I went to sleep last night, still unsure about the race.
I woke up this morning and headed to the gym. I felt extremely motivated to put myself through a difficult workout since its been a while since I’ve felt truly challenged.
I used a workout I tore out of Shape Magazine in September as a guideline, but changed it a bit. In the end my 30 minutes on the treadmill looked like this:
30 Minute Incline Walk/Run Workout
Don’t let the lack of speed fool you. This workout was HARD. Really hard. By the end my face was bright red and I was dripping in sweat. I cooled down with 15 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical.
It felt awesome.
It is so, so easy to slip into a comfortable and easy workout routine. I think that the intensity of this workout ignited a fire in me to continue to challenge myself, vary my workouts and find the fun in working out again.
With that said, I’ve decided not to sign up for the March half marathon. I have my eye on one in April, but for now, I really want to focus on regaining excitement and enthusiasm in my workouts. As silly as it may seem, I know I would seriously dread running in the cold and I want to look forward to my workouts. I love running, but prefer to do it in nicer temperatures. Call me a pansy, but it’s da truth!
The good news is that you may expect some more exciting workouts on this lil’ blog in the future! Woo! Fun for all.
Walk with a Stick Lover
After my heart-pumpin’ workout, I came home to leash up Sadie for a walk.
Potty Pup
I know Sadie looks calm and sleepy in the above picture. Don’t be fooled! I snapped the picture of her face while she popped a squat because it was the only time she actually was still during the entire walk. That’s not a look of sleepiness… that’s a look of relief. Muhaha!
The energy of our walk multiplied by a thousand when Sadie spotted a stick.
Plaaaay With MEEEE!
She jumped around in front of me for a good five minutes.
"Blaaaaaaaah! Wood is Good!"
She’s a gem.
Breakfast
Once back at our apartment, it was time for breakfast.
Morning Meal
Today’s bowl included:
I'm Quinoa, So Check Me Out!
This was my first time trying quinoa, a high-protein grain, and it was pretty good! The taste was similar to brown rice, but the texture was more chewy.
Spoon Me Up
I practically licked my bowl clean.
Now that mah belly is full, it’s time to work, work, work.
Enjoy your Tuesday!
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ahaahahaa. those pictures of sadie are true winners.
only further igniting my fuel for a puppy. NEEED a puppy so i can have as much fun as sadie and julie!
good for you for holding off on the half. one months difference won’t do much to you, and plus, the temps will be so much warmer! 🙂
My friend asked me to do a race with her in February and I declined. Too COLD! Think I’ll wait until spring to pick up running again 😉
I’ve never thought to combine quinoa and yogurt. I’ll have to try it!!! 🙂
Sadie is too cute!!! I love those pictures.
I can’t wait to hear what race you are thinking about in April! 🙂
Wow incline 15?! That’s one hardcore workout!!
I love quinoa, but have never tried it in breakfast before! Looks yum though 🙂
Excited to see these new workouts of yours! 😀
yum- I’ve never had quinoa, but I want to try it!
Both my pups are stick lovers too!
And OMG I’ve done that treadmill workout and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done on a treadmill…I didn’t even know the incline could go up that high!! I was afraid of falling off the whole time 😉
so hard, huh!? i was seriously huffin’ and puffin’.
Good for you!!
I have to say, I’d much rather run in the cold (even in Illinois) than in the Florida summer!! At least in the coldI can bundle up. Running in July in Florida was awful.
Love the pictures of Sadie! She is so cute! Quinoa is so good! I never thought to have it for breakfast. Your breakfast looks delicious! I love the homemade cranberry sauce!
It’s so hard to get good pics of those cute bouncy vizslas! 🙂
Ahhh the picture and caption “wood is good” KILLS me! Love it!
Also, I am so happy for you that you’ve both made your decision AND rediscovered a new zest for your workouts. You know yourself best and that’s what is most important! There will always be another race for when you are ready. Congrats on conquering life today!
Love those pics of Sadie! I remember several years ago I was walking my parent’s Dachshund, and he found a twig about 4 or 5 times the length of his body, and he picked it up and dragged it for a while. It was so funny; people were laughing at him.
I didn’t chime in yesterday about whether you should or should not run the half marathon. Why? I figured you already knew what you wanted to do and I wanted you to make that decision without input from me (yes even though you asked for advice) With that said, I am so happy that you made the decision that wa salready in your heart. Signing up for the half marathon would have been the easy thing to do (in my opinion) the harder of the two choices was to not do it. Why? Because you really didn’t want too. Not liking to run outdoors in the cold is an extremely VALID reason. That would make exercise unenjoyable for you and therefore defeating the purpos of working out for fun! I know it sounds silly but I am truly proud of you for making a decision that is right for you.
thanks kelly! i think it would have definitely been more of a knee-jerk reaction to sign up for the race. i loved running the half back in aug., but trained through the summer… not in the cold. cold weather running seriously makes me miserable.
Isn’t quinoa awesome?!?! I never would have thought to eat it for breakfast!
I’ve done that Treadmill work out too for speed walking (I can’t run because of my bad back) . OMG my heart was racing and my legs were so tired the rest of the day. I’m thinking I’m doing that cardio work out tomorrow 🙂
By the way – thanks for the idea of using left over cranberry stuff in my breakfast and snacks. Just love it 🙂
Sadie is toooo cute. My dogs also love sticks but I have to take them away because they end up eating them. One dog can digest them, the other…not so much. Grosssss. I took a stick away from one pup a couple nights ago and put it on a fence by the dog park. Now every single day he runs over there and barks at the stick for like 15 minutes. I guess sticks are the coolest 😉
Good for you Julie!
