Changes

I have decided to change things up around this little old blog.

When I first started blogging, back in 2012, I had some big running goals that I thought I would accomplish within the next year.  

Fast forward 3 years, and I still have not run a marathon, I still have not gotten a sub 2:00 half time, and I still have never run a 5k. 

I did sign up for a marathon, but never actually trained and therefore never ran it.  

Four half marathons have come and gone, but the time is still over 2:00.

How am I supposed to get a sub 30:00 5k time, if I never actually run a 5k?

So having the blog title of Running My Way to a Full just doesn't feel right any more.  I still have intentions of running a full marathon, I just have no idea when that will happen.

This year, I kept having feelings of guilt when I would blog.  I felt like I wasn't living up to my blog name.  I started blogging because I like writing, and I liked the connections I made from reading other people's blogs.  With the guilt, I didn't feel like I could keep those connections because I felt like a fake. 

I'm hoping a blog face lift and some goal evaluations will bring back the joy of blogging.

With that, welcome to the new Wooden Spoon Running!  It's still a work in progress, aka I really have no idea how to use Blogger effectively, so I'll be making more changes/updates over the next few weeks.

Why Wooden Spoon?  My maiden name means wooden spoon in German, and it's been a nickname since elementary school :)

What has this Wooden Spoon been up to lately?

Still running, just low mileage.  I need to build a better mileage base before I jump into anymore "training" plans. 

I've been getting up at 5am to get my runs in!  This way, I have no excuses (I need to make dinner, it's too hot this afternoon, I'm tired, I have to mow the law, etc) for skipping them later in the day.

Trying to calm my David's Tea addiction so I don't go broke.  So. Many. Flavors! I want them all!!

A little hard to see, but I currently have 23 flavors of tea on my wish list...23!

I am still working on these weight goals and rewards.

180 - Running Shoes

175 - Hydration Vest

170 - Subscription to a running magazine

165 - Pedicure

160 - New sports bras

155 - New workout clothes

152 - Wardrobe shopping spree

 I'm FINALLY out of the 80's, and wearing my new running shoes!! Booyah!

Nick and I built a pergola and fence in our back yard.  Well, Nick and my stepdad did most of it, I just cut a few boards... They did such a great job, I love it!

I work at a college, and one of our employee benefits is free classes.  I'm taking advantage this semester, and I'm taking a nutrition course.

Having conversations with Nick about starting our family and making babies :)  Not happening for about another year, but it never hurts to plan early!

Just loving life in general!

I look forward to reconnecting, and getting back into the groove of blogging regularly.

Weigh-In

Happy Weigh-In Wednesday!

Starting: 183.1

Last Week: 182.5

This Week: 180.7

Total Lost: -2.4

I had this same exact weigh-in on June 24th.  It's frustrating that I haven't made much progress on the scale in the past month, but I have been making progress in other areas.

I feel better overall.  My clothes fit more comfortably.  Running is becoming easier.  I don't get winded going up and down stairs.  I'm not as tired.

Living a healthy lifestyle is about more than just a number on the scale.  While I would really like to see a lower number, at least I know I'm still making improvement in my health.

Next week, I will be out of the 80's, and into my new running shoes!

Speaking of running, I had my first run of the week last night, and the first run of the 3:00 run/:30 walk intervals.  It started of kind of  shitty, for real, I had to stop at the bathroom in the park around mile 1.5...my stomach didn't feel good, I couldn't hit my stride, and my legs felt like cement blocks.  Eventually, I got it together though, and had some crazy negative splits.

4.20 miles - 10:33 average pace

My last full mile was 1:16 QUICKER than my first mile. Hot damn.

Towards the middle of my run, I kept thinking, if I just run faster during my running intervals, I'll be finished quicker, so I put it into overdrive and finished as fast as I could.

Today, I have 4 miles on the schedule.  No range, just 4 miles. 

Link up with Winter and Cassi to share your weigh-in, and cheer on your fellow bloggers!

Weekly Rundown 7/27-8/2

Hello, everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend!

Nick and I went camping this weekend.  It was just us and the dogs, and it was glorious.  Usually, we go with my family, but this time decided to take a solo trip.  The entire weekend was extremely relaxing and chill.  We napped, a lot, ate a lot of delicious, and for the most part, healthy, campfire food, enjoyed a few cocktails (not so healthy), and took a few leisurely hikes.

I had been feeling very ragged and tired the past week, and a relaxing weekend is just what I needed!  It did affect my training plan a bit: i.e. I skipped runs, but I'm not concerned.  My tired legs and mind needed the rest.

Here's the rundown of last week.

Monday

Cross Train

2.14 mile walk with dogs

Strength Training

Tuesday

2.32 mile walk with dogs

3-4 miles

3.56 mile run in 38:50

Wednesday

2.04 mile walk with dogs

Strength Training

2-3 miles

2.08 mile run in 20:34

Thursday

2.05 mile walk with dogs

3-4 miles

4.12 mile run in 44:41

Friday

REST

2.08 mile hike

Strength

Saturday

5-6 miles

2.02 mile hike

Sunday

2-3 miles

Strength

My legs have been hella sore and tired this past week.  Despite lots of stretching, I've been in pain.  My hamstrings were so tight that my back of my knees felt bruised.  It hurt to even touch my legs!  Instead of walking, I basically have been hobbling around.  I feel really guilty that I skipped my last two runs of the week, but I think it was for the best.  Today, my legs feel great and I'm ready to get back at it!

