8 fartleks and the older I get….

Second Fartlek workout of my entire life was a success Tuesday morning.  It turns out I really like fartleks.  Turns out I really like structured workouts too because it makes the time fly by.  Rather than thinking I have X amount of miles left to do I am just thinking about the next interval or break etc.  

20 minutes warm-up at a 7:40 pace

8 x 1 minute fartleks (at 5k effort) and in between each fartlek I had a 1 minute recovery at a 7:40 pace.

20 minutes cool-down at a 7:40 pace.

8 miles total.

The great news is that I still felt strong during the last fartlek and just two weeks ago when I did the same workout I remember wanting to chop my legs off during the 5th one.  Always good news when you don’t want to curl up in a ball on the side of the road during your workout. 

Yesterday my oldest brother took all of the fam to Lagoon (Utah’s amusement park).  

My sister and I were assigned to the older kids so that meant we went on practically 30 roller coasters in a row with them.  

This was taken at the beginning of our first roller coaster.  I will not show you what we looked like by the end.  The older I get, the more sick I get on roller coasters.  

IMG 0097

And what the girls looked like on ride #21:

IMG 0106

Then it was time for all of the kiddie rides with the Brookster.  She could have stayed on this merry-go-round the entire day.  

IMG 0122

We had an incredibly healthy lunch of pb and j, carrots and cookies.

IMG 0110

And a dinner of champions.  Don’t you love how amusement parks charge you an arm and a leg for food?  At least I got some of my favorite Utah Jello.   

IMG 0134

——————————————————

Brooks is putting on an awesome Instagram challenge called ‘Run in the Sun.’  All you have to do is take a picture of your ‘run in the sun’ for a chance to be re-grammed by Brooks.  Just tag your photo with #runhappy and mention ‘run in the sun’ for a chance to be featured on the @BrooksRunning Instagram.  Brooks will pick one lucky winner every Friday this month!

(PS by posting a photo with the above-mentioned hashtag and phrase, you give Brooks Running permission to re-gram your photo).

GOOD LUCK!!! Can’t wait to se your photos of running in the sun!

PPS while you are at it you can always follow me @hungryrunnergirl

——————————————————- 

Favorite amusement park?!?  And/or favorite ride at Disneyland/Disneyworld?

-Disneyland.  Pirates of the Caribbean.  

What was the last improvement you noticed in your running?  

What are you having for lunch today?

You May Also Like

98 comments

Reply

Hahaha that pic of them after the 21st ride is pretty much what i look like after the 2nd. i do love space mountain at disney though!

Reply

I’m still impressed you can go on roller coasters. They give me the heebie jeebies.
Oh Disneyland for sure is the greatest amusement park ever! And I loved splash mountain.

Reply

I LOVE splash mountain too!! Last time I was in WDW we went on about 5 times in a row at night because it was chilly so there was no line. Our game plan was to ride it over and over again and then run to the car where our change of clothes was. We were pretty cold but it was totally worth it!

Reply

First improvement I noted in running was posture and pace. It was after I really started caring about proper gear and fueling. Made such a difference!

Reply

Tower of Terror – or the runaway train coaster in Disneyland whatever that’s called. Both amazing. I love roller coasters so much.

The latest improvement I’ve noticed is that the more I improve my core strength the less I turn out my feet at toe off. Which is huge for me. I lose a lot of power doing that. Of course, it hasn’t made me any faster yet…

Reply

I love Tower of Terror….one time when I was at WDW, it started raining, everything closed but the Tower of Terror and there was no line (it was a crazy thing) so my family and I got to ride it like 6 times in a row. We didn’t even leave our seats. It was awesome!

Reply

I’m more of a water slide park! Even though I was a gymnast I hate going upside down roller coasters!!

Reply

When I ran my first half distance I wanted to die from mile 10. Ran the same distance again yesterday, wanted to die from mile 12. Progress!!

Reply

I am quite the opposite! I have never cared for any speed workouts besides races. Maybe if I ever get a coach that will change but I would still rather do mindless easy running. I’m glad you are seeing results with your running. I saw that contest and have debated entering but haven’t found a decent photo for it.

Reply

Wait, that food was sold at an amusement park? You guys sure do things differently in Utah. Our amusement parks have pizza and grilled cheese and that’s about it for the selection.

