CAN YOU SAY FARTLEK WITHOUT LAUGHING?


WORKOUT

Today's run was a "Fartlek". LOL. For those of you that don't know, Fartlek means "speed play". The intervals help develop cadence and speed. It's a fun run where you just pick up the pace (faster than 5K pace) whenever you want and hold it for a minute or two, then return to zone 2. I did a total of 11 fartleks in 7 miles. It took exactly 1 hour. My average pace for the fartleks was 6:40.

You can do fartleks on your own. Just start at one point and run to another. Maybe it's mailbox to mailbox or stoplight to stoplight. Whatever it is, have fun! Mix these intervals into your normal run and you'll start to develop speed without having to run on a track!

On a side note...a lot of people ask me "When do you sleep?" "Do you ever sleep?" And the answer is YES!!!!! Sleep is extremely important to the recovery process and therefore I do everything I can to get in 6-7 hours a night. (Sometimes 8 if I don't have an early morning run.)

Even though I get up at 3:30 most days, I am always in bed by 8:30 at night. I am most definitely a morning person! Everyone has to find a routine that works for them. I am at work by 6:30 every morning and I stand all day at my desk. Therefore, an afternoon run is not my idea of fun. When I workout in the mornings, it sets the tone for the whole day. I feel accomplished, alive and full of endorphins!


DEVOTIONAL

Today's verses give me strength and encouragement! I hope they do the same for you.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I have so many weaknesses. And sometimes I focus on them too much and get overwhelmed with feelings of despair. What I should be doing is thanking God for His grace and mercy that He gives freely, and accept it with open arms!

These verses remind me that the hardships and the difficulties I face only make me stronger. They build character. They cause me to focus on Christ. I admit that I am weak and without Christ I am nothing. I am so blessed that He loves me no matter what.

MEALS

Same old same old for breakfast, lunch and snack.

Dinner: Whole organic chicken in crockpot, baked sweet potato, salad

Thanks for reading! Have a blessed day!