Why is Running So Hard?

Date: September 17, 2014

Author: astottler

I’m so glad to be caught up on posts! Sort of.

So….I have a half marathon in 3 weeks. Yeah. Originally I was gunning for a big PR in this race, but I’ve decided I’m most definitely not going to do that. Thanks to foot issues, I’m probably not going to be in the best shape. Plus I’m tired of dying at races, so I’m going to go out very conservatively. My plan is to go out around a 10:00 pace, and my goal is to run a sub-10:00 last mile. 10:00 is on the slow side for me for races, but I want to keep a steady pace and have something left at the end, which is how I know I will have paced well. On that note, after about a week off of running, my foot is feeling much better and it’s time to get back at it. Since I was in Berkeley all weekend, and another recovery day couldn’t hurt, I did a long run on Monday. Technically 3 weeks out from my race I should have done a 12 mile run, but I opted for a 10 miler instead.

I had what seems to be my current pre-long run food (I can’t believe I’m eating yogurt pre-long run…)-plain yogurt, a banana mashed with cocoa powder, and sunflower seed butter.

I was super casual about this run and didn’t head out until around 12 (definitely couldn’t have done this in DC) so it was pretty warm, but a BEAUTIFUL day. The trail I ran on offers views of what I consider one of the most beautiful parts of Northern CA.

(Old pic-it was the perfect day so it was even more beautiful!)

I ran 2 more miles into this trail than I have before, and the scenery changed completely. I reached the edge of the reservoir and then was running through a wooded forest. At the 5 mile turnaround, I was shocked when the trail opened up to a beautiful lake/other reservoir! It was amazing! I also took my gu here-I finally tried the mint chocolate I’ve had FOREVER and it was SO delicious! It was a very warm day so it was nice and melty, like peppermint hot fudge! (Note: I still don’t recommend using goo as hot fudge on a sundae-it’s not THAT good.) The only problem was it made me cough like crazy-I guess I won’t be switching over anytime soon!

This run for me was more to get the miles in than anything else, so the pace was what it was. This was hard! Why is running so hard? It’s amazing how fast you get out of shape. Between tapering and a week off after my race, my legs did not have anywhere near the volume of mileage that I would normally have at this point in training.

But I finished and then gobbled down some leftovers-a turkey burger and sweet potato.

And then made pumpkin custard.

Dinner that night was Grilled Peach and Chicken salad. One of the peaches we used was absolutely amazing.

Plus some pita chips on the side.

For dessert, I tried Pumpkin Spice english muffins! They are SOOO good! I had mine toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar. I think they’d also be fantastic with cinnamon Laughing Cow or cream cheese. Yum!

Do you find you get out of running shape quickly?

WIAW-Summer Food and the Official Start of Half Training 4.0

Date: July 1, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Happy Wednesday! I feel like this week has already been flying by! Only 2 days left until the weekend-how is that possible? Let’s celebrate with What I Ate Wednesday!

Before I get into the good stuff (aka the food) I want to talk about a few things I’ve done the past few days! Sunday, I went to the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market, and got some fresh peaches and greens for my favorite summer salad. Afterwards, I went to Target to pick up a few things. Prior to the weekend, I had only rode one Metro line. Sunday, I rode them all. I’m pretty sure I officially live here now! One thing I want to do sometime is play Metro roulette. Get on a random line and then get off at a random stop to explore. We’ll see.

On the fitness front, Monday kicked off the official start to my training cycle for my 4th half marathon! How crazy is that? 4? I knocked out an early morning 3 miles. For some reason, my Garmin kept losing me, so I’m not sure if I’ve actually gotten slower or if it was losing its little mind…Either way, I have no problems waking up for these views.

Can you guess which picture I stopped to take, versus just shooting on the run?

Now, onto the food. I’m insanely, insanely proud of Sunday’s meal. It was probably my most beautiful creation. I made my Grilled Peach and Chicken salad, but baked the chicken instead of grilled it and sautéed the peaches on the stove.

Plus a hunk of farmer’s market fresh whole wheat bread. What more could possibly say “summer”?

I feel like I should just stop there with that picture. This also marks my first time cooking chicken. That’s right-I’ve never cooked chicken. I’ve done ground turkey and even fish, but never chicken! (At home my dad would usually grill). It was insanely easy and came out way better than I was expecting!