I love roller coasters, but Mike gets sick after a couple times around. Last time we went to six flags, we road a coaster twice and then spent the rest of the day at the water park.

Reply

I’m not really a fan of amusement parks. Rollercoasters scare the daylights out of me. I will gladly hold everyone’s purses and phones for them while they ride! I’m not down with getting that high in the air!

That last improvement I noticed in my running is that I’m not consciously begging my GPS to tell me I’ve gone a mile. Running 1 mile without stopping was a huge goal for me. Now that I’ve reached it, 1 mile feels like nothing!

I’m going to see my family today! So, who knows what lunch will be. I’m in a really salad-y mood!

Reply

Disney World. I love Space Mountain but the Haunted Mansion still gets me excited too. Last running improvement I saw was not wanting to die during my interval run. Usually I contemplate jumping off the treadmill at least 3 times and last time I didn’t at all….guess that means I should be running faster intervals?! For lunch is leftover salmon and quinoa :)

Reply

We almost went to Lagoon yesterday, but my hub’s son and his best Utah cousin opted for Airborne instead.

My all time fave amusement park is Kennywood. Maybe it’s because it was the first park I remember or it’s because of the wooden roller coasters or…? It’s heaven. I could ride the Thunderbolt all day and the Jackrabbit, too.

I absolutely love that place!

Reply

I can’t do roller coasters.. I get sick! Last improvement in my running was having more flexibility and not being so rigid. It’s awesome! Have a great day :-)

Reply

I have been doing speed workouts about 3 times a week and I have noticed I am slowly getting faster. It is a slow progression but I can see improvements each time I go to do a new workout. Great job on your workout!! Glad you are seeing improvements!

Reply

Six Flags Magic Mountain is easily my favorite amusement park! LOVE rollercoasters!

I have no idea what I’m having for lunch today… I don’t even know what I’m having for breakfast yet! Ha!

Reply

What on earth is your little girl sitting on? LOL. What a funky merry go round. I dig Peter Pan at Disney its a classic

Reply

We used to go to Disney World every other year. I’d say that’s my favorite, although I’ve had enough of it for a while. I don’t really like roller coasters (*gasp*, I know). Last improvement in my running was cutting 4 minutes off of my 5K time…then I hurt my IT band, so I haven’t had a good run in two weeks. Womp womp.

Haha have a great day!

Reply

Last improvement was that I noticed was the pace I would just naturally fall into is faster than it used to be.

Lunch, pretty sure it’ll be a salad with lots of veggies and some pulled pork.

Reply

I can do roller coasters, but I CANNOT do anything that spins around or moves in a circle. VOMIT CITY.

Favorite amusement park: Disney World. Favorite ride: Under the Sea

Last improvement: I’m getting a TEENSY bit faster :D

Lunch: Probably half a wrap and some pretzel crisps.

Reply

I’m going to try that fartlek workout today! Wish me luck! :)

Reply

I started reading your blog sometime this past April and I was in awe of your times – they were literally something I could only dream of. But now in August, after months of hard training for my upcoming Chicago Marathon (where hopefully I BQ), I feel like I could keep up with you! And that’s a great feeling!

Reply

You give me hope bc I look at Janae times and think … would I ever be that fast?! Or at least close!

Reply

I used to be so much better at handling amusement parks when I was younger… but now? I can put up a good fight for a while, but then I need to take a break and let my insides settle before I go on. And Pirates will always, always hold a special place in my heart. That one and the Haunted Mansion. But I have to say that the new Cars ride in California Adventures is pretty great… the only downside is the crazy lines.

Reply

I get motion sick too! I’m already dreading it at Hershey park on Saturday! Lol!

Reply

I miss Astroworld in Houston (no longer there) and my favorite ride was Greased Lightening.

Turkey and cheese sammich with quinoa and lentil salad…oh and a mixed tub o fruit.

Reply

I haven’t been to an amusement park in awhile but my all time favourite ride is the swings that spin around, and the tilt-a-whirl…I guess I like skinny things.

Your fartlek workout sounds like a good one! My running has had to be taken down a notch bc I have been having back issues. I ran an easy 3.5k last night to test my back out and it wasn’t too bad so I think I will do a couple more easy runs to make sure I’m on the mend before I build up again. Sucks being injured!