This week's training plan goes like this:

Monday

Cross Train

I have a PiYo DVD from over a year ago that I never opened.  I'm going to finally give it a try tonight.  And of course, I'll walk the dogs.

Tuesday

Strength

4-5 miles

I am going to start easing out of the walking intervals I've been doing.  This week, I am going to start by bumping my running times to 3:00 minutes.  Intervals will now be 3:00 running/:30 walking.

Wednesday 

3 miles

Thursday

Strength

4 miles

Friday

REST

Saturday

Strength

6-7 miles

Sunday

2-3 miles

I found this quote today, and it really hit home for me so I decided to share :)

I hope that YOUR week is off to a great start!

Weighing In and Working Out

This week's weigh-in was pretty lame.

I've been pretty darn active since last Wednesday, so I had high hopes for this weigh-in.  I actually woke up excited to weigh myself, thinking I would be out of the 80's, and would be able to start wearing my new running shoes.

Alas, I'm up .6 from last week.  I was so shocked to see a higher number, that I got off and on the scale a few times to make sure I wasn't crazy.

Since we went camping over the weekend, I didn't eat the greatest those couple days, but otherwise, my nutrition has been spot on.  I have stayed within my calorie range the rest of the week, eating healthy foods to fill those calories, and haven't had any candy.

Though I'm bummed, I'm not going to let a bad weigh-in get me down.  I'm going to keep trucking with my workouts, and will work harder in the nutrition department.  

Nick and I are camping again this week, but it's just the two of us so I can control our menu for the weekend.  I'm going to work out a camping meal plan today, and make sure we eat WELL this time.

On Monday, I shared my workouts from the past week of 7/20-7/26, and this week's workout schedule.  So far, this is how the week has gone.

Monday

2.14 mile walk with the dogs

21-Day Strength Challenges: I found these basic strength challenges on Pinterest to help me ease into add strength training to my training plan.

Tuesday

2.32 mile walk with dogs

3-4 mile run - 3.56 miles in 38:50

This was a tough one!  At 8pm, it was still 79 degrees and HUMID!  The air just felt wet.  Before I reached the end of my block, I was already covered in sweat.

Today, I have a 2-3 mile run scheduled, which I plan to do as a tempo run.  I am also on Day 3 of the strength challenges so I will be doing 8 reps X3 of each move.  I will most likely also squeeze in a 2+ mile walk with the dogs before bed.

Weekly Rundown 7/20-7/26

Monday

2.07 mile walk

Tuesday

2.04 mile walk

3-4 mile run - 3.37 miles

This was my first run on my new training plan.  The plan has me running 5 times a week, with mileage ranges for each day.  Each run, I aim to run the higher end of the mileage range, but sometimes, it just doesn't work out.  I am using run/walk intervals (2:30 run/:30 walk) until my legs gain strength and my breathing comes easier.  

Wednesday

2.25 mile walk

2-3 mile run - 2.48 miles

I pushed myself with this run, working on speed.  Even though I am taking walking breaks, I am very happy with my pace.

Thursday

2.36 mile walk

3-4 mile run - My legs were DEAD so I chose to forgo the run, and stretched a lot instead.

My legs were so tired and sore that I just couldn't make myself run!

Friday

REST

Legs were still really tired so I took a true rest day, and didn't do any activity other than stretching.

Saturday

1.58 mile hike

1.72 mile hike

2-3 mile run - 2.08 miles

We went camping with my family this weekend at a small campground.  The trails were pretty short, so I did a double hike to get some extra activity in.  First, I went with Nick and the dogs, and then my nephew wanted to go so I took another loop with him.  It was a rather humid and steamy day, and I put off running for the longest time.  I almost didn't go at all, but finally talked myself into it.  I did the same hiking loop, with some added road running to get at least 2 miles.  Trail running is difficult, but a lot of fun!  The varying terrain helps focus my mind on the trail and my form rather than how tired I am.

Sunday

4-5 mile long run - 5.18

Everything about this run felt good!  I would have liked to see faster mile times, but I wanted to go with an easy pace so I could cover some good mileage.  Overall, very happy with how this run went!

This past week, I completed a total of 10 workouts.  Per my rewards system, I banked $20 (10 workouts X $2 each) for my shopping spree fund!  After work, I need to go grocery shopping so I'm going to take $20 out at an ATM to stash away in a safe place at home.

This weeks training plan looks like this:

Monday

Cross Train

I will walk the dogs, and I plan on doing upper and lower strength training circuits.

Tuesday

3-4 miles

Wednesday

2-3 miles

Thursday

3-4 miles

Friday

REST

Saturday

5-6 miles

Sunday

2-3 miles

Happy Monday, everyone!