NWM: Week 9 & Current Favorites

Week 9 looked like this:

Mon - Lunch spin class (50 min class - 14 miles)
Tues - Trackmill (1M jog, then 6 x 1000 (5:15) at 10K pace, with 200m (1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog), followed by 15 min of weights and streching
Wed - Unplanned Rest Day
Thurs - 10 miles - avg. 9:30 min/mile (first "long" run back)
Fri - Rest Day
Sat - 18 miles - avg 10 min/mile
Sun - Rest Day
Totals: Ran 34 miles, rode 14 and one weight session

It felt good to finally get back to a normal training week after the never ending saga of sickness.  My long run was good until the last 2-3 miles where I hit the wall and walked/jogged my way back up the the hill.  That brought my average way down but I was okay with it.  It just felt good to get the mileage back up.  I was a responsible adult this week and not only stretched but also foam rolled after every run.  I might actually get through this training cycle in one piece.

A few things that I am loving right now:

Salted Caramel Gu:  I can't get enough of this stuff.  It's no secret that I am not good at taking in nutrition while working out.  Gu has always been my go to just because it's the fastest thing I can take down while trying not to upchuck.  I have to take it with water and I can't do any of the fruity/sweet kinds.  Prior to this, Peppermint, Vanilla and Espresso were in my rotation but they have all been blown out of the water by this adorable Yeti.  Not only can I stomach this, you I might even say I like it.  You won't find me snacking on it anytime soon but I do carry 3 with me on every long run.  Why there has not always been salt in Gu is beyond me but it's a game changer.  It's a seasonal offering so stock up while you can.

 

Fitbit Force:  I don't actually own one of these yet but I am coveting MFR's at the moment and it appears someone finally got this fitness tracking device thing right.  I never bought into the Nike Fuelband because I don't like that they have their own points system the accuracy isn't great so I was skeptical when everyone started talking about Fitbit but I am a convert.  It's so simple to use, everything syncs with your phone via bluetooth, it holds it's charge for weeks and I love the dashboard they use.  Not to mention you can compete with your friends which is the best motivation.  It's definitely worked for MFR, he'll get me to go for a walk with him at 9pm just so he hits his 10,000 steps for the day.  The fastening clasp could use some work but otherwise I hope to be purchasing one of these in the very near future.  Also it's a local San Francisco company which makes it that much cooler, the smalls are currently back-ordered on-line so I may just go knock on their door and beg for one.

Strava:  Speaking of cool fitness technology companies based in SF - enter Strava.   I've been using Strava for awhile now for cycling but I've recently had a resurgence of love for this APP. Aside from the treadmill I've started using it while running too.  It's so accurate and I love being able to compare yourself to others who have ran the same route.  My dad is training for a half marathon and asked me to "coach" him from afar.  I downloaded Strava onto his phone, started following him and now I can keep tabs on all his workouts without having to call and ask what he did that day.  Now I just text him, "you've been home for 2 days and I don't see any activity" and "tomorrow step it up to 4 miles."  He'll thank me later.  Also a Strava group was just put together for all the Nuun ambassadors which has been really fun to track. 

Does anyone else have a Fitbit?  Do you love it?