Just isn’t going to happen, 10 thoughts during my run + What sets YOU apart?

A little over 5 miles for my Tuesday morning.  It was 34 degrees this morning, it’s starting to hurt outside;)

I thought I would share with you 10 of my thoughts during my run yesterday because I’m very sure you are interested in that.

1.  I really need to learn to pick up my knees again with running… I barely lift them with my running at this point but I’m sure it will come back again right?!  Maybe I just need to attempt running up a hill again, “It’s the worst kept secret in running:  If you want to improve strength and speed, run hills…. Running up hills forces the knees to lift higher, one of the most desirable developments for any runner, because this governs stride speed and length.” (source)

2.  It’s my nephew’s birthday today… I thought about 15 years ago how my sister asked me to be in the room with her and how amazing (and terrifying;) that was for me.  Him with his brothers:

3.  I thought a lot about if it is worth the investment to buy a hot chocolate machine like they have at the gas station for our house… it would be so nice to finish up with one of those each day.  Pic from last year:

4.  How did I used to run so many miles in a row?  Sometimes pregnancy feels like it is going to be a lifelong condition and then I remember at some point I’ll be back to ’normal’ again:)

5.  What does ‘giving it your all’ or ‘everything you’ve got’ mean to you right now?  I think each season of life brings about a different answer for me and sometimes each day brings a different answer to that question.  Sometimes it is just getting out of bed and moving somehow that day and sometimes it is going out and hitting your speedwork splits with every ounce of energy that you have.  I think it’s important to recognize that the answer might change throughout your life and to not be hard on yourself for it changing with different times in your life… always a lesson I’m learning!

6. It’s really time to invest in one of those heated jackets that are battery operated or something.  I think it is also time today to go to Costco and buy a winter’s supply of hand warmers because frozen fingers are one of my least favorite feelings ever.

7.  What did I do with my life before listening to Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversation podcast on my runs… finished the end of the one with Phil Jackson yesterday and it was very interesting.

8.  I really like this quote.

9.  I miss the peach/delicious fruit season with every fiber of my being right now.  I wish I could go back to my 3 peach a day habit.

10.  Something I have been thinking about during my runs a lot lately is the WHAT that made a training cycle/race day better for me compared to all of the others?  There have been training cycles where I was working with a coach, killing workouts, running my fastest work out times, injury free and really doing everything ‘right’ according to paper… BUT why then didn’t my race times reflect everything going so right on paper?  Yes, there are some races where temperatures definitely set us back a bit or we are just NOT HAVING a good day but what other factors make it so that I am just not performing the way I should be according to the workouts I have done.

A few of the things that I think have held me back even though I thought I was doing everything so right and my workouts told me I would succeed: stomach issues, anxiety, listening to my thoughts that I couldn’t do it, doing it for other people and not fully for myself, slacking on the strength training (not having the muscles I need to get the times I want) and letting fear hold me back!

Why do I want to list these things?  Because then the next time around that I am training for a race I can make sure that I am focusing on these things too rather than just my mile repeat times and long run fast finish workouts:)  There are SO many factors that play into the success of a race and I don’t think it is all just our training plan and checking off each week of runs.  I really believe that where we are at mentally plays such a big role on whether those training runs are going to produce something great on race day… not going to let those things hold me back ever again!

How’s that for a lot of random thoughts during a run?

She is always amazed when I can flip a pancake that is nearly the size of her plate.  I’m also impressed if I’m going to be honest;)

After school Brooke upgraded to her bigger bike.  The kids did a really good job learning how to ride without training wheels on a smaller bike and then the transition to the bigger one was a lot easier!

Yesterday was a day where vegetables just weren’t going to happen.  That doesn’t happen as often anymore but when it does, it happens big time.  So I stuck to a smoothie (with superfood greens at least:) and cereal.  A Kodiak Cakes waffle and some hot chocolate were exactly what I wanted for lunch.

I’m trying to get some one-on-one time in with the kids before this baby comes (I still have 9.2 weeks but the holidays are going to make this time fly by)!  Brooke wanted to go see My Little Pony in the theaters.

Thank you recliner chairs for making this movie more enjoyable… Brooke loved it and I really had to power through this one:)

Later on we went over to my parents’ house and Andrew put together our old treadmill for them in their basement.  My parents are both walking at least 5 miles a day and with the temperatures dropping, they needed a treadmill.  They do a lot of hill walking each day too so my mom is thrilled to have the incline option now (they have a treadmill that is 20+ years old that doesn’t do incline and it is barely turning on:).

I jumped on my dad’s exercise bike too… I’m thinking this one is older than I am.  It is pretty sweet that the wheel creates a nice little fan for you while you work out.

Brooke got to bouncing!  They’ve got their own home gym now.  Brooke and I both agree that matching socks is overrated.

Dinner was another thing that sounded really good to me yesterday.  Spaghetti with ground turkey and some garlic bread on the side.  It was delicious.

Post-dinner and more bike riding.  Our kids are really going to struggle when the snow comes and they can’t ride their bikes outside anymore.  Maybe we should get them kid spin bikes or something?

Andrew just can’t wait to get these kids on mountain bikes with him:)

————————————————————————————-

I would love to know some of your thoughts from your last run… share away, however random they might be!!!

What has set the AMAZING races/prs apart for you?  Besides the training plan… what were the things that either held you back or brought out the best for you on race day?

If you could eat anything in the entire world right this second, what would it be?  

-The most beautiful fruit salad there ever was and fresh homemade bread with a thick layer of butter and homemade jam:)

How often do you include hills on your runs?