(Tank, shorts, and shoes that make my plantar feel very happy)
I did some stretching and this strength workout to start my Monday!
Strength training in the garage is nice because I still get a peek of the sunrise (aka one of my favorite parts of running).
We watched Boston (and loved every second… you are all AMAZING!) and had a typical morning.
Skye joined me on some errands.
And then later on, these two joined us too.
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Random facts to discuss today.
1. The other day, I was thinking about how weird it is that Andrew and I have both completed a marathon on the treadmill. Mine was back in 2010ish, and his was in 2019 when we were training for an ultra. I don’t think either of us will ever plan on doing this again but it’s quite a random thing that we both have in common.
2. I’ve decided that my next goal race is going to be a trail race (not an ultra, just some cool trail race that I can find).
3. Sucker sticks make excellent birthday candles when you don’t have any candles.
4. How in the world did Shalane run a 2:46 on Sunday in Chicago and then a 2:40 in Boston the next day? She is something else.
5. If our kids continue to run and mountain bike with us, we will be the luckiest.
6. I think my DNA + Andrew’s DNA = particular taste buds. Skye and Beck are twins with what they will and will not eat… They could also both live off of yogurt and oatmeal.
7. After talking about getting a Peloton for over a year, we went for one. Andrew found a great deal on a used one, and we can’t wait. Mountain biking is very hit and miss (emphasis on the miss) over the next 4-5 months in Utah, and Andrew has been wanting a Peloton to get in biking throughout the winter. I’ll be using it too (the podiatrist told me biking is great for me right now) during this injury, and once I am running again… I am thinking I’ll be cross-training more than what I used to do.
8. All afternoon it rained and rained, which inspired me to get in the kitchen more. Twenty breakfast burritos are currently waiting in my freezer for me to eat over the next few weeks. I use this recipe and roast some sweet potatoes up for the recipe too.
9. The best hot chocolate mix is 100% Stephen’s, and it must be made with milk.
10. I don’t need as much sleep when I am not running. I wake up after 7 hours and feel completely alert when I’m not running. When I am in training, I don’t feel alive unless I sleep 9 hours a night ha.
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Do you notice a difference in how much sleep you need when running vs. when you are not running?
Who has a Peloton!? Who is your favorite instructor or type of class? Is there anything I should know?
Freezer meals… have any that you love and make often that make busy days easier?
What’s your run or workout today? Fill me in!
56 comments
Therese
I have the tread an love it. Welcome to the cult. Mermaidathlete225. I love robin Olivia and Jess sims. Don’t have the bike but use the app on my trainer
The Hungry Runner Girl
Okay, the treadmills look incredible. Hahah glad to be in on the cult finally. Thanks for the recommendations, can’t wait to take classes from them. Have a beautiful day, Therese!
Maureen
If you don’t make hot chocolate with milk then I don’t want to be friends with that person. Kidding… But I’m working through my hot chocolate mixes and then will be buying Stephen’s since you’ve been sharing it for so long and I’m not sure how I haven’t tried it yet.
So I’ve been battling insane allergies recently so I’ve been resting way more. I think I’m going to do some upper body circuits at lunch though. Usually I’m a morning workout person but I’ve been waking up then and just laying in bed so I can see how I feel since sometimes sinus headaches come and destroy me but so far so good today!
ML
So excited for you! I use the Peloton app a lot. Ben Aldis is my favorite strength instructor! Chelsea Jackson Roberts is wonderful for meditation and restorative yoga. Enjoy!!
Allison
I’ve had my Peloton since December 2019 and I absolutely love it. I felt so lucky to already have it when the pandemic started. Cody and Emma are my favorite cycling instructors. Tell us your username sometime (if you don’t mind) and you will instantly have a bunch of followers on Peloton!
Liza
OK, I am so glad you’re thinking cross training more during the week and having less running days. This has made all the difference for me. I got a peloton this summer and it has been wonderful and actually made my running stronger. I now run four days a week is the peloton twice a week and rest one day a week. My favorite instructor is Ben Aldis. I always take a 60 minute class. I struggle with having to hit a baseline total output but that’s just me in my perfectionism.
