30-20-10 Printable Running Plan

After doing a bit of research, I have a found a formula that has proven to be effective in trimming race times: the 30-20-10 method. This basically means you run at a pretty steady pace for 30 seconds, increase pace to around race pace for 20 seconds and run all out for 10 seconds. I have been following this strategy for a couple of runs leading up to my race next weekend. We'll see what kind of effect this has on the 21st. Just for you, dear readers, I created a GoogleDoc spreadsheet you can print and follow along.




I did this run yesterday for 31 minutes and burned 486 calories and went 2.33 miles. For the past several years, I have finished the 5k in under 30 minutes. Let's hope I can do it again.

For more information on this 30-20-10 running method, check out this article on Runner's World.

Finding the Beauty

~Better every day

I strive to follow this mantra each day I am alive. Sometimes I need a gentle reminder though. I like to try to do things better, be better, live better every day. I could always be more patient, more organized or less negative (just ask Hubster). I could always try to run a little faster or eat a little healthier.

Don't get me wrong though. I don't want this to sound like I beat myself up for not being the best at everything. I criticize myself enough already. No. This is about striving to be a better human each day, to make each day a little more special, to revive the mundane with a touch of pretty.

Making each day special takes work, but the type of work that it more than worth it. Deciding to do an art project with your children instead of offering them more screen time takes some preparation, but the memories and outcome far outweigh the effort. When your campfire is extinguished by the rain, take the s'mores inside and laugh as you roast them over the stove.

Certain things like slow drivers, chores, and weather consequences can be a source of extreme aggravation to some people. With a little practice though, you can change your mindset. When it's supposed to be spring and you find yourself in the midst of a thunder/sleet storm that puts your yard completely under water and threatens approach upon your basement, you can either complain about it...



...or set up your water pump and search out the beauty that the day brings...

Fighting something that you have little control over just causes stress and emotional turmoil. It's not worth the worry. Just try my strategy. Find the beauty in it.

Let's all try to get better at finding the beauty, shall we?



And just this once, let your kid get you with a can of silly string when you get home from work.

Healthy Acorn Squash Bowl

Squash was a pretty rare treat in my family's household growing up. In fact, I never once had spaghetti or butternut squash until I made them for my own grownup self. Since squash only comes out during certain times of the year and mom only felt like making them on rare occasions, they were pretty special when we did have them. Mom liked to roast the squash and then fill it with butter and brown sugar. Oh, so yummy!

In order to relive that lovely memory, I decided to prepare some acorn squash for myself. Only this time, I didn't want to drench it in fat and empty calories. I added cranberries and nuts to the healthy acorn bowl to amp up the nutrition content. It tasted like fall, even though we're on the verge of spring, but it was excellent!

Acorn Squash Bowl

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp sliced almonds
1 Tbsp dried cranberries
Drizzle of honey

Directions

1. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Helpful hint: those serrated spoons used for eating grapefruit work perfectly for scraping out the pulp.
2. Wrap the squash halves in aluminum foil, leaving the cut edges open. Place the squash on a cookie sheet or roasting pan with the cut sides facing down. Pour a thin layer of water into the bottom of the pan. This will make the final product turn out moist and tender.
3. Roast the acorn squash at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes or until fork-tender.
4. Remove from oven and let cool to your desired temperature.
5. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients into one half of the squash and drizzle with honey. Use a spoon to scrape out the flesh and add-ins and enjoy.

For 1/2 of the squash with the indicated add-ins, the approximate nutrition content from SparkPeople is:
Calories: 208
Carbs: 51g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 3g

I mean, that's a lot of food for 200 calories!!!

I love how some childhood memories revolve around the smells and textures of delicious food. I have a similar precious memory of eating grapefruit with my mom as a child. I will definitely be sharing this treasured tradition with my Peanut.

Weekly Food Prep

Well, since it has been made public, I can tell you that I've been following the Self Magazine Drop10 plan, with workouts courtesy of Tone it Up. I got a copy of the entire plan before it was published because I signed up to be a VIP tester. Along with the workouts with K&K, I've been following the plan pretty religiously, with a few meals out here and there. This week, my menu looks something like this:

Breakfast:

• Cheesy Eggs on Toast: 338 calories.
• I sauteed the edamame, carrot, soy sauce and oil mixture ahead of time on the stove at home and then I make the eggs separately at work in the microwave. I mix them both together for the final product.

Lunch: 

• Sausage and Pepper Roll: 320 calories.
• I used the substitution guide and chose mushrooms instead of peppers. I also couldn't find chicken sausage at my grocery store, so I used two breakfast turkey sausage links instead.
• I packaged the mixture in baggies for each day, making them easy to grab and go in the morning.

Snack:

• Lentil Salsa Dip n Chips. 189 calories
• Lentils make this dish look like gray mush. This does not look all that appealing, but I assure you, it tastes great. I think I'll be adding this snack to my regular rotation. It is rather filling.
• I packaged the chips in baggies for quick pre-portioned snacks, as seen above in the first picture.

Dinners:

• Spaghetti
• Turkey meatballs
• Stir-fry
• Scalloped potatoes and ham
• This last one isn't on the plan, but I'll make sure to have the recommended 450-calorie-sized portion from the recipe we're making. We have ham leftovers that we really don't want to go to waste.

200 Free Calories:

• Often get spent on 2 girl scout cookies and a spoonful of peanut butter. Once in awhile, I'll have a diet cherry 7up with a shot of Southern Comfort. #YOLO, right?

