I Miss You Out-of-Doors!

Either I'm getting weaker when it comes to handling the cold or this winter really is more harsh.  I've lost count of how many Polar Vortexes we have been caught in.  An amazing amount of days that they have called off school due to 40+ degree below zero wind chills tell me that this winter is just harsh.

I feel bad because I got some really great cold-weather running gear that just don't stand much of a chance against temperatures like that.  Unless I go running in a snowmobile suit I may not come back.  I am tending to think that it isn't just the temperatures....it's the wind.

With all that said...I am very much missing running outside.  I've acclimated to running on the treadmill pretty well, but I've found that my running improves a lot more running outside.

I've been letting my training diet slip a lot more this past week, but I've been putting in more miles than the training schedule calls for.  I did 25 miles last week!!! I think my heaviest week probably.....ever!  Legs are still feeling pretty good thanks to the foam rolling.

We had quite the winter storm last week and we were out of power for 25 hours.  Good news is that we had a fireplace and plenty of wood to keep us warm.  Bad news is that our incubator full of eggs dropped below temperature for that long.  Not good for developing eggs.

We candled (used a light to see if a silhouette of a chick is inside) the eggs last night and 26 show promise.  We'll wait a few more days, check them again, and see if the babies are still growing.  Lower temperatures are more acceptable than high ones.

Izzy doing one of her poses.

Me and Lala watching TV together.

The poo mountain I cleaned out of the coop.

The crazy blizzard that left us without power for 25 hours.

First top front tooth lost.

Yep.

The Plan is Working!

So another week of Racing Weight training and eating plan in the books.  I was even still able to get up early and get runs done before work!

In the program it has me doing strength training on Wednesday and Saturday.  I have been throwing in a run after to keep my mileage up and it doesn't seem to be much of a problem.  One thing that I did notice is that was not nearly as sore this week.

Also I am down 2 pounds and at a weight that I haven't been at since before I had Izzy in 2009!!  Clothes are fitting awesomely as well.

For Scott's side of the family they wanted to forego presents and have all of us go to Owatonna Holiday Inn because they have a water park there.  Plans are to go on March 23rd.  A week after my 6 weeks of my training program are done.  As long as I don't fall off the wagon I will be more than swimsuit ready!

I'm not working too hard on increasing my pace right now.  Still playing around with 5.5 and 6 on the treadmill mostly.  I'd rather add distance right now and fear that increasing both will leave me injured again.  Plus once it's warmer out and I'm able to do my Monster Hill that helps me get faster the best I've found.

Although I still think a lot about the pace I need to be comfortable at to one day qualify for Boston.  Little by little I'll get there.....

Keeping my diet really veggie and fruit focused.  I've been able to pretty easily keep my calories where they should be.  A few days I've digressed, but it wasn't all day just usually a meal.  I know at this point in my get lean plan that diet is the biggest factor to dropping my body fat percentage.

Girls have off school today and today is my rest day so we will get to hang out all day!  There is a snowstorm going on right now so it's probably best that everyone stays home anyway....

Cornflake bars made for the family.

Olive loves the panda....and I think it loves her back.

First tooth lost!

The many positions that I find Izzy in.

First batch of incubating eggs of 2014!!!!  I can't wait for baby chicks!

One of the girls' favorite dinners.  Beef tongue on crackers with goat cheese.  It really is delicious!

Why So Cold?

Week one of my six week plan is in the books and it went really well!

I was able to easily keep my calories to 1400 and with having a daily smoothie with added protein powder get at least close to having 30% of my calories be protein.

The training was different and my legs were sore.  Not from the running, but from the strength training.  I also discovered that I can not do a chin up.  =(

End of summer goal.....be able to do a chin up.

I added some running to the training plan in the book because I still would like to keep running 20 miles a week.

I did break down and buy the training tire for my bike and with the help from my husband get it on.  My cross training on the bike was different.  My legs felt tired quickly, but I was able to keep going.  Good experience for running on tired legs.