Reply

roller coasters make me so sick!! I’m getting back some of my speed post-injury but I think it’s more because it isn’t a blazing swampy inferno here right now ;)

we are having pizza for lunch catered to work from one of my favorite local pizzerias – Lilly’s pizza. Can’t wait!

Reply

It’s not technically in Disney World–it’s in Universal Studios–but they’re close enough that I’m going to lump them together. My favorite ride ever is the Incredible Hulk. The bigger the rollercoaster, the better. I really want to go to like Japan or one of those countries that have gimundo coasters…I’d be in heaven.

Reply

The Hulk is one of the G-ist rollercoasters ever!!

Reply

Your sister looks like the host Allison from biggest Loser!

Reply

I’ve been noticing that I’ve been feeling stronger on each run. My pace isn’t dropping off at the end like it used to. Yay!

Reply

I have noticed that my easy/recovery runs are getting faster due to my increase in speedwork and tempo runs.
Lunch today will be a tuna wrap and an apple.

Reply

Darn right Disney Land’s Pirates of the Caribbean is the best ride! With the Matterhorn being a close second. We visit every summer back when my family lived in California. So much fun! I hope they didn’t re-do the PofC like they did in Disney World, the original was way better.

I’m not sure what I’ll have for lunch yet, but I just went to the grocery story earlier this week so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to choose from!

Reply

I don’t have a stomach for amusement park rides, but I absolutely love water parks. The best one is Noah’s Ark Water Park (the nation’s largest) in Wisconsin Dells!

Reply

I think my favorite ride at Disney World is the incredible, thrilling slow moving journey through time known as Spaceship Earth. I can small Rome burning! Not everyone can handle all it’s thrills, but I am a thrill junkie.

Reply

I love 6 flags here in St. Louis but then again, its the only place I’ve been!
I love roller coasters.
I’ve noticed I’ve gotten faster with my outside runs. I find I am mentally able to push myself more lately. I really love how strong I’m getting mentally as well as physically. Its not something I expected or something people talk about when it comes to Marathon training.

Reply

Disneyland is my all-time favorite. I can’t handle serious roller coasters so its perfect. Plus, they have princesses. Lunch today is going to be a taco salad. Yum!

Reply

I loooove roller coasters…but I do feel the older I get the less I can take :(. Brooke must have had so much fun! I’m happy to see that she has not lost her jelly sandals yet!

Reply

So my BF at the tender age of 25 is still in love with Disney (Florida version) we actually took our only super expensive vacation there 2 years ago and he has been pushing every year to go again! Crazy. Because of that I sort of love it because he lights up light a little kid there!

What was the last improvement you noticed in your running? – welll I have recently tried jogging for 30 seconds or so and my knee doesn’t feel like it will fall off!! I am cleared to start up again in 2 weeks and am PSYCHED.

A mix of veggies and tuna… fridge clean out!

Reply

That’s amusement park food?! It looks like a cookout! Here we get 2 choices: chicken strips or cheeseburger ;-)

Reply

I would have to say Great America! They have every ride possible there, and it’s a huge amusement park!
At Disneyland, Pirates of the Caribbean for sure!!
The last improvement I noticed was last Saturday, I was able to hit an 8 minute mile for the first mile, then at the end (after hitting 10’s the whole time) I was able to hit a 8 minute mile again. And I wasn’t tired :D
Salads!!! They’ve just been so good lately.

Reply

I hate amusement parks and rides. But the one time I went to Disney World when I was younger I did love it. My favorite ride even happened to be a roller coaster (the only real coaster I have ever been on in my life) Mount Everest. So scary but fun!

Reply

Oh I forgot abt that one at Animal Kingdom! I love that ride. Especially when it goes backwards :)

Reply

How fun! I love Lagoon. The Rocket is probably one of my favorite rides there. But I do love Disneyland. and Disney World is just freaking amazing! Next stop, Harry Potter World. It needs to happen.

This isn’t a running improvement, but today I did a workout and thought I was using lighter weights but no. They were 10 lbs! No wonder the workout was hard! But I did it and if I’d known they were so heavy I probably would have psyched myself out.

