5.00 Miles or Bust!

There was a new man in my life today. He sauntered in innocently enough, and then took my Green Monster by storm!
Jay Robb protein powder, which I picked up at my local Whole Foods the other day, made my smoothie extra thick and smooth. Good thing too, because I used an unreal amount of green today. My Breakfast Green Monster contained 2 large cups of spinach, 3 kale leaves, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 strawberries, and ice. I sprinkled 1/4 cup of my English granola on top for some staying power.
A small vat of coffee was also consumed. How cute is this mug? I love how much coffee it holds at once, but you have to be careful, because yesterday I drank 2 of these and wound up with caffeine jitters!

The coffee obviously gave me tons of energy and I was feeling pretty decent (not to sore) after yesterdays 5k and yoga session. So I decided to spend the afternoon outside. I started by taking Boomer, one of our family dogs, on a light jog around the neighborhood for a warm up. My Garmin says we completed 1.53 miles in 20:39. Then I did a quick wardrobe change (because it was sooo humid!) and headed out to Pinnacle Mountain, which is a just a short drive from my house.(Source) The mountain itself is absolutely breathtaking. It is one of my favorite places in the entire state. The park offers two different hiking options, an easy side and a hard side. I chose to conquer the easy side today under the premise that I would take no breaks until I reached the top! My stats:

• Acent: 1040 feet
• Decent: 1080 feet
  
• Distance: 1.25 miles
• Time: 44:48

I was pleased with my overall time. I actually made it to the top in just over 20 mins and boy o boy was I sweating. I'm pretty sure I scared some people off...but I'll just chalk that up to looking hardcore. :) Hauling butt up the mountain was totally worth it. Just look at the views from the top! (I took pictures of all four sides)




Arkansas is truly a beautiful place, and if you ever have the opportunity to explore "the natural state" I recommend you do it. There are so many great outdoor activities around here. I digress...despite the ominous looking clouds I saw at the top of the mountain I still had energy when I reached the bottom. I decided to run around the base trail for a little while and see how hard I could push myself. I ended up turning back twice because it started raining and then stopped. I felt silly for re-running the trail but I was so in the zone I just had to keep going! On this leg of the workout my stats were:
Distance: 2.25 miles
Time: 44:32
Slow, yes, but trail running is hard work, and to be honest I did not run the whole time. Instead, I found myself just taking in everything around me. It was so peaceful that I just enjoyed my time instead of worrying about the statistics.

On the way home, I stopped at a gas station for fuel because I ran out of water! Knowing how much I had just sweat, I went with some G2 to replenish lost electrolytes. This was gone in 5 minutes flat. Thirsty much?

Anyways, I arrived home right before the looming thunderstorm erupted. My body was aching after that grueling workout and I rewarded my efforts the best way I know how.
Ice, and a lot of it. Here I am in all my sweaty glory blogosphere. There is no hiding how in need of a shower I am in this picture but I am taking a cue from Heather today and embracing my not so perfect side. I could be embarrassed that I look less than perfect in this photo, but honestly, I don't care because it is the best I have felt in a long time. I encourage y'all to read Heather's post from today. It is one of the most motivating and encouraging pieces I have read as of late. If she can post something that revealing, then I can at least share my sweatfest with y'all! (Notice I am even sitting on a towel as to not get the carpet gross...desperate times... )

Following one of the most glorious showers ever, I attacked the kitchen. My Linner du jour was a veggie patty sandwich that included hummus, a laughing cow wedge, spinach, and a Dr. Praeger's patty. I seriously crave these vegetable burgers now. In my humble opinion, they are the best on the market (and I have tried my fair share.) Served alongside some carrots and more hummus for the crunch factor.

Immediately following, I popped 3 Ibuprofen to ward off the impending soreness. Along with some more icing, foam rolling, and stretching, I should be good as new in the morning! :)
Oh, and in case y'all are wondering, my final stats from all the workouts combined were:
Time: 1:50:09
Distance: 5.02 miles
Ascent: 3555 feet (which I don't think is right...huge sigh)
My Beast and I clearly still have some things to work out.


Switching gears, as you may or may not know it is graduation time at Syracuse. Many of my best friends officially became alumni today. I know they will all do amazing things in the world and I wish the best for all of them! I am sorry I could not be there in person for this momentous occasion, but I promise I was thinking about y'all all day!

Until tomorrow,
~Jenn