When I am not running my sleep does really change but my anxiety goes up. Do ever or have you ever had anxiety when your not running and pushing your body as hard. I fear getting out of shape or gaining weight.
I am not a freezer meal person unless it’s soup I make then freeze.
The Hungry Runner Girl
THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO HEAR!!!! So awesome that it has helped my running and I can’t wait to see it do the same for mine:). I have anxiety over my kids like crazy right now and I’m sure part of that is from not running/workout out as hard (running helps to calm my worries). In the past I definitely had that fear of gaining weight/out of shape when I was injured but I realized over the years that I always come back from breaks stronger and more excited about running. It’s happened so many times that I realize that my body will adjust however it needs to during that time away! Now if I had a big race coming up then it would be a bit more anxiety filled because I love to race and chase those goals but it’s kind of nice to switch things up and sleep in more etc. I’m here if you ever need to talk, you’ve got this!
Amanda Charles
Welcome to the Peloton family! I absolutely love mine. It is truly a community and every time I get off my bike I feel as if I have just had an amazing therapy session. The instructors are all pretty amazing but here are my daily go-to:
Bike: Kendall, Robin, Alex, Cody
Meditation: Aditi, Chelsea
Strength: Robin, Matt
Run: Becs, Rebecca
Yoga: Anna and Chelsea
I am “acinthe808”, look forward to seeing you and Andrew there!
Lee
I want a bike also! I don’t think it will be a peloton but I can dream. I have to convince my husband that i need one and that we have space for one. I might have to give up my elliptical. i don’t use it much but i like have it there in case i can’t run but want to pretend.
Are you going to do a review of the Hokas? I’ve been wanting to try them. Do you wear the same size in them as you do Brooks? I sized up a half size in Brooks because it seemed they were making shoes more narrow…………or because my foot is widening. I don’t know which.
I love to do freezer meals. I like to make big vats of chili, soup, spaghetti sauce, multiple meat loaves, whatever I can think of so that dinner is nice and easy after work.
I did an easy run on the treadmill today instead of speedwork. I did a workout from runners world that was described as “serious strength for serious speed.” I have seriously sore groin muscles and am walking a bit funny. But I didn’t fall doing the jump squats!
Have a great Tuesday!
So Cal momma
Hi – fun post :) Too funny on the kids — Skye and Beck could choose worse foods so you guys are quite fortunate! We were thinking about a peloton but the wait was 12 weeks – buying used is a great idea! On the burritos – Have read on your blog that you’ve made them forever but do you sub things at all? Bacon for sausage or different veggies? My son is in high school now – often there for hours with sports and sometimes 12 hour days. We need to get him full of good stuff at home in addition to protein packed lunches. Thanks for any ideas.
The Hungry Runner Girl
HEY!!! Your son is going to love these! I usually do the roasted sweet potatoes instead of tater tots and then do both the sausage and bacon! It calls for peppers and I usually add both red and yellow (and as much as I want). Other than that, I keep it the same. Let me know if you guys try them. And 12 hour days at school… holy cow!
SCM
We will try them – most likely this weekend. Thanks for the tips!
Mariah
Enjoy the peloton! My workout today was cycling and core work. I’m doing a month-long core challenge because I definitely felt that my core wasn’t strong enough during my half! I’m doing it with two friends, we are FaceTiming during the 5 minutes of core work each day to motivate each other.
I love freezer meals! Over the winter I’ll make extra of soups or chili to freeze too, makes meal prep easier.
Wendy
Shalane is absolutely incredible! Just so inspiring!
I have heard how amazing Peleton is. Ali has had several instructors on her podcast, and they sound amazing! I’m very excited for you and Andrew.
My hips are feeling a bit tight, so today will be stretching and yoga, and probably a walk. I don’t have a race again until February, so I am going to listen to my body and do what feels good and right.
I’m not the biggest hot chocolate fan, but it’s always better made with milk.
Have a really good Tuesday!
Andrea
Welcome to the Peloton family! I got mine in March 20 21 and it is hands-down the best purchase I have ever made. I am a single parent, so I don’t have the capability to get to the gym, and now I don’t need to worry about it – I have spin classes right at my fingertips!
