Teresameparkins

“If you hang out with chickens, you’re going to cluck, and if you hang out with eagles, you’re going to fly.”

These are the wise words of Dr. Steve Maraboli, bestselling author and behavioral science academic. His wisdom has gotten me thinking a lot about the power of accountability. When we surround ourselves with an uplifting community and a supportive person (or people) who will help us reach our goals, together, we all can fly. I don’t know about you, but I want to be an eagle and I want us to all fly together.

Earlier this week, I was reading an article about accountability that said change happens in dedicated communities where people come together to support and keep each other accountable to reach their goals. Things aren’t always easy on our own, but when we work together to celebrate small victories and overcome everyday challenges, we make progress toward being our best selves.

In other words, I’m here to be your accountabilibuddy – your unladylike buddy who will help keep you accountable for dreaming big, creating a plan, taking actions everyday and believing in yourself … and seeing your goals through to the finish line. No matter whether you’re just starting out on your fitness journey or are a seasoned endurance athlete, we all need an accountabilibuddy. As I’ve taken on some new goals for 2015, I’ve realized that my mom and my training partners have been invaluable buddies on my journey to be my best self. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.

Every week, I am going to start posting a week-in-review link-up. Here’s what you can expect:

• I will share with you my weekly training recap so you can see how I’m taking action and making progress against my 2015 goals of staying in half marathon shape, getting stronger, eating clean and helping others. I will share one thing I’m most proud of from the week and the one pitfall that challenged me the most (and what I plan to do about it).
• At the end of every week-in-review post, there will be a place for you to share a link to your post that includes your week-in-review for others to come and cheer you on or offer you help. I encourage you to celebrate the one victory you’re most proud of and admit to the one challenge that you are going to work on the following week.

We are a community and we’re in this together. Big changes don’t happen overnight, but a series of small changes and consistent behaviors over time lead to big breakthroughs.

Without further ado, here is the first installment of my week-in-review link-up

Getting Sweaty and Stronger

My fitness goals for 2015 center around consistently staying in half marathon shape year-round (20-30 miles of running per week and long runs of 8-11 miles) and getting stronger (2-3 strength training and cross training workouts each week). Here’s what last week’s training looked like:

• Monday: Ran 3 easy progression miles in the morning followed by a 30-minute Jillian Michaels strength training session; ended the day with 75 minutes of restorative, deep stretch yoga
• Tuesday: 30-minutes of Jillian Michaels strength training followed by a 60-minute sports massage
• Wednesday: Ran 5.14 easy miles along the snowy Chicago lakefront
• Thursday: Ran 3.35 easy miles on my hotel treadmill while traveling
• Friday: 45 minutes of FlyBarre
• Saturday: Ran 10.03 easy miles with friends (8:44 average pace)
• Sunday: 45 minutes of competitive cycling at Torq Cycle (18.12 miles and a power number of 394, good for first female in the class) + 7 easy miles riding with Mr. rUnladylike around town later that afternoon

Eating Clean

I have been using MyFitnessPal to track my food intake everyday with my mom and I love being in control of my choices and portion sizes. This was an area that I really struggled with during November and December, and it feels so good to be back on track. I’m also going 20 days strong with no bread or sugar and feeling amazing. Here are a few recipes I made this past week that were winners:

• Braised Beef Ragu from Pinch of Yum: I loved this easy-to-make crockpot dish. I followed the recipe for the beef, which was delicious, but instead of making the polenta I served it over zoodles (zuchinni noodles made with my Vegetti) and topped it with a little romano cheese. So good and makes tons of leftovers! The beauty of serving it over zoodles is that your protein and vegetable combine to make it nearly a one-pot dish.

• Grapefruit Glazed Turkey Tenderloin from My Purple Spoon:  This was a really delicious dish. I was out of cilantro and used green onions instead and it was still wonderful. I served this with a side of brown rice and green beans.
• I have also been enjoying all of these health snacks lately! They are really satisfying my taste buds!

What I’m Most Proud of

Last week, I was most proud of not falling off track while traveling for 3 days for work. I made good food choices and woke up before 6 a.m. both days to exercise before a crazy day of meetings.

Where I Struggled

Social situations can sometimes unravel me on the food front. We went to a friend’s house for dinner Sunday night and I ate WAY too many snacks and appetizers before dinner. I knew I was overeating but I kept eating (and eating). I need to try to exert more will power and self-control in social settings. It is fine to splurge, but there is a line between splurging and overdoing it. I was in the overdoing it category on Sunday. The great thing is that every day is a new chance to get on track, and all the days other than Sunday were great.