Reply

We have kings island here. Google it. For real. It’s like 15 minutes from our house. So we love it there. But we went to Disney World last year before the baby was born and had a blast, but a different kind of blast than KI. My favorite ride is the beast at KI.

I’ve seen improvements in my distances and my speed, not the two together. But my 3 miles have gotten faster and when I do half marathon training long runs, they’re not as hard as I expect them to be.

Lunch: probably a wrap, with ham, spinach, banana peppers, red peppers, spicy mustard.

Reply

Oct28 She was the worst kind an EVANGELICAL Christians, known to have the IQ and sense of a primate that they isnsit they didn’t evolve from. Her kind wants to shame and insidiously spread repression by making social oppression a societal norm and to strip any autonomy, individuality, and freedom to live life the way WE want? to, following a conflicting, useless, fairy tale (Bible) like infalliable dogma. Carrie, either become a stripper who escorts on the side, or else go hug a landmine.

Reply

I haven’t been to an amusement park in years, but I’m getting excited to take my girls to Disney in a few years!

I’m going to meet a friend for lunch, but we haven’t picked a spot yet. I’m just excited to escape my home office and enjoy some human interaction!!

I’m getting excited because my marathon training is going really well right now. Trying not to freak out! Today I had a 7-mile tempo run. It is really hilly where I live, so I drove a bit out of the way to run on a flat green belt. What a difference flat makes!

I was supposed to hold 7:30s, but when I ran the first three miles under 21 minutes, I decided to see if I could push the whole way. I ran 48:55! I know that’s not the point of the tempo runs & paces, but I couldn’t resist!

Reply

We take ginger capsules (from the health food store) and it helps us avoid the queasy feeling. Hubby, me and both our teens take a couple of them every 3 or 4 hours when we’re spending the day flipping ourselves upside down on those crazy rides. We actually take them before we fly as well.

Reply

I love thrill rides! I think my fav amusement park may be six flags. I went for the first time last year and had a blast. Bush Gardens is prob second. Fav ride at disney world is the rockin rollercoaster in Hollywood Studios.

You’re doing so great with those fartleks! I can’t wait to try them one day!

Lunch will be a spinach wrap with turkey!

Reply

I used to be a roller coaster person, but my friend was on the one where the lady recently died at Six Flags, so suddenly I’m terrified! The thrill is amazing though! Love the girls faces on ride 21!

Reply

I have some awesome memories of Pirates of the Caribbean! I’m a ride freak :) well, I was. I definitely think there’s something about getting older that makes some rides less appealing :P. kind of a bummer. My fave roller coaster is in France. It’s a ginormous rickety-ish wooden one. It feels like it’s falling apart but it isn’t…one hopes ;-)

I remember getting faster last fall. It was fun!

Reply

Wow, I have not been to Lagoon since they got the Samurai. I think that it is time to go back.
Best ride, I am going to leave Disney alone and go to Sea World in FL. to ride the Kracken.
Improvement, I am really excited about the improvement I have seen in my lung capacity, I can run a mile without weasing.
Lunch? I have not had breakfast yet!

Reply

I adore rides and rollercoasters! It’s hard to pick a favourite at Canada’s Wonderland (our big amusement park in these parts) but Behemoth was pretty awesome.

Still an hour before I head home for lunch…I was thinking about a smoothie, but now it’s wet and rainy so I may rethink that!

Reply

If I had my way I would travel across America and hit up every big amusement park along the way. The only big roller coaster one I have been to is Six Flags Magic Mountain and I want to go back! I love me some rollercoasters. At Disneyworld, tower of terror was great- maybe because we took Anna on it and her reaction was priceless (we didn’t tell her what the ride was like at all beforehand – I know, stellar parenting).

Way to go on your run! Knowing you have improved is such a great feeling! I love fartleks – they make the run go by so fast.

I am having left overs for lunch – curried chicken and veggies with couscous.

You and your sis are gorgeous. While at Lagoon my hair usually end up in a sweaty ponytail and I look like crap from the heat. Perhaps you sister could give me that makeup and hair tutorial too! ;)

Reply

My fear of heights prevents me from enjoying roller coasters. Brooke is the cutest on the merry-go-round!

I’ve never done a fartlek workout. I’ve actually never heard of one until I started reading your blog. Maybe I should plan one in my near future!

