Category Archives: RW Summer Run Streak

June 3, 2012

My Weekend Summary: Running and Good Food

Today’s Workout: 1 mile run, PT exercises

Hope you all had a great weekend! I spent mine enjoying the sunshine, family, and great weather. Basically my weekend was full of running and eating really good food. Here’s some highlights I want to share with you!

RUNNING

My RW Summer Run Streak is still going strong: 7 days in a row! I think this is the longest running streak I’ve ever had, give or take a few days. My plan is to run 1 easy mile on what would normally be my “rest days” and its working out pretty well. Saturday I ran 3 miles on the streets (yay, no treadmill!) since it was so nice out. It wasn’t an easy run for some reason though, perhaps it was all the exercise I did on Friday that really wore me out. But either way, I finished Day 6!

Today I had very little energy for exercising since I haven’t really had a true rest day in a week. By the time the evening came I was reading on blogs and twitter about everyone extending their own running streaks and decided I really didn’t want to break my own. Not this early on anyway! So I got my lazy butt on the treadmill for one quick mile thankfully. Day 7 complete! The streak continues.

FOOD

There was lots of good food this weekend, most of it made by Karl. I’m so lucky to have a boyfriend who loves to cook and it actually really good at it. I think he missed his calling.. he needs to be a chef! I always tell him if he wants to practice recipes, I’ll be the taste-tester :)

So this weekend we had access to a grill and Karl decided to go all out and cook all day long. He made me and my family grilled pineapple and swordfish tacos with spicy mayo, pico de gallo, guacamole, and chips — all homemade! It was AMAZING.

Chips, guacamole. pico de gallo, and the spicy mayo.

Grilled pineapple and swordfish fillets. YUM!

We put all that deliciousness into taco form to eat. The only thing not homemade was the taco shells (thanks Ortego!) and the pineapple since we don’t grow our own here. Not sure they would even be able to grow in this crazy NYC weather. But we did grill those babies up on our own. Maybe its just me, but pineapple just tastes better grilled!

The completed fish taco. Legen–wait for it–dary.

I also discovered this awesome Odwalla drink that I had for breakfast this weekend. In terms of texture, its basically a mix between juice and a smoothie and the flavor is great. You have got to try it, its awesome and there’s a ton of vitamins in it. So good!

Delicious.

EVERYTHING ELSE

Another exciting weekend event was that Karl got a bike (and hes loving it) and I think I picked out the one I’ll be getting!

Karl’s bike

Unlike Karl who is much more spontaneous that I am and bought his in about 10 minutes, I needed to take some time and do research. But I’m planning on contacting the bike store and telling them to hold onto it for me since he was giving me a good deal (better than online). I won’t show you which bike I’m planning on getting just yet but I’ll wait until the purchase is final. You’ll just have to wait and see! :) I can’t wait to be riding around the city, this is long overdue!

How was your weekend? Tell me some details!
Did you have any great meals?

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Filed under food, RW Summer Run Streak, shopping, weekend

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May 29, 2012

Light Spinach, Feta, and Veggie Frittata Recipe and Special Deliveries

Today’s Workout: 4.75 miles on the AlterG treadmill, PT exercises

Before I get into anything else, I want to share with you all an easy, quick, and tasty recipe I made for breakfast the other day! Being off from school has allowed me to try out cool recipes and actually eat a real breakfast (instead of my normal on-the-go Clif bar). I love doing this and wish I could do it all the time but somehow get paid handsomely :) In my dreams!

Light Spinach and Feta Veggie Frittata
*This feeds ~2 people. Adjust ingredients as needed for more people!

Ingredients:

  • 1 eggs and 6 egg whites, beaten together
  • Light or fat-free Feta Cheese (I used TJs fat free feta)
  • 1 small potato, chopped
  • 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1/4 cup frozen spinach, drained
  • Black pepper & salt
  • 1 teaspoon light butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to broil setting.
2. In a bowl, use a fork to blend together the egg and egg whites, pepper and salt for seasoning.
3. Heat a non-stock, oven safe skillet (I used a 9.5 inch diameter pan) over medium-high heat. Add light butter to the pan and melt.
4. Add potato and saute about 5 minutes (you may have to cover the pan to help potatoes cook on the inside). Add the onion and pepper to the pan and cook until all three vegetables reach desired softness.
5. Mix in the spinach and cook until warm. Pour egg mixture into pan and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the mixture is spread out evenly between vegetables.
6. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the mixture sets on the bottom and begins to set on the top. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top of the mixture as it sets.


7. Place the entire pan into oven and broil for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned on top.
8. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

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Today was day 2 of the 2012 Runner’s World Summer Running Streak. I spoke about it before, but basically the challenge is to run everyday, at least one mile a day, from Memorial Day to July 4. Yesterday was my 4 mile race and today I did 4.75 miles on the Alter G antigravity treadmill at physical therapy. I love that thing! If only I could run at 70% of my body weight all the time. It was a very pleasant run and I watched a daytime show “The Revolution”, hosted by Tim Gunn. It was the first time I’ve ever seen this show and it was interesting for the treadmill but in my opinion.. its not really DVR-worthy.

I also got some great deliveries in the mail recently: Nuun tablets and Sweat Pink swag!

In case you don’t know about Nuun, according to the website it is “a family of drink tabs that help you drink more water so you can feel good and keep going all day.” Basically Nuun is little tablets that you put into 16 oz of water that give it a flavor and help you stay hydrated (because you are drinking water) and energized (because it includes vitamins). And it tastes good!

