Getting back on the blogging track

I've been too lazy to sit down and blog lately but at least I've kept up with running and exercising :) A few weeks ago I got a free trial week at a gym in my neighborhood and I loved it so much that I decided to join. So now I'm a proud member to a gym. It's funny because I got through this winter without working out at a gym and now that the weather is getting better I start working out indoors.... well it won't be that bad since I still go running outside (I can't stand those treadmills) and love going for hikes so I think this gym membership will just add to my exercises.

 Working the bike

Strengthening my legs

Everything's still a little grey - can't wait for it to turn green

City run

I already signed up for my first half marathon. It's not until August which gives me plenty of time to exercise and hopefully I'll be able to keep running without getting more knee problems. I took a few weeks off from running because of my knee but I still get some pain when I go for a run, nothing too bad though. I was able to do 11,2 km this weekend and only felt a little pain for the last 3 or 4 km. So now I'm thinking I should try out different shoes and see if that helps. I've been running in Asics Kayano and love them but they're almost three years old so I guess it's time for a new pair. I've read a lot of nice things about Brooks so I'm going to take a look at them and I've also heard some nice things about New Balance but haven't done any internet research on those. This running shoe industry is huge and the shoes are all supposed to be so awesome and get you through the hardest runs of your life so I feel like I have absolutely no clue as to what to buy. Hopefully I'll figure something out.

vs. 

I'd completely forgotten about a virtual race that I signed up for and was supposed to do in January. I found the medal the other day so after doing 11,2 K I was able to wear it and I didn't take it off for the whole day (kidding I just put it on to take this pic). So now I think I'll close this virtual racing chapter. I don't need it any more since running has become a part of my routine and I don't need an encouragement in the form of bling. But it was great to get me going through the winter months. So now that I can do this on my own maybe I can call myself a runner?

Winter Runnerland Virtual Race 

I saw on facebook that runners are being encouraged to wear a race shirt today in support of the victims of the Boston Marathon explosion. Just wanted to pass it on!

More smoothie talk

For the past two years I've made myself a smoothie almost every day. Lately I've wanted to change it up a bit but I couldn't find any new ingredients that I liked so I just kept sticking with my old routine (this post). Then I read a blog about some awesome smoothie which consisted of chocolate protein and some other stuff and that made me want to try out a chocolate smoothie. I don't use protein, I try to eat healthy and I think I should be able to get enough protein from my food which is better than some factory made powder so I had to find something different. So I added some cocoa (which is also factory made powder... eeeh you can't win them all) and it was wonderful. Not an everyday drink but every now and then when I want something special :)

This is what I used:

• Almond milk
• Banana
• Avocado
• Mango
• Frozen strawberries
• Udo's oil
• Cocoa

Long time no see...

I haven't been running for the past ten days. My knee was bothering me so I decided to take some time off and for some reason I didn't give myself time to sit down and write a blog. The weather has been gorgeous for the past few days so instead of running I did some hiking. It felt awesome to smell the fresh air, see the view from the top of a mountain and just enjoy the quiet. I really needed that!

 

 

 

 Who wouldn't love to have this view

I was offered a seven day pass to a local gym and today I went there to give it a try. I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes and it felt motivating to have the stats right there the whole time but I also felt a bit claustrophobic. Everything else was wonderful and I really loved working out around other people and being able to use all kinds of fancy equipment to strengthen myself. I think I'll stick with running outside when the weather is nice and use the other machines at the gym (atleast during this week... I don't think I'll sign up with a gym until maybe this fall). I also did some weight lifting and stretches. Tomorrow I want to try out one of the classes they offer but I still haven't decided which one I'll pick. Let's just hope I won't take such a long break from blogging this time around and then maybe you'll get to hear about some great class I took ;)

Fun workout

I love finding new ways to make my workouts fun and different so yesterday I took my nephew with me for a run. He's only six and I wanted to run more than a mile so I asked him if he wanted to take his bike and be my trainer for the day. He was really excited and took the job seriously. And man was I surprised! I had expected it to be a regular run, maybe a little faster than usual since he was on his bike but I had a serious trainer with me who wasn´t about to accept some easy running. He kept telling me to do butt kicks, high knees and to skip. I know these are important exercises but I always think it looks silly and I never do it. So since I had this little trainer with me I of course obeyed him and did it all with a smile on my face. I'm definitely taking him with me again, it's great to do something different and spending some quality time with my favorite little person is never a bad thing.

My nephew

I found these instructional videos on youtube if you're interested in kicking your butt and skipping through your workout...

It looks funny when you do these exercises outside but who cares, right?

Winter's still here - Running in the rain

I was really hoping spring was just around the corner especially since February was unusually warm and so I figured it would just be a short winter this year. But no March is making sure everyone knows it's part of winter! This was the view from my window a couple of days ago:

The buses stopped working, cars were getting stuck and you could only see a short distance in front of you. But for some reason snow storms can be so wonderful. I loved going outside to brave the weather (I didn't have to go outside I just wanted to breathe in the storm) and then coming back inside lighting candles and snuggling up on the sofa. Even though the snow came into town it didn't stick around for long and the rain is visiting right now. Spring will be here sooner than later!

I'm following a running page on Facebook and there was a question on what to wear for a run in the rain. I love running in the rain so I've done quite a bit of that and have found out what works best for me to wear. I always wear a tech shirt because that doesn't weigh you down if it gets wet. Next layer is fleece, it keeps you warm even if it's wet so that's great in the cold. Then I also wear my running jacket which is water resistant. I hide my iPod Nano in a belt I wear around my waist and keep it under the fleece and rain jacket. If it's freezing I wear fleece pants but I like my running tights better so I wear those when it's warm enough. The most important thing to me are the socks. If you wear cotton socks you're not going to run very far without getting blisters. I love my Nike Dri-Fit socks and they have kept me from getting blisters so far. I also wear gloves and a headband cause my ears and fingers always freeze.

I hide my iPod under my jacket when it's raining

Running in the rain is fun when you're dressed for it and I always feel so refreshed afterwards. Do you like running in the rain?

Baking

I've had a bread machine for the past six years. When I bought it I wasn't looking for a bread machine but since it was only around $10 I couldn't resist buying it. I've used it fairly often and for the past few weeks I haven't bought any bread because I'm always baking it myself. I love eating warm freshly baked bread and the best part is that I know exactly what's in it because I made it from scratch. Love that!

My favorite bread recipe is this one:

• 2/3 cup water (room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup flour (I use whole wheat)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon yeast
• Add seeds or something you like (I love using pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds)

This recipe is for a small machine so if you have a regular size bread machine you probably need to add a little more of everything.