My Friday FAVORITES + 10 ways to add unstructured SPEED to your workouts (they WORK)!!

Just one of my rest breaks on a bench with some scratched sunglasses;)  Normally (when I’m not pregnant) I try really hard to not take breaks during a run unless it is part of the workout to or I need water etc but these days… I just find benches all over the place to hang out on before starting up again.

7.07 miles yesterday… every .01 of a mile counts:)  I was going to run on the treadmill but fresh air sounded like a better idea once I woke up!

During my run I was thinking about when we aren’t following a training plan… there isn’t a big race on the schedule but we still want to mix things up with our training or get faster without hitting up the track or a detailed workout plan.  I’ve got 10 different ways that I love to throw in some speed without a ton of structure.  These can be great too if you are starting a structured training plan in the next few months and want to get your body introduced to some SPEED! GREAT for the early season!!!  PS remember, save your 100% efforts for race day.  I try to focus on staying in the 70-90% range for effort during the intervals of these types of workouts.

1.  If you live in a hilly area (or can find a hilly route) and use the UPHILLS as your ‘unstructured speedwork/farleks’ and sprint up the hills!  Once you get to the top of the hill return back to your normal pace and then do it again once you come to your next incline!

2.  MUSIC… this might be my favorite one.  I will take the chorus of each song and speed up to an interval pace (so closer to 5k pace) for the length of the chorus and then jog during the non-chorus parts of the song.  You can also switch off songs and do one song at an easy pace and then the next song at a tempo pace (or a bit faster than tempo.. maybe half-marathon pace) and then keep repeating that for a few miles.

3.  Finish your run fast (you choose the distance/duration).  Maybe you are going out for 5 miles one day and you decide the last 1.5 miles or 10 minutes or whatever is going to be your fastest of the run… you could also progressively get faster throughout the entire run.  I love progression runs and I think they teach our bodies to speed up even when we are tired—> win-win.

4.  Finish each mile with a little speed… my garmin is set to lap each mile so each time I get to .85 miles (or wherever you choose) I could add in an interval until the end of the mile with a pick-up in pace!

5.  On the treadmill?  I ALWAYS play around with the paces on the treadmill to save me mentally:)  Mix it up and try things like 2 minutes fast, 3 minutes easy or 1 minute fast, 4 minutes easy.  Love short intervals, try 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off!  One mile on, two miles off… the possibilities are endless on the treadmill and you have your water there the entire to keep you hydrated during these speed workouts!  (These ones are a little more structured but I need some structure on the treadmill).

6.  If you have a track close by throw in some straights vs. curves intervals in the middle of your run!  I love doing this… sprint the straight part of the track, jog/walk the curves and repeat until you are ready to hit the roads again:)

7.  Street blocks.  Here in Utah pretty much every block is close to .1 in distance.  Every now and then I will go fast for one block and then easy for the next or fast for one block and then easy for two.  It keeps your mind occupied, that’s for sure!

8.  To go along with the above one, choose different landmarks to run to for each interval.  The next drinking fountain, the stop sign, the yellow car parked down the road… choose it and don’t slow down until you get there (if anything really pick it up more during the last 20 steps or so of the interval).

9.  Have some running partners?  Play follow the leader and have each person decide the length and speed of the interval and take turns chasing each other.

10.  Training with a heart rate monitor?  You could use that to be your thing to determine your interval… get your heart rate up to 165 (or you choose the number according to your current fitness) and stay around that number for 1-2 minutes and then get your heart rate back down to 140 for 1-2 minutes before going again!

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Lunch of champions right here:)  I went a full day or two without Bisquick and it tasted better than ever yesterday!

I always get a little bit nervous when the house is completely silent because that usually means they are up to something but yesterday was different… they were busy ‘practicing school.’

Before dinner we made it over to the dollar store because these two both had a dollar to spend so they searched the aisles looking for the perfect thing.

After Brooke went through her book of puppies she decided to start drawing them while Andrew and Knox played army guys for a while.