The 6 miles yesterday morning without eating before hand was the workout I was most dreading.  However, it turned out not to be so bad.  I also did my Thursday run without eating first and it felt hard and sluggish so perhaps it got me ready for Sunday?  I do know that I LOVED being done with my running before I had to start my day.  I didn't have to worry about when to sneak it in and it just felt like I had more time in my day.  I may finally be able to make that my habit.

Now just wait for summer to be here and actually have it be light enough outside for me to take off before the babies wake up and not freeze to death!

This winter has been so freaking cold that I might as well be living in Canada.  Then at least we would have moose hunting season and I could fill my freezer with hundreds of pounds of moose meat!  Not to mention salmon!!!!!!!!!

Rest day today.  Get my legs nice and rested for a new week of training.

Also an exciting day because we have enough eggs to fill our incubator and get incubating started.   So in three weeks we'll have baby chicks again!!

Izzy practicing her name at preschool.

One of my trail runs on my husband's and my trip to Lacrosse, WI.  It is such a beautiful trail that I think it about it often when I'm stuck running on the treadmill.

Our turkeys making a meal out my beautiful mums.  Naughty.

For whatever reason these shoes always caught my left ankle.  I have a scar there now.

Our yard full of chickens!

Olive loving the slide.

My birthday cake my brother made me last year.  This year my will be my 35th birthday and on Friday the 13th.

A Plan!

Alright, solid goal identified and plan put into action.  I like having a plan.  I need a plan.  If the plan is too vague I have a very hard time pursuing a goal.  So I checked out some books from the library (cheaper than buying it and possibly not liking it).  The first one called Racing Weight, is a good introduction and general plan for athletes wanting to drop body fat during their training.  It provides enough calories and fuel for training.

Another book called Racing Weight Quick Start Guide has a very detailed plan of action and it meant to be used before the bulk of a training cycle happens.  I like this one a lot.  It has you estimate a weight goal based on body fat percentage instead of what you think you should weigh.  The whole point of this is for getting better at your sport and the idea that if you are carrying less body fat you will be faster.  And I want to be fast!

Next you calculate the average number of calories you burn for the week and average it out.  You choose a certain calorie deficit based on how many pounds of body fat you want to lose and then use a high protein meal plan to only consume the set number of calories.  Then you follow a training schedule that has plenty of strength training to ensure that with the calorie deficit you don't lose muscle just body fat!

I'm planning on following it for 6 weeks to a leaner, faster me!

Got my long run done on Sunday again while my husband was at work.  All three girls were napping so I used that time to run.  I don't do well when they are running around as they always need management so someone doesn't lose an eye.

Today was my first day on the new training schedule and had me doing some hills.  I did the longer than they said in the book because I knew I could handle it.

Fridays will be a cross training day and they have cycling in the schedule.  Since it is "hell hath frozen over" cold here I decided to invest in a bike trainer.  I thought it would just be easy to get the trainer, attach my bike to it, and go.  But NO.  I had to get a stabilizer thingy for my front tire as well and they tell me that I have to purchase a special trainer tire.  So the trainer was $100 and the stabilizer thingy was $25 and the trainer tire is going to be another $45!  I guess this weeks tips are going to my new gear.

Despite the price I am crazy excited to be able to use my Gary Fisher bike again.  I haven't got to use it much since I started having babies.  They frown on you leaving young children to fend for themselves even if it is for so noble a cause as exercise. I really want to cross train so this will work out really great for me.

Tomorrow on the training schedule...strength training.  Not my favorite, but it will help keep me from being injured and get faster!

Do you cross train?

If you do what do you do?

Baking day!

Giant wheel of cheese I had to cut at work.

One of my most favorite places to run!

Olive squishing Erin.

Popsicles make everything better.

