Things That Made Me Happy This Week 2/12/21

Hello! People still read blogs right? I'm trying to get into more of a productive routine so I'm going to start writing blog posts again on a semi-regular basis. What better way to start than sharing what is making me happy this week! As always you can check out my more regular happenings, thoughts, and photos via Instagram. 

This series "Things That Made Me Happy This Week" is inspired by a segment on one of my favorite podcasts Pop Culture Happy Hour on NPR. So in these continued strange times, here is what is making me happy this week: 

1. Tesalate Workout Towels

Tesalate, an Australian company who makes beach and workout towels reached out to me about trying out their workout towels just prior to the holidays right after I purchased my spin bike. I was desparately in need of some good towels to prevent myself from dripping sweat all over my living room (#homeworkoutproblems) so I was happy to try them out, especially after I saw the fun colors and patterns (seriously, look at all the choices). Besides the amazing patterns I received including Wild Ones & Cassandra , I love that they are antibacterial, odor-free, and dry super fast. Despite sweating profusely, they never feel heavy or damp. I use it to towel off my face and on my handlebars during spin classes. 

2. Peggy Makeup Headband

{from Ulta}

After watching too many beauty Tik-Tokers I finally bought a Makeup headband to wear when washing my face and applying serums/lotions. I don't know why I struggled so long with pulling my hair back and having pieces still falling into my wash as I tried to wash my face or wear a face mask. I bought this Peggy Makeup Headband at Ulta because it was leopard print (my favorite!) and cheap ($6.99), but honestly I love it. It's nice and soft on my head and does the job. 

3. Freaks and Geeks on Hulu

I am a huge fan of the short-lived TV show Freaks and Geeks. It's funny, it has heart and it features SO many now well-known actors/actresses. Yes I own the series on DVD but streaming it on Hulu is much easier! I've seen it all the way through multiple times so it's my current "put this show on and half pay attention while I do something else" TV show. 

4. Bravey by Alexi Pappas

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know I am a super fan of Alexi Pappas and consider myself a bravey (a part of a community she has created). She is an Olympian, runner, filmmaker, and poet who recently released her first book and memoir entitled Bravey. I am only halfway through it and already love it. It makes me feel all the feels and really is a story about life, not just sports. It touches on Alexi's journey with her mental health and her the moments that got her to where she is now. She has been making the rounds on some podcast so I also recommend listening to interviews with her including the Rich Roll podcast. She is such a wise soul. Find out more about Bravey and where to find it near you here. 

What is making YOU happy this week? 

Chicago Marathon Training Weeks 10 &11 Recap

Things have been way more hectic in my training now that graduate school has started again for the semester. The weather has been bouncing around between cooler mornings and the usual hot & humid weather which has made how I feel on runs more variable than usual.  Here's a recap of weeks 10 & 11 of my Chicago Marathon training. 

Marathon Training 2016 Week 10 (8/22-8/28)
Monday: morning run with 3 tempo miles thrown in the middle, 6.0 miles
Tuesday: speedwork run with 4x 1 mile repeats, 5.4 miles
Wednesday: November Project-Baltimore workout and some extra miles , 8.0 miles 
Thursday:  easy morning run, 4.25 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday:  long run in NJ that felt great and my 18 miles for the day eneded up being 20 with two tempo miles at the end 

This run was such a surprise! I met up with some people from the Run856 Facebook group and ran with some people who all had different distances. This guy ended up running the full 18 with me which was great, and with some water fountain stops and different little loops I ended up feeling like I could keep going and at the end finished the last couple of miles fast around my tempo pace just to see. After refueling with Wawa donut and coffee (which makes me SO happy) and then having a big breakfast when I got home, I napped! 

Sunday: recovery run on treadmill and some core, 3.1 miles

Total miles: 46.75

#WeirdWorkout Campaign with Prana and Organic Valley & Grouse Grind-ing.

This post is sponsored by prAna and Organic Valley through my partnership with FitApproach. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to let you all know about this awesome giveaway hosted by prAna and Organic Valley that is happening because who doesn’t love winning things. Especially when the giveaway is offering 10 winners the chance to earn $300 in credit to use at prAna.com, a 2-month supply of Organic Valley, and lots of free swag. To keep it short and sweet, you can go right ahead now and find out more details and enter here. 

The contest runs from August 15^th through the 31^st , 2016  so hurry up and 

ENTER NOW!

