First, let’s catch up on the last two days!
Monday’s run: A slippery one with Emilee of 10.1 miles @ 8:42 average pace.
Tuesday’s run: 8 miles solo in 17 degrees @ 8:08 average pace.
The highlight of my Tuesday run was seeing my niece on her way to her carpool.
She told me I was crazy for running in the crazy cold weather yesterday morning and I agreed with her. My face hurt.
REALLY starting to look forward to our reward in Utah after running through months of being freezing—> SPRING.
Andrew was still in shorts for the 17 degree weather. I think he secretly wishes that he could turn his scrubs into shorts for work;)
We celebrated my dad’s bday at his favorite, Texas Roadhouse. Their rolls are something special.
They had the girls sit on the saddle when they came to sing for my dad’s birthday and they loved it.
The other night Andrew had to go back in to finish up a training so we had a girl’s night at home complete with chocolate, nail painting, Regina Spektor listening, a bath bomb for the girls and face masks;).
Brooke told me she wanted to start practicing for cross country so I found her running circles in the yard.
I watched the show, ‘Zoey Extraordinary Playlist’ and fell in love with it quickly. I NEED MORE EPISODES.
Skye is learning sign language too (she basically just copies every little thing that Brooke does so it works out nicely).
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Each year Andrew and I renew our gym memberships telling ourselves that THIS will be the year that we get into strength training and each year we do not get into strength training. Our track record is really great for a few of the goals we make each year;)
So we didn’t renew our gym memberships this year and we are trying something that we think will actually work. This new method makes it so we don’t have to take our kids anywhere (Skye hates the gym daycare lately) and it is something we can do together…. Or Andrew can do at 11 pm when I’m in my 3rd REM cycle and he is wide awake because he can’t sleep ha.
I can actually say that it has been fun (the few times that I have joined Andrew so far but at least I’m being a little consistent) and super convenient. One of the many reasons I have been consistent with running is because it is so convenient—> I can run on my treadmill at home or walk out my door and start running. Having something that doesn’t require driving makes us more likely to do it and an added bonus is that we can just turn up our speakers as loud as we want at home;)
Andrew did all of the research on what he bought and he put this little area together.
Power Cage with Optional LAT Pull-Down Attachment and Adjustable Leg Hold-Down
300 lb Olympic Weight Set (Andrew needed to go up that high for a weight set, I need about 1/5th of that;)
He bought rubber stall mats rather than gym mats because they are cheaper and pretty much the same thing.
We already had a bunch of free weights.
The combo of everything wasn’t much more than we were paying for our yearly memberships to a gym so it will even out after about 1.5 years.
Riddle time: How many of the elite runners include strength training into their weekly routine?
All of them ha.
So if I really want to get to my dreams, I need to make it happen.
I listened to the Morning Shakeout episode 99 with Lindsay Flanagan and I loved when she said this when talking about the importance of strength training and marathon training, “In the marathon it all comes down to not breaking down and I think the stronger you can get, the better you can be.”
Here’s to having the equipment at home and a lifting buddy to do it with to finally get me to lift regularly;)
Oh and one more topic for today, I came across my mileage stats for the last 12 months of running and was wondering what your highest mileage months were! Mine were July, August and November of the last 12 months!
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Of the last 12 months of running, what were your highest mileage months?
What about you—> Would you rather go to a gym consistently or work out at home consistently? What works better for your lifestyle/situation?
Do you strength train consistently? What helps you to be consistent with it?
-Over the last few years since I had Skye I’ve been consistent with push-ups, planks and sometimes pull-ups but I think I need to start lifting heavier as part of the equation to faster marathon times.
As far as restaurants go… who do you think brings out the best free starter (ie Texas Roadhouse rolls or Olive Garden breadsticks/salad or Cheesecake Factory bread)?
44 comments
Ingrid
Hi Janae !
For sure my highest milage months are not july or august.
As i love running with my dog, temperatures are too high during summer. I don’t have the F figures, but it’s about 35°C during the day and between 20°C and 25°C for the night / early morning. Too dangerous for my dog.
So my highest mileage months are April and May.
I love Spring for that. (And it will come soon !)
I’m sure you will appreciate working out at home ! I have a room for that at home, and i use it every morning, at 6:30, the only moment in the day i can work out. I would not be able to work out in a club at that time ! I would prefer staying in my bed ! Haha !
So that’s really convinient and you do it more easily !
Have a beautiful day !
