This past week of training for the Rock ‘n Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon was fantastic! I feel like I’m getting back in the groove. Let me share my latest training recap with you!
Once again, I’m joining Hoho and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap! It’s such a great linkup where dozens of awesome running and healthy living bloggers participate and share what’s going on in their active lives each week! They also have Heather @ 3 Black Cat Co. as Guest Host!
I’m also joining Courtney for her Weekly Training Linkup! Check it out and see all of the races fellow bloggers are training for!
[bctt tweet=”Time for the #weeklywrap – how was your week of working out? ” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]
Weekly Wrap: Empty Calorie Challenge Week 4
As this post publishes on Monday, I will finally be FINISHED with my no Empty Calorie Challenge! It was a really tough 4 weeks, but I’m glad that I went through the process. Check out the blog this Wednesday as I share 5 of the biggest things I’ve learned!
So how did my final week go knowing that I was so close to the finish line? It was tough…probably not a surprise! Thankfully, since I did such a horrible job with meal planning in Week 3, I knew that I wanted to turn things around and finish “strong”.
For week 4, I got back to logging my meals in my planner and recording my water intake. The little things really do make a difference. Breakfasts and snacks were pretty straightforward for the week. I met my sister for lunch and had a really tasty Thai salad one day and some jerk chicken with brown rice, beans, and plantains on another day. I also took advantage of taking leftovers for lunch. When it came to dinner, we continued to use the farm share vegetables and meats as much as possible. On Saturday night, we had grilled chicken wings and grilled eggplant (that turned out amazing) along with my “famous” tuna salad and some more fruits and veggies. What I’ve loved about our dinners lately is that they are well-balanced and filling! Did I wish I had a glass of wine or some dessert? Of course! But I was able to hold out.
When was my cheat day? Friday night. We went out for pizza and I had a couple of drinks, nothing crazy. The problem was that since I was so close to being done with the challenge, I really wanted to end it a couple of days early. Of course, my sister would say “what’s another 30 hours” to snap me out of it…but I have a giant cupcake that Bret bought me that I am dying to sink my teeth into…
ECC Week 4 Report Card
Since I was so close to crashing and burning and was able to turn things around from Week 3, I have to give myself a B! Did I forget to mention that I went to happy hour on Thursday night and drank club soda and lime all night? Avoiding drinking isn’t that hard…it’s really the sweet treats and junk food that make me struggle. I’ve really learned a lot about my eating habits during this challenge, which is much more important than the number on the scale. My dietitian should be following up with me soon (to see that I have survived!), so it’ll be interesting to hear her thoughts. I’ll be sure to share them with you!
And if you joined along with the No Empty Calorie challenge, let me know how it’s been going! This is tougher than Lent…seriously!
Workouts for the Week
Monday 7/31: I went to barre class after work. I usually go on Sundays, but since I was in DC over the weekend, I moved my workout to Monday. It ended up being a great class with the same instructor I usually have on Sundays! My abs and glutes were tortured and I was doing a lot of shaking at the barre. I also did some single leg deadlifts before going to bed for additional strength training as recommended by Coach Laura.
Tuesday 8/1: I ran just under 4 miles for my fartlek run. I had a 1-mile warmup and then did 10 x 1-minute intervals at hard/easy effort. It was challenging for sure, but it’s always fun to go fast for a short period of time, lol! I worked my legs pretty hard and by the last mile I felt the fatigue! Considering the temp was 86 degrees outside, I got no complaints!
Wednesday 8/2: Yoga class at work with Amanda for about 45 minutes. We did a lot of work on the hamstrings, which unsurprisingly were very tight. It was definitely what my body needed.
Thursday 8/3: I had a late start in the office thanks to a dental appointment, so I did my 4-mile progression run in the morning with Bret. We started together, but I let him do his own thing. Progression runs are tough for me, but for the last mile, I gave myself a count in my head and made sure to “keep the beat”. It was really tough to hold on to, but as I headed back home, it started to get easier and I finished strong – my last mile was at 9:24 pace!
