1/2 Marathon Training: Final Week

Just 6 days until the half marathon! I'm excited and feel ready for it. It's felt a little strange winding down my training knowing that there is still a 13 mile race ahead...last week my long run was 9 miles, this week I'm not supposed to do more than 4 or 5 miles on any given day. Part of me is nervous that my endurance will wear off, but overall I know that I've trained properly and am ready to go! I'm looking forward to doing different cardio workouts again - I'll keep up with the running somewhat, but definitely cannot wait to take a break from these running blisters!

Now that my training is almost at an end, I feel that I need to get my eating back under control. I lost two pounds during training, which isn't a whole lot, but given that I still ate fast food, cookies, cake, cheeseburgers, hot dogs here and there, it's fine by me! All the running leveled out any extra calories. I was also stuck between two clothing sizes at the start of the training, running helped me move down a size and stay there.

I purchased a Groupon for a small, private owned grocery store in Downers Grove called Lemon Tree. They carry a lot of quality produce, organic foods, and healthy foods. The deal was $12 for $25 worth of groceries, so I jumped on it right away. Here's what I got:



I bought some convenience produce that I normally don't waste money on - like $4 on pre-cut strawberries and blueberries, for example. The grocery store also has a cafe, and so the shopping area was a little cramped in my opinion - I regretted choosing a cart instead of hand basket. I might have to cough up the extra cash on a regular basis for the deli turkey and provolone cheese that I got - it's DELICIOUS!!! Melts in your mouth! Was about $5.50 for the 1/2 lb of turkey and 1/4 lb of cheese, I will get 4 wraps out of that, so not bad when you consider most deli sandwiches cost you about $6 anyway.

I have been OBSESSED with Flatout wraps as of late.



I like the mini ones (pictured above), but also bought the regular size ones today since I have so many more veggies to add to my turkey wrap I've been eating for lunch. I spread roasted red pepper hummus on the wrap, then add lettuce, tomato, turkey, cheese, and now will be adding yellow and orange bell pepper slices. So much more filling and satisfying than my Lean Cuisines I've been eating the past year!



I also really like the mini wraps for a midday PB&J snack. The package recommended trying this with fresh strawberries and banana slices with a sprinkle of granola - YUMMY!



I have been wanting to eat more eggs in the morning but am usually too lazy or running too late to do so. Since I often reheat breakfast leftovers, I realized I should just do the same thing. So I made some scrambled eggs tonight (1 full egg and 2 egg whites) mixed with feta, tomato, and bell peppers. I will try it in the morning!



After the marathon training, I'm excited to focus more on toning and strength. I'm always so concerned with fitting my running in that I haven't done a whole lot of strength training, which is a main reason why I want to start eating more healthy and fresh foods. When I started eating the wraps, I noticed that if you start looking forward to your fresh foods instead of thinking about the things you aren't allowing yourself to eat, you're a lot more satisfied overall and not tempted by the unhealthy foods as much. I am now trying to focus on wanting healthy and fresh foods - it seems to be doing the trick!