Reply

I LOVE DISNEY LAND OR WORLD. ANYTHING DISNEY AND I AM IN. Splash mountain is a favorite and the pirates of the Caribbean as well. I am actually planning a trip to Disneyland this winter. my husband has never been to a theme park. I am so excited for his first experience! :)
For lunch I am having the usual… a salad!

Reply

I absolutely live for roller coasters, so I’m all about any amusement parks with the highest ones! Although, I must say my favorite amusement park is Hershey… Chocolate everywhere :D I’ve noticed a huge difference in my running because after 6 knee surgeries I can FINALLY run!!! YAY

Reply

Disney World! Although I’ve never actually been to Disney Land. I also remember LOVING Hershey Park when I was a kid. Each day they hand you a full size (!) candy bar when you walk in the door and there are tons of free samples all around the park. I swear the whole place smelled like chocolate!

Reply

I love roller coasters! Unfortunately, my husband does not so I haven’t been to an amusement park in ages. Disney World is definitely the best in my book, and my favorite rides there are the Tower of Terror and the Rockin’ Roller Coaster. So much fun!

Reply

We have work Lagoon day and I get more and more sick every year. I can’t hang anymore! I did go on the Skycoaster, though, and love that every time. But things like the swings and Colossus make me barfy. Love ya!

Reply

I love Great America! I haven’t been to Disneyworld in so long, I don’t even remember the rides! Lunch today will be an avocado turkey sandwich.. mmmmm! And I am totally entering the Brooks instagram thing!

Reply

You and your sister are gorgeous!!!

Reply

I loveeeeeee roller coasters!! My favorite is California Screamin’ at California Adventure!! My fiance and I rode it 6 times back to back. 10 times total! :)

Reply

Love…love…love rides!!! Disney World – Pirates of the Caribbean

Reply

I LOVE Lagoon! So jealous, especially seeing that pic of you and your sister on (what I’m guessing is) Colossus! But my fave ride ever is California Screamin’ :)

Reply

I love the picture of you and your sister. You are two pretty girls and obviously so close!

Reply

Last summer we took a family trip to Disney. Since all the kids met the height requirement, the first ride we took them on was Tower of Terror…oh boy…I sure regretted that. Nothing like a 4, 5, 6, and 9 year old on that ride! The younger ones were scared of every ride after that! Hindsight is 20/20 right?

Reply

I ran conservatively and with easy effort for a recent half marathon and PR’d, haha. I guess the track workouts I’ve been going to with my running group for a couple months have helped. I’m looking forward to breaking 1:40 in the SJ RNR Half :)

Reply

Hi! Have you ever tried to take a barre class? I absolutely love them. Before, I was all about yoga, but then I tried barre, and one of my instructors got me into running as well. You should try one! It’s such a GREAT full body workout

Reply

Nice job feeling great on the fartleks! I think that is such a funny name, btw. Hah.

I can’t do amusement park rides much anymore (well now, being pregnant, pretty much none), but yah, I get way too sick. Sad thing about getting older!

Reply

Haha – I used to go on amusement park rides all day with no problems, but I definitely can’t hang like I used to!

Reply

Disneyland – Tower of Terror! We’re going Friday and I’m riding this at least once.

Improvement on running: I didn’t crack open my blister today! Seriously though, I did my longest run (14 mi) on Sunday, took two days off (bc of said blister) and did 10 mi today and didn’t die :)

I’m meeting my sis for Chinese food today!

Reply

whenever you write about Brooks hosting something, i always read “Brooke hosting..” I LOLed thinking of little Brookers hosting an instagram challenge :)

Reply

I love Space Mountain — such a classic!

Reply

Looks like fun! Disney World and Space Mountain (just about the only roller coaster I can handle). I think I’m getting faster at running. I had chicken breast and sweet potato wedges for lunch with watermelon and an apple (chicken was left over and there wasn’t very much of it)

Reply

I’m with the two previous comments, love Space Mountain! For lunch today I had GF toast topped with laughing cow cheese and a hard boiled egg. I also had a kale smoothie with frozen pineapple/mango/banana, almond milk, avocado, and cinnamon. Delicious!

Reply

Disneyland is the BEST! It brings back the best memories of childhood :) it’s a magical place. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is my favorite!

