Tuesday Tangents & Do You Ever Use These?

Never ever judge your running/fitness/endurance/strength off of the first mile.  

I met up with two of my running friends for my morning run yesterday and during the first mile we all looked at each other and laughed because of how terrible we felt.  All three of us are running the half marathon this weekend and we had to remind ourselves that the first mile of a Monday morning run (or any run) is not an accurate portrayal of where we are fitness-wise.  

8.5 miles for the day and it wasn’t until about mile 3 or 4 that I felt like my legs were up to running this week but after that things felt smooth again.

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Brooke found her old tutu and put it on Skye.  She insisted on wearing it for the majority of her day.

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During Skye’s nap (Andrew was home), I took Brooke out for a cookie date to catch up on what she was up to the last few days.  I kind of forget sometimes that she has a life outside of us too but I’m glad she always gets super excited to tell me all about it.

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Recovery salad with a perfect avocado in there made for a delicious dinner and watching the Bachelorette with Andrew when the girls went to bed finished the day off perfectly.

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Let’s discuss some tangents!

*I found my new favorite sandwich ever.  Andrew told me that I can’t eat it too often because he is worried I will eat it every day now and then get sick of it and not want us to eat it again;).  My mouth starts watering the second I see it.

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Here is the recipe and source!

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*Skye finally got her own water bottle.  Brooke and Knox have similar ones and she is always stealing them so she was pretty proud that she finally got her own.

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*Seeing our rose bushes each day make me pretty happy.  We didn’t live here last June so I didn’t know they would be this beautiful!

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*We’ve been having s’mores night at our house with the neighbors.  

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*The creation that one of our neighbors made…

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*Skye will now grab a diaper and the changing pad and bring them to us if she feels like we are not changing her diaper fast enough.

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*I may be going a little overboard on the fruit right now but it is all so good.  

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*My new cookbooks have arrived—> I bought this one and this one so far!  Thank you so much for all of the recommendations.  I cannot wait and all of the pictures are making me drool.

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*I saw this from someone I love following on IG and it is so so true…. Another goal:

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*Do you ever use race predictor charts to figure out where you are at fitness wise for different race distances?  I love to look at them for a guide and sometimes they are on but sometimes they are way off!  For me personally, the mile and 5k predictions that they give me based on longer races is usually way faster than what I can do.  Usually my half-marathon and marathon times are pretty close to what some of the charts predict for me.   

Based off this one from my RRCA handbook from HERE and my 10k time a few weeks ago, I should be running around a 1:25 on Saturday which I would be thrilled with.  We shall see how close the charts are to real life for me on Saturday!

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I also really like using the VDOT calculator and entering in my most recent race to find the equivalent of different distances too (HERE).  This is such a helpful tool if you are wanting to figure out what paces to run different types of workouts/long runs/easy runs etc.

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*PS for those of you that are living in areas where the temperatures are rough in the summer, have you ever seen a racing in hot weather calculator?  It can help you to adjust your paces and to see just how much running in the heat/humidity effects you!  Here is another great one too.

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Tell me about one of your JOYS lately!

Do you ever use the race predictor charts?  Are they accurate for you or no?

Those of you in hot/humid areas, how much do you think the temperatures affect you on average per mile?

-Don’t forget to be kind to yourself as you are acclimating to warmer/more humid conditions!  Those temperatures/dew points can REALLY effect us but don’t give up because it makes us so much stronger.

Absolute favorite fruit lately?

-Nectarines.  I cannot get over how good they are right now.

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30 comments

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Super energy Seed crackers! They are easy to make (but take forever to bake), are gluten free, and taste like an everything bagel hold the bagel!
https://healthybliss.net/recipe-for-super-energy-seed-crackers-without-a-dehydrator/

I use race predictor charts for general ideas of how I might perform, but really my performance depends on my attitude and training.

The heat and humidity are so common place I do not think they effect me. Conversely, when I run in a
cooler dryer environment, I feel like I am almost cheating like with a zero gravity treadmill!

Absolute favorite fruit lately are Georgia Peaches.

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Okay, I need to make those crackers. They look so so good. Thanks Tonya for sharing. Hahah run here and you will definitely feel like you are cheating, it is so dry. I hope you have some amazing peaches asap! Have a beautiful day Tonya!

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My joy lately is a new trail I found! I’ve been taking my 8 month old pup on my short easy runs where he can go off leash and we’re loving it. Getting him tuned up slowly so he can run regularly with me after he’s a year old and grown.