Friday 8/4: Rest day!
Saturday 8/5: Long run time. I was scheduled for 8, but I ran 8.5 since I’m a little unsure of whether my Garmin is measuring mileage accurately. I ran one of my favorite long run loops and it seemed that I hit the mile marker too soon. I have certain stretches during the run where I know it’s say, 2 miles or 0.25 miles…and they were off. So was my Nike+ watch wrong all along or do I need to recalibrate my Garmin?? That’s why I ran 8.5 to play it “safe”. The good news though is that this was a solid run for me and I felt good. Thank you, cooler temps!
Sunday 8/6: I couldn’t resist getting my first barre class visit of August, so I went for my usual 10:15 class. This time, we had a sub and she really made us work! I really regretted using the 3 pound weights…those isometric movements are a killer! Later in the afternoon, I went for 3.5 miles, some with Bret, and did some trail running, neighborhood running, and a bit of walking.
Week 2 Report Card
I’m extremely pleased with the way this past week of workouts have gone! While I did have knee soreness after a couple of my shorter runs, I had no issues during or after the long run. I’ve been continuing to go to barre class because it really helps with strength training for my glutes, hips, and core (the latter of which are my weaknesses!). I try to tell myself that it’s positively affecting my running, lol. I was glad to be able to make it to yoga, especially since we only have one more week left before our sessions break until the fall.
So grading Week 2 of training is easy…I’m giving myself an A! It feels good to get back to a higher mileage, and I’m glad I was able to balance things out. Next week I have a vacation planned, so I have to make sure that I’m flexible enough to get my workouts done, by any means necessary, haha!
How was your week of working out? What empty calorie item is your Kryptonite?
I think it’s ok to have cheat days, as long as you get back on track. I jumped off the healthy train this weekend–but interestingly, I felt ok. I think it’s because I do such a good job of monitoring my diet normally. I hope. I’m back on my anti-inflammatory diet today.
I’m glad your “cheat weekend” went well! Treats are fine as long as you don’t get carried away! I learned a little too much about myself during this challenge, haha!
Glad to hear that your eating is going better this week. I do so much better when I meal plan as well. Nice job on those long runs. While it was a little cooler last week that humidity is still crazy!
Thanks, Deborah. The humidity was SO rough, but I think I’m starting to adapt to it…or at least that’s what I tell myself, haha!
Congrats on completing the empty calorie challenge and another great week of training!
I love your Buff cap! It seems like this company is always coming out with fun new products.
Thanks, Kim! I’m glad training went well.
Yeah BUFF is a cool brand! I’ll have to get some better poses with the cap on…my hair is a little big these days so it’s kind of overflowing when I wear it smh.
Woohoo! I like that training is going so well 🙂
I always had a hard time deciding if the strength helps too because i am so sore lol but I tell myself it does.
I guess wine or a beer for me is my worst empty calories…I like a few a week.
I hope your cupcake was yummy 🙂
Thanks, Karen! My triceps are soo sore, LOL! Good pain, right?
Laying off the beer has definitely been a good thing for me. I’ve been trying to wean my bf with no luck, lol!
And the cupcake gets eaten tonight! 🙂
Good week! Hmmm, Kryptonite? Pizza, maybe? Or bacon? I do love bacon and refuse to ever consider giving it up, lol.
Thanks, Courney! Oh pizza…always a weakness for me too, especially with crispy pepperoni!
I ordered a couple more barre DVDs since they were having a sale. I need more routines, and I think I’m getting stronger in my upper body since some of the workouts haven’t been as challenging with my 3’s. I’m really wondering if I should jump to 5’s yet.
Ooh I wish I could handle the 5’s! Just when I think the 3’s are getting easy, a different instructor comes in and kicks my butt! I’ve never tried a barre DVD, definitely cheaper than the studio!
