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Mind Or Matter?

I don’t know what’s racing faster – my mind or my legs this afternoon!! I’m starting to feel really overwhelmed with the amount of computer work I have to do after exercise, dinner and blogging in the evenings. When I finish it all, it’s time for bed. Not a moment to relax! Hopefully I can catch up on the relaxation on the weekends. And time is flying fast too – it’s almost February.

Here’s a photo of me snapped during today’s presentation! Holding up a sweet potato (I think!?)

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Superfoods board pride! [With a hair net 😉 ]

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We were in meetings all afternoon and I was starving by the time I got in my car at 4:30! Today I packed a Nuttzo + Cranberry Jam sandwich on Dakota to have for a snack.

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It was pretty small though and I wished I had twice as much!

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I ate some dried raspberries too

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Almost dug into more of my snack stash but I told myself to wait 20 minutes to let the sandwich settle and sure enough, hunger passed with time.

When I got home I knew I didn’t have much daylight left, so I literally raced out my front door and ran like the wind. When you don’t have much time, intensity is more important!

I like doing speed runs on Wednesdays because both daylight and my husband inspire me to finish the run as fast as possible.

Check out my fastest splits ever!

  1. 8:31
  2. 8:33
  3. 8:27
  4. 8:13 (<--- aimed for 8:26 and overshot!)

I did about 4.2 miles as fast as I could do steadily.

A few tips for running faster:

  • If you want to learn to run faster, you have to ….run faster! So run with someone who is just a wee bit faster than you and wear yourself out. A few times.
  • At first your legs might hold you back or perhaps your lungs hold you back. Then one day they will match up and all of a sudden you’ll drop 10-15 seconds from your pace.
  • Sprint up hills on your toes.
  • Rest on the peaks
  • Widen your stance on the downhill
  • You. Will. Breathe. Hard. That’s what running faster is all about!

I was totally huffin’ and puffin’ throughout my run and came back beat:

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While I ran, Matt made his weekly soup: Golden Squash. Sadly, the recipe was a big flop. But it’s not his fault – we think the squash was old or something. The acorn squashes I have roasted lately have been golden and thick and this one was watery and like spaghetti squash on the inside 🙁

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Ingredients:

  • Roasted acorn squash (a big one)
  • Pureed apple
  • Chicken broth (~1 cup)
  • Ginger
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • Garlic
  • Salt + pepper
  • Parmesan
  • Red pepper flakes

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The part of dinner that was excellent was a slice of Dakota bread with a bit of butter!

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Afterwards, I had a taste of the orange peel chocolate Chelsea sent me recently!

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I FOUND A GOLDEN TIIIIIIII-CKET!!!

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As Chels would say, YOM!

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***haiti-trace-green

 DIANA is holding a blog bake sale for Haiti tonight and time is running out. LOTS of delicious goodies up for auction!

***

On to finish my work and start the cycle over again! Guf!!

[It might snow this weekend!!! ]

***
Edited to add: Totally forgot to mention that we stirred pineapple chicken leftovers into the soup too!!!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. Cynthia (It All Changes) says

    Sorry the recipe was a flop.

    I feel you on the rush feeling some days. My long days are aweful and I feel like I never have time to finish it all. Thankfully tomorrow is my long day but it is shortened because a meeting is cancelled.

    Reply

  8. Jessica @ The Process of Healing says

    Good tips on running faster!! I will try them when I can run again, can’t wait!! 🙂 And congrats on the fastest splits! Yay!!!!!!

    And I totally feel the same way. it’s all go go go and never time to relax… GAH. Need some time to breathe lol You need to take some time to yourself!

    Reply

  9. Lauren says

    I noticed the same with squash lately. I guess it is going out of season which totally blows! Oh well, I welcome seasonal veggies. 🙂

    Great run Kath!

    Reply

  14. Jenny says

    Gosh, you just described my feelings to a tee! I am definitely feeling a cycle starting for the semester, and my weekends will be much appreciated. Hope you get some R&R tonight!

    And thanks for the running tips–I like your first point, “if you want to run faster then you must…run faster!”

    Reply

  15. KathyZS says

    Well Kath, Consider this as good training for motherhood. I LOVE my kids, but never feel like I have any down time. AND it is also good training for owning your own bakery!!! People who work for themselves are very busy all the time!!!

