Sunday Lately for this 30-Something: Week 57

Blogger Tribe_Sunday LatelySunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). Every Sunday morning, the Tribe shares a small glimpse into the last week β€” and I’m sharing along, too. Every week, a new theme is released for all of us to post and share links through one of the host’s post. I’m so happy that I found this amazing community of bloggers! And look forward to all that I can learn from them. All are welcome, so if you’re a blogger looking for his or her Tribe, click through and join us in the Blogger Tribe Facebook group.

Sunday Lately, week 57

This week’s themes: Doing, Appreciating, Designing, Humming, Expecting.

Doing: Prepping for BOUT DAY! For a long time, I had a very specific game day ritual (and order of things). After being gone for a season, I wonder what new little quirks and superstitions I’ve picked up. This morning, I’ll also be doing things like cleaning my wheels and bearings (the rink we skate in is SUPER dusty). Also, picking out a Boutfit β€” what the heck am I going to wear???

Appreciating: We had a contractor come out this weekend to repair some random drywalling and replace trim around our windows in the attic bedroom. This guy worked THE ENTIRE DAY, and didn’t leave until after 6pm. He basically finished everything, and has to come back one more day only to paint the attic. And holy crap, I cannot express how much I appreciate his work ethic!

Designing: I’m currently designing my February plan/challenge around the theme of RELAX. Boy howdy (do city girls say that?), my stress is at a critical mass right now. But I have an action plan to, hopefully, keep my anxiety at bay this month.

Humming: THIS song is my Bout Day theme song. {Explicit lyrics warning!}

I’m a huge old school hip-hop fan (but especially Missy Elliott), and I even have my own lyrics to the chorus that I hum and sing to myself that pertain to roller derby and game day. πŸ˜‰

Expecting: I have some serious false assumptions about time. Mainly, the amount of time it takes me to do or complete something. This expectation frequently prevents me from using my time wisely. For example, I *really* wanted a hard-boiled egg on my salad and peeling eggs is on my Things That Are Basically The Worst list, despite having 6 minutes left on the oven for my Quinoa patty to finish. I basically had to out-loud yell at myself: JUST PEEL THE EFFIN’ EGG. But with the real swears. It took less than two minutes, by the way.

This same line of thinking has prevented me from doing a lot of my strength and core workouts. I KNOW that I can do this certain HIIT body workout and it only takes TWELVE STUPID MINUTES of my life, but I decide that I don’t have enough of those minutes on this particular day. I’m expecting everything to take MUCH longer than it does, and holy wow, did I have a bitch-slap moment because of that darn egg.

I hope you have a lovely Sunday! (I’m making egg salad now.)

Weekly Therapy: And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should

the week:
That subject quote came up in a Timehop post from, like, 7 years ago — and it’s still ever-applicable. Although I don’t know what the universe is trying to tell me with all this insomnia and stress.

I’ve been having an opposite sleeplessness problem as of late. In the past, I’ve struggled with falling asleep; now, I can crash pretty quickly, but find myself WIDE AWAKE only after an hour or two… and completely unable to fall back asleep. Sometimes I’ll stir in the dark just staring at the ceiling; others, I’ll flip-flop mindlessly for hours and then finally grab my phone or iPad. Yeah, I know, no devices in the bedroom. I tried that for a while. I’ve removed the TV. I’ve removed my boyfriend. It didn’t work (nor do drugs or ear plugs or cold bedrooms or going to bed every day at 8:30 and waking up at my first alarm or sleeping with a sweatshirt tied around my face to block any light). Ironically, I find myself falling asleep easier when I’m reading or playing a word puzzle on my phone, or petting the cat. But I just. cannot. stay. asleep.