I had all sorts of great ideas for dinner but grilled cheese and tomato soup won (mainly because nothing else sounded good).

And then we had our Family Night.  We talked about how we communicate (non-verbal ((eye rolling is a big thing over here lately)) and verbal:) with others and I think it was a success.  They also had a donut (ehhh the frosting of a donut) as part of the night.

I had Rhodes Rolls for my Family Night treat:)

We got to work on making Brooke’s rainbow birthday cake.  A sweet reader sent me some awesome tips on how to do this one including making the layers beforehand and freezing them so that it is easier to frost it all… THANK YOU!  You guys teach me so much!  So far the layers have all turned out really pretty.

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Time for a few of my current FRIDAY FAVORITES!!!

1.  This race memory popped up on my Instagram yesterday and it made me happy to see these kids so young.  This was my first race to ever break 1:30 in the half-marathon and I had all of my family (that live in Utah) there to cheer me on.   I decided the morning of the race to do it and I remember using swedish fish that day as my running fuel:)

2.  This is random but I have been trying to help my hair avoid damage (I don’t sleep with a ponytail anymore wahoo).  I even have stopped blow drying my hair and only do sometimes when it is just about dry for a minute or two.  I shared what I’ve been using for my shampoo and conditioner but I thought I’d share my other favorite hair products lately (most recommendations from my sister because her hair is ridiculously beautiful).  My sister always recommends having some good product on your hair before doing any styling so this is what I love:

*This Biolage gel!  I don’t wash my hair often (usually ever 3-4 days) but each time after the shower I use a little bit of this on my hair before styling.

*Biosilk Silk Therapy. I LOVE how shiny this makes my hair.  I love the smell too.

*Bed Head Hard Head hairspray.  I use this when I curl my hair and it holds the curl SO good for a long time.  If you aren’t a fan of heavy hairspray then probably don’t use this one but if you really want your hair to stay in place, I love this one.

*Kerastase Nutritive Hair Thick Mask deep conditioner.  I use this usually every other week on my hair to condition (and I wash it out with cold water… another tip from my sister) and my hair feels so soft after using this.   You just use a little bit of it and it lasts forever!

*Argan Oil.  I LOVE using this for hydration and moisturizing my hair.  I use just a little bit on my hair (before the gel) after I wash my hair and I apply right to my scalp and hair!

3.  A reader tagged me to this post about a heated shirt and this is absolutely going to help me get through the winter (well, probably after the baby because she is doing a really great job being my own personal heater that goes everywhere with me:).

4.  Best life reminder for me… this was one of the biggest lessons I learned as a teacher!

5.  I asked Brooke and Knox for their Friday Favorite and they are still team trampoline.  Especially when they get to wear pajamas until the afternoon (oops).

6.  Stephanie shared with me the BEST tips video to help kids to pick-up!  It talked about ways to motivate them and it completely motivated me with a whole new list of methods to try… and then I got sucked into watching all of the other WhatsUpMoms videos on their channel.  I’m hooked.  The Toy Organization hacks one is everything.  I spent way too long watching these yesterday ha.

7.  Jenny Simpson’s INCREDIBLE (I get goosebumps when I watch that last 100m) 1500m finish at World’s this last Monday.  You can watch it here… her final kick is insane!

8.  That leggings season is almost here… it is the perfect timing with my pregnancy too:)  Just as my normal pants aren’t fitting anymore (I haven’t been able to button them for a while) it is turning into the time of year where it is perfectly acceptable/comfortable/cool enough to wear stretchy leggings every single day of my life.  These are my current favorites:)

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A reader asked me this question yesterday so I thought I would ask you too!

“My husband and I have been having this ongoing debate… What utensils do you use to make a PBJ?  One knife, two?  Other friends swear by one spoon, one knife… I’m curious!  Everyone has a method but so far we are both stubbornly sticking to our own:)”

Use any products in your hair after you wash it?  Do share!

How do you add in speed work (outside of what a training plan tells you to do) into your runs?

Have any Friday Favorites to share… what is your favorite part of today going to be?