Run, Reduce, Retrain
This was a weird morning. No run scheduled and it felt really strange. You get used to a routine and it becomes the norm. But, I decided to change it for now. I mentioned this in my post the other day when I celebrated my longest run ever. I know it sounded bizarre after having such a great run, so I’ll explain.
For the past, oh I don’t know…about 6 months?, I’ve been running every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. I’ve slowly increased my distance along the way working my way up to the 6 mile mark. On the alternate days, I hit the gym for an hour at a time. I only take one day off from exercise (so why the HELL is my butt still ginormous??!!), that would be Saturday.
The Thursday before my last big run, I felt done. I was burnt out. I felt it in my mind and my body was feeling it, too. After my last few runs, I was exhausted. Not just “good workout” exhausted, I was physically extremely tired. Once, I even took a nap afterward. Unheard of in my life! I realized that I have been basically keeping a half marathon schedule for these past months. It’s wearing on me and I don’t want to completely tank before I start my “official” half marathon training the last week in August. So, until then, I’m decreasing my runs. I’m only going to run one day a week, but will still keep up with my cross and strength training on the other days. That way, when training time hits… I’ll be ready. Then, it’s ON!!!
So, what does one do when there is no running in the morning? Have coffee of course!
Boo to grounds in the cup 
Like little beady eyes looking at me….
I had breakfast, too…
Yogurt bowl is back!
- 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 2 tbsp. reduced-fat unsweetened coconut
Like snow…
The daughters and I had a busy day doing stuff they could complain about every second tons of fun things 
Amidst the hoopla, I made a quick lunch. Love when leftovers help out. I threw some chick peas in with the Grilled Sweet Potato Salad. It was a perfect combo….
I was out most of the afternoon and really missed my snack. By the time dinner rolled around, I couldn’t wait to dive in!
Grilled turkey burgers with lite havarti cheese on an Ezekiel bun…
and my favorite salad (no garden tomatoes, yet)…
I even made cookies for dessert! Legal ones… no added sugar 
I saw Lauren’s recipe for Flourless PB&J Thumbprints and decided to give them a whirl with some “no sugar” tweaks. They came out yummy!
I’ll share my changes with you tomorrow (forgot my notes down in the kitchen!). Lazy, I know! But, I’ve got a date with yogadownload.com right now! Going to get my Chaturanga on 
Have a great day, everyone!
Do you usually follow a recipe “as is” or do you make changes to it?
Questions? Email me! aloserforlife@gmail.com
19 comments
I am so bad at following recipes. I rarely do. It’s actually tough for me when I come to blog because I never have a recipe and have to remember what I threw together!
I don’t think I’ve ever followed a recipe to the letter when cooking or baking for myself. But when I’m cooking for someone else, I tend to follow the recipe a little bit closer. I never know if what tastes good to me tastes good to everyone else, so I lean towards following the directions in those instances.
p.s. I can’t wait to try that sweet potato salad! Num!
I always modify my recipes especially if there is an ingredient I don’t like already.
I’ve never had Havarti cheese and I love all types of cheeses. How does it compare to others?
Marisa Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 9:21 am
It’s a really mild cheese…taste is a cross between swiss and a mild cheddar. Melts great!
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I’m on a HUGE Havarti cheese kick! Love that stuff, especially with my eggs in the morning.
I do change up recipes sometimes, depending on if I’m missing certain ingredients, or if I want to “health it up” a bit…
Sorry you’re feeling so tired…maybe you need an exercise vacation? I’ve read that even Jillian Michaels recommends it if you’re feeling burnt out. She said its okay to take a week off – but only on one thing. For example, if you take a week off from exercise, make sure your eating is spot on. If you take a week off from a strict eating regimen, make sure your exercise is spot on…
Everything you eat looks so delicious and easy to make! I can’t wait to try out your cottage cheese breakfast combo. I definitely change up recipes, depending on what it is. With baking I learned the hard way that one cannot get too adventurous, (except for adding extra, extra chocolate chips of course!) but when it comes to cooking, I always add more or less of what I feel like that day – more vegetables, less cheese, more pasta, etc.
I feel you with the running problem. You should definitely take a well-deserved week to a week and half off before you start training for your half-marathon. Something that also helps me is including walking into my days off from running once I ease back into training after a break. It helps my tired joints a lot but keeps my legs strong.
Hate grounds in the cup! I think you are wise. Burn out is a hard one. I started with pushups as my strength training and after a year I HATED them. I am back to being OK with them but for awhile I dreaded them. I am a big one for starting with a recipe and saying oh a little bit of this, now a litttle bit of that, usually make it it my own by the end!:)
I’m training (ok not really hard core yet) for a half also! I’m really nervous, because so far I have not been very dedicated to this goal. And November will slip up on me quickly! SO proud of your 6 miles, that is amazing!!!!!!
Sounds like a good plan. You’re amazing. I hope that you feel the results you’re looking for. Cause you deserve it.
Yummy cookies!
The first time I make any recipe I follow it to the letter and then determine what needs to be tweaked/substituted from there. Only exception would be sugar and fat items- depending what the dish is I will substitute either Splenda or fruit for the sugar – it all depends on what the sugar is included for. Solid fats I always sub a healthy oil for
i sometimes have the weird “half marathon” mindset and force myself to run even when i am tired. then i step back and remember im not training for anything so its okay to stop
always puts things in perspective.
mmm your grilled turkey burger looks fabulous!
Marisa Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
yes, that is exactly what I was thinking!
I change recipes all the time. They don’t always work out so well (like that time I tried it make gluten-free bread in the bread machine – looked like crackers) but it’s fun!
I found your blog through Biz! I almost always change something in a recipe–it takes a big effort to follow exactly. I was wondering what you put in your coffee b/c it looks kinda pink! I want to get some of that coconut–I’ve heard good things. When I’m being super healthy, I eat a yogurt bowl almost every day!
Marisa Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Welcome, Veronica! I just use nonfat milk , but it may look funny cuz the inside of this cup is pink!
Sweet potatoes and chickpeas sounds great together.
I made the grilled sweet potato salad today. Except I roasted the sweet potatoes in the oven. Oh, and roasted some vidalia onion to use too. So yes, I tinker with recipes, especially if it makes me feel frugal by using up things I already have! My son reports it was tasty even without the cheese but I tried it both ways and liked it better with.
Just found your blog and am LOVING it! You’re being added to my blog roll as we speak
Can’t wait to read more!