Well, hey there! Another whirlwind weekend is over.
Here’s a quick rehash of the highlights, MIMM-style. (Thanks for hosting, Katie!)
There was a lot of basketball-watching…
TVs counted for your convenience.
(I’m all over the new PicMonkey features, obviously. Can you find the 4 special effects in that picture? Ha!)
Bracket update: I’m maintaining a solid 41st place ranking in my group. But it’s not over till it’s over, baby.
Some birthday fun for the new 1-year-old in the family:
To be clear: that picture isn’t truly representative of what happened. Really, he was exhausted from skipping his afternoon nap and just waved the cupcake around a little bit before tossing it over his right shoulder.
There was also A LOT of naughty stuff consumed (by me) this weekend. (Hopefully you know that by “naughty” I mean “totally fine in moderation.”) Here’s a little sample: French Silk pie from Baker’s Square (for M’s bday), beer (basketball), caramel corn (ditto), brownies (I actually encountered them TWICE over the weekend), chocolate chip cookies at Grandma’s, and Cadbury Eggs.
And that’s just a sample.
Man, just writing it out makes me feel like a blob. (Which, by the way, is how I felt half the weekend after eating like that.)
Not that I regret it (umm have you tried the French Silk pie from Baker’s Square?), but needless to say, my body’s now screaming DETOX ME PLEASE. Weekends like those always make me super eager to get back on track. So today, I’m back to eating mostly whole foods, and I’m also dropping sweets and dairy (my new top food elimination trick for weight maintenance) for a few days. Ta ta for now, butter and cheese!
In other news: I’ve been in a little workout rut lately.
It’s not that I need something new and exciting to do—it’s that I need a reason to do what I’m already doing. When I’m lying on the couch at 8 PM thinking, “I should go run…” sometimes my brain shoots back, “why? What difference will it make, really?”
It’s like the lazy voter’s mentality—if my one, single vote will never, ever determine who’s actually elected, then why bother voting?
If this one measly workout, on its own, won’t really make me any stronger, faster, leaner, whatever, then what’s the point?
Obviously, there are a few arguments:
–One measly workout will always, always make me feel better.
–Any amount of working out helps with food control. It might make you hungrier, but it also makes you more aware, and protective of the body you just invested a bunch of time into.
–Skipping one workout can lead to skipping two workouts, then three, and…well, you know where that’s going.
Bottom line: I need motivation.
More specifically: I need to be in training.
I’m one of those people who responds well to workout programs and challenges. I thrive on structure, guidelines, and deadlines.
Which is why I respond really, really well to race training. I don’t even need rewards or punishments—a piece of paper with boxes all over it stuck to the fridge is somehow more powerful than any of that.
I think the paper knows it, too.
Like I mentioned last week, I’m planning to really focus on speed training (rather than distance) this summer. I’ll be talking a lot more about this in the coming weeks, and sharing my race plans for the summer (which I’m STILL ironing out), but for now, I’ve come up with a few immediate speed training goals for myself.
MILE: 7 min
5K: 25 min
10K: 50 min
I think these are reasonable—as starting points, anyway. You know how it is with goals (or how it is for me anyway)…the second I hit one, my brain’s already drafting the next one.
Side-goal: remember to celebrate reaching goals before creating new ones.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I am hoping to increase my speed this summer. I have my first half marathon this weekend and after that I think I am going to try some HIIT and interval speed workouts to increase speed. I’m a very slow runner so increasing it is going to take a lot of work. I love all the TV’s, thats an awesome march madness setup!
Good luck with the half, Nicole!! You’ll kill it! I’d love to hear how your speed training goes later–maybe we can encourage each other! :)
Ha Ha Ha, love all the tv’s!! Hey 41st place isn’t terrible, and yes you still have a couple days! I know Georgetown & Pitt loosing, oh & ND f’d my bracket up!
Jessie recently posted…A Challenge and Awards
Yeah, my first and second round picks have been a total mess. Luckily, they don’t really matter much in the grand scheme! Fingers still crossed. :) Good luck to you too!
I happen to be semi-speedy (partly natural I think?) with a 5K PR of 21:22 and all my half marathons have been sub-2 which is kinda cool. I don’t really do speedwork, but I do HIIT intervals at least twice a week or sometimes maybe mile 2 or 3 in a four mile run I’ll do 10 minutes of intervals where I do a minute of sprinting or fast running and then a minute of slower (8.0 or 9.0 and then 6.5 or 6.0). I think that’s what has been helping me in slowly builiding my endurance to run fast!
Lauren recently posted…Goodbye Google Reader and Other Thursday Things
You are speedy! That’s awesome!
We all have weekends like that where we wake up Monday feeling blah! I know I do! I feel you on needing to cleanse and reboot though. I do think I’ve been consuming too much sugar lately even if it is in a healthier way. I too do better when I’m following a plan or training schedule. That’s why I signed up for Fitmixer which I think really helped to get my brain and body back on track! I used to mainly do running training plans but since incorporating way more strength I feel (and look) better than ever!
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome recently posted…Date Day, Mexican Food, and Giveaway Winners!
Good point, Giselle–I always feel like I’m slacking in the strength department. Isn’t hauling a 20+ pound baby around all day enough? haha! You’ll have to tell us more about Fitmixer on your blog! I know lots of people do it, but I’m not sure what’s all involved. Sounds cool though, good for you!
Haha! Yes! 20lbs of baby is a great workout! I’m only up to 26 but he feels like 30! Thank goodness he walks most places now :-)
I loved Fitmixer! Their boot camp just ended but I’m sure they’ll be starting up a new one soon!
I totally agree–I have to have to be training to keep me motivated. I’m not a long distance runner though so I do a lot of 30, 60, or 90 day programs with a definite end date to stay motivated and get the sense of accomplishment. I am doing my first 5K this weekend! I am excited, but I am walking it with our team. I have been practicing running though. My time is 27 minutes right now on a treadmill. I’d love to do another in the fall and run! I think HIIT workouts help with speed a lot. I have a few DVDs I use to cross train. Have you tried HIITs before?
Kalee recently posted…Disney World & Harry Potter World Overview {MIMM}
I love HIIT! Good luck with your 5K!! :)
Lots of basketball watching over here too, my husband loves this time of year ;)
He is doing well with his bracket, so I am happy about that!!
Happy 1st birthday, so so cute!!!
happy week to you girl!
Katie recently posted…MIMM 42 with Birthday Fun!
Glad someone’s doing well, ha! :) Thanks for stopping over, Katie!
I get the whole needing a detox after the weekend. It isn’t necessarily even about weight, I just feel sluggish and crave vegetables after I haven’t eaten them for awhile. That’s probably one of the few things I do like about having a weekday routine. Then all I week I end up wishing it was the weekend!
PickyRunner recently posted…Fresh Start
Exactly. I was trying to explain this to my husband–no, I seriously WANT A SALAD, not just because I feel like I SHOULD have one, but because my body is literally craving it. :)
It was really amazing how sluggish I got after eating so much junk! Makes returning to real, good food feel so rewarding.