Love the pic of Sadie with the stick..too funny. My dog probalby has 1/50th of her energy!
The great thing about quinoa is that you can make it sweet or savory and it works great either way. Love quinoa.
I love quinoa but have only ever had it in savory meals, like for dinner. But your breakfast combo looks super tasty. I think I might just have to try that!
I’m so glad you made a decision about the 1/2 and feel good about it. Often times I’m so unsure of what to do, but after I make the decision (one way or another), I’m sooo happy and sure of it. Congrats to you!
That’s what’s happened to my gym sessions! I used to be so conscientious of doing 1 hour, but I felt like half the time I was just counting down the minutes until it was all over. Now I’m fine doing 45 minutes of a legit workout and I feel a lot more in shape.
This may or may not help you, but lately what’s been working for me is making sure when I’m working out I’m 100% aware of what I’m doing and giving 100% effort. I’ve cut my workouts to 30-40 minutes so they’re not too time consuming but I really make sure I’m focused and giving my all. That way, when I’m finished, I feel really strong and empowered, not unsatisfied that I had a blah workout. Just a thought!
You should DEFINITELY keep posting motivating workouts! I need to start pushing myself at the gym. I’m using the one you posted TONIGHT! 🙂
Your neighbor is looking at this post right now saying, “Huh, that’s odd…. looks like she’s next to my fence in that picture…”
=)
Glad you made a dec on the half!
That is the best picture of Sadie with her mouth open! Perfect timing! Whenever Rose (my dog) is doing something really cute and I grab the camera I always miss it by 2 seconds!
That workout looks intense! Walking at high incline is hard, never mind running. But I love a good workout that keeps changing, so I don’t get bored.
when i take bunker for walks he will find the biggest stick he can and carry it with him the ENTIRE TIME. i love him 🙂
I think it’s great that you didn’t push yourself to do a half marathon when you weren’t really feeling it.
I always see those magazine workouts, but have never done one. I might just have to now that I know the results!
I hate running in the cold as well so I probably would have made the same decision.
Yay looking forward to reading about some fun workouts!
Wow that incline is intense!
But i am feelin ya. I havent run since christmas and I need to find the joy in running again. maybe i will try this crazy work out this morning!
ps- what is your recipe for the cranberry sauce?
i use the recipe on the back of the cranberry bag! bringl 1 c. water w/ 1 c. of sugar to a boil. add cranberries and let them cook until they pop and the sauce become thick. i usually cut down on the amount of sugar by a bit though.
i love quinoa! i def had to get used to the texture at first though! that workout looks TOUGH!
Great decision about the half marathon. I hate feeling pressured to sign up for races, they’re supposed to be fun! You will definitely appreciate enjoying your everyday workouts more in the long run 🙂
Oops, I meant thanks for THIS Shape workout! 🙂 I cannot wait to try it tomorrow.
Quinoa is sooo good! Savory or sweet, delicious!
I love quinoa even more than rice. The chewy texture is the best. Your mix with yogurt and cranberry sauce looks good!
oh my gosh those photos of the sadester are priceless!
I saw Tina eat quinoa + Greek recently, too — love this protein-packed combo!
I can only speak for myself, but I think you made the right decision by not doing the half. I feel like committing to a race like that has to be something you’re 100% positive about, you know? Not to mention that running just isn’t my cup of tea 😛
p.s. Just saw your previous wedding recap post…holy cow! It looks like it was an absolutely magical day!
That looks like a killer workout! I think I might give it a shot tomorrow! 🙂
p.s. those shots of Sadie = priceless!
It took me a while to like the texture of quinoa. I’m so glad you liked it on the first ry!
Sadie is such a happy dog!! Geez, it practically radiates through the screen. 😛
Good call on not running the half, too. I had to make that decision for one coming up in a few weeks.
I know what you mean about running in the cold. I’ve taken everything but my long runs to the treadmill training for my marathon these last two months. The dark + cold evenings = no fun.
Thanks for sharing this workout. I too have been having trouble at the gym with getting something to really challenge me so I enjoy it. I am going to try this tonight. This week i’m determined to get my body back to where it once was. 🙂
Love quinoa for breakfast! I make it with unsweetened almond milk, a splash of vanilla, some maple syrup and cinnamon. A great change up to oatmeal! I never thought to combine with yogurt – great idea!
Yumm, I love having quinoa for breakfast! It’s so good with a sprinkle of dark chocolate 🙂 And if you add banana slices to the bowl, the quinoa sort of sticks to the bananas and makes these big balls of quinoa-y bananas. It’s sooo fun to eat, trust me! You should really give it a try!
Sadie is toooo cute!! A 15 incline is killer!!
I ripped out that SAME routine and it really is NO JOKE! probably one of the hardest ones I’ve ever tried! 😯
Thanks for posting the workout.
Sadie is SO cute!
Hi Julie, I tried that workout and made it to only 13 incline and it was insanely hard and I haven’t wanted to do it since! One quick wedding question, where did you pick to register for gifts? I’m having such a hard time ….
we registered at bed bath & beyond & williams-sonoma. loooove williams-sonoma!
I luuuurveee quinoa! never thought of eating it like that for breakfast!deffo gonna be trying this out 🙂
Really looking forward to seeing your workouts, you’re definitely inspiring me to start to really challenge myself!
When I saw your cardio workout I printed it out and tried it tonight…it killed me! I toughed through it but you weren’t joking when you said how difficult it was! Love your blog =)
Wow! I did this workout today and it was a lot of fun than the usual boring treadmill workout. Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to add it into my rotation! 🙂