trying something new

For the last two weeks I have been trying out something new with my runs. Instead of doing a 20+ mile run, I have been splitting it up and doing 2x12 mile runs on consecutive days. I enjoy this because it gives me a chance to focus on negative splits by running the last 3-4 miles of each run at race pace, plus you still get the benefits of a long run because your legs are still recovering from the day before! Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather and getting outside more. Brook and I are leaving for a much needed camping trip on Sunday!!

Muddy Trail Run

Well I had a great time at LBL (Land Between the Lakes) this past weekend even though the mud and rain added their own kind of fun to the festivities. By the end of 37.5 miles I had went through three pairs of socks because the mud went through my shoes and socks only to cake up under my feet and toes! I had to change socks after every loop to keep from getting some nasty blisters, but otherwise the no biggie. I also brought along my new favorite drink for long runs, Yoo Hoo!! It's fantastic since it gives you the chocolate milk taste but doesn't have to be refrigerated. My recovery time was a day and I am planning to get out and do a quick 6 miler this evening. I think that the yoga and diet has played a big part in recovery this time around and I look forward to testing it again in April at the STL marathon! Also, this was the first race I tried electrolyte tablets.... Not sure if I like them yet, because I need to use them a few more times to get a real feel for them. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their week so far!!

Aaron

Bragg's

Lately I have been using Bragg's liquid amino acids on pasta instead of sauce and it's AWESOME! I like to mix in a bit of garlic powder, Emeril's Bayou Blast, Basil, and parmesian cheese for a great meal or side dish!

I'm Gonna miss this weather

I am very excited to finally be back on track with my running schedule! The past two weeks I have put in 30+ miles each week and looking towards my first 40 mile week since October of last year! My knee feels great and I am enjoying the nice weather thats creeping up on us. I recently started a new regimen in my running routine where my long run is no more than 50% of my total mileage for the week, and it is making a huge difference in my recovery time. No matter what distance I run, the soreness fades after a few hours! I am really excited to see how this works for race conditions, which I will be able to test in two weeks when I run my first race of the year in Kentucky! The race is 37 miles and will be a great trial to see how all the weight training, yoga, and diet is paying off.

My wife Brook made a comment about the evil Girl Scout Cookies were causing a few problems but its been getting easier to dodge them with all the new creations Brook has been making in the kitchen! My favorite meal of all time that she makes is her Peanut Butter Thai, but I am really enjoying the soups she has been making lately such as shrimp chowder and chicken veggie soup! I realize that my body craves ice cream no matter what, but lately we have been enjoying TCBY frozen yogurt treats that are really hitting the sweet tooth spot!

I am really enjoying the new circuit training this month because it focuses more on using your own body as weight rather than free weights (push ups, pull ups, chair dips). It has been easier for me to get into a routine this time around when I am worrying about so many free weight exercises!

Week 3 Whut!

This week I started making a playlist for my runs during the week and started to wonder, what is everyone else listening to? There is nothing like a great song to keep you going when you don't want to and I have been reading studies that say music can boost performance levels by 10%! Here is a sample from this week's list:

Tom Waits-Make it Rain
Beck-Timebomb
Beastie boys-Body Movin'
AC/DC-Highway to Hell
Eddy Grant-Electric Avenue (hey, it's a good song)

Anyway, I would love to hear what everyone else is listening to!

Finally, I don't want to be a broken record but one more thing about signing up for a race, you don't have to run to participate. There are numerous participants at every event I have attended that walk the race and love it! It's not whether you run or walk, it's whether you tried or not.

Hope everyone is doing well,
Aaron

Week 2

Sooooooo the snow came down nicely today which gave me a day off work. This also left my wife Brook homebound so we decided to mix things up a bit and do some cross country skiing! I also got to do one of my favorite activities which is shoveling snow. It hasn't been deemed a sport yet by the winter olympic commitee so I did not include it as part of my aerobic activity for the day. We have been eating some yummy meals so far this week to keep things interesting at dinner time. Brook has made some great veggie stir-fry and shrimp corn chowder that was spectacular. Watching what and how much you eat is easy when it tastes this good!

I wanted to also mention that a great way to stay motivated during these twelve weeks is to sign up for a race to coincide with our completion of the program. It is a great way to keep yourself on track when you know you have a race waiting for you, plus what a way to cap off an already amazing accomplishment!

One Day as a Lion

I finally had time to sit down and create a blog for the BTWG program I started on Monday with 34 other brave souls. This is new territory for me since I have never been part of a wellness program or had to keep track of what I eat. I feel energized and excited about taking on this challenge and look forward to what will come from this experience. I enjoy the (enough "e" words already!!) fact that we all have different goals for this program, some short term and some long. My personal goals are to have overall better health, eating habits, and a quicker recovery time from running.

A big reason I was interested in this program is my wife, Brook. Not only is she smart and lovely, but very inspiring when it comes to health, exercise, and overall well-being..... And the food she makes......OUT OF THIS WORLD YUMMY!! I saw this program as a different kind of adventure we could share together and also receive a myriad of benefits. I also hope to be able to make meals that are half as good as hers by the end of this program. (Any good recipes??) Another thing that really appealed to me is that this program could help me fine tune one of my passions which is running.

I was a late bloomer when it comes to running, I only started a little over two years ago and am still making progress everyday. I love the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits running provides me. I'm not saying that it's not tough at times, but the good times outweigh the bad tenfold. When it starts getting tough though I start repeating little sayings in my head like "pain is only weakness leaving the body", or one word over and over like "loose or fluid". My new favorite is also the title of my blog, "One Day as a Lion". To me it means today, I am going to give it my all and reach down and pull out strength I didn't even know I had. I find those words very uplifting and even had my wife write it on a bracelet at my last race to keep me going.

So now when things get tough at times during the course of the program, I plan to tell myself "One Day as a Lion".