The beauty of Nuun

I’ve tried a few flavors and love it! I don’t drink coffee so some mornings I’ll have this to wake me up when I’m super tired. And it works for me, I always feel energized and alert after drinking it. Plus, I’m basically attached at the hip to my water bottle during the day so this is a nice way to get some flavor in there (without the sugar or carbonation). I also drink it before, during, and/or after workouts to keep hydrated, replenish electrolytes, and to prevent cramps.

I’ve had some of the original Nuun flavors and last week I ordered a 4 pack of the newest flavors from Nuun: Nuun All Day. These have under 8 calories per tab and include “a blend of A, B, C, D, E vitamins.” So far I’ve had Blueberry Pomegranate and really like the flavor. But I’m a pomegranate freak so I’m biased :) I can’t wait to try out all the other flavors too. Love me some Nuun.

Another package that came in the mail this week was my Sweat Pink swag! I recently became a Sweat Pink Ambassador and part of being in this group of wonderful women means that you get some cool gear. I wasn’t expecting it this soon, so it was a nice surprise to see this. What I received was a Sweat Pink tank top which I am absolutely obsessed with and a whole bunch of pink laces. So cute!

Here’s my wonderful iPhone self-portrait in my tank top, with my face cut out because I looked like a disaster and didn’t want to scare you all.

I have a few giveaways coming up and one of them will be some Sweat Pink laces to a few readers. They are super cute and pink (my favorite color) which you will love! Stay posted for a few giveaways in the future, I have to set them up first.

Have you ever tried Nuun? Favorite flavor?
Did those doing the RW Summer Run streak run today?
Sweat Pink Ambassadors: Do you love your swag as much as I do?!!

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Filed under blogging, Nuun, recipes, RW Summer Run Streak, Sweat Pink

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May 23, 2012

38 Days of Running

Today’s Workout: 4 miles on treadmill, PT lower body strengthening exercises

I took a few days off from running after Saturday’s Brooklyn Half Marathon to recover and also because I had a bit of a tweak in my back. I’ve always had back problems (minor scoliosis) but I’m just adding this to the litany of running injuries I’ve had recently. Not sure why my body is revolting against me! Stop it Megan!

Luckily though I’m already feeling pretty much back to normal. I think it was just a minor strain, thankfully. But I do need to pay more attention to my back, so in the next few days I’m going to get a list of some of the best back exercises together and share them with you all! Stay tuned!

Today I foam rolled my leg and hopped on the treadmill for the first time since Saturday. I ended up running 4 miles pretty pain-free (although not completely). I tried not to use the IT Band strap on this run and ran for about 2.5 mile in my Brooks Adrenaline’s without it. I started to feel a tweak so I put it on and ran another half mile. I’ve also been slowly incorporating my new Saucony Kinvara 2 minimalist shoes into my runs so I switched into them for the last mile.

So bright and so pink, just my style :)

I have to say these shoes are awesome! I’m really falling in love. After I put them on, I took off the IT Band strap just to test it out for pain. The result: hardly any pain (even after it had already started around mile 2.5). I ran only one mile in them though. I’m not saying these are a cure, but I’m having positive experiences so far with these beauties. The more I run in them though, the more I’ll be able to tell. My form does seem to be better when I run in these, or maybe that’s all in my head :)

I’m happy to be increasing the distance of my runs without pain. I am running the Staten Island Memorial Day 4m race on Monday and I’m hoping to have a great race. I’m not running for time, but I’m running with my two sisters and want to really enjoy it. Monday is a holiday after all!

So I know there’s a lot of you out there with IT Band pain too and I’m wondering how you all are doing. Have you tried anything that’s worked? I’d love to hear about it!

I still hate my IT Band!

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Did anyone else hear about the super cool Runner’s World Summer Running Streak challenge?! I think I may try to do it, it’ll keep me motivated this summer! Basically RW does this every so often where they challenge runners to run every day for a certain amount of time. This time, this is what they are asking:

Run at least one mile per day, every day, starting on Memorial Day (Monday, 5/28) and ending on Independence Day (Wednesday, 7/4). That’s 38 consecutive days of running. Tell us about your progress in the comments, or share updates on Twitter using the hashtag #RWRunStreak. 

Um, seriously, 38 days of running? YES! Even though I’m getting over an injury, I think this is a challenge I can do. One mile doesn’t hurt my knee. Most days I’ll probably run more because during June I’ll be training but on “rest” days I’ll just run a slow 1 mile instead. Honestly, 38 days is nothing. Especially when you hear this: There is a man named Dr. Harvey Simon who ran everyday for 30 YEARS straight. Here he is with his daughter…

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Its an old article that I read about him and I wonder if his streak is still going, but its very impressive that he ran for so long, at least one mile a day! When the article was written, the last day he hadn’t run was October 30, 1978. Yep, that’s 10 years before I was born. Simon even planned business trips in such a way that he could run during layovers. Now that’s dedication!!

Keeping that in mind, I think I can run 1 mile a day for 38 days. Who else wants to do this!!?

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Did anyone watch the Glee season finale? I was disappointed with the ending, there’s so many question marks and I also wasn’t thrilled with what happened to Finchel! Thoughts? Also, did anyone else think that Rachel’s outfit that she wore in NYC look ridiculous to anyone else? I mean who wears hats like that? It was totally her characters style but I thought it was funny watching her walk around the city in it.

I guess we’ll have to wait til next year for some answers with this show!

How was your run today?
What is your longest running streak?
-Not long, maybe two weeks or so,

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Filed under injuries, IT Band Syndrome, races, running motivation, RW Summer Run Streak, treadmill

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