Reply

I just started integrating speed work into my runs, and I’m noticing that I’m actually able to run a bit FURTHER on my training runs now?! Odd, I totally didn’t anticipate that it would help with endurance (i just figured it’d make me a little speedy gonzalez), but I’m OK with it!

Reply

You and your sister are so pretty!! What a fun relationship (I only have a brother!). Built-in best friend :)

I loved roller coasters as a kid, but the older I get, the more I think about the scary crap that could go wrong and it is impossible for me to have fun while imagining that there are at least 10 different ways I could die. Blech.

Cannot wait to see the fun you have planned for little Brooke’s birthday party!! :)

Reply

Hi Janae! I just recently started reading your blog – and came across Billy’s froached eggs, and now they’re the only way I can eat eggs :)

I love going on roller coasters – but don’t think I’ve been in almost 10 years! I love Universal in Florida!

Reply

I love Disneyworld <3

Reply

Hi Janae! At the end of your post, where you were saying that Brooks is doing a collage, I though almos t the while way through that you meant your daughter Brooke! Ha!

You may have answered this before, but did you name Brooke after your love for a Brook?

I don’t do amusement park rides anymore, for me against means that I have developed serious motion sickness. Big bummer!

Reply

The last improvement I saw in my running was running 3km without stopping. I am slowly working my way up to 5km.

Reply

I started doing tempo runs this summer and have noticed an improvement in my speed already. That made me pretty happy!

I like Space Mountain at Disney World; otherwise, I’m a roller coaster chicken!

Reply

I last noticed that 4 miles was not a big deal – YAY
Your sister looks like Jen Aniston in that picture :)

Reply

Oh, Disneyland forever and always! Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad are my favourites, followed by Pirates and Indiana Jones :) Can’t pick just one.

xo

Reply

wow- that is fast girl!

http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com

Reply

Cedar Point!

Currently rehabbing an injury- is it improvement if I stopped running before the pain prevented me from walking? Let’s go with that, haha

Reply

I have a seasons pass at Canada’s wonderland here in Toronto , and I am not like I was as a child lol, after a couple rides I feel ill for a few hours, lets just say I limit my rides these days! One or two coasters and Im exhausted lol

Reply

I had leftover roast beef with mashed potatoes. I initially thought you meant Brooke, not Brooks. :)

Reply

Can you post on how you keep track of your pace so well (unless you measure out each course you run online or with a car?)? Do you go off the pace on your GPS watch? I though they weren’t suppose to be that accurate (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/health/nutrition/gps-watches-may-not-track-runs-accurately.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0). I have a GPS watch, and it is so inaccurate I stopped using it. But maybe yours is better.
Thanks! Or maybe you covered this topic at some point in a previous post…

Reply

Everyone who uses a GPS watch should know there’s some degree of inaccuracy. The good ones are not bad though and it is accurate enough to know your pace fairly well.

I have a Garmin 610 and it has always been exactly right for short races, only slightly off in half-marathons, and really you don’t know exactly how far you are running anyway (the course has to be minimum actual distance, if you suck and weave and do wide turns you are guaranteed to be running more anyway. Mine takes a lot of laps on the track to go out slightly. The technology will improve in time but if you get a good watch and use it well (wait a while for it to sync etc) you will have comparable results to using a stopwatch and a map.

Reply

Cute picture of you and your sister! Can she please write a guest post on her hair? lol. It always looks amaze.

Disneyland is my fave, of course! Splash Mountain for ride :) (side note — I just went to Hong Kong Disney last week while I was there for work… it’s so small — and no Pirates or Splash Mountain (among other things)! Blasphemy!)

Latest improvement isn’t to do with running, but I’ve upped my weights in body pump finally! I used to hate upper body stuff so this was big for me haha.

Reply

Love Disney!!!!

So has anyone ever told your sister that she looks a lot like Jennifer Anniston!!! It might just be this picture, but WOW, i had to do a double take!!!!!

Reply

Disney World. Space Mountain.

I went there once in January and there as no line, so as soon as we got off, we could get right back in line and on the next coaster. It was AWESOME.

Reply

I’m SUCH a Disney person! I am a roller coaster junkie and will ride pretty much anything!

Reply

The picture of your “healthy” lunch made me laugh, I was not expecting it

Leave a Reply to Katherine Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *