Back at it after a week off.  A little slower, but keeping the head down and doing the work.

Click here for the video recap for the blog.

MAF Update:

If you are a competitive person, don’t run after supper when all your other runs are done before.  I knew that my long Tuesday run would be slow since I had to do it late.  I figured that I would rather get the run in and be slow instead of not getting it in at all.  All of my runs were a bit slower this week. That week off was good for everything except my times.  Luckily, this is a process and I was able to put in some good miles.  As an added bonus, it was a great weather week with the exception of the Wednesday downpour that soaked me.  No great Saturday run footage.  I had to do my boring “church loops.” 

Here are my run distances and paces for the week:

Tuesday- 5.01 miles at 8:25 pace (done after supper)

Wednesday- 2.6 miles at 7:35 pace

Friday- 2.57 miles at 7:38 pace

Saturday- 7.57 miles at 8:18 pace

Sunday- 2.62 miles at 7:28 pace

Food Highlight:

On tap for this week are cashews.  They are a great nut that can be used in many things.  I have made cashew “cheese” and cashew “cheesecake” that were delicious.  For the highlight, however, I am going to keep it simple.  I have talked before about my love of smoothies.  One thing I do is soak raw cashews overnight and then blend them in my smoothies.  They add a creaminess to my two favorite recipes, chocolate and strawberry-banana. See below for the “recipe” for my smoothies. Not only do they add creaminess, but they add some great health benefits.  I really like the extra 5-plus grams of protein that the cashews add. I don’t measure the amount of cashews, but one ounce has 5 grams of protein and my handful definitely is more than that.

Workout Highlight:

This week’s highlight can be summed up in one word, consistency.  Regardless of your goals, you will get nowhere without it.  If you are trying to get strong, have a good beach body, be a good runner/triathlete, or anything else, you need to be consistent.  One thing that helps me is to have my week’s workouts scheduled ahead of time.  This takes the stress out of planning the night before.  It also helps me make sure I have a purpose behind the workout and am not just doing one for the sake of doing one.  I am more of a loner when it comes to exercise, but finding a buddy can be a great way to hold yourself accountable and be consistent.  Find a way to set started and stick with it regularly.

Wisdom of the Week:

There is a proverb out there that goes like this: we have two wolves battling in our brain, a positive and a negative wolf.  Who wins?  The wolf that wins is the one we feed more.  A recent study showed that up to eighty percent of our thoughts are negative ones.  If that is the case, then the negative wolf is winning the battle.  We have to find ways to think positively about things.  That is not to say that we have to look at everything through rose colored glasses; that is not realistic.  In the midst of difficult times, there are ways to feed the positive wolf.  One of the best ways is to serve others.

So, this week, find ways to feed your positive wolf.  Put in the work and trust the process.

That’s just a bit of my experience.  Have a great week.

Smoothie “Recipes” (in quotes because I don’t really measure)

Chocolate Smoothie: Handful of cashews (soaked), collagen powder, one scoop of plain and one of vanilla protein powder, a tablesoon of cocoa powder, a dash of turmeric, chia seeds, about three frozen chunks of broccoli

Strawberry/Banana Smoothie: Handful of cashews (soaked), collagen powder, one scoop of plain and one of vanilla protein powder, half a frozen banana, 4-5 frozen strawberries