Thought for the Week Ahead

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream. Not only plan but also believe.”

~Anatole France

I want to hear from you! How was your week last week? How was your training? What healthy recipes or snacks did you enjoy? What are you most proud of? Where were you most challenged? Share your comments and/or link up to your weekly recap post below.

The post Together We Can Fly: Week-in-Review Link-up appeared first on rUnladylike.

Rest and recovery throughout training and following a race are critical components to speed recovery, reduce injury risk and help prevent mental fatigue. For those of you training for any long-distance race, you know it takes a lot of hard work, quite a few sacrifices and sometimes the mental strength and discipline of a superhero to fit everything in. It’s easy to forget how important rest and recovery are – just as important as those tough speed sessions and long runs we log each week.

It has been 10 days since I ran the Albany Marathon. Even though I have 2 races scheduled in April, I have truly taken race recovery to heart this month. During the past 10 days, I’ve only run twice. I’ve logged 9 miles over the period of 10 days. I’ve slept in. I’ve rested. And although temporarily, I haven’t worried about training, cross-training and everything else that I’m constantly thinking about when it comes to running (and triathlon training). Sure, I could have done a little more (maybe even should have done a little more), but we all need a break! It’s ok to take a little time (or a lot of time) to decompress, to enjoy the high of a great race and reconnect with the reason you love doing this in the first place.

I’m finally back on the running grid, but a little time off has done wonders for my mind and my body. Since I’ve been in recovery mode, I’m sharing some race recovery tips with you today. Here are 5 key areas to keep in mind when it comes to race recovery tips. (These race recovery tips are consistent with recommendations from the North American Academy of Sport Fitness Professionals through which I am being certified as a marathon coach.)

Race Recovery Tips

Immediately following a race. Immediately following a race, cool down by walking or slowly jogging until your heart rate returns to normal. Wait about an hour or 2 after a long race to stretch. If you can soak your legs in cold water to help reduce inflammation, that is great. Hydrate by drinking a cup of water every hour for 6 hours, and be sure to replenish lost electrolytes. Eat within 30 minutes after your race, getting a mix of carbohydrates, protein and fats. A good rule of thumb is to consume about 50 grams of carbs within that first 30-minute window. Click here to see some sample post-race/post-long run fueling ideas from the nutritionist for the Brooks Beast Track Club.

Duration of recovery. After a race, there are some normal side effects you will likely experience, such as decreased energy, soreness and possibly even emotional blues. This is all normal. A recovery period can help with all of these things and typically lasts between a week and a month depending on the length of your race and your fitness level. A good rule of thumb is that you will need 1 day of recovery for every mile you ran in your race. For example, since I ran 26.2 miles on March 1, I may need up to 26 days to fully recover. This of course is an estimate, and more conditioned athletes may only need about 7 to 10 days, while newer athletes will need a full 3 to 4 weeks. Lower mileage and easy training days should be the focus during this recovery period.

Activity & training during recovery. The first week after a big race should be easy and consist of a lot of rest (4 to 5 days of no activity), with a few easy miles toward the end of the week if you are feeling up to it. The second week after the race should resemble a taper-like week, with easy and hard days being alternated (still taking 2-3 days of rest) and avoiding speed work/intervals. Most runners can return to building again during the third week, reintroducing cross training and gradually incorporating speed work/tempos again. Newer runners may want to wait another week or 2.

Race condition maintenance. To maintain race conditions, the North American Academy of Sport Fitness Professionals recommends the following weekly mileage for the below distances. Remember, this is just a guide, and what works for some people may be different for others:

• Maintain 10K race conditioning: Run about 20 miles per week, with mileage peaking around 25 miles per week every third week (with your long run being 6.2 miles).
• Maintain half marathon race conditioning: Run about 25 miles per week, with mileage peaking around 35 miles per week every third week (with your long run being 12 miles).
• Maintain marathon race conditioning: Run about 35 miles per week, with mileage peaking around 45 miles per week every third week (with your long run being around 20 miles).

Decompress and have some fun. After a race, stop worrying about the race, your training and doing everything perfect. Take some time off. Do something fun. Relax! If continuing to train and race is something you want to do, you need to take physical and mental breaks to keep enjoying it and to continue being healthy and happy doing it.

What does your recovery look like after a big race like a half marathon, marathon or long distance triathlon? What additional race recovery tips would you share?

The post Race Recovery Tips appeared first on rUnladylike.