    I don’t run – the reason why is probably TMI, but think Dolly Parton 😉 , but I have kicked up my walking pace lately and have been dropping 1 lb to 1. 5 lbs per week – soon I will be back at goal and living a full time healthy lifestyle, which is why I love visiting you. Wish my hubby and kids would eat a healthy veggie based vegetarian meal ( said after we devoured a store bought rotisserie chicken tonight!)

    Reply

  16. Wendy says

    Think you have no time to relax now? Just wait ’til you have KERFlings! Just kidding…sorta. I’m sure your schedule will be a little more manageable when you don’t have to spend so much time driving! Last night I sat down & watched TV for the first time in I don’t know how long, and thought it was heavenly.

    Great run! On downhills, I like to visualize myself running perpendicular to the hill, and keeping my form as close to normal as I can. I’ve been running faster lately, too, and a big part of the reason is because I always seem to be in a hurry to get done and go someplace else. Babysitters don’t like it when you’re late to pick up your kids! But I also think I’ve had the lungs + legs “click”, so that my usual pace is faster.

    Reply

  19. shihui says

    Hi! I am a reader from singapore! Been following ur blog for many months already! love ur food creations! looks really yummy! Ive been wanting to ask you.. is it okay to run long distances almost daily? Will it cause a strain on the body (knees, ligaments.. etc)? Ive been running slightly more than 3 miles daily and my knees are already making noisies!

    Reply

    • Kath says

      Coming from someone who has had foot surgery, I do NOT think it’s OK to run everyday. I think you need cross training in your life, even if it’s yoga or walking. But some people are able to run daily without injury and be OK, so it’s not a hard rule. But since your knees are bothering you…

      Reply

  23. Hannah says

    As a certified chocolate lover, I giggled when I saw that your Chocolove bar is the only flavour of theirs that I wouldn’t touch with a fifty-foot pole – how you feel about onions is, I assume, how I feel about orange peel! But Chocolove’s almond and sea salt bar is heavenly, if you ever get the chance to try it…

    Reply

  28. Emily Eats and Exercises says

    Thanks for the running faster advice. I need to push my pace more often. My running partner is definitely faster than me so that helps, but I still have a few minutes I’d like to shave off my time. I’ll keep chugging along…

    Reply

  29. Katie @ Health for the Whole Self says

    Thanks for the reminder that huffing and puffing is not always a bad thing! It’s just what I needed to hear right now. Plus, reading your words about pushing yourself to get faster, and then seeing a photo of you smiling, is a great reminder that challenging your body can be FUN! 🙂

    Reply

  31. Stephanie says

    I completely understand the insanity of an overstuffed schedule. So good that you’re still fitting in your healthy lifestyle.Good luck keeping up the pace! And, thanks for sharing with all of us! 🙂

    Reply

  32. Mama Pea says

    I think you need to find a way to have some YOU time. This coming from a mom 😉 Is skipping an evening post an option…combining two posts into one? I’m sure no one would mind!

    Reply

  34. Tammy @ Defining Wellness says

    Hi Kath! I completely understand your feeling about not having enough time in the day to do everything. I was just talking to my husband about this — I wish American society would change the whole 8-hour work day concept . . . it doesn’t leave nearly enough time to do everything else!

    Reply

  35. Sarah says

    Be careful with your advice for running faster – running up hills on your toes and widening your stance on the downhill can lead to injury!

    Reply

  38. Adrien says

    It’s so funny that people miss the whole to run faster you have to run faster. I always knew that was the case, but breathing harder then normal always makes me scared! Tonight I did a track workout though and I’m beginning to trust my body a little more each time!

    Reply

  39. Amanda says

    Thanks for the running tips. It may seem obvious to “runners”, but those of us who are still learning our way sometimes get swayed by misreading our body’s efforts at working hard with possible injury. Breathing hard = necessary, and something i sometimes give in to. Not next time!

    Reply

  43. Chris says

    Great running tips! You look great and so happy in that post-run picture.

    One thing about doing hills – going more towards your toes is ok (most of us are heel strikers, so using a midfoot strike would help), but be careful not to be ON them! We used to do hill sprints in HS, and I put too much pressure on my metatarsal and stress fractured it because I’d go on my toes too much. My coach told me to shrink my stride and increase my turnover on hills, so maybe you can try that too?