I stopped drinking coffee in the afternoon, but I am definitely drinking more in the morning. I haven’t tried a full coffee stop because that just sounds like a terrible, no-good idea. So, I’m frustrated and I feel like crap to boot basically for two weeks straight and now I’m PMS’ing. YAY. #sorryforcrabby

weekend:
Hey, I’m playing in a mixed scrimmage this Sunday! (I’m a Hero!)

seven things, seven days:
1. I missed the initial memo about changes in our office dress code… but, YAY more casual days!
2. I finished “The Girl on the Train” this week (my first and only book of 2016! Big difference from last year). If you’ve read it, did you like the ending? I did NOT.
3. THIS IS SO FASCINATING!!! 8 things that practicers do differently {via Bulletproof Musician}
4. From the perspective of elite achievers: If you’re busy, you’re doing something wrong. {via Cal Newport}
5. The Pi Day 5K is back! I’ll likely register for this virtual race taking place on 3.14(16), since I don’t have anything currently on my March calendar.
6. Since I’m currently (half-assed) training for a challenge race, I came across this helpful post for Training Tips for Challenge Races. My motivation is nil right now.
7. What you can learn from William Hung about perseverance. {via Pacific-Standard}

Product Review: Wantable Fitness Edit

This post contains referral links.

Since I work out a lot and generally wear casual clothing, I like the idea of a Stitch Fix-esque subscription service for athletic apparel. I recently signed up for my first Wantable Fitness Edit [referral link] because I’ve been bored (and somewhat) disappointed with Fabletics lately, which I’ve subscribed to for a couple years (certainly not purchasing every month, but have had a good run). Fabletics bottoms have been awesome, but their tops are just plain awful in regards to quality, material and sizing (I even tried a dress once, which had ZERO STRETCH, and just no).

I received five items from Wantable to try on at home, with a good variety in items and brands. Wantable offers a similar discount to Stitch Fix when you purchase everything from your box. Imagine my immediate disappointment, then, when I received an incorrect item in my Edit. Wantable customer service took care of the problem via email AND offered a discount (in form of a return) when I returned the incorrect item and if I purchased the other four things (which, I did). There was no charge for returning items.

For athletic brands, I am all over the place in terms of sizing – and somewhere between an XS and S (even though I’m generally a size 2 in street clothing). Even at lulu, while I am regularly a 4, some of the same-numbered-sizes tops can be too tight in the band or upper arms. Often in other brands, I cannot fit bottoms over my calves (sometimes, more incredulously, over my thighs); I guess my shoulders are kind of broad for a broad my size too. SHRUG.

Wantable Fitness Edit, apparel, exercise, 30-something

Here’s what I got in my first Fitness Edit (prices indicated are full-price before discount):

1. Glyder Elongate Legging Spanish Tile Jacquard XS ($70.00): I love the pattern on these, and think that I would wear them for both exercise and casual. Although, I was a little disappointed at their performance in hot yoga (falling down in the back/band stretching out). These are pretty tight-fitting in the legs, otherwise, so I can’t imagine wearing something SMALLER than an XS – these already were difficult changing into after sweating/freezing outside from my run (note: I haven’t run in them yet; don’t think I would either) and OMG they are a little tight on my large-for-my-body calves. Fabric quality and stretch is definitely in line with the price though. Even better with the “buy all the items” discount.

2. Shape Active 2-in-1 Twist Back Athletic Tank Heather Crystalline XS ($58.00): I LOVED this top, so much so that I was willing to overlook the fact that I could barely pull the bra on. There was ZERO stretch, and I ended up ripping the seams open on the band (Seriously, WTF?!). I thought the top itself was still worth the price though, despite the awful bra (thankfully, they are separate pieces). The fit is perfect and the thin mesh layer in the open back was completely breathable – and it worked really well in hot yoga for me.

Wantable Fitness Edit, athletic apparel, 30something, shape sports bra

3. Pink Lotus Shirred Bust Racerback Bra XS (clearance item: $39.00): super cheap deal for adding another sports bra to my arsenal, so kind of hard to pass up. I loved the print, and the fit was pretty good, albeit a little bit snug on the bottom band (at least it stretches!); although, there was no separation for the bra pads (and it was impossible to get them to sit in the cups properly, so I removed them both because I would seriously rather have some pointy nip action than a uni-boob.