Chocolate. D’oh! For some people, giving up drinks IS hard — not me! I gave it up decades ago & really have never missed it. Way to stick it out!
I seem to have a much harder time keeping a consistent pace — I usually get negative splits for speedwork and that’s really not quite the point!
Oh chocolate…sometimes it gets too me too, lol. Thanks!
Hitting specific paces is definitely a challenge, especially when you’re outside in the elements. I just keep practicing and hope for the best!
Great week of training and way to finish up the ECC challenge strong! Have you run the RnR Brooklyn race before? I was thinking about it last year by opted for wine glass instead.
I would have to say that my empty calorie kryptonite is wine. I don’t drink very often because I like to snack when I start to drink and then everything goes down hill lol. I’m usually much better about watching my calories while I am training. Who wants to undo all of that hard work?
Thanks, Sara! I’m so glad the challenge is over now LOL. This will be my first time running RNR Brooklyn, I’m so excited! Maybe I’ll have to put Wineglass on my radar for next year…
I wish I knew more about wine, I have no idea what I really like. It is nice to have once in a while. So true…when we’re training we don’t want to have too many treats…counterintuitive!
Way to go on completing your no Empty Calorie Challenge! Sounds like you had a good week of running too! Enjoy your vacation!!
Thanks a lot, Sharon!
What is a progression run? Sounds interesting!
Hey Jessica, a progression run is when you get progressively faster with each mile. I guess the goal is to get comfortable with running negative splits, finishing faster than you started!
Congrats for completing the empty calorie challenge. I think I’d miss a margarita (and the mexican food it goes with). I’ve been lazy with my hip and glute exercises. I need to get back on track. Have fun on vacation!
Thanks a lot, Hoho! Oh man, Mexican food and margaritas are so hard to resist!
Congrats on completing the challenge! I had heard you should do total reset to factory settings if your Garmin is acting up. Mine was for a few runs, but it seems to be behaving now. I had to laugh that you did an extra half-mile because you didn’t trust it…because that’s what we runners make sure to get our miles in, ha ha!
Thanks, Jennifer! I haven’t had to do a factory reset yet, but I will definitely keep that in mind. I know, I feel like either my Nike or my Garmin watch has been lying to me…I’d hate to think I’ve been short on my mileage this whole time!
I usually don’t obsess over numbers but the Garmin is messing with my head!
Sounds like you finished the empty calorie challenge on a high note! Enjoy that cupcake!
Thanks Michelle, I finally finished it yesterday, lol!
I can easily avoid drinks, but sweets are definitely my weakness. Great job on your No Empty Calorie challenge, even if you had a few hiccups along the way. Enjoy your upcoming vacation!!
Thanks a lot, Clarinda! 🙂 Boo to sweets!
Sounds like a great week of workouts! And it’s great that you’ve gotten some good insights from the no empty calories challenge. I feel like sweets are my downfall too.
Thanks, Chaitali!
I have been having more cheat days than I use too. In turn, I am up about 5-7 lbs too. Being about to enjoy things are nice but you don’t have to enjoy or indulge most of the time. My problem is I just don’t try to make healthier choices sometimes and let me get off track just a bit and well that’s it.
Great week for you Janelle!
Thanks, Tricia! I do like to have my treats and I have to remind myself that just because I work out, it doesn’t mean I should pig out! Having healthy snacks on-hand is definitely key for me!
YAY – an A Week! It sounds like a great week! I had a hard week last week, but I think I’ve turned it around this week. I am like you, I can give up alcohol very easily, but it’s the candy and sweet treats that get me. Oh man. I have a REALLY hard time staying away from the office candy jar!
Thanks, Heather! Sweets are TOUGH – I can’t keep them in the house! Glad your workouts are going well!
Sounds like a great week of training! I still haven’t tried barre. Sounds like a great class for runners!
Thanks, Sherry! I really have fallen in love with barre, I think it has helped with my core and hip strength!