*Note: Calorie calculations are based upon information entered into the SparkPeople nutrition counter. I entered the brand names and types of food that I used specifically. Self.com has a little bit different calculations than I came up with.

I usually do all my prepping for the week on Sunday, after Hubster does the grocery shopping. This week's menu took me 1 hour from start to finish, including cleanup. I don't do a whole lot of dinner prep beforehand though. We usually make dinners and eat them fresh as we go, but I do sometimes make some of the grains ahead of time.

I love this Drop10 plan! I've noticed that the balance of protein, carbs and good fats is keeping me pretty satisfied all day. I do have to add in a banana or other snack around mid-morning on days where I'm extra active. Those are the only days where I feel a bit shaky if I don't eat a little extra.

I feel like I haven't been a slave to the numbers on this plan either. Self Magazine does most of the dirty work for me, so I don't have to. The substitutions are amazing, because I can use whatever I have on-hand or left over from a different meal. I eat mostly the same thing every day for breakfast, lunch and snack. Dinners we switch up and I try to incorporate meals that my whole family will eat. Heck, Self even includes a steak dinner. And of course, Hubster totally went for that.

I could hardly take it when I saw that Karena and Katrina are in the development stages of getting their own reality series on Bravo. I couldn't say anything before it was published, but now I'm geeking out about it. I hope Bravo does an amazing job of catching them behind the scenes and maybe even broadcasting some workout sessions with them. I don't know too many of the details, but I think that would just be too cool.

Tomorrow I will share a squash recipe with you that I also prepared on Sunday. Stay tuned!

 

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

• 30 min run outside with my pup

Tuesday:

• Sick/rest

Wednesday

• Sick/rest

Thursday

• 35 min PM run

Friday

• 20 min circuit training at lunch with friend
• 30 min PM interval run
• 20 min Drop10 workout

Saturday

• 70 min run (5miles/992 calories)

Sunday

•  Rest

 So, this was my scantily-populated workout calendar for last week. As mentioned previously, I wasn't feeling well on Monday and Tuesday. Monday, I got my first outdoor run of the season in. It's still in the 40's in Wisconsin, but Monday was sunny and I was ready to get back outside. After that run is when I started to feel under-the-weather. Thursday I took it a bit easier and Friday I went back full force. A little too forceful perhaps, because I'm still sore from that day.

Results of Saturday's workout, 5 miles, 992 calories

I'm preparing for a family 5K in two weeks. Hubster and I have a tradition of running this same local race every year, and even Peanut wanted to be signed up for the kid's run. I'm not about to argue with that! He's going to wear his special Sketchers that make him run really fast. Haha!

I'm finding that posting my workouts is helping me notice habits (good and bad) and making me more attuned to where I could use some tweaks. I'm not hell-bent on glorifying my body or anything; that's not what these goals are about. I find that goals, in any area of my life, keep me motivated and encourage progress. ~Better every day. That's even the motto of this blog. 

With that in mind, here are three of my current and newly-created goals:

1. Start tracking calories and distance of runs in addition to minutes, so I can tell if I'm getting faster.
2. Keep incorporating yoga or other more mindful practices into my routine to stay sane and limber.
3. Make that Saturday long run a little faster. I'm aiming for 5 miles under 60 minutes.
4. Tune in even more to my body, taking it easy when I feel spent and not overdoing it. Working out improves the immune system, but working out too much can damper it.

Tomorrow I'll be back with a glimpse into my food prep for the week. I also have a scrumptious squash recipe to share that came out of these preparations.

Any good suggestions for how to run faster?

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

• 20 min circuit training at lunch with friend
• 45 Zumba after work
• 35 min run after Zumba

Tuesday:

• 25 min run in AM
• 15 min walk at lunch with Hubster

Wednesday:

• 35 min interval run in AM
• 20 min circuit training with friend at lunch

Thursday:

• Rest

Friday:

• 45 min interval run
• 25 min Self Drop10 strength workout

Saturday:

• 55 min run

Sunday:

• Rest

Here's what I was up to last week. Better late than never, right? As I mentioned in a previous post, I was ill Monday and Tuesday, so I pretty much took a break from everything, including blogging. Next week's workout rundown will be pretty sparse in comparison due to said illness. I woke up this morning with the beginning of another head cold on top of it, so I haven't worked out since Monday. Gah! I have the itch to run real bad, but I'm trying to be more cognizant of my body's signals to rest.

I also wonder if I've been sick so much lately because I've been overtraining. I actually seem less sick than those around me at home and such, but I seem to be catching everything. I'm going to up my Vitamin C intake and lower my workouts a tad just to see if I can build my immune system back up.

Anyone else following the Drop10 plan? Anyone know of any great printable workout planner pages? I've been working on trying to devise one of my own, but if I don't have to reinvent the wheel, I won't.

Boun-see on For the The Love of Kale

Hey there friends. I took a few days off to hang with my son on his Easter vacation. Unfortunately, I've spent more time sick and recovering in bed than being productive with my personal to-do list. I'll be up-and-at-em soon, but I just wanted to share something that made me so happy...

Check it out! My interview with Bree Bond was featured over on the popular For the Love of Kale. I couldn't be more proud!

Thanks for the shout out, Heather. I think the j'adore la vie idea rocks!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Before I got sick, I enjoyed all the food and family visits (without any weight gain. Woot!). I was a little productive in designing a new planner for myself. Hopefully it all works out correctly and I can share it on here. I wanted a planner for recording workouts, blog posts, goals and family events. Oh, and I'm almost through reading the NASM textbook, so there's that.

That's all for now. Take care!