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Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon Training–Week 9

Before we get into the training recap for last week, I have to pause and share the #likeagirl campaign in case you haven’t seen it or heard of it yet.

Last night, my company Procter & Gamble, aired an Always ad which portrays young girls doing all the wonderful things that girls can and should do such as running, fight and throwing. The difference is that when asked, the young girls portrayed their strongest selves whereas their older female and male counterparts portrayed the old stereotype. If you haven’t watched it, check out the clip for yourself.

The ad has taken social media by storm with companies and women sharing what they proudly do #likeagirl.

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If you share you’re #likeagirl on Instagram, let me know so I can check it out! I shared mine earlier this morning upon watching the ad on YouTube!

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Even Deena Kastor and USATF joined the commentary on Instagram and Twitter! Here’s a great recap from Runner’s World!

Last week’s training made me feel almost as strong as all these social media posts! It didn’t start out on the strongest note but by the end of the week my legs were sore from strong runs and my glutes and abs were feeling the strength workouts!

Monday: I’m in love with the 60 minute restorative yoga class Kerrie and I are attending each Monday night. There is a different focus each week but every class leaves me feeling emotionally and physically lighter, more relaxed and ready to conquer the week! Last week’s class included lots of cooling inversions such as legs up the wall and supported wheel.

Tuesday: I had to be at work super early and ended up staying past 8pm which meant that this ended up being an unintended rest day.

Wednesday: I have a new favorite running workout known as PICK-UPS! This workout consisted of  10 minute warm-up run, 5 x 1:00 hard with 1:00 recovery jog between each, 10 minutes at easy pace followed by the 5 x 1:00 intervals repeated again. The cold weather made me push through this 50 minute workout faster than normal, clocking an average pace of 8:58!

Thursday: I did a strength workout #1 during lunch which included lots of body weight plyometric work THEN I did a 60 minute spin class with Kerrie after work. My legs were dead by the end of the day but it felt great to enjoy two sweaty workouts.

Friday: Mary and I met early Friday morning so we could get the long run done before work. I knew I wanted to focus on fun runs with friends in London so this 7 mile workout was the perfect thing to squeeze in before flying to London. I started with 3 mile tempo at a 9 minute pace then did 4 miles slower miles with Mary, keeping around a 9:45 pace. Even though my legs were tired from spin and strength workout the previous day, it was great to push through the “lead leg” feeling and a mentally strong run!

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Saturday: My girlfriend Casey just started running again after an 8 year break. I was SO thrilled to go on a 5k run with her through Notting Hill and Holland Park as part of her half marathon training. She’s running the Richmond Half Marathon in March so we included quite a few hills on Saturday’s run to help her prepare.

Sunday: My last run of the week was definitely the most fun as I had the opportunity to run the London Winter 10k with these lovely ladies! We PR’d in fun instead of pace and merely focused on keeping a steady, constant pace during the 10 kilometers.

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Your Turn – I’m looking to update my BlogLovin’ in search of running and workout inspiration. What is your favorite blog these days?

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Publix Savannah Women’s Half & 5k Giveaway

Happy Monday you guys!  I have a fun giveaway to my favorite grocery store today, so get excited!

As you may have seen on Instagram, Bo and I spent much of the weekend sleeping, cleaning, reading, working out and spending time with friends. We were focused on making sure that we nurtured our bodies as the next few weeks are going to get VERY busy. This relaxing weekend meant that this morning I popped out of bed! It is so nice to start Monday feeling refreshed and renewed.

Our refreshing weekend couldn’t have come at a better time as I started training for my goal half marathon today, the Publix Savannah Women’s Half & 5k. As you know, I’m flying back to Savannah in late March to enjoy a fun race weekend with the other ambassadors (Caitlin, Victoria, Claudia and Julie) as well as some of my friends and family. My aunt and mom are going to walk the half marathon (their FIRST) while Meghann and I are going to run the half together! It’s not too late to join us for the fun in Savannah! You can still sign up for the 5k or half marathon using my discount code, healthyhappierbear.