4. Prismsport Loose Tank XS ($48.00): I legit needed a top like this! Simple, racer-back style that fits really well. I like the semi-sheerness to show off a cute printed bra underneath. This will be a very versatile top for my varied workouts (though probably not in the dirty-ness of the CrossFit gym).

5. Trina Turk tank ($76.00) in a beautiful teal green (but a size Large, whomp). I LOVE the Trina Tank brand and have never tried their workout clothing. It looks to be of the same quality and design standards that you would expect from Trina Turk, however. Disappointed that this wasn’t meant for me. Though for a tank, I had a bit of sticker shock!

30-something Wantable Fitness Edit Trina Turk tank

My box was supposed to include another pair of pants – Moto Leggings from Pink Lotus (XS) that seemed to match the sports bra in the box (I couldn’t find my packing slip, and when you don’t purchase an item, the price doesn’t show online in my account, but I think they were priced around $78.00).

Overall, I like the subscription, and their customer service did good by me. I’ll certainly order another Fitness Edit in February – and I hope that I have more success with sizing and accuracy. If you’re interested in signing up for your own Fitness Edit, feel free to use my Wantable affiliate link! I promise that I’ll work on getting better pictures of this gear as I wear it, too!

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #7 + #8

Unfortunately, some unexpected travel and a sick day threw a wrench in my training/running plans on Week #7, so there’s not much to write about. For Week #8, I didn’t exactly get back on track but it was a whole lot of “it’s better than nothing.” Reality check, though: My training program has completely gone to shit, and I am less than a month away from this race weekend. I NEED a good week!

WEEK #7
MONDAY: [walked to/from work] Home team practice night for two hours. Our Monday night team practice overlaps with league practice, so right out of the gate we were working on offense scenarios. The remainder of the practice included a lot of hitting drills (1-on-1 and hammer-and-nail partner work) and a few rounds of “Get Lead!”

TUESDAY: Travel team tryouts, round 2! This session legit kicked. my. ass. But it felt so awesome. As you see in the pic, you know it’s derby season…

That’s two nights in a row though that I ended up having to leave the floor because I was bleeding. Yikes. BUT I made the team! WOO!

I have to tell you, too, that it is amazing how much my legs have already transformed in just under two months of skating. Roller skating is seriously the secret to a perfect butt! ;)

WEDNESDAY: Needed a rest day, and since it was going to be over 40 degrees later in the week, I was going to save my outdoor runs. I don’t mind so much running outside in this weather because I have the gear, but I would have had to lug SO MUCH STUFF with me to work. And… no. See also: I didn’t wake up until 8 am on Wednesday.

THURSDAY: I did this upper body strength workout at home with 10-lb. dumbbells.

30-something upper body workout

A great quick strength workout! No way could I do 5 rounds though (one round basically made my arms immobile), but something to work up to. It’s a burner, for sure, and you can squeeze in one round in less than 15 minutes.

Friday through Sunday were a complete bust due to travel and some seriously negative wind chills.

TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 3
TOTAL RUNS: ZERO. Awful.
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 0
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: Standing strong at 47.81

WEEK #8
MONDAY: Since I was traveling, I was lucky to set be up with a personal training appointment for the morning. The private facility where I was at, by the way, was incredible! We started with some dynamic stretching, then moved into a strength training workout. Most rounds had 15-rep exercises, except for push-ups, 10 is my max effort (the worst). The workout: Front Squats (with 45 pound bar), leg presses (didn’t note the weight, oops!), calf presses (same weight, didn’t switch plates), box step-ups (alternating legs), front row on a bar, bicep curls (10# dumbbells), tricep machine (I think we only had one plate on this one), and then ROWING. For the first round, the row was a 30-second fast-then-slow for 3 minutes; the second round, I had to go max effort for all 3 minutes, which… PUKE. I really do not like rowing. Afterward, we did some core work on the Bosu, and then she put me in this amazing stretching machine that I need in my house for real.