Well I had planned on doing a very easy run to keep my muscles loose on Monday and stretching them out really well.  However, I was just too tired.  I took an hour nap on the couch instead and hung out with my babies.

I did find a really good guide for foam rolling though and decided that if I don't want to spend the money to get sport massages I better put myself through the pain of foam rolling.  I really think it will help me not get injured.  For me stretching only gets me so far.  I still have some decent knots in my calves that makes me cry a little while foam rolling them.  You can find the article here.

Tuesday I did an easy 3 miles on the treadmill while my three children chased each other around downstairs and took turns spinning each other in the recliner.  I finished my little run just as the baby fell off the recliner and smacked her mouth on the tile floor.  A little bit of blood from her lips which was quickly forgotten once daddy gave her a popsicle.

Yesterday (Wednesday) it actually warmed up to above zero here and by some miracle my husband got work off for the day.  I was able to get outside for a run and got 5 miles in at a 10 minute pace.  At first I was feeling pretty discouraged that I was only able to bang out a 10 minute pace, but then I reminded myself that I am bundled up like a snowman and that I have to be very careful of all the ice that is on the ground.  Plus I decided that if I can maintain a 10 minute pace through the winter I will be setting myself up this spring for some nice advancement.  I think I started out last spring at an 11 minute pace and was pretty comfortable at 9:30 before I took some time off due to a pulled muscle.

I've also been researching what the best weight for me might be for maximizing my running.  One formula calculates you at a certain body fat percentage and at 17% body fat that works out to 105 pounds for me.  Not sure how realistic that is.  I'm at 127 right now and while I would like to lose some more bodyfat to become a more efficient runner 105 seems quite a stretch.  So my plan is to eat really well with no extras for a few weeks and see if I drop any body fat and see what it does to my running.  I figure a bit by bit goal is much more attainable than "hey I should drop 22 pounds!" goal.

Are you slower in the winter?


Do you think you are at a good training weight?

Trying to get her to sit still to take a picture of us.

Deer highway through our woods.

The sign at the bottom of our driveway.

Wintery.

Silly faces!

Whiteout.

Well the long run that I had planned on my favorite trail that runs along a river got moved to my treadmill.  It wasn't horrible. I just distracted myself with reading The Hunger Games again.  We had blizzard/whiteout conditions and the trail that I wanted to run isn't maintained in the winter so I didn't need to die out there.  

Thankfully my body wasn't too tired from moving my mom in the freezing cold yesterday to get it done.

I came home from working and ate a big bowl of oatmeal and got on the treadmill.  It was really good fuel. I had a little bag of dried cherries to start boosting my energy once I got to mile five.

When I did my 12 mile run I fueled with fruit snacks and my tummy was so upset the rest of the day that I want to explore other options. I don't need to be feeling like that on race day.

So I had a bowl of oatmeal, then ran 8 miles burning 850ish calories.  Pretty sure I was at a negative calorie balance by that point for the day.  I don't like to eat for a few hours after I run.  I'm just not hungry.  I know that studies say to eat within 30 minutes of finishing your workout, but I can't always force myself to do it.  Plus I like to enjoy my meal without trying to meet the many many needs of my three children.  That means I often wait until I put them to bed to eat.

I baked ciabatta bread so I cut myself a healthy number of slices of that.  I also diced up some pickles and added it to a can of tuna and ate that as well as broccoli and dill dip.  It didn't take me long to feel full so doubtful I had enough calories for the day.

I enjoyed my run today. I really like long runs, it feels good to wring my body out.

What distance feels good to you?

What is the worst weather you have ever run in ?

I made ciabatta bread today.  It had been some time since I had made it and wanted to see if I could still do it.  It is delicious!

Worked brunch today and my brother Ben is a chef where I work so this dish was named after him!

On our way to the Dells last year.  I like it when they sleep in the car.

The baby did pretty well on the trip over too.

Nine Eggs Today!