Also, feel free to ignore the fact that it’s in a loaf pan. Kitchen tools are a bit sparse around these parts…(But a loaf pan was clearly a priority.)

For breakfasts, I just haven’t been feeling the yogurt+berries+sunbutter, although I need to eat that tomorrow before my berries go bad. Instead, I’ve been feeling the lighter fruit salad with sun butter. Currently in the mix is a banana and blackberries. Monday this was prepared and eaten in 3 minutes flat. Not ideal, but better than nothing!

In terms of lunches, I packed lunch on Monday. Baked chicken, plus roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and mashed sweet potatoes with sage.

Lunch on Tuesday was bought from the cafe at work. I needed to buy something. I had the pleasure of only doing half my laundry on Monday, and being one quarter shy of actually being able to dry it (and how the heck do you hang dry socks??). I’m spoiled at school because our laundry is free, but I managed to not have any bills the quarter machine would accept. Hence why I needed to buy lunch-just to get quarters and smaller bills. I got a hummus veggie pita on a whole wheat pita.

These things are massive. The pita is stuffed with tons of veggies, hummus, feta, and provolone. I was glad to be eating this alone because it’s kind of a mess!

Plus an impulse buy of marble bread. This seriously is my weakness.

After Crossfit today, I went grocery shopping. Twice. Apparently coconut flour is much more rare here? I was at Trader Joes and couldn’t find it, and with the knowledge that dinner would therefore be a ways off, I grabbed a protein bar. I’m not a proponent of artificial sweeteners in general, but it is what it is. This is one of the few protein bars out there with no nuts, and I munched on it as I walked to grocery #2.

Even at Whole Foods, I barely found it. In CA, there would be like 5 different types…

Once I FINALLY made it back, I whipped up a quick dinner. Coconut flour quesadillas, from Blogilates. With plenty of avocado and a side of grapes.

It didn’t come out as well as I would have liked-I didn’t add enough water to the batter so it was sort of dry. Take 2 is tomorrow night though so I have a chance to fix it! This may be my go-to easy meal for a while because the recipe calls for 4 oz of meat, so I was left with 12 oz leftover, which I cooked up and froze. Now that I have coconut flour, the other ingredients are staples. So maybe I can get food on the table before 8:30!

That’s all I have today-I have an early workout (followed by lots of coffee) on the Lincoln Memorial steps!

What is your favorite summer food?

So I Guess I Should, You Know, Blog…

Date: June 13, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Greetings from the other side! I am officially done with my sophomore year-yay! Which means I am halfway through college which is kind of concerning…

I decided I should actually blog. It’s been a while, for several reasons. First, I temporarily lost my phone (I left it at a cafe and someone picked it up), then I had to study for finals, and then move out! And now, here we are!

So, I haven’t exercised all that much this week. And my food has erred more on the side of “delicious” versus “healthy.” But it is what it is-you’ve been warned!

In terms of exercise, it’s basically just been Crossfit, although I’m about to head out on a run. I get to go to my home Crossfit, which is exciting! I went last night, and I always forget how much I love it, and all the people there!

In terms of life, I finally went to a Giant’s game yesterday!

It was windy and cold, as per usual! We have the most beautiful ballpark, complete with delicious food.

Ghiradelli hot fudge sundae!

And now some other food from the past week:

My last and second to last coffee from my favorite coffeeshop:

Lunch out with my sister and mom. We went to the Loving Hut, a vegan restaurant, and I got a vegan BLT-tempeh as bacon, plus with avocado!

I also tried a Cronut for the first time! (Croissant doughnut.) It was good! But not the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I wouldn’t stand in a 3 hour line for it.

Breakfast on my last day with a bare fridge-plain yogurt, berries, and sun butter.

After my last final, my sister and I went out to a celebratory lunch at Calafia. I got garlic mushroom noodles, which were delicious!

And for dessert, a chia seed pudding parfait sweetened only with maple syrup. Delicious!

And lastly, I had my first home cooked meal-Grilled chicken and Peach salad! Yum! The peaches at the store weren’t ripe so we actually just used nectarines.

What is crazy to me though is in a week, I’m leaving again! Eek!

Any fun plans for the summer?