TUESDAY: Rest Day. I thought maybe that I would be really sore from my training session, but… I wasn’t. Β―\_(ツ)_/Β―

WEDNESDAY: THANK GOD for run//yoga//run// club. Our group leader almost talked me into doing spin instead of running outside but I was determined to get in some miles. I don’t care about no snow!

30something run outside winter snow

Because of the snow, however, we didn’t keep track of time. Our mileage was somewhere in the 3.2 range.

THURSDAY: Rest Day

FRIDAY: Well, it snowed. Again. And my fleece tights are somehow missing and/or in laundry purgatory. I plan to get an additional pair with these gift certificates from Christmas because… SERIOUSLY?! BUT, I walked to/from work AND I walked to the Strip District for lunch, so… OMG my toes will be cold forever, won’t they?

SATURDAY: SCRR canceled their morning group run. MEH. I found my fleece tights though, so I went out after the snow stopped in the afternoon and got in 3 miles. My pace was slow due to a LOT of slushy mess on the north side (average 11:26 pace), but I did some “bridge repeats” into/out of downtown because those sidewalks were the clearest.

SUNDAY: NOPE. Decided to meet up with some neighbors for brunch, where I proceeded to drink three mimosas and then let my afternoon go to shit. Maybe I just needed to do that today.

TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 2 (1 strength training; 1 yoga)
TOTAL RUNS: 2
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 6.2 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 54.01 miles

Sunday Lately: Week 56

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately And we’re back! After missing last week’s prompt, I’m catching up here with Week 56. Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). Every Sunday morning, the Tribe shares a small glimpse into the last week β€” and I’m sharing along, too. Every week, a new theme is release for all of us to post and share your link through one of the host’s post. I’m so happy that I found this amazing community of bloggers! All are welcome, so click through and join us in the Blogger Tribe Facebook group.

This week’s themes: Planning, Loving, Reading, Wishing, Feeling.

Planning: Another closet purge. I definitely fall into a “sunk cost” loop and really struggle with getting rid of things that I spent a good bit of money on (a pair of bright blue Hunters, a pair of too-big winter Sorels, two pairs (!!!) of Jeffrey Campbell platforms, and a Banana Republic wool coat, for starters). I haven’t had much luck on Poshmark aside from BUYING MORE, and then there is the annoyance (and expense) of shipping {my invite code is HPGQA if you’re interested in signing up and getting $10 for downloading the app!).

But I definitely do not feel joy by looking at these items, hanging out unworn.

Loving: I LOVE winter, so I am loving this recent snowstorm. Comfy PJ pants, good books, cats on laps, lots of hot chocolate… after running around like a crazy person outside first, of course!

30something wine book comfy pants

Reading: Speaking of good books, I borrowed “The Girl on the Train” from my neighbor after seeing a lot of great reviews on Goodreads, and it’s been a really enjoyable and interesting read (so far). You know, since we’re snowed in here in Pittsburgh, the weekend calls for this kind of cozy.

Wishing: Too much to wish for another snowstorm? πŸ˜€

Feeling: A little stressed from big decision making. I feel like I can’t adult. Maybe I need to read “The Paradox of Choice” again.

Weekly Therapy: Jetting forward and lagging behind

the week:
Well, I am positively exhausted. And I missed out on both Sunday Lately posts with my Blogger Tribe and am holding off on my Accountability Monday post until next week because… well, because last week’s training blog didn’t deserve its own post.

I’m catching up but now saddled with some extra, stressful shit on the homefront. SIGH. Also, I think I still have jet lag pretty bad or residual physiological exhaustion from my travel anxiety.

weekend:
This Sunday is the 5th Annual Yoga Expo at Pittsburgh Opera in the Strip District. I honestly don’t remember how I found out about this event (or remember even paying for it), but I did! My participation depends on the weather/driving conditions and if I can get a long run in on Saturday instead.