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh WOW! Yeah that definitely isn’t safe for your dog! I’m excited it’s almost time for your highest mileage months, enjoy going with your dog! So glad that you have a room at your house too. Thanks so much and you too Ingrid!
Mary
What room do you have your gym in? We have gym memberships and they are used but not as often as we’d like. If the gym was 5-10 min that would help. It’s 20 min away and feels too much of a hassle. But we have pool there and I like to use that as cross training sometimes so I couldn’t do that from home.
Brooke
I’ve had a membership to Beachbody on Demand for 3 years (think Nextflix for workout programs) If I had to get in my car and drive to a class or gym I’d never go but rolling out of bed and stumbling downstairs is EASY. I’m telling you it’s the best $99 I spend all year.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Okay, that sounds amazing! And that’s a really great price! I’ll have to look into it! Thanks Brooke:)
Jenny
Yes! Strength training is so important and having the equipment at home makes it doable. It’s just too hard to get to the gym consistently while juggling running, a job, and kids. I’m going to bookmark this page because I need some new equipment, so that I can start lifting heavier. I won’t be needing Andrew’s 300 lb set quite yet though, ha ha.
Thanks for posting!
The Hungry Runner Girl
YES YES YES! Keep me updated and let’s do this together:) Hope your day is a beautiful one Jenny!
Nadya
I love your home gym weight lifting set up! It makes it easier and convenient. I just finished reading the book, Atomic Habits, that goes into great detail about how to make a habit stick! Your intuition that it should be easy and obvious to access a new action (regular weightlifting) fits with his theories!!! You might like the book too:)
I definitely find that I am a better runner in terms of speed and less injury when I weightlift heavy weights. I have a similar structure to yours and I used to think lifting heavy would make me bulky and slower as a runner. At 38 now, I have way more muscle than in my 20s but I am still a lean mean running machine! I have really notices that I hold my upper body/neck/chest/ shoulders and arms better now. I used to be a bit of a hunchy runner and now I am way less hunchy:)
Have a great day. Spring seems on the way in Boston too- it is sunny and 40s today:)
The Hungry Runner Girl
I need to read that book! Glad to know so far we are on track:) . You are amazing and now my motivation to really stick with this. I am a hunchy runner towards the end of races and need that help. Enjoy those perfect temperatures Nadya!
Becky Przy
Work out at home consistently! I loved the gym before I had kids, but now (due to where we live) and kids it would take too much time out of the day to go to a gym. I do strength train consistently and have for the past 2-3 years. I have only stayed consistent since I bought equipment and a program to follow. If I am not told what to do, chances are I won’t do it or cut my workout short.
I have never been to any of those restaurants–what is wrong with me?!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I think that is my problem too… I loved it before kids but it’s just so much work to get there now! WAY to go on staying consistent! You are my example! Nothing is wrong with you, you are just a great cook so why go there haha! Thanks Becky!
Jocelyn
I’d rather work out at home FOR SURE. My dream would be to have a complete set up in my garage, but then I wouldn’t have room to park my car…guess I’d better move :)
I’ve worked in healthcare forever plus I live in Texas (it gets a little warm haha) and I once saw a coworker of mine at the grocery store in his scrubs but he’d made the pants into shorts and the top into a tank top!! But just because you can doesn’t mean you should lol
The Hungry Runner Girl
Bahahah I’m telling Andrew to not read the comments today so that he doesn’t get the idea to do this too. That’s hilarious! Hahaha time to move or put the car in the driveway;) . Hope your morning is off to a great start Jocelyn!
LeeAnn Benesh
We live about 40 minutes from a gym, so we also have things set up at home. It makes it easier to actually get motivated to do it. I have no problem getting motivated for cardio, but also struggle on the strength side. In the last few months, I have signed up for Kira Stokes’ program online. I love it because it is completely functional based (protects the back), has a bunch of options on times for workouts so I can pick what fits in my day and leaves me shaking and tired, but not overwhelmingly sore for the next day’s workout out. A lot of it is band and body weight which makes it easy to tag on following a running or riding workout.
I basically ran 10 miles in a blizzard this weekend because I am getting tired of the treadmill….come on Spring! haha
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh I am so glad you guys have an awesome set up at home! What is it with the lack of strength motivation? I will have to look at her program… sounds PERFECT! Way to get out in that blizzard, this winter is never ending! Hope you have a beautiful day Leann!
Crickett
I love strength training (probably because I’m stronger than I am faster). For social reasons, I prefer a gym, but for years my first husband and I had the same weight equipment setup in our house that you do, and the convenience was awesome, especially with a young family.
