On the schedule: 4 x 400's @ 7:08-7:32/mi with a 60-second rest between intervals.
That just means to run a quarter mile at a 7:08-7:32/mile pace, and then rest for 60 seconds. Then repeat three more times. I love the short duration of the 400's, because when I was training for the Chicago Marathon, my intervals were much longer (400, 600, 800, 1200, 1600, 2-mile, and 3-mile intervals!). At my fastest, I used to do the 400's at a 9.0-10.0 mph setting on the treadmill; today, I was hoping I could do 8.0 and keep up.
I probably could have done this run outside, but I actually prefer doing intervals on the treadmill. It's easy to set the pace and just try not to fly off the back of the treadmill. It was freezing outside, so I dressed like I was going to run outside--and then I went into the garage (where we moved the treadmill). It was kind of fun having a new environment to run in. Jerry hung a shelf in front of the treadmill for my computer, so that I could watch Netflix while I ran.
First, I did a half-mile warm-up at 6.0 mph. Then I bumped it up to 8.0 for the first interval. It really didn't feel too bad! It wasn't easy, but it wasn't miserable, either. The best part is knowing that it'll be over with very soon, because the intervals are so short.
I chose to do rests between intervals, instead of walking or jogging. Walking or jogging is probably preferable, but I find that I actually enjoy the speed work more when I rest between intervals. I'm able to run the intervals harder, and I have that little break to look forward to. A one-minute rest goes by so fast! It was just enough time to catch my breath, and then I had to hop back on the treadmill and start running again.
The whole workout went by really fast. When I was doing the cool down, I had that bad muscle spasm in my abdomen again, so I only did a quarter-mile cool down. I really hope that spasming doesn't continue! It's more painful than any injury I've endured.
After the run, I felt like I had worked hard, but I also felt like I probably could have pushed it harder. Next week, I'll probably try 8.2 mph and see how it goes. I'll also be doing 5 intervals instead of 4. Even though speed work feels totally miserable during the workout, I feel absolutely amazing afterward.
I was going through my Pinterest recipe boards, and through some of my cookbooks, and I really want to start trying some new recipes. I'm going to try to bring back "Taste Test Tuesday", where I try a new recipe and review it here. One of my goals for 2016 is going to be to try a new recipe once a week; but it doesn't hurt to start now!
Today, I made a crock pot recipe that I came across on Pinterest. It's called Bourbon "Crack" Chicken (Crock Pot Style)--which is an odd name, because there is no bourbon in it. After some searching around, I saw that it was based off of a style of chicken from Bourbon Street in Louisiana.
Anyway, I know nothing about the name or origin of this recipe; I just thought the ingredients sounded good, and I happened to have everything on hand, except for apple juice. Since it only called for 1/4 cup of apple juice, I just substituted water. I didn't want to go buy apple juice for that tiny amount.
I love recipes like this where you don't have to do any prep work--you just toss everything in the crock pot. I had to trim the chicken, but other than that, there is nothing to prep. We ate it over rice for dinner, and it was delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper, and one that I will make again when I have very little time to prep. The kids liked it, too (I decreased the red pepper flakes to 1/2 tsp, because of the kids; but it was very mild, so next time, I'll use the 3/4 tsp it calls for).
The recipe yielded nine 1/2 cup servings of the chicken, which made it only 176 calories per serving (not including rice).
Jerry brought home a turkey from work this morning. Every year, the company gives out turkeys to all the employees... but it's always the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the turkeys are frozen solid. Thawing a 17-lb turkey takes forever! Usually, we don't cook it until the week or two after Thanksgiving, but this year, I'm going to cook dinner on Thursday. I filled the sink with cold water and I've been thawing the turkey submerged in the water (it's still in the plastic). I hope it's thawed in time! Meanwhile, Estelle claimed the box it came in...
We've gotten the same box each year, and in 2005, I found Noah playing in it. I took this picture, which we used for Christmas cards that year :)
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| How cute is he?! |
Yesterday, on a whim, I decided that I want to do a turkey trot on Thursday morning. The one in Detroit was a huge mess last year, and I remember thinking I never wanted to do it again. There is one in Ann Arbor, so I asked Nathan if he would want to run that one with me. He was hoping to do a turkey trot as well, so we decided to go for it. I'm going to try and run it hard, to see what my current 5K pace is!
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