We’re also visiting A BABY – and dropping off some homemade food to friends (parents of said newborn). Pending the seriousness of this incoming storm, we’ll likely enjoy some beverages with some neighbor friends.

seven things, seven days:
1. Not a lot about myself this week, but the rest of the Internet made up for it!
2. That said, I’m having lunch at Smallman Galley today and OH LOOK AT ALL THOSE GF OPTIONS! What an awesome project this is, btw.
3. Well, here’s a different perspective on procrastination. {via NYT}
4. Oooooh “hunger [as] a motivated state of mind”. What say you? {via Aeon}
5. Research on boredom – I want to read more about its effect on performance. Boredom as related to performance psychology (and its counterparts, apathy and burnout) are particularly interesting to me, and what I hope to study when I go back to pursue my graduate degree. {via Nature}
6. Got stress? You should be paying attention to your body. Includes interesting research, too, about resilience. {via NYT}
7. Have you ever ghosted your therapist? {via Psychology Today}

Weekly Therapy: Black and Yellow, Black and Yellow

the week:
Well, the BIG news of the week is that I MADE TRAVEL TEAM! I’ll be playing for our A/varsity team, The Steel Hurtin’. So excited, you guys!

steel hurtin pittsburgh 2016
My Team!

weekend:
If you’re in Pittsburgh, this weekend the orchid and tropical bonsai show opens at Phipps’ Conservatory. Visitors can experience this tropical escape starting Saturday through February 28. (Hours 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily and until 10 p.m. on Fridays.) More details can be found at phipps.conservatory.org.

Also, you can cheer for the Steelers again… if that’s your thing.

seven things, seven days:
1. Unfortunately dropped off the Dry January wagon, when we were invited to a neighbor’s Steelers party last weekend (back on as of Monday β€” dry weekdays instead for this month, maybe). Eh.
2. I’m (finally) through season 2 of The Leftovers, and all I can comment is WTF?!
3. Got my first Wantable Fitness Edit this week and I have… conflicted feelings about it. Is this something you guys would like to see reviewed?
4. Celebrated our department’s post-holiday holiday party this week, complete with a “regift” exchange. Good fun to break up the work week.
5. Therapy Wars: The revenge of Freud (long read, but really interesting look at CBT) {via The Guardian}
6. The top 5 fitness trends for 2016 looks a lot like last year (and the year before that). {via Runtastic}
7. You can’t trust what you read about nutrition. This is a fun one about correlations. {via FiveThirtyEight Science}

Product Review: Apera Bags Performance Duffel

I’ve been on a search for the perfect gym/workout bag for far too long. Last year, I was gifted this Gaiam yoga bag for Christmas. It proved to be too small for my two-a-day run//yoga//run//club necessities; the shoe pouch was also too small for my Size 9.5 sneakers. And once I upgraded my yoga mat to a Manduka, I could no longer use the straps underneath to carry under the bag (the Manduka mats are, like, 10x heavier than those everyday, cheapie mats). Then, I received another bag this year courtesy of Chelsea Collective preview party. I really wanted to like this bag — my shoes fit after a little Tetris-ing, there was plenty of storage, and the straps were the right size — but I missed having an exterior pocket to hold a water bottle, of all things. Plus, the zippers seemed overly difficult to move and the bag overall feels a little cheaply made.

On Black Friday I saw a tweet about Apera Bags and a 20% sale, so I finally decided to make the Big Purchase (I consider dropping $100+ on a workout bag a Big Purchase). I landed on the Apera Performance Duffel.

apera bag review 30something therapy

Few things that I outwardly LOVE about it: It fits everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. The bag has great organization for my needs and can hold a LOT of gear β€” it fit TWO PAIRS of Size 9.5 sneakers on both ends (this bag has two separate shoe pockets) while also holding a freaking laptop. It’s a NICE looking bag, and it is obvious that it’s well-made. Bonus: SO MANY POCKETS with/without zippers, some with mesh for airing stuff out! The bag came with its own interior wet bag too. I can even fit my yoga mat inside (and peek the top out) if I want.