A nice easy 5 miler on the treadmill today.  I had time after work and before the baby woke up from her nap to squeeze one in.  Tomorrow will be a "rest"day where I move my mother.  Not much rest, but hopefully not using my legs too much?  Yeah...I didn't think so either.

I passed the time listening to hard rock like the band In This Moment and reading The Hunger Games.  I just keep reading that on the treadmill because it is such easy reading and an engaging story!

Nine eggs today!!!!  We now have two dozen eggs in the fridge.  The only thing slightly better right now than eating them would be hatching them.  If we don't get those breeding pens set up quickly I'm just going to start incubating them and get bands on the chickens that we know are pure bred.  That way we will know which chickens are the mutts and not to use them in the breeding pens that we plan to build this spring/summer.

I still really like the idea of adding some Orpington chickens to our flock.  Their characteristics are so appealing as well as their temperaments.  They are so round and fluffy plus they like to be pet!

We got our first 5 chickens from an excellent breeder from Prairie Chick Poultry and she has about twelve different breeds, including Orpingtons!  So I might get some hatching eggs from her.  She only has blue or black Orpingtons and I really like the buff ones.  Buff Orpingtons are the chickens I always imagined having the cute little brown ones following me around the yard.

We are also waiting for the feed store to get a 50 lb bag of wheat so we can get a fodder system set up.  We would basically take plastic trays and sprout out the seeds.  Once they are sprouted to about 6-8 inches tall we would take it out to the chickens and plop it out and let them eat fresh!!!  Plus our feed costs will drop drastically.

Sunday is long run day and it will be a high of 23 degrees, but winds of 29 mph.  Not sure if I can make it 8 miles and not freeze to death.  My other worry is the huge knot in my left calf.  It started up when I was doing my intervals and it was bothering me when I was running today.  I've been sticking it a lot this evening and hope that it will work out enough by Sunday.

Do you have chickens?


How hard do you work to squeeze a workout in?

 Erin and daddy.

 Erin holding Fancy.

Izzy holding Fancy.

The Fast Lane.

I didn't get to do my planned run yesterday.  It made me anxious and sad.  But I felt like my chest cold was starting all over again, which also made me sad.  Thankfully I started to feel slightly better as evening rolled around and I went to bed early.  Today my chest is still congested (pretty much since December 28th), but not feeling awful.

I WAS able to get the training run done today.  I had planned on doing sprint and hill intervals and here is what I did.

Mile 1 = Warm up 5.5 mph

Mile 2 = Pace of 6.5 mph

Mile 3 = Pace of 5.5 mph

Mile 4 = .20 at 4% incline and .10 at 1% incline at 5.5 mph

Mile 5 = 2 minutes at 7 mph then 1 minute at 5 mph

Got 5 miles done in 51 minutes!!  I actually don't feel completely spent after all that which kind of leads me to believe that I could/should have pushed harder.  I don't want to injure myself so I'll call it good.

Even though I didn't get my run in yesterday I was able to bake a batch of bread and do a batch of yogurt.  I made smoothies for the girls and I this morning and they drank them down so fast!

Only seeing Scott in passing today and tomorrow as I work in the morning and he works in the evening.  Then I'll be helping my mother move on Saturday and back to work that evening.  Sunday I am working brunch until 2 and plan on just doing my long run from there since the trail along the river is right by the restaurant!  Planning on 8 miles and the temps should be nice...I'm quite excited!


Do you do any speed work?

Do you feel awful when you miss a scheduled workout?

 Made a fire and sat in front of it a lot yesterday.

 Mustache. 

 Scott and Olive snuggling with the Giant Panda.

Erin saved the princess!!!!!!!

 Olive sharing her paci with the pony.

Izzy loves bugs so I caught her a moth and trapped it under a glass so she could watch it.  She was so happy.

How to Squeeze it in.

