Not Going to Buy Them!

After my run today I will have ran approximately 536 miles in these puppies.  I bought them back in the middle of May so I would say that I did pretty good stretching out their life span to 4 months.  I know that all the running books out there say to buy new running shoes every 400-500 miles that you put into them.  Well after much contemplation I have decided to keep running in these!  They have been through a lot with me (can't ya tell) and I have grown a little attached :)

Gross some might say, although normally I would not be so bent on keeping these.  It is usually men who grow attached to tennis shoes, not women. But the truth is, I am feeling no awkward pains and I feel like they are still going strong. Not to mention I have many OTHER kinds of shoes I would like to buy this fall and running shoes are not among them!

If you look closely by the big toe area you will see a small hole beginning.

I felt like I just bought a new pair of shoes recently and OH YEAH! I DID!  Not sure if you rememeber but I bought these flat puppies for speed work back in August.  Well the truth is so many people told me to be careful because they were close to barefoot running and I could easily get injured if I run too much in them.  SO I got paranoid and now just save them for my in house DVD workouts until my race is over.  I haven't even ran in them yet.  That's ok, I can wait.  It is just that I don't want to buy ANOTHER pair of the same shoes again.  Anyone feel me?

So tell me, how long do you go before you buy new shoes?

Do you think it is super important to get new ones or do you think I can make in through NYC with them? :)

XX
Sarah

PS I have finally started to get excited for the NYC Marathon! (I like ingmarathon on fb and they are posting way more these days)

PSS My new favorite treat I found at Target!

Soups on'

Dinner tonight was delicious. It was a White Chicken Chili made by Mandi Forester on the Rachel Ray show a while back.  The batch I had tonight was frozen from a previous meal so I don't have any pics of ingredients and such.  But I can honestly say if you follow the recipe you won't be disappointed =)

Mandi Foresters White Chicken Chili

For dessert I treated myself to some Greek Yogurt mixed with Strawberries and Raisin Nut Bran Cereal.

Yum.

Goodnight All-Jen

Working out in your home/apt!

I have been working out in my apartment for almost 4.5 years.  I joined a gym once or twice but couldn't justify the bill when I could just do it from home.  First off, the best place to workout is outside!  Along with running I also live near a local track (not a high school track) which means it is there whenever I need it.  Not everyone has access to a track so sometimes I will go to a park with a basket ball court and do different plyo type exercises to change it up.

As far as working out inside my apartment this is the best set up I came up with.  Not always having tons of space you may have to get creative.  As you can see below I place my laptop on the table which will play my workout videos and on the TV I will usually watch the Today show (cuz I love it) or whatever else might be on.  Bachlorette??  I put my yoga mat on the floor and there you go!  Yes I admit sometimes it is not always the greatest but I don't have to worry about hopping on the train to get to my gym and then back home.  Takes way too much time, this way I can basically crawl out of bed, BLOG and then workout.

This is me doing my Tracy Anderson moves. I will do Tracy videos, P90x, Yoga, really any kind of workout video I can get my hands on will be done right here in front of my TV.

Another idea that you might try to look up is non-profit classes.  The place that I go to for yoga is called Hosh Yoga and it is non-profit.  There is a suggested $10 donation at the end but feel free to pay what you can.  I only need to go yoga once a week and I love this place.  Everyone is really chill and laid back.  No need to worry about being inflexible because everyone there is just happy to be there. So off to yoga I go....

 

Today I was starving when I got home and even tho it was lunch time I couldn't resist my cereal mix. Multigrain Cheerios, GrapeNuts and Granola with Almond Milk and sliced Banana.  Yum!  I could really eat cereal all day but I try to limit it to 1 bowl a day. maybe 2 :)

 Last night we were having perfect weather so Scott and I walked out to the pier. About 2 block from where we live.  I had him take a picture of me with the Williamsburg Bridge in the background.  That is the bridge I run over every time I go running.  It is about 1.25 miles over.  Most of the time I dread going up, especially at the end of my run and I have to get back over.  The Hill!  Arg, it is really a love hate thing. 

So even if you belong to the gym and just don't feel like making the track you can always always workout at home. 

Do you like working out from home?

What workout video is your favorite?

Cereal Mix? 

XX
Sarah

My morning Ritual

Every morning I wake up early and run or workout I have to eat something first. If I don't, terrible things happen. Last time I decided to ignore the importance of my "morning ritual" I ended up almost losing it in the middle of my run. Part of having a successful workout for me means giving my body what it needs in order to preform.

Typically I have found that Frosted Mini Wheats is my favorite morning staple. It has some whole grains, some good complex carbohydrates and some sugar.  The slogan, "keeps them full keeps them focused" really speaks the truth for these little babies.  Plus, the milk gives me some protein and calcium. As we age it is important to still recognize the good things in milk and there is a reason we force our kids to drink it =)

Anywhoo, sometimes I do get sick of just the plain old Frosted Mini Wheats regimen so lately I have been spicing it up.

This picture below contains 3 different cereals.  Grape Nuts....did you forget about those, well don't. They are FULL of fiber and all kinds of other good stuff. And then of course, the Frosted Mini Wheats. I  am pretty sure I will make that a part of every breakfast regimen until I convince myself I can go without.... which will probably be never. And then, for the grand finale....I top the whole thing off with Chocolate Cheerioes =) TAHDAHHHH. I love chocolate. So when spicing something up if there is a way I can add chocolate to the bunch you can bet I am gonna give it a try.

So thats what I've got folks. This little mixture has been putting me in good moods and I have had some good workouts post this morning regime. Give it a try I say. But just remember whatever you choose to do, make sure it has some good complex carbs, fiber and any other vitamins and minerals you think important. Also, try to eat at least an hour before you go. My friends are always thinking I am crazy for waking up so early to eat before a run but I tell you, without it I would not function. I'd stop at mile 3 and give up. I need fuel, my gas tank does NOT run well on empty.

What kinds of things do you eat in the mornings?

Do you for sure include any major food group?

Do you wake up early to eat beforehand?

Happy Running -Jen