If you aren’t familiar with both brands, they are great. I haven’t had the opportunity to own any prAna gear yet although I’ve tried some on at my local yoga studio. PrAna’s mission is to inspire healthy, active, free-spirited living (which is right up my alley) and create versatile, stylish, and sustainable clothing and accessories to wear during every adventure. 

 Organic Valley’s Organic Fuel shakes are made with only 9 ingredients with protein coming from real organic milk made by pasture-raised cows on Organic Valley family farms. Their product is lactose-free, gluten-free, and free from GMO’s and hormones too which I love.

You can also SAVE 15% on prAna.com purchase right away with my code PFS16BDAS, valid through October 31, 2016.

Chicago Marathon Training 2016 Weeks 1&2 Recap

Well folks, it is that time again. Things have been a little crazy. I consulted a couple coaches about my plan and am pretty much following the plan I created last year with some tweaks such as more speed work, more easy miles, and actually sticking with adding some pace miles or fast finishes to my long runs. If you are looking for a run coach or some advice, check out Coach Suz or Amanda from Run to the Finish ! 

It's taking me some time to get into the groove with marathon training because I usually don't follow training plans or a strict workout schedule year round. I mostly do what I feel like, go to November Project, and attend fitness classes when they pop up as well as get in a longer run sometime during the weekend.  I had a really solid first two weeks of workouts and am trying a different kind of training recap this time around. 

I kind of love and hate weekly workout recaps. I like reading other peoples and seeing what they do because it's interesting. However most times I feel like it just becomes a comparison trap for people (myself included).  Since I'm insanely busy (do I say that enough on the blog?), and it will get tough to stick to my schedule once fall classes start again, I figured recapping my workouts on the blog adds another layer of accountability for me.  So I'll share my workout overviews from the weeks as well as a high and low (that part is from the future occupational therapist in me). So here we go! 

Marathon Training 2016 Week 1 (6/20-6/26)
Monday: 2 miles at BWC 5K Coaching Group + 1 solo miles easy run
Tuesday: SB Barre Class
Wednesday: November Project Baltimore workout #doubleverbal
Thursday:  REV45 spin class
Friday: November Project Baltimore hill workout
Saturday:Coaching 5K training group + 13 easy miles
Sunday: BWC 5K 

Total miles: 31.1

Marathon Training 2016 Week 2 (6/27-7/3)
Monday: Rest-30 minutes of light yoga
Tuesday: Speed Workout 4x800m with rest, 5.9 miles 
Wednesday: November Project Baltimore PR day workout 5 miles
Thursday:  5.25 tempo run 
Friday: November Project Baltimore Sunrise 6K race
Saturday:Coaching 5K training group + 100-10 workout with 10K run for 9.8 miles otal
Sunday: easy 10.5 mile long run around harbor 

Total miles: 40.15

Lows
I had lots of speedwork coincidentally these weeks with the BWC 5K, speed workout Tuesday, NP PR Day, and THEN the NP Sunrise 6K. I was pretty proud of holding it together but definitely know I can't do that all the time. I'm definitely not going to be up around 40 miles for the next couple of weeks again. I also REALLY need to dust off my foam roller and be sure to spend time recovering better.  

Highs
Despite feeling a little sore and tight naturally, I was really happy with how I felt having more weekly miles than usual at the start of training. I've been hovering around 20-25 weekly miles during the spring so bumping it up and making sure I including some easy miles felt good. I also got in a lot of faster runs and was hitting the pace I wanted on my tempo run which always makes me feel great. 

Are you training for any fall events? Do you like reading or sharing weekly workout recaps? 

30 Minute Treadmill Pyramid Workout

One of the biggest challenges in my life right now is making time for everything and attempting to keep a good work-life balance. With a really busy semester of school plus work,errands, life, and some blogging I always feel like there is never enough hours in the day. With a busy schedule, that means there is a lot of quick workouts that I need to sneak in. Luckily I have a treadmill in my apartment so if it's a reasonable hour (sorry to my neighbors for the treadmill noise!) I can hop on the treadmill to squeeze in a few miles. I honestly find anything more than 5 miles unbearable recently so my go-to treadmill workout is a 30 minute interval run. 

Today I'm sharing my go-to treadmill workout. The speed changes incrementally in a pyramid fashion so it keeps me from getting bored and is a great workout that only takes 30 minutes.  The pyramid takes 15 minutes and when repeated once it makes a nice 30 minute workout. You could always repeat the pyramid more times to increase the length of your workout too. 

This post was linked up with Wild Workout Wednesdays, Inspired to be Fit, and Tuesdays on the Run.   

Do you run on the treadmill often? What's your favorite workout when you're short on time?