sprints and pets

My long run on Saturday morning was an easy 11 miles.

Sunday. <rest>

Monday. 7 miles.

Tuesday. 6X800 sprints @ 3:32

The weather has been really nice, a little cool and perfect for hard running. The thing is, I haven't really felt like running hard. Running slow has been a challenge. I don't know what the deal is, my body feels ok, I'm just haven't been super excited about running right now-which is totally fine. Today, things shifted and my sprints were awesome. My legs hurt from the sprints but it brought back a much needed runner's high. but it may have been the answer to getting over my runner's slump.

I wanted to share my weekend with y'all. I know, this is really late, but bear with me.

Saturday night we went to dinner and a show at Sevilla in Long Beach. I was excited because I spent a semester in Spain and really loved it. This place was ok, the food was below average but it was a fun night. The flamenco dancing was really cool. The sangria was just like I remembered it, strong.

Sunday morning we went to church. After, we made an unexpected stop at Reptile Finders in Lomita. We left with this little gal… 

It's a leopard gecko and the sales guy told us it was a girl. We also left the store with a habitat setup. 

I really like reptiles. In all honestly, I'm a little scared of them, but I think they are awesome. They remind me of mini- dinosaurs. I think reptiles are a good balance for me, they are cool but they stay in their cage and are low maintenance.  I have a tortoise and she's lovely. 

I'm not a fan of other kind of pets; cats scare me, fishes are boring, dogs I can handle (if they are well behaved and super cute).

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Do you have a pet?

Ever seen a flamenco dance?

Ever been in a workout slump- tips on getting out?

'crazy fast' and goals

Happy February!!

I went on a quick 4 mile jog this morning. I'm extremely nervous about the race this Sunday. I'm trying to relax and just have fun with it.

Anyway, CrossFit last night was intense.
A. 1 to 10 = deadlift, v-ups. 10lb farmer carry run in between each set.
B. 1K row, 15 ring pulls, 15 box jumps X2. then run 400m

I went easy on the weights (workout A) because of the race this weekend. I went all out for the workout B.

Instead of a lot of weight, I focused on form. I feel like that was a good choice because I always feel like I'm doing the deadlifts wrong, and I think I was. It really helped to focus on the move and not worry about how heavy it was.

The endurance part was hard. I'm still working on mastering the rower. It's a tricky machine. After every set, I felt like my thighs were super tight. After I finished (10:18), the coach looked at me and said "damn, that was crazy fast". I was still trying to catch my breath but I was pretty stocked to hear that.

I'm debating whether or not to go Paleo. Paleo is a diet big in the CrossFit world. The focus of Paleo is big on lean protein, veggies, fruits, nuts and healthy fats. Avoid grains, processed foods, starch, alcohol and dairy.

This month I'm going set a few goals for myself to help me incorporate some Paleo into my life. I don't think Paleo is hard to follow. I do have an unnecessary attachment to sugar and bread. So think month, those two food groups are in focus.

February goals:
1. Eat clean (M-F). No grains or sugar and focus on fresh fruits and veggies and lean proteins.
2. Stretch. Yoga once a week :)
3. Read. One adult book (no magazine, no picture books)
4. Run. Run new routes to spice things up. 100 mile goal for Feb.

11 miles after a half

Yesterday I ran the Camarillo Half Marathon. It was a flat course which is suppose to be fast? I don't know about that. I finished at 1:49 and it felt hard. I was really struggling to maintain a good pace plus my hamstring was really tight and made it difficult to get into a good rhythm.

The rest of the day was spent limping around. Anthony came over and brought me chilaquiles that his mom made for breakfast, they were delicious and super spicy. For the rest of the day, we ran some errands and watched 300 before falling asleep watching The Biggest Loser.

By the way, who else is excited that Jillian is back? OMG, I love her. I wish I could get an hour workout with her- she'd yell, I'd cry and throw up. Wow, that would be awesome.

This morning I woke up late and sore. I ran 11 slow miles in an attempt to do two long runs back to back. I've read that this is a better way of training than one mega long run (20 miles). I'm not sure if thats right. I feel like I get more out of mega long runs but in cases where I can't fit in 20 miles, the alternative is a good deal.

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Have you seen 300? It's my fav.

Thoughts on The Biggest Loser?