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While I planned on using Run Less, Run Faster again I had some concerns. Their training plan is a 16 -week plan, and I found it confusing to figure out how to start with only 11 weeks. Worried that I’d risk injury from increasing my mileage too quickly, I started to look at other options.  After hearing so many wonderful things about training with Jess from Theodora, Sarah, Christine and others, I decided to give it a go, especially since this is a condensed 11 week training period.

I’ll be sharing my training thoughts with you all on a weekly basis, but in celebration of a new training cycle, I have a fun giveaway to share today!

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I know how important nutrition is when training for a race. Therefore, Bo and I have spent the past ten days planning out a healthy plan of attack. During the month of January, we are focused on the 80/20 model. Eighty percent of the week we will be focusing on increasing our intake of fresh, natural foods and protein while reducing the processed foods, sugars and alcohol in our life. The rest of the time we’re able to enjoy all the delicious wine, cheese, bread, chocolate and European cuisine that is easily available to us. Since healthy eating isn’t always inexpensive, Publix wants to make it just a bit easier for one lucky reader.

Giveaway Time: Publix wants to help one lucky reader give their refrigerator or pantry a fresh update by giving away a $50 Publix gift card. (source)

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There are two ways to enter:

1) Leave a comment sharing your favorite healthy snack.

2) Share the giveaway on Twitter.

“Publix wants to help you stock your fridge with healthy snacks. Win a $50 giftcard on @healthyhappier blog! http://buff.ly/1ASclKM”

Giveaway will close Wednesday, January 14th at 11:59pm.

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Geneva Half Marathon Training–Week 5

Oh how I wish every week of training could be just like last week. My body felt strong, the workouts were challenging but enjoyable, work and my travel schedule didn’t get in the way of any workouts, and I was able to enjoy a few workouts with friends which makes things even more fun!

Here’s a round-up of what went down last week in the world of half marathon training.

Monday: Nothing helps me get out of bed on a Monday like meeting a friend for a few pre-dawn miles! I had 5 miles on the plan so I decided to knock out the first 3 miles solo, enjoying sunrise along the lake, before meeting my friend Lauren for the final 2 miles. I kept each mile under 9:45 which was my goal for the run while not finishing completely exhausted.

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Tuesday: This 35 minute easy run was squeezed in during lunch. The treadmill minutes flew by thanks to How I Met Your Mother! If you’re stuck on the treadmill for a run, try switching things up with a no thought required tv show or movie. I love getting movie ideas from RunEmz who watches a different movie almost every day as she racks up double digit distances on her treadmill! 

Wednesday: Holy sore legs, this speed session left my legs screaming for two days! The workout included 2 miles of warm-up at a 10:00 minute pace followed by 12 x 30 second sprint intervals at a 4.0 incline followed by a 30 second recovery between each sprint. I finished the workout with a one mile cool down as I gasped for air, trying to catch my breath. 

Thursday: I finally took advantage of the yoga class which is offered three days a week at our office. The 60 minute yoga class was what I would consider in intermediate class with lots of balances and long poses. It felt great to stretch out my body and take advantage of this great office perk!

Friday: My only activity for the day was 20 minutes of foam rolling while catching up on The Good Wife! (Holy moly last week’s episode was a surprise!)IMG_7060[1]

Saturday: I really wanted to run with my favorite London running ladies but I knew that in preparation for the half I needed to tackle this run solo and follow the plan. Gia wanted me to do 9 miles ensuring that I avoided traffic lights and stops as much as possible. Since the pace goal wasn’t an aggressive run, a 10 minute mile or faster, so I focused on my mental strength during the run. I did two loops around Regents Park enjoying the gorgeous flowers and blossoming trees. The middle 3 miles were definitely tough but the rest of the miles felt perfect! My average pace for the run was a 9:53 – perfectly on plan!

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Sunday: We always see the Barclay’s Bikes in London but so rarely take advantage of them. Due in part to the gorgeous Spring weather, we were inspired to rent bikes and explore some parts of London we haven’t seen before. The hour long bike ride was a hilly one and it definitely had my heart pumping and sweating by the end. It was the perfect way to squeeze in some activity together!

What’s up for this coming week? The name of the game this week is pushing my body and logging the miles! I’ve already enjoyed a few cross training sessions including yoga and swimming but the end of this week includes four straight days of running!

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