Breaking into Pinterest

Date: September 18, 2013

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Hello! This summer saw the growth of my blog in that I branched out to social media, like Twitter and Instagram. (Psst, follow me! fitnessissweet and @fitnessissweet.) Now, I think it’s time to tackle Pinterest. I made an account a looong time ago, but never figured out the whole thing. Well, now that I actually have some recipes that would be Pinterest acceptable, I think I need to get that whole thing going. Plus, with the holidays coming up, Pinterest just has too many amazing and cute ideas to NOT utilize. To kick off this new endeavor, I’m going to do a round-up of pinnable posts and pictures, similar to Lindsay’s roundup. Once I get my own Pinterest up and running, these will be the first things I’ll have up! Feel free to pin them yourself!

Banana Chocolate Chip Custard

This microwave friendly recipe is the perfect use of any brown bananas. It’s simple ingredients are staples anyone would have on hand, and it’s low sugar content means it is something that can be enjoyed any time.

Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad

This is my favorite salad recipe, and it absolutely screams summer. The warm, juicy peaches and the tender chicken melt the creamy goat cheese, for the perfect texture combination. This recipe would also be a good use of those not quite ripe peaches that you get off season, because the grilling brings out their flavor.

Baby Pumpkin Pie

Want to embrace fall with open arms, but don’t want to turn on the oven? Try this pumpkin pie recipe-it’s crustless and made entirely in the microwave. A just touch of brown sugar adds some carmel-y flavor, but won’t weigh you down. This treat gets its sweetness from a hidden source-banana! Full of warm spices, this baby pie will have you dreaming of fall leaves in no time.

Tips for a Healthier Vacation

Going on vacation but afraid of losing your fitness? See these tips for what I did to make my vacation healthy.

Tabata WOD

A kick butt workout that will leave you sore, but only takes 12 minutes? SIgn me up! This Crossfit workout is only 4 minutes for each exercise, but works the whole body.

Do you use Pinterest? WHat are your favorite things to pin?

MIMM-Summer’s End

Date: September 15, 2013

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Happy Monday everybody! This is the last Monday before school starts-I start so late! So let’s make it Marvelous! Thanks to Katie for hosting this party.

Marvelous is…

Moving back into my dorm this week! I actually do think I’m ready for school to start. This has been a very low key summer, which is exactly what I wanted, but I’m getting a little antsy.

Marvelous is…

Jumping onto the pumpkin bandwagon early with a new recipe! Baby pumpkin pie-and it’s microwave friendly! The recipe should be up Monday night.

Marvelous is…

Fig and goat cheese salads. Can’t. Get. Enough.

Marvelous is…

Rocking my 10 mile run today. I beat my last 10 mile run time by over 4 minutes!

This is my last flat long run for a while since my race is hilly. I’m a little nervous because up until this point all my long runs have been flat. As far as today’s run? It felt pretty good. The shoe insert I carved out helped my foot feel better at least somewhat-it didn’t become an issue until the turnaround point. I’m convinced I would be soo much faster if my foot didn’t kill me every run. I’m getting custom inserts made so hopefully that fixes it. Also-I took a look at the carved inserts after my run, and since they’re foamy, they completely flattened, which is probably why the hole stopped helping. Oh well. Also, I rolled my ankle around mile 2. It wasn’t too bad so I shook it off and kept going. I think ice and compression socks may keep it from being an issue.

Marvelous is…

Post run lunch. WIth a side of ice bucket (for my foot pain and ankle-killing 2 birds with one very, very cold stone).

Lunch was a couple of baby sweet potatoes topped with spinach and an egg with spices. I also had a smoothie-cherry, pineapple, and lots of pineapple coconut water. So refreshing!

Marvelous is…

The fact that no matter what random clothes I pull out of my closet, I always seem to be wearing the same colors.

Marvelous is…

Relaxing post run with an adorable kitty. I’m going to miss him so much when I leave! And the poor thing-he has allergies so right now his eyes are pink rimmed, runny, and itchy.

Marvelous is…

Soaking up the last bit of summer with one more summery meal. Yes, I realize this contradicts the above statement about pumpkin.

I made Grilled Peach and Chicken salad, except I used nectarines instead of peaches.

And for dessert-some of the last summer fruit in the form of a fruit bowl. Topped with sunflower seed butter-perfection.

What is Marvelous in your Monday? Are you excited for fall or sad that summer is ending?