Continuing saga of snow

In the continuing saga of sadly defunct public works in my city, I am home yet again from last Friday's snow storm. We've gotten another 6-ish inches today, and they're still miraculously not clearing it. I live on a major road in the city too, so if my streets aren't clear, I can only imagine the side streets. And to make things better, our illustrious mayor decided it was not illegal to leave your sidewalks covered in snow for this storm in particular, so apartment owners, etc. have decided not to shovel. It's been almost 6 days and some places have left over 2 feet of snow on their sidewalks. That means it is dirty, slippery, deep, slushy, and has ice underneath. NICE. Makes for fabulous running weather!

And soooooooo the improvisation continues. As I mentioned earlier this week, I did 1 hour and 40 minutes of plyo to mimic my 10 mile run. My lower body is SORE! Can't complain about that though cause I know that means I worked hard! Yesterday I walked over to school to pick something up, and it took me close to 40 minutes. It usually takes 25. That burned over 300 calories! Today I decided that I was going to substitute my easy 2 mile run for the week with a walk to the pet store to get cat food. I only went a total of 1.5 miles, and I actually did a walk jog combination when I could find steady ground. That total distance took me 35 MINUTES!!! The best part is that it was 409 calories! A slow 2 mile jog on normal terrain would've been maybe 250 calories. I'll take it!

Let's just hope they can clear this stuff up in the coming days. I've watched a powerful amount of TV, done some workouts, studying, and job applications. I could use some normal life though! My next run for the week is a tempo run that will most likely be done on the treadmill. That is if the gym is open at school... we shall see!

Improvising

Sadly, the snow is still a mess! The entire city was shut down for the day and the snow came on Friday. Not only that, but we're expecting 6-12 inches again tomorrow. Hmm... if they can't clear the first storm what's going to happen with this one? Oh what an awful mayor we have! The good news is that the National Guard is here to help those who are stranded without power, water, etc. It's sad that something so routine in other places totally cripples our city!

This weather has gotten in the way of my marathon training so I had to improvise. I was busy shoveling and walking everywhere I went this weekend so I burned a lot of calories. Actually, it was a total of 2900 for the week! I did not get in my 10 mile run though, and I did not think I'd make it today either. Instead, I decided to do cardio for an hour and 40 minutes because that's how long it would take me to run that distance anyway! Soooo, I did Plyo X followed by Insanity Cardio Power and Resistance. It felt AWESOME! I did better than before one both of the workouts even though I did them back to back! That was a total of 1435 calories! LOVE IT!!!

snOMG

Wow. We got a lot of snow!!! Like 2 feet of snow... let's just say I am stuck and will be for a couple days! Thank God I still have heat and electricity! I was supposed to run 10 miles today, but I'm postponing that till Monday. Instead I shoveled snow! I didn't get very far, but I burned a lot of calories... over 700! This is the most snow I've seen in PA in a long time!!! It's crazy! Check these crazy photos out! That's my buried car in one of them!

Tempo Run and My Current Food Obsession

Today was a tempo run, which is basically a warmup, a slightly faster than usual run of 3 miles, and then a cool down. It went well! I felt super strong, and I can really tell the running program is working. AND, I burned 822 calories! Not too shabby! Combined with my hilly walk to and from school, and I burned some killer cals today.

As for food, I am currently obsessed with pico de gallo. I am sure most of you have heard of it, but if not, it's basically a fresh, chunky salsa. It's got tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, and some garlic or green onion as well... depends on who makes it. We have this awesome Mexican grocer in Pittsburgh so I picked some up there. Yesterday, I mixed it in with some hummus (my favorite brand is Sabra... you have to try it!) and dipped carrots in it. Today I topped an avocado with some pico and ate it with whole grain pita chips. It seriously makes everything taste better! I love it!

Rest Day!

Ahhh, the beloved (or dreaded depending on who you are) rest day! I'm loving it! It's been a busy week already with tons of work, and I just need a break. A break from pressure, a break from stress, and a break from working out! I definitely still have work to do, but I'm thinking about it in a different way. I'll do it. It'll get done. End of story, no pressure.... just do it! The last two days I've felt pressure to get in my workouts, and I did, but as I mentioned I just felt sluggish yesterday. So that's why I've decided that today I will rest!

So many workout fiends hate the dreaded rest day. Why? Because you aren't burning any calories that day? Because you have to eat less if you want to lose weight? Because rest is for the weak??? Who cares??? I know that might sound crass, but really... what is one day? It's a day to unwind, relax, and let your body (and mind) recover. You need it! So do it! If you don't, you'll break down later from going too hard, trying to do too much. Not good! So, please, give yourself a break! Take a rest!

I am, and I couldn't be happier...

Sluggish runs

So today was one of those days where you just want to stay in bed and sleep. It's only Tuesday, but I've already had a busy week at school and it doesn't look like it's going to let up till Thursday night. I reluctantly rolled out of bed at 7 and checked on the weather. Sub-freezing... awesome. Tired, freezing run! Luckily my friend was planning to run with me (still working on convincing her to run the whole race!), so I had no excuse. If I gave up, she would have to go alone! Also luckily for us, it was a slow 3 miler. Phew! I managed to get in 3.25 miles in just about the pace I was supposed to... 10:49 instead of 11:04. Gotta keep working on my pacing!

The rest of the day is bound to be exhausting and chaotic... non-stop class and meetings until 9:30 PM. I caved and had some free pizza for lunch, but I also burned 688 calories in my workout, so I think I'll be fine. I packed up plenty of snacks and a sandwich, so that will be my food for the rest of the day.

Happy Tuesday all! Keep it healthy!

On to week 6...

Week 5 ended very well with a long run on Saturday and yoga on Sunday. The long run was COLD! It was 14 degrees out, but I just bundled up and went out and did it! That felt like a serious accomplishment. I ran a total of 9 miles! Nice! That was 1840 calories! A friend of mine has been running with me, and I think now that we've gotten up to some higher mileage, she's thinking of running the marathon with me. Yay!! It's so fun to have someone to train with!

On Sunday, I wasn't sore at all because I've still been good about doing my stretching. I did a 25 minute Rodney Yee Power Yoga for Flexibility workout. It's my favorite! It stretches my legs out better than anything I could ever do on my own, and I get pretty warm because it's just a constant flow.

Today will be a cardio kickboxing workout and then it's back to running tomorrow! Have a health Monday!