The Hungry Runner Girl
That is awesome and you are my motivation! Glad to know it worked so well for you guys. Hope you are having a beautiful Wednesday morning!
Jenni
I would LOVE to have a home gym. I work long/crazy hours, but honestly, the gym just stresses me out sometimes. It’s busy and loud. However, I rent (don’t own a house) so a home gym isn’t an option right now
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Jenni! I’m with you… the gym stresses me out sometimes too and it’s hard to get me to make the drive for it ha. I hope that when you are able to that you can put together an amazing home gym. Have the best day!
Natalie Friedman
Hi Janae! I love, love, love reading your posts every day. Tell me about the jacket you are wearing in the outdoor running pics. I live in Colorado so I’m guessing what works for you would work for me, too. Thank you!
The Hungry Runner Girl
HEY NATALIE!! I hope it starts warming up in Colorado! Here is the link to the jacket. They sent it to me but I really do love it and couldn’t believe how warm it is! https://ivlcollective.com/collections/sweatshirts/products/insulated-puffer-jacket-wine
Hope you have the best day!
Paige Cassandra Flamm
I went to a couple gym workouts last month to get into a strength routine but I learned I really like working out at home better! I want to get some weights to add to our garage gym we have going on (currently just a treadmill!)
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
The Hungry Runner Girl
I’m with you… I just like workout out at home best:) . Let me know when you add the weights to your garage gym! Hope you have a beautiful day friend! PS I’m totally grabbing one of the St. Patrick’s Day books that you listed, thank you!
Amy S
Hi Janae! Love the home gym idea. I didn’t realize runners lift heavy weights too! But I guess it makes sense, my PT told me once every step we take when running we exert a force of something like 3 times our weight. Let us know how the home gym works out!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh WOW! That would make sense then why we need to lift heavy! I totally will:) . Hope you have the best day Amy!
Jenny
I love that Brooke is practicing for cross country! My boys were adamant that they DID NOT want to run track but they wanted to buy the track gear … they already know that running gear of any kind is the best! Ha!
My highest running months were July, August, September. I remember very distinctly what trail adventures lead me to those high mileage months. So good!
For me personally, I have to pay for a gym membership to strength train. I need to feel accountable. I need to pay money to make me accountable. I’ve tried working out at home and it never stuck. My gym is only $14/mo so if I go even 2x/week I feel good about it.
In the winter I’m in the gym 3-5 days/week. Spring-Fall it falls back to 2-3 days/week. Going through an injury + recovery keeps me consistent. Prehab > rehab!
Have a great day and have fun in your new home gym!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahah maybe the track gear will make them more motivated to run?! Sounds like those months were really amazing… can’t wait for those warmer months again! Oh that is an awesome price for a gym! I totally see the accountability part though… makes perfect sense. Oh I love that… prehab > rehab. SO true! Thanks Jenny and I hope your day is off to a great start!
Jenn
I started strength training regularly when I found something that I liked (burn bootcamp) and after kids when I get injured if I do t strength train so that’s good motivation right there! Before that I enjoyed working out (lifting heavy) with a trainer but after I left trainer I didn’t keep it up on my own. I don’t do well with pushing myself at all so I definitely need a class!
Marissa
Oct, Nov, and Dec were my highest running months :) But then again I was in a boot Feb 2019 and then again at the end of May 2019… I’m just soo grateful I was actually able to get in a fall 1/2 marathon and the Dopey Challenge in Jan 2020!
Working out at home has been so much better/easier for me. When my kids were little and I didn’t have a job outside of the home, the gym was my haven and got me out of the house but as they got older and I started teaching, my home gym definitely gets used more!
Jessica R
I love live group fitness classes but I am a workout at home convert. I am a stay at home mom with three small children so getting to the gym just doesn’t happen at this point in my life. I discovered Les Mills on Demand a few years ago and it seriously changed everything for me. The music and instruction feels just like a live class vs your standard workout video. I LOVE Body Pump so now I can do it at home on my own time. Its seriously the greatest. They have most of the Les Mills programs on there and its pretty cheap. In theory I do Pump 3 days a week. Reality is a bit different….
Stacey
I much prefer working out at home. My treadmill just died, though, which makes me very sad. I haven’t run since early January, but was walking on it frequently. It’s eight years old, so I guess its time has come. I’m sticking to youtube workouts for now, and might consider purchasing a replacement once I’m able to run again this summer.
