We had another cool and mostly cloudy day. It was supposed to be sunny and upper 70's. But it was only about 65 and overcast when we set out for a run at 11:45.
We decided to actually, willingly do speed work. I haven't done any real speed work/drills since probably January. We've done a few tempo runs, but those were mostly unplanned. We warmed up for a mile while heading to our destination.
Since we weren't on a track with marked distance (ran on a park lawn), we measured distance by our strides. Jason had this workout from years ago - it's similar to striders or gentle pickups. You start off easy then gradually increase speed to about 90% of max effort. Most suggest ranges of like 80 meters (just one example). Then a brief rest before repeating.
We counted our strides for right foot strike. Jason was counting 20 (so 40 steps total) and I chose 25 because 20 didn't seem to get my little legs very far ;-) We repeated 12 times total then ran another mile back home for 3 miles total.
We used to do this workout at least once a week, but haven't in years. It's definitely a leg workout I can tell you that much. Note to self: do more squats. Lots more squats. Oh and deadlifts....
I will say that doing drills like this, if you really pay attention, can tell you a little bit about your form, what you might need to improve on.
I am feeling the workout mostly in my quads, this tells me I am not fully or properly engaging my hamstrings and glutes. Huge weakness still and this is probably what is preventing my piriformis from recovering. No strength and mis-use. Of course, this is my non-professional opinion. A very frustrated, non-professional, too-much-googling opinion.
But, the run? Short, sweet, sweaty.
More Grilling
Remember how I've been on a grilled kale kick? Well, it's back again tonight. I debated on several different things I wanted to try, including grilled kale & tofu sandwiches or wraps. What I ended up going with was Grilled Kale & White Bean Quesadillas.
To grill the kale, I simply clean it, de-stem, and give it a good chop. I lightly dress it with olive oil, salt, and ground pepper. I use a veggie grill basket and just grill until tender. You'll get some nice crisp edges too - similar to kale chips. Also added in a white onion to grill with the kale.
For the filling of the quesadilla, I blended up: white beans, sundried tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, drizzle of olive oil, a few tablespoons of soy yogurt and seasoned with parsley, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper, a splash of lemon juice and a splash of red wine vinegar to brighten the flavors.
I always lightly grill or brown one side of my tortilla before flipping over and filling it. I think it prevents it from getting mushy with both sides being crisp. I spread the bean mixture evenly and add the kale to half the tortilla then fold the other side over. I find it a lot easier to cook them this way rather than stacking one tortilla on top of the other and attempting to flip them.
And just a quick PSA
Please please please hang up the phone when driving unless it's just an absolute, must-take, urgent call.
I almost got into a serious wreck coming home because someone was talking their cell and blew through a red light coming off an interstate off ramp (meaning they weren't driving slowly). I am so very thankful that my reactions were quick and correct or I would have been T-boned. No phone call or text message is that important.
End of rant.
Daily To-Enjoy List
- Running
- Grilling
- Not getting into an accident