Life got in the way so many times yesterday between me and my run.  I worked in the morning.  Then had to run unexpected errands after work when my plan was to jet home and jump on the treadmill before Olive woke from her nap.  I figured I could try once Scott got home from work, but it was a "wood splitting" day for him.  It was time for dinner for the girls and while they were eating I decided it would be a good window for me to do some strength training.

Strength training is not my favorite.  However, I love how  my body feels once I'm done.  I can feel myself getting stronger.  I really don't want to get injured and nail my half marathon in May so if it keeps me off the injured list I'll learn to love it.

After that there was no point in trying to run until we had the girls tucked in.  At that point I just wanted to grab some dinner, sit on the couch, and drink a beer.  BUT I knew that I would feel accomplished and my dinner would taste better if I got a run in.  I was also thinking about something I read about doing an easy run on tired legs so I could mentally prepare for the end of my half.

So I did it.  I did 3 miles at an easy pace and it wasn't as hard on my legs as it was mentally.  I used a lot of my tricks to get to 3 miles.  I watched a show on Netflix, listened to some pump-me-up music, thought about significant things in my life, and tried to solve problems on our homestead.  The more often I make it through a hard run, the more confidence I gain that I can finish strong.

Today I had a 5 mile interval with hills run planned, but I woke up feeling horrible.  I have contracted the chest cold that will not go away.  It seems to have renewed with a vengeance today.  So I decided to take it easy today and just catch up on house things like making a batch of bread and yogurt.

I want to incorporate smoothies back into our diets and I use yogurt in our's.  Plus I have the biggest bag of spinach in the world from Costco in the fridge and plan to throw a handful into each of mine.  I'm buckling down on my diet again to lose more body fat and hopefully gain more muscle.  I want to be a bit lighter and stronger to aid my training.

Tomorrow I plan on feeling better and jumping on the treadmill as soon as I get home and doing my interval run!

Under $50 worth of groceries from Aldi!

 All those colors...I love having chickens!

 Sunset view from my window.

 My wheat grinder.

The hot-rod of my kitchen.  I believe that I've saved enough money baking our own bread for this machine to have paid for itself!

Not sure if doing a hard training run is okay when feeling sick...thoughts?

Love or hate strength training?

Ever made home made bread?

Why Treadmill Running Makes me Feel Like a Failure.

Legs are pretty sore today, but not overly so.  Mostly my quads.  I don't really understand why running outside feels so much different than treadmill running.  I can go faster much easier outside than on the treadmill.

Well...after reading this article treadmill running can result in a 32% reduction in speed than running outside.  So because of muscle and joint mechanics treadmill running feels harder than outside running.  No wonder I feel like such a failure lately on the treadmill.

I've had my treadmill for 8 years now and it has saved my sanity so many times.  When you are stuck at home while raising little babies, it is saving grace during nap times.  It was an $800 investment that translates to $100 a year so far...well worth it.

It is also that time of year again to start thinking about incubating eggs.  There were quite a few weeks that we didn't get any eggs that I was worried that we wouldn't have any eggs to hatch this year.  I'm hoping for two batches of 30.  We have gone through the chickens we processed very quickly.  They are so tasty and so easy to cook in the pressure cooker that I am sad that they are gone already.

We want to preserve some lines so we have to set up some breeding pens.  We'll build some permanent ones this spring, but plan on setting up some temporary ones in the pole barn for now.  I think we'll do one pen for pure bred Dorkings (excellent tasting), and probably the other for a good dual purpose batch (egg layers and meat bird).  I think everyone in the household is excited to have baby chicks on the homestead again.

Hopefully we can get the two batches hatched out before our turkeys start laying.  Adding ducks to our flock this year is on the agenda as well.

 Olive being creative. 

 Turkey hatchling....so cute!

 Francisco our Buckeye rooster.  He got much bigger than this and we'll probably use him to get a bigger bird.

 Egg stash we found in the yard one day.

After weeks and weeks of not laying we got an egg on the coldest day of the year...-27.