    Reply

  44. AnnQ says

    Nice run! I think it’s always good to change it up to keep your body off balance so more calories get burned up….good cross-training, too! 🙂

    Reply

  45. Sara says

    hey kath,
    i know your blog (or your exercise routine) focuses on more advanced runners, but do you have any tips for those just starting out? i’m a regular exerciser but never run — right now, i’m so slow — 12 min. miles — and my legs seem to give out after 15-20 min, but my lungs are fine. (which makes sense, i usually exercise for an hour+ on the machines, and i’m otherwise in good shape). how do i work my way up? i thought it would be simple to run a 5k, but it’s proven a lot harder than i thought!

    Reply

    • Kath says

      Sara,
      To be perfectly honest, I have always been able to run and really don’t remember how I went from 2-3 miles to 7-8. I think just a slow steady incline. So I’m really not the best person to give tips for beginners. I will try to think of some on my next run though 🙂

      Reply

    • Janice @ O.S.M.B. says

      I’m totally with you, and when I first started running a while back I did the run/walk method which was awesome for working my way up. I started with run 2 minutes, walk 3 (very beginner level), then run 3 walk 2, then run 4 walk 1, and eventually I ended up running a marathon at run 5 walk 1. If you’re aspiring for a full out constant run, just keep minimizing the walking until you don’t need it anymore.

      I found this to be super helpful for the body and the motivation. Those days it was hard to get out running, I would up the walking, and usually once I got started I’d cut it back again. Worked for me!

      Reply

  47. Alison says

    Hi Kath – what a fast run! Nice job! I find that the only way I get faster is by doing speedwork either up hills, like you said, or on the track. I spent a lot of time this fall at the local high school track doing 200m sprints and it dropped my 5K time to 24 minutes. I was really happy with that. It looks like you have a lot going on … best of luck keeping balanced!

    Reply

  48. Ashley says

    Girl – I totally feel you…well not with my current situation. However, last spring I was training for a 1/2 marathon, working 40+hrs/week, starting ota.bars and doing a design competition [for fun]. It was INtense and I barely had time to breathe. Buuuut, I got through it and you will too!!! 🙂 I can’t imagine working through what your inbox probably looks like after a long day of work. Mad props Kath!!! xo

    Reply

  50. Fallon says

    I had an acorn squash that was the same way! Really mushy and yellow, didn’t taste like it usually did. After that I announced I’m over squash for the season. I’m squashed out and that didn’t make it any better!

    Reply

  52. tiffany says

    great pic of you after run.. you are glowing! I made the kobucha and broccoli dish..YUM to the E!!!
    so good, but So filling..it fills my belly very fast and then takes awhile to process.. but that squash alone is addictive. almost tastes nutty??>
    Maybe you should take some pressure off your self for blogging thru the day? Or only do it in the morning, or every other day?? why burn your self out??? LIfe is short.. I appreciate all your check in’s, but why not consolidate???

    Reply

  53. Jen says

    I love your running tips! Hills are great way to improve your running ability. You look phenomenal in your pics today! So healthy!

    Reply

  54. Cassie @ A Very Busy Mind says

    Kath, I think it’s awesome that you’re able to wait the recommended 20 minutes to let your fullness cues be heard. That’s a really difficult thing to do for most people (including myself).

    Have you always been good at this or did it take practice?

    Reply

  56. Janice @ O.S.M.B. says

    Another tip for running faster… I learned a long time ago that your arms and your legs have to move at the same pace when you’re running (I’ve tried many times to prove it wrong, yet no luck), so when I’m hoping to speed up I focus on moving my arms faster and sure enough my legs follow!

    Reply

  58. Amanda @ Cakes and Ale says

    I’m learning to run faster as well. One thing that is helping me is to stick to a mileage distance that is easy enough to work on speed. For instance, right now I’m working on bringing my time down for 3 miles… but a beginner might want to start with 2. Once you’ve gotten to the speed you want, you can start upping the mileage.

    Reply

  60. Sarah says

    Thanks for the tips about running faster! I already run with a girl faster than me but I usually let her go ahead…next time I’ll try harder to keep up 🙂 I’m taking the hills tips too! Thank you thank you.

    Reply

  62. Nicole says

    Kath, I love what you said about running faster. I know that they’re all common sense tips, but common sense sometimes fails even the best of us! LOL I’ve been having trouble lately upping my running game, and I think it was because there was some kind of fear in me to work harder and breathe heavier! I definitely got too comfortable where I was, and so when I would start running faster and then subsequently get more tired, I’d slow down. What a waste! You inspired me today, and I ran my fastest interval yet. So thank you! 🙂

    Reply

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