Some mehs: it’s actually quite large β€” while not totally a breaking point for me since I needed a bigger bag, it kind of overwhelms my frame and was awkward to carry with all of my stuff in it. This purchase continues my streak of being completely unaware of dimensions when purchasing items online.

30something therapy apera bag review
You like my “workout” pants? πŸ˜›

POO: The strap is WAY too long for my body β€” even when pulled all the way tight from both ends β€” and not all that comfortable to carry when walking the mile+ to work with all my stuff. It hits just below my butt and even pulled up my skirt (!!!). And after using the Nike bag from Chelsea Collective, I kind of missed the option of carrying like a tote (the Apera bag has two small handles at the top to lift but I can’t carry at any length with them).

So, I’m a little disappointed because I *really* need a commuter-style workout bag and I really love this bag, BUT I think I might keep this to replace my roller derby bag: 1) because my derby bag really needs to be replaced and 2) because this bag is so huge that it might actually fit all my gear. I’m not sure about how it will handle the weight, though; would be an interesting test.

30something therapy workout roller derby bag review
This bag is seriously, like, 20 years old. If it ain’t broke, right? Wait…

Completely off-topic tangent on my current derby bag: One of the zippers of the outside side pocket broke off when a piece of my gear got stuck in it (at an away game in Columbus, Ohio; hilarious that I remember it because I was pretty mad that night and I obviously have brute strength). The long strap is being held on by mustache-printed duct tape (seriously). I bought this as part of my FIRST luggage set (yes, I used to have an entire set in this color scheme) at a Super Kmart when I was a freaking teenager. But, hey, the colors match my team’s uniforms, so that’s fun!

Here’s some benefits (and a tl;dr), if you’re looking at Apera bags:

  • Sanitized-Infused antimicrobial product protection resists the formation of bacterial odor, inside and out.
  • Two flexible exterior water bottle pockets.
  • Padded shoulder strap and two top carry handles.
  • Exterior pocket for a laptop and tablet storage.
  • Immense capacity features 43 litres of storage volume.
  • Water-resistant base protects the interior from moisture.
  • Laser-cut venting for your bag to breathe, ventilate, and stay healthy.
  • Large exterior pocket on each end holds a pair of men’s size 12 shoes.
  • Comes with a Fit Pocket washable insert.

I could probably use this Apera bag for race-cations and other travel weekends too. There’s a possibility that I may exchange for a smaller bag but I haven’t completely decided on that yet (and tbh, I am the worst with actually returning things; for the record: Apera has an amazing no-hassle return policy and free shipping). I even tossed the idea of getting the strap taken in at the luggage repair place but that seems ridiculous to spend even MORE money on a bag that was already over $100.

The search for my “perfect” workout bag, however, continues.

Note: I purchased this Apera Performance Duffel for my own needs, and did not receive any compensation for reviewing and/or this post.

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #6

Though this was the official kick-off week to training for the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 1, I’m still in the midst of training for the Gasparilla races in February. I’ll switch over my post titles once Gasparilla training is over. But most importantly, this week was travel team tryouts for roller derby!

MONDAY: THREE HOURS of roller derby practice. Since league and my home team practice are on the same night (and overlap), I decided it would be helpful in advance of tryouts this week to get more skate time, and both practices were skills-based with a LOT of 1-on-1/2-on-1 work. I also re-tested my laps (hooray, endurance!) but didn’t pace myself as well as last month – only getting 30 this time around. Our minimum skills require 27 laps in 5 minutes. It was a really fun night, especially skating for the first time with my new Avengers teammates. Make no mistake, my legs (and my poor feet!) were TIRED.

There was much chocolate milk after this practice.

TUESDAY: Travel Team Tryouts Day #1! Most of this first night of tryouts was focused on minimum skills β€” the word “minimum” is certainly a trap given that A-teamers should definitely be performing at more than a minimum skill level. There’s always an opportunity to step it up, even when doing partner work with someone at a lower (or higher!) skill level. Even when something is super easy for me, I have to remind myself that.

WEDNESDAY: [REST DAY] Skipped my weekly run//yoga session to rest my legs for Thursday’s night two of tryouts and opted for laundry instead. I feel like I haven’t had a chance to catch up since the holidays!