Humidity is high in the summer months where I live and it very much affects my pace. Often the temp will feel 10-15 degrees Celsius than the thermometer reads.

If I’m feeling good on race day the charts have been accurate for me.

Favourite fruit has been watermelon and raspberries.

Good luck in the half marathon

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Oh I love that you found a new trail… that is the best. And we want to come meet your puppy:) . I’m so glad you guys get to go out and run together. Oh wow… that is a huge change in the temperature and that would definitely affect me. I hope you have some delicious watermelon and raspberries asap! Thanks so much Julia, I am so excited!

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Houston, Texas runner here. I think it affects you most at the beginning when the humidity starts to hit and you forgot about it. This May, we had unseasonably cooler weather with lowish humidity (for y’all it would be too much), which lasted to the end of the May. We went for a run right before Memorial Day and we were all so sluggish. It mostly feels like you are running in quick sand. I realized, oh yeah, it’s finally normal temperatures. We just weren’t used to it and got a bit spoiled. After a week or two, you acclimatize to it and you don’t really feel it as much (depends on how much you run during the week). But you can’t really start your run after 7 a.m. or before 7-8 p.m. or it’s just too much thick air. Some people are hard core down here and train in the middle of the day. My life is too short to get used to that. I remember running once at noon and I felt like I was running into a heat wall. There is only run I do in the afternoon and that’s the Hot Undies Run…a two mile run in our underwear and we get beer in the middle. But for real, you do get used to it and it doesn’t bother you as much unless you take some time off of running. I will be experiencing that soon.

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I am glad that you got a nicer May this year:) I cannot even imagine running in the morning there let alone the middle of the day! You are strong! It is amazing how our bodies can adjust and adapt to these different conditions! You have to let me know when you do that race, that is awesome! Have a wonderful day Kristi!

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Skye looks so happy wearing Brooke’s tutu! She’s adorable.

My joy is that I officially got my business created. I’ll be doing private yoga that comes to you. I still have some more things to get done before I can actually start, but I’m so excited!

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CONGRATS FIONA! This is huge. I am so excited for you Fiona. I hope you have a wonderful day and congrats!

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I might be far too lazy to make that sandwich, but it has my mouth watering, also!!
Those s’mores fixings are a total game changer. I’ll be planning a s’mores party on the deck pronto!
Seeing my oldest daughter at work was joyful for me over the weekend. She has found a job she loves and feels confident and capable doing it, and her compassion shines through!
Yesterday’s evening run felt about :20 slower per mile than my effort when it was about 84* and humid (storm clouds were getting closer). But I feel like really cold temperatures (freezing or below, for me) affect me more, if I can never warm up during the run.
Honeydew is so refreshing to me, these days.

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I’ll make one and send it to you (it only took about 4 minutes to make:). Oh I am so happy about your daughter’s job… I bet that is so rewarding to see her doing what she loves. You are STRONG for running in those temperatures. Interesting about the cold for you… for me the heat definitely hits me more. I hope you have a delicious honeydew asap. Enjoy your day Corey!

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I wanted to let you know that there was a large ad for a vape nicotine device on the blog this morning, right at the top.

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Thank you so much for letting me know. I will email my ad company right away. Have a beautiful day Jackie!

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S’mores with chocolate chip cookies and Reese cups? I like your style

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Try it asap, you will not be disappointed! Have a great day Sara!

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White flesh peaches!!! Get them. . . they are at Costco!!!!!
We live in NC and its so hot here in the summer. The mornings the humidity is already at like 75%. I do a lot of treadmill running but definitely do it inside for the summer!

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I cannot even imagine! I would be right there on the treadmill too. WE JUST GOT THOSE TOO… they are heavenly. Enjoy your day Jarrelle!

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I am so so grateful that I can still cycle and walk while trying to recover from an injury. I’m grateful that I got to walk with the husband this morning, and I’m grateful that I get to work a bit over summer (which wasn’t planned) and go on an extra vacacy with the fam!

I love race predictor charts and the RRCA one is great because it allows me to give my runners a range for what they should be running on certain days based on their ability.

My fav fruits right now are watermelon and frozen grapes!

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I loved hearing about your joys! So so glad you are able to continue to cycle and walk and I’m excited for your extra vacation this summer! I hope you have some watermelon and frozen grapes asap. Have a beautiful rest of your Tuesday!

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Current JOY- 24 weeks pregnant today with my sweet baby boy! Tomorrow we go to the doctor to check on things and make sure I can stay off bedrest. PRAYING!