I used to work at The Outback Steakhouse and think their brown bread is delicious. I still have a scar on my wrist from the bread oven, though, but apparently this is like a sign of comradery amongst Outback servers. There is even a Facebook group called “I’m a victim of the Outback Steakhouse Bread Oven.” haha!
Gillian
I am definitely a workout at home person. I have a few cardio machines as well as free weights and a bench. I do own a squat rack but ugh I have barely used it!! I like the convenience!
Have a great day!
Sloan
We have a really nice weight room at the school I teach at but I am not consistent with it like I should be. I tell myself I’ll be too sore to run the next day or I need to go ahead and get home to get things ready for the next day and all that. Excuses excuses. But this year I have made it a goal to do push ups and some sort of core workout every single day of the 2020. I haven’t missed a day yet!!!
Alicia K
I love weight training. I find I am very self motivated because I just love how I feel afterwards. I do need to work more on mobility and foam rolling. I used to be so good about it, but somehow that fell by the wayside. For now I can get to the gym on my own schedule, but in the future when I have kids, I know it would be more convenient to have a squat rack at home and everything. I love going to the gym at 5am though because there are few people and I get my pick of equipment. However, I still currently miss having a swimming pool so I would need a gym for that still.
I watched Zoey’s extraordinary playlist last night. I love it too. I especially love Lauren Graham so that’s how I found out about the show since I follow her on Twitter lol.
Courtney
I am 100% workout at home. I work from home, so some days my workout happens in 5 parts throughout the day but that reminds me of why going to the gym isn’t realistic for me right now.
I am a massive fan of the Peloton app ($10/month!!!) I have a spin bike at home so I do their spin workouts, but I also really love their strength training and yoga classes. Seriously, it is my absolute favourite.
Erica
Workout from home 100%.
Buy yourself a mirror if you do not have one down there. I definitely find that a key to me doing weights for some reason.
The most consistent I ever was with it was when Chris and I did a better body contest with each other. Running always has the race that gets you out the door or it’ll be a major suffer fest…….I needed some sort of culminating event. This is what we came up with.
Kristine Chew
I am terrible with strength training but there is a really good personal training gym near me that I have been meaning to check out for ages. A little pricier but have heard really good things. And given my race schedule this year haha, I think it will be worth the investment.
I have started cycle commuting to work and it is quicker than transit (My partner has the vehicle so I don’t have a car to get to work with) and it means 14 miles round trip and we have great dedicated bike paths here in BC. I am loving it so far as I am working myself back into running shape and hoping it will complement the running, and make me faster! Ha.
The last 12 months haven’t been crazy high mileage but the highest mileage week in training I ever hit was about 110 km…was is close to 70 miles I think. I don’t consistently run that much or I feel as though I would be injured.
Have a wonderful day Janae! P.S. I think it’s great that you Andrew work out together :)
Laura
I love strength training! But it is admittedly harder to fit in when running higher mileage and with young kids. I try to do it at least twice a week though because I definitely run faster and avoid injury when I do. However, I have to go to a gym to do it. FOr years we had lots of equipment at home and I just never got up the motivation to do it (even before kids!) – there’s always something else to do at home. When I go to the gym, I’m there for the sole purpose of working out, so I do. The financial investment helps too.
I live near the coast in SC so the summer months are definitely NOT my highest mileage months due to the heat and humidity. My highest volume months are in the winter – November, December, January.
Nina
I worked out consistently at the gym for 9 years. And then they moved my gym and the new location was not convenient. I now consistently workout at home. I subscribe to Get Healthy U TV and I have a few other workouts that I watch to help with strength training and cross training (I love kickboxing). I lift heavier, I get detailed instructions, and it’s super convenient. When I am ready to go everything is there waiting for me. And I can wear whatever without wondering if I match or if I have raccoon eyes. ;)
Jennifer
Please share some workouts!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I totally will! Have a great night Jennifer!
Taylor
Now that I have twins definitely quick strength training at home is better for me! I really need to get better about strength training though! Either December or January were my highest mileage months the past year which means lots of those miles were on the treadmill!
I have a marathon question for you! I am debating carrying little bottles in my Senita shorts for my upcoming marathon. Did you end up doing that at CIM and if so, how did you feel about it? Thanks so much!! :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Taylor! I am excited about your upcoming marathon and I would love to hear all about how it goes! I did carry bottles in my shorts and loved how it worked out! Test it out for your long runs to see if it bugs you are not, I really hope it works out! Have a great night:)
Taylor
Awesome!!! I will give it a try in training then! Thanks so much and I will definitely let you know how it goes!! :)