I find that I choose my instructor based on my mood. Cody is a super funny and great one to start with. I usually go with Olivia (nice but difficult), Ben (calm, but great music!), and Alex (tough love).
Hope to see you on the leaderboard someday!
Katrina Miaoulis
I have the peloton treadmill which I LOVE and I have taken a bunch of classes on my spin bike as well. Here are the instructors that I think you will love:
1. Cody – He is a fan favorite. So famous hes actually on dancing with the stars this season. Ray of sassy sunshine
2. Jess Sims – So positive and motivating and says everything I need to hear in the moment to push through
3. Olivia – She is tough and inspiring. Her classes are challenging but in the best way
Katrina Miaoulis
Btw I just friended you! My leaderboard name is katmiaou :)
Allison P.
Peloton is awesome! I just use the app on my phone. I think you and Andrew would both really enjoy Matt Wilpers as a coach – very “athlete” mentality in his style. Jess Sims is also amazing and new instructor Callie. Check out the bike boot camps! Enjoy! Now I need a hot chocolate :)
Sam
The peloton news is so exciting! Hopefully we could follow you and Andrew. I think it’s important to try multiple instructors, I go to different ones for different types of rides too. I think Andrew might like Ben, Matt, and Denis. My personal favorite is Leanne; when I was just thinking about it for the comment, she reminds me a lot of your personality :) That being said, Bradley and Kendall’s playlists are very similar to the ones you’ve shared in the past. I love music themed classics and HIIT & Hills. Andrew might be into H&H and Powerzone from a mountain biking perspective.
You should both checkout the Reddit page PelotonCycle. There are a bunch of posts that breakdown all things Peloton to help orient you, answer questions, and lots of crowdsourced feedback on classes and instructors.
Erica
100% less sleep need. I have been known to clean the house 10-midnight during low to non running periods. Chris probably would love for me to go through one of those again. ;)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Erica, we are twins. I legit organized our entire kitchen from 10-midnight the other day. SOOO much energy is bursting out of us when we don’t run ha and you made me laugh with what you said about Chris! Hope your Tuesday is a great one so far!
Gretchen
I use the Peloton app with a different bike and I love it!! All the coaches are good for different moods and types of workouts so my advice is to try them all out (I made a fun board with all of their names and pictures and crossed them all off one by one). My favorites on the bike are probably Tunde, Cody, and Emma! I also love bike bootcamp with Jess Sims <3 You'll also enjoy the yoga classes!!
I just got a new pair of running shoes (Trying out ON for the first time and I can't wait) so I'm doing a short run and then probably some strength later on.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I LOVE that there are so many different coaches that fit different moods (because I go through 100 moods each week). I love how you went about finding your favorites and I’ll try out your favorites asap. Bike BootCamp sounds scary hard ha. Oh let me know what you think of running with ON. I tried a pair of their running shoes 10 years ago and have wondered how they are now! Hope your day is a beautiful one:)
Liz
Congrats on your peloton! I love mine. You might like Power Zone training – there are programs to follow right from the bike or the online community – power zone pack (Pz pack.com) has challenges through the year. I’m in week 3 of the 8 week fall challenge. It’s about 3 rides a week, so still plenty of running time! Oh, Peloton is so fun!! Happy riding!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Power Zone training sounds like it is exactly what I need. Way to go rocking that fall challenge, you are amazing… I’ll join the next challenge with you. Thanks Liz and I hope you have a beautiful day.
Mollie
Yay for the Peloton!! You’re going to love it, esp because it manages to give you a social/community aspect even while working out solo. Robin Arzon (had a baby earlier this year and has some great postpartum core workouts plus her rides are awesome), Cody Rigsby (HILARIOUS), and Ally Love (check out her Sundays with Love classes!) are a few of my favs. HIIT & Hills rides are killer – Hannah Frankson and Leanne Hainsby always have good ones! Anddd Club Bangers with Alex Toussaint. (I’m molliemcg if you’re looking to start following people!)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Mollie, that is what I was so shocked by this morning.. I felt like a social health lift in my workout ALONE in my garage. It was incredible. I cannot wait to try all of those workouts. I am just so excited about this. THANK YOU for the recommendations, I can’t wait. Have a happy day.
