Running the Country from Home

I don't know how many are familiar with ifit, but it is an interactive program you can purchase for your treadmill. If you do a lot of treadmill work and want to alleviate some of the boredom of training indoors, ifit is one way to do it. When we purchased our new treadmill this fall, we purchased one that has a built in touchscreen. With the touchscreen and apps, I have been able to run virtually around the world. I have run across the Golden Gate Bridge, Heartbreak Hill in Boston, the road to Hanna in Hawaii, around the Colosseum in Rome, and many other fun destinations. It also offers a feature where you can create your own google map and run any course you create. I started to experiment with it this weekend by creating a few familiar runs I have already done. I think this will come in handy as I get closer to races because I can run the race course.

Sunday I did my "long" run. It was 6.02 miles, 107 elevation, 8:57 pace, 53:51 time, and 733 calories (not sure how accurate this one is). I felt fairly good except for the chaffing...didn't think that was possible in the winter time. I incorporated several inclines and hills into my treadmill runs to make it more like running outdoors. I have noticed that it has really increased my leg strength. Now, I need to get back to cross and strength training. I have also been working on finishing with a kick and was able to do that successfully yesterday. I spend a lot of time talking to myself and visualizing that I can see the finish line or that I am minutes away from hitting my PR. This helps me push a little harder at the end of runs.

Still working on the eating habits. Yesterday I made a delicious quinoa, mushroom, carrot soup and another omelet. I also had a  bowl of raspberries, kiwi, blueberries, and blackberries. I am getting better at avoiding wheat but with a few outings this weekend it made it a little more difficult. I need to purchase some more tea as I have fallen back into the coffee trap. I will be traveling for work this week so it will be a good test of discipline for getting in work outs and eating healthy.