Current fruit- strawberries & blueberries!! Buy both at costco and last night my sweet hubby made me sour cream blueberry coffee cake because I saw it online and it sounded good so he “helped” me by making it while I read the steps to him :) SO GOOD! https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229029/sour-cream-blueberry-coffee-cake/ lets be real not healthy at all but great for a crowd (or pregnant mama) but of course just loving blueberries on their own too!

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CONGRATULATIONS STEPHANIE!! I am absolutely praying for you and will you please let me know what your doctor says tomorrow. Oh my goodness, the picture of that sour cream blueberry coffee cake actually made me drool. That looks amazing. Have a wonderful day and this little baby boy is so lucky to get to come to you!

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My current joy is remembering last night. My three year old wanted to go someplace dark to play with his light-up ball and we ended up in our bedroom where we talked for an hour and a half. He told me all about the things he’s going to do when he’s “big” (i.e. he’ll drive a car and have a cell phone that works because it has batteries so Grandma can call him and he’ll drive her to the grocery store. Also, he does not plan on having a job.). I love seeing the world through his eyes. My husband ended up joining us and we were all laying on our bed (dog included) and talking until we fell asleep. It was a perfect moment.

Favorite fruit right now is fresh watermelon and pineapple.

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Megan, what a sweet sweet sweet experience. I absolutely loved what happen with you guys yesterday. Thank you for sharing with me. I hope you get all of the fresh watermelon and pineapple very soon. Have a wonderful rest of your day!

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Those smores look amazing!! For some reason I associate them with the 4th of July so I never think to have them any time of year … unless we’re camping but that’s few and far between. I need to change that stat!
Some of my joys are: my father in law surprised us and showed up in town (he’s from MS and we’re in WA) and is here for a couple of weeks! Also, I got to run with super speedy trail runners today and I was able to hold on for half of the route running with them! I also have a couple more trail adventures planned for next week and I can’t wait!
We had unusually humid and sprinkly weather today on our run and we were really envious of the 1 dog that showed up (w/ his human) when they stopped for water breaks and when the dog jumped into the sound too cool off! My Gamin and Strava both told I was reaching today and I definitely blame the weather (not my fitness)! Ha!
Favorite fruit … anything in a smoothie! We just bought a new blender and I’ve been on a major smoothie kick lately! so good!
Have a great day!

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What a great surprise that your father-in-law is in town! Way to go on your trail run today with that group, you rocked it! YES… definitely the weathers fault and next time jump in with the dog. Send me one of your smoothies;) . Thanks Jenny, you too!

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LOVE your first sentence–my first miles have been so lately, and I do shorter runs, so it feels frustrating, but you have to let your body warm up!

That is interesting that we don’t share our joys. I think sometimes people feel like it’s bragging to share the positives? But gosh, imagine how different our conversations could be. One of my joys is going to watch the bachelorette with my friends . . . I’ve never watched it, but they got me into it this year! It’s just fun to hang out with friends during the week.

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YESSSS… let that body warm up. It always takes me a good amount of time to get moving. My friend this morning said it took them an hour to feel warmed up! I totally see what you are saying, it really makes such a difference when we focus on the joys though! AHHH have the best time at your Bachelorette party! It’s the best and tell me your thoughts afterwards.

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Hey Janae,

With the warmer weather here, I was wondering if you have suggestions for sunscreen and hats for running? I hate when sunscreen feels slimy, especially once you get that good sweat going on. lol And I love hats to protect my face, but I still want it to look great too. :)

Would love your thoughts!

Thanks!

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Hey Robin!! Yesss.. the slimy feeling is not fun! I use this one each morning before I run: https://amzn.to/2IQ6a2k and really love it! As far as hats go I LOVE Skye Mountain Co hats… they are so cute! https://amzn.to/2KY16LW

Have a wonderful day!

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I live in the Houston area and it is HOT HOT HOT here during the summer….the humidity sure is fun, lol. It definitely impacts running and I do run slower in the summer just because first of all you could pass out and secondly because it sucks the life out of you. I am happy just to run so I don’t care about my times as much anymore. It is great training for those fall/winter/spring races because if you can run in the summer here you can easily run any other time of year and it seems a lot easier than. You need to sign up for the Houston Marathon or a Houston race sometime so I can come run too and meet you :)

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I don’t usually use race predictor charts – but I do look them up out of curiosity. I usually have a pretty good gage on what I am capable of running.

One of my joys lately = baking more. I love to bake. Last week I made a chocolate bundt cake with coffee and a caramely whisky sauce soaked over it. So good.

Have a great race saturday!

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