Amy S
Hi Janae! When I was in college my mom used to make soups and dumplings and freeze them for me for easy meals! It was pretty great.
I’m so excited to see what Shalane can do after this challenge. I’d love to see her go for the 50k record Des just broke!
The Hungry Runner Girl
That is such a great idea, I’ll have to freeze soup and dumplings for us. My kids would love that. Oh that would be so interesting to see her go for that record. She is just on fire. Happy Tuesday, friend!
Rachael
I got a Peloton almost a year ago and it has been SUCH a good complement to my running! Here’s the caveat though–you have to do the right classes. A couple people have mentioned PowerZone training and I definitely consider that the most valuable set of classes on Peloton for serious athletes. It’s focused on building your abilities with very specific types of classes, so think long endurance efforts rather than a lot of bouncing around and dancing like some instructors do. There are Facebook groups that run PowerZone challenges (8 weeks) and wowza they are so good at building your abilities!! I usually run 3 days and do 60-90 minute PZ rides 3 days and do Peloton strength every day (there’s a fantastic group called HardCore or hcotf2018 on IG that organizes daily strength workouts using the app classes).
PowerZone classes feel like marathon training so I think they will be right up your alley!! (If I do a themed ride, I don’t feel like I got in a really good workout, but I always feel like I legit worked hard with PZ.) Matt Wilpers is my favorite instructor for PZ classes; he’s a former Division I runner and focuses his classes around athletic training rather than a personality cult like some of the other instructors. Denis Morton has the best PZ music (Matt’s music is legendarily bad but his coaching is amazing). I also really like Sam Yo, Olivia Amato, Tunde, and Kendall Toole for other good hard endurance efforts. For the shorter classes if I’m really tired and know I’m not going to work as hard and want a themed ride, I like Leanne, Emma, or Ben. (I know a lot of people like Cody, Jess King, and Robin but I really can’t stand them at all; I don’t like their personalities/schtick and it drives me nuts when they stop pedaling to stand up and talk.) Try a lot of instructors because everyone has a different preference as to what motivates them best! If you get into the strength content (which you should because it is SO GOOD!!) Andy Speer and Adrian Williams are my favorite. For running, I love Becs Gentry (who just came in 4th at the GB Marathon trials), Matt Wilpers, and Matty Maggiacomo. Susie Chan also just joined on the tread but I haven’t done any of her classes yet (she doesn’t have outdoor classes yet which is what I mostly use this time of year when the weather is nice!).
I’m Rachael262 on the leaderboard! See you there!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Rachael! I need to figure out how to find people on the leaderboard, I’ll do that tonight. THANK YOU for taking the time to help me to understand a bit more what would be good for my marathon training in the future. PowerZone sounds like something I would love and that would be so fun to be in those groups to really help motivate me. Joining that IG group too. Screenshotted your comment for all of the recommendations, just what I needed! Others are mentioning Becs too, what an incredible runner! Thank you x a million and let’s be peloton friends:)
Emily
Congrats on your Peloton! I love mine, and hope to see you and Andrew on the leaderboard soon. If you want a Pelo-friend, you can add me– LB name CovertTurtle. I tend to like the calmer instructors: Christine, Sam, Emma, and Denis are my favorites. I also love Hannah F., who teaches great HIIT & HIlls rides for when you want a challenge, and Bradley, who is great for days when I’m feeling low energy because he has enough for both of us! Peloton’s yoga and strength classes are great– try Daniel for strength (his Irish accent is amazing and he will keep you entertained while you’re dying), Olivia for core, and Denis or Kristen for yoga.
I’ve always been a spinner, but never much enjoyed running, and slowly but surely the Peloton instructors are getting me into running, too. They have some outdoor runs, too.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I would love to have you as a Pelo-friend… now to figure out how to add people?! I’m Janaebaron and I’m not sure how to get on the leaderboard yet! THANK YOU for the recommendations, I want a HIIT ride tomorrow (I’m already looking forward to it ha). I’ll use Daniel for strength tomorrow too. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out with this. SO excited to hear that you are getting more into running. I hope your day is a great one, Emily!
