? Favorite Social Media outlets?
Reading Blogs and Blogging is my favorite form of social media. Facebook is second.   

Being flexible as a runner.

Recommendations about stretching before or after OR both after your run changes from year to year. What do you do?

I personally stretch BOTH times. Just because I feel that it's not going to hurt me any to stretch before hand. I typically do a 1/2 mile warm up, do agilities, and sit down and get a good stretch in before I race at track meets. Sitting down and stretching, I feel, helps me flexibility and sometimes runners aren't most flexible people in the world. Having flexibility as an athlete works wonders.

Athletes are working out almost everyday so they must stretch everyday, in order to keep a leg up on the competition.  Flexibility can occur not just through stretching but also in foam rolling, tennis ball rolling, and body work (massage therapy).  Stretching elongates the muscles making the joints more flexible.  To really breakdown the muscles and build them up stronger and longer than before.  Athletes should be incorporating foam rolling/ tennis ball rolling/ body work into their workout routines. SOURCE

Foam rolling. Ahh, Foam Rolling.

 
Another good idea to stay flexible is yoga. When I have time I'll go to youtube and do 30 minute yoga sessions. You feel so good when you're stretched out! I definitely can feel a different when I'm running.

Taking ice bath loosens up everything too, but you gotta be a little nuts for those ;) I make myself do those... Erg.

-------------------------
Do you foam roll? Do you do Yoga? Anybody have a favorite yoga form to do? 

What was your run today?
-I'm running 2.5 miles at 6:30 pace today with the 1/2 mile blazing speeds. And I will stretch before and after ;)

Has anybody tried Jullian Micheal's Yoga Meltdown?