How was your weekend?

weekend photo recap

This weekend was fantastic! I got "Congratulations you're done, now stop all the stress-induced eating/ nail biting/ hair pulling scariness" flowers from Anthony. 

Then, we celebrated my MS in Biology at The Melting Pot. Dinner and fondue :)

(In this picture, I look so much like my mom- it's a little eerie but awesome because she's amazing)

 yummmm…

On Saturday, I picked up some new running flats at the Pomona Holiday Half Marathon Expo.  I raced and PR'd in them on Sunday! More to come but I shaved 5+ minutes from my previous PR on a hilly and tough course. 

ACB Holiday Party before a race = winning. Not scientifically proven but I think it contributed, plus we had a great time with friends,

and with the 2011 and 2012 MLS Championship Cups!

(awesome picture except for my crooked bangs haha)

Malibu Half: cold weather apparel

My outfit completely changed overnight. I went to Malibu to pick up my bib on Saturday and realized it was windy and cold in Malibu and I should consider wearing more than a tank top and a running skirt. 

Plus it was going to be a long wait before the race started. I had to be in Malibu by 6:00am and then take a shuttle to the starting line. The race wasn't suppose to start until 7:30 so I figured I should wear something warm. 

I ended up wearing a cold weather headband (roadrunners, $13) and this long sleeve top (target $15)

I'm not sure if you can see but I also wore long leggings. I got these at target for $10 but I was afraid to wear them because they are a little form fitting and I felt insecure about running/ jiggling in them. I also wore compression socks and my acsics that are about to die ( 2 full marathons plus a year of training = retire the shoes)

I woke up at 4am and had toast with half PB and butter and some coffee. I didn't eat the banana and then I was hungry by 7.  I headed out at 4:30 and made it to Malibu by 5:40ish. 

Once I parked I got on a shuttle which drove us to the start line. We got there at 6:30. I used the porta-potties, stretched and tried to keep warm. I waited out by the cold, beautiful beach for an hour and a half! That's crazy and bad race organization. 

The race started late (almost 8!!) and it was freezing. When we started the race, my felt felt numb and my back was starting to hurt from all the shivering I was doing. It took me a good two miles to defrost and I started those 3 miles around 9min/mile. It was hard to move faster, plus I felt like my feet and shins were numb. My shins started to hurt and immediately I freaked out and told myself to take it easy, I didn't want to hurt myself. If you have ever had shin splints you know how painful that is and I didn't want to risk any damage.

After the third/ fourth mile I started to feel like my self and my pace started to even out. I ran the rest of the half at 8:30-8:40 and finished at 1:54. 

It wasn't my best race, but I am glad I eased up a little when my shins were hurting and that I waited until everything felt okay to push myself. Plus, there were tons of hills and I felt so strong going over them. (That made me really excited about my 5 am wake up call every saturday)  I ran 10 miles the day before and I knew this wasn't going to be a flat, fast race so I'm happy with my performance. 

The rest of Sunday was pretty relaxing. Anthony and I tried to cook lunch before heading out to the LA Galaxy Game.

I made squash spaghetti and was surprised by how yummy it was. We also had shark (!) and it was delicious.

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I have a hard time getting rid of clothes/ shoes? Anyone have that problem?

Have you ever had shark?

Favorite thing to do on a Sunday?

crossfit deal

I was really excited to see a living social deal in my email this morning. Its a month of unlimited classes to a local crossfit location. The location is right down the street from where I live, so of course I bought it.

here's the link: http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/451858-one-month-of-unlimited-crossfit-classes-for-two

I love crossfit. It is really intense and addictive.  I have tried it a few times but never actually bought a membership. The classes are ridiculously expensive.  The last place I looked at was $100 a week, for unlimited classes but even if I went everyday I can't afford $20 for a one hour class.

I'll let you know how this month trial goes, and who knows maybe I'll stay for good.

This morning I ran 7 easy miles, really easy. It was chilly and it reminded me that I have to look for running headband to run in, like a thermo-headband to keep my ears warm. Its on my weekend to-do list.

Because it has been chilly, I'm making caldo de pollo today. Its the first thing I ever learned to cook and I'm sure it makes my mom proud to know that I eat more than egg sandwiches.

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Are you a good cook?

Have you ever tried cross fit?

Do you get living social or groupon deals? How often do you find good stuff?