THURSDAY: Travel Team Tryouts Day #2! Tonight was scrimmage night, which, again, was SO much fun. Nights like these remind me of the reasons of why I wanted to return to the sport. In between halves, our group broke out to do some more skills and 1-on-1 work (each of the 3 teams played 2 halves in some order in addition to the skills work). I got a call-back for round two of tryouts this week!

FRIDAY: [REST DAY]

SATURDAY: Marathon Kick-off Day! So many exclamations in this training week. Since this is a drop-back week for me, I only needed to do 3 miles buuuuuut a friend texted me the night before and really wanted to do 6 (and for me to run with her). So I joined her. This was probably a good idea that I made plans specifically with someone else so that I didn’t skip out on the training run (because as much as I love running in winter, I equally love my warm bed), and this would also good to make up the miles I didn’t run earlier in the week. Since the start location was on the north side, I did a 1-mile warm-up run to marathon office.

Mini-expo at the Pittsburgh Marathon kick-off event and a beautiful (if chilly) winter day of running!
Mini-expo at the Pittsburgh Marathon kick-off event and a beautiful (if chilly) winter day of running!

Dr. Vonda Wright led a group dynamic warm-up and then we went off with the 10:30 pace group. Our goal was to (slowly) speed up to the 10:00 pacer by the last mile. It was a cold morning, with slippy spots throughout the course. We averaged 10:09 and completed 6.28 miles in 1:03:48.

Splits: 10:57 (1) / 9:59 (2) / 9:39 (3) / 10:18 (4) / 9:49 (5) / 10:06 (6)

SUNDAY: Since I took care of my “long run” on Saturday, I needed a LOT of foam rolling releases and trigger point therapy. I regularly use this Foam Rolling app on my iPhone, which has sport specific exercises, including one for running. I went through this program with my short-and-wide roller, and then did more trigger release work on my feet, hip area (IT-specific), and my piriformis with my RAD Roller.

The boyfriend and I were on the same schedule this week, so I only walked to/from work one day. Probably best for my tired legs.

TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 3-4 (depending on how one would count a three-hour derby practice!)
TOTAL RUNS: 1
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 7.28
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 47.81

Sunday Lately: Week 54

Blogger Tribe_Sunday LatelySunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). Every Sunday morning, the Tribe shares a small glimpse into the last week. Every week, a new theme is release for all of us to post and share your link through one of the host’s post. I’m so happy that I found this amazing community of bloggers! All are welcome, so click through and join us in the Blogger Tribe Facebook group.

This week’s themes: Updating, Remembering, Needing, Wearing, Being.

30-something therapy sunday lately

Updating: I had to update my derby number for this upcoming season, which means new scrimmage tanks, armbands… but basically a new identity too. Having butt-hurt feelings about it, naturally, but not really much that I can do about it.

Remembering: Speaking of derby, I couldn’t remember how long ago I joined and thankful for Timehop to remind me. Five years ago, I was skating at my first Steel City boot camp, and I tried out for Fresh Meat a short time later, which means that I’ve been skating for almost 6 years (I started in a rec league in Ohio the year prior). CRAZY!

Needing: PROTEIN. Hard-boiling eggs, eating all the chicken (as much as I hate it), stocking up on protein bars. And I just received a great sample pack of protein powder (angel food cake flavor!!!) and flavor packs to try from Devotion Nutrition. I’m making this Fruity Hoops Protein Fluff first.

Wearing: These days, it feels as though I can’t get into all the fleece soon enough. Unfortunately, wanting to be all warm and cozy is making me LAZY AF.

Being: My first 30-day “challenge” was to acknowledge and attempt to redirect my behavior of complaining. Man, do I HATE being labeled as a complainer! My focus is to reduce the complaints and more be actionable about changing the situation. A lot of my complaining stems from a loss of independence, so these small behavioral changes will help me gain back a little of my take-charge attitude.

Have a good week!