Kathy McElhaney
I definitely sleep better when I’m running (or cycling.)
We don’t have a Peloton bike, but Les has a smart trainer and uses Trainer Road. I have a manual trainer (non-smart) and I love to follow GCN (Global Cycling Network) workouts. The sign of a great trainer workout is how wet the garage floor is!
Ran 7 miles of hills today, 770′ of climbing. We’re going to Yosemite the week of Thanksgiving, so I’ve got to get my legs ready for some epic hikes. It was 48 degrees, which is just about perfect to me. There were a few times when the wind kicked up but all in all it was a great run.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Sleep just comes so much easier with running/cycling! Hahaha my garage floor was wet this morning too. I bet you guys are usually able to cycle outside with beautiful weather. You crushed that run today, so much climbing. I hope you have the best time at Yosemite, I want me and Andrew to come join too!
Liz
I hope nothing happened to your old spin bike! I only just recommended it to a friend based on your review…but enjoy the Peloton!
The Hungry Runner Girl
No not at all! I loved that bike and used it for over ten years… for the price it’s amazing. I just wanted to have the classes and a way to know exactly what cadence/resistance etc. still highly recommend it if you aren’t wanting to spend the $$$ on peloton but Peloton is definitely a better bike but 5 x as expensive ha! Have a beautiful day, Liz!
Liz
Ah, gotcha. I’d love to hear how the Peloton works out, especially from Andrew’s perspective – I mountain bike too and I find it REALLY hard to get motivated for indoor riding! Thanks and have a nice day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I totally will! He also really enjoyed road biking (when he had one) so maybe that is why he is extra excited about it too. I’ll let you know! Thanks friend:)
julie
I love our peloton bike and hope you will too! I love Olivia and Jess Simms and my husband likes Matt Wilpers!
The Hungry Runner Girl
THANKS JULIE! This morning was a blast… I will try Olivia and Jess next and tell Andrew to try out Matt. Hope your Tuesday is off to a great start!
April
Yay for Peloton. I have the tread plus (not being sold right now) with the slats (expensive but cheaper than a Woodway) . Seriously life changing. Love all their content. I do the tread bootcamps which are running and weights. I know they have similar ones on the bike. You could do any tread classes on your current tread or outdoors. Becs is an amazing tread instructor so is Matt Wilpers. Becs just ran a 2:31 or something similar at the London marathon trials. Whatever you do, take her women’s history month outdoor run and her NYC and London recap marathon runs. So inspiring.
I follow hard core on the floor on Facebook and Instagram which is a strength calendar for the month. So nice to have it planned out and the classes are so good. As far as the actual bike, I don’t have it but I know people really like the power zone classes. I also love the yoga / meditation classes. Seriously peloton is just so incredible for all things, it’s hard to not drink the kool-aid.
The Hungry Runner Girl
CAN I COME USE YOUR TREADMILL!?! That sounds incredible. I will definitely be using it on my treadmill… I’ll just use the iPad or something. Becs and Matt sound awesome. Thank you for sharing and I seriously could not believe that I have been going so long without Peloton in my life. I’ll keep chugging the kool-aid haha. Have a beautiful afternoon!
Abbi
We did Christmas big in 2020 and got an awesome Nordic Track treadmill and a peloton bike. Best purchases my husband and I have ever made. I love running with Tommy Rivs on ifit and I love riding with Emma & Ben on Peloton. Welcome to the Peloton family!
Abbi
And just a side note about peloton… Cody and Kendall are fun, but a lot of their classes are explicit. I often have my kids in and out of the room while I’m working out. Peloton does mark their classes with explicit, but you have to be on the lookout for it.
The Hungry Runner Girl
This is SO good to know because the girls love to come out with me while I am working out. Thank you thank you. Have the best rest of your day and you guys did the best kind of Christmas in 2020. I’ll check out Emma & Ben. I already love being a part of this family!
