Fun Florida Fitness

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Tori @ In Love and Peanut Butter

For the last almost 2 years I’ve been consistently training for a race. This year I gave myself a nice break after Croom 50k before starting my Ironman 70.3 Training Plan. Without the pressure of a training plan I’ve been able to enjoy the fun side of fitness and workout what and when I feel like.

This weekend was full of fitness fun, and not even a moment of it felt like a “workout”.

Nope, not even the endless push-up’s the Boyfriend ended up doing

On Saturday Patrick and I helped out friend film a quick fitness video for his company. Since it was at the waterfront just a mile from our house we rode our bikes down.

We watched the sunrise and had a blast filming a quirky little video for him.

After we wrapped up filming we rode our bikes over to the Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete. I love walking around the market, especially when the weather is as beautiful as it was this weekend.

This morning, we got an early start and went out to Clearwater Beach for a bike ride with some friends. We rode three of the Clearwater bridges and alongside the beach.

I’ve always been terrified to ride the bridges. Living in Florida, the biggest climb I encounter on my normal trail is a speed hump. However, I am seriously considering doing the Morton Plant Mease Triathlon for my birthday this year and since the bike course covers the series of Clearwater bridges I figured I should probably conquer my fears before registering.

I’m happy to say I survived the triple bridge challenge today. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Funny how it usually works out that way.

After the 15 mile ride we took a boat down to the Sand Key area for a swim. The water was rough, really rough, but we still had a great time.

Even though we spent the majority of the weekend doing some type of physical activity, it felt more like a weekend full of socializing. While I enjoy this type of carefree fitness, I really can’t wait to have the challenge of a training program again.

Do you ever find yourself working out just for the fun of it? What is your favorite type of fitness fun?

Keeping Fit While Traveling

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Tori @ In Love and Peanut Butter

The Boyfriend and I spent the last few days in Jacksonville for his little brother’s college graduation. After planning out some time to get our workouts in I got to thinking, I often feel much more obligated to work out while traveling.

Maybe it’s because of how easy it can be to skip it, or maybe it’s because of how much planning goes into a workout on the road. Whatever the reason, I have a definite sense of commitment to my workouts away from home.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned to keep fit while traveling.

Plan ahead

If you have options for your hotel, pick the one with the nicest gym. That makes it something to look forward to when you get there.

One of my very favorite hotel gyms had a full 25 meter lap pool and treadmills that overlooked the Baltimore Oriels Stadium. Having those options made my workouts the best part of my day!

Schedule your workout like you would a meeting

Carve out some time for your workout while traveling and put it on your calendar. Assuming you’ll “sneak a workout in somewhere” during the day just makes it easier to skip it. Plan to wake up an hour earlier and get down to the hotel gym. Then it’s out of the way!

Explore the city on foot

So many of us immediately head out to explore the local area after checking in. Why not throw on your gym clothes and get a jog in?

Pack your favorite workout gear

Pack your favorite gear and pack more than you think you’ll need. Having it take up the space in your luggage definitely makes it seem that it’s an important part of your trip.

Ask the hotel for a jogging map

After spending the last few years of my life in hotel management I can tell you, this is something that not a lot of people do, but so many hotels have. Ask for one at the front desk or concierge before heading out the door.

The last hotel I stayed in had business card size directions with instructions to return it after your run for a complimentary bottle of water. Now that’s smart.

Do Some Local Research

On one of our peak weeks of Disney Marathon training we took a trip to New Orleans. Rather than suffering through 16 miles on the hotel treadmill we decided to run the Ironman New Orleans 70.3 run course. It was an awesome way to see the city!

If you’d rather not run alone check www.active.com and see if there is a local 5k where you’re traveling. It seems like there is one in most places just about every weekend.

What motivates you to workout while traveling? What are your favorite travel fitness tips?

New Gear

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Tori @ In Love and Peanut Butter

Honestly, is there anything more motivating to get out there and sweat than new workout gear? It always works for me!

Let me start by saying, I feel like I’ve been having a shoe-identity crisis for the last few months.

I’ve been a loyal Saucony Kinvara runner since I trained for my first marathon. I must have gone through 10 pairs of them. Then last year, Saucony updated the shoe. I purchased a pair of the Kinvara 2 and right off the bat something felt different. I still can’t pinpoint exactly what the difference was but it wasn’t a right fit for me.

I even emailed Saucony to find out what the difference was and if there was another shoe that they would recommend based on the changes. I got this response:

“I have checked with our Product Development department. The only changes between the Kinvara 1 and 2 is the mono mesh in the upper is more durable and breathable. Also, the cage under the mono mesh got extended into the forefoot to keep the toe box from synching up.”

That email left me even more confused. I decided while training for my last race to switch into a trail shoe.

I absolutely loved the New Balance Minimus trail shoe and it held up very well for the Croom 50k, however, I still wanted to find a new road shoe that would work for me.

After trying on a few pairs at my local running store I was talked into a Newton Light Weight Neutral Trainer. I’ve been talking about giving them a try for a while but was hesitant to make a dramatic switch until after my last race. Since I still have a little over a month before my next training program begins I felt that this would be a great time to try a new shoe.

**By the way, I finally finished the 70.3 training plan. I updated my training page to include it!

This morning I went for a 3-mile run in my new shoes. Newton is built with what they call “Action/Reaction Technology” that is designed to encourage fore-foot striking. It certainly does just that. Everything I read said to tilt slightly forward in your stride and let the shoe work for you.

Having only 3-miles on them I’m not making any promises that I am a full Newton convert, however, I think we just may have a winner

In the spirit of trying new things I also gave a running skirt from Skirt Sports a try. Running skirts are another thing I’ve been thinking about testing out for a while. I absolutely loved it. This skirt is definitely going to be a staple in my running closet.

I’d say, it was a pretty successful morning as far as trying new gear goes.

Of course, I couldn’t buy myself new toys without picking up something for the Pup.

Yep, that’s Harvey, with his new giant plastic burger.

Have you ever tried Newton running shoes? What is you’re the best workout gear you’ve tried lately?

Update on Ultra Training

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Tori @ In Love and Peanut Butter

It seems like I was just creating a training plan for my upcoming ultra marathon. I absolutely cannot believe that was almost 4 weeks ago.

As I mentioned before, I’ve had a hard time sticking to training plans in the past. I always kind of do my own thing and I always get to the start line wishing I’d had more structure during my training.

I’m happy to report that I’ve done pretty well with this one. I’ve successfully completed 14 of 15 planned workouts. I’ve even snuck in an extra run or swim on a few of my rest days.

I am still feeling pretty good considering the amount of miles I’ve been putting in lately. I credit my not-so-achy muscles on my becoming more diligent about recovery. I’ve iced and compressed after every race and I’ve actually taken a liking to recovery runs the day after long runs.

Croom 50k is exactly one month from today. I’m nearly half way through my 8-week express training and I’m actually starting to feel a bit nervous for this one. I’ve been putting in the miles and I feel strong. I fully believe that my body is almost ready. It’s my head that is not quite sure. I’m hoping to get them both on the same page these next couple weeks.

Stay tuned for more updates. I’ve also got my training page up and running! Check it out!