This week seemed to be a massive turning point for me in that I noticed a SUBSTANTIAL improvement in my speed and endurance. Although I was a little apprehensive about it, I did a total of five runs this week (one more than my planned four), which is also on top of my morning Insanity workout DVDs.
This is what the week looked like:
Mon - 3 miles easy
Tue - OFF
Wed - 4 miles with Fartleks (random intervals)
Thu - OFF
Fri - 3 miles with intervals
Sat - 4 miles easy with running group
Sun - 10 miles at steady pace (the long run)
And I'm happy to report that, for my long run (which I just finished about an hour ago), I had an end time of one minute faster than last week's nine-mile run...which means I added an extra mile and STILL had a faster finish time. And I did not feel any more fatigued.
In addition to this, I did my weekly weigh-in today and, since the end of December, I've lost 10 lbs. on the scale. WOO HOO!
This week is my "step back" week, because my long run will only be seven miles to allow my body time to recover. However, my mid-week semi-long run jumps up to five miles. AND I have the push-up debilitating mole removal to contend with on Thursday. But I will keep going and push through it.
I contribute a lot of my progress not only to consistent training, but also to solid nutrition. As I continue to improve this area and eat more whole, unprocessed, fresh foods, I am slowly weeding out animal products to bring myself closer to a vegan lifestyle. Last week was my last week of dairy and eggs. This week is my last week of fish. I'm doing lots of reading on vegan endurance training and vegan bodybuilding, and will replace my proteins with beans, nuts, peanut butter (in moderation of course)...along with protein-rich grains like quinoa and veggies like broccoli and spinach.
Week 6, here I come!
Wow you inspire me!! Have you read the Thrive books? They are GREAT!
ReplyDeleteYes, I've read the first one (the nutrition one, not the fitness one). Brendan Brazier definitely knows what he's talking about. I'm also reading a book called "Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness" by Robert Cheeke. He has similar views to Brendan.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm finding is that both use supplements to round out their protein intake (with Brendan in particular advocating his "Vega" line of products -- high quality I'm sure, but can we say "cha-ching"?)
And even though supplements, depending on the brand, can be helpful...they are also, in essence, "processed food"...and unregulated in most cases at that. The FDA is not involved to ensure that what you're REALLY buying is hemp protein.
I'm going to try to round out my protein intake without involving ANY supplements and by using natural, whole foods. And if it works, it works. If it doesn't, I'll welcome eggs, fish, and dairy back into my diet. But it's worth a try to live a cleaner lifestyle.
For a true wake-up call, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThdFqGLq4QU