Jenny
LOVE my Peloton! Check out Power Zone training, it’s the best!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Jenny! Oh this is so good to hear. I had the best time on it this morning and I’ll try Power Zone training next. Thanks and have a beautiful afternoon:)
Kate @socalrunnergal
AHHH!! I am so excited you’re part of the Peloton family!!!
We need to do a group HRG ride soon! Can’t wait to see you on the leaderboard. :)
I have the bike and the tread+ and I love them both so much.
Marissa
I really really like sleep, but yes I definitely feel like I need more when I’m training more/harder.
I LOVE our Peloton and it has been beyond useful when I’m injured or want some active recovery. I ran a downhill race on Sunday and my quads are toast, but a low-impact ride felt so good this morning.
Today’s workout was 40 min of low-impact biking and this afternoon, I am going to try for an easy 3 mile run with my xc team if my quads can hold up.
Brittany
I purchased a Peloton Bike + earlier this year and I absolutely love it and hope you love yours just as much!! Fave instructors are Kendall, Emma, Robin and Bradley Rose. Please let us know what you think
Angie
Welcome to the Peloton obsession. I’m 993 classes in now in just two years. We love our bike and was 4 days out from delivery of the tread+ when it was recalled. Still not so patiently waiting for it to be back. I have to say the running bootcamps and strength classes are my favorites though.
On the bike, Cody for a good laugh. Robyn for a good tough class. Hands down Jess Sims for bike bootcamp (especially because you’re doing strength too). Since you have a tread, use the peloton app (free with your bike) for the running classes. We just hang a 32” tv in front of our tread. On the tread I LOOOVE Jess Sims and Adrian Williams. You’ll love Becs Gentry (did the Olympic trials for GB – check out her story on YouTube). They’re all wonderful though. Enjoy!
Hannah Beahm
I’m a cyclist who also loves running. I don’t have a Peloton but for me cycling of any kind is great cross training.
I like to make homemade pizza (healthy ish) with flatbread and freeze it for quick yummy meals.
I don’t have any kids and live on the opposite side of the country in VA but I really enjoy your posts. Thanks for sharing about your everyday life.
My workout today was cycling 50 miles. :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Well, your comment just made my night. Thank you. This means a lot. Please keep in touch and 50 miles… amazing! Thanks Hannah!
Betsy D
I’d love to hear your review of the Peloton when you’ve gotten used to it (and Andrew’s). I just had another baby and am thinking about getting one to help me get back some fitness…
Lisa S.
I looooovve my Peloton so much! I followed you right away when I saw that you got one :) I got mine last summer in the height of COVID. Most people wouldn’t understand how I can stay up late because I just can’t decide what ride I want to do next… I just get sucked into looking at all of the options. Over a year later I still do the same! I am sure you are the same way and it is so much fun! Healthy addictions! There is something for every mood. One class I overlooked for a very long time – but now love – are the low impact rides. They are so good! Definitely not easy – just a steady sweat. Because you don’t really do much push / recovery, you don’t recover really AT ALL – so you’re just working consistently the whole class. I feel like they really target the legs more where getting out of the saddle does require more core work. So it depends on what I’m in the mood for!
Some standouts:
-45 min Intervals and Arms with Ally Love – these are TOUGH. I have PRd in these even with the arms sections not moving my legs. The intervals are THAT tough!
-30 min pop rides with Cody – these are just fun. Sometimes, not the most challenging, but of course it is what you make it – crank up the resistance. But when you just want to sweat and and have fun, Cody delivers!
-Jenn, Ben, and Leanne are amazing too; their music and class structure are always on point.
-Jenn tends to be really tough – lots of resistance and fast legs.
-Kendall and Olivia are way too hard (for me). LOL. Love their arms classes but their cycling is just brutal. Try them and report back :)
Since you have the space I really recommend the bike (or tread) bootcamps too.. they are a great way to keep things interesting if you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for. 30-45 min will fly by.
The strength classes are amazing!
-Tunde for arms & light weights.
-Callie, Ben, Daniel, and Adrian for strength. All have very simple movements but very efficient. I can’t stand a fancy workout – keep it focused!
Welcome to the cult and keep posting about your experience!