10x1 mile, Homemade granola/protein bars + running HAPPY :)

I'm so extremely happy and proud of myself for my workout this morning. I did 10x1 mile out on the same road where I did 8x1 mile 2 weeks ago, and I felt pretty darn good :) I had a much more positive attitude toward the workout and although I knew it would challenge me, I thought about how confident and excited I'd be AFTERward if I hit my times. I definitely hit my goal of running all of them in 5:35 or faster (except one against the headwind, which I hit in 5:36 and then proceeded to run as fast as I could on the last one to make up for it, lol) :) I had two minutes jog recovery between each and my times were 5:35, :32, :31, :27, :29, :28, :34, :30, :36 and :24. I drank acai pomegranate coconut water after each 2 that I did and after the 6th I ate a Jet Blackberry gel. I think I'll stick with using my GU Brew for the marathon because I think the coconut water is too thick and concentrated for my stomach to handle when running hard. It's great for long bike rides but not great for my running it seems. I also am trying out a different food to eat before the marathon because I just think toast/bagels are too heavy for me and take too long to digest. During the 10 miler I think my bagel was still in my stomach and it made me feel sick during the race. I've heard a lot of athletes who eat rice or cream of rice cereal the morning before, so I tried about 1/4 cup of rice this morning with honey and I reallllly liked it! I'll try a bit more before my race on Sat and my long run Sunday and see how I respond but this morning it seemed great.



Yesterday I FINALLY went to the grocery store and got all the ingredients I needed to make some homemade granola protein bars that I've had a recipe for, for ummmm maybe two years?! LOL I have been meaning to make them and I came across the recipe again the other day so I finally did it and OH.MY.GOSH. they are so good I'm calling them my "Heaven" bars :) They are made with natural peanut butter, honey, bit of vanilla extract, rolled oats, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, raw almonds, unsweetened coconut and dates. DELISH. One more thing I'll for sure be selling at my bakery someday...:)

After my race on Sunday I was SO down all day Monday...I had an annoying day teaching kindergarten all day and after getting up at 5 to run, teaching all day and then doing my core and ST, I was in a horrible mood and exhausted! I drove home with all my stuff and my boys from staying at mom's after the race on Sunday night and after unloading and unpacking I went to make some tea. On the Yogi tea tags they have cool sayings and I opened mine which read "Appreciate yourself and honor your soul". Then the next day I opened another that read "May your inner self be secure and happy". WOW. Can we say I was meant to read those?! They really made me smile and definitely helped me change my perspective on things, especially with my running. There are so many things with being a professional runner that can get in your head and ruin the enjoyment you get from the sport. Worrying about making money, wondering WHY I fell short of a goal, feeling insecure about body image, etc. aren't going to propel you forward and help you make improvements. If anything, they will tear you down mentally to the point of hating what you do. Thank goodness for my Yogi tea tags because they lifted my spirits and totally turned my mindset around. I'm doing what Brooks tells us all to do....run HAPPY :)

I'm looking forward to my massage later and then Tom Petty concert tonight!

Pics: From the 10 miler. My friend Bill took them for me.

Quote for today: "Those who have easy, cheerful attitudes tend to be happier than those with less pleasant temperaments, regardless of money, ‘making it’, or success." - Dr. Joyce Brothers